Fragmenta in epistulas catholicas

CHAPTER ONE. Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials. For tribulation is an unbreakable bond, an increase of love, a foundation of compunction and reverence. Listen to the one who says, "If you come to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for trial." And Christ again said, "In the world you have tribulation; but take courage." And again, "The way is narrow and constrained." You see everywhere tribulation being praised, everywhere being taken up as necessary for us. For if in external contests no one would receive a crown without this, unless he fortifies himself with toils, with observance of diet, with a disciplined regimen, with vigils, and with countless other things, much more so here. Blessed is the man who endures trial, because having become approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord promised to those who love him. Having sufficiently exhorted to undergo trials with joy, so that a work of approval and perfect endurance may come to be; these things are perfected in themselves, and not done for the sake of something else. Through another exhortation he attempts to persuade to accomplish the matters at hand; by a promise he says that the one enduring trial is blessed. For thus, conducting the contest athletically, he will become an approved man, trained in all things. And to one who has thus emerged from gloomy circumstances, a crown of life will be given, prepared by God for those who love him. Thus, the one who endures trial, despising hardships and even death itself, will receive the crown of eternal life. Do you ask what material the crown of life that God prepared for those who love him is made of?

there is "what God has prepared for those who love him," which, due to the magnitude of divinity, is not subject to sight or hearing, nor has it ascended to mere human understanding. Then desire, having conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, once completed, brings forth death. For while we are committing sin, intoxicated by pleasure, we do not perceive it so. But when it has happened and reached its end, then especially, when all pleasure has been extinguished, the bitter sting of thought enters, contrary to women in labor. In their case, before childbirth, there is great pain and sharp pangs that cut them off with their sufferings; but after childbirth, there is relief, the pain having departed with the infant. Here, however, it is not so; but as long as we are in labor and conceive corrupted thoughts, we are delighted and rejoice; but when we have given birth to the evil child, sin, then, seeing the shame of what has been born, we are pained, then we are cut off more severely than women in labor. Therefore I exhort you, above all, not to admit corrupted desire from the beginning; but if we have admitted it, to strangle the seeds within. And if we have been negligent even up to this point, to kill the sin that has gone forth into action again through confession and tears, through accusing oneself; for nothing is so destructive of sin as accusation and condemnation. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to keep oneself unstained from the world.

This is that whereby we can be made equal to God: to have compassion and pity. When, therefore, we do not have this, we are deprived of everything. He did not say, "If you fast, you are like your Father"; for none of these things are with God, nor does God do any of these things. But what? "Be compassionate as your Father in heaven." This is the work of God. If, then, you do not have this, what do you have? "I desire mercy," he says, "and not sacrifice." Chapter 2. My brothers, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ in partialities of glory. Why do you think highly of yourself, he says? Or why does another again debase himself? Are we not all one body, both great and small? When, therefore, we are one in principle and members of one another, why do you exalt yourself in arrogance? Why do you shame your brother? For just as he is your member, so you are his, and in this there is great equality of honor. Have you not distinguished among yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts? Thinking the same toward one another. The poor man has come; be equal to him in thought; do not put on a greater air because of wealth; there is no poor and rich in Christ.

Do not, therefore, be ashamed because of your outward appearance, but be accepted because of your inner faith. Listen, my beloved brothers: did not God choose the poor of the world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. And we, as if we had been greatly wronged, insult those who beg, we turn away from them; do you not give something and also cause pain? "Admonish," said Paul, "as brothers, do not insult as enemies." He who admonishes his brother does not do this publicly; he does not parade the insult, but does so privately and with great care, and with grief and pain, weeping and lamenting. Therefore, let us give from a brotherly disposition, let us admonish from a brotherly intention, not as if pained at giving, but as if pained at that one transgressing the commandment for gain. For if after giving you insult, you spoil the pleasure of the gift. But when you neither give nor insult, how much evil have you not done to that wretched and miserable one? He came expecting to be pitied by you, but receiving a mortal blow, he departed and wept all the more. For when he is compelled by need to beg, and because of begging is insulted, see how great the punishment is for the one who insults. He provokes the one who made him; for if he himself left him to be poor because of you, so that you might have him to care for, and you insult the one who is poor because of you, how great is this ingratitude? How great is this thanklessness in this deed! Do not the rich oppress you, and do they not drag you into courts?

Do not they themselves blaspheme the good name that has been invoked upon you? Bear the acts of greed nobly. They destroy themselves, not you. They deprive you of money, but they strip themselves of the goodwill of God and of his help; and he who is deprived of that, even if he should clothe himself in all the wealth of the world, is the poorest of all. Speak thus and act thus, as those who are about to be judged by the law of freedom. For it is better to frighten you with words, so that you may not suffer in deeds. Boasting of mercy is a judgment. Almsgiving is a most excellent art and a patroness of those who practice it. For it is a friend of God, and always stands near him, easily asking grace for whomever it wishes, provided it is not wronged by us; and it is wronged when we practice it from plunder, as if it were pure, it gives great boldness to those who send it up; and it intercedes for those who have offended, so great is its power, and for those who have sinned; it breaks bonds, dissolves darkness, extinguishes fire, kills the worm, drives away the gnashing of teeth; with it the gates of heaven are opened with great confidence. –And after a little: For it is truly a queen, making men like God; for it says, "You shall be compassionate, as your Father in heaven is"; it is winged and light, having golden wings; it has a flight that greatly delights the angels.

There the wings of the dove are silver-gilt, and its back in the greenness of gold. Like a golden dove, living, it flies; it has a gentle face, a tame eye; nothing is better than that eye. The peacock is beautiful, but compared to her it is a jackdaw; so this bird is something beautiful and wondrous. It always looks upward; it is surrounded by much glory of God. It is a virgin having golden wings, modest, having a white face, tame. It is winged and light, standing by the royal throne. When we are judged, suddenly it appears and shows itself, and rescues us from punishment, enfolding us with its wings. God desires this rather than sacrifices. Thus also faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself. But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith from your works, and I will show you from my works my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe, and they shudder. For even if one believes rightly in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, but does not have a right life, there is no profit of faith for salvation. Therefore when it says, "And this indeed is the eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God," let us not think that the saying suffices for our salvation; for we need also a life and a most pure conduct. Faith is great and salvific, and without it it is never possible to be saved; but it does not suffice by itself to accomplish this. Rather, right conduct is also needed.

so that for this reason Paul also exhorts those already deemed worthy of the mysteries, saying: Let us hasten to enter into that rest; let us hasten, he says, as though faith were not sufficient, but life must also be set before us, and great diligence be shown. For indeed much diligence is needed to enter heaven. For if those who endured so many hardships in the desert were not deemed worthy of the land, and were unable to obtain the land because they murmured and because they committed fornication, how shall we be deemed worthy of heaven, living indifferently and carelessly? Therefore we need much diligence. And again: Faith without works is dead. Naturally; for just as a body that is beautiful and blooming, when it has no strength, but resembles painted figures, so is right faith without works. Chapter 3. Do not become many teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a greater judgment. Since teaching without doing not only brings no profit, but also brings much loss and condemnation to the one who manages his own life with such inattention, cutting off the contentiousness of those unwilling to work, he forbade teaching to those who teach without works, imposing a great judgment. For the one who is not condemned, just as the perfect one, the one who does not err in work and word of teaching, is also capable of reining in the whole body. For if he teaches these things, and defines faith as right words with bright works in harmony with the faith, evidently he reins in his whole body, not allowing it to have any friendship with the world. Thus the tongue is a small member and boasts greatly.

Behold, how a small fire kindles a great mass of material; and the tongue is a fire, the world of injustice. Therefore, guard the pupil more than the tongue; the tongue is a royal horse. If you place a bridle upon it and teach it to walk in rhythm, the king will rest upon it and sit upon it; but if you let it go unbridled, to be carried away and prance, it becomes a vehicle of the devil and the demons. No man can tame the tongue; it is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly venom. The tongue is a sharpened sword. But let us not inflict wounds upon others; rather, let us cut away our own putrefactions. Let the wise and knowledgeable among you show his works through good conduct, in the gentleness of wisdom. Let us cleanse the filth from the ears of the soul. For just as filth and mud block the ears of the flesh, so also worldly narratives and coarse matters, and those concerning interest and loans, block the hearing of the mind more severely than any filth—or rather, they not only block it but also render it unclean.

Chapter 4 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Purify your hands, sinners, and cleanse your hearts, you of divided mind. Endure hardship and mourn. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to dejection. For he who, after sinning, employs repentance is worthy not of mourning but of beatification, for the chorus of the righteous. For you first confess your sins, that you may be justified. But if after sinning he is shameless, he is not so much pitiable for having fallen as for lying prostrate after the fall. If not repenting of sins is grievous, what punishment is deserved by one who is even puffed up over his sins? For if he who is elated over his successes is impure, what pardon will he obtain who suffers this over his sins? Chapter 5 Come now, you rich, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have tarnished. Let us take to the narrow road. How long this luxury? How long this ease? Have we not had our fill of indolence, laughter, and procrastination? Will not the same things again be table, satiety, extravagance, money, acquisition, and buildings? And what is the gain? Death. And what is the end? Ashes and dust, coffins and worms.

You have lived luxuriously on the earth, and you have indulged yourselves; you have fed your hearts as on a day of slaughter. What then? Is luxury forbidden? Yes, and vehemently. Why then was it created for partaking? Because bread also was created, and excess is forbidden; because wine also was created, and excess is forbidden. So then, it does not command to abstain from food as unclean, but as that which relaxes the soul through excess. For every creature of God is good, it says, and nothing is to be rejected when taken with thanksgiving. Be patient also yourselves, steady your hearts, for the presence of the Lord has drawn near. Patience toward one another, endurance toward those outside. For one is patient with those whom it is possible to defend oneself against; but one endures those whom one cannot defend oneself against; for this reason patience is never spoken of in relation to God, but forbearance is spoken of in many places. If then even here they seem to have been abandoned, nevertheless there they will enjoy great glory. And when those who are greatly puffed up see those who are scourged by them, those who are despised, those who are mocked, these ones being near to God, then they will mourn and wail, when the pitiable and wretched and those who have suffered countless evils and have believed are led into such splendor. Above all, my brothers, do not swear, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by any other oath. What then if someone demands an oath and imposes necessity? Let the fear of God be stronger than necessity.

Since if he is going to put forward such pretexts, you will observe none of the commandments. Yet in the case of human laws, you never dare to put this forward, nor to say it, but willingly and unwillingly you accept what is written. Moreover, you will never suffer any necessity; for he who has heard the preceding beatitudes and has prepared himself as Christ commanded will suffer no such necessity from anyone, being reverend and venerable in the eyes of all. What is the superfluous part of "yes" and "no"? The oath is not for perjury; for that no one needs to learn, that it is from the evil one and superfluous, but the opposite; the superfluous and the excess is the oath. Elijah was a man of like passions with us, and he prayed in prayer that it should not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months; and again he prayed, and the sky gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit. So that even thus, wasted by famine, they might reach the Creator; so that the famine might become an occasion of salvation for them. For nothing, he says, can instruct except famine, so that even thus instructed, they might go to the Creator of all. –And after a little: The word of the prophet went forth, and immediately the air was changed, the sky became bronze, not changing its nature but reining in its activity. Immediately the elements were transformed. The word of the prophet fell like a violent fever into the flanks of the earth, and immediately everything was dried up, and everything was desolated, and vanished.

My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the path of truth, and someone should turn him back, let him know that the one who turned back a sinner from his erring way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. And how must one turn him back? Just as with farmers and seeds: the seed is cast once, but it does not remain forever; rather, it requires much cultivation. And if they do not break up the earth and cover the sown seeds, they have sown for the birds and for all the seed-eating fowl. So also we, if we do not cover the sown things with continuous remembrance—for the devil snatches them away, and our own negligence destroys them. And the sun dries them out, and rain floods them, and thorns choke them. So it is not enough to have cast once and be done with it, but much attendance is needed: to scare away the birds of the air, to cut out the thorns, to fill the stony places of the earth with much soil, to prevent, wall off, and destroy every harm. But in the case of the earth, everything depends on the farmer; for that earth is inanimate and subject, being ready only to undergo. In the case of this spiritual earth, it is by no means so. Everything does not depend on the teachers; rather, if not the greater part, at least half belongs to the students. It is ours, then, to sow the seed, but yours to do what is said.

CHAPTER ONE. Now, having grieved a little, if necessary, amid various trials, so that the proof of your faith, far more precious than gold that perishes yet is tested by fire, may be found to the praise, glory, and honor in the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom you love though you do not know him. The righteous are afflicted that they may be crowned; the sinners, that they may pay the penalty for their sins. But not all sinners pay the penalty here, lest many disbelieve in the resurrection; not all the righteous are afflicted, lest you think wickedness praiseworthy and hate virtue. Knowing that you were not ransomed from your vain, ancestral way of life by perishable things, silver or gold, but by the precious blood of Christ, as of a spotless and pure lamb, foreknown before the foundation of the world, but manifested at the end of the times for your sake, who through him believe in God. We are a creation of God, but through sin we have become of the devil; then, when we had become of the devil, the Savior ransoms us with his own blood, that is, "You were bought at a price." For we were bought with precious blood. Just as a respectable and good householder, having a worthless servant with many faults, deeming him unworthy of his own fine house and his own way of life, might sell him to someone to discipline him. Then, if he sees him punished by a wicked master and saying, "I am going to my former master, because it was well with me then, rather than now," he gives back the price and redeems him, so that he may become a chosen people. Thus, then, God reclaims us.

And how are we his own and not his own? As creations, we are his own; but because of sin, we become alien, not his own. Do not think that you are God’s own if you are a sinner; for the devil acquires you—you are his possession. Man of sin, son of perdition, he purchases you, not with precious blood, but with dishonorable means: he purchases with sin, he purchases with fornication, for he is unclean. He purchases with murder, for he is bloodstained. He was a manslayer from the beginning, and he does not stand in truth, and these are his coins. CHAPTER TWO. But they are disobedient: the stone which the builders rejected became the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of scandal. This saying refers to Christ; for he himself in the Gospels cites this prophecy, saying, “Have you never read, ‘The stone which the builders rejected became the head of the corner’?” And a little later: “The stone which the builders rejected”—he means the Jews, the Scribes, the Pharisees, because they rejected him, saying, “You are a Samaritan, and you have a demon,” and again, “This man is not from God, but leads the crowd astray.

Chapter 3 And his lips not to speak deceit. Deceit is falsehood, and deception and slander, and calumnies that have no truth; and these are somehow dear to the enemy of truth, that is, to Satan, the father of falsehood; for he is a liar, as the Savior says, and he does not abide in truth. The saints must rather reject his plunderings, which belong to God, who is truth. Let him turn away from evil, and do good. For it is not in our power to receive nothing of such things into the mind at all; for such thoughts often somehow fall upon it; but if one is wise, he carries himself away from them, and grants his inclinations to the better things that have much benefit; this is, I think, the meaning of "Turn away from evil." Chapter 4 Hospitable to one another, without murmuring. If you receive as you would Christ, murmur nothing and feel no shame, but rather take pride in the matter; but if you do not receive as you would Christ, do not receive at all, for he who receives you, it is said, receives me. If you do not receive in this way, you have no reward. Abraham, receiving passing travelers, as he thought,

He received them; and he did not command all things to the servants, but he also commanded his wife to knead the flour, even though he had sixteen household slaves. But he himself wished to have the reward together with his wife—not only of the expense, but also of the service. Thus must one display hospitality, doing everything through oneself, so that we ourselves may be sanctified. Chapter 5. Shepherd the flock of God within you, not as lording it over the clergy. For Christ says: He who wishes to be first among you will be your servant; for he who humbles himself will be exalted. What are you saying? If I humble myself, then will I be exalted? Yes, he says; for such is my power: through opposites I am well able and resourceful to provide opposites. Do not fear; the nature of things follows my will; I do not follow nature. Humble yourselves, then, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. He did not simply say "he will exalt," but added "in due time," teaching them to await that true exaltation in the future age. Peace to you all who are in Christ. Amen. See how, when he dictates what must be done, he marks them with prayer, placing peace as a seal upon what has been deposited.

Chapter 1. May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord. For nothing is equal to this; therefore we pray and speak, asking for the angel of peace; and everywhere we ask for peace in the churches, peace in the prayers, in the litanies, in the salutations. And once, twice, thrice, and many times the one who presides over the Church gives it, "Peace to you." Why? Because this is the mother of all good things; this is the foundation of joy. For this reason also Christ commanded the apostles, when they entered houses, to say this immediately, as a symbol of good things: "For when you enter," he says, "into the houses, say, 'Peace to you.'" For if this is not present, everything is superfluous; and Christ said to his disciples, "I give you my peace." This paves the way for love. And having introduced every zeal in this very matter, supply in your faith virtue, and in virtue knowledge, and in knowledge self-control, and in self-control endurance, and in endurance piety, and in piety brotherly love, and in brotherly love love. What are these, if not those previously mentioned? Virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, piety, brotherly love, love, which must not only be present in us, but also abound. For if their presence benefits, much more does their abundance. And what is the benefit from them, if not to have confidence on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ? He speaks of his second coming, when he comes to judge the living and the dead.

It is truly a great and surpassing good to have freedom of speech before the divine and awesome tribunal. For he to whom these things are not present is blind, seeing dimly. Therefore, hearing these things, let us fortify ourselves on all sides and attend to what is said, and cleanse ourselves of worldly matters. But if we do some things and neglect others, we will have no advantage; for if not in this way, then in that way we are destroyed. For what difference does it make if we are ruined not through wealth, but through idleness, or not through idleness, but through cowardice? For even the farmer, whether he loses his seed in this way or that, mourns equally. Chapter 2. And he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes, having set them as an example for those who would later be impious. Do you wish to learn the reason why these things happened then? There was one sin, grievous and accursed; but still, the people of that time persisted in it among their children, and for this they paid that penalty. And a proof of their own lawlessness occurred: a voiceless beast, speaking with a human voice, prevented the prophet’s madness. If the grace of God acted in a donkey and in vain, for the sake of economy and the benefit of the Israelites, it is clear that it will consent to act in us, but it will endure even this for our sake.

Chapter 3 He who commits sin is of the devil, because from the beginning the devil sins. The Son of God was manifested for this purpose, to undo the works of the devil. Since the devil, having turned first of all to sin, came to be from sinning, everyone who acts sinfully derives from him. For he takes the lead in the one sinning through an excess of evil thoughts, as in the case of Judas. But someone will say that the devil comes to be in those who sin among those who have sinned before him by giving him place. To this it must be said that committing sin is the same as sinning, in giving place to the devil. For he gives place to him, having been led by desire after receiving him, practically accomplishing the sin. For this is what "committing it" means. And it is well said, "he who commits," not "he who committed," since the one who has repented is no longer of the devil, but only the one who is still actively committing it. For thus also the one who commits sin is a slave of it, but not the one who has committed it. For how is it said, "He who commits sin is a slave of it"? Whoever has the life of the world and sees his brother in need and closes his bowels, how does the love of God remain in him? When you see a poor man, do not pass him by, but immediately consider what you would be if you were that man, what you would not have wished everyone to do for you. Children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and truth. For it is not enough to stand by, but this must be done with abundance and a cheerful disposition; rather, not only with a cheerful disposition, but with a radiant and rejoicing soul.

Chapter 4 He who does not love has not known God, because God is love. What kind of love does he mean? The sincere love, not that which is limited to words, but that which comes from disposition and intention, and from sympathizing with a pure heart. For there is also a love of the wicked: for instance, robbers love robbers, and murderers love murderers. But this does not come from a good conscience, but from an evil one.