Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus

And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:21)

The word “Jesus” is glorious, and worthy of all adoration and worship. It is “the name above every name.” It was not fitting that this name should first be given by men or brought into the world by them, but by some more excellent and greater nature. The evangelist indicated this when he added, “His name was called ‘Jesus,’ which He had been called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

Origen, Homilies on Luke 14.1

He therefore received in the flesh the circumcision decreed by the law, although he appeared in the flesh absolutely without any blemish of pollution. He who came in the likeness of sinful flesh—not in sinful flesh—did not turn away from the remedy by which sinful flesh was ordinarily made clean. Similarly, not because of necessity but for the sake of example, he also submitted to the water of baptism, by which he wanted the people of the new law of grace to be washed from the stain of sins.…

The reason “the child who was born to us, the son who was given to us,” received the name Jesus (that is, “Savior”) does not need explanation in order to be understood by us, but we need eager and vigilant zeal so that we too may be saved by sharing in his name. Indeed, we read how the angel interprets the name of Jesus: “He will save his people from their sins.” And without a doubt we believe and hope that the one who saves us from sins is not failing to save us also from the corruptions which happen because of sins, and from death itself, as the psalmist testifies when he says, “Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.” Indeed, with the pardoning of all of our iniquities, all our diseases will be completely healed when, with the appearance of the glory of the resurrection, our last enemy, death, will be destroyed.

Bede, Homilies on the Gospels 1.11

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to Christmas Day

Because of this, my people will know my name in that day, that I myself am the one who speaks. I am present as an hour upon the mountains, as the feet of one who brings the good news of peace, as the one who brings the good news of good things, for I will make your salvation heard, saying, “O Zion, your God will reign!” For the voice of those who guard you will be lifted up, and with their voice they will be cheerful together, for eyes will look to eyes, when the Lord shows mercy to Zion. Let the deserted places of Jerusalem break forth together with cheer, because the Lord has shown mercy to her and has rescued Jerusalem. The Lord will reveal his holy arm before all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation that is from our God. (Isaiah 52:6–10)

When the Jewish people were led into captivity and the city was burned, an inhabitant of Jerusalem was either rare or nonexistent. But after the one who spoke first in the prophets and was in the beginning with God, God the Word, dwelt among us and became flesh, the deserts of Jerusalem were refreshed, and he came, of whom it is written, “He shall build my city and lead back the captivity of my people.” Thus Jeremiah does not lament for her: “How does the city that was filled with people sit solitary! She has become as a widow, she who was magnified among the nations.” Instead she hears David singing, “When the Lord converted the captivity of Zion, we became as comforted ones,” and a little later, “We were made to rejoice.”.

And that we may know that these things are not being said about the Jewish people, but about all who will come to believe in the Lord through the apostles, he records and says, He who has comforted her, or “has had mercy upon her,” and he who “has delivered” or redeemed her, has himself prepared or “revealed his holy arm in the sight of all the Gentiles, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” From this it is clear that the arm of the Lord is being revealed to all nations, and all the ends of the earth are seeing his salvation, when the spiritual Jerusalem, that is, the church, which had been forsaken by the Jews, is built by the apostles.

Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah 14

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fourth Sunday in Advent

And the Lord continued to speak to Ahaz, saying, “Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, up to a depth or up to a height.” And Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not test the Lord.” And he said, “Hear now, house of David! Is it not a small thing for you to put up a fight with human? And how do you put up a fight with the Lord? Because of this, the Lord himself will give you a sign: Look, the virgin will conceive in the womb and will bear a son, and you will call his name Immanuel. He will eat butter and honey before he knows either to prefer evil or choose the good.” Because before the child knows good or bad, he resists wickedness to choose good; and the land that you fear because of the face of the two kings will be forsaken. But God will bring upon you and upon your people and upon the house of your father days that have not yet come since the day when Ephraim took away the king of the Assyrians from Judah. (Isaiah 7:10–17 LXX)

When will you stop contending with the men of God? For I say that the prophets of God are surrounded by filth and hardship and strife for the sake of your salvation. But then you even vex and provoke a fight with my God, whom you do not know and whose promises you refuse to believe. For indeed, because of his abounding benevolence, God commands you to ask for a sign of salvation from him, through which it is to be proved that you will be saved and delivered from the two kings who are waging war against you. And you remain in your wickedness and provoke a fight with him and likewise cause trouble for his prophets as well as for him, and in your disbelief you repeatedly contrived schemes against them.

But although you are such sinners, God again proves himself to be so merciful and does not let you fall to the side and perish, and even though you do not wish it, he will offer you a sign of salvation. And what is this sign? A certain paradoxical wonder will appear among humanity, such a sign as never before has been heard of from the beginning of time. A virgin will conceive, apart from relations with a man, and she will give birth to God, the Savior of the human race. Therefore, God is about to allow himself to undergo such a birth, and this is the sign of salvation that he offers you. Then what was in the depths will reach even to the heights. He says in the depths because he will go down to Hades, and to the heights because he will ascend to heaven.

Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on Isaiah 7

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Third Sunday in Advent

Rejoice, thirsty deserted land! Let a deserted land be cheerful, and let it blossom like a lily. And the desolate places of the Jordan will blossom and rejoice. The glory of Lebanon was given to it, and the honor of Carmel. And my people will see the glory of the Lord and the exaltation of God. Be strong, hands at ease and feeble knees! Give comfort, fainthearted in mind! Be strong; do not be frightened! Look, our God is repaying judgment, and he will repay! He himself will come and save us! Then blind people’s eyes will be opened, and dumb people’s ears will hear. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the stammerer’s tongue will be clear, because water has broken forth in the desert, and a ravine in a thirsting land. And the waterless place will turn into marshes, and there will be a spring of water in the thirsty land; there birds’ cheerfulness will be a dwelling of reed and marshes. A pure path will be there, and it will be called a holy path, and certainly no impure person will pass by there, nor will there be an impure path there, but those who are scattered abroad will walk on it; they will certainly not be misguided. And there will be no lion there, and certainly none of the evil beasts will come up to it or be found there, but rather a people will walk in it that are redeemed and gathered because of the Lord; and they will return and come into Zion with cheerfulness, and eternal cheerfulness will be over their head. There will be praise and rejoicing, and cheerfulness will overtake them; pangs and sorrow and groaning have fled away! (Isaiah 35:1–10 LXX)

Now the reason the eyes will be opened, the ears will hear, the blind will leap and the tongue of the mute will be free, is because the waters of the baptism of the Savior have broken out or “burst forth” in the onetime desert of the church, and streams or torrents in the wilderness, namely, the various spiritual graces; and that which was dry land has been turned into a pool and swamp, so that not only has burning thirst ended, but it has become passable by boat and well watered, and it has very many springs, for which the deer longs. The one who drinks from them is able to bless the Lord, as it is written: “Bless the Lord from the springs of Israel.” In the dens of the souls of the Gentiles, in which dragons dwelt before, there will be reeds and bulrushes, on which is written the faith of the Lord, and on which formerly weary limbs may rest; or “there will be a joy of birds and a sheepfold for flocks,” that the doves might receive wings, and the lowly ones who remain may hurry to the heights and be able to say with the Psalmist, “The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall not want; he makes me lie down in the place of pasture, he has led me out to the waters of refreshment”.

There will be there a path and a most clean way, which shall be called holy, and which itself says of itself, “I am the way,” through which he who is polluted shall not be able to pass. This is also why it is said in the psalm: “Blessed are the blameless in the way.” And this way, that is our God, will be for us so straight and level and flat that it shall hold no error, and the foolish and the senseless are able to walk on it, to whom wisdom speaks in Proverbs, “If anyone is a little one, let him come to me, and to the foolish she said: ‘Come and eat my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mixed for you, leave infancy, and live, and walk by the ways of prudence.’”

Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah 10

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Second Sunday in Advent

And a rod will emerge from the root of Jesse, and a flower will come up from the root. And God’s spirit will rest on him, a spirit of wisdom and intelligence, a spirit of counsel and strength, a spirit of knowledge and piety. He will fill him with a spirit of the fear of God; he will not judge according to reputation or reprove according to speech. Rather, he will render fair judgment to a low one, and he will reprove the low of the land; and he will strike the land with the word of his mouth, and with breath through his lips he will destroy ungodly things. And he will be girded at the waist with righteousness and enclosed with truth at his sides. And a wolf will feed together with a lamb, and a leopard will rest with a kid, and a little calf and a bull and a lion will feed together, and a small young child will lead them. And an ox and a bear will feed together, and they will be together with their young, and a lion will eat straw like an ox. And an infant child will lay its hand on an asp’s hole and on a bed of asps’ offspring. And they shall surely do no wrong, nor will they be able to destroy anyone on my holy mountain because the whole land was filled with knowing the Lord, as much water covers the seas. And in that day there will be the root of Jesse and the one who rises up to rule nations; nations will put their hope in him, and his rest will be honor. (Isaiah 11:1–10 LXX)

This is He who, after the manner of a dove, when our Lord was baptized, came and abode upon Him, dwelling in Christ full and entire, and not maimed in any measure or portion; but with His whole overflow copiously distributed and sent forth, so that from Him others might receive some enjoyment of His graces: the source of the entire Holy Spirit remaining in Christ, so that from Him might be drawn streams of gifts and works, while the Holy Spirit dwelt affluently in Christ. For truly Isaiah, prophesying this, said: “And the Spirit of wisdom and understanding shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and piety; and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill Him.” This self-same thing also he said in the person of the Lord Himself, in another place, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He has anointed me, He has sent me to preach the Gospel to the poor.”

Novation, On the Trinity 29

The one who would proceed “from the root of Jesse” was none other than Christ, and the children of the Jews themselves confess that this is so when they say that the prophecy discussed above is clearly about the expected and anointed one who would come among them. But now, even after a thousand years have passed from the time of the prophet Isaiah and the time of Christ to us, they maintain that the prophecy still has not happened. They are forever reflecting, but their theories have run aground, and they so extend the time-frame of the prophecy in order to discredit it as untrue. They rob themselves of the hope of the prophecies. Furthermore, they try to interpret the sense of the prophetic sayings, as the apostle says, “without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions.” But in order that we might attain what was discussed above, he then prophesied that the one who is raised from the root of Jesse shall rule the nations. And he adds: nations shall hope in him. He is certainly remembering the Jewish faction in what was discussed above, and he does not assume that anything prophesied would benefit the people of the circumcision.

Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on Isaiah 11

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the First Sunday in Advent

The word that came to Isaiah son of Amoz about Judea and about Jerusalem: That the mountain of the Lord will be evident in the last days, and the house of God will be at the top of the mountains, and it will be raised above the hills, and all the nations will come to it. And many nations will go and will say, “Come on and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and into the house of the God of Jacob; and He will proclaim His way to us, and we will walk in it.” For a law will come out from Zion and a word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations and will refute a great people, and they will break their swords into plows and their spears into sickles. And no nation will take a sword against a nation, and they will no longer study to make war. (Isaiah 2:1–4 LXX)

The prophetic Spirit foretells the conversion of the Gentiles to God. Then, after these statements about the new law and word, he turns his thoughts towards the new mountain and house of God, to which God will come when those of foreign tribes (he says, Gentiles) who have abandoned the gods of their ancestors come to know the God of the prophets, the one whom the prophets call the God of Jacob. And he gives the clearest sign of the time when these things will be accomplished. The sign will be that the gospel of peace will then be preached to every nation, and there will no longer be districts and governments, neither will nations form factions and rise up against each other, nor will the cities of various nation-states go to war and fight with one another. Everyone everywhere will live in harmony and peace. No longer will those who till the earth have any forethought for swords and instruments of war as in the old days, which they used to practice because of the frequent uprisings of their neighbors. These things were fulfilled right after the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.…

The mountain of God may be understood in various ways. Like the Jewish people who read the Scriptures literally, one could assume that it is the land of Palestine. But according to the deeper meaning, according to the final word, the high and heavenly and angelic word of God and the divine apostle of the “heavenly” Zion teaches that it is “the Jerusalem above, which is the mother of us all.” This mountain was not manifest to the men of old, but the divine Spirit prophesies that it will be manifest to all nations in the last days, when Christ would “appear to put away sin.” Therefore all nations—“both Greeks and barbarians,” which indeed turn from the error of polytheism and from the literal mountains which were in ancient times thought to be dedicated to demons or to the gods—will strive after the God who is proclaimed in revelation. For this reason, as though speaking one to another, he says: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will declare to us His way, and we will walk in it. And so the Word promises to the nations that He will make the mountain and the house of God manifest in the heavens and known to all who are instructed.

Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on Isaiah 2

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Last Sunday of the Year

God is our refuge and power;
        A help in afflictions that severely befall us.
Therefore we will not fear when the earth is troubled,
        And when the mountains are removed into the hearts of the seas.
Their waters roared and were troubled;
        The mountains were troubled by His might. (Ps 45:2–4 LXX; [Ps 46:1–3])

To him who is able to say: I can do all things in him, Christ, who strengthens me, God is strength. Now, it is the privilege of many to say: God is our refuge, and Lord, thou hast been our refuge. But, to say it with the same feelings as the prophet is the privilege of few. For, there are few who do not admire human interests but depend wholly upon God and breathe Him and have all hope and trust in Him. And our actions convict us whenever in our afflictions we run to everything else rather than to God. Is a child sick? You look around for an enchanter or one who puts superstitious marks on the necks of the innocent children; or finally, you go to a doctor and to medicines, having neglected Him who is able to save. If a dream troubles you, you run to the interpreter of dreams. And, if you fear an enemy, you cunningly secure some man as a patron. In short, in every need you contradict yourself—in word, naming God as your refuge; in act, drawing on aid from useless and vain things. God is the true aid for the righteous man. Just as a certain general, equipped with a noble heavy-armed force, is always ready to give help to an oppressed district, so God is our Helper and an Ally to everyone who is waging war against the wiliness of the devil, and He sends out ministering spirits for the safety of those who are in need. Moreover, affliction will find every just man because of the established way of life. He who avoids the wide and broad way and travels the narrow and close one will be found by tribulations. The prophet formed the statement vividly when he said; In troubles which have found us exceedingly. For, they overtake us like living creatures, working out endurance, and through endurance tried virtue, and through tried virtue hope. Whence also, the Apostle said: Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And Many are the afflictions of the just. But, he who generously and calmly endures the trial of affliction will say: In all these things we overcome because of him who has loved us. And he is so far from refusing and shrinking from the afflictions that he makes the excessive evils an occasion of glory, saying: And not only this, but we exult in tribulations also.

Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms 18.2

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. (Luke 21:25–28)

“Watch” over your life. Do not let “your lamps” go out, and do not keep “your loins ungirded,” but “be ready,” for “you do not know the hour when our Lord is coming.” Meet together frequently in your search for what is good for your souls, since “a lifetime of faith will be of no advantage” to you unless you prove perfect at the very end. In the final days, multitudes of false prophets and seducers will appear. Sheep will turn into wolves, and love into hatred. With the increase of iniquity, people will hate, persecute and betray each other. Then the world deceiver will appear in the disguise of God's Son. He will work “signs and wonders,” and the earth will fall into his hands. He will commit outrages such as have never occurred before. Then humankind will come to the fiery trial, “and many will fall away” and perish. “Those who persevere in their faith will be saved” by the Curse himself. Then “there will appear the signs” of the Truth: first the sign of stretched-out hands in heaven, then the sign of “a trumpet's blast,” and third, the resurrection of the dead, but not all the dead. As it has been said, “The Lord will come and all his saints with him. Then the world will see the Lord coming on the clouds of the sky.”

Didache 16.1–7

He says that they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Christ will not come secretly or obscurely but as God and Lord in glory suitable for deity. He will transform all things for the better. He will renew creation and refashion the nature of people to what it was at the beginning. He said, “When these things come to pass, lift up your heads and look upward, for your redemption is near.” The dead will rise. This earthly and infirm body will put off corruption and will clothe itself with incorruption by Christ's gift. He grants those that believe in him to be conformed to the likeness of his glorious body.

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke 139

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to All Saints' Sunday

Sing to the Lord a new song.
        His praise is in the assembly of holy ones.
Let Israel be gladdened in the One who made him,
        and let the children of Zion rejoice exceedingly in their King.
Let them praise His name in dance;
        with tambourine and harp let them sing psalms to Him,
because the Lord is well pleased with His people,
        and He will raise up the humble in salvation.
Holy ones will boast in glory,
        and they will rejoice exceedingly in their beds,
the heights of God in their throat
        and double-edged swords in their hands,
to enact vengeance among the nations,
        reproof among the peoples,
to bind their kings in fetters
        and those held in esteem among them in iron handcuffs,
to enact among them written judgment.
        This is glory to all His holy ones. (Psalm 149:1–9 LXX)

What greater strength is there than to bestow such great power on His saints that by His gift they gain victories over their enemies? But when he says: The saints shall rejoice in glory: they shall be joyful in their beds, they now attain the happy status which embraces the joys of the saints and the power of those who believe in Christ. But let us now observe how the saints’ rejoicing is described. Glory denotes repeated praise consisting of good deeds; the just rejoice in it in their beds, that is, in the depths of their hearts. As Paul puts it: For our glory is this: the testimony of our conscience; for they rejoice in the region accessible only to the knowledge of Him who deigned to bestow it. They rejoice particularly since they weigh the fact that they have a Lord whose goodness finds expression in bestowing pardon on the guilty, grace on sinners, enduring glory on the undeserving. By contrast the foolish person in this world departs from himself, rejoices in people’s gossip, and imagines that he deserves the praise with which lying words exalt him. So the saints have a doctrine of glorying, and put limits to their joy, ascribing to Him all the blessings which He bestows. If there is no limit put on happiness, there is no joy, but destruction.

Earlier he said that the saints rejoice in their beds; now he says that the Lord’s rejoicings are set in their throats, the sense being that they never cease to praise whether in thought or in tongue Him from whom they obtain eternal gifts. He also moves on to explain the power that they wield, with the words: And two-edged swords in their hands. The two-edged sword is the word of the Lord Savior, of which Christ Himself says in the gospel: I have come not to send peace to the earth, but a sword. It is two-edged because it contains the two Testaments. First it separated Jews from Gentiles; subsequently it segregated and cut off only the Christians from the enticements of the whole world. There is one sword, but two ways of cutting which He grants to the chosen peoples at various selected moments of time. So the prophet says that these swords are in their hands, in other words, in the power of the saints; as Scripture has it: The word of the Lord came to the hand of Haggai the prophet. So the blessed ones will assume this power and pass judgment in company with the Lord; as Scripture says: You shall sit on twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. For note what follows: To execute vengeance upon the nations, chastisements among the people. This truly takes place when they shall judge in company with the Lord.

Cassiodorus, Explanation of the Psalms 149.5–7

Clothed and Cleansed

On separate occasions over the past month, I have been presented two scripture passages related to baptism or washing that caused me to take pause because they demonstrate that integral relation of baptism to salvation.

Clothed

The first passage came from studying Galatians. In chapter three, St. Paul establishes that God had made a promise to Abraham and his Seed (Christ). The Law was later given to service as a combination guardian and tutor to point us to Christ through whom we are justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we no longer need that guardian/tutor:

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Gal 3:26–27)

Notice the apostle’s argument: we have passed from childhood to maturity and family responsibility through faith in Christ. This is all well and good, but then he states that we are sons because we put on Christ through baptism. The immediate objection I anticipate is that someone will object that we become a son of God by faith, not through baptism. I say why not both? Faith and baptism are not antithetical here, rather they are linked together and cannot be separated. How do we resolve the tension that has arisen in American evangelicalism that a person comes to faith in Christ at one point, then follows some months later with baptism as an outward demonstration of an inward reality? Simply by pointing out that this separation and distinction are improper. Baptism is not a subsequent work. In order for it to be a work, you or I would need to be the active agent, but baptism is received, therefore in every way passive.

Cleansed

The second passage is:

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Heb 10:19–22)

This does not explicitly mention baptism, but notice that the language uses water imagery to describe what has been mentioned above. First, our hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience. What can this be but the “circumcision made with hands” that St. Paul describes in Colossians or what Moses promised the people of Israel if they return to God after falling way?

And the Lord your God will purify your heart and the heart of your seed, to love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul, that you may live. (Deut 30:6)

Second, our bodies are washed with pure water. In the Mosaic Law, washing was an act of purification to remove uncleanness. This could be performed on common household items (Lev 13) or individuals (Lev 14)—especially those set aside for the tabernacle, both priests (Exod 29) and Levites (Num 8). Without cleansing, the item or person must be cast out. To apply it on a personal level, then, the only way to attain usefulness is through an external washing. This being the case, without both an internal and external washing, we have no direct access to God’s presence.

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to Reformation Sunday

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. (Romans 3:21–28)

The law and the prophets then are witnesses of the righteousness of God; this righteousness is disclosed through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, among whom there is no distinction whether they believe as Jews or as Gentiles. Notice, however, that he does not put down to faith alone the single cause of the disclosure of the righteousness of God, but he associates with it both the law and the prophets. The reason for this is that faith alone, apart from the law and the prophets, does not disclose the righteousness of God nor, on the other hand, do the law and the prophets disclose it apart from faith. Thus the one is rooted in the other so that perfection comes from both.

He says there is no distinction between Jews and Greeks since it is certain that all equally have come under sin, as became clear above. And he says that now the righteousness of God, which is supported by testimonies in the law and the prophets, has also been given equally to all through faith in Jesus Christ. But because all had come under sin, doubtless they were likewise estranged from the glory of God because they were able neither to receive it in any respect whatsoever nor to merit it. For how would a sinner dare to give glory to God, to whom the prophet says, “But God has said to the sinner: Why do you recite my righteous requirements?” And again another Scripture says, “Praise is unseemly in the mouth of a sinner.” Therefore the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ reaches to all who believe, whether they are Jews or Greeks. It justifies those who have been cleansed from their past crimes and makes them capable of receiving the glory of God; and it supplies this glory not for the sake of their merits nor for the sake of works, but freely to those who believe.

Origen, Commentary on Romans 3.7.12–13

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Luke 18:1–17)

For some one indeed may say, “What is there in babes that is worthy of emulation? Is it their lack of firmness and intelligence? And how then is it not incredible, to affirm or imagine anything of the kind?“ Christ however does not wish us to be without understanding, but would have us perfectly know everything that is useful and necessary for our salvation. For wisdom even promises that she will give “to them that are simple, craftiness, and to the young the beginning of sense and understanding.” And she is found also in the book of Proverbs like one that raises her voice on high and says, “You, O men, do I beseech, and utter my voice unto the sons of men: understand, O simple ones craftiness, and fools, put a heart within you.” It follows therefore, that the fool has no heart, and is deficient in craftiness; not in that which is blamable, how could that be? but in that which is praiseworthy. But how a man may at once be both simple and crafty, the Savior Himself elsewhere explains to us, saying, “Be crafty as serpents, and simple as doves.” And similarly the blessed Paul also writes, “My brethren, be not children in your minds: but in wickedness be babes, and in your minds grown men.”

It is necessary however to examine, what is the meaning of being babes in wickedness, and how a man becomes so, but in mind a grown man. A babe then, as knowing either very little, or nothing at all, is justly acquitted of the charge of depravity and wickedness: and so it is also our duty to endeavor to be like them in the very same way, by putting entirely away from us habits of wickedness, that we too may be regarded as men who do not even know the pathway which leads unto guile, but who, unconscious of malice and fraud, live in a simple and innocent manner, practicing gentleness, and a priceless humility, and readily forbearing from wrath and spitefulness. For such we affirm are the qualities found in those who are still babes.

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke 121

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1–8)

If the greatest of perfections is forgiveness—according to the Prophet Jeremiah, who sums up all the Law in the words: For I commanded not your fathers these things in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, but this I commanded them, that each should forgive his neighbor in his heart,—then, putting remembrance of evil behind us, when we come to pray we observe the command of the Savior who says: When you shall stand to pray, forgive if you have aught against any man. Clearly, if we dispose ourselves to pray in this way, we have already gained most excellent benefits.

All this has been said on the supposition, that even though we should gain nothing else by our prayer, we gain the most excellent benefits in understanding how to pray and disposing ourselves accordingly. It is evident that the man who prays thus, even while he is still speaking and contemplating the power of Him who is listening to him, will hear the words, Behold, I am here. He will have cast off any dissatisfaction about Providence before he prays. ...

The man who prays in this way and who has already received such benefits, becomes more fitted to be united with the Spirit of the Lord who fills the whole world and with Him who fills the whole earth and heavens and who speaks thus by the mouth of the prophet: Do not I fill heaven and earth? says the Lord. Moreover, because of the purification already mentioned, he shares in the prayer of the Word of God, who stands in the midst even of those who are not aware of it, who is not wanting to the prayer of anyone and prays to the Father with him whose mediator He is. For the Son of God is the High Priest of our offerings and our advocate with the Father, praying for those who pray and pleading with those who plead. He will not pray for us as His friends if we do not pray constantly through His intercession. Nor will He be an advocate with God for His followers if we do not obey His teaching that we ought always to pray and not to faint.

Origen, On Prayer 9.3–10.2

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11–19)

And why did He not rather say, “I will, be cleansed;” as he did in the case of another leper; but commanded them rather to show themselves unto the priests? It was because the law gave directions to this effect to those who were delivered from leprosy: for it commanded them to shew themselves to the priests, and to offer a sacrifice for their cleansing. He commanded them therefore to go, as being already healed, and, that they might, so to speak, bear witness to the priests, as the rulers of the Jews, and ever envious of His glory, that wonderfully, and beyond their hope, they had been delivered from their misfortune by Christ’s willing that they should be healed. He did not heal them first, but sent them to the priests, because the priests knew the marks of leprosy, and of its being healed. He sent them to the priests, and with them He sent also the healing. … The nine then, as being Jews, falling into a thankless forgetfulness, did not return to give glory to God: by which He shews that Israel was hard of heart, and utterly unthankful: but the stranger,—for as being a Samaritan he was of foreign race, having been brought thither from Assyria: for the phrase is not without meaning, “in the middle of Samaria and Galilee:”—returned with a loud voice to glorify God. It shews therefore that the Samaritans were grateful, but that the Jews, even when benefited, were ungrateful.

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke Homilies 113–116

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ” (Luke 17:5–10)

From the mustard seed we spoke above; now it is mulberry that must be treated. I read: a tree; I do not believe, however, that it is a tree: for what reason, what profit for us, that a tree, made to give fruit to the toilers who toil, is uprooted and thrown into the sea? Doubtless we believe it possible, by virtue of faith, that insensible nature obey perceptible orders; yet what does this species of tree mean? I read, it is true: "I was a shepherd of goats, grazing blackberries" (Amos 7:14), and I think the Prophet wanted to mark us that he was from the flock of sinners, sinner him himself, and withdrew from it. It is also fitting that, in order to prophesy to the nations, he sought fruits on the bushes, drew his food from the bushes. He was going to settle the Gentiles' dark and smelly flocks, the peoples of the nations, into the pastures of his writings, where they would fatten with spiritual nourishment, while he would draw from the sinner converted the spiritual milk. But, as in another book of the Gospels (Matt 17:19) is spoken of a mountain - whose bare silhouette, deprived of fertile vineyards and olive trees, barren in harvests, conducive to the dens of animals, troubled by the incursions of wild beasts, seems to translate the haughty elevation of the evil spirit (2 Cor 10:15), as it is written: "I speak to you, corrupt mountain, who corrupts the whole earth (Jer 51:25) - there is reason to believe that in this passage again we are shown faith expelling the foul spirit. Especially as the nature of the tree fits with this opinion: because its fruit is white at first in its flower, then once formed blushes, maturing becomes black. The devil too, fallen from his prevarication of the white flower of the angelic nature and the scarlet of his power, took the horrible blackness and odor of sin. See the One who says to the mulberry tree: "Rip yourself and throw yourself into the sea": when He hunts a Legion of a man, He allows him to pass into pigs, who, carried away by the diabolical impulse, have drowned in the sea (Luke 8:30 ff). This passage is therefore an exhortation to the faith; in the moral sense he teaches us that even what is most solid can be destroyed by faith. But from faith come charity, from charity hope, and they come back to one another as by a sacred circle.

The following shows that no one should boast of his works, since it is in justice that we owe the Lord our service. For if you do not say to a servant who has plowed or grazed the sheep, go on (here), put yourself at the table - where you hear that no one sits down if he does not pass first: Moses first began to move to see the great vision (Exod 3:3) - so if you not only do not say to your servant: sit down to table, but you claim from him another service and do not 'Do not thank it, so the Lord does not admit that you are giving Him a single work or work; for as long as we live, we must always work. Recognize, therefore, that you are a servant of many services. Do not worry about being called a child of God - you must recognize grace, but without forgetting nature - do not boast if you have served well: you had to do it. The sun does its work, the moon obeys, the angels do their service; the instrument chosen by the Lord for the Gentiles says, "I am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I have persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor 15:9); and in another place, after having shown that he is not aware of any fault, he adds: "But I am not justified for that reason" (1 Cor 4:4). So we, too, do not pretend to be praised for ourselves; do not anticipate the judgment of God; let us not prevent the judge's judgment, but reserve it for his time, for his judge.

Ambrose, Homilies on Luke 17

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Woe to those who disdain Zion,
and to those who trust in the mountain of Samaria.
They picked the rulers of the nations,
and they entered.
O house of Israel, walk, all of you, and see,
and pass through from that place to Hamath Rabbah,
and go down from that place to Gath of foreigners,
the nobles from all these kingdoms,
if their borders are greater than your borders.
Those who are coming to a bad day,
who are drawing near and holding false sabbaths,
those laying down to sleep upon beds of ivory
and living luxuriously upon their beds,
and eating kids from the flocks
and suckling little calves from the midst of herds,
those clapping to the music of the instruments,
since they considered them as having stood and not as fleeting,
those drinking filtered wine
and those anointing themselves with first-rate myrrh,
and they would not suffer anything
because of the ruin of Joseph.
On account of this, now they will be captives
from the beginning of the mighty ones,
and the neighing of horses
will be removed from Ephraim. (Amos 6:1–7 LXX)

There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.” Then he said, “I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.” Abraham said to him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” And he said, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” But he said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:19–31)

Nevertheless he who lived in wickedness and inhumanity enjoyed every kind of good fortune, while the righteous man who practiced virtue endured the extremes of ill fortune. For again in Lazarus’ case, we can prove that he was righteous both by his end and, before his end, by his patient endurance of poverty. Do you not seem to see the whole situation as if it were present? The rich man had his ship full of merchandise, and it sailed before the wind. But do not be surprised: he was hastening to shipwreck, since he refused to unload his cargo with discretion. Shall I tell you another wickedness of his? His daily luxurious and unscrupulous feasting. For truly this is extreme wickedness, not only now, when such great wisdom is expected of us, but even at the beginning, under the old covenant, when not so much wisdom had been revealed.… For when he said, “Woe … to you who are approaching the evil day,” and added, “and adopting false sabbaths,” he showed by his next words how their sabbaths were false. How did they make their sabbaths false? By working wickedness, feasting, drinking, and doing a multitude of shameful and grievous deeds. To prove that this is true, hear what follows. He reveals what I am saying by what he adds immediately: “Who sleep upon beds of ivory, and live delicately on their couches, and eat kids out of the flocks, and sucking calves out of the midst of the stalls … who drink filtered wine, and anoint yourselves with the best ointment.” You received the sabbath to free your soul from wickedness, but you have enslaved it further. For what could be worse than this frivolity, this sleeping on beds of ivory? The other sins, such as drunkenness, greed, and profligacy, provide some pleasure, however small; but in sleeping on beds of ivory, what pleasure is there? What comfort?

Do you wish to see what makes a bed truly beautiful? I will show you now the splendor of a bed, not of a citizen or a soldier, but of a king. For even if you are the most ambitious of all men, I am sure that you will not wish to have a bed more splendid than the king’s; and, what is more, I do not refer to any ordinary king, but the greatest king, more kingly than all other kings, who is still honored in song throughout the world: I am showing you the bed of the blessed David. What kind of bed did he have? Not adorned all over with silver and gold, but with tears and confessions. He himself tells this, when he says, “I shall wash my bed every night; I shall water my couch with my tears.” He fixes his tears like pearls everywhere on his bed. And consider with me how he loved God in his soul. Since in the daytime many concerns about rulers, commanders, nations, peoples, soldiers, wars, peace, politics, and troubles in his household or outside or among his neighbors, distracted him and diverted his attention, the time of leisure, which everyone else uses for sleep, he used for confession, prayers, and tears. He did not do this on one night only, ceasing on the second night, nor on two or three nights, omitting the nights in between, but he kept on doing this every night. For he says, “I shall wash my bed every night; I shall water my couch with my tears,” revealing the abundance and continuity of his tears. When everyone was quiet and at rest, he met God alone, and the unsleeping eye was with him as he wept and mourned and told of his private sins. You also ought to make a bed like this for yourself. Silver surrounding you awakens jealousy from men and stirs up anger from above; but tears like David’s are able to quench the very fires of hell.

John Chrysostom, Homilies on Lazarus and the Rich Man 1

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ “Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’ So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. (Luke 16:1–8)

There are certain documents which God writes; certain documents which we ourselves write. We write documents of sin. Hear the Apostle saying: “Blotting out the handwriting in the decrees that was against us, which was contrary to us, he has taken it out of the way, fastening it to his cross.” That which he calls handwriting was the bond of our sins. For each of us in these things which he commits is made a debtor and writes the documents of his sins. For also in the judgment of God which Daniel describes as having sat, he mentions “the books which were opened,” without doubt the books which contained the sins of men. We ourselves, therefore, write these documents for ourselves by those things which we commit. For that which is said in the Gospel of “the unjust steward” is also an image of this matter. He says to each debtor, “take your bill and sit down and write eighty,” and the other things which are related. You see, therefore, that it is said to each man: “Take your bill.” Whence it is evident that ours are documents of sin, but God writes documents of justice. For thus the Apostle says: “For you are an epistle written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in the fleshly tables of the heart.” You have, therefore, in yourself documents of God and documents of the Holy Spirit. But if you transgress, you yourself write in yourself the handwriting of sin. But notice that at any time when you have approached the cross of Christ and the grace of baptism, your handwriting is affixed to the cross and blotted out in the fountain of baptism. Do not rewrite later what has been blotted out nor repair what has been destroyed. Preserve only the documents of God in yourself. Let only the Scripture of the Holy Spirit remain in you.

Origen, Homilies on Genesis 13

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He spoke this parable to them, saying: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:1–7)

When one ailing sheep lags behind the others
And loses itself in the silvan mazes,
Tearing its white fleece on the thorns and briers,
Sharp in the brambles,

Unwearied the Shepherd, that lost one seeking,
Drives away the wolves and on His strong shoulders
Brings it home again to the fold’s safekeeping,
Healed and unsullied.

He brings it back to the green fields and meadows,
Where no thorn-bush waves with its cruel prickles,
Where no shaggy thistle arms trembling branches
With its rough briers,

But where palm trees grow in the open woodland,
Where the lush grass bends its green leaves, and laurels
Shade the glassy streamlet of living water
Ceaselessly flowing.

Prudentius, Hymn for Everyday 8.33–48

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Luke 14:25–35)

The Father did not send the only-begotten Son, the living God, to judge the world but to save the world. True to himself and faithful to the will of the good God his Father, he points to a doctrine whereby we may be made worthy of becoming his disciples with his severe decree. He says, “If any man comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, and his wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” This hatred teaches the virtue of piety by withdrawing us from distractions and does not lead us to devise hurtful schemes against one another. “Whoever,” says the Lord, “does not carry his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Receiving the baptism of water, we make this same agreement when we promise to be crucified and to die and to be buried with him.

Basil of Caesarea, Concerning Baptism 1.1

If you want to be the Lord's disciple, you must take up your cross and follow the Lord. Take up your stress and your tortures or at least your body, which is like a cross. Parents, wives, children are all to be left for God's sake. Are you hesitating about crafts, businesses and professions for the sake of children or parents? The proof that family as well as crafts and business are to be left for the Lord's sake was given us when James and John were called by the Lord and left both father and ship. It was given when Matthew was roused from the seat of custom and when faith allowed no time even to bury a father.

Tertullian, On Idolatry 12

People of God are truly the salt of the earth. They preserve the order of the world. Society is held together as long as the salt is uncorrupted. If the salt lost its savor, it is neither suitable for the land or the manure pile. It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “He that has ears, let him hear” the meaning of these words. When God gives to the tempter permission to persecute us, then we suffer persecution. When God wishes us to be free from suffering even in the middle of a world that hates us, we enjoy a wonderful peace. We trust in the protection of him who said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Origen, Against Celsus 8.70

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:7–14)

“For when, He says, a more honorable man than you comes, he that bade you and him will say, Give this man place.” O! what great ignominy is there in having so to do! It is like a theft, so to speak, and the restitution of the stolen goods. He must restore what he has seized; for he had no right to take it. But the modest and praiseworthy man, who might without fear of blame have claimed the dignity of sitting among the foremost, seeks it not, but yields to others what might be called his own, that he may not even seem to be overcome by vainglory; and such an one shall receive honor as his due: for he shall hear, He says, him who bade him say, “Come up here.”

A modest mind therefore is a great and surpassing good: for it delivers those who possess it from blame and contempt, and from the charge of vaingloriousness. ‘But yes! says the lover of vainglory, I wish to be illustrious and renowned, and not despised and neglected, and numbered among the unknown.’ If however you desire this transitory and human glory, you are wandering away from the right path, by which you might become truly illustrious, and attain to such praise as is worthy of emulation.…

If then any one wish to be set above others, let him win it by the decree of heaven, and be crowned by those honors which God bestows. Let him surpass the many by having the testimony of glorious virtues; but the rule of virtue is a lowly mind that loves not boasting: yea! it is humility. And this the blessed Paul also counted worthy of all esteem: for he writes to such as are eagerly desirous of saintly pursuits, “Love humility.” And the disciple of Christ praises it, thus writing; “Let the poor brother glory in his exaltation: and the rich in his humiliation, because as the flower of the grass he passes away.” For the moderate and bridled mind is exalted with God: for “God, it says, will not despise the contrite and abased heart.”

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke 102.

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.” (Luke 13:22–30)

Let us listen therefore to the Savior’s words, which He addressed unto those who wanted to learn, whether they be few who are saved: and to whom the Savior answered, “Strive to enter in by the strait door.” Now this reply may seem perhaps, to wander from the scope of the question. For the man wanted to learn, whether they be few who are saved: but He described unto him the way whereby he might be saved himself, saying, “Strive to enter in by the strait door.” What reply then do we make to this objection?… What benefit resulted from it to the hearers? On the contrary it was a necessary and valuable thing to know in what way a man may attain to salvation. He is purposely silent therefore with respect to the useless question which had been asked Him, but proceeds to speak of what was essential, namely, of the knowledge necessary for the performance of those duties by which men can enter in at the strait and narrow door.…

Now I consider it my duty to mention why the door is narrow, through which a man goes unto life. Whosoever then would enter must of necessity first before everything else possess an upright and uncorrupted faith: and, secondly, a spotless morality, in which is no possibility of blame, according to the measure of human righteousness.… He who has attained unto this in mind and spiritual fortitude will enter easily by the strait door, and run along the narrow way.

“For wide is the door, and broad the way that brings down many to destruction.” And what are we to understand by its broadness? It means an unrestrained tendency to carnal lust; a base and pleasure loving life; luxurious feastings, and revelings and banquetings, and unresisted inclinations unto every thing which is condemned by the law, and displeasing to God: a stiff-necked mind that will not bow to the yoke of the law: a life accursed, and relaxed in all dissoluteness, thrusting from it the divine law, and utterly unmindful of the sacred commandments: wealth and the vices that spring from it, scorn and pride, and the vain imagining of transitory boastings. From all such things must those withdraw who would enter in by the strait door, and be with Christ, and keep festival with Him.

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke 99

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. (Luke 12:49–53)

A first baptism was that of the flood unto the cutting away of sin. A second was that by the sea and the cloud, for the cloud is a symbol of the Spirit, while the sea is a symbol of the water. A third is that of the Law, for every unclean person washed himself with water and also washed his garments and thus entered into the camp. A fourth is that of John, which was an introductory baptism leading those thus baptized to penance, so that they might believe in Christ. “I indeed,” he says, “baptize you in water: but he that shall come after me he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire.” Thus, John purified with water in advance to prepare for the Spirit. A fifth is the Lord’s baptism with which He Himself was baptized. He, however, was baptized not that He Himself stood in any need of purification but that by making my purification His own He might “crush the heads of the dragons in the waters,” wash away the sin and bury all of the old Adam in the water, sanctify the Baptist, fulfill the Law, reveal the mystery of the Trinity, and become for us a model and example for the reception of baptism. And we, too, are baptized with the perfect baptism of the Lord, which is by water and the Spirit. Christ is said to baptize in fire, because He poured out the grace of the Spirit upon the holy Apostles in the form of tongues of fire, as the Lord Himself says: “John indeed baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire, not many days hence.” Or it is because of the chastising baptism of the fire to come that He is said to baptize with fire. A sixth is that which is by penance and tears and which is truly painful. A seventh is that which is by blood and martyrdom. Christ Himself was also baptized with this for our sake. It is exceedingly sublime and blessed in so far as it is not sullied by second stains. An eighth, which is the last, is not saving, but, while being destructive of evil, since evil and sin no longer hold sway, it chastises endlessly.

John of Damascus, Orthodox Faith 4.9

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He chose as an inheritance for Himself.
The Lord looked attentively from heaven;
He saw all the sons of men.
From His prepared dwelling-place,
He looked upon all who dwell on the earth,
He who alone fashioned their hearts,
He who understands all their works.
A king is not saved by his large army,
And a giant shall not be saved by his immense strength;
A horse is a false hope for salvation,
And it shall not be saved by its enormous power.
Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their souls from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul shall wait for the Lord;
He is our helper and protector;
For our heart shall be glad in Him,
And we hope in His holy name.
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
As we hope in You. (Psalm 32:12–22 LXX)

Consider the lofty spectator; consider Him who is bending down regarding the affairs of mankind. Wherever you may go, whatever you may do, whether in the darkness or in the daytime, you have the eye of God watching. “From his habitation which he has prepared.” The gates are not being opened, the curtains are not being drawn together, the habitation of God is ready for viewing. He looks upon all the sons of men. No one escapes His sight; no darkness, no concealing walls, nothing is a hindrance to the eyes of God. He is so far from failing to look upon each individually, that He even looks into the hearts, which He Himself formed without any admixture of evil. God, the creator of men, made the heart simple according to His own saving image; but later we made it, by union with passions of the flesh, a complicated and manifold heart, destroying its likeness to God, its simplicity, and its integrity. Since He is the Maker of hearts, therefore, He understands all our works. But, we calf both words and thoughts and, in general, every movement of man, his works. With what feelings or for what purpose they are, whether to please men or to perform the duties of the commands given us by God, He alone knows, who understands all our works. Therefore, for every idle word we give an account. Even for a cup of cold water, we do not lose our reward, because the Lord understands all our works.

The humility of those who serve the Lord indicates how they hope in His mercy. He who does not trust in his own good deeds nor expects to be justified by his works has, as his only hope of salvation, the mercies of God. For, when he considers that the expression, “Behold the Lord and his reward,” refers to each according to his work, and when he ponders his own evil deeds, he fears the punishment and cowers beneath the threats. There is good hope which gazes steadfastly at the mercies and kindness of God lest it be swallowed up by grief. He hopes that his soul will be delivered from death and will be fed by Him in famine.…

And it seems to me that consistently with these words the Apostle said: “In all these things we overcome because of him who has loved us,” and “Not only this, but we exult in tribulations also.” For, the psalmist in saying; “Our soul waits for the Lord,” in order that he might show that it was not through force nor because he was oppressed by afflictions that he displayed patience, but that with all joy he accepts the ill-treatment for the name of the Lord, says, “Not only do we endure, but also ‘In him our heart shall rejoice, and in his holy name we have trusted.’” It is sufficient for us to be named Christians to escape all abuse from our adversaries. The name of God is said to be holy, not entirely because it has a certain sanctifying power in its syllables, but because the whole specific character of God and the thought contained in what is specially contemplated concerning Him is holy and pure.

Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms 15.8, 10

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13–21)

What therefore does the rich man do, surrounded by a profusion of so many blessings beyond all numbering? In distress and anxiety he utters the words of poverty. “For what, he says, shall I do?” The man who is in want of necessaries constantly ejaculates this miserable language: but lo! one here of boundless wealth uses similar expressions. He determined then to build more spacious storehouses: he purposed to enjoy for himself alone those revenues that were sufficient for a populous city. He looks not to the future; he raises not his eyes to God; he does not count it worth his while to gain for the mind those treasures which are above in heaven: he docs not cherish love for the poor, nor desire the estimation to be gained thereby: he sympathizes not with suffering; it gives him no pain, nor awakens his pity. And what is still more irrational, he settles for himself the duration of his life, as if he would reap this too from the ground: for he says, “I will say to myself, Self, you have goods laid up for many years; eat, drink, enjoy yourself.” But, O rich, man, one may say, you have indeed storehouses for your fruits, but from where will you obtain your many years? for by the decree of God your life is shortened. For God, it tells us, said unto him, “Fool, this night they shall require of you your soul. But whose shall these things be that you have prepared?”

It is true therefore, that a man’s life is not from his possessions, by reason of his having a superfluity: but very blessed, and of glorious hope is he who is rich towards God. And who is he? Evidently one who loves not wealth, but virtue rather, and to whom few things are sufficient: and whose hand is open to the necessities of the indigent, comforting the sorrows of those in poverty, according to his means, and the utmost of his power. It is he who gathers in the storehouses that are above, and lays up treasures in heaven. Such a one shall find the usury of his virtue, and the recompense of his upright and blameless life; Christ shall bless him.

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke 89

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Luke 11:1–4)

The Spirit of God, and the Word of God, and the Reason of God—Word of Reason, and Reason of Word, and Spirit of both—Jesus Christ our Lord has ordained for us, the disciples of the New Testament, a new form of Prayer. For it was meet that, in this kind also, new wine should be laid up in new bottles, and a new piece sewn to a new garment. But whatever had been in time past, has been either changed, as circumcision; or fulfilled, as the rest of the law; or accomplished, as prophecy; or perfected, as Faith itself. The new grace of God has fashioned anew all things from carnal to spiritual, in bringing in, over all, the Gospel, the abolisher of all the ancient bygone things. In which our Lord Jesus Christ has been approved as the Spirit of God, and the Word of God, and the Reason of God: the Spirit, by which He prevailed; the Word, by which He taught; the Reason, by which He came. Thus, therefore, the Prayer framed by Christ has been framed out of three things—the Word, by which it is expressed; the Spirit, by which alone it has power; the Reason, by which it is conceived.… For it has embraced not only the proper offices of Prayer, or reverence of God, or the petition of man, but almost every discourse of the Lord, every record of His rule of life, so that, in truth, there is comprehended in the Prayer a summary of the whole Gospel.

In the brief summary of a few words, how many sayings of the Prophets, Gospels, Apostles, discourses of the Lord, parables, examples, precepts, are touched upon! How many duties are at once discharged! The honoring of God in the Father, the testimony of Faith in the Name, the offering of obedience in the Will, the remembrance of hope in the Kingdom, the petition for life in the Bread, the confession of debts in the prayer to forgive, the anxious care about temptations in the call for defense. What wonder? God alone could teach how He would have Himself prayed to. The sacred duty therefore of Prayer, ordained by Himself, and animated by His own Spirit, even at the time when it proceeded from the Divine mouth, ascends, of its own right, unto Heaven, commending to the Father what the Son has taught.

Tertullian, On Prayer 1, 9