Service And Wealth

Εἰ τῷ Χριστοῦ διακονεῖς θυσιαστηρίω, μετὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ νόμων μετέρχῃ την λειτουργίαν σου, πρᾶος καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ φαινόμενος. Οὐ γὰρ πολιτικήν τινα χειρίζεις ἡγεμονίαν, τύφῳ καὶ κόμπῳ φλεγμαίνουσαν· ἀλλὰ διακονίαν εἰρηνικὴν καὶ ἀτάραχον. Εἰ δὲ πλοῦτος ἄδικος συναχθεὶς ὑπεραίρει σε, αὐτὸς μὲν θᾶττον ἐξεμεθήσεται, ρευστὴν ἔχων τὴν φύσιν καὶ ἄστατον· σὺ δὲ πολὺν ὀφλήσεις τὸν γέλωτα, τοῖς παρατρέχουσιν ὡς ἑστῶσι προσθέμενος Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΡΝΖ' Πανσοφιῳ Ἀρχιδιακονῳ Source: Migne PG 78.288c

If you serve at the altar of Christ, you should attend to the laws of its service, and exhibit meekness and humility in your heart. You are not some grasping worldly ruler bloated with conceit and pomp and, but yours should be a peaceful and untroubled service. But if you have wickedly gathered wealth to exalt yourself, you should quickly vomit it forth as something naturally slippery and unstable, lest you become a laughing stock who has seized on passing things as something stable. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 157, To Pansophios the Archdeacon 1 1 Pet 2.2

A Failed Follower

Et ait illis Jesus: Vulpes foveas habent, et volucres coeli nidos, Filius autem hominis non habet ubi caput reclinet. Ex Domini verbis ostenditur hunc qui obsequium promittit ob hoc repudiatum, quod signorum videns magnitudinem, sequi voluerit Salvatorem, ut lucra ex operum miraculis quaereret, hoc idem desiderans, quod et Simon Magus a Petro emere voluerat. Talis ergo fides juste sententia Domini condemnatur, et dicitur ei: Quid me propter divitias et saeculi lucra cupis sequi cum tantae sim paupertatis, ut ne hospitiolum quidem habeam, et non meo utar tecto? Aliter, intelligitur miraculis Domini commotus propter inanem jactantiam eum sequi voluisse, quam significant aves. Finxisse autem discipuli obsequium, quae fictio vulpium nomine significata est. Reclinatione vero capitis humilitatem suam significavit, quae in illo simulatore ac superbo non habebat locum. Sanctus Beda, In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Liber III, Caput IX Source: Migne PL 92.460c-d

Jesus said to them, 'Foxes have their holes, and the birds of heaven their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest His head.' 1 From these words of the Lord it is shown that this man who promised to follow is repudiated, because he wished to follow having seen the greatness of His signs so that he might try to profit from the work of miracles, which same thing Simon Magus desired, and wished to buy from Peter. 2 The speech of the Lord rightly condemns such faith and it is said to him, 'Why did you desire to follow me for the sake of wealth and worldly gain when I am so poor so that I do not have anywhere to rest and no roof over my head?' Otherwise it may be understood that having been amazed by the miracles of the Lord this man wished to follow Him for the sake of inane boasting, which the birds signify. But the following of the disciple was false, which fiction He names by foxes. However the resting of the head signifies humility, which has no place for deceit or pride. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Book 3, Chapter 9 1 Lk 9.58 2 Acts 8.18-20

Wisdom And Wealth

Διὰ τοῦτο ἠγάπησα τὰς ἐντολάς σου ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ τοπάζιον Τελειοτέρου ἐστὶν τὸ ποιεῖν μετὰ τοῦ ἀγαπᾶν· ἀτελεστέρου δὲ ποιεῖν μὲν, οὐ μετὰ τοῦ ἀγαπᾶν δέ. Τῶν δὲ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τιμιώτατον δoκεῖ εἶναι χρυσός. Παρακειμένου γοῦν πλούτου παντὸς καὶ ἐντολῆς σου, οὐχ οὕτως ἐνορῶ τῷ πλούτῳ, ὡς τῇ ἐντολῇ σου. Ταῦτα συνάδει τῷ· ᾿Αγαθόν μοι ὁ νόμος τοῦ στόματός σου ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου· καὶ τῷ· Λάβετε παιδείαν καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον· καὶ γνῶσιν ὑπὲρ χρυσίου δεδοκιμασμένου· κρεῖσσον γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν· πᾶν δὲ τίμιον οὐκ ἄξιόν ἐστιν. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΡΙΗ' Source: Migne PG 39.1577a

Because of this I love your commandments above all gold and jewels. 1 It is of the more perfect to act and love, and of the less perfect to act and not love. Of the things in the world nothing seems more honoured than gold, but set all wealth before me and your commandments, I would not look to riches but to your commandments. This agrees with the previous line, 'Good to me is the law of your mouth, over thousands of gold and silver,' and also with, 'Receive instruction and not silver, and knowledge over proven gold, for wisdom is better than precious stones and nothing that is valuable can match it.' 2 Didymus the Blind, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.127 2 Ps 118.72, Prov 8.10

Power And Corruption

Ὡς ὁ πλοῦτος τοὺς οὐ προσέχοντας ἐκτραχηλίζειν εἲωεν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἀρχή. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ εἰς πλεονεξίαν, αὕτη δὲ εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἄγει. Ὄρα γοῠν τὸ ἀρχόμενον πλῆθος τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὑγιαῖον, τοὺς δὲ ἄρχοντας διεφθαρμένους. Ὅτι γὰρ οὕτοι αὐτῷ ἐπίστευον, λέγουσι μὲν συνεχῶς οἱ εὐαγγελισταὶ, ὅτι Πολλοὶ ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου ἐπίστευσαν αὐτῷ. Ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἠπίστουν. Καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγουσιν, οὐχὶ ὁ ὄχλος, Μὴ τις τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν; Ἀλλὰ τί φησι; Τὸ πλῆθος, οἱ μὴ εἰδότες τὸν Θεὸν, ἐπικατάρατοί εἰσι. Τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἐπικαταράτους ἔλεγον, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ ἀναιροῦντας, συνετούς. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία ΞϚ’ Source: Migne PG 59.365

As wealth will ruin those who are not prudent, so it is with power. The first leads into covetousness, the second into pride. See how the subject multitude of the Jews is sound and the rulers are corrupt. For the Evangelists continually tell us that the former believed in Christ, saying, 'Many of the multitude believed in Him,' 1 but the rulers did not believe. And it is they themselves, not the multitude, who say, 'Has any of the rulers believed in Him?' But what says one of them? 'The multitude do not know God, they are accursed.' 2 They call the believers accursed, and themselves, the slayers, wise. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, from Homily 66 1 Jn 7.31 2 Jn 7.48-49

Warning The Prosperous

Similiter ammonendi sunt homines existentes in prosperitate ne extollantur et existentes in adversitate ne terreantur desperando de adversitate. Illi enim qui prosperantur pro voluntate non se offerant, nec in ea presumptuose, nec sustinentes adversa despiciant et mutabilitatem sive labilitatem eius iugiter considerent. Et de eorum ammonitione Gregorius ii pastoralis capitulo xvii. Unde et proverbiorum i: Prosperitas stultorum perdet eos. Augustinus epistola lxxxii: Mundus est periculosior blandus quam molestus. Iob v: Vidi stultum firma radice et maledixi pulcritudini eius. Ibi Gregorius moralium vi: Quasi per amena prata ad carcerem vadit qui per presentis vite prospera ad interitum currit. Iob xviii: Preciptiabit eum consilium suum. Ibi moralium xvi: Prosperitas gressus obligat ut vix ad bona redite possint. Unde Augustinus epistola v: Nichil infelicius felictate peccantium qua penalis nutritur iniquitas et mala voluntas velut hostis interior roboratur. Et sequitur: Si Deus pollere permittat iniquos in prosperitate, tunc indignatur gravius, et si hic impunita dimmitat, tunc punit investius. Ubi inducit illud poete: Luxuriant animi rebus plerumque secundis. De hoc Seneca multum libro de providentia ubi ait: Nichil infelicius eo cui nunquam accidit aliquid adversi quia male iudicaverunt dii de ipso. Et ponit exempla de ipsis qui adversa sustinuerunt sicut de regulo qui quanto plus tormenta sustinuit, tanto plus glorie obtinuit, et quanto plus glorie habuit, tanto uberius et virilius advesa toleravit. Solatium enim magnis viris fruit dura pro honestis tolerare. Et de hoc idem Seneca epistola viii: Munera fortune sunt insidie, et espitola lxxx: Segetum ubertas nimia sternit, rami onere franguntur, ad maritatem non provenit nimia fecunditas. Idem illis evenitur quos nimia felicitas corrumpit. De huiusmodi autem mutabilitate Gregorius iii registrum ante finem bene ubi ait: Dum omnia in hoc mundo mutabilitatis ordo corrumpat, nec elevari prosperis, nec frangi debemus adversis ut humilitati discamus quicquid delinquimus et exaltati adversitatis memoriuam quasi humilitatis anchoram in mente teneamus. Nichil est stabile in hac vita sed ut viator modo per plana modo per ardua pergat, nec est ira sed gracia per quam discimus ita eius dona tanto servemus verius quanto humilius. Artem gubernandi mare tranquillum non ostendit et obsequens ventus nisi aliquid adversum occurrat sed quia animum probet turbatio naufragii. Non est laudandus rector cui gubernacula fluctus eripuit qui fluctuantia vela deseruit. Ille vero laudandus qui predictis restitit. Johannes Gallensis, Communiloquium sive Summa Collationum, Pars secunda, Septima Distinctio, De ammonitione hominum secundum differentias eventus vel fortune. Captitulum primum: De ammonitione existentium in prosperitate Source: here, p154

Similarly to be admonished are men who live in prosperity, that they should not exalt in prosperity, nor finding themselves in adversity should they be terrified to despair because of it. For they who prosper do not willingly imperil themselves, nor are reckless, nor should they scorn the enduring of adversities but consider the changeability and instability of things. Gregory gives this warning to them in the seventeenth chapter of the second book of his Pastoral Rule. And in the first chapter of Proverbs, 'The prosperity of fools ruins them.' 1 In the eighty second letter of Augustine, 'The world is more perilous when it is charming than when it is troublesome.' In the fifth chapter of Job, 'I saw a fool firmly rooted and I cursed his beauty.' Gregory in the sixth book of the Moralia: 'He runs from a fair meadow to a prison who goes through the prosperity of the present life to ruin.' In the eighteenth chapter of Job, 'His own counsel casts him down.' In the sixteenth book of the Moralia: 'Prosperity binds the feet so they can scarcely return to good things.' And Augustine in his fifth letter, 'Nothing is more unfortunate than the happiness of sinners, because wickedness nourishes punishments and evil wills strengthen the interior enemy.' And it follows, 'If God permits the wicked to flourish in prosperity, then indignation shall be heavier, and if here He allows them to be unpunished, then he shall punish more completely.' Whence the poet says, 'Souls are enfeebled by an excess of prosperity.' 2 And concerning this Seneca has much to say in his book on Providence: 'Nothing is more unfortunate than this, that nothing averse ever befalls a man because the gods judged him to be utterly wretched.' 3 And he gives an example of those who have endured adversities, such as Regulus who endured great torments so that he could gain great glory, and the more glory he had so much more effortlessly and manfully he bore torments. The bearing of difficulties with nobility is the comfort that great men enjoy. And concerning the same thing, Seneca says in this eighth letter, 'The riches of fortune are treacherous.' And in the eightieth letter, 'Crops that are too fruitful are bent down to the earth, the overladen bough breaks, excessive fecundity never advances to ripeness.' 4 The same happens to those who are corrupted with excessive fortune. Concerning this same mutability Gregory says in the third book of his registry of letters, well before the end, 'While the rule of changeability corrupts everything in this world, we should neither be exalted by prosperity nor crushed by adversity, but learn to be humble in both what we err in and in what we excel in, holding in the mind the remembrance of adversity as an anchor of humility. Nothing is stable in this life, but it is as a traveller who at one time goes across flat land and at another through rough terrain. Nor let there be anger but thanks for what we learn, for so we serve His great gift more truly the greater is our humility. The art of piloting a ship is not shown on a tranquil sea amid light winds but by the coming of adversity, which adversity may prove the soul a shipwreck. A pilot who flees from waves and the billowing sail is not worthy of praise, but he who endures what we have spoken of is worthy of acclaim.' 5 John of Wales, The Communiloquium, Second Part, Seventh Distinction, First Chapter, On The Warning Of Men According To Different Events And Fortunes, from the First Chapter, On Warning Those Who Live In Prosperity 1 Prov 1.32 2 Ovid Ars Am 2.427 3 Sen De Prov 3.3 4 Seneca Let 8.3, Let 39.4 5 Greg Reg Let 3.52

Curing An Avaricious Man

Εἰ καὶ ἑάλως τῷ τῆς φιλαργυρίας ἰῷ, ὅσπερ καὶ παντός ἐστι ῥίζα κακοῦ, καὶ πρὸς εἰδωλολατρίαν ἐκβακχεύει σε, πᾶσαν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν μεταστήσας τὴν αἴσθησιν, ἀλλ' ἀπόκριναι αὐτῷ τὴν θεοδίδακτον φωνὴν, Κύριον τὸν Θεόν μου προσκυνήσω, καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσω. Καὶ ὁ μὲν οιχήσεται, σὺ δὲ ἀνανήψεις πρὸς τὴν αὐτάρκειαν. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΥΛΔ', Κρισπῳ Source: Migne 78.421b

If you have been struck by the dart of the love of money, which is the root of all evil, 1 and it has driven you to a frenzy, possessing all your senses, answer it with the God taught speech, 'I serve the Lord my God and Him alone I revere,' 2 and it will depart, and you will return to yourself and be content with what is sufficient. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 434, To Crispus 1 1 Tim 6.10 2 Mt 6.24, Deut 6.13

First Lessons

Ἀρχὴ δὲ πάντων χαλεπῶν φιλαργυρία. εἰδότες οὖν ὅτι οὐδὲν εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι ἔχομεν, ὁπλισώμεθα τοῖς ὅπλοις τῆς δικαιοσύνης καὶ διδάξωμεν ἑαυτοὺς πρῶτον προεύεσθαι ἐν τῇ ἐντολῇ τοῦ Kυριοῦ· ἔπειτα καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ δοθείσῃ αὐταῖς πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἁγνείᾳ στεργούσας τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἄνδρας ἐν πάσῃ ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἀγαπώσας πάντας ἐξ ἴσου ἐν πάσῃ ἐγκρατείᾳ, καὶ τὰ τέκνα παιδεύειν τὴν παιδείαν τοῦ φόβου τοῦ θεοῦ· τὰς χήρας σωφρονούσας περὶ τὴν τοῦ Kυρίου πίστιν, ἐντυγχανούσας ἀδιαλείπτως περὶ πάντων, μακρὰν οὔσας πάσης διαβολῆς, καταλαλιᾶς, ψευδομαρτυρίας, φιλαργυρίας καὶ παντὸς κακοῦ, γινωσκούσας ὅτι εἰσὶ θυσιαστήριον θεοῦ καὶ ὅτι πάντα μωμοσκοπεῖται, καὶ λέληθεν αὐτὸν οὐδὲν οὔτε λογισμῶν οὔτε ἐννοιῶν οὔτε τι τῶν κρυπτῶν τῆς καρδίας. Ἅγιος Πολύκαρπος Σμύρνης, Πρὸς Φιλιππήσιους Έπιστολή Source: Migne PG 5.1008c-1009a

'But the love of money is the root of all evils.' 1 Knowing, therefore, that 'as we brought nothing into the world, so we can bear nothing out,' 2 let us arm ourselves with the armour of righteousness, 3 and first let us teach ourselves to walk in the commandments of the Lord. Then teach your wives to walk in the faith given to them, and to love their own husbands dearly and tenderly and in all truth, and to love everyone equally and in chastity, and to raise their children in the knowledge and fear of God. Teach widows to be sensible regarding the faith of the Lord, praying continually for all, 4 being far from all slandering, evil-speaking, false-witnessing, land the love of money, and every sort of evil, knowing that they are the altar of God, and that He sees all things clearly and nothing is hidden from Him, neither reasoning, nor reflections, nor any one of the secret things of the heart. Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, from the Letter to the Philippians. 1 1 Tim 6.10 2 1 Tim 6.7 3 Ephes 6.11 4 1 Thes 5.17

Labour And Salvation

Verum si diligenter observem praecepta medici, erit etiam consolationis occasio, Sicut enim gravem agnosco morbum, cui tanla apponitur medicina, sic et ex hoc ipso non incurabilem esse conjector. Neque enim pretiosissimas species frustra insumeret medicus sapiens, imo sapienlia ipsa. Porro frustra insumi constat, non solum si absque eis facilis esset curatio, sed multo magis et si cum eis sit impossibilis. Animat itaque ad poenitentiam, et accendit vehementius desiderium spes concepta. Sane accedit ad consolationem ipsa quoque , quae pastoribus vigilantibus exhibita est, visitatio et allocutio angelorum. Vae vobis, divites, qui habetis consolationem vestram, ut jam non mereamini habere coelestem. Quam multi enim nobiles secundum carnem, quam multi potentes, quam multi sapientes hujus saeculi, hora illa in stratis mollibus quiescebant; et nemo eorum dignus habitus est novam videre lucem, scire magnum illud gaudium, angelos audire cantantes: Gloria in excelsis Deo. Agnoscant igitur homines, quia qui in labore hominum non sunt, visitari ab angelis non merentur. Agnoscant quam placeat supernis civibus labor cujus spiritualis intentio est, quandoquidem et eos qui pro victu corporis, coroporali urgente necessitate laborant, suo dignantur alloquio, et alioquio tam felici. Nimirum humanum in eis agnoscant ordinem, quo constituit Deus ut in sudore vultus sui vescatur Adam pane suo. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermones De Tempore, In Nativitate Domini Sermo III Source: Migne PL 183.125b-c

Truly if I diligently observe the instructions of the physician there shall be a time of comfort, for as I know the sickness is grave, since such a great cure has been administered, so from this I conjecture that it is not incurable. The wise physician does not take up this most precious form in vain, but on account of His own wisdom, and yet He does apply Himself vainly with those who would have an easy cure, and much more with those who make it impossible. Even so, He stirs to penitence, and He more eagerly kindles the desire of hope conceived. Certainly there is consolation also, which was shown to those watching shepherds with the visitation and speech of angels. 'Woe to you, O rich ones, who have your consolation,' 1 so that now you do not merit heaven. How many are noble according to the flesh, how many powerful, how many wise according to the world, and in that hour they were silent, wrapped up in soft garments, for not one of them was clothed so worthily that they might see the new light, and know that great joy, and hear angels singing, 'Glory to God on High.' 2 Therefore let men know that those who are not amid the labours of men, 3 shall not merit the visitation of angels. Let them know the work that is spiritual in intent pleases the dwellers in heaven, and whenever those labour under bodily necessity for the sustenance of the body, they are worthy of their speech, even a speech so fortunate. Let them know the order for men, which God established, that in the sweat of his face Adam eats his bread. 4 Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for the Season, On The Nativity Of The Lord, from Sermon 3 1 Lk 6.24 2 Lk 2.14 3 Ps 72.5 4 Gen 3.19

When The Wicked Prosper

Surgentes testes iniqui quae ignorabam interrogabant me. Omnes iniqui qui temporalia bona aeternis praeferunt, cum in hac vita prosperantur, quasi in testimonium contra electos surgunt, quia dum ipsa sua felicitate de visibilibus non loquendo, sed prosperando, testimonnium perhibent, judicium bonorum, quod de aeternis, et invisibilibus bonis dat, convincere student. Unde recte quae ignorabam, inquit, interrogabant me. Mali enim bonos de praesenti felicitate interrogant, quia, cum eis dulcis sit, mirantur, quod illi se ad appetitum ejus non inclinant, Sed qui haec non dulcis, sed amara bonis est, quidquid de ejus laude in medium proferunt, hoc boni per experientiam non cognoscunt. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber II, Tit XLIII Quod temporalis malorum prosperitas, electis testimonium est aeternae felicitatis Source: Migne PL 177.609a

'Evil witnesses rose up and questioned me about things I did not know.' 1 All the wicked who prefer temporal goods to eternal ones, when they prosper in this life, they rise up as a testament against the elect, because while they do not speak of their happiness amid visible things, yet in their prospering they give testimony of it, and they strive to convince with this judgement of good things against eternal and unseen goods. Hence it is rightly said they questioned him about things he did not know. The wicked question the good about present happiness, because while there is sweetness to them in it they wonder why the good do not incline to their desires. But to the good these things are not sweet but bitter, and likewise whatever praise of it is brought before them, for the good through experience know nothing of it. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 2, Chapter 43, That the temporal prosperity of the wicked is a witness to the elect of eternal happiness. 1 Ps 34.11

Making Rich And Poor

...et mercatores terrae de virtute deliciarum ejus divites facti sunt... Divites peccatis dici eos qui pro abundantia temporali suas infelici mercatu animas commutant. Nam nimietas luxuriae pauperes potius quam divitis facit Sanctus Beda, Explanatio Apocalyspsis, Liber III, Caput XVIII Source: Migne PL 93.185c

...and the merchants of the earth made rich by the power of her delicacies... 1 It speaks of those rich in sin, those who barter their souls away in a wretched market for temporal wealth, for excessive luxury makes men poor rather than rich. Saint Bede, Commentary On The Apocalypse, Book 3, Chapter 18 1 Apoc 18.3

Rich And Poor

Πλούσιος καὶ πτωχὸς συνήντησαν ἀλλήλοις, ἀμφοτέρους δὲ ὁ Kύριος ἐποίησεν Συναντῶσιν ἀλλήλοις, ὁ μὲν πλούσιος διὰ τῶν ἐλεημοσυνῶν καθαιρῶν τὸν θυμὸν, καὶ κτώμενος τὴν ἀγαπην· ὁ δὲ διὰ τῆς πενίας τὸ ταπεινοφρονεῖν διδασκόμενος· τὸν μὲν γὰρ, θέλει παιδεύεσθαι· τὸν δὲ, μεταδιδόναι· ὥστε τὸν μὲν εὐχάριστον εἶναι, τὸν δὲ ἐλεήμονα. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Παροιμίας, Κεφαλή ΚΒ’ Source: Migne PG 17.217b

The rich man and the poor man meet together, the Lord made them both. 1 They meet together when the rich man extinguishes anger with alms and fashions love, and the other is learning the humility of a poor condition, for he wishes to learn and the other to give, thus one will be thankful and the other merciful. Origen, On Proverbs, Chapter 22 1 Prov 22.2

Thorns And Riches

Alia autem ceciderunt in spinas, et creverunt spinae, et suffocaverunt ea. Spinas autem divitias interpretatur idem Salvator. Nec mirum videri debet quare spinis divitias comparaverit, cum illae pungant, istae delectent. Recte enim spinae vocantur, quia cogitationum suarum punctionibus mentem lacerant. Et cum usque ad peccatum protrahunt, quasi inflicto vulnere cruentant, simulque crescentes spinae sementem suffocando ad fructum pervenire non sinunt, quia exaggeratio divitiarum mentem strangulando spiritales virtutum fructus gignere non permittit; quin potius, si quid viriditatis habere potuit, squalore asperitatis suae illud transcendendo opprimit, et vitalem succum funditus in eo interimit. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Matthaeum, Liber V, Caput XIII Source: Migne PL 107.940d-941a

Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them... 1 The Saviour interprets the thorns as riches. And one should not wonder why He compared riches to thorns, when thorns hurt and wealth delights. Rightly they are called thorns which with their points wound the thoughts of the mind. And when they draw one to sin, it is as an infliction of bloody wounds, and at the same time the seed choked by the thorns is not able to grow because the heaping up of riches strangles the soul and it cannot bring forth the spiritual fruit of the virtues, but rather, even if it does have some greenness, the roughness of its bitter state overwhelms and suppresses it and the living fruit in it is killed off. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 5, Chapter 13 1 Mt 13.7

Wanting More

Quaestiones II. Item quaeritur de hoc quod dicit, quod nihil deest animae suae ex omnibus, quae desiderat. Contra: Supra quinto: Avarus non implebitur pecunia; et rursus Hieronymus: Avaro deest tam quod habet, quam quod non habet: male ergo dicit, cum ait: Et nihil deest. Respondeo: dicendum, quod deesse aliquid, hoc potest esse dupliciter: vel quantum ad sufficientiam secundum rem et naturam, vel secundum opinionem. Dico ergo, quod bene potest esse avarus ita dives, quod nihil desit ei secundum rem et naturam; sed tamen nunquam ita dives, quin aliquid ei desit secundum suam aestimationem, quia semper plus cupit habere; et ita sibi deest. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Ecclesiasten, Caput VI Source: Here, p 51

Questions 2. The same must be asked of this which he says 'his soul wants nothing of all that it desires.' 1 For above in the fifth chapter he says that the avaricious man shall not be filled with wealth, 2 and again Jerome says, 'Lack comes to the avaricious man more by what he has than by what he does not have.' 3 Therefore it is wrongly spoken here when it is said that he wants nothing. I reply that it must be said that the lack of something may be twofold, either as much as it pertains to sufficiency for the thing and nature, or according to opinion. I say, therefore, that it is indeed possible that an avaricious, and so rich man, lacks nothing according to the thing and nature, and yet there is never a rich man but he lacks something according to judgement, because he always has a desire for something more, and so in his own mind he lacks. Saint Bonaventura, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 6 1 Eccles 6.2 2 Eccles 5.9 3 Jerome Com Eccl PL 23.1055b

Scandal And Wealth

Quod Dominus dicit, Qui autem scandalizaverit unum de pusillis istis, id est, ex humilibus, quales vult esse discipulos suos, non obtemperando, vel etiam contraveniendo, sicut de Alexandro aerario Apostolus dicit: expedit ei ut mola asinaria suspendatur collo ejus, et praecipetur in profundum maris: id est, congruit ei cupiditas rerum temporalium, cui stuli et caeci colligantur, eum devinctum pondere suo deducat ad interitum. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Quaestiones in Evangelium Secundum Matthaeum, Liber Primus, XXIV Source: Migne PL 35.1327-8

When the Lord says, 'He who shall scandalise one of these little ones,' 1 that is, one of the humble, which He wishes his disciples to be, not by compulsion or indeed by opposition, as the Apostle says of Alexander the coppersmith, 2 'it will be better for him that the millstone of the donkey be hung around his neck and he be cast into the depth of the sea,' 3 that is, it befits that the desire for temporal things, to which the foolish and blind are bound and crushed by its weight, leads to ruin. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Questions on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 1, 24 1 Mt 18.6 2 2 Tim. 4.14

Glory And Disgrace

..αἰσχύνθητε ἀπὸ καυχήσεως ὑμῶν ἀπὸ ὀνειδισμοῦ ἔναντι Kυρίου. Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ ἑξῆς ἐπίπληξιν ἀναγχαίαν ἣν καλὸν εἰς τὸν ἐθικὸν τόπον ἀναλαθεῖν λέγουσαν" Αἷσχύγθητε ἀπὸ καυχήσεως ὑμῶν, ἀπὸ ὀνειδισμοῦ ἐναντίον Κυρίου. Ἔστι τινὰ ἐν οἷς καυχώμεθα δια τὴν ἄνοιαν, οὐχ οὖσιν καυχήσεως ἀξίοις οἷον ἐάν καυχήσηταί τις, ὅτι πλούσιός ἐστι, καὶ πολλὰ χέχτηται, λέγοιτ᾽ ἂν πρὸς αὐτόν Αἰσχύγθητε ἀπὸ καυχήσεως ὑμῶν. Ἐὰν καυχήσηται τι; ἐπὶ εὐγενείξ ταύτῃ τῇ ἐκτὸς, λεχθήσεται πρὸς αὐτόν" Αἰσχύγθητε ἀπὸ καυχήσεως ὑμῶν. Ἐὰν καυχήσηταί τις ἐπὶ πολυτελείᾳ ἱματίων, ἐπὶ οἰκοδομῇ οἰχίας πλουσίως κατεσχευασμένης, ἀλλοτρία ἐστὶν ἡ καύχησις καυχῆς σεως ἁγίων" διὸ λεχθήσεται πρὸς τὸν τοιοῦτον᾽ Αἰσιχὺγθητε ἀπὸ καυχήσεως ὑμῶν. Άkουε τοῦ λόγου τοῦ προφήτου Ἱερεμίου χελεύοντος ἡμᾶς μὴ καυχᾶσθαι· Μηδὲ ὁ σοφὸς ἐπὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ ὀϊσχυρὸς ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὑτοῦ, μηδὲ ὁ πιλούσιος ἐν' τῷ πιλούτῳ αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ ἐν τούτῳ καυχάσθω ὁ καυχώμενος, συγιεῖν καὶ γιγώσκειν, ὅτι ἐγώ εἶμι Κύριος. θέλεις καυχᾶσθαι, καὶ καυχώμενος μὴ ἀκοῦσαι, Αἰσχύνθητε ἀπὸ καυχήσεως ὑμῶν; Καύχησαι ὡς ᾿Απόστολος, καὶ εἰπέ ᾿Εμοὶ δὲ μὴ γέγοιτο καυχᾶσθαι εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ ἐμοὶ κόσμος ἐσταύρωται, κἀγὼ τῷ κόσμῳ. Θέλεις kαυχᾶσθαι ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇς· Αἰσιχύνθητε ἀπὸ kαυχήσεως ὑμῶν; Ἄκουε Παύλου καυχωμένου, καὶ μάνθανε, ὅταν λέγῃ· Ἥδιστα οὗν καυχήσομαι ἐν ταῖς ἀσθεγείαις μου, ἵν ἐπισκηγώσῃ ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἄκουε οἷα καυχᾶται καυχήματα Eν κόποις περισσοτέρως. Τίς δύναται ἡμῶν τοῦτο εἰπεῖν; Ἐν φυλακαῖς ὑπερβαλλιόντως. ἐν θανάτοις πολλιάκις ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων πεντάχις τεσσαράκοντα παρὰ μίαν ἔλαβον, τρὶς ἐῤῥαῦδίσθην, ἅπαξ ἐλιθάσθηγν, τρὶς ἐραυάγησα. Μανθάνομεν οὖν χαὶ χαυχήσεων εἶναι διαφοράς᾽ ὥς τινας μὲν χαυχήσεις εἶναι αἰσχύνης ἀξίας, ἐφ᾽ οἷς λέγοιτ᾽ ἂν ἐχεῖνο τὸ ἀποστολιχόν᾽ Καὶ ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν. Ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἔδει αὐτοὺς αἰσχύνεσθαι, ἐπὶ τούτοις οἴονται δοξάζεσθαι. Ὠριγένης Ἰερεμίας, Ὁμολία IA' Source: Migne PG 13.324c-325a

...you are disgraced in your glorying, in your shame before the Lord. 1 Let us see what else there is here for needful correction, which we should receive in a moral sense: 'You are disgraced in your glorying, in your shame before me.' There are many things in which we glory and show our lack of sense. For example, if some glory in their many possessions, He says to them, 'You are disgraced in your glorying.' If some glory in the nobility of their family, it is said to them, 'You are disgraced in your glorying.' If someone fall into boasting over expensive clothing, over a house adorned with much wealth, he is far from the glory of the saints, and it is said to him: 'You are disgraced in your glorying.' Hear what the Divine speech says to Jeremiah, exhorting us not to glory in our wisdom, 'Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches, he who would glory let him glory in understanding and knowing that I am the Lord.' 2 You wish to glory and not hear in your glorying: 'You are disgraced in your glorying.' ? Glory like the Apostle and say, 'Let it no be for me to glory but in the cross of Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.' 3 You wish to glory and not hear, 'You are disgraced in your glorying'? Hear Paul glorying and learn when he says, 'Gladly, then, I glory in my weaknesses so that the power of Christ might dwell in me.' 4 Hear what the glories are that he glories in, 'In much labour.' Who can say this? 'In a long time in prison, often among the dead, from the Jews who gave me forty five lashes less one, three blows of the stick, and once I was stoned, three times I suffered shipwreck.' 5 Let us learn the differences between glories and that some glory in what is shameful, and some in the things the Apostle speaks of. 'And their glory is in their disgrace.' 6 Over things which disgrace them, these they think make them glorious. Origen, from the Eleventh Homily on Jeremiah 1 Jerem 12.13 2 Jerem 9.23-24 3 Galat 6.14 4 2 Cor 12.9 5 2 Cor 11.23-25 6 Philip 3.19

The Filled And The Hungry

Vae vobis, qui saturati estis, quia esurietis Saturatus erat dives ille purpuratus, quando epulabatur quotidie splendide, sed dirum vae sustinebat esuriens, quando de Lazari, quem despexerat, digito guttam aquae quaerebat. Aliter. Si beati sunt illi qui justitiae semper esuriunt opera, infelices e contrario sunt aestimandi qui sibi in desideriis placentes, nullam veri et inconcussi boni famem patiuntur, satis se rati beatos, si non ad tempus sua voluptate priventur. Sanctus Beda,In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Liber II Source: Migne PL 92.404a

Woe to you who are filled, for you shall hunger... 1 That rich man in purple was filled when he feasted splendidly every day, but alas he suffered wretched lack when he sought a drop of water from the finger of Lazarus whom he had scorned. 2 Otherwise, if they are blessed who thirst for the works of righteousness, 3 then on the contrary they are judged to be wretched who pleasing themselves in their desires suffer no hunger at all for the true and unshakeable good, for they reckon themselves blessed if they are not deprived of pleasure in their times. Saint Bede, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 2 1 Lk 6.25 2 Lk 16.19-31 3 Mt 5.6

Love And Wealth

Ideo dilexi mandata tua super aurum et topazion... Sed dilectio ea demum perfecta est, quae maxima est, et quae nulli comparatione similium coaequatur. Diligit autem mandata Dei super aurum et topazion. Humanus error pretiosius nihil auro et gemmis opinatur: et haec sunt quae hominum cupiditates dominatui pretii sui et honoris subdiderunt. Auro viris honestas pudicitiae venalis est: per gemmas vero humani corporis praestantior, ut putant, species ad naturae contumeliam expolitur. Et idcirco nihil habet sexus uterque pretiosius, dum viri posse omnia auro volunt, mulieres vero per gemmas fieri se existimant pulchriores. Praestat autem ut caeteris metallis aurum, ita et aliis lapidibus topazion. Est enim ipse rarissimus et speciosissimus omnium et maximus. In Thebaidis vero loco, cui Alabastra nomen est, reperiri solet. Hunc etiam ferunt saecularium gestorum litterae, in Topazo insula ab incolis ejus, id est Troglodytis Arabis inventum, ad matrem regis Aegypti Ptolemaei, sub quo Scripturae legis ex hebraeo in graecum translatae sunt, munere fuisse delatum. Continet autem ipse in se solus caeterarum gemmarum optimarum pretiosissimarumque speciem, et in uno illo diversissimorum colorum permixtio continetur. Super hunc igitur topazion, et super aurum mandata Dei Propheta dilexit, non terrenis se, sed coelestibus desideriis significans detineri. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXVIII Source: Migne PL 9.612c-613a

Therefore I have loved your commandments over gold and topaz... 1 This love which is greatest, and to which there is no comparison of likeness, is at last perfected when he loves the commandments of God above gold and topaz. Human error thinks that there is nothing more precious than gold and gems, and by the desire of men for the gain of these things they are dominated, and by the glory of them they are conquered. By gold the uprightness of the modest man is corrupted, and it is ruined by jewels, the appearance of which they think makes the human body fairer to the scorn of nature. Therefore neither sex has anything so precious, for while men think they can do everything they wish with gold, yet women think that they are made more beautiful by jewels. As gold excels the other metals, so topaz does all other stones. It is most rare and the fairest of all of them and the greatest. It is usually found in the Thebaid, where it is named alabastra, and the books of worldly affairs tell us that it was discovered on the isle of Topaz by the inhabitants there, that is, certain cave dwelling Arabs, and sent as a gift to the mother of Ptolemy king of Egypt, the one in whose reign the Scripture of the Law was translated from Hebrew to Greek. 2 Alone among all other gems it has the most appealing and most precious appearance, having mixed in it the most diverse colours. Therefore it is above this topaz, and above gold, that the prophet loves the commandments of God, signifying that he does not dote on worldly things, but desires heavenly things. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.127 2 Ptolemy II Philadelphus

Desires Of Earth And Heaven

Ὅπου γὰρ ὁ θυσαυρὸς ὑμῶν, ἐκεὶ καὶ ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν ἔσται... Φυσικῶς γὰρ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος περὶ ὃ σπουδάζει διάκειται, κἀκεῖ πάντα τὸν νοῦν ἔχει ἔνθα κεκτῆσθαι τὴν ὠφέλειαν νενόμικε· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν λογισμὸν ἐπάγει τοῦ μὴ δεῖν ἐπὶ γῆς θησαυρίζειν. Εἰ μὲν γάρ τις, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ θνητῷ βίῳ τὰς κτήσεις καὶ πᾶσαν ὕπαρξιν συνείληχεν, ἀναρτήσας αὐτοῦ τὴν πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα ἐπὶ τὰ παρόντα τοῦ βίου πράγματα, ἐξ ἀνάγκης οἷα δὴ δεσμοῖς τοσούτοις πεπεδημένος, πάντα τὸν αὐτοῦ λογισμὸν καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν διάνοιαν, ἣν δὴ καρδίαν ὠνόμασε, κάτω που πρὸς τῇ γῇ κέκτηται, κἀκεῖ φύρεται καὶ καλινδεῖται, ἔνθα κεκτῆσθαι τὸν αὐτοῦ θησαυρὸν νενόμικεν· εἰ δὲ τοῖς οὐρανίοις μαθήμασιν ἐντραφεὶς πάντα πράττοι, τὸν αὐτοῦ σκοπὸν ἄνω προσαναρτήσας, καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα ῥίψας ἐπὶ τὰς οὐρανίους ἐπαγγελίας, τοῦ μὲν συνάγειν ἐπὶ γῆς οὐδεμίαν ποιούμενος φροντίδα, τὴν ἄκραν δὲ μετιὼν ἀκτημοσύνην, καὶ ὅλος γινόμενος πρὸς τοῖς κρείττοσιν, ἐν οὐρανῷ τε πάντα συνάγειν, κἀκεῖ τὸν αὐτοῦ πλοῦτον ταμιεύεσθαι, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ὕπαρξιν ἐκεῖ προπέμπειν σπουδάζων· εἰκότως ὁ τοιοῦτος ὄνοιτ' ἂν ἐντεῦθεν τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος, τῷ τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ τὸν λογισμὸν οἰκειοῦν ἑαυτοῦ τοῖς οὐρανίοις· ἔνθα γὰρ ἔχει τὸν θησαυρὸν, ἐκεῖ καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἕξει· ὡς δοκεῖν μὲν ἐπὶ γῆς παρεπιδημεῖν, καὶ τῷ σώματι μόνῳ συνεῖναι ἀνθρώποις, τῇ δὲ δυνάμει τὰς οὐρανίους ἤδη διατριβὰς μετιέναι· ὥστε ἄνω βλέπειν δεῖ, καὶ τὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχειν, ὅπου καὶ τὸν θησαυρὸν αὐτοῦ συναγήοχεν. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Τὸ Κατὰ Λουκαν Ἐπαγγελιον, Ἐκλογή Source: Migne PG 24.559c-561a

For where is your treasure, there is your heart...1 Every man by nature is set on what he desires and there he has his mind fixed on that which he thinks will be of use to him. Because of this understanding He speaks, lest we should treasure something of the earth. For if, He says, someone should bind his whole existence to the things of this mortal life, and gather up all his hope in the affairs of this present life, it is necessary that he will be weighed down with heavy chains, even all his thoughts and mind, which He calls the heart, being driven down into the earth, and there he will be mixed and wallow, where he thinks to lay hold of his treasure. But he who is greatly nourished on the heavenly teachings, and so lifts up his desire and places his hope in heavenly things, he also sets aside any care for heaps of things on the earth and seeks the height of poverty, and with all his heart he turns himself to better things, desiring all his possessions to be in heaven, and there he establishes all his good fortune, and rightly this one has a wondrous hope by which he is profited, for his mind and thought is attached to heavenly things. For where he has his treasure, there his mind is set, so that even when he seems to turn to worldly things with men, yet he is intently occupied with the things of heaven. Therefore it is necessary that every man should look up, and there have his hope, where he has heaped up his treasure. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary On the Gospel of Saint Luke, Fragment 1 Lk 14.16 2 Mt 22.2-14

Differing Profits

...Sequere me, et surgens secutus est eum. Saepe legitur et in hoste utilis virtus, saepe in adversario comprobatur. Matthaeus non subtrahitur operi, sed mutatur, et telonium suscipit magis quam relinquit, ut mansura Deo, non homini peritura conquirat, ut non tresimum in quadrigesimum quinquagesiumumque nummum tristis redigat supputator, sed trigesimum in sexagesimum et centesimum gaudii fructum laetus recondat divinis commodis profuturum. Et surgent secutus est eum. Generosus animus, qui sic ea quae magna putarat, facile, et quasi nulla contempsit, apparet illum per ignorantiam lucra ante praesentia conquisisse, a quibus ut se sensit, et vidit liberum sic raptus est ad divina. Sanctus Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo XXIX, De Matthaei Publicani Source: Migne PL 52.283a-b

...'Follow me,' and rising, he followed Him. 1 One may often read that even in an enemy there is a useful virtue, and that there is often something to be approved in an adversary. Matthew is not being taken from his work, but changed; and he takes the tax booth rather than leaving it, so that he may seek after what will remain for God, not what will pass away for man; not so that as a grievous accountant he may collect coins thirtyfold and fortyfold and fiftyfold, but so that he may happily store away the joyful profits of Divine benefactions thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. 2 'And rising, he followed Him.' It is a noble spirit that so easily despised as nothing those things that it had thought to be great, it is apparent that through ignorance he had sought after present wealth, from which, as he realized and saw, he was thus taken away to Divine gain. Saint Peter Chrysologus, from Sermon 29, On Matthew the Tax Collector 1 Mt 9.9 2 Mt 13.8

Matthew's Departure

Et post haec exiit, et vidit publicanum nomine Levi, sedentem ad telonium, et ait illi: Sequere me. Idem Levi qui Matthaeus est, sed Lucas Marcusque propter verecundiam et honorem evangelistae, noluerunt nomen ponere vulgatum. Ipse autem Matthaeus iuxta illud quod scriptum est: Iustus accusator sui est, in primordio sermonis Matthaeum se et publicanum nominat, ut ostendat legentibus nullum debere conversum de salute diffidere, cum ipse de publicano in Apostolum, de teloniario in Evangelistam sit repente mutatus. Et relictis omnibus, surgens secutus est eum. Intelligens Matthaeus quid sit veraciter Dominum sequi, relictis omnibus, sequitur. Sequi enim, imitari est. Ideoque ut pauperem Christum, non tam gressu quam affectu confortari potuisset, reliquit propria, qui rapere solebat aliena, perfectaque nobis abrenuntiationis saeculi formam tribuens, non solum lucra reliquit vectigalium, sed et periculum contempsit, quod evenire poterat a principibus saeculi, quia vectigalium rationes imperfectas atque incompositas reliquerit. Tanta enim cupiditate sequendi Dominum ductus est, ut in nullo prorsus huius vitae respectum vel cogitationem sibimet reservaverit, propter quod iusta mercede, dum humana sedulus negotia deserit, dominicorum fidelis dispensator meruit esse talentorum. Sanctus Beda, In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Liber II, Caput V Source: Migne PL 92.389a-c

After after these things He went out and He saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his booth, and He said to him: 'Follow me.' 1 This Levi is Matthew, but Luke and Mark on account of respect and honour of the Evangelist, are unwilling to use the common name. Yet Matthew himself, according to what is written, 'The righteous man is his own accuser,' 2 at the first mention of himself names himself Matthew and a tax collector, showing to readers there should be no hesitation in turning to salvation, when he suddenly changed from a tax collector to an Apostle, and from a toll gatherer to an Evangelist. And leaving everything, he rose and followed Him. Matthew, understanding what it truly means to follow the Lord, leaves everything and follows. For to follow is to imitate. Therefore as Christ was poor, not so much with feet but with affection propelled, he left his own things, he who was accustomed to seize things from others, giving to us a form of the world's renunciation, not only leaving the profit to be had from taxes, but even scorning the peril which it was possible would come from the rulers of the age because he left his accounts of taxes unfinished and disorganised. For he was led by such a great desire for the Lord that not looking at all to anything of this life, nor giving thought for himself, because of the righteous reward, he deserted the eager administration of human affairs and merited to become a faithful dispensor of the Lord's talents. Saint Bede, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 2, Chapter 5 1 Lk 5.27 2 Prov 18.17