St. Caesarius of Arles - Sermon 18

St. Caesarius of Arles

468/470–27 August 542

Sermon 18

A SERMON OF THE BISHOP ST. AUGUSTINE ON GOOD WORKS, WICKED DESPAIR, AND THE CROW’S VOICE

( 1 ) While we admonish you rather frequently concerning good works, we know that some of us are disinclined to justice and almsgiving, but are disposed to dissipation or avarice. We almost suspect that such people do not have any fear of a future judgment. Truly, brethren, when we see careless, tepid Christians neither avoiding sin nor providing eternal rewards for themselves by good works, what remains but to suppose that they do not believe rewards will be repaid to the good and punishments meted out to the wicked by the just judgment of God? Indeed, brethren, we realize that a man in truth fears His judgment, if we see him engaged in good works. However, if men do not try to perform good works and if they pretend not to have time for reading or prayer, what advantage is it to them that they claim faith in words, when they are proved to destroy the truth by their deeds? The Apostle James says: ‘What will it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but does not have works? Can the faith save him? And if a brother or a sister be naked and in want of daily food, and one of you say to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for the body, what will it profit? So faith too, unless it has works, is dead in itself.’¹ Now, the Lord speaks to such men, rebuking all their infidelity: O incredulous men, if you do not believe what I have promised, consider what I have done. Heaven and earth did not exist; I spoke, and they were made. You, to whom I have given promises, did not exist, and you were created. Did I make you when you did not exist, only to deceive you now that you live? Therefore, listen to what I say, and believe you will receive what I have promised.

(2) It is a weak, sickly, perfidious, cowardly, disconnected, paralyzing, mean, disagreeable thought that closes the gates of the mind when daily sins are thought to be passing. One passes away today, another will pass tomorrow, and again another the next day. You keep on adding to tomorrow and another tomorrow but neglect to be converted, and do you not fear that sudden death may overtake you? Are not men suddenly carried off in death? Why do you see to it that you put off doing penance and neglect to seek divine mercy? In truth, you say: Conversion is a good thing. If it is good, let it be done at once. If it is a good thing to accept quickly, is it bad to accept now? Tell me, why do you admit it is a good thing but do not hasten to receive it? Perhaps you will tell me: God has made me secure. How did He do that? Because it is written: ‘On what day so ever the sinner and the unjust is converted, all his iniquities I shall forget.’² Behold when God made me secure. Yesterday I had ten sins, today fifteen, perhaps twenty tomorrow. Since what the Lord said is true, whenever I am converted He will forget all my past sins and all my iniquities. Why do you frighten me? God has promised me pardon, and will you make me despair? I cannot deny that God promised this; why, then, will you not be converted today? Because, if I am converted later, He has promised to forgive me more then just as He would less today. O your security! Certainly you made me secure. I see that by God’s word pardon is indeed promised to you; but who promised you tomorrow? Therefore, let each one be converted to God as He says: ‘Be ye converted, seek God; and when you have found him, let the wicked forsake his way.’³ Be converted, you who hope presumptuously.

(3) There are two vices of the human race, whereby some men perish through hope and others through despair. Now, it is no wonder that a man perishes through despair, but it is more marvelous that he does so by hope. For this reason let us see and briefly consider who is lost by hope, who through despair, and what remedy God offers to them both. A man perishes from despair when he says: I know my evil deeds, I realize my crimes; how can it be that God will forgive me for what I have done? He perishes by despair when he says: What is the good of what you say? I will do now whatever I can: I will lose whatever I fail to do. God will condemn me for one sin just as well as for many; so, if I will not have that life, I do not want to lose this one. So, why should I not follow my wishes? Why not fulfill my passions? This man is lost through despair. Another man fears the abyss of despair and begins to perish through hope. How? In the way I mentioned a little while ago. Whenever I am converted, he says, God promises to forgive me everything; I hope in His mercy, because He will pardon me all. He postpones it from day to day, and suddenly the final day of his death comes; the deferring is gone, and damnation remains.

(4) The Scriptures speak⁴ to both classes. You would perish through despair? Listen to the Lord say: ‘I desire not the death of the wicked, as much as that he be converted and live.’ You wished to die? Return and live. If God wanted you to perish, He would take you away when you were sinning. Since you have sinned so much and still live, you are invited to repentance. These words God speaks to you if you despair: ‘I desire not the death of the wicked.’ Even if you want your death, I do not. You did not make yourself, but by despair you have perished, God, however, created you when you did not exist, afterwards sought you when you were lost, found you through the Blood of His Son, and redeemed you. He Himself exclaims to you: Return from the abyss of despair. Return, because ‘I desire not the death of the wicked, as much as that he be converted and live.’ You have begun to return from the abyss of despair, but now stand as though in the middle path; I do not want you to go in the opposite direction. Do not lose confidence through despair over your sins, but do not trust in a longer life. Therefore, be converted. Tomorrow I shall be converted, he says. Why not today? What is the matter with tomorrow? Rather, what is wrong with today? I know that my life will be a long one. I am sure God did not promise that to you. Did an astrologer perhaps promise you a long life, looking for someone to perish with him?

(5) Finally, then, I say: I grant your life will be long. If it is long, let it be a good one; if it be short, let it also be good. Now, who would tolerate a long bad lunch? You do not want one, nor do you want to have a long bad dinner; do you want to have a long bad life? However, men have so little regard for their life that they refuse to have anything bad but it. Our life is our business; our reputation belongs to others. If you buy a country estate, you look for a good one. You want to marry, so you choose a good wife. When you wish sons to be born to you, you desire good ones. Lastly, to speak of the commonest things, if you buy shoes, you do not want bad ones. Yet you love a bad life? Why does your life, which is the only thing you want to be bad, offend you, with the result that among everything good you alone are bad?

(6) However, tell me, brother, do you know how long you are going to live? Or, when you read that you will receive pardon if you amend your life, do you also read anywhere there that a long life is promised to you? Did you, perchance, make an agreement with death? I grant that you will live a hundred years, and even add ten times a hundred. What will it profit? Adam himself, if he were still living today, would have lived few years, because they all had to come to an end. Therefore, be corrected, be ready, and you will not fear the last day as a thief who will enter your house when you are asleep. Therefore, listen, you who wanted to perish through despair. Listen to Scripture whenever you want to do so again. For it says: ‘l desire not the death of the wicked, as much as that he be converted and live.’ If you have been converted from despair, listen in such a way that you may return from perverse hope and be established in good hope. Hear what the Lord says⁵ to you if you hope wrongly and procrastinate from day to day: ‘Delay not to be converted to God, and defer it not from day to day.’ These are God’s words, not mine. You have not heard them from me, but along with you I hear: ‘Delay not to be converted to God.’ You, however, reply: Tomorrow, tomorrow. O crow-like word! Just as the raven sent out from the ark did not return, and has now grown old and says: Cras, cras. It is a crow-like voice: a white head, but a black heart. Cras, cras, is the voice of the crow. The raven did not return to the ark; the dove did. Therefore, let the noise of the crow perish, let the sigh of the dove be present. The one who advises you exclaims: ‘Delay not to be converted to God, and defer it not from day to day. For his wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time of vengeance he will destroy thee.’

(7) Now, if we reflect upon these truths with great fear and solicitude, dearly beloved, and with God’s help turn our souls to the healing of repentance and the remedies of almsgiving, we will happily come before the tribunal of Christ to be crowned, not condemned: with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is glory and might for ever and ever. Amen.

1 James 2.14-17.

2 Cf. Ezech. 18.21,22.

3 Isa. 55.6,7.

4 Ezech. 18.32.

5 Eccli. 5.8,9.

St. Caesarius of Arles - Sermon 17

St. Caesarius of Arles

468/470–27 August 542

Sermon 17

THE BEGINNING OF BISHOP ST. AUGUSTINE’S SERMON ON CHARITY

(1) We bless our God, dearly beloved, and render abundant thanks to Him because in accordance with our desires we have merited to find you safe and sound. Indeed, He is a kind Lord who knows the secrets of the heart and realizes that we experience no greater joy in this world than when we know that both in heart and in body you are healthy and perfect in the fear and love of Christ. Thus, to be sure, the Apostle spoke: ‘This is our joy and our crown, if you stand fast in the Lord.’1 Moreover, because we ought to rejoice more over the salvation of a soul than over bodily health, let us talk about eternal happiness so far as the Lord permits.

(2) When the Gospel was read a little while ago, our conscience trembled violently and our whole heart was shaken with excessive fear. Although the reward of the just afforded us consolation, still, because we know our negligences, the punishment of sinners instilled a great fear in us. For we heard the Lord say concerning Himself: ‘When the Son of Man shall come in his majesty, he will sit on the throne of his glory; and before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then he will say to those who will stand on his right hand, “Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom which was prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink.” But to those who will be on his left hand he will say, “Depart from me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you did not give me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink.”’‘ 2 And later He says: ‘These will go into everlasting punishment, but the just into everlasting life.’ 3

(3) Who would not tremble violently at these words, dearly beloved? Whose conscience does not feel an intolerable jolt? I say truly, brethren, that anyone who does not awaken at such thunder is evidently not asleep, but dead. Indeed, we have heard the irrevocable sentences: the one which the just will hear, never to depart from heaven; and the other which sinners will hear, never to leave hell. However, the kind and merciful Lord did not utter these sentences to lead us to despair, but to make us watchful and careful. Since He willed to warn us before the lapse of so many years, He wants to find us ready when He comes. See, indeed, how He wants to move you as He exclaims: Look out! Anyone who wants to aim an arrow at another does not shout to him: Look out! A man wants to shoot an arrow in such a way that the one who is to be struck may not know it except when he is unable to avoid death. An ordinarily wicked, hostile man does this, but God, who is good and kind, is not like that. Since the beginning of the world He has stretched out the bow of His power, and still He has never aimed an arrow.

(4) However, we should not be without anxiety, dearly beloved, because we know that He is keeping His patience for such a long time. The fact that such great things happen in the world and He still does not avenge them indicates patience, not carelessness. God has not lost His power, but is preserving us for repentance. Yet, the longer He awaits your amendment, the harsher will be your punishment if you refuse to amend. God indeed holds the sword, and He wishes to strike sin; we, on the contrary, defend our sins because we love them. Thus, we who should be the accusers of our sins become their defenders. Truly, dearly beloved, God does not want to kill the sinner, but his sin. Like a good doctor He wants to strike the disease, not the person who is ill. But, what is worse, we often despise the doctor and love our sickness: we love our sin and despise God. Sin, indeed, is like this, a dragon, a viper; but concerning the Lord it is written: Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk: and thou shalt trample under foot the lion and the dragon.’ 4 We, on the other hand, embrace our sins like lions and dragons. But our God, who wants to punish sin and save the sinner, daily exclaims to man: Cast off your sin from you and without you it will die. If you refuse to throw aside your sin you will perish with it, for sin cannot go unpunished. God wants to kill sin, not to strike the sinner.

(5) God exclaims to you: Cast off your sin from you. For I made you, but you yourself made your sin. Indeed, I do not want to kill you whom I made, but the sin which you made yourself. I am willing to free you from your captivity and to kill your enemy; I want to drive away your sickness, to rescue you who are ill. You, however, love and embrace your sin: that which might have perished without you is going to perish with you. Because you might have received heaven if your sin had perished, by keeping it you will suffer eternal punishment. What greater kindness could be conceived or described, dearly beloved, than that of our Lord God? Before the lapse of so many years He deigns to warn us what we should seek after, what avoid. The Lord has willed to reveal to the whole world the sentence which will be imposed on judgment day.

1 Phil. 4.1.
2 Matt. 25.31-35, 41-42.
3 Matt. 25.46.
4 Ps. 90.13.

Church Fathers on Abortion

Canterbury Tales has a post on what the Church Fathers have said concerning abortion. Here is a sample:

The Didache

"The second commandment of the teaching: You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not seduce boys. You shall not commit fornication. You shall not steal. You shall not practice magic. You shall not use potions. You shall not procure [an] abortion, nor destroy a newborn child" (Didache 2:1–2 [A.D. 70]).

The Letter of Barnabas

"The way of light, then, is as follows. If anyone desires to travel to the appointed place, he must be zealous in his works. The knowledge, therefore, which is given to us for the purpose of walking in this way, is the following. . . . Thou shalt not slay the child by procuring abortion; nor, again, shalt thou destroy it after it is born" (Letter of Barnabas 19 [A.D. 75-120]).

The Apocalypse of Peter

"And near that place I saw another strait place . . . and there sat women. . . . And over against them many children who were born to them out of due time sat crying. And there came forth from them rays of fire and smote the women in the eyes. And these were the accursed who conceived and caused abortion" (The Apocalypse of Peter 25 [A.D. 137]).

Athenagoras

"What man of sound mind, therefore, will affirm, while such is our character, that we are murderers?
. . . [W]hen we say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder, and will have to give an account to God for the abortion, on what principle should we commit murder? For it does not belong to the same person to regard the very fetus in the womb as a created being, and therefore an object of God’s care, and when it has passed into life, to kill it; and not to expose an infant, because those who expose them are chargeable with child-murder, and on the other hand, when it has been reared to destroy it" (A Plea for the Christians 35 [A.D. 177]).

See the entire post here.

St. Cyprian - The Lord's Prayer

Yesterday's Office of Readings has a sermon on mortality by St. Cyprian. Not too familiar with St. Cyprian I did a Google search and found his work on the Lord's Prayer which I found interesting and rewarding. I thought I would share it, so I converted it into a Microsoft Word document.

St. Cyprian is an early Church Father, Bishop and Martyr, 200-258.

You can download it here.

St. Caesarius of Arles - Sermon 15

The Fathers of the Church

St. Caesarius of Arles

Sermon 15

AN ADMONITION ADDRESSED TO THOSE WHO THINK THAT IT Is ENOUGH FOR THEIR ETERNAL WELFARE IF THEY Do No EVIL, EVEN IF THEY Do NOT ACCOMPLISH GOOD

(1) There are many people, dearly beloved, who think that this alone is sufficient for eternal life, that they do no evil. Therefore, all who, perchance, deceive themselves with this false assurance should clearly understand that the mere avoidance of evil is not enough for any Christian unless he does as much good as he can. He who said ‘Turn away from evil,’ also said ‘and do good’¹ The Gospel gives us the same advice in terrible words: ‘Every tree that is not bringing forth good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.’² It does not say the tree that brings forth evil fruit, but ‘that is not bringing forth good fruit.’ From this you can realize what hope the man who does evil will have, since the one who does no good will be cut down and cast into the fire. Therefore, the Lord says: ‘He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me’; and: ‘What does it avail that you call me, “Lord, Lord” and do not practice the things that I say?’³

(2) Someone may say: Although I have given nothing of my possessions, I have not taken the goods of another; I will be secure on the day of judgment. Listen carefully, and do not deceive yourself with false assurance. What did the Lord say? ‘When the Son of Man shall come in his majesty, before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Then he will say to those on his right hand, "Come, blessed, take possession of the kingdom; for I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink." But to those on his left hand he will say, "Depart from me, accursed ones, into everlasting fire; for I was hungry and you did not give me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink." ‘⁴ Carefully heed what He said. He does not say: Come, ye blessed, take possession of the kingdom because you did not take the goods of another, but because you gave alms of your possessions. Likewise, He will not say to those on His left: Depart from me, accursed ones, into everlasting fire because you cheated another, but because you did not give of your earthly substance to the poor. I beseech you, brethren, carefully note that sentence and, as I have advised, retain it in your memory. If one who has not given his wealth to the poor is cast into the fire, where do you think the man who attacks the property of another by fraud will be cast? If the man who has not clothed the naked is thrown into the fire, imagine the fate of one who has robbed clothing. Therefore, I would like the man who believes it is sufficient not to have done evil, even if he has done no good, to tell me whether he would like to be treated by his servant the way he treats his Lord? Is he willing to have his servant do no good at all, as well as no wrong? We all desire our servants not only to avoid the evil we forbid, but also to fulfill the good we command. Now, although your servant will be seriously guilty if he steals your animals, he will not be without fault if he wills to care for them but negligently. It is not right that we do to our Lord what we are unwilling to suffer from our servant. We have not created our slaves nor do we feed them as with our substance, but God both created and feeds us; nevertheless, we want the servants we have not created to obey us with great diligence. Therefore, it is just that we who exercise dominion over our subjects should recognize our legitimate Lord. We have mentioned all this, brethren, in order that we may realize from the example of our servants that it is not enough for us to avoid evil if we are unwilling to do good.

(3) Those who think it sufficient for them to avoid evil usually say: If only I would merit to be found at the day of my death the same as I was when I went forth from the sacrament of baptism! Indeed, it is a fine thing for a man to be found cleansed from all evil on the day of judgment, but it is a grave wrong if he has not progressed in good works. To be as he was when he went from the sacrament of baptism is sufficient only for the man who departs from this life immediately after receiving the sacrament, for he has not had time to perform good works. However, for the man who has had a lifetime, and a long one, to be able to do good, it is not enough to be without evil if he also wills to be without good works. I would like to question the man who wants to be found at his death the same as he was the time he merited to receive the sacrament of baptism (although it is good to be always cleansed from evil, still it is a grave wrong not to advance in virtue). If he has planted a vine in his field, would he want it to be the same after ten years as it was the day he planted it? If he has planted an olive tree, let us see whether it would please him if after several years it is the same as when he planted it. If a son is born to him, let him consider whether he wants him after five years to continue in the smallness and age of infancy. Since no one is pleased with such things, just as a man grieves over a vineyard or olive tree or son that shows no growth, so he should grieve if he recognizes that he has made no progress since the time he was reborn in Christ. We ought to know most surely that just as we want our possessions, whether in flocks or fruits of the field, to increase and grow in good qualities, so our God doubtless desires and expects of us that as His own special vine the Christian people should bear grapes rather than thorns. Then there will not be said of it what you often sing in the canticle: ‘I planted a vineyard, and I looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.’⁵ Since, as the Apostle says, although we were wild olives we were grafted into the good olive tree, we should with God’s help persist in good works, so that we may say with the Prophet: ‘But I, as a fruitful olive tree in the house of the Lord, have hoped in the mercy of my God.’⁶

(4) Therefore, I implore what we mentioned above, brethren, that none of you think it sufficient for him to avoid evil. With all the strength he has, each one should turn aside from evil in order that he may do good, and hear the Lord say in the Gospel: ‘What does it avail that you call me, "Lord, Lord," and do not practice the things that I say?’ and: ‘If you love me, keep my commandments.’⁷ Through the goodness of God you know very well what Christ commanded in the Gospel: ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, so that you may be children of your Father’;⁸ moreover: ‘nevertheless give alms; and behold, all things are clean to you.’⁹ Let us also hear blessed James freely proclaim on this subject: Tor just as the body without the soul is dead, so faith also without works is dead.’¹⁰ Therefore, with all our strength, dearly beloved, let us do what is good; let us not be satisfied to be as we were at the time we received the sacrament of baptism. By baptism we were freed from all evils, but with God’s grace we ought to be filled with all virtues by a good life. If we rely on the sacrament of baptism alone, without good works, the unclean spirit who was driven out of us by the grace of Christ may return. Then, when he finds us without good works, he may bring with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and our last state will become worse than our first. Therefore, dearly beloved, in conformity with your usual pious custom willingly accept these words and reflect upon them rather carefully. If you do not trust in faith alone but also in good works, you will be able to refrain from evil deeds in such a way that with Christ’s help you may continually exercise yourself in good works. Then you will happily merit to hear with joy and exultation that blessed, desirable word: ‘Come, blessed, take possession of the kingdom which was prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’¹¹ May He deign to grant this, who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.

1 Ps. 33.15.

2 Matt. 3.10.

3 John 14.21; Luke 6.46.

4 Matt. 25.31,32,34,35,41,42.

5 Isa. 5.2.

6 Ps. 51.10.

7 Luke 6.46; John 14.15.

8 Matt. 5.44,45.

9 Luke 11.41.

10 James 2.26.

11 Matt. 25.34.

Text Cloud - St. Caesarius - Sermon 1

Just for fun, I thought I would do a text cloud of St. Caesarius' Sermon 1 to see what words appear most often. Here it is:

able according alms already anyone apostle banquet blood care christ church earth earthly entrusted fear fulfill give god gospel holy judgment land lord man material means moreover others people pious preach priests profits read servants sin solicitous souls spiritual teaching therefore things thou thy unable wicked words world worldly written

created at TagCrowd.com

If you would like to read this sermon go to my previous post here.

St. Caesarius of Arles - Sermon 14

The Fathers of the Church

St. Caesarius of Arles

Sermon 14

A SERMON OF ADMONITION TO THE PEOPLE

(l) Your faith and devotion have given us great joy, dearly beloved. The more attentively we see you come to church, the more joyfully we exult and give thanks to God because He deigns to take possession of your heart in such a way that we derive great joy from your manner of living. I beseech you to observe in your hearts what you show in the body. You know, brethren, that all men have the habit of wanting to show off their new clothes, if possible, or at least bright ones, when they come to church on the holy feasts. If a man has an old tunic he procures a new one, in order that he may go to church well-dressed; if he has a dirty one he hurries and washes it; if it is torn he tries to mend it. The purpose is that nothing about him may appear torn or dirty to human eyes when he goes among men. What we do with regard to our bodies is good and pleasing, but you know it is wrong if we do not do the same thing in our souls. Therefore, just as you fix your body, fix your soul. Do not let your body wear bright garments in the sight of men while your soul is filthy in the sight of the angels. You fear a spot on your clothing: see to it that whatever is dirty in your soul is washed with the tears of repentance. If anything is black, let it be made white by almsgiving; if anything is defiled by dissipation, let it be washed clean by chastity. If anything in the soul is broken, let it be repaired by good works; and if anything is lost, let it be restored by prayer. It does us no good to adorn ourselves outwardly in various ways if inwardly we soil our soul with many sins. What benefit is derived from adorning the servant and disgracing the mistress, in other words, in fixing the body and robbing the soul of good works? Of course we feed the body, although, whether we will or no, in a few years worms are going to devour it in the grave. The soul, however, which we look down upon and despise, is to appear before God and the angels in heaven. Then it will be really in disgrace, if it has defiled itself by dissipation or avarice. Therefore I beseech you, brethren, let us think of the salvation of our soul as much as we can. For our body in this world let us keep only what is sufficient, namely, simple fare and proper clothing. Let us entrust whatever will be better and more useful for our soul to heaven, ‘where neither moth nor rust consumes, nor thieves break in and steal.’¹ Indeed, what we keep for our bodies in dissipation in this life we lose either during our lifetime, or at least immediately after our death.

(2) When you assemble in church, let each one give in offering to the poor whatever he can. Moreover, entertain strangers in your dwellings with great kindness; do what you can for them, and wash their feet. Above all, visit the sick, and, if any people are in disagreement, with all your might recall them to peace and harmony. Thus, at the day of judgment that desirable word may be addressed to you: ‘I was hungry, and you gave me to eat,’² and all the rest. Let no one keep in his heart hatred for his neighbor, but love, instead, for if a man feels hatred toward even one person he cannot be at peace with God. A man’s prayer is not heard by God as long as anger is stored up in his soul. Let that be enough for you, whatever God gives you as the result of your just labors. Let no one commit theft, or bear false witness, for it is written: CA false witness shall not be unpunished.’³ Let no one commit adultery, because the Apostle exclaims: ‘Adulterers will not possess the kingdom of God.’⁴ And further on : ‘Every sin that a man commits is outside the body, but fornicators sin against their body.’⁵ No one should do to another what he does not want done to himself, and he should do to others as he wants done to himself. One who has vowed virginity to God should, with His help, keep that promise. Moreover, he should live cautiously and carefully, lest he perish through some unbecoming familiarity or cause others to do so. Virginity is destroyed in a moment’s time, and it cannot be restored in a hundred years. A man or woman who wants to marry should observe virginity until united in marriage. If they are first corrupted, they come to marriage dead, because as soon as adultery is committed the soul is strangled and dies. Any men before they take wives, or girls before they take husbands, whom the Devil has incited to corrupt themselves before marriage, afterwards are so held down by the Devil himself that they can only with difficulty, or not at all, preserve untainted their chastity.

(3) Above all, give tithes of all your profits to the church for the clergy and the poor; from the nine-tenths which remains in your possession, give alms. By this means redeem your sins and prepare for yourself eternal rewards. Accustom yourself neither to commit perjury nor to swear, because Scripture says: A man that sweareth much shall be filled with iniquity: and a scourge shall not depart from his house’;⁶ while the Lord says: ‘Do not swear at all. But let your speech be, “Yes, yes; No, no.”’⁷ Do not curse, because the Apostle says: ‘Nor will the evil-tongued possess the kingdom of God.’⁸ Do not slander, for it is written: ‘Whoever speaketh ill to his brother will be destroyed.’⁹ Do not lie to one another, because The mouth that belieth killeth the soul.’¹⁰ Likewise, be not arrogant toward your parents or neighbors, because ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’¹¹ When you come to church, present the offering which is to be consecrated on the altar. Indeed, there are many devout poor people who frequently present offerings in church; although they scarcely have the means to live, still they do not come without some gift. On the other hand, there are some rich men who give nothing to the poor, make no offering to the church, and do not blush to share in the offering presented by the poor. These men receive judgment rather than a remedy. Therefore, while there is still time, such people ought to correct and amend their lives.

(4) I also advise you to destroy all the temples which you find. Do not make vows to trees or pray to fountains. Avoid enchanters as poison of the Devil. Do not hang on yourself and your family diabolical phylacteries, magic letters, amber charms, and herbs. Whoever does this evil should not doubt that he has committed a sacrilege. If anyone knows that near his home there are altars or a temple or profane trees where religious promises are made, he should be eager to destroy them by pulling or cutting them down. If anyone fails to do this, on judgment day he will have to render the whole account for the souls of however many come there and commit dreadful crimes. Notice, brethren, that we proclaim in the hearing of God and His angels: Do not despise your herald, if you want to escape your Judge. We give you the advice we have, and may the powerful Lord deign to instill it into your hearts, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.

1 Matt. 6.20.

2 Matt. 25.35.

3 Prov. 19.5.

4 1 Cor. 6.9,10.

5 Cf. 1 Cor. 6.18.

6 Eccii. 23.12.

7 Matt. 5.34,37.

8 I Cor. 6.10.

9 According to the editor, Dom Morin, a free translation of Prov. 20.13.

10 Wisd. 1.11.

11 James 4.6.

Faith - Sermon 12 - St. Caesarius of Arles

St. Caesarius of Arles (468-542)

Sermon 12

AN EXPOSITION OF FAITH, AND AN INTERPRETATION OF ITS NAME

(1) In all the divine lessons, dearly beloved, faith is lauded with many praises; in fact, not only sacred Scripture but also the entire human race ceaselessly extols it. Would that it were praised by the lives of men as it is praised with the tongue! As it is preached with the mouth, so may it be observed wholeheartedly; as it is uttered with the lips, so may it be fulfilled in deed. So great is the virtue of faith that even those who refuse to keep it still presume to praise it. Truly deservedly is faith extolled, for without it no good work is ever begun or completed, according to what is written: ‘Without faith it is impossible for anyone to please God.’¹ In the person of Christ and the Church it is said concerning it: ‘Come, my neighbor from the beginning of faith.’² The Apostle Paul commended it individually in that list in which he praised all the saints of old:’ By faith Abel, by faith Henoch, by faith Noe, by faith Abraham pleased God’³ and so forth. Concerning this the Lord Himself said in the Gospel: ‘Thy faith has saved thee,’⁴ and again: ‘if thou believest, all things are possible to him who believes’⁵ and: ‘if you have faith even like a mustard seed, you will say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted, and be transplanted," and it will obey you.’⁶ Although the virtue of faith is commended with so much praise, the essence of its name is not known by many. Faith received its name from a fact, that is, from something which is done, and in it is contained the strength of all human as well as divine things. Therefore, even if a man says verbally and with many oaths that he possesses faith, if he is unwilling to fulfill in deed what he says verbally that he believes, that is not faith. Faith, as I said, derives its name from a fact.

(2) Let us see what a man should do if he wants to keep his faith intact. Doubtless, he should trust with all his heart that what is the exceedingly firm foundation of the Christian religion is true, namely, what God promises and what He threatens. Then, indeed, a man can understand the word faith and realize more fully its power, if he keeps before his eyes those two facts: the reward of eternal life and the penalty of endless punishment. Since it does no good to believe in one and doubt about the other, each one should examine his heart with great diligence to see whether he faithfully believes. Perhaps a man knows that in these two matters he possesses true faith, maintaining with a firm heart that the just will receive glory after their good deeds, while the unjust will suffer endless punishment after their evil. If, while faithfully believing these truths, he strives with his whole mind to perform good works so that he may arrive at the reward, and to avoid evil so that he may escape punishment, a man should rejoice that he is keeping an upright faith. Moreover, he should give thanks to God and with His help endeavor to persevere in the very work. Therefore, brethren, if you will carefully pay attention to this, you can realize more fully the name and power of faith. Because faith received its name from a fact, as I said before, if you say a thousand times that you have faith but refuse to fulfill in deed what you promise in words, it is not faith at all. Moreover, if you claim to believe in the reward which God promises and the punishment which He threatens and still, as was said, refuse to act in such a way as to escape endless punishment and obtain eternal rewards, there is no faith at all in you. Not only does it fail to benefit you to say in words that you are believing, but it even does you much harm. It is better for a man not to promise than to be unwilling to fulfill what he has promised. The name of faith alone cannot free you. Instead, as was said already, you will be doubly guilty if you refuse to carry out what you have promised verbally, for the Holy Spirit proclaims to you through James: ‘Faith without works is dead.’⁷

(3) Although a man ought to fulfill everything he promises if possible, that first excellent promise which we make to God at the time when we are reborn in baptism we should especially safeguard with His help. We are asked at baptism whether we will renounce the Devil, his pomps, and his works; we freely answer that we will renounce them. Since infants can by no means confess this themselves, their parents stand as surety for them. Therefore, if we faithfully observe what is the first and fundamental fact of the Christian religion, it is certain that with God’s help we will be able to do the rest. However, if we neglect to fulfill what we promise to God, I do not know whether we will be able to preserve the faith which operates among men. Now, if we dangerously make a promise to an influential man when we neglect to carry it out, how much more dangerously do we make a promise to God and then not pay it? We fear a man so much because we dread death or material loss; we refuse to give God what we promise because we are entirely without fear for the death of our soul. Where is that Gospel text which says: ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body’ But rather be afraid of him who, after he has killed, has power to send it to hell’?⁸ Therefore, what is promised to God should be done first of all, in order that what is promised to men may be fulfilled. Let each one examine his own conscience. If he sees that he has kept his promise and knows that he has renounced the Devil with his pomps both in word and in deed, he should rejoice that he has kept his faith whole. However, let him be secure concerning the past in such a way that he is solicitous for the future, because not he who has begun but ‘he who has persevered to the end will be saved.’ ⁹ Let no one believe, perchance5 that faith can only be shattered by mortal sins. What difference does it make whether a man strikes and kills himself with a larger or smaller sword? Anyone who says this should notice that faith can even be endangered by idle talk, of which the Lord said an account must be rendered on the day of judgment. Moreover, ‘Whoever says to his brother, "Raca," or "Thou fool!" shall be liable to the fire of Gehenna.’¹⁰

(4) Therefore, as was already said, let each one consider what he promised in the sacrament of baptism. Since he made a pact with the Lord, let him see whether he has violated it in any way. When the question was asked: ‘Do you renounce the devil, his pomps, and his works?’ then the priest offered a contract for approval. When the individual answered: ‘I do renounce them,’¹¹ it was approved. For this reason, as was said above, if we refuse to do what we have promised to God, I do not know whether we will be able to preserve fidelity to men. Now, we have promised to renounce the Devil with his pomps and works. Almost no one is ignorant of what the Devil’s pomps are, yet it is necessary for us to mention them at some length. All furious, bloody, or shameful spectacles are pomps of the Devil. To be a slave to gluttony or drunkenness, to subject one’s unfortunate soul to lust or dissipation, certainly belongs to the Devil’s pomps, because in such actions his will is fulfilled. What need is there to say concerning adultery, murder, robbery, and false testimony that they are part of the Devil’s pomp and works, since no man can be ignorant of the fact? There is no doubt that to observe omens and to summon charmers, sorcerers, soothsayers, or seers belongs entirely to the pomp and works of the Devil. For this reason, since few people can be found who happily are free from all these things, each one, as I already said, should return to his own conscience. While his soul is yet contained in this poor body he should hasten to redeem or correct through repentance, almsgiving, and especially the forgiveness of his enemies, whatever of these aforementioned vices he knows has been or is present in himself. With God’s help let him strive so to cure past wounds that he may never again presume to commit anything whereby he might be wounded anew.

(5) Let no one vainly deceive himself by saying: I believe in God’s mercy, that the faith and my baptism which I have received will never die. You believe rightly, if you have done what you promised. If you have kept the pact which you entered upon with the Lord, rest assured that your faith and baptism will not perish. However, if you have not fulfilled in deed what you promised in word, with what boldness or with what kind of a conscience do you feel sure that your baptism will not perish, since you have not kept your contract? Listen to the Lord’s words saying: ‘What does it avail you to call me, "Lord, Lord," and not to practice the things that I say?’ and again : ‘He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me,’ and: ‘not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father in heaven’¹² Carefully notice that, according to the lines quoted above, it does a man no good to say that he possesses faith, if he neglects to fulfill in deed what he promises in word. As the Scriptures say: ‘If thou hast vowed anything to God, defer not to pay it. For an unfaithful and foolish promise displeaseth him. It is much better not to vow than after a vow not to perform the things promised.’¹³ In order that we may understand these facts clearly from our relations with our servants, let someone tell me whether it is enough for him if his servant says all day that he is his lord and ceases not to commend him with praises, but refuses to do what has been commanded. Therefore, if words without deeds do not please us, how much more can faith without works fail to benefit us in the sight of God? Above all, we must fear lest someone believes so strongly that he will receive God’s mercy that he does not dread His justice. If a man does this, he has no faith. Likewise, if he dreads God’s justice so much that he despairs of His mercy, there is no faith. Since God is not only merciful but also just, let us believe in both. Let us not despair of His mercy because we fear His justice, nor love His mercy so much that we disregard His justice. Therefore, we should neither hope wrongly nor despair wickedly. A man who hopes wrongly thinks he can merit mercy without penance and good works; one who despairs wickedly does not believe he will receive mercy even after the performance of good works. Therefore, above all, we should consider and fear lest we believe that faith without good works can suffice for us. Let us fear the words of the Apostle James: e just as the body without the soul is dead, so faith also without works is dead,’¹⁴ and further: ethou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well. The devils also believe, and tremble.’ ¹⁵ See, brethren, the Apostle says that a man who believes and does not act has the faith of demons. Now if one who believes but fails to act is called similar to demons, it is for you to judge what hope a man can have if he does not believe. The demons believe God exists, but they do not perform what He commands; this man is proved not to believe, because he is unwilling to fulfill in deed what he seems to promise in word.

(6) Now I want to speak to your charity briefly, so that you may be able to understand more fully the works of faith and its virtue. The whole virtue of faith seems to consist in two things: one, as was already said, that we believe most firmly that what God promises is true; the other, that it is fixed in our minds that what God threatens is not false. Believe with your whole heart and mind that after good works you will receive the reward which is promised; similarly, without any hesitation believe that, if you have done evil, you will suffer endless punishment. Then you may know that your faith is entire, on condition that you fulfill by deeds what you believe in your heart, and without any delay turn away from evil to do good. In turning from evil you believe there is punishment; in doing good you believe that you will attain to a reward. Know, however, that it does not benefit you to believe the one and doubt the other. It is profitable to turn away from evil only if a man immediately does good. Likewise, it is advantageous to do good only if one completely turns away from evil. I have mentioned this because there are many people who seem to give alms as the result of robbery and fraud, yet are unwilling to desist from these evils. As I have said, dearly beloved, it is profitable for you to avoid evil if you know that you are doing what pleases God. Then you can devoutly believe a reward will be given to you because of your good works, if with God’s help you begin to refrain entirely from evil. Indeed, if you want to do good and evil at the same time, what can it avail to build up on one side and to destroy on the other, to rob one man and to clothe another? To such men the Lord says in the Gospel: ‘Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad.’¹⁶ Moreover, Solomon says: ‘As a dog is hateful when he returneth to his vomit, so also the sinner, when he returneth to his sin’;¹⁷ while in prophecy we read: ‘woe to the sinner that goeth on the earth two ways’;¹⁸ and elsewhere: ‘no man can serve two masters.’¹⁹ Therefore, as we have said rather often above, since faith receives its name from a fact or something which is done, a man says with confidence that he believes if he is willing to fulfill in deed what he has said he believes. The whole virtue of faith, as was said, is to believe both what God promises and what He threatens. Now, if we want perfect faith to abide in us, let us avoid evil in fear of punishment, and let us strive with all our strength to do good through the desire for reward. Then we will not be forced to endure eternal punishment with unbelievers and the wicked, but will merit to obtain unending reward along with the faithful who persevere in good works. May He deign to grant this, who, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns world without end. Amen.

1 Cf. Heb. 11.6.

2 Cant. 4.8 (Septuagint)

3 Heb, 11.4-40.

4 Luke 17.19.

5 Mark 9.22.

6 Cf. Luke 17.6.

7 James 2.26.

8 Cf. Matt. 10.28.

9 Matt. 10.22.

10 Matt, 5.22.

11 These are some of the words belonging to the ceremonial of baptism.

12 Luke 6.46; John 14.21; Matt. 7.21.

13 Eccle. 5 3,4.

14 Cf. James 2.26. The text has ‘amma’; the Vulgate has ‘spintu.’

15 James 2-19.

16 Matt. 12.33.

17 Prov. 26.11.

18 Eccli 2.14.

19 Matt 6.24.

St. Caesarius of Arles - Sermon 10

The Fathers of the Church

St. Caesarius of Arles

Volume 31

Sermon 10

THE BEGINNING OF A SELECTION ON THE CATHOLIC FAITH

(1) I beg and exhort you, dearly beloved, if anyone wants to be saved, let him learn the true Catholic faith, firmly adhere to it, and preserve it inviolate. Therefore, each one should see to it that he believes in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God; and yet not three gods, but only one. As is the Father, so is the Son and so is the Holy Spirit. However, every one of the faithful should believe that the Son is equal to the Father in divinity but inferior to Him in the humanity of His body which He assumed from ours; the Holy Spirit, in turn, proceeds from them both. Therefore, dearly beloved, believe in God the Father almighty and in Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son and our Lord. Believe that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary who was a virgin before childbirth and remained one ever after it, continuing without any contagion or stain of sin. Moreover, believe that Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate for our sins, believe that He was crucified, believe that He died and was buried, believe that He descended into hell to fetter the Devil, to free the souls of the just who were being kept under guard, and to take them with Him to the heavenly paradise. Believe that He arose from the dead on the third day, showing us the manner of our resurrection. Believe that He ascended into heaven with the body He had assumed from ours, believe that He sits at the right hand of the Father, believe that He will come to judge the living and the dead. Believe in the Holy Spirit, believe in the holy Catholic Church, believe in the communion of saints, believe in the resurrection of the body, believe in the forgiveness of sins, believe also in eternal life.

(2) Therefore, if anyone wants to be a disciple of Christ, he should keep His commandments and love humility as He Himself said: ‘Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. ‘1 Why ‘of heart, ‘ I ask? Because there are many who seem to be humble outwardly, but within are full of the swelling of pride. Christ ‘humbled himself for us, ‘taking the nature of a slave, becoming obedient to death, even to death on a cross.’2 For us, brethren, and to take away our sins, He assumed human flesh, was born of a virgin, laid in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, condemned by the Jews and persecuted by them, seized, scourged, defiled with spittle, crowned with thorns, fastened with nails, pierced with a lance, hung on a cross, given vinegar with gall to drink, and reputed among the wicked. Besides, dearly beloved, He endured all these things to free us from the jaws of hell. Therefore, since the Lord bore so many and such great things for us, we ought to follow in His footsteps and imitate the example of the saints if we want to reach Him. The Lord says in the Gospel: ‘If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me,’3 and elsewhere: ‘go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and come, follow me.’4 The holy martyrs, dearly beloved, followed in His footsteps and drank the chalice of suffering which He drank. The Apostle Peter was crucified for the name of Christ, Paul was beheaded, Stephen was stoned, and how many others suffered thus for His name.

(3) For this reason, brethren, crucify and ‘mortify your members which are on earth,’5 in order that you may please Him who created you. One who was proud should be humble ; the unbelieving, faithful; the dissolute, chaste; the robber, worthy; the drunkard, sober; the sleepy, vigilant; the avaricious, generous; the deceitful, kind in speech. The detractor or envious person should be upright and kind; one who sometimes came late to church should now hasten there more frequently. Let each one redeem himself with abundant almsgiving, for, ‘As water quencheth a fire, so alms resisteth sins.’6 Distribute among the churches and the poor every year tithes of all the fruits you gather. Love fasting; avoid gluttony and drunkenness. Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and seek those who are in prison. Receive strangers in your homes, wash their feet, and dry them with linen, kiss them tenderly, and prepare beds for them. Let no one commit theft or murder or adultery or perjury, or bear false witness. Every man should honor his father and mother that he may live long on earth. Let him cherish God more than himself and love his neighbor as himself. If anyone has committed any of the aforementioned offenses, he should quickly amend his life, make his confession, perform true penance, and then his sins will be forgiven him. If you are willing to do what I have suggested, brethren, you will merit pardon for your sins and obtain eternal life: with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.

1 Matt. 11.29.
2 Phil. 2.7,8.
3 Luke 9.23.
4 Matt. 19.21.
6 Eccli. 3.33.
5 Col. 3.5.