Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Third Sunday of Easter

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And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:17–21)

If we then wish our life to be saved let us lose it to the world, as those who have been crucified with Christ and have for our glorying that which is in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world is to be crucified unto us and we unto the world, that we may gain our end, even the salvation of our lives, which begins from the time when we lose it for the sake of the word. But if we think that the salvation of our life is a blessed thing, with reference to the salvation which is in God and the blessednesses with Him, then any loss of life ought to be a good thing, and, for the sake of Christ must prove to be the prelude to the blessed salvation.…

But the saying, “What shall a man give in exchange for his own life,” if spoken by way of interrogation, will seem to be able to indicate that an exchange for his own life is given by the man who after his sins has given up his whole substance, that his property may feed the poor as if he were going by that to obtain salvation; but, if spoken affirmatively, I think, to indicate that there is not anything in man by the giving of which in exchange for his own life which has been overcome by death, he will ransom it out of its hand. A man, therefore, could not give anything as an exchange for his own life, but God gave an exchange for the life of us all, “the precious blood of Christ Jesus,” according as “we were bought with a price, having been redeemed, not with corruptible things as silver or gold, but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot,” even of Christ.

Origen, Commentary on Matthew 12.27, 28

I Really Do Miss You

Pastor Aaron Fenker has written a piece (an open letter really) for Higher Things entitled Dear Divine Service... that reflects what Christians are longing for during this time of social distancing and online services. He writes:

I’m sorry that I even have to write this. It’s painful. I’m sure you’ve known it was coming. Maybe you didn’t. I certainly didn’t. It’s the things we take for granted, you know? Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I guess. Or, maybe you don’t know how good you have it, how greatly you’ve been blessed until something’s been taken away.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s you. It’s not! You offer so much. You’re a blessing! You bring Scripture to me. Not just in the readings. That would be enough! That’s enough to fill my heart, soul, mind, strength with God’s Word. That’s enough to sanctify me, my life, my week with His Word. No, always more with you. The parts of the liturgy, the hymns, the singing—all of it!—dripping with God’s Word for me. The Gospel of Jesus literally delivered to me, through me, for me, and for all those gathered with me. What great joy!

We're not together right now, but we long for that gathering with Christ in our midst being delivered to us.

Read the entirety, and enjoy it.

Anyone at the Helm?

He who prepares mountains in His strength,
Who is girded with power,
Who troubles the depth of the sea,
The sounds of its waves.
The nations shall be troubled,
And those who inhabit the ends of the earth
Shall be afraid because of Your signs;
You shall gladden the outgoings of morning and evening.
You visited the earth and watered it;
You enriched it abundantly;
The river of God is filled with waters;
You prepared their food, for thus is Your preparation thereof.
Water its furrows; multiply its fruits;
With its raindrops, the earth will be gladdened when it produces fruits.

(Psa 64:7–11 LXX)

Those who disbelieve in the reins of providence and are foolish enough to maintain that the universe, consisting of heavens and earth, for all its ordered arrangement, is without a guiding hand, seem to me to resemble a man sitting in a ship traversing the sea who watches the pilot take the tillers and move the rudders as required, bearing now right and now left, and directing his ship into his ports of call.

Now that man would be a manifest liar, obviously resisting the truth, if he said that there was no helmsman at the poop, that the vessel had no rudders, that it was not directed by the movement of the tillers, but that it was carried along automatically, that it overcame the force of the waves on its own, that it struggled of itself with the impact of the winds, and that it was in no need of help of sailors or of a helmsman to issue orders for the common good to the crew.

Theodoret of Cyrus, On Divine Providence 2.1–2

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Second Sunday of Easter

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3–9)

What exactly are the blessings which God has given us in Christ? First, there is hope, not the kind of hope which He gave to Moses, that the people would inherit a promised land in Canaan, for that hope was temporal and corruptible. Rather God gives us a living hope, which has come from the resurrection of Christ. Because of that, He has given all those who believe in Jesus the same resurrection. This is a living hope and an incorruptible inheritance, not stored up here on earth but in heaven, which is much greater.

Oecumenius, Commentary on 1 Peter

Your place in the kingdom of heaven is ready, your room in the Father's house is prepared, your salvation in heaven awaits you. All you have to do, if you want to receive them, is to make yourself ready. But since no one can do this by his own efforts, Peter reminds us that we are kept in the power of God by faith. Nobody can keep doing good works in the strength of his own free will. So we must all ask God to help us, so that we may be brought to perfection by the One who made it possible for us to do good works in the first place.

Bede, On 1 Peter

Patristic Wisdom for Easter

Therefore my heart was glad,
And my tongue rejoiced exceedingly;
My flesh also shall dwell in hope.
For You will not abandon my soul to Hades
Nor allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You made known to me the ways of life;
You will fill me with gladness in Your presence;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Ps 16:9–11 LXX)

See how He himself cries out and gives thanks to the Father because His soul is not in the usual way left abandoned in hell, but is glorified by swift resurrection, and has passed to the kingdom of heaven. This is attested in the gospel in various passages: My soul is sorrowful even unto death, and elsewhere: I have the power of laying down my life and of taking it up again. You must not think that this is to be accepted complacently, because you find in Psalm 29 what seems to be the opposite view: What profit is there in my blood, whilst I go down to corruption? The objection is resolved by this reasoning: in that passage, He says that He goes down to corruption when pierced by the impact of the impressed nails and lance, for transfixion of solid flesh is reasonably accounted corruption. But in the present passage He says justly that the corruption of putrefaction which ravages the generality of human flesh does not take place, for when on the third day it happened that His flesh was given fresh life, it was demonstrated that it could not have suffered corruption.

Filling to the brim is adding to fullness, and he who does so pours into a vessel already full. That joy fills in such a way that it is all preserved forever. The verse also shows that all just men in that blessed state will be filled with the joy of the Lord’s presence, and He attests that He can be filled among them because He is the Lord. But let us examine a little more carefully why He says here that He will be filled with delights at the right hand of the Father, whereas earlier He said: For he is at my right hand, that I will not be moved. The fact is that in this world, in which He suffered scourgings in the flesh which He assumed, was struck with slaps, and was spattered with spittle yet defeated by none of its hardships, it was fitting to say that the Lord was always seen at His right hand. He overcame the opposition of the world because He moved not an inch from the contemplation of the Father. There He has now laid aside the hardships of this world, and His humanity is filled with the glorification of His whole majesty and rules united to the Word with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Even to the end signifies perfection and eternity, for His glory abides in its perfection, and will be limited by no season.

Cassiodorus, Explanation of the Psalms 15.10, 11

Patristic Wisdom for Good Friday

Albrecht Durer

O God, my God, hear me; why have You forsaken me?
The words of my transgressions are far from my salvation.
O my God, I will cry out by day, but You will not hear me;
And by night, but not for a lack of understanding in me.

But You, O Lord, do not remove Your help from me;
Attend to my aid.
Deliver my soul from the sword
And my only-begotten from the hand of the dog;
Save me from the lion’s mouth,
My humiliation from the horns of the unicorns.

Psa 21:2–3, 20–22 LXX (Psa 22:1–2, 19–21)

Christ the Lord who foresees and ordains all things, who sees all future events as present, cries out as though impelled by a passion close at hand: O God, my God. But these words are to be interpreted as coming from His human nature; by nature I mean strength and power of substance. The repetition itself indicates the emotion of compulsive prayer. The Son most dear in a double address invoked Him who He clearly knew would afford Him not safety in this world, but the brightness of eternal majesty. Deos is a Greek word rendered in Latin by timor, fear. This fact inclines me to the view that our forbears decided that God’s name is derived from fear; so one of the pagan poets says: “Fear was the first to create gods in the world.” When He says: Look upon me, He begs that the aid of the resurrection may appear most swiftly for Him. Next comes: Why have You forsaken me? The word why is known to introduce a question; so the Master of consubstantial wisdom, the Spokesman of the Father is so confused by the impending death of His flesh that in apparent ignorance He asks the Father why He has been abandoned by Him. These and similar expressions seek to express His humanity, but we must not believe that divinity was absent to Him even at the passion, since the apostle says: If they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. Though He was impassible, He suffered through the humanity which He assumed, and which could suffer. He was immortal, but He died; He never dies, but He rose again. On this topic, Father Cyril expressed this beautiful thought: “Through the grace of God He tasted death for all, surrendering His body though by nature He was life and the resurrection of the dead.” Similarly blessed Ambrose says: “He both suffered and did not suffer, died and did not die, was buried and was not buried, rose again and did not rise again.” In the same way we say that man too even today suffers, dies and is buried, though his soul is not circumscribed by any end. So He attests that He was forsaken when He was interrogated, though in fact He could not have been consigned to the hands of wicked men if the power of His majesty had not allowed such things to happen. In the gospel-words: You would not have any power against Me unless it was given you from above. He also broadcasts the experiences of the humanity which He assumed, repelling words of blasphemy and impious mouthings, for He says that words begotten by sins are far from Him. The salvation of His sacred soul was not to embrace the speech of sinners, but gladly to endure by the virtue of patience what He suffered through God’s dispensation. As He Himself says in the gospel: Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Then He added: Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. He also speaks of the words of my sins when they belong to His members. He who was without sins called our sins His, just as in another psalm He is to say: O God, You know my foolishness, and my offenses are not hidden from You. So let us hear from the Head’s lips the words of the members, and realize that He has rightly spoken in our name, for He offered Himself as victim for the salvation of all. Hence Paul says: Him who knew no sin, he was made sin for us. For in the law too offerings for sins are called sins.

Cassiodorus, Explanation of the Psalms 21.2

Patristic Wisdom for Maundy Thursday

Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. They shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, nor shall you break a bone of it; and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. Thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Pascha. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute vengeance: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. (Exo 12:7–14)

The sacrifice of this lamb was so great that even the shadow of its truth was sufficient for salvation in freeing the Jews from the slavery of Pharaoh, as though already the liberation of the creature from the slavery of corruption was prefigured, the image of Christ's coming passion worked for the advent of salvation. Therefore it was declared by God that in the first month of the year on the fourteenth day of the moon, a year-old lamb without blemish should be sacrificed. With its blood they were to make signs upon the doorposts of their houses, lest they be frightened by the angel of destruction. And on that very night when the lamb was eaten in their homes, which was the celebration of the Passover, they should receive liberation through the figure of slavery. It is not difficult to interpret the spotless lamb of Christ and his sacrifice made to free the slavery of our death. For, marked by the sign of His cross as by the sprinkling of blood, we shall be saved from the angels of destruction even to the consummation of the world.

Martin of Braga, On the Pascha 2

As also the Word of God, when desirous said to his disciples, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you.” Now that is a wonderful account, for a man might have seen them at that time girded as for a procession or a dance and going out with staves and sandals and unleavened bread. These things, which took place before in shadows, were typical anticipatory symbols. But now the truth has drawn near to us, “the image of the invisible God,” our Lord Jesus Christ, the true Light. Instead of a staff, He is our scepter; instead of unleavened bread, He is the bread which came down from heaven; who instead of sandals has furnished us with the preparation of the gospel. It is He who, to speak briefly, by all these means has guided us to his Father. And if enemies afflict us and persecute us, He again, instead of Moses, will encourage us with better words, saying, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the wicked one.” And if after we have passed over the Red Sea, heat should again vex us or some bitterness of the waters befall us, even then again the Lord will appear to us, imparting to us of His sweetness and His life-giving fountain, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink.”

Athanasius, Festal Letters 14.3

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to Palm Sunday

The Lord gives Me the tongue of the learned, so as to know when to speak a word at a fitting time; and He causes My ear to listen each morning. The Lord’s instruction opens My ears, and I am not disobedient, nor do I contradict Him. I gave My back to whips, and My cheeks to blows; and I turned not away My face from the shame of spitting. The Lord became My helper; therefore, I was not disgraced. But I made My face like a solid rock and knew I would not be ashamed. For He who pronounces Me righteous draws near. Who is he who judges Me? Let him oppose Me at the same time. Who is he who judges Me? Let him come near Me. Behold, the Lord will help Me. Who will harm Me? (Isa 50:4-9a)

The Jews, separating this chapter from what has been said previously, wish to refer it to the person of Isaiah, in that he would say that he received the word from the Lord and how he put up with a lazy and wandering people and called them back to salvation, and in the manner of small children who are trained early in the morning, Isaiah recited what he heard from the Holy Spirit.... But these verses should be applied to the person of the Lord in which the older book is fulfilled, since according to the dispensation of the flesh that Christ assumed, He was trained and accepted the lash of discipline so that He would know when He ought to speak and when to keep quiet. And He who in His passion was silent, through the apostles and apostolic people speaks throughout the whole world.

To Christ was added through the grace of the ear things that He did not have by nature, that we might understand that we ought to accept with the ears not of our body but of the mind.... The breast that contained God was beaten.... This discipline and training opened His ears that He was able to communicate the knowledge of the Father to us.... We learned more fully in the gospel that the Son, according to the flesh He took on, spoke the mystery that He had heard from the Father.

Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah 14.2

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ comes before us, when He would show how to suffer, who when He was struck bore it patiently, being reviled He reviled not again, when He suffered He threatened not, but He gave his back to the smiters and His cheeks to buffetings, and He turned not his face from spitting; and at last, He was willingly led to death, that we might behold in Him the image of all that is virtuous and immortal, and that we, conducting ourselves after these examples, might truly tread on serpents and scorpions and on all the power of the enemy.

Athanasius, Letter 10.7