Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 3

“What shall I render to the Lord,” that while my memory recalls these things my soul is not appalled at them? I will love you, O Lord, and thank you and confess your name, because you have removed from me these terribly wicked and nefarious acts of mine. I attribute it to your grace and to your mercy that you have melted away my sin as if it were ice. I also attribute whatever of evil I have not committed to your grace—for what sin is there that I would not have committed, loving as I did the sin for the sin’s sake? Yes, all my sins I confess to have been granted pardon to me, including those sins that I committed by my own perversity and those which, by your guidance, I did not commit. Where is the person who, reflecting on his own infirmity, dares to ascribe his chastity and innocence to his own strength? To do so would mean loving you less, as though he were in less need of your mercy by which you forgive the transgressions of those who turn to you. Whoever, therefore, has responded to your call and followed your voice—avoiding those things that he reads me recalling and confessing of myself—should not despise me, who, being sick, was healed by that same Physician who helped him not get sick, or at least less sick than he would have been. This is why he should love you as much, yes, even more than I do since once he sees how I have been restored by you from such a great enfeeblement of sin, he will see that he himself also has been preserved by you from a similar enfeeblement of sins.

Confessions 2.7.15

The activity of a soul that aspires to rest in quietness must be humble and gentle, which is appropriate for the follower of Christ the Way. It also should not be lazy or less than fully committed but should instead be committed to running the race to its end. It is, in fact, written, “Do your work thoroughly in a spirit of meekness,” where the admonition, “Do your work thoroughly” is aimed at preventing you from allowing your meekness to degenerate into laziness.

Expositions of the Psalms 114:6

Very often the priestly order and the Levitical office are a cause of pride to one who forgets that he holds such dignity in the bosom of the church. How many priests, placed at the head, have forgotten to be humble! As if their ordination has given them a dispensation from humility! On the contrary, they should observe humility precisely because they have been invested with such great dignity, according to the words of Scripture: “The greater you are, the humbler.” The assembly chooses you: bow your head even more humbly. They have elected you as a leader of others: do not feel as though you are exalted. Be among them as one of them. You must be humble and modest. Flee from pride, the source of all evil.

Homilies on Ezekiel 9:2

You should listen to John, you heretic. You should listen to the one who runs forward as you run backwards. You should listen to the humble, you who are proud. You should listen to the burning oil lamp, you unlit lamp. Listen to what John said when people came to him. “I baptize you with water.” You too, if you would only acknowledge what you really are, are a minister of water. “I,” he says, “baptize you with water; but he who shall come is far greater than I.” How much greater than you is he? “I am not worthy to undo the lace of his sandal.” How much would he have humiliated himself had he said he was worthy of this? In reality, he said he was not even worthy to do this—to undo the lace of his sandal. “It is he who baptizes you with the Holy Spirit.” … Repeat what the friend of the Bridegroom says instead of drawing attention to yourself and away from the Bridegroom. “Neither is he that plants anything, nor he that waters, but God who lets it grow.”12Listen again to the one we are talking about, the friend of the Bridegroom. It is true that he had, it seems, his own disciples and that he himself was not a disciple of Christ. Listen to him though as he recognizes himself as a disciple of Christ. See him there among the disciples of Christ, both more true and more humble. The humbler he was, the greater he was. Notice how he behaves himself according to what is written: “The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord.” He rightly says, “I am not worthy to loosen the lace of his sandals,” but this was not how he showed himself to be a disciple. “He who comes from above,” he says, “is above everyone,” “but we all have received from his fullness.” Therefore, he too was among the disciples who had disciples around him, just as Christ did. Listen to him admitting with utmost clarity to being a disciple: “The one who possesses the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom stands there and listens.”

Sermon 292:8

After the Virgin was found worthy to be exalted by seeing and hearing the angel, and after she had learned that she was to be honored by a divine birth, she did not become proud because of these heavenly gifts as though she deserved them. In order that she might become more and more worthy of these gifts, however, she kept her mind focused on the custody of humility and thus responded to the angel who had brought her the annunciation: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word.” As we have learned subsequently from the reading of today, she also demonstrated this same humility that she had shown the angel to humankind, and—which is even more significant—even to those who were inferior to her.Who does not know that a virgin consecrated to God has greater dignity than a married woman? Who doubts that the mother of the eternal King is to be placed before the mother of one of his soldiers? She, however, is mindful of the Scriptures that prescribe “The greater you are, the more humbly you should act in all things.” And as soon as the angel that had talked to her returned to heaven, she got up and headed for the hill country, and, carrying God in her womb, she turned to the dwelling places of the servants of God and asked to talk to them. After the visit of the angel she rightly headed towards the hill country, she who, having tasted the sweetness of humble heavenly life, headed towards the apex of virtue with the steps of humility. She entered the house of Zachariah and Elizabeth and saluted her who had learned that she would give birth to the servant and precursor of the Lord, not as if she was in doubt about the prophecy that she had received but in order to congratulate her on the gift that, as she had found out, she had received—she who was a servant of the Lord like her. She did this not to confirm the words of the angel through the testimony of a woman but for her, a young virgin, to commit herself to serve an elderly woman.

Homilies on the Gospels 1:4

The same holy apostle had said in a similar way, “No one knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him. So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God.” In this second expression he does not add “except the spirit of the person that is in him.” He limits himself to adding “except the Spirit of God,” because one does not think of the divine Being as though he were a composite of two parts put together. He says “except the Spirit of God” also because “it is the Spirit of God who probes everything, even the depths of God.” We therefore do not say that his Spirit, who also probes the depths of God, is a stranger to God. Holy Scripture cautions us, “Reflect on what has been assigned to you, for you do not need what is hidden,” or, “Seek not what is too difficult for you; nor investigate what is beyond your power.” Of course, we cannot apply words that condemn vain curiosity to the Holy Spirit. We should say only that it is part of his nature to investigate the hidden things of God.

Ancoratus 12:1-4

Let us, therefore, listen together to the admonition and to the words of Scripture: “Do not seek out the things that are too high for you, neither search the things that are above your strength.” Not that such things are forbidden to us, since the divine Master says, “There is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed.” But if we continue along the way we have undertaken, as the apostle tells us, God not only will reveal to us what we do not know and ought to know but also anything else we care to know about. The way we have undertaken is the way of faith: let us keep to it without wavering. Let it introduce us to the secrets of the King in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. For it was surely not out of envy that the Lord Jesus Christ acted toward those great and specially chosen disciples of his when he said, “I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” We must be walking, making progress and growing so that our hearts may become fit to receive the things that we cannot receive at present. And if the last day shall find us sufficiently advanced, we shall then learn what here we were unable to know.

Tractates on the Gospel of John 53:7

This most celebrated Virgin was of David’s seed, from which her husband also drew his descent. In fact, according to the great apostle, “Man is the head of the woman,” and, according to Moses law, “The two shall become one flesh.” And if the married woman who has offended her husband pays the punishment for adultery according to the Law—as by now she has become the body of the husband and has chosen the man as her head—how, then, does it not follow that, once the genealogy of the head is traced, the body is also counted together with the head? As a consequence it was also necessary in this case that the Virgin, being united with Joseph, was conveniently included in his genealogy, just as we have demonstrated that she was born of the same tribe as he—yes, from the very clan and family of David. And therefore also Gabriel foretold in the prophecy addressed to her, among other things: “And the Lord God shall give him the throne of his father David.” And what did he teach through this? That David was the forefather of him who was to be born from her. And how would it have been possible that the angel conveniently manifested these things to the Virgin, if not with the clear recognition that she descended from David? Indeed, if she had not been a descendent of David, he would not have said, “God shall give him the throne of his father David.” And had it not been clear that what he said was addressed to a daughter of David’s, the Virgin could have rightly asked, “Of which father?” since she knew that she had not known a man. She then learned that she would conceive through the Holy Spirit. Therefore Luke rightly says, “Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.” We, then, having this interpretation ever since it came to light, no longer read this discourse ambiguously, as if Mary had only come to be enrolled together with him. Rather, it was because she also was of the house and the family of David. I believe that it has been clearly demonstrated that the genealogy of Joseph has not been uselessly traced by the divine Evangelists, because as a consequence of this the Virgin has been recognized as a descendant of David’s, and thus Christ Jesus, born of her through a supreme miracle, is the Son of God who precedes all ages. And whoever attempts to contradict these words attempts above all to point the sword of his tongue against himself. And he shall be thrown out of the sacred gates of our hall! And in our turn, to us, to whom the Word of God has been sent along with grace and truth, it shall not be justifiable to probe anything further than that which has been said, since the divine Scripture closes the search for more profound things! In fact, it says, “Take care of what has been commanded to you; do not probe the things that are too high for you!”

Marian Homily 3

Somewhere in Isaiah we read thus concerning Christ: “Who will be able to declare his generation?” And the blessed prophet, speaking about God the Word, has used the word “generation” instead of speaking about Being. Who, in fact, will be able to declare the mode of being of the Only-Begotten? And what language will explain the ineffable generation of the Son from the Father? And what mind will not be powerless in the face of this concept? In fact, we know and believe that the Word was generated from God the Father. But we say that the concept is unattainable for any intelligence, and any inquiry into this line of argument is risky at best. We should not have to explore that which is too advanced for our abilities, nor must we inquire about what is too difficult. We must rather hold on to what we are commanded and believe firmly that God truly exists and rewards those who diligently seek him. But we must not search into—as it is written—the things that surpass our mind and our knowledge, and not only ours but of every creature, including those who are spirits.

Commentary on the Gospel of John 5:7.27

He receives the never-ending share of the heavenly inheritance who, guarding the unity of brotherly love within the catholic church, before finishing the present life gives up the lethal hardness of the impenitent heart and does not despair that within the one and truly catholic church the remission of all sins will be given by the Holy Spirit to those who have converted. Our Savior demonstrates as much. Indeed, after the resurrection, breathing on his disciples and giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit, he gave them the power to forgive sins, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they shall be forgiven; if you retain them, they will be retained.” Therefore, they do not close the door of mercy—an action that would create a desperation that leads to death—on those who, separated from the catholic church, are tied to the error of whatever heresy or schism. Those heretics or schismatics will give up their hard-heartedness if they do not want to be punished with evils that will have no end. It is indeed written that “the stubborn mind will be afflicted at the end, and whoever loves danger will perish by it.” What is there that is more dangerous than not offering obedience to the divine Word and disdaining the will of God who calls? Therefore, in the book of holy Job, just as eternal glory is promised to those who convert, the impious are denied the gifts of salvation because they do not obey. If indeed it is written, “Those who return from iniquity, if they listen and obey, will fill their days with blessings and their years with honor. But he does not preserve the ungodly because they are not willing to know the Lord and because when reproved they were disobedient,” they therefore ought not to disdain the time dedicated to obedience but ought to return to the catholic church in which alone, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, “love covers a multitude of sins.”

On the Forgiveness of Sins 1:25.2-26:1

Eternal salvation is promised not only under the particular name of repentance, of which the blessed apostle Peter says, “Repent and be converted that your sins may be forgiven.” John the Baptist and the Lord himself said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The burden of our sins is also overwhelmed by the affection of love, for “love covers a multitude of sins.” In the same way, by the fruits of almsgiving a remedy is also provided for our wounds because “as water extinguishes fire, so does almsgiving extinguish sin.” So also the washing away of offenses is gained by the shedding of tears, for “every night I will wash my bed; I will water my couch with tears.” Finally, to show that they are not shed in vain, he adds, “Depart from me all you who work iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.” Moreover, by means of confession of sins, their absolution is granted, for “I said, I will confess against myself my sin to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my heart,” and again, “Declare your iniquities first, that you may be justified.” Forgiveness for crimes committed is obtained also by afflicting the heart and body, for he says, “Look on my humility and my labor, and forgive me all my sins.” This is especially true when considering the amendment of one’s life. “Take away,” he says, “the evil of your thoughts from my eyes. Stop doing evil; learn to do good. Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the orphan, defend the widow. And come, reason with me, says the Lord, and though your sins were as scarlet, yet they shall be as white as snow, though they were red as crimson, they shall be as white as wool.”

Conferences 3:20.8

The apostle calls people to contrition; I only to a cure. He affirms that riches are a fire; I desire to extract from them water that helps to extinguish the blaze. This is precisely why it is written, “Water extinguishes a lit fire; alms extinguish sins.” The apostle attests that damnation is the punishment for riches improperly packed away; I desire to obtain eternal life through these very riches that he says cause eternal damnation to all. Not that I believe that riches will enable anyone who has always lived among the pleasures of the flesh to obtain eternal life if he persists in such sin even up to death—even if he bequeaths all he has when he is at death’s door—unless, in fact, he has previously bid farewell to his sins and taken off his filthy clothes, filled with the filth of his profligacy, and puts on the new robe of repentance, of holiness, from the hands of the apostle who admonishes him.

Against Avarice 1:8.39-40