Sermonis in monte continuatio : De laude humana in bonis operibus non qucerenda
The Trap of Vainglory
The author warns that pride lies in wait for good works, urging believers to seek God's approval rather than human praise.
After these words of great perfection, he teaches that we shouldn't take vain pride in our good works, because it's very difficult to avoid vainglory in them entirely. That is why he says: 'Pay attention'—meaning, consider this carefully, and be alert and cautious against the traps of pride. For pride even lies in wait for good works, trying to make them perish, so that you don't perform your righteousness—that is, your works of justice, which are all the good works you do—before others to be seen by them, that is, for the sake of human praise and the world's favor, rather than for the glory of God or the building up of your neighbor. Otherwise, you won't have any reward from God, for whose love you didn't do them. For the worker is owed a reward by the one whose command or love moves him to act. If God is not the sole cause, they won't have a reward for their work from God, but rather punishment for their deceit; because they wanted to receive their reward here from human lips—that is, the light breeze of favor. Yet they have received it only from those from whom they desired it. For from the moment the intention is directed only toward people, there is nothing to be justly expected from God, because it is not the virtue itself, but the cause of the virtue, that holds a reward before God. This, therefore... ...is given to them as their reward for the love with which they acted—namely, the human praise they sought. They aren't just emptied of their true reward because of a wrong intention; they also earn eternal punishment for the sake of empty glory—which is always a mortal sin, whether it happens before the work or after it. The integrity of the conscience is also diminished by the reward of fame. As Boethius says: "The secret integrity of the conscience is diminished whenever someone, by showing off, receives the fruit of fame as their reward." Therefore, as the same Boethius says: "A wise person measures their own good not by popular rumor, but by the truth of their conscience." Also consider that, as Chrysostom says, we are commanded not only to avoid showing off, but to strive to remain hidden. For it is not the same thing to not strive to appear as it is to strive to remain hidden. Yet, this doesn't forbid good works from being done in the sight of others for the glory of God and the edification of one's neighbor, because this is good and meritorious before God. But, as Gregory says, it is a mark of the truly perfect to, having thus shown their work... Seek the glory of the Author, so that you don't know how to take private pleasure in the praise you receive; for since the weak, because they haven't yet mastered the art of perfect contempt, cannot overcome this, it remains necessary that they hide the good they do.
The Three Works of Satisfaction
Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting are presented as spiritual remedies against the three roots of sin, provided they are performed with a pure intention.
After speaking of righteousness in general, he now proceeds to address it part by part, specifically forbidding the pursuit of vainglory in almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, because vainglory is accustomed to accompany these three things above all else. These are the three works of satisfaction: almsgiving against sin toward one's neighbor, prayer against sin toward God, and fasting against sin toward oneself. These, too. These three are effective against the three roots of sin—that is, against the three things that are in the world: for almsgiving is righteousness against the lust of the eyes; prayer is against the pride of life; and fasting is against the lust of the flesh.✦ He says, therefore: 'When you give alms—whether material or spiritual—don't blow a trumpet before you, as hypocrites do; that is, don't do it for show, wanting to be noticed so that you might be glorified by your own praise, just as the person who blows a trumpet gives a clear signal.' Alms that are seen aren't unpleasing to God, but those that are given specifically to be seen are. And because such people primarily intend a vain and passing honor, they lose the true and eternal one. Hence it follows: 'Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.' Their reward, that is, human glory. This is what they were seeking in exchange for the gift of alms; but for their evil intention, punishment is expected. That is how hypocrites act. But when you give alms—which is a good work—don't let your left hand, that is, a perverse intention, know what your right hand, that is, a holy intention, is doing. The left hand is the desire and delight for human praise or earthly gain; the right hand, however, is the intention to fulfill divine commands, or the love of God and the heavenly reward. The meaning, therefore, is this: don't let any wicked intention mix in while you're striving to fulfill the commands of God. He explains what he meant by 'do not let it know'; for that which is in secret is unknown, and so he says: 'Let your almsgiving be in secret,' meaning it should be secret in terms of intention, even if not in terms of the act itself. It should be in the secret and hidden place of the mind—that is, in a good conscience, which cannot be shown to human eyes. It is enough for you to... ...earn the reward, for He alone is the inspector of the conscience. And this is what follows: 'And your Father,' that is, God, who is the Father of all by creation and of the just by the adoption of grace, 'who sees in secret'—because He alone sees the intention of hearts—'will reward you,' because He will repay the good according to the intention of the heart, which is hidden and occult to men, even if not in the present, yet in the future. It is not to be feared, therefore, if men know these things, but rather if they are done with the intention that the fruit of pleasing men is expected, and human praise is mixed in. In every work of ours, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing if we do it not for the love of human praise, but for the love of God and justice. So, whether you give alms in the synagogues, in the streets, or in public squares, or... if someone does a good work, they still do it in secret, provided that they desire to be seen not by people, but by God. On the other hand, whoever gives alms in secret but desires to be seen, seeking praise and glory for it, doesn't truly do it in secret, since they don't want their actions to remain hidden; it's worth as much to them as if it were done in public. Hence Chrysostom says: 'A person might give alms before others, yet not do it to show them to human eyes; and another might not give them before others, yet do it with the intention of wanting to be seen doing it.' For this reason, God crowns or punishes not the act itself, but the intention; He determines the reward or the loss not by the end of the work, but by the will of the one who does it. 'It is not, therefore, just a matter of giving alms, but of giving them as one ought; that is what constitutes virtue,' says Chrysostom.
The Interiority of Prayer
True prayer is described as a secret lifting of the mind to God, distinct from the performative babbling of hypocrites.
In the same way, regarding prayer, he teaches us to avoid vanity, so you don't pray in public just to be seen by others, as hypocrites do—who, as Chrysostom says, don't intend to be heard, but to be seen. And because their intention is perverse, he adds a damaging consequence: they have already received their reward—that is, fleeting praise—but in the end, they will receive eternal punishment. You have proof of this in the fact that, since vanity is a mortal sin, every work done out of vanity must be considered mortal, because eternal punishment is inflicted for it. That is how hypocrites act. But when you pray, go into your room—that is, into a secret place—and close the door, so that no crowd comes to hinder the lifting up of your mind or to turn you away from your purpose; pray to your heavenly Father in secret. And the meaning, according to Remigius, is this: let it be enough for you that he alone knows your prayer, who knows the hidden things of all hearts, for he who is the observer will be the one who hears. To him, your Father, whose honor you must intend, who sees in secret, will return to you the fruit of your prayer in the open. Hence Chrysostom says: "Whoever prays in secret in such a way that he appears to be praying secretly before men, does not look to God, but to men." And so, regarding his intention, he prays in the synagogues, and is even praised in this way twice over: both because he prays, and because he prays secretly. But when a person's mind is fixed solely on God while praying, even if they are praying in a synagogue, they are seen to be praying in secret, within themselves. Therefore, when you pray, don't do anything unusual just to be seen by others—like shouting, beating your chest, or spreading your hands wide. (This is from Chrysostom.) It should be noted that there are two kinds of prayer. One is public, performed by the ministers of the Church; this shouldn't be done in secret, but in public, in the church before the people, because it is offered for the whole community. The people ought to join the ministers in this, praying to God in a way that is appropriate and possible for them. The other is private prayer, which should be done more in secret for two reasons: first, because prayer is the lifting of the mind to God, and the mind is lifted to Him more quickly and effectively when a person is in a secret place, away from noise; second, to avoid vanity, which easily arises in public. Christ gives sound advice to those who want to pray: enter your room—that is, the secret place of your heart—and close the door—that is, your carnal senses, through which external things rudely force themselves in and crowds of distractions clamor against those who pray. In this way, with the door of the mind closed and the powers of the soul gathered, spiritual prayer can take place in the depths of the heart and from there be directed more fervently to God, where the Father is prayed to in secret, for the secret and the room are the hidden intention of the heart. For the more a person despises what is outside themselves, the more they can gather themselves within; and the more they gather themselves within, the more they can ascend above themselves to prayer and the contemplation of God. Then, regarding prayer, He excludes the error of the Gentiles, saying: 'When you pray, do not keep on babbling like the Gentiles, for they think they will be heard because of their many words, their high-sounding words, and their sweet-sounding words,' and that they can sway God with words just as an orator sways a judge. Your heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask him, because he hears the preparation of every heart. This is added to exclude the false understanding of those Gentiles, according to which something is made known to God as if it were new, since he knows all things from eternity. The Lord does not forbid the multiplication of words in prayer simply and absolutely—for he himself spent the night in prayer, and when he was in agony, he prayed more intensely—but he forbids us from using empty babbling in prayer with the same end and intention as... ...which the idolatrous Gentiles used, who for three reasons used vocal prayer in their babbling. First, they prayed to demons who wouldn't know what was being asked unless they were told through words and outward signs, since they cannot penetrate the secrets of the human heart. Second, they thought that demons, like humans, had to be persuaded with many words in order to be provoked to show mercy. Third, they sometimes believed the demons they were praying to were absent and could be summoned back through such prayer. These are evils, and therefore they must be removed from the prayer of the faithful. There is also a threefold reason why we use vocal prayer. First, so that we may offer God the service of our lips, just as we offer Him the service of our heart and our deeds; for we owe God a threefold sacrifice: the sacrifice of the heart, of the lips, and of our deeds. Second, so that we may call to mind what we ought to ask for, and so that vocal prayer itself may stir up our sluggishness; for if a person were to pray always in silence, they would easily fall asleep, forgetting what they were asking for. Third, so that by vocal prayer our neighbor may be instructed and invited to a similar work. God wants us to pray, not so that we might treat His gifts as cheap, but so that by that very act we might adore Him more, desire Him more, and in this way deserve more. We don't speak to Him in vain when we pray, as if He were ignorant; for, as Jerome says, we are not narrators, but petitioners. It is one thing to tell something to someone who doesn't know, and another to ask someone who already does. Hence Chrysostom also says that we ought to pray, not to teach God, but to move Him, so that by the frequency of our petitions we may become familiar with Him, so that we may be humbled by praying, and so that we may remember our sins. And it should be noted that words can be multiplied in prayer so that, through the meaning of the devout words, the soul may be better lifted up to God, and a person may be lifted up to Him not only in mind but also with the physical voice, according to the saying: 'My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.' However, no fixed rule can be given for this; rather, a person should use such things in prayer as much as they perceive they contribute to the exercise of devotion. If, however, one perceives that multiplying words distracts the mind—because sometimes a multitude of words from the lips hinders the devotion of the mind—then one ought to stop using words and pray to God with the affections of the mind. As Augustine says: when we ask things of God, we need devotion, not wordiness; there is a difference between many words and a long-lasting affection. This business is usually carried out more by heartfelt sighs than by speeches, and more by tears than by words. However, this should be understood as applying to private and voluntary prayers, because required and public prayers must be spoken so that they can be understood by others.
Fasting with a Joyful Heart
Fasting should be an act of inner purification and spiritual joy rather than a display of outward gloom or feigned misery.
Next, he teaches us to avoid hypocrisy in fasting, saying: "When you fast," which is appropriate for the time, "do not look gloomy like the hypocrites." He forbids not only the act, but the desire for it, when he says, "do not": for the first root of earning merit or demerit lies in the will. He also forbids the act, not the state of being, because, according to Chrysostom, the Lord knew that someone who is fasting cannot be cheerful, and so he did not say, "Do not be sad." Instead, he said: "Do not become sad." For it is one thing to be, and another to become. It is one thing to be, another to become. Constant fasting naturally makes one sad; but those who grow pale through hypocrisy... ...are not truly sad, but they become sad like hypocrites in appearance, so that the very sadness of their face is a false and vain display of fasting. They disfigure their faces and deform their bodies with sordid and squalid clothing, so that they appear to men to be fasting and always seem sad—and they act as if they are mourning for the sins of others; for they show a certain sadness on their face and demonstrate a squalor in their appearance and dress beyond the usual custom of others, so that they might simulate the rigor of penance and appear more religious than the rest, and thereby receive praise from men. Oh, the insanity of vanity—they don't want to be, yet they want to appear! And for this reason, He threatens them with no small punishment, saying: "Amen, that is, truly I tell you, they have received their reward"—namely, the praise of men that they were seeking—"and in the future they will receive for their hypocrisy the condemnation they did not fear." And He significantly says "they have received," not "they are receiving," because such praise is so brief that it has almost nothing of the present in it. Hence in Job: "The praise of the ungodly is brief, and the joy of the hypocrite is like a point." The Lord doesn't, therefore, forbid the sadness of repentance for sins, but the feigned sadness used to gain praise; nor does He forbid being seen fasting, but He forbids desiring this for the sake of human favor, because it isn't the virtue that is forbidden, but the feigned mind that is reproved. Hence Chrysostom: "If, therefore, he who fasts and makes himself look sad is a hypocrite, how much more wicked is he who doesn't fast, but by certain tricks paints a marketable pallor on his face as if it were a sign of fasting?" Then He adds the proper way to fast: "But you, when you fast, do not imitate the hypocrites; but anoint your head and wash your face." Because it would be ridiculous to anoint the head with oil literally, it is understood metaphorically, according to Jerome, from the Palestinians, who used to do this on feast days so that when we fast, we show ourselves to be joyful and festive; anoint your head, therefore—that is, show yourself to be cheerful—and wash your face. Literally, so that you don't appear dirty. He says two things against two others: anoint with the oil of gladness against the sadness of hypocrites; wash with the water of purity against the disfigurement of faces. Understand this in two parts of justice: wash your inner face—that is, your conscience—by wiping it clean through confession, so that it may be pure before God. For just as a beautiful face is pleasing in the sight of men, so a pure conscience is precious in the eyes of God; and anoint your head, that is, your mind. . Indeed! Those things which in the soul... thoughts and the rest of a person. So that in goodness, by rejoicing through devotion, you may show a cheerful mind to God in your fasting. Spiritual cheerfulness is just as necessary in fasting as it is in almsgiving, because just as God loves a cheerful giver, He also loves a cheerful faster. As Augustine says: 'It must be understood that this precept pertains to the inner person.' To anoint the head relates to joy; to wash the face, however, relates to purity. And so, those who rejoice inwardly in mind and reason anoint their heads. Let the person who doesn't seek joy outwardly—so as to take pleasure in the praise of others—do this. For in this way, they will also wash their face—that is, they will cleanse their heart—by which they are to see God, not through a veil placed there because of the weakness contracted from filth. Or, according to Chrysostom, anoint the head—that is, Christ—with the oil of mercy by welcoming the poor, and wash the face—that is, your intention—by doing this for God's sake. And he adds, removing any wrong intention: 'so that you may not appear to men'—that is, by fasting for the sake of seeking the praise and glory of men—'but to your heavenly Father,' whose glory you ought to seek only in your works, for He is in the secret place of hearts, because He searches the kidneys and hearts of men, or in the secret place of the rewards which He hides for those who fear Him, or because God cannot be seen by us in this present life, even though He is present everywhere. And your Father, who does not forget His own child, who sees in secret—that is, who approves of a right and secret intention—will reward you for such a fast, because God will reward the labors of His saints. Where Remigius says: 'It is enough for you that He who is the inspector of your conscience is also your rewarder.' Regarding the usefulness and fruit of fasting, Augustine says: 'Fasting purges the mind, lifts up the senses, subjects the flesh to the spirit, makes the heart contrite and humbled, scatters the clouds of desire, extinguishes lust, and kindles the light of charity.' Here, according to Augustine, we must note that there is vanity not only in the brightness and pomp of bodies and material things, but also in filth and squalor itself. This is all the more dangerous because it deceives under the guise of service to God, though it can still be recognized by other works. Therefore, a middle path must be held, because neither excessive brightness nor excessive squalor becomes a Christian.
The Solitude of the Soul
The chapter concludes by emphasizing that true solitude and virtue are found in the hidden life of the conscience, not in the pursuit of public reputation.
Beyond what has already been said, consider that virtues should be sought for their own sake and for God's, not for the sake of other people. Chrysostom says: "It's no small fruit to despise human glory; for by this, one is freed from a heavy slavery and becomes a true practitioner of virtue, loving it not for the sake of others, but for its own sake." He notably adds almsgiving and fasting to prayer, because prayer is a little bird that penetrates heaven and has two wings: almsgiving and fasting. Therefore, he deals first with almsgiving, last with fasting, and in the middle with prayer, because prayer itself, lifted up by these two wings on the right and on the left, penetrates heaven and, as if by flying, reaches God. Hence, in Tobit: 'Prayer is good with fasting and almsgiving.' In all our works, therefore, we must flee from human praise, because, as Boethius says: 'A wise man measures his good...' ...not by the noise of the crowd, but by the truth of his conscience.' And human praise is to be avoided not only in our works, but even in our leisure. Hence Seneca: 'Hide yourself in your leisure, but hide your leisure itself as well.' Don't label your idleness as philosophy; give your purpose another name, and call it weakness, infirmity, and sloth. Boasting about your solitude is just ambition. Some animals confuse their tracks around their dens; you should do the same, or you'll find no shortage of people trying to hunt you down. It's best not to. Boast of your solitude. One person hides away, another stays shut in, and another hasn't crossed his threshold for many years. Anyone who turns his solitude into a story is just gathering a crowd. When you withdraw, don't do it so people will talk about you, but so you can talk to yourself. What are you doing in your solitude? I am attending to my own affairs. If I were to show you a swollen foot, a bruised hand, or the shriveled tendons of a crippled leg, you would let me lie in one place and nurse my illness; it is a greater evil that I cannot show these things to you. I don't want you to praise me; I don't want you to say, 'What a great man! He has renounced everything and fled from the madness of human life!' I have condemned nothing but myself; there is no reason for you to want to come to me for the sake of making progress. You are mistaken if you hope for any help from this place. It isn't a doctor who lives here, but a sick man. I would rather you say when you leave: 'I thought this man was blessed and learned; I pricked up my ears, but I have been disappointed.' I have seen nothing and heard nothing that I would desire, or to which I would return. If you feel these things, if you speak these things, it is something of a step forward. “I would rather you forgive my leisure than envy it.” So says Seneca. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, who showed us an example of humility in all your works and taught us to flee from vain and empty glory, guard me. Guard me, I pray, within and without against the traps of pride, so that no place may be open to the enemies of my soul; and grant that in almsgiving, prayer, fasting, and in all good works, I may not seek human praise and the favor of the world, but may do these things purely for the glory of God and the edification of my neighbor, and never presume to take empty glory from them, lest, receiving my reward here, I deserve to be deprived of the true reward in the future and, nonetheless, be consigned to eternal punishment. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Post haec magnae perfectionis verba docet, ne de bonis operibus inaniter glorientur; quia valde difficile est, ut in eis vana gloria totaliter evitetur. Unde ait : Attendite, id est diligenter considerate, et attenti ac cauti estote scilicet contra insidias superbiae; quiaetiam bonis operibus insidiatur, ut faciat ea perire, ne justitiam vestram, id est opera justitiae, scilicet opera bona de genere, quaecunque fuerint illa, quia omnia continentur 8ub nomine justitise generaliter diaae, faciatis coram hominibus, eo scilicet fine, ut videamini ab eis, id est propter laudem humanam et favorem mundi, non propter gloriam Dei, nec propter aedificationem proximi; alioquin mercedem non habebitis apud Deum, cujus amore ea non fecistis. II le enim debet mercedem dare, cujus mandato vel amore movetur operarius. Nisi ergo Deus singulariter sit in causa, non operis mercedem, sed fallaciae supplicium apud Deum habebunt; quia hic ab humano ore mercedem, scilicet levem auram favoris recipere voluerunt. Ab his tamen duntaxat acceperunt, a quibus eam concupierunt. Ex quo enim intentio fertur ad homines tantum, non est aliquid a Deo juste exspectandum, quia non virtus sed causa virtutis, mercedem habet apud Deum. Hoc igitur depu-. tatur eis pro mercede, cujus amore fecerunt, scilicet laus humana, quam quaesierunt.
Et non solum vera mercede, ob pravam intentionem evacuantur, sed et nihilominus pro inani gloria , quae sive praecedat opus, sive sequatur, semper mortale peccatum est, poenam aeternam merentur. Minuitur etiam probitas conscientiae, ex famae mercede. Unde Boetius : « Minuit se probitatis conscientiae secretuiti, quoties ostendendo quis fructum recipit famae pretium. » Et ideo, ut idem Boetius dicit : a Sapiens bonum suum, non populari rumore, sed conscientiae veritate, metitur. » Et considera quod, ut ait Chrysostomus , non solum non ostendi jubet, sed et studere latere. Neque enim est aequale non studere apparere, et studere latere. Per hoc tamen non prohibentur opera bona fieri coram hominibus, ad Dei gloriam et proximi aedificationem, quia hoc est bonum et meritorium apud Deum. Sed, ut dicit Gregorius, valde perfectorum est, sic ostenso opere,.
gloriam Auctoris quaerere, ut de iliata laude nesciat privata exsultatione gaudere; quoniam infirmi, quia perfecte contemnendo non superant, restat ^necessa est, ut bonum quod operantur, abscondant.
Deinde postquam generaliter justitiam nominavit, nunc consequenter per partes exsequitur, et specialiter prohibet in eleemosyna, et oratione, ac jejunio, vanam gloriam quaeri, quia baec tria praecipue consuevit inanis gloria comitari. Haec sunt tria satisfactionis opera, sciiicet eleemosyna contra peccatum in proximum, oratio contra peccatum in Deum, jejunium contra peccatum in semetipsum. Haec etiam. tria valent contra tres radices peccatorum, sciiicet contra tria mah quae in mundo sunt : eleemosyna enim est justitia, contra concupiscentiam oculorum; oratio, contra superbiam vitae ; jejunium , contra concupiscentiam carnis.
Ait ergo : Cum facis eleemosynam, corpor^Iem scilicet vel spiritualem, noli tuba canere ante ie, sicut faciunt hypocritce, id est noli eam facere in manifestatione, et velle innotescere , ut glorieris in laude tua, sicut ille apertum dat signum , qui canit tuba. Non est ingrata Deo eleemosyna quae videtur, sed quae ideo fit ut videatur. Et quia tales principaliter intendunt honorem vanum et transitorium, ideo amittunt verum et aeternum. Unde sequitur : Amen dico vobis , receperunt mercedem. suam, scilicet gloriam humanam. quam quaerebant pro dono eleemosynae; sed poena exspectatur, pro mala intentione. Ita ergo faciunt hypocritae. Te autem faciente eleemosynam, quod est opus de genere bonorum, nesciat sinistra tua, et intentio perversa, quidfaciat dextera tua, et intentio sancta.
Sinistra est appetitio et delectatio laudis humanae, vei commodi terreni; dextera autem intentio implendi praecepta divina , seu amor Dei et coeiestis praemii. Est ergo sensus : non se immisceat intentio alicujus pravitatis, dum praecepta Dei implere satagis. Et exponit quod dixit, nesciat; illud enim nescitur, quod in abscondito est, et ideo dicit : Ut sit eleemosyna tua in abscondito, sit scilicet secundum rationffn intentionis, etsi non secundum rationem operationis; sit in abscondito et secreto mentis, id est in ipsa bona conscientia, quae humanis demonstrari non potest oculis. Sufiicit tibi ad . promerendum praemium, qui soius conscientiae inspector est. Et hoc est quod subditur : Et Pater tuus, scilicet Deus, qui est Pater omnium per creationem , et justorum per gratiae adoptionem, qui videt in abscondito, quia ipse solus videt intentionem cordium, reddet tibi, quia retribuet bonis, secundum intentionem cordis hominibus absconditam et occultam, etsi non in praesenti, tamen in futuro. Non ergo si hsec sciant homines , formidandum est, sed si hoc animo fiant, ut fructus placendi hominibus in eis exspectetur, et laus humana admisceatur. In omni enim opere nostro, nescit sinistra quid facit dextera, si non amore laudis humanae, sed Dei amore et justitiae id agamus.
Et ideo sive in synagogis, sive in vicis et plateis eleemosynam, vel. aliud opus bonum quis faciat, in abscondito tamen facit, quicunque hoc faciens, non ab hominibus, sed a Deo, videri desiderat. E contra vero, qui in abscondito eleemosynam facit, et videri cupiens laudem ex hac et gloriam quaerit, non in abscondito quidem facit, quoniam absconditum non vult csse quod facit; tantumque ei valet, ac si in publico fieret. Unde Chrysostomus : a Potdst enim aliquis coram hominibus eleemosynam facere, nec tamen ad hoc facere, ut eam hominun^ oculis ostendet; etaliquis non coram hominibus faciens, eo tamen animo facere, ut se id facientem optet videri. Propter quod non factum ipsum, sed voluntatem, aut coronat, aut punit; nec fini operis, sed voluntati operantis, mercedem damnumve decernit. Non igitur tantummodo , dedisse eleemosynam, sed quemadmodum oportet dedisse, virtutis est : » hoec Ckrysostomus .
Similiter in oratione, docet nos fugere vanam gloriam, ut non ores in publico, ad manifestationem, ut videaris ab hominibus, sicut faciunt hypocritae, qui, ut dicit Chrysostomus, non intendunt exaudiri, sed videri. Et quia intentionem habent perversam, ideo damnosam subdit sequelam quia receperunt merce^ cedem suam, scilicet laudem transitoriam, sed tandem recipient poenam aeternam. Argumentum habes ex hoc, quod cum vana gloria sit mortale peccatum, ideo omne opus ex vana gloria factum est mortale reputandum , quia pro eo poena infligitur aeterna. Ita ergo faciunt hypocritae. Tu autem cum oraveris , intra in cubiculum tuum, id est in locum secretum, et clauso ostio, ne veniat multitudo impediens elevationem mentis, et avertens te a proposito, ora Patrem tuum, coelestem, in abscondito, Et est sensus secundum Remigium : Sufl&ciat tibi ut ille solus noverit tuam orationem, qui omnium corda novit occulta, j^-^ quia ipse qui est inspector, erit exauditor. Ei Pater iuus, cujus honorem debes intendere, qui videt in absconditOy reddei tibi fructum orationis in aperto. Unde Chrysosiomus : « Qui sic orat secreto, ut ab hominibus absconse orare videatur, non Deum aspicit, sed homines. £t ideo quantum ad propositum suum in Synagogis orat, ac etiam sic dupliciter laudatur, et quia orat, et quia absconse orat.
Cujus autem orantis mens solum aspicit Deum, quamvis in Synanoga oret, tamen apud se, in secreto videtur orare. Orans ergo nihil novum faciat, quod aspiciant homines , vei clamando, vel pectus percutiendo, vel manus expandendo : » haec Chrysostomus. Ubi sciendum quod duplex est oratio. Quaedam publica, quae fit a ministris Ecclesiae, et ista non debet fieri in occulto, sed magis in publico, et in Ecclesia coram populo, quia pro tota offertur communitate, et populus in hoc conformare se debet ministris Ecclesiae , ipsum Deum deprecando , secundum modum congruum et sibi possibilem. Alia est oratio privata, et talis magis debet fieri in secreto, duplici de causa : una est, quia oratio est elevatio mentis in Deum, mens autem citius et melius elevatur in Deum, quando homo est in secreto loco et a tumultu separatus; alia est ad evitationem vanae gloriae, quse de facili insurgit in publico. Orare itaque ^volentibus salubre dat Christus consilium, ut intrent in cubiculuqp, scilicet cordis secretum ^et claudant ostium, scilicet carnales sensus, per quos exteriora improbe se ingerunt, et turbae phantasmatum orantibus obstrepunt; ut sic etiam clauso ostio mentis, et collectis animae viribus, oratio spiritualis fiat in intlmis cordis, et inde dirigatur ad Deum ferventius, ubi oratur Pater in absconditoj quia absconditum et cubiculum est secreta cordis intentio. Quantum enim homo contemnit quod est extra se, tantum potest se recoUigere intra se ; et quantum se recoUigit intra se, tantum potest supra se ad orationem et Dei contemplationem ascendere. Deinde circa orationem, excludit Gentilium errorem, dicens : Orantes autem noliie multum loqui, sicut faciunt Ethnici, qui putant in multiloquio, et altiloquio, ac suaviloquio, suo exaudiri ; et quod ipsi ita verbis flectere queant Deum, sicut orator judicem.
Scit enim Pater vester coelestis, quid opus sit vobis, antequam petatis eum, quia audit praeparationem cordis singulorum. Hoc addit ad excIudenAm istorum Gentilium falsum intellectum, secundum quem aliquid Deo notificatur de novo, quia omnia scit ab aeterno. Non prohibet Dominus in oratione multiplicationem verborum, simpliciter et absolute, quia et ipse pernoctavit in oratione, etfactus in agonia prolixius orabat ; sed prohibet ne multiloquio utamur in oratione, eo fine et ea intentione, quibus . utebantur Gentiles idololatrae, qui triplici de causa utebantur vocali oratione in multiloquio facta. Prima, quia orabant daemones, qui nescirent quid illi peterent , nisi verbis et signo exteriori instructi essent ; secreta enim cordis humani penetrare non valent. — Secunda, quia putabant daemonibus, quasi hominibus, verbis persuasibilius et multis persuadendum esse, et sic eos ad miserandum provocari. — Tertia, quia daemones, quos orabant , quandoque absentes esse putabant, et quod per talem orationem revocari possent. Ista sunt mala, et ideo ab oratione fidelium removenda.
Similiter autem triplex est causa, quare nos utamur vocali oratione. — Prima, ut obsequium oris, sicut et cordis et operis Deo impendamus : triplex enim sacrifidum Deo debemus, scilicet sacrificium cordis, oris, et operis. — Secunda, ut ad memoriam revocemus quod petere debemus, et ut ipsavocalis oratio pigritiam nostram excitet, quia si homo semper in silentio oraret, de faciii obdormiret, oblitus quid peteret,— Tertia, ut vocali oratione proximus instruatur, et ad consimiie opus invitetur. Vult autem Deus ut oremus, ne quod ab eo nobis datur, vile habeamus ; sed eo ipso amplius eum adoremus, desideremus et ita amplius mereamur. Nec ad eum orantes frustra scienti loquimur, quia, secundum Hieronymum, non narratores, sed rogatores sumus *: aliud est enim narrare ignoranti , aliud petere sdenti. Unde et Chrysostomus didt, quod oportet orare, ut scilicet Deum non doceas, sed inflectas, ut familiaris efiiciaris interpellationis frequentia, ut humilieris orando, utque peccatorum tuorum recorderis. Et notandum quod possunt multiplicari verba in oratione, ut per significationem verborum devotorum animus melius elevetur in Deum, et non solum mente, sed etiam corporali yoce homo eievetur in eum , secundum illud : Cor meum, etcaro mea exsultaverunt in Deum vivwn, non tamen potest ibi dari regula certa, sed debet homo talibus uti in oratione, quantum percipit quod faciunt ad dcvotionis exercitationem. Si autem e contrario percipiat quod multiplicatio verborum distrahat mentem ejus, quia aliquando multiloquium oris* impedit devotionem mentis, tunc debet cessare a verbis , et orare Deum mentis afFectibus.
Unde, secundum Augustinum : Quando rogamus Deum, pietate opus est, non verbositate ; aliud est sermo multus, aliud diuturnus afPectus. Nam plerumque hoc negotium pius gemttibus agitur, quam sermonibus; plus fletibus, quam afFatu. Haec tamen intelligenda sunt de orationibus privatis et voluntariis, quia orationes debitae et publicae debent esse in verbis, ut possint percipi ab aliis.
Deinde docet fugere hypocrisim in jejunio, dicens: Cum jejunatis, quod expedit pro tempore, nolite fieri tristes, sicut hypocritce. Non solum prohibet fieriy sed velle, cum dicit, nolite : in voluntate est enim prima radix merendi vd demerendi. Item fieri prohibet, non esse, quia, secundum Chrysostomum , sciens Dominus quod non potest esse hilaris qui jejunat, non dixit : Nolite esse tristes,. sed : Nolite fieri, Aliud est enim esse,. aliud fieri. Assiduum quidem jejunium naturaliter facit esse tristem ; qui autem per hypocrisim pallentes. apparent, tristes non sunt, sed fiunt sicut hypocrit^ tristes in apparentia, ut ipsa vultus tristitia sit ostentatio jejunii falsa et vana. Exter^ minant enim, et quasi extra proprios terminos ponunt et adducunt, facies suas, ac deformant corpora sua habitu sordido et squalido deturpant, ut appareant hominibus jejunantes, ac semper videantur tristes, et quas, de peccatis aliorum lugentes ; ostendunt enim quamdam faciei tristitiam et extra solitum aliorum raodum in vultu et veste squalorem demonstrant, ut poenitentiae rigorem simuk-^it, et religiosi prae caeteris appareant, et inde laudes ab homi— nibus recipiLnt.
O insania vanitatis, nolunt esse, qu':^^ tamen volunt apparere! Et propter hoc cum assertione comminatuf eis pcenam non modicam, dicens \Amen, id est vere dico vobis, quia receperunt mercedem suam, scilictst laudem hominum, quam quaerebatnt, et in futuro recipient pro simuiatione damnationem, quam non timebant. Et signanter dicit receperunt, non recipiunt, quia talis laus adeo brevis est, quod quasi nihil de prsesenti habet. Unde in Job : Laus impiorum brevis, et gaudium hypocritce instar puncti. Non ergo prohibet Dominus tristitiam poenitentiae pro peccatis, sed tristitiam fictam pro laudibus consequendis ; nec prohibet videri jejunantes, sed hoc aon appetere propter hominum favores, quia non virtus vetatur, sed mens ficta reprobatur. Unde Chrysostomus : a Si ergo qui jejunat et tristem se facit, hypocrita est, quanto magis iniquior est qui non jejunat, sed argumentis quibusdam in facie sua pingit venalem pallorem, quasi jejunii signum ? » Deinde subdit modum jejunandi debitum : Tu autem, cum jejunas , non scilicet imiteris hypocritas ; sed unge caput tuum, et faciem tuam lava» Quia ridiculum esset caput oleo, ad litteram, ungere, ideo, secundum Hieronymum, accipitur metaphorice a Palaestinis, qui in festis solebant hoc facere, ut quando jejunamus, iaetos nos et festivos esse monstremus ; unge ergo caput tuum, id est hilarem te exhibe, et faciem tuam lava,2id. litteram, ne sordidus appareas.
Duo dicit contra duo : unge oleo laetitiae, contra tristitiaip hypocritarum ; lava aqua munditiae, contra exterminationem facierum. VehBecundum duas partes justitiae : lava faciem internam, id est conscientiam, a malo per confessionenr tergendo, ut munda sit ante Deum ; sicut enim in consrcctu hominum gratiosa est facies pulchra, sic in oculis Dei preciosa est conscientia munda ; ' t ung*' caput, id est, mentem . . rat! aem quae in anima prateminct c cogitationes et cetera hominis i . ,lt in bono, per devotionem gauJc^^ndo, ut in jejunio hilarem anjmun^ exhibeas Deo. Spiritualis enim hilaritas in jejunio, sicut in eleemosyna est necessaria, quia sicut Deus dtligit hilarem datorem, sic ethilarem jejunantem. Ubi Augustinus : a Intelligendum est, hoc praeceptum ad interiorem hominem pertinere.
Ungere ergo caput ad laetitiam pertinet; lavare autem faciem, ad munditiam. £t ideo caput ungunt, qui laetantur interius mente, atque ratione. Et hoc faciat qui non foris quaerit iaetitiam, ut de laudibus hominum gaudeat^ Ita enim et faciem lavabit, id est, cor mundabit, quo visurus est^ Deum , non pro interposito velaminepropter infirmitatem contractam de sordibus. » Vel, secundum Chrysostomum, unge ca" put, id est Christum , oleo misericordiae, scilicet pauperes recipiendo ; lava faciem, id est intentionem, propter Deum hoc faciendo. Et subdit, removens intentionem pravam : ne videaris hominibus, id est, ob laudem et gloriam hominum quaerendam, jejunans, sed Patri tuo ccelesti, cujus gloriam tantum debes in operibus tuis quaerere, qui est in abscondito cordium , quia scrutatur renes et corda hominum, vel in abscondito remunerationum, quas abscondit timentibus eum, vel quia Deus in vita praesenti non potest a nobis videri, licet praesens sit ubiquei Et Pater tuus, qui non obliviscitur prolem suam, qui videt in abscondito, id est, approbat rectam et secretam intentionem, reddet tibi, talis jejunii mercedem, quia reddet Deus mercedem laborum Sanctorum suorum, Ubi Remigius : a Sufficit enim tibi, ut qui est inspector conscientiae, sit etiam remunerator. » De utilitate autem et fructu jejunii sic dicit Augustinus : cc Jejunium purgat mentem, sublevat sensum, carnem spiritui subjicit, cor facit contritum et humiliatum, concupiscentiae hebulas dispergit, libidinem exstinguit, charitatis lumen accendit. » Hic, secundum Augusiinum, anidinadvertendum est, non soium esse jactantiam in corporum et rerum corporearum nitore atque pompa, sed etiam in ipsis sordibus et squalore; et hoc eo periculosius est, quo sub nomine servitutis Dei decipit, quae tamen ex ceteris operibus cognosci potest. Et ideo medium est tenendum quia nec nitor, nec squalor nimius decet Christianum.
Expraemissis etiam perpende, quod virtutes propter se et Deum, non propter homines, sunt appetendae. Unde Chrysostomus ; « Non parvus autem fructus est humanam gloriam contemnere, per hoc enim aliquis a gravi servitute liberatur et proprius virtutis operator efficitur, eam amans non propter alios, sed propter seipsam. » Notanter vero orationi eleemosynam et jejunium adjungit, quia oratio est quaedam avicula quae penetrat coelum, et habet duas alas, scilicet eleemosynam et jejunium ; et ideo primo agit de eleemosyna, et ultimo de jejunio, et medio loco de oratione, quia ipsa oratio his quasi duabus pennis a dextris et a sinistris subievata, penetrat coelum , et ipsa quasi volando pervenit ad Deum. Unde in Tobia : Bona est oratio cum jejunio et eleemosyna, In omnibus ergo nostris operibus humanam laudem fugere debemus, quia, ut dicit Boetius : « Sapiens bonum. suum non populari rumore, sed conscientiae veritate, metitur. Nec solum autem in operibus, sed etiam in otio laus humana est fugienda. » Unde Seneca : « Absconde te in otio, sed et ipsum otium absconde. Non inscribas tibi philosophiam, aliud proposito tuo nomen impone, valctudinem, imbecillitatem vocato et desidiam.
Gloriari in otio ambitio est. Animalia quaedam inveniri possunt quae vestigia circa ipsum confundunt cubile, idem tibi faciendum est, alioquin non deerunt qui persequantur. Optimum est non. jactare otium suum. lile se abscondit, ilie clausus^ est, ille multis annis non transit 'domus suae limen. Convocat turbam , quisquis otio suo aliquam fabulam imposuit. Cum secesseris non est hoc agendum, ut de te homines loquantur, sed ut ipse tecum loquaris. Quid in otio facis?
UIcus meum curo. Si ostenderem tibi pedem turgidum, lividam manum , ac contracti cruris aridos nervos, permitteres me uno loco jacere et fovere morbum, majus malum est hoc quod non possum tibi ostendere. Nolo me laudes, nolo dicas : O magnum virum, contempsit omnia, et damnatis humanae vitae furoribus fugit ! Nihil damnavi nisi me , non est quod proficiendi causa venire ad me velis. Erras qui hinc auxiiii aliquid speras. Non medicus, sed aeger hic habitat. Malo illa, cum discesseris dicas : Ego istum beatum hominem putabam et eruditum; erexeram aures, destitutus sum. Nihil vidi, nihil audivi quod concupiscerem , ad quod reverterer.
Si haec sentis, si haec loqueris aliquid per profectum est. Malo ignoscas otio meo quam invideas : » haec Seneca, ORATIO Domine Jesu Christe, qui nobis in omnibus operibus tuis humilitatis exemplum ostendisti, ac vanam et inanem gloriam fugere docuisti, custodi . me, quaeso, intus et foris contra insidias superbiae, ut nullus pateat locu s inimicis ahimae meae, et da mihi ut in eleeiposyna, oratione, jejunio, et in cunctis bonis operibus laudem humanam, et mundi favorem non quseram, sed pure propter Dei gloriam, et proximi aedificationem ea faciam, nec de eis unquam inaniter gioriam praesumam, ne mercedem hic recipiens, in futuro vera mercede merear evacuari, et nihilominus poenis aetemis deputari. Amen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1John.2.16 — For all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the pride of life—is not from the Father, but is from the world.
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