Christus dicit sponse quendam fratrem esse deceptum sub specie virtutis, qui nichil in quadragesimis comedebat et alias indiscretas abstinencias faciebat, confidens ex hoc posse optinere celum. Quia non in bonis nostris operibus debemus confidere, que, quantumcumque magna sint, quasi nulla reputare debemus, licet necessaria sint, sed cum humilitate sperare debemus in sola misericordia Dei.
The Two Paths to Heaven
Christ explains that heaven is attained through humble self-abnegation and disciplined self-restraint.
The Son says, "I said in my Gospel that heaven can be attained through two things." The first is if a person humbles themselves like a little child. The second is if a person does violence to themselves." Therefore, a person is humble if, no matter how much they've progressed or how many good deeds they've done, they consider them as nothing and place no confidence in their own merits. That person also does violence to himself who, by resisting the disordered impulses of his own flesh, disciplines himself with discretion so as not to offend God, and who believes that he will attain heaven not through the works of his own righteousness, but through the mercy of God.
The Trap of Indiscreet Zeal
The brother's extreme fasting is revealed as a form of pride rather than true virtue.
But this brother, who ate nothing during Lent and practiced other unwise fasts, was hoping to gain heaven through his own abstinence, as if by his own righteousness. These acts of abstinence and justice actually sprang more from pride than from humility. Therefore, he'll be justly judged alongside those who fasted, paid tithes, and looked down on others.✦
The Example of Divine Humility
Christ contrasts the brother's pride with the humility of the sinner and His own example of living among humanity.
It would have been better for him to imitate the humility of that sinner who didn't even dare to lift his eyes to heaven. For I myself, God and true man, lived among people and ate and drank what was set before me—even though I could have survived without food—so that I might give people an example of how to live, and so that they might accept the necessities of their lives and give thanks to God.1
Read the original Latin
Filius loquitur: "Ego dixi in euangelio meo, quod propter duo celum optineri potest. Primum est, si homo humiliauerit se sicut paruulus. Secundum est, si homo facit violenciam sibi ipsi.
Ille ergo est humilis, qui, quantumcumque profecerit et bona fecerit, reputet quasi nulla, de meritis suis nichil confidens.
Ille quoque facit sibi violenciam, qui motibus carnis sue inordinatis resistens castigat se discrete, ne offendat Deum, et credit non per iusticie sue opera optinere celum sed per misericordiam Dei.
Sed iste frater, qui in quadragesimis nichil comedebat et alia indiscreta ieiunia faciebat, per abstinenciam suam quasi ex iusticia optinere cupiebat celum.
Que quidem opera abstinencie et iusticie magis processerunt ex superbia quam ex humilitate. Ideo iuste iudicabitur cum hiis, qui ieiunabant et decimabant et despiciebant alios.
Cui melius fuisset, si imitatus fuisset humilitatem illius peccatoris, qui nec audebat oculos leuare in celum.
Nam ego ipse Deus et verus homo conuersatus cum hominibus comedi et bibi, que michi apponebantur, quamuis sine cibo potuissem substitisse, vt darem hominibus exemplum viuendi et vt homines recipiant necessaria vite sue et regracientur Deo."
Scripture echoes
- ↩Luke.18.11-Luke.18.12 — The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed these things toward himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.' Luke.18.12 — I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'regracientur' is a medieval form of 'gratias agere', meaning to give thanks.
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