OT § 97

Pambo said to Antony, 'What shall I do?' Antony said, 'Do not trust in your own righteousness. Do not go on sorrowing over a deed that is past. Keep your tongue and your belly under control.'

Gregory said, 'God asks three things of anyone who is baptized: to keep the true faith with all his soul and all his might; to control his tongue; to be chaste in his body.'

It belongs to angels never to have evil desires; it is human sometimes to have evil desires and other times not to have them; it belongs to demons always to have evil desires. The expression "all the day" signifies the entire life. So also, "continue in the fear of the Lord all the day" applies to the whole life.

"A dissolute soul shall suffer hunger." For, because it braces not itself towards higher things, it lets itself run loose uncared for in lower desires; and, while not braced with the vigour of lofty aims, suffers the pangs of the hunger of low concupiscence, and, in that it neglects to bind itself up by discipline, it scatters itself the more abroad hungry in its craving after pleasures. Hence it is written again by the same Solomon, "The idle man is wholly in desires." Hence in the preaching of the Truth Himself the house is said indeed to be clean when one spirit has gone out; but, when empty, it is taken possession of by his returning with many more.

For it is one thing to shew mercy on account of our sins; another thing to sin on account of shewing mercy; which can no longer indeed be called mercy, since it cannot grow into sweet fruit, being embittered by the poison of its pestiferous root. For hence it is that the Lord through the prophet rejects even sacrifices themselves, saying, "I the Lord love judgment, and I hate robbery in a whole burnt offering." Hence again He has said, "The sacrifices of the ungodly are abominable, which are offered of wickedness." Such persons also often withdraw from the indigent what they give to God. But the Lord shews with what strong censure he disowns them, saying through a certain wise man, "Whoso offereth a sacrifice of the substance of the poor doeth as one that killeth the son before the father's eyes." For what can be more intolerable than the death of a son before his father's eyes? Wherefore it is shewn with what great wrath this kind of sacrifice is beheld, in that it is compared to the grief of a bereaved father.

The false witness will perish, etc. He who testifies that he serves God, but does not follow through with deeds, will perish. But he who faithfully, as he promises, submits to divine commands, his speech reaches victory, because while he strives through obedience to conquer his desires, he later receives the palm of victory through the justice of the judge.

The impious man insolently stiffens his face, etc. Judas, because he was impious in heart, although reproved by the Lord himself, did not wish to restrain his evil beginnings; but Peter, because he was upright in heart, that is, a lover of uprightness, corrected himself at once with repentance when the Lord looked at him, having erred by denying.

There is no wisdom, no prudence, etc. Whatever the heretics counsel and think is nothing, and vain and useless.

The horse is prepared for the day of battle, etc. Indeed, it is man's duty to prepare a soul devoted to God in times of persecution, to offer the body to danger; but it is of divine assistance that to the effort of labor, the victory of the contest, and salvation succeed.

A good name is more excellent than money, and good favor is better than heaps of silver. Faith itself redounds to itself, sufficiently rich and more than rich in its possession. There is nothing which is not the possession of the wise person except what is contrary to virtue, and wherever he goes he finds all things to be his. The whole world is his possession, since he uses it all as his own.

A good name is better, etc. He speaks of a good name, not one praised by the masses of the ignorant, but praised by the testimony of the faithful, even if few. For he did not shun having a good name, but sought to be praised only by the good, who says: If I were still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians I). Therefore, a good name is the name of religion, which is rightly preferred to worldly riches; for even if one were to gain the whole world, he would rightly despise it, only so that his name might be written in heaven, and his memory fixed eternally both among angels and among holy men.

Better than silver and gold is good grace. He signifies that grace when one is praised by the good for his good work, and indeed, for the conferred gifts of merit, the Father who is in heaven is glorified.

"The poor man and the rich have met each other." Where have they met each other? In this life. This one was born, that one was born, their lives were crossed, they have met each other. And who made them? The Lord. The rich man, to help the poor; the poor man, to test the rich.

The rich and the poor meet together. In what way, except in this present life? The rich and the poor are born alike. You meet one another as you walk along the way together. The poor must not defraud the rich; the rich must not oppress the poor. The one has need, the other has plenty, but "the Lord is the maker of them both." The Lord helps the one in need by the one who has; by the one who has not the Lord tests the one who has.

Both of you are traveling the same road; you are companions on the journey. Lightly laden are the poor man's shoulders, but yours are burdened with heavy luggage. Give away some of the load that is weighing you down; give away some of your luggage to the needy man—and you will thus afford relief both to yourself and to your companion. The Scripture says, "The rich and the poor have met one another, but the Lord has made them both." Where have they met, except in this life? The one is now arrayed in costly garments, while the other is clad in rags. When did they meet? Both were born naked, and even the rich man was born poor. Let him disregard what he found when he had come; let him consider what he brought with him.

The rich and the poor meet together, etc. Do not despise the rich because of their wealth and honors, nor the poor because of their poverty, but revere in each the merit that is the work of God, for they are made in the image and likeness of God.

I beseech you, beloved brethren, be eager to engage in divine reading whatever hours you can. Moreover, since what a person procures in this life by reading or good works will be the food of his soul forever, let no one try to excuse himself by saying he has not learned letters at all. If those who are illiterate love God in truth, they look for learned people who can read the sacred Scriptures to them. This even illiterate merchants have learned to do, for they hire literate mercenaries and through their reading or writing acquire great profits. Now, if people do this for earthly wealth, how much more should we do it for the sake of eternal life? It often happens that a learned person may be poor in food or clothing, while one who does not know letters has more abundant wealth. The illiterate person who abounds in earthly goods summons the poor learned one, and they mutually give each other what they need. The one by reading feeds the other with the sweet word of God, while the other by giving material substance does not allow his neighbor to suffer want. The learned man should satisfy the soul of the rich man, while the latter should warm the body of the poor man with clothing and refresh him with earthly food. If this is done with charity, there will be fulfilled what is written: "The rich and poor have met one another: the Lord is the maker of them both." Being pressed down with a heavy burden by possessing more than was necessary, the rich man was unable to walk, while the poor man perhaps was learned but was failing because of not having the necessities of life. For this reason, there was holy sharing on the part of both men. While the rich man gave the poor material wealth from his possessions, the poor man imparted the sacred lessons to the rich, and they both happily reach the eternal country on the road of this life.

The prudent sees danger and hides himself, etc. Many of the leaders believed in the Lord, but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess, so as not to be expelled from the synagogue: for they were prudent, seeing the danger of impending persecution, and they hid the faith of piety which they had briefly conceived. However, the innocent apostles continued on the straight path of profession which they had begun and were afflicted by scourging, chains, prison, and even sentenced to death. The example of both groups is followed even now by many, both in the struggle of faith and in common acts. Ancient translators rendered this verse more clearly but in a different sense: The wise seeing the wicked punished, learns much discipline; fools, however, passing by, are afflicted by loss.

The reward of humility is the fear of the Lord, etc. By humility, he means the steadfastness of good works; by the fear of the Lord, he means that fear which remains forever. Since indeed the perfection of virtues is to ascend to this state of mind, by which we greatly fear to offend the grace of the Creator even in the slightest: preferring nothing at all to His memory, which elsewhere is called charity, casting out perfect fear (1 John IV), namely servile and beginning fear, by which anyone fears lest by sinning, he may deserve to be subjected to punishments. What he adds, Riches, and glory, and life, he signifies in the future. Therefore, the reward of humility is the fear of the Lord, riches, and glory, and life: since indeed the perfection of virtues in this life is to fear the Lord with holy fear, that is, to worship Him with sincere love. The reward of virtues in the future is to receive from the Lord the riches of the promised inheritance of the heavenly kingdom, glory, and life without end. Hence Peter says: Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls (1 Peter III).