Pursuing The Good

Rogamus vero vos, fratres, corripite inquietos, consolamini pusillanimes, opitulamini infirmis, patientes estote ad omnes. Videte ne quis malum pro malo alicui reddat: sed semper quod bonum est sectamini et in invicem, et in omnes. Semper gaudete in Domino, sine intermissione orate, in omnibus gratias agite. Haec est enim voluntas Dei in Christo Jesu in omnibus vobis. Quoniam necesse est quosdam in plebe esse immodestos, quosdam autem pusillanimes, hoc est, timidos, quosdam vero fide infirmos; ideoque hos qui moderati sunt et magnanimes, et fide fundati, hortatur cum prece, ut his consulant, ut possint proficere, sufferentes eos; ne si retributio fit malorum, pejores se fiant. Idcirco nihil aliud quam bonum sectandum hortatur non solum in causa fratrum, sed in omnium. Possunt enim bonis operibus attrahi infideles ad credulitatem, ex qua semper gaudeatur in Domino, hoc est, in bonum. Orandum autem sine intermissione; sedulae enim preces provocant animum judicis ad dandam misericordiam. In omnibus vero actibus bonis Deo gratias agendas, qui hanc tribuit doctrinam in Christo Jesu Domino nostro. Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam ad Thessalonicenses Primam Caput V Source: Migne PL 17.452b-c

We beseech you, brothers, that you correct the disorderly, comfort the faint hearted, aid the weak, and be patient with all. Take care that you do not return to anyone evil for evil, but always pursue what is good for one another, and for all. Rejoice in the Lord always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks. For this is the wish of God in Christ Jesus for all of you. 1 Because it is necessary that some among the people will be impudent and some faint hearted, that is, timid, and some weak in faith, therefore with a petition he exhorts those who are moderate and great souled and firmly established in faith to counsel them for their improvement, being patient with them, lest if there is a returning of evils they be made worse. Therefore nothing but what is good must be sought, he exhorts, not only among the affairs of brothers, but among all. For the faithless can be drawn to belief by good works, by which there shall always be rejoicing in the Lord, that is, for the good. But one must pray without ceasing, for diligent prayer provokes the soul to mercy in judgement. And in all deeds let thanks be given to God, who gave this teaching in Jesus Christ our Lord. Ambrosiaster, Commentary On The First Letter of Saint Paul To The Thessalonians, Chapter 5 1 1 Thes 5.14-17

Charity And Salvation

Videte, ergo, dilectissimi, quam sobrios operae pretium habemus esse, et vigiles, sicut beatus admonet apostolorum princeps, contra adversarium nostrum diabolum, qui tanta diligentia circuit, tanta vigilantia scrutatur omnem conversationem nostram, vitae modum, necessitates, infirmites corporum et morum, subitos ac varios eventuum casus, ipsasque naturae nostrae complexiones: sic ubi de nobis in nos aditum invenire poterit, et materiam, occasionemque tentandi. Quare minus soliciti sumus, fratres, occasiones salutis quaerere in alterutrum, ut ubi magis necessarium viderimus, magis invicem subveniamus, et alterutrum onera fraterna portemus? Hoc enim admonens beatus Apostolos ait: Alter alterius onera portate, et sic adimplebitis legem Christi. Et alibi: Supportantes, inquit, invicem in charitate. Ipsa nimirum lex Christi est: Quod in fratre meo aut ex necessitate, aut ex infirmitate corporis, sive morum incorrigibile cerno, quare non porto patienter, consolor libenter, sicut scriptum est: Pueri eorum in humeris portabuntur, et super genua consolabuntur. An quia illa mihi deest, quae omnia suffert, quae patiens est ut portet; benigna ut amet? Haec utique lex Christi est, qui vere languores nostros tulit passione, et dolores portavit compassione, amans quos portavit, portans quos amavit. Qui autem fratrem in necessitate aggreditur, qui infirmitati ejus cujuscunque generis insidiatur, legi diaboli se procul dubio subdit, et eam implet. Compatientes itaque invicem simus, et fraternitatis amatores, infirmitatum portatores, vitiorum insectatores, maxime qui pauci propter arduioris propositi disciplinam, in hanc abditam solitudinem et semotam ab orbe communi insulam, evasimus. Omnis enim disciplina, quae charitatem Dei, et ob ipsum proximi charitatem sectatur sincerius, quibuscunque observantiis vel habitu vivat, a Deo plus acceptatur. Ipsa enim est charitas, propter quam fieri vel non fieri, mutari vel non mutari omnia debent. Ipsa enim et principium quare, et finis ad quem dirigi omnia decet. Nihil enim fit culpabiliter, quod pro ea et secundum eam fit veraciter. Quod nobis ipse praestare dignetur qui, sine quo placere non possumus, et sine hac omnino non possumus qui vivit et regnat Deus per immortalia saecula. Isaac, Cisterciensis Abbas, Sermo XXXI Source: Migne PL 194.1792c-1793c

See, therefore, most dearest, how we must be sober for the reward of works, and watchful, as the blessed prince of the Apostles exhorts, 1 against our enemy the devil, who with such diligence circles around us, and with such vigilance watches all our conduct, our way of life, our needs, the infirmities of our body and morals, the sudden and varied fall of events, and the complexions of our nature, that he might find a way to enter into us, and the matter and occasion of temptation. Why, brothers, are we less than anxious to seek occasions of salvation in others, so that when we see them in need, we might give aid to one another, and bear one another's burdens? The Apostle exhorts this, saying: 'Bear one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ.' 2 And elsewhere: 'Support one another in charity.' 3 Without doubt this is the law of Christ. That which I discern in my brother, either from necessity, or weakness of body, or incorrigible fault, why do I not bear with it patiently and give generous consolation? As it is written: 'Their children shall be carried on the shoulders, and on the knees they shall be comforted.' 4 Is it because I lack that which suffers all things, which endures what should be borne, and is kind enough to love? 5For this indeed is the law of Christ, He who in the passion bore our weaknesses and out of pity carried our sorrows, loving those He carried, carrying those He loved. But he who troubles a brother in need, who plots against him in any type of weakness, he certainly places himself under the law of the devil and he fulfils it. Thus let us be compassionate to one another, and lovers of fraternity, bearers of infirmity, foes of vices, especially we who are poor because of the way of a harder life, having gone out into this hidden and lonely island far from the common world. For every way of life, which sincerely pursues the love of God, and because of Him the love of neighbour, whatever its observance or customs, is more acceptable to God. For charity is the reason why something should be done or not done, changed or not changed. This is the beginning and end to which everything should be directed. Nothing is at fault which is done for this and in accordance with it. May He deign to grant us this, for without it we cannot please Him, and without this we cannot do anything at all. 6 Isaac of Stella, from Sermon 31 1 1 Pet 5.8 2 Galat 6.2 3 Ephes 4.2 4 Isaiah 66.12 5 1 Cor 13.4-7 6 Jn 15.5

Poverty And Enrichment

Ὁ ἀβουλήτως κοπιῶν, καθολικῶς πτωχεύει. Ὁ δὲ μετ' ἐλπίδος τρέχων, δίπλουτός ἐστιν. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Νόμου Πνευματικοῦ Source: Migne PG 65.913c

He who toils unwillingly utterly impoverishes himself, but he who runs with hope is enriched twofold. Saint Mark The Ascetic, On The Spiritual Law.

Giving And Gathering

Εἰσὶν οἳ τὰ ἴδια σπείροντες πλείονα ποιοῦσιν εἰσὶν καὶ οἳ συνάγοντες ἐλαττονοῦνται. Τοῖς εἰς τὰ ἴδιὰ σπείρουσι καὶ πλείονα ποιοῦσιν, ἀντίκεινται οἱ συνάγοντες καὶ ἐλαττούμενοι· οἱ γὰρ τὰ ἴδιὰ σπείροντες, εἰσιν ὸἱ εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα σπείροντες, καὶ ζωὴν θερίζοντες· οἱ δὲ συνάγοντες καὶ ἐλαττούμενοι, εἰσὶν οἱ εἰς τὴν σάρκα σπείροντες, καὶ φθορὰν συνάγοντες ἑαυντοῖς. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Παροιμίας, Κεφ ΙΑ´ Source: Migne PG 17.192b

Some scattering what they have make more, and some gathering are worse off. 1 Those who scatter their own things and make more are set against those who gather and are worse off, for the former who scatter what they have are the ones who sow in the spirit and who reap eternal life, but those who gather and are worse off are the ones who sow in the flesh and gather ruin for themselves. 2 Origen, On Proverbs, Chapter 11 1 Prov 11.24 2 Galat 6.8

The Trumpet's Peril

Noli tuba canere ante te, sicut hypocritae faciunt. Si enim post se esset, quod videlicet tentaret, et non praecederet, humana haec esset tentatio, sed quando praecedit, diabolica est elatio. Ephraim pascit ventu, et sequitur aestum tota die: mendacium, et vastitatem multiplicat. Ventum enim pascere est auras laudis per dona muneris provocare, et gloriam illam aestu humanae laudis fit ire. Et sic multiplicantur adulantium mendacia, et vastantur bona in aeternum, si non esset laus humana, valitura Bene cane, frequenta canitcum: ut memoria tui fit. Sanctus Albertus Magnus, Commentarium in Mattheum, Caput VI Source: Here, p113

Do not blow your trumpet before you, as hypocrites do. 1 If it was behind him, which certainly would be a trial, and it did not go before him, it would be a human temptation, but when it goes before it is a diabolic elation. 'Ephraim pastures the winds, and follows the blazing heat all day, he multiplies falsehood and ruin.' 2 To pasture the winds is to demand the breath of praise by the giving of gifts, and that glory is to go about in the heat of human praise. And so the lies of adulators are multiplied, and goods in eternity are laid waste, which if there were not human praise would be confirmed. 'Sing well, sing many a song, so that you might be remembered.' 3 Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Matthew, Chapter 6 1 Mt 6.2 2 Hosea 12.1 3 Isaiah 23.16

Advice On Giving

Cum ergo facis eleemosynam, noli tuba canere ante te, sicut hypocritæ faciunt in synagogis, et in vicis, ut honorificentur ab hominibus. Amen dico vobis, receperunt mercedem suam. Te autem faciente eleemosynam, nesciat sinistra tua quid faciat dextera tua: ut sit eleemosyna tua in abscondito, et Pater tuus, qui videt in abscondito, reddet tibi. Arguit largientem ad suam famam, non ad pauperis famem; judicat non ubi facias, quando facias, sed qualiter facias: quia Deus de cordibus, non de manibus facta metitur; et de sensu, non de locis operum colligit qualitatem. Misericordiam coram se solum vult fieri, qui solus est misericordiae et remunerator et testis; et qui dicit: Esurivi, et dedistis mihi manducare. Vult in paupere sibi dari: et qui vult sibi dari, vult quod datum est se debere; et qui vult se debere quod datum est, vult largientibus nil perire. Deus parva poscit, maxima redditurus. Unde homo si in paupere Deo feneras, testes homines non requiras: fides arbitros non requirit. De accipientis fide disputat, qui sine mediatoribus nil dat; qui credita diffamat, urit verecundia debitorem. Ergo, homo, daturus Deo, da secreto; ut quod dederis, non sit oneris, sed honoris. Ob hoc ad te venit tuus ditator in paupere, ut eum non dubites accepta reddere, qui tibi gratis dedit habere quod dares. Quam vero in paupere sit verecunda paupertas, qui largitatis tuae quaerat secretum, aperit ipse, cum dicit: Te autem faciente eleemosynam, nesciat sinistra tua quid faciat dextera tua. Putas quam vult nescire alterum, qui teipsum qui facis vult aliqua tui parte nescire? Nesciat sinistra tua quid faciat dextera tua. Sicut sunt nobis in dextera parte virtutes, ita nobis pars vitiorum in sinistra. Ergo ut opus est dexterae quod facit tacitus dator; quod facit dator garrulus, hypocrisis est sinistrae. Hypocrisis, dolus, simulatio, fraus, mendacium, elatio, tumor, jactantia, insistunt nobis, et imminent a sinistris. Quoties ergo nobis cum bonitate, pietate, cum misericordia causa est, nesciat hoc sinistra. Sinistra est quae nobis animarum praelia semper indicit, et ne virtutes in effectum veniant elaborat. Ne sit pietas, impietas agit; ne eleemosyna vincat, cupiditas pugnat: furit avaritia, ne misericordia convalescat; ne innocentia, puritas, simplicitas, sanctitas regnet, hypocrisis sola confligit, quam Christus a nobis tali praedicatione secludit: Te autem faciente eleemosynam, nesciat sinistra tua quid faciat dextera tua. Fratres, in hoc saeculo fugiamus quae a sinistris sunt, si in futurum a dextris desideramus astare, et audire: Venite, benedicti Patris mei, percipite regnum, quod vobis paratum est ab origine mundi. Homo, da in terra pauperi, quae tibi manere vis in coelo. Homo, commilita hic pauperi, si vis ibi regnare cum ipso Domino nostro Jesu Christo. Sanctus Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo IX, In Illud Matthaei: Attendite, ne justitiam vestram faciatis coram hominibus Source: Migne PL 52.213b-214c

But when you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they may receive glory from men. Truly I say to you that they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your alms giving might be secret, and then your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 1 He accuses the one who gives for his own hunger for renown, not for the hunger of the poor. He does not judge where you give or when you give, but how you give. God measures deeds according to the heart, not according to the hand, and reckons from the intention not from the place. He wishes mercy to be done before Him alone who alone is the one who rewards and gives witness to mercy, even He who says 'I was hungry and you gave me to eat.' 2 By the poor man He wishes that which is given to be given to Himself, and He who wishes it to be given to Himself wishes to be in debt for what has been given, and He who wishes to be in debt for what has been given wants the giver to lose nothing. God asks for a little and will return much. Therefore, O man, if you give to God in the poor man, you do not have need of men for witnesses. Faith does not need observers. He questions the faith of the recipient who does not give without intermediaries. The one who discloses the loans scorches the debtor with shame. Therefore, O man, what you are going to give to God, give secretly, so that what you give may not be a burden but a matter of honour. Because of this He who enriches you has come to you in the person of the poor man, so that you may not doubt He will return what He has received, He who has freely allowed you to have what you give. But how private is the poverty in the poor man, He who seeks to keep your generosity secret reveals when He says: 'But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.' You see how much He wishes that no one else know, He who wishes that a certain part of yourself not know that you act? 'Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.' As we have virtues on our right side, so too we have a portion of the vices on our left side. Therefore as the work of the right is what the silent giver does, what the noisy giver does is the hypocrisy of the left. Hypocrisy, deceit, pretense, fraud, lying, elation, haughtiness, and boasting beset us and threaten us from the left. Therefore as much as we have cause for goodness, piety, and mercy, do not let the left side know this. The left is what always brings spiritual battles against us and labours so that the virtues do not come into effect. Lest there be piety, impiety acts; lest alms-giving conquer, cupidity fights; avarice rages so that mercy may not grow strong; and so that innocence, purity, simplicity and sanctity may not reign, hypocrisy alone strikes, the hypocrisy that Christ cuts off from us with such a proclamation: 'But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.' Brothers, in this world let us flee from those things that come from the left, if we desire in the future to stand on the right and hear: 'Come, blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom that has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world.' 3 O man, while you on earth give to the poor those things that you want to be with you in heaven. O man, be a fellow soldier here with the poor if you want to reign there with Christ. Saint Peter Chrysologus, from Sermon 9, On 'Take care that you do not perform your righteousness before men' 1 Mt 6.2-4 2 Mt 25.55 3 Mt 25.34

Wealth And Scripture

Ἀκούω σε ταῖς θείαις Βίβλοις ἐμμελετᾷν, καὶ ταῖς αὐτῶν κεχρῆσθαι μαρτυρίαις ἀρμοδίως πρὸς ἄπαντας, εἶναι δὲ πελονέκτην, καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπιμαινόμενον βίοις. Καὶ πάνυ μοι θαυμάζειν ἐπέρχεται, ὅτι σε ὁ θεῖος ἔρως οὐκ ἕτρωσεν ἐκ τῆς συνεχοῦς ἀναγνώσεως, μεταβολὴν τῆς προθέσεως ἐργασάμενος, ὁ μὴ μόνον τῶν ἀλλοτρίων κωλύων ἐρᾷν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ προσόντα σκορπίζειν νουθετῶν. Ἥ τοίνυν ἀναγινώσκων ἐπίγνωθι, ἤ μὴ ἐπίγνώσκων ἀνάγνωθι. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΚΖ' Φαρισμανιῳ Εὐνουχῳ του Παλατιου Source: Migne PG 78.200b

I hear that you are well exercised in the Divine Scriptures and would put their testimonies to use fitly in all things, and yet you are avaricious and madly desire the goods of others. It amazes me that it has happened that by your extensive reading the Divine has not lovingly wounded you and effected a change in your wishes, not only prohibiting lust for what belongs to others, but even admonishing you to distribute what is yours. Either then understand what you read, or lacking understanding read. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 27, To Pharismanius A Eunuch Of The Palace

Considerations Of Wealth

Πλούτου τοίνυν μεταληπτέον ἀξιολόγως καὶ μεταδοτέον φιλανθρώπως, οὐ βαναύσως οὐδὲ ἀλαζονικῶς, οὐδὲ ἐκτρεπτέον τὸ φιλόκαλον εἰς φιλαυτίαν καὶ ἀπειροκαλίαν, μή πῃ ἄρα καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς φήσῃ τις· ὁ ἵππος αὐτοῦ πεντεκαίδεκα ταλάντων ἐστὶν ἄξιος ἢ τὸ χωρίον ἢ ὁ οἰκέτης ἢ τὸ χρυσίον, αὐτὸς δὲ χαλκῶν ἐστι τίμιος τριῶν. Αὐτίκα γοῦν περίελε τὸν κόσμον τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας τῶν δεσποτῶν, οὐδὲν διαφέροντας τῶν ἀργυρωνήτων εὑρήσεις τοὺς δεσπότας, οὐκ ἐν βαδίσματι, οὐκ ἐν βλέμματι, οὐκ ἐν φθέγματι· οὕτως τοίνυν τοῖς ἀνδραπόδοις ἐοίκασιν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἀσθενέστεροι εἶναι τῶν οἰκετῶν διακρίνονται καὶ τῷ νοσηλότερον ἀνατεθράφθαι. Ἄριστον γοῦν δογμάτων τοῦτο ᾄδειν παρ' ἕκαστα χρή, ὡς ὁ μὲν ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ σώφρων ὢν καὶ δίκαιος ἐν οὐρανῷ θησαυρίζει τὰ χρήματα· οὗτος ὁ τὰ ἐπίγεια καταπωλήσας καὶ πτωχοῖς ἐπιδοὺς τὸν ἀνώλεθρον ἐξευρίσκει θησαυρόν, ἔνθα οὐ σής, οὐ λῃστής· μακάριος οὗτος ὄντως, ἐάν τε σμικρὸς καὶ ἀσθενὴς καὶ ἄδοξος ᾖ, καὶ πλοῦτον ὄντως πλουτεῖ τὸν μέγιστον· ἐὰν δὲ ἄρα πλουτῇ μὲν Κινύρα τε καὶ Μίδα μᾶλλον, ᾖ δὲ ἄδικος καὶ ὑπερήφανος, καθάπερ ὁ ἐν τῇ πορφύρᾳ καὶ βύσσῳ τρυφῶν καὶ τὸν Λάζαρον ὑπερηφανῶν, ἄθλιός τέ ἐστι καὶ ἀνιαρῶς ζῇ καὶ οὐ ζήσεται. Ἐοικέναι γοῦν μοι δοκεῖ ὁ πλοῦτος ἑρπετῷ, οὗ εἰ μή τις ἐπίσταιτο λαβέσθαι ἀβλαβῶς, πόρρωθεν ἀκινδύνως ἄκρας οὐρᾶς ἀνακρημνὰς τὸ θηρίον, περιπλέξεται τῇ χειρὶ καὶ δήξεται· δεινὸς δὲ καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος ἰλυσπώμενος παρὰ τὴν ἔμπειρον ἢ ἄπειρον αὐτοῦ λαβὴν προσφῦναι καὶ δάκνειν, εἰ μή τις αὐτῷ καταμεγαλοφρονῶν ἐπιστημόνως χρῷτο, ἵνα σὺν τῇ ἐπῳδῇ τοῦ λόγου καταξέσηται μὲν τὸ θηρίον, αὐτὸς δὲ ἀπαθὴς μείνῃ. Ἀλλ', ὡς ἔοικεν, τὰ πλείονος ἄξια κεκτημένος πλούσιος ὢν μόνος ἐλελήθει· πολλοῦ δὲ ἄξια οὐ λίθος, οὐκ ἄργυρος, οὐκ ἐσθής, οὐ κάλλος σώματος, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀρετή, ὅς ἐστι λόγος διὰ τοῦ παιδαγωγοῦ παραδιδόμενος εἰς ἄσκησιν·λόγος οὗτος ὁ τὴν τρυφὴν ἐξομνύμενος, τὴν δὲ αὐτουργίαν διάκονον παρακαλῶν καὶ τὴν εὐτέλειαν ἐξυμνῶν τῆς σωφροσύνης τὴν ἔγγονον, λάβετε παιδείαν, φησί, καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον, καὶ γνῶσιν ὑπὲρ χρυσίον δεδοκιμασμένον· κρείσσων γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν, πᾶν δὲ τίμιον οὐκ ἄξιον αὐτῆς ἐστι. Καὶ πάλιν· ἐμὲ καρπίζεσθαι ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον καὶ ἄργυρον· τὰ γὰρ ἐμὰ γενήματα κρείττω ἀργυρίου ἐκλεκτοῦ. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Ὁ Παιδαγωγός, Λογὸς Τρίτιος, Κεφ' Ϛ' Source: Migne PG 8.604b-605b

Riches, then, are to be partaken of rationally, bestowed lovingly, not vulgarly, or pompously, nor is the love of what is beautiful to be turned into self-love and ostentation, lest it be that someone says to us, 'His horse, or land, or servant, or gold, is worth fifteen talents, but the man himself three coppers.' Take away, then, directly ornamentation from women, and servants from masters, and you will find the masters no different from bought slaves, but in step, or look, or voice they are like their slaves. But they are distinguished in that they are weaker than their slaves, having had a more sickly upbringing. This best of maxims, then, one must be repeatedly declaim: 'The good man, being temperate and just, treasures up his wealth in heaven.' He who has sold his worldly goods and given them to the poor discovers the imperishable treasure, 'where is neither moth nor robber.' 1 This man is truly blessed, though he may be insignificant and feeble and obscure, even then he is truly rich with the greatest of all riches. Even if a man is richer than Cinyras and Midas, and he is wicked and haughty, as he who was luxuriously clothed in purple and fine linen and despised Lazarus, 2 he is miserable, and lives in trouble, and he shall not live. Wealth, then, seems to me to be a serpent, which if one knows not how to lay hold of it without danger by the point of the tail, it will twist around the hand and bite, and riches, wriggling either in the experienced or inexperienced grasp, are fearfully adept at clinging and biting, unless one, despising them, uses them wisely, so as to crush the beast by the charm of the Word, and oneself remain unhurt. But this it seems, is not recognised: that only he who possesses what is worth most is truly rich. And it is not jewels, nor money, nor clothing, nor fairness of body, but virtue, which is the Word given by the Teacher put into practice. This is the Word who abjures luxury but calls to one's own work as a servant, and praises frugality, the child of temperance. 'Receive instruction,' he says, ' and not silver, and knowledge over proven gold, for Wisdom is better than precious stones and nothing valuable is worthy of her.' 3 And again: 'Acquire me over gold and precious stones and silver, for my yields are better than choicest silver.' 4 Clement of Alexandria, The Teacher, Book 3, Chapter 6 1 Mt 6.20 2 Lk 16.19- 3 Prov 8.10-11 4 Prov 8.19

Wealth Of Earth And Heaven

Ubi enim fuerit thesauros tuus, ibi erit cor tuum... Qui collocat thesauros in terra, non habet quod speret in caelo. Ut quid enim aspiciat in caelum, ubi nihil repositum habet? Propterea sive laetatur, in carnalibus et terrenis laetatur: sive tristatur, de carnalibus et terrenis tristatur. Qui autem divitias sua reponit in caelo, non habet spem in terra. Ut quid enim delectatur in terra, qui nihil habet in terra? Ideo sive laetatur, in spiritualibus laetatur: sive tristatur, de spiritualibus tristatur. Ergo peccatorum et laetitia mala, et tristia pejor, quia aut de lucro terreno laetantur, aut de damno tristantur: justorum autem et laetitia bona, et tristitia melior, quoniam aut de justitia laetantur, aut de peccato tristantur. Si enim aliqua causa mortis advenerit, si quidem spes illius in terra sit, tristatur, quasi de domo sua ad peregre vadens, ut non dicam ad tormenta: si autem spes ejus in caelo sit, gaudet quasi de peregre ad domum propriam reversurus, ut non dicam ad regnum caeleste. Secundo, qui thesaurizat in terris, dupliciter facit peccatum. Primum, quia male congregat: secondo, qui cor habens in terra, numquam quae Dei sunt recordatur, sed semper quae terrae. Et qui thesaurizat in caelo dupliciter justitiam facit. Primum, quia bene foenerat: secundo, quia spem habens in Deo, semper quae Dei sunt cogitat et mediatatur, et non quae terrae. Et quamadmodum qui semel congregare coeperit in terra, ipsa concupiscentia terrena facit eum magis sollicitum esse, nec solum ne minuat inde, sed ut magis augeat: sic et qui thesaurizat in caelo, ipsa concupiscentia spiritualis facit eum sollicitum, non solum ut non perdat quod habet, sed adhuc ut augeat super id quod habet. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XV  Source: Migne PG 56.747

For where your treasure is, there will be your heart. 1 He who gathers treasure on earth does not have hope in heaven. Why should he look to heaven, where he has nothing stored up? Therefore if he is happy, he is happy in carnal and worldly things, or if he is sad, he grieves over carnal and worldly things. But he who stores up his wealth in heaven, he has no hope on earth. Why would he delight in the world who has nothing in the world? Therefore if he is happy, he is happy in spiritual things, and if he is sad he grieves over spiritual things. So the joy of sinners is evil, and their grief is worse, because either they take joy in worldly wealth or grieve over its loss. But the joy of the righteous is good, and their grief better, because they are joyful on account of righteousness, or sorrowful over sin. If some cause of death nears, if a man's hope is in the world, he grieves, as if going into exile from his own house, I shall not say to torment. But if his hope is in heaven, he rejoices as if returning to his own proper house, I shall not say to the kingdom of heaven. Secondly he who heaps up on the earth, commits a twofold sin. Firstly because he gathers in error, secondly because he who has his heart on the world, is never mindful of the things of God, but always of the things of the world. And he who heaps up in heaven makes a twofold righteousness. Firstly because he harvests wisely, secondly, because he has hope in God, he always thinks and meditates on the things of God. And as he who has once began to gather on earth, because of his worldly desire, takes care to make his treasure grow, not only that it not diminish but that it increase, so it is with him who heaps up in heaven, that because of his spiritual desire, he has care to make his treasure grow, not only that he not lose what he has, but that it grow greater than what he has. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 15 1 Mt 6.21

Bringing Glory And Honour

Ἐνέγκατε τῷ Κύρίῳ δόξαν καὶ τιμήν... Ἐνέγκατε τῷ Κύρίῳ, φησὶ, δόξαν καὶ τιμήν. Πῶς οὖν ἡμεῖς, ἡ γῆ καὶ σποδὸς, τᾧ μεγαλῷ Κύρίῳ δόξαν προσφέρομεν; πῶς δὲ καὶ τιμήν; Δόξαν μὲν διὰ τῶν ἀγὰθῶν ἔργων, ὅταν λάμπῃ τὰ ἔργα ἡμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὥστε ἰδόντες τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τὰ ἔργα ἡμῶν δοξάσαι τὸν Πατέρα ἡμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ διὰ σωφροσύνης καὶ τοῦ ἐπιβάλλοντος τοῖς τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐπαγγελομένοις ἁγιασμοῦ δοξάσαι δυνατόν ἐστι τὸν Θεὸν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Παύλου παραίνεσιν, λέγοντος· Δοξάσατε δὴ τὸν Θεὸν ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ὑμῶν. Ταύτην καὶ ἀπειτεῖ παρὰ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πιστευόντων καὶ τῷ χαρίσματι τῆς υἱοθεσίας τετιμημένων τὴν δόξαν ὁ Κύριος. Υἱὸς γὰρ φησὶν, δοξὰζει πατέρα· καὶ Εἰ πατήρ εἰμι ἐγὼ, ποῦ ἔστιν ἡ δόξα μου; Τιμὴν δὲ φέρει τῷ Θεῷ ὁ κατὰ τὴν Παροιμίαν τιμῶν τὸν Θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων ἑαυτοῦ πόνων, καὶ ἀπαρχόμενος αὐτῷ ἀπὸ καρπῶν αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνης. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Εἰς Τον Ψαλμον ΚΗ´ Source: Migne PG 29.283b-c

Bring to the Lord glory and honour... 1 'Bring to the Lord,' he says 'glory and honour.' And how do we, who are earth and ash, bring glory to the Lord on High? How do we bring Him honour? It is by  glory through good works, when our deeds shine before men, so that they who know our works give glory to our Father in heaven. 2 And similarly by temperance and holiness, to those who profess piety, it is possible that there shall come praise to God, according to the exhortation of Paul, who says, 'Glorify God in your members.' 3 Indeed this is the glory that God requires from those who believe in Him, and who are worthy of the gift of adoption. 'For a son,' it is said, 'glorifies the father.' And 'If I am a father where is my glory?' 4 He who brings glory to God, according to Proverbs, is he who honours God by his righteous labours and gives to Him the first fruits of his righteousness. 5 Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 28 1 Ps 28.2 2 Mt 5.16 3 1 Cor 5.20 4 Malachi 2.6 5 Prov 3.9

We Are Trees

Arbores sumus, fratres, in agro dominico constitutae. Deus est autem noster agricola: ille nos compluit, ille colit, ipse fecunditatem donat, ipse fructificandi gratiam subministrat. Pluvia Dei est sermo sanctae praedictionis, cultura Dei est infusio gratiae spiritalis. Deus igitur praecepto nos compluit, adjutorio colit. Dum compluit, aufert a nobis ignorantiae siccitatem; dum colit, bene vivendi condonat ubertatem; dum pluit, terram nostri cordis irrigat; dum vero colit, de ipsa terra spinas et tribulos mundanae cupiditatis exstirpat. Debemus itaque fecundari coelestibus pluviis, debemus congrua fructificatione manibus superni respondere cultoris. Et si non possunt omnes arbores aequales fructus afferre, nulla tamen debet in agro dominico sterilis permanere. Sanctus Fulgentius Ruspensis, Sermo Primus, De Dispensatoribus Domini Source: Migne 65.722c

We are trees, brothers, planted in the field of the Lord. God is our farmer, He waters us, He tends, He gives fecundity, He supplies the grace of fruitfulness. The rain of God is the word of holy preaching, the tending of God is the infusion of spiritual grace. God, then, waters us with precept, tends us with aid. While He waters He takes from us the aridity of ignorance; while He tends, He gives the richness of good living; while He rains He irrigates the earth of our hearts; while He tends He pulls up the thorns and thistles of worldly desires. Thus we should be fruitful by the heavenly rains and return appropriate fruits to the supernal hands of the farmer. And if we cannot all be equal in the fruits we bring forth, there should be no sterility in the field of the Lord. Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, from Sermon 1, On The Stewards of the Lord

An Empty House

Vis videre mundatam, ornatam et vacantem domum? Hominem intuere qui confessus est, et deseruit manifesta peccata praecedentia ad judicium, et nunc solas movet manus ad opera mandatorum, corde penitus arido, ductus consuetudine quadam, plane quasi vitula Ephraim, docta diligere trituram. Exteriorum quae ad modicum valent, ne unum iota praeterit aut apicem unum; sed camelum glutit, dum culicem liquat. In corde enim servus est propriae voluntatis, cultor avaritiae, gloriae cupidus, ambitionis amator; aut haec omnia, aut singula quaeque intus vitia fovens: et mentitur iniquitas sibi, sed Deus non irridetur. Videas enim interdum sic palliatum hominem, ut seducat etiam semetipsum, penitus non attendens vermem, qui interiora depascitur. Manet enim superficies, et salva sibi omnia arbitratur. Comederunt, ait propheta, alieni robur ejus, et ignoravit. Dicit: Quia dives sum, et nullius egeo: cum sit pauper, et miser, et miserabilis. Nam et inventa occasione ebullire saneim, quae latebat in ulcere, et excisam, non exstirpatam arborem in silvam pullulare videas densiorem. Quod periculum si volumus declinare, securim ponamus necesse est ad radices arborum, non ad ramos. Non sola inveniatur in nobis exercitatio corporalis, ad modicum valens: sed inveniatur utilis ad omnia pietas, et exercitium spirituale. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermo II, Sermones De Sanctis, De Domo Mundanda, Ornanda, Implenda Source: Migne PL 183.419d-420b

You wish to to see a house clean and adorned and empty? Look to a man who has confessed and has forsaken overt sin before judgement and now sets his hands only to the works of the commandments, with a heart utterly dry, led by a certain custom, certainly as the heifer of Ephraim trained to love the threshing. 1 On the outside for a little while he flourishes, not omitting one iota or dot, but he swallows the camel while he strains out the gnat. 2 In his heart he is a slave to his own will, a worshipper of avarice, desirous of glory, a lover of ambition, and all these, or each one, nurtures the evil within, and iniquity deludes itself, but God is not mocked. 3 See meanwhile that a man who is so cloaked seduces even himself, so that he does not at all attend to the worm which feeds on him within. In appearance all things are judged to be well with him. The prophet says: 'Foreigners devoured his strength and he did not know it.' 4 He says: 'Rich I am and I need nothing, when he is poor, and wretched and pitiful.' 5 For even if there is occasion when the pus which was hidden in the ulcer boils over, and it is excised, the tree is not uprooted which you see shoots put forth in the deeper wood. If you wish to avoid that danger, it is necessary to place an axe to the roots of the tree, not to the branches. 6 Let there not be found in us only corporeal exertions, in which we flourish for a little time, but let what is useful to all piety be found in spiritual exertions. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, from Sermon 2, On The Saints, That a house should be clean, adorned and filled 1 Hosea 10.11 2 Mt 23.24 3 Galat 6.7 4 Hosea 7.9 5 Apoc 3.7 6 Mt 3.10

Truth And Freedom

Et vos cognoscetis veritatem, et veritas liberabit vos. Tria dicit, quae faciunt hominem rectum. Primum est rectitudo affectus, et hoc notatur in discipulatu Christi; secundum, rectitudo intellectus, et hoc in cognitione veritatis; tertium, rectitudo effectus per liberationem a culpa, et hoc notatur in liberatione veritatis. Vel: discipuli eritis in via per imitationem; veritatem cognoscetis in animae beatificatione ; et veritate liberabimini ab omni corruptione in animae et corporis felici unione; ad Romanos octavo: Ipsa creatura liberabitur a servitute corruptionis in libertatem gloriae flliorum Dei. Responderunt ei. Tangitur hic secundum, scilicet quomodo liberatio promissa a ludaeis parvipenditur, quia ipsi se liberos reputabant; unde gloriantur de libertate et non curant de liberatione. Propterea dicunt ei: Semen Abrahae sumus et nemini servivimus unquam; et ita liberi sumus per naturam; quomodo tu dicis: Liberi eritis, quasi modo non simus liberi? Ideo dicebant se liberos, quia nati de Abraham per Isaac, qui filius fuit liberae, secundum quod dicitur ad Galatas quarto: Eiice anciliam et filium eius; dictum est de Agar; non enim heres erit filius ancillae cum filio liberae, et tractum est de Genesis vigesimo primo. Respondit eis lesus. Tangitur hic tertium, quia necessitas liberationis ostenditur; et ostendit eos servos, et quod habent opus liberatione et quomodo liberantur. Quod ergo sint servi spiritualiter, ostendit tali ratione: Qui facit peccatum servus est peccati; sed vos facitis peccatum: ergo vos estis servi peccati. Minorem huius rationis tacet, quia infra eam exprimit, et conclusionem tacet; sed proponit maiorem dicens: Amen, amen dico vobis : Qui facit peccatum servus est peccati. Hoc probat beatus Petrus in secundae Canonicae secundo: A quo quis superatus est, huius et servus est. Haec est pessima servitus; unde Augustinus: Miserabilis servitus ! Servus hominis aliquando, sui domini duris imperiis fatigatus, fugiendo requiescit; servus vero peccati quo fugit? Secum trahit malam conscientiam, quocumque eat; quia, quocumque vadit , a se non recedit. Sic patet eos esse servos; et ex hoc probat, quod indigent liberatione, tali ratione: qui non manet in domo in aeternum indiget liberari ab eo qui manet, et per eum potest liberari; sed servus non manet, Filius autem manet: ergo servus per Filium indiget et potest liberari. Sed vos estis servi, ut supra dictum est: si ergo vos Filius liberaverit, vere liberi eritis. Servus non manet in domo in aeternum, Filius manet in aeternum. Augustinus exponit: Qui est servus peccati non manet in domo in aeternum, id est flnaliter, quamvis possit esse de praesenti Ecclesia quantum ad numerum. Tales servi, etsi sint in domo cum bonis , tamen non habent vestem nuptialem; ideo eiiciuntur, secundum illud Matthaei vigesimo secundo: Amice, quomodo huc intrasti, non habens vestem nuptialem? Et post subditur: Proiicite eum in tenebras exteriores. Si ergo Filius vos liberaverit,vere liberi eritis, ille, inquam, Filius solus est liber, quia solus sine peccato; unde in Psalmo: Factus sum sicut homo sine adiutorio, inter mortuos liber. Et ratio redditur infra decimo quarto : Venit princeps mundi huius et in me non habet quidquam. Iste Filius liber, ut nos liberaret, factus est pro nobis quasi servus; ad Philippenses secundo: Humiliavit semetipsum, formam servi accipiens etc. Hic igitur nos liberavit redimendo; Isaiae quinquagesimo secundo: Gratis venundati estis, et sine argento redimemini; quia, sicut dicitur primae Petri primo, non corruptibilibus auro vel argento redempti estis, sed pretioso sanguine quasi Agni immaculati et incontaminati, Christi lesu. Non, inquam, ut iterum simus servi, sed liberi; unde ad Galatas quinto: Vos, inquit, fratres, in libertatem vocati estis, tantum ne libertatem in occasionem detis carnis sed per caritatem spiritus servite invicem Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput VIII Source: Here, p773-6

'And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.' 1 He speaks of three things which make a man right. Firstly the rightness of love, and this is noted in the discipleship of Christ, secondly the rightness of the intellect, and this is the knowledge of truth, and the third is the rightness of the effect in the liberation from fault, and this is noted in the liberation of truth. Or: you shall be disciples in the way by imitation, you shall know the truth in the beatification of your soul, and you shall be freed in the truth from every corruption of soul and body in the blessed union, as in the eighth chapter of Romans: 'This creation shall be liberated from the servitude of corruption in the liberty of the glory of the sons of God.' 2 'They answered Him....' This touches on the second point, that is, the promised freedom weighs little on the Jews because they think themselves free, whence they glory in freedom and do not have care for it. Therefore they say to him: 'We are the seed of Abraham and we have never served anyone, and thus we are naturally free. How do you say we will be free as if we were not free?' 3 Therefore they named themselves free because they were born of Abraham through Isaac, who was the son of the free woman, concerning which it is said in the fourth chapter of Galatians: 'Cast out the slave woman and her son', which is Agar, 'the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.' and as it is written in the twenty first chapter of Genesis. 4 'Jesus says to them...' Here the third point is touched upon, because He shows the necessity of liberation, and He shows them to be slaves, and that they have the work of freedom to do, and how they are liberated. Because, then, they are spiritual slaves, He reveals it by such reason: 'He who sins is a slave to sin.' 5 You sin therefore you are slaves to sin. This minor premise is unspoken, because it is expressed within it, and the conclusion is also unspoken, and he sets forth the major, saying, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, He who sins is a slave to sin.' The blessed Peter approves this in the second chapter of the second canonical epistle: 'By what a man is ruled, he is its slave.' 6 This is the worse servitude. Whence Augustus says: 'Wretched servitude. Sometimes the slave of a man, exhausted by the commands of a hard master, finds peace in flight, but where will a servant of sin flee? He drags his evil conscience with him wherever he may go, because wherever he goes, he does not depart from himself.' 7 So it is evident they are slaves, and with this He proves they need liberation, with such reason: he who does not remain in the house forever is in need of being freed by the one who does remain, and by him he is able to be freed, but the slave does not remain, the Son does. Therefore the slave has need of the Son, so that he can be freed. But you are slaves, as was said above, 'If therefore the son has liberated you, truly you will be free.' 8 'The slave does remain in the house forever, the son remains forever.' Augustine explains: 'He who is a servant of sin does not remain in the house forever, that is, until the end, although it is possible for him to be numbered among the present Church. Such slaves, even if there are in a house full of good things, yet do not have the wedding garment, and therefore they are cast out, according to the twenty second chapter of Matthew: 'Friend, how to you come in here without a wedding garment?' And after: 'Throw him out into the outer darkness.' 9 'If therefore the son has liberated you, truly you will be free.' The Son alone, I say, is free, because He alone is without sin, whence it is said in the Psalm: 'I am made like a man without a helper, a free man among the dead.' 10 And the reason he gives later in the fourteenth chapter here: 'The prince of the world comes and in me he finds nothing.' 11 This son is free, so that He might free us, He who was made as a slave for us, according to the second chapter of Philippians: 'He humbled Himself, taking on the form of a slave...' 12 He then frees us with a ransom. In the fifty second chapter of Isaiah: 'You were sold for nothing and without silver you shall be bought,' 13 because as it is said in the first chapter of the first letter of Peter: 'You were not redeemed with corruptible gold or silver but with the precious blood of the immaculate and spotless lamb, Jesus Christ.' 14 And not, I say, that we become slaves again but that we be free, whence in the fifth chapter of Galatians: 'You, brothers, have been called to freedom, only do not let your freedom become an occasion for the indulgence of the flesh, but serve one another in the spirit of love.' 15 Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 8 1 Jn 8.32 2 Rom 8.21 3 Jn 8.33 4 Galat 4.30, Gen. 21.10 5 Jn 8.34 6 2 Pet 2.19 7 August Tractates On John 41.4 8 Jn 8.35-36 9 August Tractates On John 41.8, Mt 22.12-13 10 Ps 87.6 11 Jn 14.30 12 Phil 2.7 13 Isaiah 52.3 14 1 Pet 1.18-19 15 Galat 5.13

Captivity And Servitude

Super flumina Babylonis illic sedimus et flevimus... Itaque et hanc corporalem populi captivitatem, referri in exemplum spiritalis captivitatis oportet. Captae enim mentes nostrae sunt corporum saeculique dominatu, captae a daemonibus sunt jure vitiorum, quae imperium in nos summ per diversa ministeriorum genera exercent: dum nos ebrietas possidet, dum luxus subigit, dum avaritia devincit, dum ambitio occupat, dum malevolentia obtinet, dum ira usurpat, dum omnia in nobis regnant haec incentiva vitiorum. Venit enim Dominus, secundum prophetam, captivitatem avertere, cum dicitur. Praedicare captivis remissonem. Venit ligatos solvere, cum ait: Hanc filiam Abrahae, quam ligaverat Satanas decem et octo annis, nonne oportuit solvi in die sabbati? Venit servientes in libertatem deducere, dicens: Amen, dico vobis, quoniam omnis qui fact peccatum, servus est peccati. Servus autem non manet in domo in aeternum, filius manet in aeternum. Si vero Filius vos liberaverit, vere liberi eritis. Capimur ergo et ligamur et servimus, non tam corpore, quam et mente. Et mihi in praesenti psalmo omnis virtus et ratio verborum non tam corporlem captivitatem tractare, quam spiritalem videtur. Ea enim et in querelis et in incolis, et in rebus et in nominibus momenta sunt, ut spiritalem potius captivitaem haec lamentabilis Prophetae querela significet. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXXXVI Source: Migne PL 9.778a-c

By the rivers of Babylon where we sat and wept...1 This corporeal captivity of the people should direct as an example of spiritual captivity. For our minds our captive when they are dominated by corporeal and worldly things, when by the vices they are rightly made captive by demons, which exert rule over us through many types of activity: when we are inebriated, when we are subjugated by luxury, when we are conquered by avarice, when ambition seizes us, when malevolence grips us, when wrath rises up in us, when all the provocations of the vices reign in us. And the Lord comes, according to the prophet, to cast aside captivity. 2 He preaches freedom to captives. He comes to undo bonds when He says, 'This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years, should she not be freed on the Sabbath day?' 3 He comes to lead slaves to liberty, saying: 'Behold, I say to you that everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. A servant does not remain in the house forever, a son remains forever. If the Son has liberated you, truly you shall be free.' 4 Thus we are seized and bound and made slaves, not so much in the body but rather in the soul. And it seems to me that in this Psalm all the force and the reason of the words does not speak so much of corporeal captivity but rather of spiritual servitude. For these sorrowful complaints of the prophet spoken in grief and exile, even the use of things and names, signify rather a spiritual captivity. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 136 1 Ps 136.1 2 Isaiah 61.1, Lk 4.18 3 Lk 13.16 4 Jn 8.31-36

Slave And Free

Caeterum quod ad moralem pertinet locum, quia omnes vult salvos fieri Dominus Deus noster, dedit per Joseph etiam iis qui sunt in servitute solatium: attribuit magisterium; ut discerent etiam in ultima conditione posse mores esse superiores, nec ullum statum immunem esse virtutis, si animus se uniuscujusque cognoscat: carnem servituti subditam esse, non mentem: multosque servulos esse dominis liberiores, si in servitute positi a servilibus putent operibus abstinendum. Servile est omne peccatum, libera est innocentia. Unde et Dominus ait: 'Omnis qui facit peccatum, servus est peccati. Quomodo enim non servus omnis avarus, qui pro exiguo pecuniae lucello se ipsum auctionatur? Timet omnia, ne congesta amittat, qui non utenda congessit, majore periculo servaturus quo majora quaesivit. Quomodo non mendicus, cui sunt parva quae possidet? Nam etsi mihi dives videatur, sibi eget: nec testimoniis sua vota solatur, qui quod optat nescit credere. Quomodo autem non et ille servus, qui subditus est libidini? Primum suis ardet incendiis, et pectoris sui facibus exuritur. Quibus recte dicit propheta: Ambulate in lumine ignis vestri, et in flamma quam accendistis. Suscepit omnes metus, insidiatur somno singulorum; ut unius cupiditate potiatur, fit servus omnium. Servit igitur hanc miseram quidem servitutem, qui ipse sibi dominos facit, ipse vult habere quos timeat. Nihil enim tam speciale servitutis est, quam semper timere ille vero in quavis conditione servitii semper liber, qui mundi amore non capitur, avaritiae vinculis non tenetur, metu criminis non alligatur, qui securus spectat praesentia, quem futura non terrent. Nonne videtur tibi iste in servitude dominari: ille autem in libertate servire? Serviebat Joseph, regnabat Pharao: beatior hujus servitus, quam regnum illius. Denique tota Aegyptus collapsa esset fame, nisi regnum suum consilio servuli subdidisset. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Jospeph Patriarca, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 14.649c-650b

There are other things which pertain to the moral of this passage. Because the Lord wishes everyone to be saved, He gave through Joseph a comfort to those who are in a state of servitude, he gave a teaching, that they learn even in this least condition to be greater in conduct, for there is no pure state of virtue if a man does not know his soul. The flesh may be subdued to slavery but not the mind, and many slaves are more free than masters if placed in slavery they think to abstain from slavish works. Every sin is slavish, innocence is freedom. Whence the Lord said, 'Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.' 1 For how is every avaricious man not a slave, who for the least profit of money will even put himself up for sale? He who fears everything, lest it take what he has heaped up, useless things that he hoards, so the greater peril shall be his slavery by the more he has sought. How is he not a beggar to whom whatever he possesses is little? For even if he seems rich to me, he is poor to himself, nor shall the witnesses of his vows free him, he who because of his desire does not know how to believe. How is he not a slave who is conquered by lust? First he burns with his own flame and he kindles the torch of his own heart. Concerning which the prophet rightly said: 'Walk in the light of your fire and in the flame which you have kindled. 2 All sorts of fear seize him and his sleep is troubled by every one of them, so that having one desire, he is made a slave of many things. Thus he who is a slave in this miserable state of servitude, who makes masters for himself, let him fear what he wishes to have. Nothing is a greater mark of slavery than always to be fearful. Truly anyone who is in any state of slavery may be free who is not snared by the love of the world, and is not held by the chains of avarice, who is not bound by fear because of crime, who may securely look at the present, who is not terrified by the future. Does it seem to you this one in servitude rules and that one in freedom serves? Joseph served, Pharaoh ruled, happier was the servant than his king. Certainly all Egypt would have fallen into famine unless he had given his kingdom to the counsel of a slave. Saint Ambrose, On The Patriarch Joseph, Chap 4 1 Jn 8.34 2 Isaiah 50.11