Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

The Lord is good to those who wait for him;
to the soul who will seek him, it is a good thing.
And it will remain and keep quiet for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man when he carries a yoke in his youth.
He will sit alone and be silent, for he lifted it up upon himself.
He will give his cheek to the one who strikes him; he will be fed with reproaches.
For the Lord will not thrust away forever.
For He who humbled will have pity, even according to the abundance of His compassion.
He did not answer from His heart, and He humbled the sons of a man. (Lam 3:25–33)

But all those who call their lands by their own names and have wood and hay and stubble in their thoughts; such as these, since they are strangers to difficulties, become aliens from the kingdom of heaven. Had they however known that “tribulation perfects patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope makes not ashamed,” they would have exercised themselves, after the example of Paul. He said, “I bring my body into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” They would easily have borne the afflictions that were brought on them to prove them from time to time, if the prophetic admonition had been listened to by them: It is good for a person to take up your yoke in his youth. He shall sit alone and shall be silent, because he has taken your yoke on him. He will give his cheek to him who strikes him. He will be filled with reproaches. The Lord does not cast away forever. When He abases, He is gracious, according to the multitude of His tender mercies. For though all these things should proceed from the enemies, stripes, insults, reproaches, yet shall they avail nothing against the multitude of God's tender mercies; for we shall quickly recover from them since they are merely temporal, but God is always gracious, pouring out his tender mercies on those who please Him. Therefore, my beloved, we should not look at these temporal things but fix our attention on those that are eternal. Though affliction may come, it will have an end; though insult and persecution, yet are they nothing to the hope that is set before us. For all present matters are trifling compared with those that are future; the sufferings of this present time not being worthy to be compared with the hope that is to come. For what can be compared with the kingdom? Or what is there in comparison with life eternal? Or what is all we could give here, to that which we shall inherit yonder? For we are “heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.” Therefore it is not right, my beloved, to consider afflictions and persecutions but the hopes that are laid up for us because of persecutions.

Athanasius, Festal Letters 13.4

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

And after Elihu stopped speaking, the Lord spoke to Job through a whirlwind and clouds,

“Who is this who, hiding counsel from me and constraining words in his heart,
        thus thinks to conceal them from me?
Gird your loins like a man,
        for I shall ask, and you shall answer me.
Where were you when I established the earth?
        Just tell me, if you are capable of understanding.
Who assigned its measurements, if you know?
        Or who was it who laid a measuring string upon it?
Upon what were its rings established?
        And who was it who placed a cornerstone upon it?
When the stars came into being,
        all of my angels praised me with a great voice.
And I shut up the sea with a gate
        when it rushed coming out from its mother’s womb.
And I made the cloud its clothing,
        and swaddling-clothes for it with a mist.
And I assigned limits to it,
        setting out barriers and gates.
And I said to it, ‘As far as this you shall come, and you may not go beyond.
        But your waves shall be broken within yourself.’” (Job 38:1–11 LXX)

The foundation of this earth is laid, when the first cause of firmness, the fear of God, is breathed in the secret places of the heart. This man does not as yet believe the eternal truths which he hears; when faith is given him, a foundation is now laid for the building up of the subsequent work. He now believes eternal truths, but yet fears them not; he despises the terror of the coming judgment: he boldly involves himself in sins of the flesh and of the spirit. But when the fear of future things is suddenly infused into him, in order that the edifice of a good life may rise up, the foundations are now erected. When the foundation then of a wholesome dread has been laid, and the fabric of virtue is being raised on high, it is necessary for every one to measure his strength, as he is making progress. So that though he has already begun to be great by the Divine building, he may without ceasing look back to what he was; in order that humbly remembering what he was found in merit, he may not arrogate to himself what he has been made by grace. Whence also blessed Job is now brought back to himself by the voice from above, and, that he may not dare to boast of his virtues, he is reminded of his past life. And it is said to him, Where were you when I was laying the foundations of the earth? As if the Truth openly said to the justified sinner, "Attribute not to yourself the virtues which were received from Me. Exalt not yourself against Me by reason of My own gift. Call to mind where I found you, when I laid the first foundations of virtue in you, in My fear. Call to mind where I found you, when I confirmed you in My fear. In order then that I may not destroy in you that which I have built up, you must not cease to consider with yourself, what I found in you." For whom has the Truth not found either in sins or excesses? But after this we can well preserve that which we are, if we never neglect to consider what we were. But pride is yet sometimes wont to steal secretly even into careful hearts, so that the thought of good deeds, though slight and feeble, as it advances to a great height of virtue, forgets its own infirmity, and does not recall to mind what it was in sins. Whence also Almighty God, because He sees that our weakness is increased even by salutary remedies, places limits to our very progress, that we may have some excellencies of virtues, which we have never sought for, and that we may seek after others, and yet be unable to possess them. In order that our mind, when unable to attain these things which it desires, may understand that it possesses not of itself those even which it does possess, and that, from those which are present, those which are wanting may be thought of, and that, by means of those that are profitably wanting, those goods that are present may be humbly preserved.

Gregory the Great, Morals on the Book of Job 28.20

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Because this is what the Lord says: “I will also take some of the choice ones of the cedar from the top; I will nip off their hearts, and plant them on a high mountain and hang him on a high mountain of Israel, and I will plant him, and he will bring a sprout forth, and it will make fruit and become a great cedar, and every bird will stop under it, and every winged creature will stop under its shade; its branches will be restored. And all the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord, who brings a lofty tree down and raises a humble tree up and who dries up green wood and makes dry wood sprout. I, the Lord, have spoken and I will do it.” (Ezekiel 17:22–24)

There is one who dishonors the curse of God, and there is another who honors it. Undoubtedly, in the passage before us God is complaining about that one who has dishonored his curse. For when someone has been handed over to punishments to be reproved, and has not endured what was commanded, he dishonors the curse of God. But if one has endured it with all docility and blessing and thanksgiving to God, that person honors God’s curse and since he has honored the curse, he will of necessity also secure God’s blessing. [A]nd broke my covenant, with him he will die in the midst of Babylon; and not with a great force, nor with a great multitude, will Pharaoh wage war. Pharaoh is not able to provide help for one who has transgressed and dishonored God’s curse; instead, that one will die in the midst of Babylon for his own disobedience.

Then, he continues and tells what the sinners are going to suffer; and after that, he calls to mind all the more favorable things, saying: I shall take from the choice parts of the cedar, and I shall wrench one away from the summit of their heart, and I will plant it on a high mountain. After the curses which I have recounted earlier, God brings forward an assurance of blessedness and a very sweet promise at the end of the speech—because at this point, those who needed punishments had fully suffered torments for their sins. As I consider within myself and carefully ponder the meaning of this passage, I think it is giving a prophecy about the Apostles. For they are from the choice parts of the cedar, from the height, from the top; and God gave them for the sake of the world’s flourishing greenness, scraping off their hearts and planting them on an exalted mountain—Jesus Christ our Lord. And I will suspend it on a high mountain of Israel, and I will plant it, and it will bring forth shoots and bear fruit. They did produce shoots; they did bear fruit. And it will become a great cedar. Consider the greatness and the exaltation of the Church of Christ, so that you may understand that it was in accordance with the promise of God that what is said here was accomplished: And it will become a great cedar, and every bird will rest under it, and every flying thing will rest in its shade. Take up for yourself the wings of God’s Word, and you will be able to repose under this tree which has been planted on an exalted mountain.

See how the prophecy concludes on a positive note; for there follows: And all the trees of the field will recognize that I am the Lord, who makes low the tall tree. The “tall tree” is the Judaean nation, which, having been brought low, is paying the penalty for its sin, because it dared to lay a hand on our Lord Jesus Christ. And I have lifted up the humble tree. You were the “humble tree,” the cast-down tree, the tree clinging to the earth; but God has exalted you. And I dry out the green tree. The “green tree” refers to the people of the circumcision, who at one time were sprouting and flourishing, but now have wasted away with excessive desiccation. For where now is their lively speech, where is their chorus of virtues? And I cause the dry tree to flourish again. You were the “dry tree”; and the coming of Christ caused you to flourish again. I, the Lord, have spoken; and I shall do it. Since these things were said so that we too would flourish again, so that we would have the strength to bear fruit, so that we would be made into a budding tree, not a dry one, so that the axe that is announced in the Gospel would never be placed at our roots, let us pray more earnestly to Jesus Christ our Lord, along with his Father, to whom belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Origen, Homilies on Ezekiel 12.4–5

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Third Sunday after Pentecost

Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.” And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.” So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.” (Mark 3:20–30)

No one who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit can imagine saying “anathema” to Jesus. No one in the Spirit would deny that Christ is the Son of God, or reject God as Creator. No believer would utter such things contrary to Scriptures, or substitute alien or sacrilegious ordinances contrary to moral principles. But if anyone shamelessly blasphemes against this same Holy Spirit, he “does not have forgiveness, either in this world or in the world to come.” For it is the Spirit who through the apostles offers testimony to Christ, who in the martyrs manifests unwavering faith, and who in the lives of the chaste embraces the admirable continence of sealed chastity. It is the Spirit who, among the whole church, guards the laws of the Lord's teaching uncorrupted and untainted, destroys heretics, corrects those in error, reproves unbelievers, reveals impostors, and corrects the wicked.

Novatian, The Trinity 29

He is the subject, not the object, of hallowing, apportioning, participating, filling, sustaining. We share in him; he shares in nothing. He is our inheritance, he is glorified, counted together with Father and Son. He is a dire warning to us, the “finger of God.” The Spirit is, like God, a “fire.” This means that the Holy Spirit is of the same essential nature as the Father. The Spirit is the very One who created us and creates us anew through baptism and resurrection. The Spirit knows all things, teaches all things, moves where and when and as strongly as he wills. He leads, speaks, sends, and separates those who are vexed and tempted. He reveals, illumines, gives life, or better said, he is himself light and life. He makes us his temple, he sanctifies, he makes us complete. He both goes before baptism and follows after it. All that the Godhead actively performs, the Spirit performs.

Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 31, “On the Holy Spirit” 29