Correction And Mercy

Corripiet me justus in misericordia, et increpabit me. Est enim misericordiae modus: et miserandi adhibenda justitia est. Dolor quidem potest esse erga eos, quorum crimina gravia sunt; sed misericordiae locus nullus est. Misericordia enim se ad veniam de Deo orandum his quae sunt gesta deflectit: caeterum veniam praestare illicitis, non est misericordiam praestare, sed justitiam misericordiae non tenere. Quam rationem diligentissime apostolus Joannes retinuit, dicens: Si quis scit fratrem suum delinquere, sed non ad mortem; petat, et dabit illi Deus vitam. Est enim peccatum ad mortem, sed non pro eo dico. Quod autem justus in misericordia corripere atque arguere eum qui lapsus sit debeat, beatus Paulus docet, dicens: Fratres, et si praeventus fuerit homo in aliquo delicto, vos qui estis spiritales, consummate eum in spiritu lenitatis. Sed ne ipse quidem rationis justae misericordiae immemor fuit: praeventum enim in delicto, non voluntate delinquentem, consummari per arguitionem jubet. Atque ideo propheta cum ait: Corripiet me justus in misericordia, et increpabit me; et fidei suae, et humanae infirmitatis memor, corripiendum se in his ait, quae justae misericordiae arguitione sunt digna. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXL Source: Migne PL 9.828b-829a

'May the righteous man correct me mercifully, and cry out against me.' 1 For it is the way of mercy that justice be administered mercifully. Wrath is certainly possible against those whose crimes are grave, but there mercy has no place. For mercy inclines itself to forgiveness from God, praying for those things which have been done. Besides to give forgiveness for crimes is not to show mercy, but it is of mercy not to hold to strict justice. Which reason carefully holding to the Apostle John says, 'If someone knows of a brother who has erred, but not to death, ask, and God shall give him life. For there is a sin to death, and of this I do not speak.' 2 Thus the righteous man should correct with mercy and dispute with the one who has fallen, as Paul teaches, saying: 'Brothers, if a man comes before you in some fault, you who are spiritual should improve him in a spirit of gentleness' 3 But he was not forgetful of the reason for righteous mercy, for a man has come in fault, and not wishing for error, he commands it to end with exhortation. And therefore the prophet when he says, 'May the righteous man correct me mercifully and cry out against me,' mindful of his own faith and of human infirmity, says that he should be chastised for things which are worthy of the reproof of righteous mercy. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 140 1 Ps 140.5 2 1 Jn 5.16 3 Galat 6.1

Freedom And Service

Docuit me tamen Apostolus quod ultra ipsam libertatem sit, ut servire libertas sit: Cum liber, inquit, essem omnium me servum feci; ut plures lucrifacerem. Quid est ultra libertatem, nisi habere Spiritum gratiae, habere charitatem? Libertas enim liberum facit hominibus, charitas amicum Deo. Unde ait Christus: Vos autem dixi amicos. Bona charitas, de qua dicitur: Per charitatem Spiritus servite invicem. Servivit et Christus, ut omnes liberos faceret. Manus ejus in cophino servierunt: qui non rapinam est arbitratus esse se aequalem Deo, formam servi accepit; et omnia omnibus factus est, ut omnibus salutem afferret. Cujus imitator Paulus, et quasi sub Lege erat, et quasi sine Lege vivebat pro eorum utilitate, quos cupiebat lucrari: et infirmis volens fiebat infirmus, ut eos confirmaret: et currebat, ut comprehenderet: et corpus suum castigabat, ut potestates aereas in Christo triumpharet. Est ergo sapienti et servire libertas. Unde colligitur quia stulto et imperare servitus est; et quod pejus est, cum paucioribus praesit, pluribus dominis et gravioribus servit. Servit enim propriis passionibus, servit cupiditatibus suis, quarum dominatum nec nocte potest fugere, nec die; quia intra se dominos habet, intra se servitium patitur intolerabile, Gemina enim servitus est, altera corporis, animarum altera: domini autem corporis quidem homines, animarum autem malitiae et passiones, a quibus sola animi libertas sapientem vindicat; ut servitio ei liceat exire. Quaeramus igitur illum vere sapientem, vere liberum, qui quamvis sub plurimorum dominatu degat, libere dicit. Quis est, qui mecum judicio contendat? Tu solus manum tuam a me abstine, a cujus conspectu non potero me abscondere; et timor tuus non me percellat. Quem secutus David rex ait: Tibi soli peccavi. Regali enim subnixus fastigio, quasi legum dominus legibus reus non erat, soli Deo obnoxius tenebatur, qui dominus est potestatum. Alium audi liberum: Mihi autem pro minimo est, ut a vobis dijudicer, aut ab humano die: sed neque me ipsum dijudico; nihil enim mihi sum conscius . . . . qui autem dijudicat me, Dominus est. Vera libertas hominis spiritalis, quia dijudicat omnia, ipse autem a nemine dijudicatur, nec a quocumque creaturae participe, sed soli Deo se subditum novit, qui solus sine peccato est, de quo dicit Job: Vivit Dominus, qui sic me judicat; solus enim ille potest judicare justum, cujus in conspectu coelum non est mundum, nec stellarum pura et clara lumina. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Epistula XXXVII, Simpliciano Source: Migne PL 16.1089b-d

But the Apostle has taught me what is beyond freedom itself, that to serve is freedom, 'When free,' he says, 'I made myself a servant to all, that I might gain more.' 1 What is beyond freedom unless to have the Spirit of grace, and to have love? Freedom makes one free from men, but love makes one a friend of God. Whence Christ says, 'But I have called you friends.' 2 Love is good, and thus it is said, 'Serve one another through the love of the Spirit.' 3 Christ also became a servant that He might make all free. His hands served in the baskets, 4 and He who thought it not robbery to be equal with God, took on Himself the form of a servant, 5 and was made all things to all men, that He might bring salvation to all. 6 Of whom Paul was an imitator, as one under the Law, and living without the Law, for the good of those who he wished to gain. To the weak he willingly became weak, so that he might strengthen them, and he ran so that he might achieve, and he disciplined his body, so that he might be victorious in Christ over the powers of the air. 7 Therefore even service is freedom to the wise man. Whence it is understood that for a fool to have power is servitude, and what is worse, while he rules over a few, he serves more masters and more severe ones. For he serves his own passions, his own lusts, the tyranny of which he cannot escape night or day, for he carries these lords within himself, and within himself he suffers an intolerable slavery. For there is a double bondage, one of the body, another of the soul; the lords of the body are men, but the lords of the soul are evil inclinations and passions, from which only the liberty of the mind sets free the wise man and enables him to depart from servitude. Therefore let us seek that truly wise man, that truly free man, who although he may live under the dominion of many, says freely, 'Who is the one who will contend with me in judgement? You alone take your hand from me, from whose sight I shall not be able to hide, and do not daunt me with your fear.' 8 Whom following King David said, 'Against you alone have I sinned.' 9 For elevated by the royal height, and as lord of the laws, he was not guilty to them, but accountable to God alone, who is the Lord of hosts. Hear another free man: 'But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you, or by any man, but I do not judge myself, for I am not aware of anything against myself, .... but He who judges me is the Lord.' 10 True freedom belongs to the spiritual man, because he judges all things, yet he is not judged by any man, nor anything that partakes of created things. He knows himself to be subject to God alone, He who alone is without sin, 11 of whom Job says, 'The Lord lives, He has judged me so.' 12 For only He can judge the righteous man, in whose sight the heavens are not clean, nor the light of the stars pure and bright. Saint Ambrose, from Letter 37, to Simplicianus 1 1 Cor 9.19 2 Jn 15.15 3 Galat 5.13 4 Ps 80.7 5 Phil 2.6 6 1 Cor 9.22 7 Ephes 2.2 8 Job 13.19 9 Ps 50.6 10 1 Cor 4.3-4 11 1 Cor 2.15 12 Job 27.2

Service And Gifts

Exoneremus ante omnia corda nostra impia contagione, ut fructus possimus nutrire justitiae: debet enim ex integro terrenis actibus abrenuntiare, qui vult coelestibus mandatis satisfacere. Nam sicut homo numquam invitus bene servit, ita nec occupatus bene commendata custodit. Voluntarie sacrificabo tibi. Non sine cause propheta hac se Domino voce commendat. Sciebat necessario multos dubio corde servire; et aliud ore promittere, aliud pectorum secreto disponere. Voluntarie sacrificabo tibi. Quamvis parva, ex voto offerentis magna fiunt munera: consummunt vero auctorem suum beneficia quae constiterint extorta. Sanctus Valerianus Cemeliensis, Homilia III, De Arcta et Angusta Via Source: Migne PL 52.701c-d

Before everything let us rid our hearts of the touch of evil, that we might be able to nourish the fruits of righteousness, for he who wishes to satisfy the commandments of heaven should renounce worldly works completely. As a man never serves well unwillingly, so neither does a man preoccupied with other things take good care of what is entrusted to him. 'I will freely sacrifice to you.' 1 Not without reason did the Prophet commend himself to God like this. He knew that by compulsion many serve with wavering hearts, and that they promise one thing with their mouths but care about something else in the depths of their hearts. 'I will freely sacrifice to you.' Though small, gifts become great because of the wish to offer them, but those which are extorted ruin the one who gives them. Saint Valerian of Cimelium, from Homily 3, On The Narrow and Difficult Way 1 Ps 53.8

The Poor Man's Refuge

Kαὶ ἐγένετο Kύριος καταφυγὴ τῷ πένητι βοηθὸς ἐν εὐκαιρίαις ἐν θλίψει. Kαὶ ἐλπισάτωσαν ἐπὶ σὲ οἱ γινώσκοντες τὸ ὄνομά σου ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπες τοὺς ἐκζητοῦντάς σε, Kύριε Ποίῳ δὲ πένητι καταφυγὴ γέγονεν ὁ κριτὴς, ἢ τῷ κατὰ τὸν πρῶτον βίον τὴν στενὴν ὠδευκότι καὶ τεθλιμμένην, καὶ τῷ μακαριζομένῳ πτωχῷ, δηλονότι τῷ πνεύματι; Τοῦτο δὲ μαθόντες οἱ γινώσκοντες τὸ ὄνομα σου, καὶ ὅτι ἐν τῷ τῆς δικαιοκρισίας καιρῷ τοὺς ἐκζητοῦντες σε νῦν οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις, ἐντεῦθεν ἐλπιζέτωσαν ἐπὶ σὲ πάντα διὰ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ὑπομένοντες. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς Θ’ Source: Migne PG 23.132d-133a

And the Lord is made a refuge for the poor man, a helper in good time, in tribulation. And they hope in you who know your name, because you do not forsake those who seek you, O Lord. 1 To which poor man is the judge made a refuge, unless the one who has entered upon the course of the difficult and narrow way, and to that blessed poor man who is clearly so in the spirit? 2 And those who know your name, learning this, even that your just judgements in good time will not forsake those who seek you, so they hope in you, enduring all things for the reward. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 9 1 Ps 9.10-11 2 Mt 7.13, 5.3

Care And Ease

Ὁ ἀτιμάζων πένητας ἁμαρτάνει ἐλεῶν δὲ πτωχοὺς μακαριστός ... Ἐν παντὶ μεριμνῶντι ἔνεστιν περισσόν ὁ δὲ ἡδὺς καὶ ἀνάλγητος ἐν ἐνδείᾳ ἔσται Τοῦτο ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ ὡς οὐκ ἐν τάξει παραινέσεως τέθεικεν, ἀλλὰ τὰ συμβάντα ἀπαγγέλλει· εἶτα διορθωτικῶς τὸ ἐπαγόμενον· τὸ, Ὁ ἀτιμάζων πένητα ἁμαρτάνει· τὰ γὰρ αὐτόθι δῆλα κακά· οὐδὲ διορθοῦταί τις, οὐκ ἂν καταγνοίη τῶν τοιούτων· τίς δ' ἂν τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπαινέσειεν; Ὁ ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς φροντίζων περιττεύει πράξει καὶ γνώσει. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ περὶ τῶν πρακτέων ἀεὶ σκοπῶν ἕξει τι πλέον· ὁ δὲ ἡδὺς καὶ ἀνάλγητος, ἤγουν ὁ τοὺς πόνους ἐκτρεπόμενος ἐν ἐνδείᾳ ἔσται τῶν ἀρετῶν. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Παροιμιας, Κεφ' ΙΔ’ Source: Migne PG 39.1636d

He who scorns the needy sins, and he who is merciful to the poor is blessed ... In every care abundance dwells, he who is soft and untroubled shall dwell in poverty. 1 It seems to me that this is not set down for counsel but to declare things which are done, since it goes on to give correction. 'He who scorns the needy sins.' For from that evils clearly flow. Unless someone shall correct, who shall deplore such things, and who shall praise others? He who has care for virtue, abounds in deeds and knowledge. For always thinking on his duty, he improves all the more. But he who is soft and untroubled, that is, he who turns away from toil, he shall dwell in the poverty of the virtues. Didymus the Blind, On Proverbs, Chap 14 1 Prov 14.21,23

Encouraging Charity

Ὡς φιλοκόσμῳ εὐπρέπεια ἱματίων, οὕτω σοὶ τὸ Ψαλμικὸν ἐφαρμόζει, Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν οἱ ἀνομοῦντες διακενῆς. Θύρας γὰρ καὶ τρόπους κερδῶν ὑπανοίξας, σὺ μὲν τὰς ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἀποτίσεις εὐθύνας, ἑτέροις δὲ θησαυρίζεις τοὺς πόρους, οἶς πλείονας καὶ σαυτῷ τιμωρίας σωρεὺεις. Εἰ τοίνυν βούλοιο κὰκείνους καὶ ἑαυτὸν τοῦ πυρὸς ἀπαλλάξαι, πολλοί σε Λάζαροι κυκλοῦσιν· εἰς αὐτοὺς τὴν φλόγα τῶν χρημάτων ἐκτίναξον, καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν ἐκεῖσε κληρονομήσεις ἀνάψυξιν. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΙΕ Εὐσεβιῳ Ἐπισκοπῳ Source: Migne PG 78.317c-d

As elegance of vestments for him who loves adornment, so the Psalmist fittingly cries out to you: 'Let the profitless workers of wickedness be disgraced.' 1 For you should quietly open your doors and ways of gain, that you may quickly pay back what you have heaped up from the work of others, that which with you have accumulated for yourself with great care. If, then, you have the will to deliver them and yourself from the fire, many Lazaruses surround you. By them extinguish the flames of wealth, and with them you shall acquire relief. 2 Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 215, To the Bishop Eusebius 1 Ps 24.4 2 Lk 16.20

Wealth And The World

Praecipe ergo, inquit, divitibus huius mundi. Non adderet: huius mundi, nisi quia sunt divites et non huius mundi. Qui sunt divites non huius mundi? Quorum princeps et caput est ille de quo dictum est: Pauper pro nobis factus est, cum dives esset. Sed si ille solus, quid profuit? Vide quod sequitur: Ut illius paupertate vos ditaremini. Puto quia paupertas Christi non nobis attulit pecuniam sed iustitiam. Paupertas autem illius unde? Quia mortalis effectus est. Ergo divitiae verae immortalitas. Ibi enim vera copia, ubi nulla indigentia. Quia ergo nos immortales fieri non possemus, nisi pro nobis Christus mortalis esset effectus, ideo pauper factus est, cum dives esset. Et non ait: Pauper factus est, cum dives fuisset, sed: Pauper factus est, cum dives esset. Paupertatem assumpsit et divitias non amisit. Intus dives, foris pauper. Latens Deus in divitiis, apparens homo in paupertate. Vide divitias eius: In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum. Hoc erat in principio apud Deum. Omnia per ipsum facta sunt. Quid ditius eo per quem facta sunt omnia? Aurum habere dives potest, creare non potest. Cum itaque istae eius divitiae commendatae essent, vide paupertatem eius: Et Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis. Hac eius sumus paupertate ditati, quia in sanguine eius qui manavit de carne eius, quod Verbum caro factum est ut habitaret in nobis, conscissus est saccus peccatorum nostrorum. Per sanguinem illum abiecimus pannos iniquitatis, ut indueremur stola immortalitatis. Omnes ergo divites boni fideles. Nemo se contemnat, pauper in cella, dives in conscientia. Dives quippe in conscientia securior dormit in terra, quam auro dives in purpura. Ibi non excitat sollicitudo maligna, compuncto corde de scelere. Serva divitias in corde tuo, quas tibi contulit paupertas Domini tui. Immo ipsum adhibe tibi custodem. Ne pereat de corde quod dedit, servet ipso qui dedit. Omnes ergo divites boni fideles, sed non divites huius mundi. Denique divitias suas nec ipsi sentiunt; sentient postea. Vivit radix, sed hiemis tempore etiam viridis arbor aridae similis est. Tempore quippe hiemis et arbor quae aret, et arbor quae viget, utraque nuda est honore foliorum, utraque vacua honore frugum. Veniet aestas et discernet arbores. Viva radix folia producit, impletur fructibus; arida inanis aestate sicut hieme remanebit. Itaque illi horreum praeparatur, huic securis adhibetur, ut amputata in ignem mittatur. Sic aestas nostra, Christi est adventus. Hiems nostra, Christi occultatio; aestas nostra, Christi revelatio. Denique arboribus bonis et fidelibus hanc allocutionem praebet Apostolus: Mortui enim estis, et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in Deo. Certe mortui, sed mortui specie, vivi in radice. Attende autem venturum tempus aestatis, quomodo sequatur et dicat: Cum autem Christus apparuerit, vita vestra, tunc et vos cum ipso apparebitis in gloria. Hi sunt divites, sed non huius mundi. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Sermo XXXVI, De eo quod scriptum est in Proverbiis Salomonis, 'Sunt qui se divites affectant, nihil habentes; et sunt qui se humiliant, cum sint divites. Redemptio animae viri divitiae ejus: pauper autem non suffert minas.' Source: Migne PL 38.215-216

Therefore he says, 'Command the rich of this world.' 1 He would not add 'of this world' unless there were rich people who are not of this world. Who are the rich who are not of this world? Those whose prince and head He is of whom it is said, 'He became poor for us, when He was rich.' But if He did that alone, how did it profit? Look to what follows: 'that you be enriched by His poverty.' 2 I think that Christ's poverty did not bring us money but righteousness. But where did His poverty come from? Because He became mortal. Therefore true riches are immortality. That is true plenty, where there is no want. Thus because we could not become immortal unless Christ had been made mortal for us, therefore He became poor, when He was rich. It does not say, 'He became poor when He had been rich,' but He became poor, when He was rich.' He took up poverty and did not lose wealth. Rich within, poor without. Unseen as God in His wealth, appearing as a man in His poverty. Observe His riches: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In the beginning He was with God. All things were made through Him.' 3 What could be richer than He through whom all things were made? A rich man can possess gold, but he cannot create it. Now having proclaimed His wealth, observe His poverty: 'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.' 4 It is by this poverty of His that we have been enriched, because by His blood which flowed from His flesh, which flesh the Word became in order to dwell among us, the sack of our sins was torn up. Through that blood we have cast off the rags of iniquity, that we might clothe ourselves in the robes of immortality. Therefore every good and faithful man is rich. Let no one poor in property, but rich in conscience, despise themselves. Those who are rich in conscience sleep more easily on the earth than those who are rich in gold do wrapped in purple. No guilty anxiety troubles them, no conscience is pricked by crimes. Guard in your heart the riches which the poverty of your Lord has brought you. Indeed, invite Him to guard them. Let Him who gave protect, lest what has been given to you disappear from your heart. Therefore every good and faithful man is rich, but they are not the rich of this world. Moreover not even they themselves are aware of their riches, but they will know them afterward. The root is alive, but in winter even the green tree is similar to the withered one. In winter both the tree that is withered and the tree that is alive are stripped bare of the dignity of foliage, and both lack the glory of fruit. But summer will come and tell the difference between the trees. The living root produces leaves and fills with fruit; the withered tree will remain as empty in summer as in winter. For the first a storeroom is prepared, to the latter an axe is applied, and when it has been cut down it is thrown in the fire. 5 So our summer is the coming of Christ. Our winter is when Christ is hidden, our summer when He is revealed. Finally it is to good and faithful trees that the Apostle offers this consolation: 'For you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.' Certainly dead, but dead in appearance, alive in the root. Now look to the approaching time of summer, as he goes on to say, 'But when Christ, your life, appears, then you too will appear with Him in glory.' 6 These are the rich, but they are not of this world. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Sermon 36, On what is written in the Proverbs of Solomon: 'There are some who pretend to be rich and have nothing, and there are some who humble themselves when they are rich. The redemption of a man's soul is his wealth, but the poor man does not suffer warnings.' 7 1 Tim 6.17 2 2 Cor 8.9 3 Jn 1.1-3 4 Jn 1.14 5 Mt 3.10, Lk 3.9, Jn 15.6 6 Colos 3.1-4 7 Prov 13.7-8

Obtaining Heaven

Sicut enim qui per foramen arctum subtilis acus grossum et multitidum in capite filum impingere cupit, quantum valet summis digitis, illud intorquet et simplificat, sic qui in hoc quod agimus, sapientiae, studium animum figit, nisi ab omni sollicitudine, et curiositate, et ambitione , et voluntate carnali cor revocet, et disciplina torqueat, summa studiorum vigilentia acuat, semetipsum decipit et frustra laborat. Nam, sicut ait Dei Verbum, facilius est camelum introire per foramen acus quam divitem ingredi in regnum Dei. Quid enim est illud regnum, nisi inspicere Deum, et delectari in ipso? Hoc quomodo possunt, qui alias ab eo habent cogitationes, delectationes et consolationes? Vae vobis, inquit divites, qui habetis hic consolationem vestram. Pauperum vero spiritu id est voluntate, dicitur esse regnum coelorum. Isaac, Cisterciensis Abbas, Sermo XXI In Sexagesima IV Source: Migne PL 194.1760c-d

As he who wishes to pass a thick and many stranded thread through the eye of a narrow needle must twist and tighten and compress it with the tips of the fingers as much as he can, so in this which we do, the fixing of the soul for wisdom, unless the heart is free from every care, from distraction and ambition and sensuality, and is curbed by correction, and ever so carefully guarded in its intent, a man deceives himself and labours in vain. For as the Word of God says: 'It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.' 1 What is that kingdom but the sight of God and delight in Him? How can they attain it whose thoughts, delights and comfort are for other things? 'Woe to you who are rich,' He says, 'who have your comfort here.' 2 Those who are poor in spirit by their own choice are told that theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 3 Isaac of Stella, from Sermon 21 1 Mt 19.24 2 Lk 6.24 3 Mt 5.3

Gaining The Reward

Mὴ ἀποβάλητε οὖν τὴν παρρησίαν ὑμῶν, ἥτις ἔχει μεγάλην μισθαποδοσίαν... Διδάσκει δὲ καὶ πῶς τῶν ἐπάθλων τυχεῖν δυνατόν· ὅτι δι' ὑπομονῆς καὶ τοῦ μὴ ἀψικόρως ἔχειν περὶ τὸ πληροῦν τὰ ἐξαίρετα τῶν κατορθωμάτων, ἀλλὰ διψῇν μὲν ἀεὶ, καὶ ἀκορέστως ἔχειν, καὶ ἀπλήστως ἐρᾷν παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ πράγματος, καὶ κατασωρεύειν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ἐκ πράξεων εὐδοκίμησιν, ἐν τοιαύταις δὲ εἶναι προθυμίαις, ἐν αἶσπερ ἂν εἶεν καὶ οἱ τοῦ πλουτεῖν ἐρασταὶ, περὶ ὦν γέγραπται· Ἀγαπῶν ἀργύριον, οὐ πλησθήσεται ἀργυρίου. Εἰ δὲ οὐ κορέννυσιν ἐκείνους τὰ γήῖνα καὶ πρόσκαιρα καὶ εὐμάραντα, πῶς οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον ἡμᾶς θερμοτέραις κεχρῆσθαι ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις, ἵνα κερδάνωμεν τὰ παρὰ Θεοῦ, ἅ καὶ εἰς ἀπεράντους αἰῶνας ἐκτείνεται, καὶ ἀκατάληκτον ἔχει τὴν εὐθυμίαν; Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας,Εἰς τὴν πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολὴν, Ἐκλογαι Source: Migne PG 74.989b-c

Do not cast away your confidence, which has a great reward... 1 He teaches how it is possible that the reward comes to us, which is by endurance and constancy in whatever good work we have chosen to do, for we should always thirst and never be satisfied, even with unquenchable love for every good deed, because of which good doing a great account is heaped up for us, whence our eagerness should be like that which others have for the seeking out of wealth, concerning whom it is written: 'He who loves silver, he shall not be filled with silver.' 2 For if there is no satisfying their desire for worldly things, which are transitory and swiftly wither, shall we be less fervent to burn for that which enriches us with God, and which the eternal age stores up and is treasured in endless happiness? Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Letter to Hebrews, Fragment 1 Heb 10.35 2 Sirach 5.9

Gathering The Weeds

Θέλεις ἀπελθόντες συλλέξωμεν τὰ ζιζάνια; αἱ ἀγγελικαὶ δυνάμεις φασὶ, διακονεῖν ἀεὶ τῷ θείῳ θελήματι εὐνοϊκῶς ἐπιθυμοῦσαι, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὴν ἧμῶν ὀλιγωρίαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πολλὴν ὁρῶσι μακροθυμίαν. Ἀλλὰ πρᾶξει τοῦτο κωλύονται, μὴ συνεκτμηθῇ τοὶς ζιζάνίοις ὁ σῖτος, μήποτε ἁρπαγῇ ἁμαρτωλὸς πρὸς τοῖς διόρθωσιν βλέπων, μὴ πονηρῶν γενομένων γονέων συνεκκοπῇ ἀκατάγνωστα τέκνα, ἔτι μὲν πολλάκις ἐν ὀσφύῗ ὄντα πατρικῇ, Θεῷ ὑφεστῶτα ὡς τὰ κεκρυμμένα ὀρῶντι. Αἱ γὰρ τάξεις τῶν ἀγγέλων, οἶα τῆς φύσεως σύνδουλοι, τὰ μήπω παρόντα ἀγνοοῦσιν. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος καὶ συνιεῖ, καὶ πολλάκις ἐποίησεν. Οὐκ ἐθέρισεν ἄτεκνον τὸν Ἠσαῦ ἁμαρτάνοντα, ἵνα μὴ συνεκτιλλῃ τὸν Ἰὼβ, ἐξ ἐκείνου γινόμενον· μὴ θανατώσας τελωνοῦντα Ματθαὶον, ἵνα μὴ κωλύσῃ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· μὴ νεκρώσας ἀσελγούσας πόρνας, ἵνα μὴ τῆς μετανοίας οἱ τύποι ἀγρήσωσιν· μὴ ἀμυνάμενος τοῦ Πέτρου τὴν ἄρνησιν, ἐπειδὴ τὸ θερμὸν προέβλεπε δάκρυον· μὴ ἐκκόψας τελευτῇ τὸν Παῦλον διώκοντα ἵνα μὴ ἀστοχήσωσι σωτηρίας τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ τέρματα. Ὅσα τοίνυν τὸν θερισμὸν· περιμένει ζιζάνια, καὶ πρὸς καρπὸν μετανοίας οὐ τρέπεται, τῷ μεγαλῳ πυρὶ ἐτοιμάζεται, ὡς παντελῆ ἀκαρπίαν νοσήσαντα. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΡϟΕ’ Ὠριωνι Μονακῷ Source: Migne PG 78.308a-c

You wish that we could go off and gather up the weeds? 1 It is said that the angelic powers who always serve the will of God desire this with a good will, since they see our vileness and the long suffering of God. But they are not permitted to act, lest they tear up the wheat with the weeds, that is, lest they seize a sinner who is looking to the amendment of his life, and lest along with wicked parents a harmless child is torn up, those who in paternal loins yet exist to God, who sees all hidden things. For the hosts of angels, as befits their nature, are ignorant of things which are not yet present, but the Lord understands and often acts in this way. For He did not cut off Esau in his sin when he had not yet sired any children, lest Job also be ripped up, who was born from his stock. Nor did He accomplish the death of the tax collector Matthew, lest the preaching of the Gospel be impeded. Nor did He cast down shameless harlots, lest there be a lack of examples of penitence. Nor did He requite Peter's denial, since He foresaw his fervent tears. Nor did He cut off Paul with death when he was a persecutor, lest the salvation of the ends of the earth be frustrated. Therefore the weed remains until the harvest, and if there is no change to the fruit of repentance, a great fire is prepared, for those who have laboured utterly fruitlessly. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 195, to Orion The Monk 1 Mt 13.24-30

Deferred Martyrdom

Neque enim in tribus pueris minor fuit martyrii dignitas, quia mortem frustrata de camino ignis incolumes exierunt: aut non consummatus Daniel exstitit in suis laudibus, quia qui leonibus missus fuerat ad praedam, protectus a Domino, vixit ad gloriam. In confessoribus Christi dilata martyria non meritum confessionis minuunt, sed magnalia divinae protectionis ostendunt. Repraesentatum videmus in vobis, quod apud regem fortes atque illustres pueri praedicaverunt, ipsos quidem paratos esse ardere flammis, ne diis eius servirent, aut imaginem quam fecerat adorarent; Deum tamen quem colebant, quemque et nos colimus, potentem esse ut eos de camino illis eximeret, et de regis manibus ac de poenis praesentibus liberaret. Quod invenimus in confessionis vestrae fide, et in Domini circa vos protectione nunc gestum; ut cum vos parati fueritis et prompti omne subire supplicium, Dominus tamen vos poenae subtraheret, et Ecclesiae reservaret. Regredientibus vobis breviata non est in episcopo confessionis suae dignitas, sed magis crevit sacerdotalis auctoritas: ut altari Dei assistat antistes, qui ad confessionis arma sumenda et facienda martyria non verbis plebem, sed factis cohortetur; et imminente Antichristo paret ad praelium milites non solo sermonis et vocis incitamento, sed fidei et virtutis exemplo. Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistola LVIII, Ad Luciam Papam Source: Migne PL 3.973a-974a

The value of martyrdom was not the less for the three youths because their deaths were frustrated when they came forth unharmed from the fiery furnace, nor was Daniel unworthy of praise because when he was sent to the lions as prey, he was protected by the Lord and lived on to glory. 1 Among the confessors of Christ, martyrdoms which are deferred do not diminish the merits of confession, but they do show the greatness of Divine protection. We see represented in you what the brave and illustrious youths announced before the king, that they indeed were prepared to burn in the flames, so that they might not serve his gods, nor worship the image he had made, and that the God whom they worshipped, and whom we also worship, was able to free them from the furnace, and to deliver them from the hands of the king, and from imminent sufferings. Which we now find performed in the faith of your confession, and in the Lord's protection over you, so that while you were prepared and ready to suffer every punishment, yet the Lord delivered you and preserved you for the Church. There has been no reduction of the dignity of the confession of a bishop because of your return, but rather the priestly authority has grown, so that such a man who serves at the altar of God and exhorts the people to take up the arms of confession and to submit to martyrdom when the Antichrist is near, prepares the soldiers for battle not only by the exhortation of his words and voice but by the example of his faith and courage. Saint Cyprian of Carthage, from Epistle 58, To Pope Lucius 1 Dan 3-4

Seeking And Finding And Losing

Καιρὸς γάρ, φησί, τοῦ μακρυνθῆναι ἀπὸ περιλήψεως. Ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν οἰκειωθεὶς τῆς πρὸς τὴν κακίαν σχέσεως ἠλλοτρίωται. Tίς γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος ἢ Χριστῷ πρὸς Βελιάρ; ἢ πῶς δυνατόν ἐστι δυσὶ κυρίοις ἐναντίοις δουλεύοντα εὔνουν ἀμφοτέροις γενέσθαι; ἡ γὰρ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀγάπη μῖσος τοῦ ἑτέρου ἐποίησεν. Ὅταν οὖν ἡ ἀγαπητικὴ διάθεσις περιφυῇ τῷ καλῷ, τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὸ εὔκαιρον, ἐπηκολούθησε πάντως ἡ πρὸς τὸ ἀντικείμενον ἀλλοτρίωσις. Eἰ ἀληθῶς τὴν σωφροσύνην ἠγάπησας, ἐμίσησας πάντως τὸ ἀντικείμενον. Eἰ πρὸς τὴν καθαρότητα βλέπεις ἐρωτικῶς, ἐβδελύξω δηλονότι τὴν τοῦ βορβόρου δυσωδίαν. Eἰ τῷ ἀγαθῷ προσεκολλήθης, ἐμακρύνθης πάντως τῆς τοῦ πονηροῦ προσκολλήσεως. Eἰ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πλούτου περιβολὴν ἄγοι τις τὸ τῆς περιλήψεως σημαινόμενον, δείκνυσι καὶ οὗτος ὁ λόγος, ποῖον πλοῦτον ἀγαθόν ἐστι προσπεριβάλλεσθαι καὶ ποίων κτημάτων περιβολὴν ἀποπέμπεσθαι. Oἶδα θησαυρὸν σπουδαζόμενον τὸν κεκρυμμένον ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, οὐχὶ τὸν πᾶσι φαινόμενον. Oἶδα πάλιν πλοῦτον ἀτιμαζόμενον, οὐ τὸν ἐλπιζόμενον, ἀλλὰ τὸν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς προφαινόμενον. Διδάσκει τοῦτο ἡ τοῦ ἀποστόλου φωνὴ λέγουσα· Μὴ σκοπούντων ἡμῶν τὰ βλεπόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα· τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα, τὰ δὲ μὴ βλεπόμενα αἰώνια. Eἰ ταῦτα νενοήκαμεν, καὶ τὸν ἐφεξῆς λόγον διὰ τούτων νενοηκότες ἐσόμεθα. Καιρὸς γάρ, φησί, τοῦ ζητῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀπολέσαι. Ὁ γὰρ νοήσας διὰ τῶν ἐξετασθέντων, τίνων προσήκει μακρύνειν ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς περιλήψεως καὶ τίσι συνάπτεσθαι, γνοίη ἄν, τί τε προσήκει ζητεῖν καὶ τίνων ἡ ἀπώλεια κέρδος ἐστίν. Καιρὸς γάρ, φησί, τοῦ ζητῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀπολέσαι. Tί τοίνυν ἐστίν, ὅ με ζητῆσαι χρή, ὥστε ἐπιτυχεῖν τοῦ καιροῦ τοῦ καθήκοντος; Ἀλλὰ τί μὲν ζητεῖσθαι δέον ἡ προφητεία δείκνυσι λέγουσα· Ζητήσατε τὸν Kύριον καὶ κραταιώθητε· καὶ πάλιν· Ζητήσατε τὸν Kύριον καὶ ἐν τῷ εὑρίσκειν αὐτὸν ἐπικαλέσασθε, καὶ Εὐφρανθήτω καρδία ζητούντων τὸν Kύριον. Ἔγνων τοίνυν διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων, ὅπερ ζητῆσαι χρή, οὗ ἡ εὕρεσίς ἐστιν αὐτὸ τὸ ἀεὶ ζητεῖν. Oὐ γὰρ ἄλλο τί ἐστι τὸ ζητεῖν καὶ ἄλλο τὸ εὑρίσκειν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ζητῆσαι κέρδος αὐτὸ τὸ ζητῆσαί ἐστι. Βούλει καὶ τὴν εὐκαιρίαν μαθεῖν, τίς ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ ζητεῖν τὸν Kύριον; Συντόμως λέγω· ὁ βίος ὅλος. Ἐπὶ τούτου γὰρ μόνου εἷς καιρὸς τῆς σπουδῆς ἐστιν ἡ ζωὴ πᾶσα. Oὐ γὰρ ἀποτεταγμένῳ τινὶ καιρῷ καὶ χρόνῳ ἀφωρισμένῳ τὸ ζητεῖν τὸν κύριον ἀγαθόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μηδὲ ὅλως διαλείπειν ἀεὶ ζητοῦντα τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡ ἀληθὴς εὐκαιρία. Οἱ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοί μου, φησί, διὰ παντὸς πρὸς τὸν Kύριον. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐπιμελῶς ἐρευνᾷ ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς τὸ ζητούμενον, οὐδεμίαν ἄνεσιν ἑαυτῷ διδοὺς οὐδέ τι διάλειμμα τῆς τοῦ ζητουμένου κατανοήσεως; Tῇ γὰρ τοῦ ∆ιὰ παντὸς προσθήκῃ τὸ διηνεκές τε καὶ ἀδιάλειπτον τῆς σπουδῆς ἐνεδείξατο. Ὡσαύτως δὲ νοήσωμεν καὶ τὸν τοῦ ἀπολέσαι καιρόν, κέρδος εἶναι κρίνοντες τὸ ἀπολέσαι ἐκεῖνο, οὗ ἡ ὕπαρξις ζημία τῷ ἔχοντι γίνεται. Kακὸν κτῆμα ἡ φιλαργυρία· οὐκοῦν ἀπολέσωμεν. Πονηρὸν ἀπόθετον ἡ μνησικακία· οὐκοῦν προώμεθα. Ὀλέθριον κτῆμα ἡ ἀκόλαστος ἐπιθυμία· τούτου μάλιστα πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων πτωχεύσωμεν, ἵνα διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης πτωχείας τὴν βασιλείαν κερδήσωμεν. Μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, δηλαδὴ οἱ τοῦ τοιούτου πλούτου πενόμενοι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα τὰ πονηρὰ τοῦ διαβόλου κειμήλια. Mακαριώτερον μὲν τὸ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχήν τινα κτήσασθαι, ἵνα καθόλου ἀκτήμονες τῶν μολυνόντων γενώμεθα. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τον Ἐκκλησιασην, Ὁμιλια Ζ’ Source: Migne PG 44.717d-721a

'There is a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.' 1 He who is a friend of virtue is hostile to evil. 'What fellowship does light have with darkness or Christ with Belial?' 2 How is it possible to serve two opposing masters and be well disposed to both? For the love of one generates hate for the other. 3 When, then, we lovingly cleave to the beautiful, and this is what is appropriate, so there follows utter estrangement to what is opposed. If you truly loved temperance, you would revile its opposite. If you lovingly looked on purity, you would abhor the stench of filth. If you cleaved to the good, you would certainly distance yourself from clinging to evil. And if anyone associates the meaning of this embrace with the embrace of wealth, this speech indicates how rich is this good which we should embrace and the embrace of those possessions we should be rid of. I know that treasure hidden in the field for which we should long is not apparent to everyone. 4 Again I know of wealth that should be disgraceful, that one should not hope for, but it is most evident to the eye. The Apostle teaches this, saying 'Let us not look to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen, for the things that are seen are transient but the things that are unseen are eternal.' 5 If we have understood these words, we will see their meaning by what now follows. 'There is a time to seek and a time to lose.' By what we have examined, knowing how to distance ourselves from embracing and how to cleave, we can know both what it befits us to seek and the benefit we gain from losing. 'There is a time to seek and a time to lose.' What, then, must I seek so that it is the appropriate time? But what needs to be sought the prophecy reveals, saying, 'Seek the Lord and be strengthened.' And again, 'Seek the Lord and when you find Him, call upon Him,' and, 'Let the heart rejoice that seeks the Lord.' 6 By these things let it be understood that we must seek and that discovery is a constant search. For it is not one thing to seek and another to find, but the gain obtained from our seeking is to seek further. Do you wish to learn the appropriate time to seek the Lord? To be brief: Your whole life. This alone is the right time to be zealously seeking. The appropiate time has no limit, and there is no restriction of time for the good of seeking the Lord, for the true appropriate time is always to be seeking, without interruption. It says, 'My eyes are always on the Lord' 7 Do you see how diligently the eye searches for what is sought? It never allows itself rest nor pauses from trying to grasp what it seeks. This 'always' set down here declares the need for continuity and unceasing zeal. Likewise let us consider the time for losing as gain, judging that the loss is a gain if the thing that we have is a defect. Avarice is a wicked possession we should lose. The memory of past wickedness we should cast away. Unbridled lust is a ruinous possession, and this especially before all others we should be poor in, that we might gain the kingdom of poverty. 'Blessed are the poor in spirit,' 8 clearly those who have nothing of such wealth, nor any wicked thing of the devil's other treasures. But one is even more blessed not to begin to seek to possess, so that we might be stripped of corruptions. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On Ecclesiastes, from Homily 7 1 Eccles 3.5 2 2 Cor 6.14-15 3 Mt 6.24 4 Mt 13.44 5 2 Cor 4.18 6 Ps 104.4, Is 55.6, Ps 104.3 7 Ps 24.15 8 Mt 5.3

Seeking And Not Finding

Quaeretis me et non invenietis. Nota, quod a bonis quaeritur Christus et invenitur ab illis; quaeritur autem, sed non invenitur a reprobis, quibus hic dicitur: Quaeretis me et non invenietis. Quare autem non invenitur Dominus a quaerentibus, causa triplex est: una est ex parte temporis, alia ex parte loci, tertia ex parte modi quaerendi. Quaerunt ergo et non inveniunt illi qui quaerunt, non quando inveniri potest, et qui quaerunt, non ubi inveniri potest, et qui quaerunt, non qualiter inveniri potest. Quaerunt, non quando inveniri potest, qui non quaerunt de die, vel qui non quaerunt continue, vel qui non quaerunt tempestive. Quaerunt ergo et non inveniunt qui non quaerunt de die gratiae, sed in nocte culpae; unde Canticorum tertio: Per noctes quaesivi quem diligit anima mea; et sequitur: Quaesivi et non inveni. Nec mirum, quia quaesivit obscuro tempore. Quaerunt et non inveniunt qui quaerunt interrupte, cum ipse sit quaerendus continue; unde in Psalmo: Quaerite Dominum et confirmamini; quaerite faciem eius semper. Nota fabulam de vetula, quae dicebat: Quaere pulcrum maritum. Quaerunt et non inveniunt qui non quaerunt tempestive, sicut illa, de qua Canticorum quinto: Pessulum ostii mei aperui delicto meo; at ille declinaverat atque transierat; et sequitur: Quaesivi et non inveni illum; et loannis septimo dicitur: Adhuc modicum tempus vobiscum sum, et vado ad eum qui me misit; et subiungit: Quaeretis me et non invenietis; quasi dicat: quia tarde quaeritis. Propter haec tria dicitur Isaiae quinquagesimo quinto:Quaerite Dominum, dum inveniri potest. Quaerunt, non ubi inveniri potest, qui quaerunt in lecto carnalis voluptatis, vel qui in foro mundanae negotiationis, vel qui in choro pompae saecularis. Quaeritur ergo in lecto carnalis voluptatis; Canticorum tertio: In lectulo meo quaesivi quem diligit anima mea; sed non invenitur, quia sequitur: Quaesivi illum et non inveni; unde lob vigesimo octavo: Non invenitur in terra suaviter viventium. Quaeritur in foro mundanae negotiationis; Canticorum tertio: Surgam et circuibo civitatem; per vicos et plateas quaeram quem diligit anima mea. Expone de civitate mundi, de qua Psalmus: Vidi iniquitatem et contradictionem in civitate. Sed nec ibi invenitur; unde sequitur: Quaesivi illum et non inveni; Osee undecimo: In medio tui Sanctus, et non ingrediar civitatem; loquitur de se ipso Dominus. Quaeritur in choro pompae saecularis; Lucae secundo: Existimantes, illum esse in comitatu, venerunt iter diei unius, et requirebant eum inter cognatos et notos; sed nec ibi invenitur; unde sequitur: Et non invenientes regressi sunt in lerusalem. Propter haec tria corripit Dominus quaerentes se Lucae secundo: Quid est, quod me quaerebatis? Nesciebatis, quia in his quae Patris mei sunt oportet me esse? Quaerunt et non inveniunt qui non quaerunt, qualiter inveniri potest, ut in quibus est evagatio rationis, vel obliquitas intentionis, vel remissio operis. Non inveniunt in quibus est evagatio rationis de quibus Osee quinto: In gregibus suis et in armentis suis vadent ad quaerendum Dominum; supple: per curiosam cogitationem ; et non invenient; ablatus est ab eis; Sapientiae primo: In simplicitate cordis quaerite Dominum, quoniam invenitur ab his qui non tentant illum. Item, non invenitur ab his, in quibus est obliquilas intentionis,sive sit intentio maligna, qualem habuit Herodes; Matthaei secundo: Futurum est enim, ut Herodes quaerat puerum ad perdendum eum; sive sit intentio carnalis, qualem habebant turbae; loannis sexto: Quaeritis me, non quia vidistis signa, sed quia de panibus manducastis; sive sit curiosa, qualem habebant Pharisaei, loannis undecimo, qui quaerebant lesum et colloquebantur ad invicem in templo stantes: Quid putatis, quia non venit ad diem festum? Item, non invenitur ab his, in quibus est remissio operis; propter quod dicitur Lucae decimo tertio: Contendite intrare per angustam portam, quia dico vobis, multi quaerent intrare et non poterunt. Propter hoc dicitur Isaiae vigesimo primo: Si quaeritis, quaerite; convertimini et venite. Sanctus Bonaventura, Collationes In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput VII, Collatio XXXII Source: Here, p571-2

You shall seek me and not find me. 1 Note that Christ is sought by the good and He is found by them, but He is sought and He is not found by the wicked, to whom it is said here: 'You shall seek me and not find me.' The reason why the Lord is not found by those who seek Him has a threefold cause, one in time, one in place, and the third by the manner of seeking. Therefore they seek and do not find who seek when He is not to found, where He is not to be found, and in a way by which He is not to be found. They seek when He is not be found who do not seek Him in the day, or who do not seek Him always, or who do not seek Him in a fitting manner. Therefore they seek and do not find who do not seek in the day of grace, but in the night of sin, whence it says in the third chapter of the Song of Songs, 'Through the night I sought him whom my soul loves...' and it follows, 'I sought him and I did not find him.' 2 Indeed because she seeks at the time of darkness. They seek and do not find who seek intermittently, when He should always be sought, whence in the Psalm: 'Seek the Lord and be strengthened, seek His face always.' 3 Note the fable about the old woman who says: Seek a handsome husband. They seek and do not find who do not seek fittingly, as she of whom it says in the fifth chapter of the Song of Songs: 'I opened the bolt of my door to my beloved, but he had turned aside and gone.' And it follows: 'I sought him and I did not find him.' 4 And in the seventh chapter of John: 'I am with you but a little while, and I go to Him who sent me, ' and below, 'You shall seek me and not find me.' 5 As if He said, because you seek me tardily. Because of these three things it is said in the fifty fifth chapter of Isaiah: 'Seek the Lord while He can be found.' 6 They seek where He cannot be found, when they seek Him on the bed of carnal pleasure, or in the marketplace of worldly business, or in the gathering of the pomp of the age. Therefore He is sought on the couch of carnal pleasure when it says in the third chapter of the Song of Songs: 'On my bed I sought Him whom my soul loves,' but He is not found, because it follows, 'I sought him and I did not find him.' 7 Whence in the twenty eighth chapter of Job: 'He is not found in the land of those who live sweetly.' 8 He is sought in the marketplace of worldly business, when it says in the third chapter of the Song of Songs: 'I rose up and went around the city, through the streets and squares I sought him whom my soul loves.' 9 Which speaks of the city of the world, concerning which the Psalm says, 'I saw wickedness and contradiction in the city.' 10 But He is not found there, whence it follows, 'I sought him and I did not find him.' In the eleventh chapter of Hosea: 'In the midst of you I am Holy and I shall not enter the city.' 11 which the Lord says about Himself. He is sought in the gathering of the pomp of the age, as in the second chapter of Luke: 'Thinking that He was among the company, they went one day on their journey, and then they sought Him with their relations and kin, but they did not find Him there,' whence it follows, 'And not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem.' On account of these three things the Lord corrects those who seek Him saying, 'Where were you seeking me? Do you not know that it is necessary for me to be among the things of my Father?' 12 They seek and do not find who do not seek in a way by which it is possible to find, as those who have shifting minds, or hidden intent, or who lack works. Of those who do not find because of shifting minds, it is said in the fifth chapter of Hosea: 'All their flocks and herds will not turn them to seeking the Lord,' which is because of the distraction of their thoughts, 'And they do not find Him because He has withdrawn from them.' 13 In the first chapter of Wisdom, 'In simplicity of heart seek the Lord, because He is found by those who do not put Him to the test.' 14 Likewise He is not found by those in whom there is hidden intent, or in whom there is malign intent, as Herod had in the second chapter of Matthew, 'Herod shall seek the child in order to destroy him.' 15 Or it may be done with carnal intent, as with the crowd in the sixth chapter of John: 'You seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate bread.' 16 Or it may be from curiosity, as the Pharisees had in the eleventh chapter of John: 'They looked for Jesus and they spoke together standing in the temple: 'What do you think? Shall He not come on the feast day?' 17 Likewise He is not found by those in whom there is a lack of works, because of which it says in the thirteenth Chapter of Luke: 'Strive to enter through the narrow gate, because I say to you that many seek to enter and cannot.' 18 On account of which it is said in the twenty first chapter of Isaiah: 'If you will seek, seek. Turn and come.' 19 Saint Bonaventura, Observations On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 7 1 Jn 7.34 2 Song 3.1 3 Ps 104.4 4 Song 5.6 5 Jn 7.33-34 6 Isaiah 55.6 7 Song 3.1 8 Job 28.13 9 Song 3.2 10 Ps 54.9 11 Hosea 11.9 12 Lk 2.44-45,49 13 Hosea 5.6 14 Wisd 1.1 15 Mt 2.13 16 Jn 6.26 17 Jn 11.56 18 Lk 13.23 19 Isaiah 21.12

A Warning Regarding Books

Scolastici vero tam docentes quam addiscentes, ammonendi sunt de artificioso studio in libris, prout ait Seneca epistola ii. Distrahit librorum multitudo, itaque cum legere non possis quantum habueris, satis est habere quantum legas. Sed meo inquis: hunc librum evoluere volo, meo illum, fastidientis stomachi est multum degustare, que vero varia sunt et diversa, inquinant non alunt probatos itaque semper lege, et siquando ad alteros diveretere libuerit, ad priores redi. Moneat ergo ut fiat diligens inspectio, et inspectorum impressa rememoratio, unde idem epistola xlvi: Non refert quam multos sed quam bonos habeas libros, lectio certa prodest, varia delectat, multitudo enim librorum onerat, non instruit, et satius est, paucis auctoribus te tradere, quam errare per multos xl. enim milia librorum Allexandriae arserunt et cetera. Cum ergo innumerabiles sunt libro, non potest homo pervenire ad ominum inspectionem. Studeas igitur in autenticis et utilibus, non enim est finis faciendi libros, Ecclesiastici xxi. Johannes Gallensis, Communiloquium sive Summa Collationum, Quinta Pars, Distinctio Secunda, Capitulum secundum: Qulaes libros habere debent studentes Source: here, p202

However scholars, who are as much teachers as learners, have been warned against a false study of books, as Seneca says in his second letter, 'A multitude of books distracts, so if you cannot read all the books you have, you have enough when you have the books you can read. But if you should say to me, 'I wish to open this book at one time and another at another time.' I say that it is a fussy stomach that tastes many dishes, and when they are quite various and diverse they upset rather than nourish. Always read proven authors, and if at some time it pleases you to turn to different ones, go back to what you have read before.' 1 Therefore he admonishes that there should be a diligent inspection and the impressing of remembrance on those who read, whence he says in his forty sixth letter: 'It matters not if you have many books but rather if they are good ones. Sure reading improves, variety merely amuses.' 1 A multitude of books oppresses, it does not instruct. It is better to make use of a few authors than to err with many. In the fortieth letter: 'A thousand books of Alexandria burnt, etc.' 3 Therefore, when there are countless books, no man is able to give them all his full attention. So study what is true and profitable, for 'of making books there is no end.' 4 John of Wales, The Communiloquium, Fifth Part, Second Distinction, Second Chapter, What Books One Should Have For Study 1 Seneca Epis 2.3-4 2 Seneca Epis 45.1 3 Seneca Tranq Anim 9 4 Eccles 21.12

Seeing Demons

Notandum autem, quod in his urbis legionum partibus fuit diebus nostris vir quidam Cambrensis, cui nomen Melerius, futurorum simul et occultorum scientiam habens, cui talis hanc eventus scientiam dedit. Nocte quadam scilicet Ramis Palmarum, puellam diu ante adamatam obviam habens loco amoeno, et ut videbatur opportuno, desideratis amplexibus atque delitiis cum indulsisset, statim loco puellae formosae formam quandam villosam, hispidam et hirsutam, adeoque enormiter deformem invenit, quod in ipso ejusdem aspectu dementire coepit et insanire. Cumque pluribus id annis ei durasset, tandem in ecclesia Menensi meritis Sanctorum loci ejusdem, optatam sanitatem recuperavit. Semper tamen cum spiritibus immundis magnam et mirandam familiaritatem habens, eosdem videndo, cognoscendo, colloquendo, propriisque nominibus singulos nominando, ipsorum ministerio plerunque futura praedicebat. In longe vero futuris atque remotis, sicut et ipsi, frequentius fallebatur, in propinquioribus 'autem et quasi infra annum futuris minus falli consueverat. Videbat autem eos fere semper pedites et expeditos, et quasi sub forma venatorum, cornu a collo suspensum habentes, et vere venatores non ferarum tamen nec animalium, sed animarum. Circa monasteria quoque, et loca religiosa magis eos et in multitudine majori videri solebat; ibi nimirum exercitu: ibi numerosis opus est viribus, ubi rebellio. Quoties autem falsum coram ipso ab aliquo dicebatur, id statim agnoscebat, videbat enim super linguam mentientis daemonem quasi salientem et exultantem. Librum quoque mendosum, et vel falso scriptum, vel falsum etiam in se continentem inspiciens, statim, licet illiteratus omnino fuisset, ad locum mendacii digitum ponebat. Interrogatus autem, qualiter hoc nosset, dicebat daemonem ad locum eundem digitum suum primo porrigere: similiter et dormitorium monasterii cuilibet intrando, lectum monachi falsi, et religionem habitu, non animo praeferentis, eisdem indiciis ostendebat; dicebat autem spiritum gulositatis et crapulae supra et infra sordidum esse: spiritum vero libidinis et luxuriae pulchriorem aliis, sed foetidissimum. Contigit aliquando, spiritibus immundis nimis eidem insultantibus, ut Evangelium Johannis ejus in gremio poneretur, qui statim tanquam aves evolantes omnes penitus evanuerunt: quo sublato postmodum, et historia Britonum a Galfrido Arthuro tractata experiendi causa loco ejusdem subrogata, non solum corpori ipsius toti, sed etiam libro superposito longe solito crebrius et tediosius insederunt. Giraldus Cambrensis, Itinerarium Cambriae, Liber I Caput V Source: Here, p45-46

One must note that in our days there lived in the neighbourhood of the City of the Legions, 1 a Welshman named Meilyr, who had knowledge of future events and hidden things, to whom this knowledge came during the following incident. On a certain night, that of Palm Sunday, in a pleasant and convenient place, he met a girl whom he had long loved, and while he was indulging in the desired and delightful embraces, suddenly, instead of a beautiful girl, he found himself with a hairy, rough, and hideous creature, the sight of which demented him and made him mad. After he had suffered from this for many years, he recovered his longed for health in the church of St. David, through the merits of the saints. But he always had a great and wondrous familiarity with unclean spirits, in seeing them, and knowing them, and talking to them, and calling each one by its proper name, and with their help he would predict the future. Just as they are, he was frequently wrong about things remote in time and space, but in things nearer and that were to happen in the span of a year, he was less mistaken. He saw them nearly always on foot and garbed in the manner of hunters ready for the chase, with horns hung around their necks, they who are truly hunters not of wild animals but of souls. He was accustomed to meet them most often around monasteries and cells, for certainly where there is rebellion there is need for an army, and numerous equipment and men. Any time that someone spoke falsely in his presence, he instantly knew it, for he saw a demon on the tongue of the liar, and, as it were, leaping about in exultation. Also looking on a book poorly or deceitfully written, or containing something false within it, though he was completely illiterate, he placed his finger on the false passage. When he was questioned as to how he knew such things, he said that a demon first stretched out a finger to the same place. Likewise, entering into the dormitory of a certain monastery, he pointed to the bed of a false monk, he who wore the habit but did not bear the soul of religion. He said that the spirit of gluttony and drunkenness was far beyond all others most ugly, and that the spirit of lust and luxury was fairer than others but the most foul smelling. Sometimes it happened that when the unclean spirits troubled him too much the Gospel of Saint John was placed in his lap, and then instantly they all flew off like birds, but later when it was removed and the History of the Britons by Geoffrey was put in its place, 2 just to see what would occur, they would return in greater numbers and sit all over his body, and the book also, for much longer than usual. Gerald of Wales, The Journey Through Wales, Book 1, Chapter 5 1 Caerleon 2 Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britain