The Mourning Of Salvation

Accedit et tetrius: Beati qui lugent, quoniam ipsi consolabuntur. Quis nobis iste luctus intelligendas est salutaris? Utique non ille, qui ex rerum detrimentis, non qui ex amissione charorum, nec qui ex jactura saecularium dignitatum: quae utique omnia jam pauper factus spiritu non dolebit. Hic est luctus salutaris, qui agitur pro peccatis, pro recordatione divini judicii. Nam quia prius inter innumeras saeculi occupationes et asperitates animus constituis, de se ipse cogitare non poterat; jam securus et mitis effectus, incipit se ipsum propius intueri, examinare actus suos diurnos atque nocturnos: et sic praeteritorum criminum vulnera incipiunt apparere, et tunc luctus ac lacrymae subsequuntur salutares, et adeo salubres, ut mox coelestis consolatio occurrat: verus enim qui dixit: Beati qui lugent, quoniam ipsi consolabuntur Sanctus Chromatius Aquileiensis, Sermo De Octo Beatitudinibus

He comes to the third: Blessed are those who mourn, because they shall be comforted. 1 Who among us has understanding of the mourning of salvation? Certainly not the one who mourns for things lost, or for the taking away of moveables, or for being cast out of worldly honours, all things which certainly the one who has already been made poor of spirit shall not grieve. This is the mourning of salvation: the one who on account of sin recalls the Divine judgement. For since before amid innumerable worldly occupations and troubles the soul was placed, concerning oneself one was not able to think, but now secure in meekness, one begins to study oneself, to examine one's acts day and night, and so begin to appear the wounds of past criminality, and then follows salutary grieving and tears, and so comes the benefit, that soon the consolation of the heavens draws near, for truly He said: 'Blessed are those who mourn because they shall be comforted.' Saint Chromatius of Aquileia, Sermon on the Eight Beatitudes 1. Mt 5.5

Holy Mourning

Post praedictionem hujus felicissimae paupertatis, addidit Dominus, dicens: 'Beati qui lugent, quoniam ipsi consolabuntur. Luctus hic, dilectissimi, cui consolatio aeterna promittitur, non est cum mundi hujus afflictione communis; nec beatum quemquam faciunt ista lamenta quae totius humani generis deploratione funduntur. Alia ratio est sanctorum gemituum, alia beatarum causa lacrymarum. Religiosa tristitia aut alienum peccatum luget aut proprium; nec de hoc dolet quod divina justitia agitur, sed de eo moeret quod humana iniquitate committitur; ubi magis plangendus est faciens maligna quam patiens, quia injustum malitia sua demergit ad poenam, justum autem tolerantia ducit ad gloriam.  Sanctus Leo Magnus, Sermo XCV

After the assertion of this most happy poverty, the Lord continued, saying, 'Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted .' 1 This mourning, beloved, to which eternal consolation is promised, is not like the affliction of this world, nor do those laments which are poured out in the sorrowing of the whole human race make anyone blessed. There is another reason for the groaning of the holy, another cause of blessed tears. Religious grief mourns sin, either that of others' or one's own. It does not mourn that which is done by Divine justice but it grieves over that which is committed by human iniquity, where more to be deplored is he who does wrong than he who suffers it, because the wickedness of the unrighteous plunges him into punishment, but the endurance of the righteous leads to glory. Pope Leo the Great, Sermon 95 1 Mt 5:5

Remembering Death

Ἡ ὑπακοὴ τῆς θείας προστάξεως ζωὴν και ἀφθαρσίαν χαρίζεσθαι πέφυκεν, ἡ δέ γε παρακοὴ νεκρότητα καὶ φθοράν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ὁ Ἀδὰμ παρακούσας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ φαγεῖν τὸ κεκωλυμένον, θάνατον ἐπεσπάσατο, διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς ἐνδιδύσκει αὐτὸν χιτῶνα δερμάτινον, ὅπως ἂν μνημονεύῃ, καὶ μὴ ἐπιλανθάνηται τοῦ οἰκείου σφάλματος, καὶ ἧσπερ αὐθαιρέτως ἐπεσπάσατο θνητότητος καὶ φθορᾶς. Τὰ γὰρ νεκρὰ δέρματα δηλοῦσι νεκρότητα καὶ φθοράν.  Ἅγιος Νειλος,Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΜΑ', Σωσανδρῳ Πριμισκρινιῳ

Obedience to the Divine precepts graced with life and immortality but disobedience brought death and corruption. When, then, Adam, disobeying God in the eating of that which was prohibited, had called upon himself death, God put on him a garment of skin, 1 that he might remember and not forget that it was his own error and own will that brought mortality and corruption upon him. For the dead skins clearly indicate death and corruption. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 241, To Sosandros, 1 Gen 3.21

Consoling A Widow

Εἰ μὲν μόνην τοῦ συμβεβηκότος ὑμῖν πάθους ἐλογιζόμην τὴν φύσιν, τῶν ψυχαγωγούτων ἄν ἐδεήθην κἀγὼ, οὐ μόνον τῷ τὰ ὑμέτερα οἰκεῖα κρίνειν, καὶ τὰ θυμήρη, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὁποῖά ποτ' ἂν ᾗ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ τὴν θαυμασίαν ἐκείνην καὶ ὅντως αξιέπαινον κεφαλήν διαφερόντως ἠγαπηκέναι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὅπος αὐτὸν θεῖος ἐνθένδε μετέστησε, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀμείνω μετέθηκε βιοτὴν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἑμαυτοῦ ψυχῆς ἀποσκεδάννυμι τῆς ἀθυμίας τὸ νέφος, καὶ τὴν σὴν παρακαλῶ σεμνοπρέπειαν νικῆσαι τῆς ἀθυμίας τὸ πάθος τῷ λογισμῷ, καὶ εἰς καιρὸν προσενεγκεῖν τῇ ψυχῇ τῶν θείων λόγων τὴν ἐπῳδήν· τούτου γὰρ δὴ χάριν εὐθὺς ἐκ σπαργάνων οἶόν τινα θηλὴν ἔλκομεν τῆς ἱερᾶς Γραφῆς τὴν μελέτην, ἴν' ὅταν ἡμῖν προσπέσῃ πάθος, προσενέγκωμεν ἀλεξίκακον φάρμακον τὴν διδασκαλίαν τοῦ Πνεύματος. Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὡς παγχάλεπον, καὶ λίαν ἐστὶν ἀλγεινὸν, ἀξιεράστου τινὸς ἐν πείρᾳ γεγενημένον ἔρημον ἐξαπίνης τοῦ ποθουμένου γενέσθαι, καὶ ἐν εὐκληρίᾳ γενόμενον δυσκληρίᾳ περιπεσεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι, καὶ σώφρονι λογισῷ κεχρημένοις, οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἀδόκητον· οὐδὲν γὰρ τούτων σταθερὸν, ούδε βέβαιον ού καλλος, οὐ πλοῦτος, οὐκ εὐεξία σώματος, οὐκ ἀξιώματος ὅγκος· οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν παρὰ τοῖς πλείστοις θαυμαζομένων. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἄκρας εὐπορίας εἰς πενίαν ἐσχάτην μετέπεσον· οἱ δὲ τὴν ὑγίειαν ἀποβαλόντες, παντοδαποῖς παλαίουσι πάθεσιν· ἀλλοι περιφανείᾳ συμνυνόμενοι γένους, τὸν βαρύτατον ἔλκουσι τῆς δουλείας ζυγόν. Τῷ δὲ κάλλει τοῦ σώματος καὶ νόσος λωβᾶται, καὶ γῆρας λυμαίνεται. Μάλα δὲ σοφῶς τῶν ὅλων ὁ Πρύτανις οὐδὲν τούτων εασε διαρκὲς, οὐδὲ μόνιμον· ἵνα τὰς μεταβολὰς δεδιότες οἱ τούτων τετυχηκότες, καταστέλλωσι τὴν ὀφρὺν, καὶ τὸν τούτων εὔριπον ἐπιστάμενοι, μὴ τοῖς προσκαίροις θαῥῥῶσιν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν τῶν ἀγαθῶν χορηγὸν ἔγωσι τὰς ἐλπίδας. Ταῦτα τὴν σὴν εἰδῦαν θαυμασιότητα, τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν καταμαθεῖν αξιῶ· εὐρήσεις γὰρ αὐτὴν θνητὴν οὔσαν, καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς δεξαμένην τοῦ θανάτου τὸν ὅρον. Πρὸς γὰρ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη Θεος· 'Γη εἴ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ.' Ἀψευδὴς δὲ ὁ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενεγκὼν, καὶ μάρτυς ἡ πεῖρα. Μία γὰρ πάντων εἴσοδος εἰς τὸν βίον, κατὰ τὴν  θείαν Γραφὴν, ἔξοδός τε ἴση, καὶ πᾶς γεννώμενος προσμένει τὸν τάφον. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἴσον ἂπαντες βιοτεύουσι χρόνον· ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν πρόωροι τελευτῶσιν, οἱ δὲ εἰς ἄνδρας τελέσαντες, οἱ δὲ καὶ τῶν τοῦ γήρως ἀνιαρῶν πειραθέντες· οὕτω καὶ οἱ τοῦ γάμου δεξάμενοι τὸν ζυγὸν διαζεύγνυνται· ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἢ τὸν ἂνδρα προαπελθεῖν, ἢ τὴν γυναῖκα προτέραν δέξασθαι τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος. Καὶ οἱ μὲν εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν παστάδα τοὺς θρήνους ἐδέξαντο· οἱ δὲ ὀλιγον συμβιώσαντες χρόνον. Ἀπόχρη τοίνυν καὶ τὸ κοινὸν τοῦ πάθους ἀφορμὴν τῷ λογισμῳ παρασχεῖν εἰς τὸ νικῆσαι τὸ πάθος. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Ἐπιστολή ΙΔ', Ἀλεξάνδρᾳ Source: Migne PG 83.1185d-1188d

If I had only considered the character of your suffering, I also would have been in need of consolation, not only because I think that what concerns you, be it agreeable or otherwise, concerns me, but because I dearly loved that worthy and wonderful man. But since the Divine decree has taken him from here and translated him to the better life, I therefore scatter the cloud of sorrow from my soul, and call on you to vanquish grief's pain by the power of reason, and in this hour to bring your soul under the spell of God's word; for why from the very cradle do we suck the instruction of the Sacred Scriptures, like milk from the breast, but that when suffering falls on us we may be able to apply the teaching of the Spirit as a balm for our pain? I know how sad and how very grievous it is when one has experienced the worth of some loved object, suddenly to be deprived of it, and in a moment to fall from happiness to misery. But to them who have good good sense, and employ prudent reason, no human event is unexpected; for nothing human is stable, nothing lasting; neither beauty, nor wealth, nor health, nor high dignity; nor any of all those things that most consider wonderful. Some tumble from height of opulence to lowest poverty, and some lose their health and struggle with various forms of disease, and some proud of the splendour of their lineage come to drag the crushing yoke of slavery. Sickness mars the beauty of the body and old age destroys it, and very wisely has the supreme Ruler not allowed any of these things to continue nor be stable forever, so that their possessors, in fear of change, may restrain proud looks, and, knowing how all such things flow away, may cease to put their confidence in what is transient, and found their hopes upon the One who gives all that is good. These things knowing, most excellent lady, consider human nature; for you will find that it is mortal and from the beginning received the doom of death . It was to Adam the God of all said 'Dust you are and to dust you shall return.' 1 Truthful is He who gave the sentence, and experience is witness. 'All have one entrance into life and one is the exit,' 2 Divine Scripture tells us, and for every one born the grave waits. And all do not live an equal length of time; some men come to an end too soon; some in their manhood, and some after they have experienced the trials of old age; and likewise they who have taken on the marriage yoke are released from it, and it must be that either husband depart first or wife reach life's end before him. And some have just entered the bridal chamber when comes lamentation, and some live together a little while. Enough, then, to remember that the grief is common to give reason space to conquer grief. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Letter 14, To Alexandra 1 Gen 3.19 2 Wis 7.6

The Failing Flesh

Tunc caro deficiet, et homo in cinerem per humilitatem revertitur.   Simul enim omnis caro deficit, quando iam nullis suis moribus servit, quia praesidens spiritus cuncta eius fluxa restringit, et quodam districtionis suae gladio omne quod in illa male vivebat, interficit. Hoc nimirum disciplinae gladio semetipsum Ieremias interfecerat, cum dicebat: Postquam convertisti me, egi poenitentiam; et postquam ostendisti mihi percussi femur meum. Quid enim in femore, nisi voluptas carnis accipitur? Et quid est quod ait: Postquam ostendisti mihi, percussi femur meum, nisi quod postquam superna spiritaliter vidit, omne quod in se inferius aliter vivebat exstinxit, ut quanto magis summa patescerent, tanto amplius ima quae tenuerat non liberent? Nam quanto incipit quisque superius vivere, tanto et inchoat inferius interire. Iuxta affectum namque carnalis operationis omnis caro Pauli simul interierat, cum dicebat: Vivo autem iam non ego, vivit vero in me Christus.  Peccator mortalitatis suae obliviscitur, secus iustus. Bene etiam Eliu hoc loco subdidit: Et homo in cinerem revertetur. In peccato enim quisque positus mortalitatis suae obliviscitur, et terram se esse non meminit, dum adhuc per superbiam inflatur. Post conversionis vero suae gratiam, cum humilitatis spiritu tangitur, quid esse se aliud quam cinerem recordatur? Iam in cinerem David reversus fuerat, cum dicebat: Memento, Domine, quod pulvis sumus. Abraham in cinerem reversus fuerat, dicens: Loquar ad Dominum meum, cum sim pulvis et cinis. Et si viventem carnem necnon in terra mors solverat, hoc tamen apud se erant, quod se futuros absque dubitatione praevidebant. Hinc alias dicitur: Auferes spiritum eorum, et deficient, et in pulverem suum revertuntur . Qui autem spiritus, nisi spiritus superbiae nominatur? Tollatur ergo spiritus eorum ut deficiant, id est subducto superbiae spiritu, nihil se de se esse cognoscant. Et revertantur in pulverem, id est humilientur ex infirma conditione. Propter hunc pulverem, ad cuius memoriam qui semetipsos considerant revocantur, per Sapientiam dicitur: Iusti fulgebunt, et sicut scintillae in arundineto discurrent . Sancti enim viri dum peccatoribus permiscentur, eos exemplorum suorum igne succendunt,  atque omne quod nitent, in cinerem redigunt, quia pietatis flamma consumpti, dum infirmitatem conditionis suae conspiciunt, nihil aliud quam favillam se esse cognoscunt, ut a superbiae suae duritia resoluti, per poenitentiam dicant id quod supra protulimus: Memento, Domine, quia pulvis sumus . Bene ergo dicitur quia cum ad se spiritum hominis Dominus trahit, deficiet omnis caro simul, et homo in cinerem revertetur. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, Moralia, sive Expositio in Job, Liber XXIV, Cap XXII

Then flesh shall fail and man shall on account of lowliness return to ashes 1 For all flesh fails together, when it is no longer a servant to its own flaws, because the spirit presiding restrains all its waverings, and, as it were, destroys with the sword of its severity all evil which lived therein. Jeremiah had, in truth, slain himself with this sword of discipline, when he said, 'After You converted me, I did penance, and after You revealed it to me, I struck my thigh.' 2 For what is understood by the thigh, but carnal pleasure? And what is he saying with, 'After You revealed it to me, I struck my thigh,' except that after he spiritually beheld heavenly things, he extinguished every infirm carnal desire which used to live in him, that as higher things opened to him he might feel less pleasure in those inferior things to which he had held? For the more a man begins to live to things above, so he begins to die to things below. For as far as concerns the love of carnal doings, the whole flesh of Paul had perished together when he said, 'I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.' 3 Eliu also properly spoke well in this place, saying, 'And man shall return to ashes.' 1 For every one who is involved in sin forgets his mortal condition, and while he is still puffed up with pride, remembers not that he is earth. But when, after the grace of his conversion, he is touched with the spirit of humility, what does he call to mind that he is, but ashes? David had already returned to ashes when he said, 'Remember, Lord, that we are dust.' 4 And Abraham had returned to ashes, saying, I will speak to my Lord, though I am dust and ashes. 5 And though death had not yet dissolved their living flesh into earth, yet in their own opinion they were that which they foresaw without doubt they were about to be. Hence it is said in another place, You will take away their breath and they will fail, and they will return to their dust. 6 And what is meant by their breath, but the breath of pride? Let their breath then be taken away, that they may fail, that is, feel themselves to be nothing in themselves when the breath of pride is withdrawn. And let them return to dust, that is, let them be humbled by their infirm condition. It is on account of this very dust, to the recollection of which those are recalled who ponder themselves, that it is said by Wisdom, 'The righteous shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. 7 For the holy while they mix with sinners, kindle them by the fire of their example, and reduce to ashes all their brilliancy, for consumed by the flame of holiness, looking at the infirmity of their condition, they discern themselves to be nothing but ashes, so that when loosened from the hardness of their pride they may use the words we have quoted: Remember, O Lord, that we are dust. 8 It is well said, then, that when God draws the breath of a man to Himself, all flesh will fail together, and man will return to ashes. Saint Gregory the Great, Dialogues, Moralia on Job, Book 24, Chapter 22 1 Job 34. 15 2 Jer. 31. 19  3 Gal. 2. 20  4 Ps. 103. 14  5 Gen. 18. 27  6 Ps. 104. 29  7 Wis. 3. 7  8 Ps 102.15

Final Thoughts

Cum angustiaretur in me anima mea, Domini recordatus sum. LXX: Cum deficeret ex me anima mea, Domini recordatus sum.  Cum, inquit, nullum aliud sperarem auxilium, recordatio Domini mihi saluti fuit, juxta illud: Recordatus sum Domini, et laetatus sum. Et in alio loco: Recordatus sum dierum antiquorum, et annos aeternos in mente habui. Ego cum desperarem salutem, et carnis fragilitas in medio ventre ceti nihil me de vita sperare permitteret, quidquid impossibile videbatur, Domini recordatione superatum est. Videbam me clausum in utero ceti, et tota spes mea Dominus erat. Ex quibus discimus juxta Septuaginta eo tempore quo deficit anima nostra, et a corporis compage divellitur, non nos debere alio cogitationem vertere, nisi ad eum, qui et in corpore et extra corpus noster est Dominus. Sanctus Hieronimus, Commentarius In Jonam Prophetem

'When my soul was in torment in me, I remembered the Lord.' The Septuagint has: 'When my soul forsook me, I remembered the Lord.' 1 When, he says, I had hope of nothing else, I recalled to myself the salvation of the Lord, according to which, 'I remembered the Lord and I was joyful 2 And in another place: ' I remembered the days of old, and the endless years I had in my mind. 3 When I was desperate for salvation, and the weakness of the flesh in the belly of the whale allowed me no hope of life, however impossible it seem, by recollection of the Lord, I was saved. I saw myself closed up in the body of the whale and all my hope was in the Lord. From which learn from the Septuagint that it is that time when the soul passes away and breaks away from the bond of the body that we should turn to no thought but to him who is Lord in and outside of the body. Saint Jerome, Commentary on Jonah 1 Jonah 2.8  2 Ps 76.4. 3 Ps 76.6

The Living And The Dead

Sed quis est homo qui non moriatur, eum resurrectio nisi mortui esse non possit? Quamvis de Enoch et Elia nullam mortem corporis acceperimus, et de Evangelista Joanne Dominus dixerit: 'Sic eum volo manere donec venio; tamen quoniam non de uno Joanne hoc putamus expressum, sed generale de multis hoc esse praeceptum; non hic mors corporis, sed animae denegatur. Sunt enim qui mortui vivunt; quoniam sunt qui viventes mortui sunt, sicut vidua illa quae 'vivens mortua est' , sicut scriptum est: Veniat mors super eos, et descendant in infernum viventes' Si ergo vivus quis in infernum descendit, peccato enim mortuus in inferni descendit habitaculum, sunt profecto quibus nec in morte corporis interruptus sit ordo vivendi, sicut Abraham, Isaac, et Jacob, quos vivere divinae sententiae auctoritate comperimus; quoniam cum sit Deus Abraham, Issac, et Jacob, non utique mortuorum est Deus, sed viventium Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Evangelii secundum Lucam, Liber VII

But who is the man who does not die? 1 For unless he is of the dead there is no resurrection for him. Although of Enoch and Elijah we do allow the death of the body, the Lord says concerning the evangelist John, ' So I wish him to remain until I come.' 2 however because not just about John do we judge this expression but that it is a precept concerning many in general, then here is indicated not the death of the body but the soul. For even those who are living may be dead, like that widow who 'living is dead' 3, and as it is written: 'May death come over them and may they descend living into hell,' 4 If, therefore, someone living falls into hell, for dead by sin he descends into the dwelling place of hell, there are undoubtedly those for whom bodily death was not an interruption of the order of life, like Abraham and Issac and Jacob, whom we judge by sense of Divine authority to be alive, because the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, is not the God of the dead but the living. 5 Saint Ambrose, On The Gospel of Luke, Book 7 1 Lk 9.27 2 Jn 21.22 3  1 Tim 5.6 4 Psal 54.16 5 Mt 22.32

A Feast Of Saints

Hi vero qui secundum apostolorum sensum theoriam Scriptuarum recipiunt, sperant manducaturos quidem esse sanctis, sed panem vitae qui veritatis et sapientiae cibis nutriat animam, et illuminet mentem, et potet eam divinae sapientiae poculis, sicut dicit Scriptura divina: Quia spaientia praeparavit mensam suam, jugulavit victimas suas, miscuit in cratere vinum suum, et summa voce clamat: Divertite ad me, manducate panes quos paravi vobis, et bibite vinum quod miscui vobis. Quibus sapientiae escis nutrita mens ad integrum et perfectum, sicut ex initio factus est homo, ad imaginem et similitudinem Dei reparetur; ut etiamsi quis ex hac vita minus eruditis abierit, probabilia tamen opera detulerit, instrui poterit in illa Jerusalem sanctorum civitate, id est edoceri et informari, et effici lapis vivus, lapis pretiosus et electus, pro eo quod fortiter et constanter pertulerit agones vitae, et certamina pietatis; ibique hoc quod jam hic praedictum est, verius manifestiusque cognoscet, quod non in pane solo vivit homo, sed in omni verbo quod procedit de ore Dei. Origenes, De Principiis, Liber II, Cap XI

Those, however, who receive the insights of Scripture according to the understanding of the Apostles, have hope the saints will eat indeed, but that it will be the bread of life which with the food of truth and wisdom nourishes the soul, and enlightens the mind, and it will be given to drink from the cup of divine wisdom, as Holy Scripture says: 'Wisdom has prepared her table, she has killed her beasts, she has mingled her wine in her cup, and she cries with a loud voice, Come to me, eat the bread which I have prepared for you, and drink the wine which I have mixed.' 1 Which food of wisdom nourishes the mind to a complete and perfect condition, like that in which man was made at the beginning, being restored to the image and likeness of God, so that, although someone may leave this life less perfectly instructed, but who has performed commendable works, he will be capable of receiving instruction in that Jerusalem which is the city of the saints, that is, he will be educated and shaped, and made a living stone, a stone elect and precious, because he has undergone with firmness and constancy the struggles of life and the trials of holiness, and he will there come to a truer and clearer knowledge of that which here has already been proclaimed, 'That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.' 2 Origen, On First Principles, Book 2, Chap 11 1 Prov 9 1-2,3-5 2 Deut 8.13, Mt 4.4

An Abandoned Soul

Ἠλλοτρίωται τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ψυχή σου, καὶ πῶς με προέτρεψας πέμψαι σοι λόγον τινὰ ὠφέλιμον, ἀνθρώπῳ εἰωθότι παίζειν τὰ θεϊα, καθάπερ τὰ βέβηλα; Πῶς γὰρ ἂν καὶ λαλήσω εἰς νενεκρωμένον, καὶ ἀνήκοον οὖς; 'Πῶς ᾄσομαι τὴν ᾠδὴν Κυρίου ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλοτρίας,' ἔνθα ἐχῖνοι, καὶ ἴβεις, καὶ νυκτικόρακες τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων ἐννοσσεύουσι, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον; ἔνθα ὀνοκένταυροι καὶ δαίμονες ὀρχοῦνται διὰ παντὸς, καὶ κόρακες κράζουσι.  Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΜΓ' Φαυστιανῳ

Your soul has been estranged from God and so with what reason do you turn to send to me for assistance, you a man accustomed to jest over things Divine, as over things profane? How shall I speak to one who has died and is deaf of ear. 'How shall I sing a song of the Lord in an alien land,' 1 there where, according to what is written, hedgehogs and goats and night owls take their place in the most wretched of souls? There where monsters and demons dance and the crows cry out. 2  Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 43 To Faustinus 1 Ps 136.4 2 cf Is 34.11-14

Signs of Enthronement

Produxit filium regis, et posuit super eum diadema et testimonium. In diademate insigne capitis regium in testimonio designat decreta legis Dei, quibus quid agere rex debeat, qualiter vivere praecipitur. Denique in libro Verborum dierum apertius: Et imposuerunt, inquit, ei diadema, dederuntque in manu ejus tenendam legem. Et magnae utique erat salutarisque prudentiae, ut post tyrannicae impiaeque necem reginae, succendenti in regnum filio regis legitimi, cum ipso regni habitu simul disciplina legis Dei servanda committeretur, ut qui se praelatum populo regendo videret, ipse se regendum divinis legibus subi debere meminisset. Sanctus Beda, In Libros Regum, Quaestionum XXX

And he brought forth the son of the king and placed on him the crown and the testament. 1 The crown is the sign of kingship, the testament declares the decrees of the law of God by which the king should act and likewise he is commanded to live. Also in Chronicles it is more clearly noted: ' They placed upon him the crown and they gave the law into his hand for holding.' 2 And certainly it was of great benefit and prudent that after the overthrow of the tyrannous and impious queen Athaliah, there succeeded to the kingdom a legitimate son of the king, to whom it was also committed to rule and to guard the laws of God, that he who was brought before the people seem royal, himself ruling by the Divine laws, recalling that he is subject to them. Saint Bede, On the Books of Kings, Thirty Questions 1 4 Kings 11.12  2 2 Chron 23.11

Desire and Fear

Εἰ οὔτε τῆς σὺν Χριστῳ αἰωνίου διαγωγῆς ἐπιθυμεῖτε, οὔτε τῆς ἀϊδίου φλογὸς τὴν κρίσιν δειλιᾶτε, ἢ πρὸς τοὺς καταφρονητὰς δαίμονας ἁμιλλᾶσθε, ἢ ἀνθρώπων ἰνδάλματα τυγχάνετε ἄψυχα, καὶ λόγου ἀμέτοχα, καὶ φόβου ἀναίσθητα Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΚΓ' Ζωσιμῳ, Εὐσταθιῳ, Μαρωνι

If you neither eagerly desire eternity with Christ nor fear the judgement of Hell's fire, either you vie with contemptible demons, or you are as the soulless images of men, irrational and senseless of fear. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Letter 223, To Zosimos, Eustathius and Maron

Fear and Wisdom

Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰς κακότεχνον ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰελεύσεται σοφὶα. καθαίρει πρότερον διὰ τοῦ θείου φόβου τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν μελλόντων τῇ σοφιᾳ προσομιλεῖν. Τὸ γὰρ εἰς τοὺς τυχόντας ῥίπτειν τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας μυστήρια, καὶ πάντας ὁμοίως παραδέχεσθαι, τοὺς μήτε βίῳ καθαρῷ, μήτε λόγῳ ἐξητασμένῳ καὶ ἀκριβεῖ κεχρημένους, ὅμοιόν ἐστιν ὥσπερ ἄν εἰ καὶ ἐν ἀγγείῳ τις ῥυπαρῷ τὸ πολυτίμητον μύρον ἐμβάλλοι. Δια τοῦτο, Ἀρχη σοφίας φόβος θεοῦ, φόβος δὲ καθάρσιον ψυχῆς κατα τὴν εὐχὴν τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Καθήλωσον ἐκ τοῦ φόβου σου τὰς σάρκας μου. Ὡς ὅπου φόβος ἐνοικεῖ, ἐκεῖ ψυχῆς ἄπασα καθαρότης ἐνίδρυται, πάσης πονηρίας καὶ ἀνοσίου πράξεως ὑποφευγούσης, τῶν τοῦ σώματος μελῶν κινηθῆναι πρὸς ἀτοπους ἐνεργείας, διὰ τὸ τῷ φόβῷ καθηλῶσθαι, μὴ δυναμενων. Ὥωπερ γὰρ ὁ ἐμπεπηγότας ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ τοὺς σωματικοὺς ἥλους ἀνενέργητος ἐστιν ὑπὸ τῶν ὀδυνῶν κατεχόμενος· οὕτως ὁ τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατειλημμένος, οὐκ ὀφθαλμῷ χρησασθαι πρὸς ἂ μὴ δεῖ, οὐ χεῖρας κινῆσαι πρὸς ἀπηγορευμένας πράξεις, οὐκ ὅλως μικρὸν ἢ μεῖζον ἐνεργῆσαι παρὰ τὸ καθῆκον δύναται, οἶον ὀδύνῃ τινὶ τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῶν ἀπειληθέντων συμπεπαρμένος. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία ΙΒ', Εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν Παροιμιῶν.

For into the malignant soul wisdom shall not enter. 1  Before souls may associate with wisdom they are to be purged by Divine fear. For were the mystery of salvation to come by chance and everyone receive it in like manner, there would be no pure life, nor the one adorned with exquisite and accurate use of reason, but it would be as if some precious ointment were poured into a filthy container. Because of this: 'The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord,' 2 and the cleansing of the soul is fear, according to the vow of the Prophet, who said, 'Fix my flesh with fear ' 3 For where fear dwells, there all the cleanliness of the soul resides and it expels all depravity and impious acts, as it is with members of the body that in fear of some nail striking are not able to move to vile deeds, or as even he who has corporeal nails fixed in himself is not able to act because of the pain they cause. So he who has been struck with the fear of God does not turn his eye to things which he should not, nor does he move his hands to prohibited acts, for there he is not able to do great or little things, but rather he does what is his duty, since by expectation of pain he is transfixed with fear. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homily On the Beginning of Proverbs 1 Wis 1.4 2.Prov 1.7 3 Ps 118.120

Giants of the Earth

Gigantes autem erant in terra in diebus illis.  Non poetarum more gigantes illos terrae filios vult videri divinae Scripturae conditor: sed ex angelis et mulieribus generatos asserit, quos hoc appellat vocabulo, volens eorum exprimere corporis magnitudinem. Et consideremus, ne forte gigantum sint similes homines cultui studentes carnis suae, animae autem nullam curam habentes: sicut illi qui de terra secundum poeticam fabulam orti, mole corporis sui freti, feruntur habuisse contemptum superorum. An dispares aestimandi sunt qui cum ex anima constent et corpore, mentis vigorem quo nihil habet anima pretiosius, aversantur, et se carnis hujus imitatores velut maternae exhibent stoliditatis haeredes? Itaque in vanum laborant, coelum votis usurpantes superbis, et terrenis operibus incubantes, qui electione inferioris, et contemptu superioris consortii, tamquam voluntariis obnoxii peccatis graviori condemnantur severitate. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Noe et Arca, Caput IV

Giants there were on the earth in those days. 1 The author of Divine Scripture does not wish us to see this matter in the manner of the pagan poets whose giants were sons of the earth, for it is said they were born of angels and women, those whom he names with this word 'giant' wishing to express the greatness of body. And yet let us consider that there are perhaps men like giants, worshiping the passions of their flesh and having no care for their souls, like those who according to the tales of the pagan poets rose from the earth relying on the great mass of their bodies and had contempt for the heavens. Should they not be considered different creatures who apart from the soul exist in the body, averse to that vigor of mind of which the soul has nothing more precious, being imitators of the flesh, which shows them heirs of maternal brutishness? Thus in vain they labour who with proud vows would seize on heaven and who brood over the works of earth, who choose what is inferior and have contempt for association with things higher, as with greater severity the chosen sins of the servile are condemned. Saint Ambrose, On Noah and the Ark, Chap 4 1 Gen 6.4

Passions and Perfection

Οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι, ὀργῆς και φόβου, καὶ ἐπιθυμίας διὰ τῆς Κυριακῆς διδασκαλίας γνωστικώτερον κρατήσαντες, καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα ἀγαθὰ τῶν παθητικῶν κινημάτων, οἶον θάρσος, ζῆλον, χαρὰν, ἐπιθυμίαν, οὐδε αὐτα ἀνεδέξαντο, ἐμπέδῳ τινὶ τῆς διανοίας καταστάσει μηδὲ καθ' ὀτιουν μεταβαλλόμενοι, ἀλλ' ἐν ἔξει ἀσκήσεως ἀεὶ μένοντες ἀναλλοίωτοι, μετά γε τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἀνάστασιν. Κἂν γὰρ μετὰ λόγου γινόμενα τὰ προειρημένα ἀγαθά τις ἐνδέχηται, ἀλλ' οὖν γε ἐπὶ τοῦ τελείου οὐ παραδεκτέον, ὅς οὔτε θαρσεῖν ἔχει· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν δεινοῖς γίνεται, μηδὲν δεινὸν ἡγούμενος τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ, οὐδὲ ἀποστῆσαι τι καὶ τούτου αὐτὸν τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀγάπης δύναται· οὐδὲ εὐθυμίας χρεία ἐστίν· οὖτε γὰρ εἰς λύπην ἐμπίπτει, πάντα καλῶς γίνεσθαι πεπεισμένος· οὐδὲ μὴν θυμοῦνται· οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστιν ὅ τι συγκινήσει αὐτὸν πρὸς θυμὸν, ἀγαπῶντα ἀεὶ τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ μόνῳ ὅλον τετραμμένον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μηδὲν  τῶν  κτισμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ μεμισηκόντα. Ἀλλ οὐδὲ ζηλοϊ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνδεϊ τι αὐτῷ πρὸς ἐξομοίωσιν τῷ καλῷ καὶ ἀγαθῷ εἶναι· οὐδε ἄρα φιλεῖ τινα τὴν κοινὴν ταύτην φιλίαν, ἀλλ' ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Κτίστην διὰ τῶν κρισμάτων. Οὔτ' οὔν ἐπιθυμίᾳ καὶ ὀρέξει τινὶ περιπίπτει, οὔτε ἐνδεής ἐστι κατά γε τὴν ψυχὴν τῶν ἄλλων τινὸς, συνὼν ἤδη δι' ἀγάπης τῷ ἑραστῷ· ᾦ δὴ ᾠκείωται κατὰ τὴν αἵρεσιν, καὶ τῇ ἐξ ἀσκήσεως ἔξει, τούτῳ προσεχέστερον συνεγγίζων, καὶ μακάριος ὤν διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν περιουσίαν.   Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ἕκτος, Κεφ θ'

And the Apostles, having most wisely mastered, by the teaching of the Lord, anger and fear and lust, were not even moved by the seemingly good passions, courage, zeal, joy, desire, not receiving them through a steady state of mind, not changing at all, for they remained ever in a changeless condition of training after the resurrection of the Lord. And let it be that the passions, produced rationally, are goods, yet they are nevertheless inadmissible for the one who is perfect, he who does not have courage since he does not enter into fear, not judging that there is something fearsome in this life, and there is nothing that can dislodge him from this, the love he has towards God; nor is there cheerfulness for him, for he does not fall into grief, being persuaded that all things happen well; nor is he angry, for there is nothing to drive him to anger when he always loves God and to Him alone is entirely turned, and because of this he despises none of God's creatures. He does not envy, for he wishes to acquire nothing that he be excellent and good, nor then does he love anyone with this common affection, but he loves the Creator through creatures. Nor, then, does he fall into any desire or keenness, nor does he want, as pertains to his soul, anything from others now that he associates through love with the Beloved, to whom he is joined by choice, and by his training he approaches closer to Him and is blessed by an abundance of good things. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 6, Ch 9.

A Gift of Love

Et omnia dona excedit hoc donum, ut Deus hominem vocet filium, et homo Deum nominet patrem: per his enim appellationes semitur et discitur quis ad tantam altitudienm ascendat affectus. Nam is in progenie carnali et stirpe terrena claris parentibus genitos vitia malae conversationis obscurant, et ipso majorum suorum lumine soboles indigna confunditur; in quem exitum venient, qui propter amorem mundi a generatione Christi non metuunt abdiscari? Si autem ad humanam pertinet laudem ut patrum decus in prole resplendeat, quanto magis gloriosum est ex Deo natis in auctoris sui imaginem refulgere, et illum in se qui eos generavit ostendere, dicente Domino: 'Sic luceat lumen vestrum coram hominibus, ut videant opera vestra bona, et magnificent Patrem vestrum qui in coelis est.' Scimus quidem quod, sicut Joannes apostolus dicit, ' totus mundus in maligno positus est'; et insidiante diabolo et angelis ejus, hoc innumeris tentationibus laboratur, ut hominem ad superna nitentem, aut adversa terreant, aut secunda corrumpant; sed major est qui in nobis est quam qui adversum nos est, et pacem cum Deo habentibus, ac semper Patri toto corde dicentibus, Fiat voluntas tua', nulla praevalere certamini, nulli possunt nocere conflictus. Accusantes enim nosmetipsos confessionibus nostris, et consensum animi carnis concupiscentiis denegantes, inimicitias quidem adversum nos ejus, qui peccati auctor est, commovemus, sed inexpugnabilem cum Deo pacem gratiae ipsius serviendo firmamus, ut Regi nostro non solum obedientia subjiciamur, sed etiam judicio copulemur. Quoniam si in eadem sententia sumus, si quod vult volumus, et quod improbat improbamus, ipse jam pro nobis omnia bella conficiet, ipse qui dedit velle, donabit et posse: ut simus cooperatores operum ejus, et propheticum illud cum fidei exsultatione dicamus: 'Dominus illuminatio mea et salus mea; quem timebo? Dominus defensor vitae meae; a quo trepidabo? Sanctus Leo Magnus, Sermo XXVI

And every gift this gift exceeds, that God should call man son, and man should name God Father, for by these names we grasp and learn the love which has reached so great a height. For if in  progeny of the body and earthly families those who are born of good parents are soiled by the vices of evil intercourse, and unworthy offspring are disgraced by the brilliance of their elders, to what end will they come who through love of the world do not fear to be cast out from the family of Christ? But if it gains the praise of men that the father's glory should shine in offspring, how much more glorious is it for those who are born of God to blaze with their Creator's image and to show in themselves Him who begot them, as the Lord says: 'Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven ?' 1 Certainly we know, as the Apostle John says, that 'the whole world in evil is placed,' 2 and that by Devil's plots and his angels numberless efforts are made to frighten man in his struggle upwards by adversity, or to spoil him by prosperity, but 'greater is He that is in us, than he that is against us ,' 3 and they who have peace with God and are always saying to the Father with their whole hearts 'your will be done, ' 4 cannot be overcome in struggle, cannot be harmed by any assault. For accusing ourselves in our confessions and denying the spirit's consent to the desires of our flesh, we incite against us the hostility of him who is the author of sin, but secure a peace with God that cannot be destroyed, accepting His gracious service, not only that we may subject ourselves in obedience to our King but also be to joined in free will. For if we are of the same mind, if what He wishes we wish, and disapprove what He disapproves, He will finish all our battles for us, He Who gave the will, will also give the power, so that we may be fellow workers in His works, and with the exultation of faith may give voice to that prophetic song: 'the Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defender of my life: of whom shall I be afraid ?' 5 Pope Leo the Great, Sermon 26 1 Mt 5:16 2 1 Jn 5:19 3 1 Jn 4.4 4 Mt 6:10 5 Ps 26.1