De ventilatione are^ in extremo judicio
The Majesty of the Coming Judge
Christ describes His second coming in glory to judge all nations, separating the righteous from the wicked.
Finally, the Lord sets this forth. He presents a third parable concerning those who are active—those whose duty it is to busy themselves in acts of mercy. Those who are vigilant in such works will be rewarded, while those who turn away from them will be condemned. He also describes the winnowing of the threshing floor that will occur at the final judgment, and the nature of that divine judgment itself. Regarding this Gospel, Augustine says: 'If someone knew nothing else from the entire Holy Scripture except this reading, it alone would be enough for his salvation, because the merits and demerits, the rewards and punishments of the good and the wicked are contained here.' He sets forth the conditions of the Judge in His second coming by contrasting them with the conditions of His first: He came the first time in humility, in the company of poor Apostles, and in His own weakness; the second time He will come in majesty, in the company of angels, and in the dignity of a Judge. The Son of Man—that is, the Son of the Virgin—will therefore come to judgment in His majesty, because He will then appear as the Judge in the glorious form of man, whereas in His first coming He appeared as one to be judged in a form that was weak and capable of suffering. Hence Remigius says: 'He will arrive to judge in the majesty of His divinity, who appeared as a servant to be judged in humility; and so, being about to be handed over to the suffering of the cross in the near future, He promises the glory of the three.' ...so that He might compensate for the scandals of the world with this promise, and so that the disciples might endure them better and more willingly, in expectation of such great glory. Hence also... Chrysostom says: "God will come clearly. He will come clearly, he says, no longer hidden in a body as He was before—when even the good could barely recognize Him—but manifest in glory, so that even the wicked will be forced to acknowledge Him. Those who despised Him in His humility will recognize Him in His power, and those who refused to know how sweet His mercy is will feel how heavy His wrath is." He will come in human form, therefore, so that He can be seen by everyone. If He were to come in divine form, He could not be seen by the wicked, because such a vision is not without the greatest delight, which is not fitting for them then. And that is why He says: 'When the Son of Man comes in His majesty, and all the angels with Him.' For all His angels will come with Him in His service, to honor the Judge and as witnesses of human deeds, and as executors of the sentence to be passed by Him. Hence the same Chrysostom says: "All His angels will be present with Him, testifying to how much they administered, having been sent by the Lord for the salvation of men." Then He will sit upon the seat of His majesty—that is, in the Church—in which He will appear with His omnipotence, signifying the judicial power... ...given to Christ as man. Then all nations, of every time, condition, and age, will be gathered before Him as their Judge, because no one will be able to hide or conceal themselves then. Hence the same Chrysostom: "Where the illumination of the Gospel has been preached and reached all nations, then all nations..." ...are made excusable, and therefore they will then be justly gathered for judgment. The separation of the good and the wicked. He will separate them from one another—the good from the wicked—just as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. By day, sheep and goats are together in the pastures, but in the evening the shepherd separates them. So in this present life, the good and the wicked are together in the Church, but in the evening of death or of the world, Christ will separate the good from the wicked, just as sheep from goats.
The Sheep and the Goats
The distinction between the righteous and the wicked is illustrated through the metaphor of sheep and goats, based on their interior desires.
He will separate them, I say: by merit, distinguishing all their merits; by place, assigning various locations; and by name, calling these 'goats' and those 'sheep'. In the sheep, we understand the innocence of the good, because of their simplicity, gentleness, and fruitfulness; in the goats, we understand the perversity of the wicked, because of their foulness, impulsiveness, and barrenness. Hence Chrysostom says: 'Then, by the names of each, He shows their character, calling these goats and those sheep: to show the unfruitfulness of the former—for no fruit comes from goats—and to show the great profit of the latter, for there is much profit in sheep, from their wool and milk, and from their offspring, all of which the goat lacks.' And again: 'Sheep are just people, because of their gentleness, since they harm no one, and because of their patience, since they endure when they are wronged by others; but He calls sinful people goats, because these vices are naturally in goats: lust more than in other animals, pride, quarreling, envy, gluttony, and a clamorous nature above all else. Sinners abound in all these vices, and therefore they are likened to goats.' And He will set the sheep, or the good, on His right; but the goats, or the wicked, on His left. In that very placement on the right and the left, each side will already be able to know to whom mercy and to whom misery is imminent. Hence the same Chrysostom says: 'He will set the just on the right, and the sinners on the left, so that each may know the condition of their own merits from the very clarity of the light.' Rightly will He place the just on the right, since they never knew the left; rightly the wicked on the left, because they never wanted to know the right side. For the Lord knows the ways that are on the right; but those that are on the left are perverse. And again: "On the left are those who seek temporal things; on the right, however, are those who seek eternal things." Hence Remigius also says: "Those who have loved eternal things will be confirmed on the right hand of eternal beatitude; those who have desired present things, on the left hand of eternal misery." For even the passing gifts of God are called 'left' in comparison to eternal things, while eternal things—which are superior—are on the right. Hence the saying: 'The heart of the wise is at his right hand, and the heart of the fool is at his left.'"
The Invitation to the Blessed
The King invites the righteous to inherit the kingdom prepared for them, emphasizing the grace and predestination behind their reward.
Then the King will speak to those on His right—the good. He doesn't say 'Son of Man' here, as He did before, but 'King,' for it belongs to the height of His office to rule subjects, set laws, punish those who break them, and reward those who keep them; and this will then be made manifest. Then Pilate won't ask, 'So, are you a king?' Then the Jews won't say, 'We have no king but Caesar.' The King will say, 'I tell you: Come, you blessed of my Father'—that is, come from my Father, you who have received the blessing of grace from the Father. For only those who are first blessed through grace and merit are called to eternal beatitude and reward. God doesn't give the peace of eternity except upon the peace of the heart. Or, according to Rabanus, they are called blessed because the eternal blessing is owed to them for their good merits: 'Possess, and hold eternally, the kingdom of heaven prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' On this, Chrysostom says: 'Before you were even born, He says, these things were prepared and made ready for you, because I saw that you would be such people.' Remigius also says: 'The King of kings will speak without the noise of words—that is, He will make manifest consciences and merits—and He will say through the collation of glory: 'Come, you who are promoted by the benefit of my Father to obtain the kingdom of life, prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'' It was prepared before the foundation of the world through predestination; from the foundation of the world through creation; and from the Ascension through manifestation. Consider here the most sweet invitation of the Lord when He says: 'Come, you blessed of my Father.' Oh, how happy and blessed are those who deserve to hear this sweet invitation directed to them, and, invited by the Lord, to receive His kingdom! Let us frequently and devoutly sing the Church’s invitation now, saying: 'Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord,' so that we may then deserve to hear the Lord’s invitation with the elect, and reign with Him forever.
The Works of Mercy
The Lord enumerates the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, identifying Himself with the least of His brothers.
The Lord will call to mind the six works of mercy done for his sake—both to him as the Head and to his members—which are: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and comforting the imprisoned. Through these, a seventh is understood, found in the Book of Tobit: burying the dead. Hence the verse: I visit, I give drink, I feed, I redeem, I cover, I gather, I bury. According to some, this commemoration will be nothing other than everyone knowing their own merits, for which they will be saved or even condemned. On this, Chrysostom says: "Do you think with what joy the saints are exalted when, in the sight of all the angels, he confesses that he received what they did for men? For their work seems to be not what was given, but of such quality as the person who received it." So says Chrysostom. And as if fleeing from praise, they will ask when they did these things for him. According to Remigius, they will answer in their own consciences in this way, not doubting or distrusting the Lord's words, but either stunned by the magnitude of the King's majesty, or because every good they have done seems small to them in comparison to the reward, according to that of the Apostle: The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory which will be revealed in us. Hence Chrysostom says: "O humility, which will not fail even after death!" For a bad man takes pleasure even in false honors, but a good man flees even the praise owed to him; so too the saints, rejecting the praise owed to them, will say: When did we see you hungry, and so on? So says Chrysostom. And the King, answering, will say to them: "Amen, I tell you, as long as you did this—that is, for as long as you showed these works of mercy to one of these least of my brothers—you did it to me." They are brothers because they did the will of the Father; they are the 'least' because they were humble and lowly. Where the same Chrysostom says: "O the goodness of Christ!" As long as He was in the world in a lowly body, it was a reasonable thing that, because of the similarity of appearance, He would call men His brothers. But what are we to say, now that He is established in that glory, that He is still content to call them brothers—those for whom it would be enough praise if He merely called them His good servants? And again: "For this reason they are brothers, because they are humble, because they are lowly and despised; for He calls such as these, above all, into brotherhood." Wherefore Augustine says: "The 'least' who are Christ's are those who have left everything and followed Him, and who have distributed whatever they had to the poor, so that they might serve God unencumbered by any worldly shackle, and, freed from the burdens of the world, might lift their shoulders upward like those with wings." These are the 'least'; but why the 'least'? Because they are humble, because they aren't arrogant, and because they aren't proud. "Take hold of these little ones, and you'll find a heavy burden," says Augustine. Christ is hungry in those who hunger, thirsty in those who thirst, sick in those who are ill, and suffers similarly in others. Therefore, the little ones and the poor of Christ should be received with great reverence and served with great veneration, since it is Christ who is received and honored in them. Hence Gregory says: "Why are you sluggish in giving, when what you offer to one lying on the earth, you are giving to one sitting in heaven?" Works of mercy pertaining to the soul. The works mentioned above are works of mercy pertaining to the miseries of the body; but it belongs to the soul that you refresh those who hunger and thirst for justice with the bread of the Word of God, and cool them with the drink of wisdom; that you call back those wandering through heresy, schism, or sin into the house of the Mother, the Church of God; that you protect the innocent from evils; that you adorn those naked of good works with virtues; that you strengthen the weak in faith; and that you aid those oppressed by tribulation or the prison of sadness by sympathizing and consoling. For whoever does these things fulfills true love and charity, and these are greater than the others mentioned before, because, as Gregory says, it is more to refresh a mind that will live forever with the food of the Word than to satisfy the belly of a dying body with earthly bread. Hence Chrysostom: "If it is a great beatitude to serve these things bodily to the bodies of Christ, which are altogether going to perish after a little while, do you think how great a beatitude it is to serve all these things spiritually to souls in danger, by which they may be brought to life and live forever!" The more excellent the soul is than the body, the more excellent are the things that are served for the salvation of souls than those served for the sustenance of bodies.
The Sentence of the Wicked
The King pronounces the sentence of eternal fire upon the wicked, highlighting the agony of separation from God.
What will the King say to the wicked? Then the King will say to those on his left—the reprobate who, throughout their lives, ardently loved the things of the left, which are temporal things: 'Depart from me.' O unhappy departure! O harsh separation! O miserable condition! Depart, then, from me, the fountain of unfailing life; from me, the light of beatifying glory; from me, the torrent of overflowing pleasure; from me, the fullness of inebriating abundance. You are cursed twice over: first with the curse of guilt, and now with the curse of eternal punishment. Go into the eternal fire, which will burn you without end, which was prepared for the devil and his angels, so that you may be joined in punishment to those with whom you were bound in guilt. O evil fellowship, horrible indeed to imagine, more horrible to behold, but even more horrible to live with! You didn't carry the key of the cross, he says, so you won't enter the kingdom; you didn't sail in the ship of the cross, so you won't reach the harbor; instead, you will have the punishment of loss and of sense. While the wicked are mixed in with the good, they appear to be with God, but in the end they will depart from Him and be sent into eternal fire, and the ungodly will not see the glory of God. “Depart, you who were still mixed with the good in the world, from My face, from all My mercy, from all glory.” He says “maledicti” (cursed), but He doesn't add “of My Father,” because blessing comes from the Father, but cursing comes from us. Chrysostom says of this: “As if He couldn't bear even to look at their presence, He says: ‘Depart from Me,’ for God, who delights in the holiness of souls, cannot bear to look upon sinful souls, as if He were burdened by them.” It's as if He were saying to them: “You are like rot and filth, and I will not endure you for as long as you stand in My judgment.” And again: “Depart, you cursed, not from My Father—for He Himself did not curse them, but their own works did—into the eternal fire which is prepared, not for you, but for the devil and his angels; for in truth, you sent yourselves into the fire.” Consider this for yourselves. But, so that we may never suffer these things, O only-begotten Son of God—namely, to see that gentle face turned away from us, and that tranquil eye unable to bear the sight of us, or to experience that incurable punishment of being cut off from the glory of the heavenly kingdom and burned in hell— Regarding this exclusion and separation, the same Chrysostom says: “Let us place before our eyes how much pain it is to be excluded and cast out from the kingdom of heaven, which, as it seems to me, is more grievous than hell itself.” For even if that fire did not burn and that immortal punishment were not prepared, wouldn't this alone—that we are made strangers to Christ and excluded from eternal goods—be called more agonizing than any punishment? That’s what Chrysostom says.
The Accountability of the Unmerciful
The Judge confronts the wicked for their failure to perform works of mercy, warning leaders and the greedy of their impending judgment.
The Judge will call to mind the works of mercy mentioned earlier, which the condemned themselves failed to do for Him; but the condemned, as if trying to excuse themselves, will answer and ask when they failed to do these things for Him. Truly, as Chrysostom says, even if they struggle to excuse themselves, they cannot deceive God. For that reason, He will answer them, saying: 'As long as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' Hence Augustine says: 'Christ is the head of the Church, and the Church is His body.' In our own body, the head is above, and the feet are on the ground. In a crowd, when someone steps on your foot, doesn't the head say, 'You are stepping on me'? In the same way, the tongue—which no one touches—says, 'You are stepping on me.' So Christ, the head of the Church, whom no one steps on, will say: 'I was hungry, and you did not give Me anything to eat,' and so on. Hence also Chrysostom: 'And see how He lists light things; for He does not say, "I was in prison and you did not rescue Me," or "I was sick and you did not care for Me"; but rather, "You did not visit Me, and you did not come to Me."' When you're hungry, you don't ask for a fancy meal, but for the food you need. Everything, therefore, is sufficient to bring punishment: first, the ease of the request, for it was only bread; second, his mercy, for the one asking was poor; third, the comparison of nature, for he was a man; fourth, the desire of the promise, for he promised a kingdom; fifth, the dignity of the one receiving, for it was God who was receiving through the poor; sixth, the superabundance of honor, since he deigned to receive from men; seventh, the justice of the giving, for he receives from us what is his own—yet, against all these things, men are blinded by greed. So says Chrysostom.1 In truth, greed blinds people to the works of mercy that need to be done, making them hard and almost unfeeling; for just as love, which is the direct opposite of greed, wants to help and do good to everyone, so greed persuades you to hold back and ignore works of mercy. . It suggests this as if it were advice to the poor wretch it possesses, telling you not to care about such things because they would cost too much, and therefore you would suffer too great a loss from them. Stop here, you miserable, greedy person, who don't care to help others in need—and especially you, cruel leader or prelate, and particularly you, religious, who don't bother to provide for the sick entrusted to your care, whether by ministers, attendants, or any other necessary means. Pay attention and see, for this is a terrible judgment, in which you will be judged for your works of mercy. The debate is coming, and it hangs over you specifically, because the Judge will especially rebuke and punish the unmerciful; then you will hear the harshest corrections, which you won't be able to argue against, you who now reject the gentlest warnings that you aren't afraid to fight against; then your hour will come, when a horrible misery will be upon you, so that with the cursed you will go into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. You will go there abandoned by divine care and protection, you who here abandoned your own sick without human care and protection; and then nothing of what you kept against charity and cruelly withheld from the needs of the destitute will save you from misery, but your cruelty will torment you inhumanly without end. Then the good will be able to take up a parable against you, and say to highlight your misery: 'How has the oppressor ceased, the tribute ceased?' The exactor has ceased, because by withholding what was necessary from others, he seemed to be exacting it from them; the tribute has rested, which others, suffering from lack, were forced to pay. What good will your cruelty and greed do you then, you miserable person? For what will you have to endure such great and lasting things, which will not last? Then, through punishment—but far too late—your eyes will be opened, which are now blinded by greed against works of mercy; and only then will distress give you understanding, you who now have a hardened heart toward those in distress. Pay close attention to these few things, you greedy, impious, cruel, and harsh tyrant; and while you are still able to amend yourself, strive so that, with God's help, you may escape eternal evils. Amen.
The Theology of Mercy and Predestination
A systematic reflection on the seven works of mercy, the nature of omission, and the divine judgment of the soul.
The sufficiency of the aforementioned works of mercy is understood in this way: in this present life, a person first needs bodily nourishment, without which they cannot survive—namely, food and drink—and so there is a twofold work of mercy: feeding the hungry and giving drink to the thirsty. Secondly, a person needs shelter, without which they cannot be well—namely, clothing and a home—and so there is again a twofold work of mercy: clothing the naked and gathering or receiving the stranger. Thirdly, after this life, a person needs burial, and so there is a fifth work of mercy: burying the dead. These five things mentioned above are common to everyone. There are two other works of mercy, which are provided to someone due to some unexpected accident, such as if someone falls ill or is taken by enemies; and so two more works of mercy are understood, which are visiting the sick and ransoming captives. The term 'ransom' covers any benefit provided to them. Christ himself considers these seven things, when done for the faithful for his sake, as done to himself; conversely, when they are denied to the faithful, he considers them denied to himself. The faithful are his members; for this reason, he grants eternal life to those who perform works of mercy, but he renders punishment to those who deny them. Still, it should be noted that when the question is asked, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry,' and so on, it doesn't come from ignorance. The righteous will know that whatever works of mercy are done for the members of Christ, He considers done to Himself, and that they are saved because of these things. Likewise, the wicked will know they are condemned for the opposite. Instead, the question arises from wonder at the greatness of the grace that will be given to the elect, and the greatness of the misery that will be inflicted on the reprobate. So, judgment without mercy is rendered to the one who hasn't shown mercy. What, then, do those deserve who steal what belongs to others, if those who haven't given from their own are eternally condemned? And if the unmerciful will endure such things, what kind of suffering do we think the cruel will face? Hence Chrysostom says: 'From this passage, it must be understood that people are to be condemned not only for the sins they have committed, but also for the good they have failed to do. But if they are condemned like this for failing to do good, what kind of punishments do you think they will pay for the sins they actually commit?' And rightly so, for God made man to do good and to contribute to God's glory, not just to avoid sinning; for if he doesn't do good, he isn't fulfilling the purpose for which he was created. Without a doubt, if he hadn't been created, sin wouldn't exist on earth. For anyone who understands the mystery of divine providence—why man was created—knows that he is justly condemned as a sinner if he doesn't do what is right. So says Chrysostom. Just as it is better to perform works of mercy for the soul than for the body, so it is worse to neglect them for the soul than for the body. Chrysostom says: "If it's an act of impiety not to provide these physical things for bodies—which, even if they receive them, can't live forever—think how much greater an impiety it is not to provide all these things spiritually for souls in danger, which could have lived forever if they had been provided for." Because the soul is better than the body, it's a more serious sin to fail to provide spiritual alms to souls in need than to fail to provide physical ones to bodies. In the Church, there aren't just those who are physically hungry, physically weak, or strangers and captives in body; there are also the spiritually poor, who are without the food of justice, without the drink of the knowledge of God, and without the clothing of Christ. Those are the most truly poor who appear rich in a physical sense, because often in the abundance of things, a poverty of justice is found. They are strangers in this world, weak in spirit, blind in mind, deaf in obedience, and sick with other spiritual passions, whose souls, loathing all spiritual food, have approached the very gates of death. Therefore, whoever doesn't have the means to give physical alms should give spiritual ones out of the grace of the Word they've received from God, and they'll find a worthy reward from Christ, who counts all gifts—both physical and spiritual—as if they were done to Himself when they're done for others. We've said this so that teachers may know how much blessedness they acquire for themselves if they're diligent in announcing the Word of God, and how much condemnation they face if they're negligent." And these, the reprobate, will go into eternal punishment; but the just, into eternal life. Hence Chrysostom says: 'For this reason, certainly, both these are justly punished and those are crowned, even if they have done ten thousand good works, for it is by grace—the winnowing of the soul—that this munificence is given: that for such small and worthless things, heaven and a kingdom are given to them, and such great honor bestowed upon them.' The punishment of the wicked is therefore eternal, and so is the reward of the good; for just as actual sins pass away in the act but remain in their guilt, so good works pass away in the act but remain in their merit. Hence Jerome says: 'Prudent reader, note that both the punishments are eternal, and the life is perpetual, having no fear of ruin thereafter.' — It should be noted that there is more discussion about works of mercy than about works of justice, even though we are more bound to works of justice, because works of mercy are easier. Nature inclines us toward them, and therefore they are more blameworthy when they are lacking, and less deserving of reward when they are present. And therefore, if these are rewarded, so are the others. Likewise, he argues more about omission than about commission, even though commissions are of greater crime and therefore more to be rebuked, because by punishing what is less, he implies that more is to be done regarding the greater; for if he rebukes what is omitted, he rebukes what is committed all the more. Furthermore, it judges sins against one's neighbor more severely than those against God, because if sins against a neighbor are condemned, sins against God—such as blasphemy and idolatry—are condemned all the more. Also, since there are seven works of mercy, it omits one—namely, the burial of the dead, for which Tobias is so highly commended—because it is less necessary than the other works of mercy. Again, since there is both corporal and spiritual mercy, it judges the lack of corporal works more than spiritual ones, because corporal works are more evident, or perhaps because the spiritual ones are signified through them.
The Mystery of Divine Foreknowledge
A discussion on the nature of divine predestination, free will, and the necessity of perseverance in good works.
One might ask whether that debate and judgment will be spoken aloud or only mental; it seems it will be spoken, because, as Augustine says, it's uncertain how many days this judgment will last, but if it were only mental, it would be finished immediately. On the other hand, some say otherwise. They argue that the judgment will be mental and not spoken, for otherwise it would drag on for a long time; hence the Wise Man says: 'He will break them, the proud, without a word.' Others say that it will be both mental, interiorly, and spoken, exteriorly; because Christ will judge not only as God, but as man, and therefore His judgment will be not only in a divine way, but also in a human way. From this, there will be a greater sensible joy for the good, and a greater sensible pain for the reprobate; hence this will not be in vain, but useful, just like the bodily appearance of men. Adhering to this opinion, one must respond to the objection regarding the place in Wisdom, that He will break them without a word of sufficient excuse or appeal; but not without a word of general debate. A cause of retribution and damnation. Regarding the motives of this sentence, Augustine says: 'Seek the causes of such great reward, or such great punishment: "Receive the kingdom," etc.' and: "Depart into eternal fire," and so on. Why are they to receive the kingdom? "For I was hungry, and you gave me food," and so on. Why are these to go into eternal fire? "For I was hungry, and you did not give me food," and so on. What is this, I ask? I see regarding those who are to receive the kingdom, that they gave as good and faithful Christians, who did not despise the words of the Lord, and who did this while hoping in the promises with confidence; for if they had not done so, this sterility of their good life would certainly not have been appropriate. Perhaps they were chaste, not fraudulent, not drunkards, and abstaining from evil works; but if they did not add to this, they would remain sterile, for they should have done this: 'Turn away from evil,' and if they had not done so, 'and do good.' It is written: "As water extinguishes fire, so does almsgiving extinguish sin." Likewise, it is written: "Store up almsgiving in the heart of the poor, and it will pray to the Lord for you." There are many other teachings in the divine word showing that almsgiving is of great value for extinguishing and wiping away sins. Therefore, for those He is about to condemn—and even more for those He is about to crown—He will count only their almsgiving, saying: "It is difficult that, if I examine you and take hold of you, and search your deeds most diligently, I should not find something for which to condemn you. But come, receive the kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me to eat. You do not go into the kingdom because you have not sinned, but because you have redeemed your sins through almsgiving." And again to the others: "Go into the eternal fire." Without a doubt, they will see that they are justly condemned for their wicked deeds, as if He were saying to them: "It is not for the reason you think, but because I was hungry and you did not give me to eat." For if you had turned away from all those deeds of yours and turned to Me, and had redeemed all those crimes and sins with almsgiving, those very alms would now be setting you free and absolving you from the guilt of such great crimes. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy," and "Judgment is without mercy to him who has not shown mercy." So says Augustine. Of predestination and foreknowledge. To the one who knows the difference. Just as the good, for whom the kingdom was prepared from the foundation of the world, were predestined to eternal life before they were made, so the wicked, who will be sent into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels, were foreknown for death from the foundation of the world, before they were made. There is, however, a difference between predestination and foreknowledge, because predestination is the foreknowledge of the good, along with the causality of the same; but foreknowledge speaks of foreknowledge regarding the wicked without causality, which resides rather in free will. God's predestination happens conditionally, and nothing is predestined without some condition: it was predestined that the world would be saved, but through the water of Baptism and the death of the Son of God; all the good are predestined to glory, yet on this condition: if they have faith, if they have love, humility, patience, mercy, and kindness, and if they possess things like these. For God foresaw that those He predestined to life would be such people; and as if predestining them, He said: 'I indeed predestine you to life, if you are such and such, if you keep my commandments, if you have faith and mercy.' And if you are finally found in goodness. Whoever, therefore, doesn't want to be such a person, and doesn't strive to keep God's commandments, doesn't attain to predestination because he doesn't keep the condition. Don't, therefore, focus on the predestination of God, which you don't know; focus on the words that you hear and understand. For just as God is true in His predestination and cannot change, so His words are true and cannot change. But let us hear what these words are: 'The sinner,' He says, 'at whatever hour he is converted and groans, he will live and not die'; and again: 'If you are willing and listen to me, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you are unwilling, the sword will devour you.' Similarly, in the Gospel He says: 'Whoever believes and is baptized, etc.'; and again: 'If you forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father will forgive you, etc.' Don't go looking for any other predestination. All predestination and foreknowledge—both of life and of death—consists in these words. If you read these, be secure, and believe without a doubt that you are predestined to eternal life; but if, with a hardened heart... ...you refuse to do these things and persist in this malice, know for certain that you are foreknown for death. For although no one is predestined to sin, everyone is nonetheless foreknown either for glory or for punishment. Therefore, don't let anyone say it's useless to pray to God and do other good works, since divine predestination—which is the preparation of grace in the present and of glory in the future—is eternal. Just as God has from eternity predestined someone to beatitude, so too has He preordained the means through which He would give him that beatitude, namely... ...through his own merits and prayer. Predestination is established in such a way that it is obtained through prayers and labors; therefore, no one prays to God in vain, because prayer is the means through which, by divine ordination, one is to attain grace and glory. The same logic applies to all other good things, because they fall under the order of divine predestination. Hence, just as God foresees that someone is to be saved, so too does He foresee the means by which he ought to be saved. Because of this, anyone who acts that way at the final judgment is a fool. It’s like someone saying, 'I’ll do whatever I please, because if I’m meant to be saved, I’ll be saved, and if I’m meant to be damned, I’ll be damned.' That person is as foolish as a sick man who says, 'I’ll eat and drink whatever I want, because if I’m meant to be cured, I’ll be cured, and if I’m meant to die, I’ll die.' Such an attitude would make medicine useless. Of course, if God leaves free will to itself—which is capable of falling into evil—He doesn’t permit that except justly; yet, if He prevents it through grace, He does no one an injustice. He does no one an injustice. Therefore, according to Augustine, free will is the liberty to choose between good and evil. Man had this freedom in paradise, but now it’s truly captive, because he doesn’t want the good unless he’s prevented by the grace of God, nor can he do it unless he follows that grace. When He condemns and rejects the wicked, therefore, He acts according to His justice; but when He predestines and saves, He acts according to His grace and mercy, which doesn’t exclude justice. God’s providence doesn’t force, nor does it... God’s providence imposes no necessity on the events of things; rather, just as things exist in their own right—that is, as either happening or not happening—so they are foreseen to occur. This providence, or what is the same thing, God’s foreknowledge, is entirely unavoidable because of His wisdom in knowing all things before they exist, and it can in no way be mistaken. Therefore, everything foreseen by God must happen, because it’s impossible for things to be foreseen and yet not happen; but it doesn’t follow that they happen by necessity. We say the same thing: if I see you running, you must be running; that is, it’s impossible for me to see you running while you aren't actually running, but it doesn't follow that you’re running out of necessity. Boethius says: "There are two kinds of necessity: one is simple, like the fact that all humans are necessarily mortal; the other is conditional, like the case where you see someone walking." It’s necessary for him to walk, but this necessity doesn't come from his own nature, but from the addition of a condition. No necessity forces someone who is walking voluntarily to walk, even if it’s necessary that he walk at the moment he is walking. Therefore, since these things lack the necessity of existing before they happen, they are future events without necessity; just as knowledge of present things imposes no necessity on what is happening, so foreknowledge of future things imposes no necessity on what is to come. In the same way, if divine providence sees something as present, it must be, even though it has no necessity of nature: so says Boethius. And therefore this is twofold. If God foresees this, it must necessarily happen, because it is true when taken together, but false when taken separately; there is a necessity of consequence here, but not of the consequent. We have an example from Boethius: "If someone sees a person turning a wheel, it's necessary that the person is turning the wheel, yet the act of seeing isn't the cause of that action." In the same way, God foresees a person's evil works, yet He isn't the cause of why that person acts wickedly; nevertheless, it will happen if it is foreseen. However, when God brings about some event, no change occurs in God Himself, but only in the specific thing He brings about. Therefore, when He had the destruction of Nineveh proclaimed and the death of Hezekiah foretold—neither of which came to pass—God didn't change the plan that had been with Him from eternity. Instead, He changed the decree that had regard for those specific matters, because Nineveh was to be destroyed according to its merits, and Hezekiah was to die according to secondary causes or even according to his merits; yet these things didn't impose any necessity upon the divine power. Predestination, therefore, though it is certain, never takes away the freedom of the will. Thus, the salvation of the good is necessary by a necessity of consequence or condition, not by a necessity of the consequent or by absolute necessity. For this proposition—"The predestined can be damned"—is false in the composite sense, yet it is true in the divided sense. Thus, the sophistry that led many into error, causing them to think that all things happen out of necessity, is excluded. If you say, then, "What is left to be done?" I answer that this is the only counsel that remains: that we run and strive to please Him who has called us. Augustine says, "Divine predestination is so preordained that we arrive at it through the perseverance of good works." Hence Bernard says, "The very predestination of the heavenly kingdom is so preordained by Almighty God that the elect arrive at it through labor, to the extent that they deserve to obtain through their prayers what Almighty God himself had already decided before time began to grant."
A Call to Perseverance and Prayer
An illustrative story of a brother's conversion through prayer, concluding with a devotional plea for mercy at the final judgment.
Here is a useful example that fits our purpose. There was a religious and devout brother in a monastery who often received divine revelations. A fellow brother in the same monastery, knowing this, urged him to pray to God and ask if he might be among the number of those to be saved. When the first brother, having been won over with difficulty by these pleas, persisted in prayer and asked this of God, it was revealed to him that the other brother was among the number of the damned. Fearing to upset him, he kept this to himself for several days, but eventually, when the brother kept asking, he told him, though unwillingly. Hearing this, and understanding the Scriptures, the brother immediately replied: "Blessed be God; yet I will not despair. I will double the penance I took upon myself when I entered religious life, and I will strive all the more." "I will do this until I find grace and mercy before God the Most High, who is kind." After many days, it was revealed again to the aforementioned brother that the other brother was now among the number of those to be saved. When he told him this, the brother was filled with joy at the revelation, became stronger in his work, and, acting with vigor and progressing daily from virtue to virtue, he persevered in good without ceasing. If only many were moved by this example to set their hands to great things and not despair or lose heart; for by acting this way and persevering in it, they would certainly find God favorable to them. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, Judge of the living and the dead, may You deign to place me at Your right hand at the final judgment, and then let me hear that most sweet voice of Yours which You promised to Your elect, saying: "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom"; and grant that I may not fear the evil report which You have threatened against the reprobate, saying: "Go, you cursed, into eternal fire." O only-begotten Son of God, have mercy on us, so that we may never experience that incurable punishment. To fall away from the glory of the heavenly kingdom and to be burned in hell—my God, my mercy, spare me from this. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Postremo ponit Dominus. tertiam parabolam, quse pertinet ad activos, quorum est se exercere in actibus misericordiae pro quorum exercitiovigilantes in talibus remunerabuntur; desistentes autem a talibus condemnabuntur ; et describit ventilationem arece, quae fiet in extremo judicio, ac modum ipsius diviui judicii. De hoc Evangelio dicit Augustinus: « Si quis esset, qui de tota Sacra Scriptura iiihil aliud sciret nisi solummodo lectionem istam prsesentem, hocsolum sibi sufficeret ad salutem, quia continentur hic merita et demerita, praemia et supplicia bonorum et malorura. )) Conditiones autem Judicis in hoc adventu secundo ponit, per oppositum conditionum ejus in adventu primo : venit enim primo in humilitate, Apostolorum pauperura societate, et propria infirraitate; secundo veniet in majestate, Angelorum societate, et judicis dignitate. Veniet ergo Fdius hominis, scilicet Virginis, ad judicium, in majestate sua, quia tunc judicalurus apparebit in torma hominis gloriosa, qui in primo adventu jiidicandus apparuit in forma passibili et infirma. Unde Remigius: « In majestate deitatis judicaturus adveniet, qui in humihtate servi judicandus apparuit; itaque, tradendus in proximo crucis supplicio, promittit gloriam trium. phanlis, ut seculura scandala hac promissione corapensaret, et ut melius illa paterentur discipuli, et libentius, sub tantae gJoriae exspectatione.)) Unde et l.
hrysostomus: « Deus manifeste veniet, manifeste, inquit, non jam celatus in corpore sicut antea, ut vix eum etiam boni cognoscerent, sed manifestus in gloria, ut etiam mali eum confiteantur inviti, ut qui contempserunt eura in hurailitate, cognoscant eum in potestate, et qui scire noluerunt quani dulcis est misericordia ejus, sentiant quam gravis est ira ipsius : )) hajc Clirysostomus. In forma ergo humana veniet, ut ab oranibus videri possit, si enim in forma divina veniret, non posset videri a malis, quia talis visio non cst sine delectatiune maxima, quse tunc non competit eis, et ideo dicit : Cum autem venerit Filius hominis, in majestate sua, et omncs Angeli cum eo; in faraulatu enira ejus venient omnes Angeli ejus cura eo, propter Judicis honorem,ettaraquara tcstes actuura humanorum,etexsecutores sententise ferendae per ipsura. Unde idem Chrysostomus : « Omnes enira Angeli ejus cum i[)so aderunt, testantes et ipsi quantum adrainistraverunt, raissi a Dorainatore ad salutem hominum.)) Tunc sedebit super sedem majestatis suse, id est in Ecclesia, in qua apparebit cum oranipotentia sua, per quod signifi -at potestatera judiciariam qua? Christo homini est data; et tunc congregabuntur anteeum, tamquam ante Judicem suum , omnes gentes, omnis temporis, omnisconditionis, omnis aetatis, qiiia nulhis poterit tunc latere vei se abscondere. Unde idem Chrysostomiis : « Ubi illuminatio Evangelii ad omnes gentes praedicata pervenit, tunc omnes gentes ine. xcuscibiles factae sunt, et ideo tunc juste ad judicium congregabuntur omnes » •i Separatio bonorum et malorum. — Et se-parabit eos ab invicem, scilicet bonos a malis, sicut pastor segregat oves ab hoedis, de die sunt sisecundj: partis caput l mul ia pascuis oves et hoedi, sed in vespere pastor eos segregat; sic ia vita praesenti sunt in Ecclesia simul boni et mali, sed in vespere mortis seu mundi, separabit Christus bonos a malis, sicut oves ab hoedis.
Separabit, inquam : merito, omnia merita discernendo ; loco, loca varia assignando ; vocabulo , diversis nominibus appellando hos hoedos, illos oves. In ovibus intelligitur innocentia bonorum, propter simplicitatem, mititatem, foecunditatem ; in hoedis intelligiturperversitas malorum, propter foeditatem, impetuositatem, sterilitatem. Unde Chrysostomus : « Deinde, a nominibus uniuscujusque , modum ostendit, hos quidem hoedos vocans, hos autem oves : ut horum quidem infructificationem ostendat, nullus enim ab hoedis fructus fit ; horum auteui multum quaestum ostendat, etenim multus ovium est quaestus, et a lana lacteque, et ab his quge parturiuntur, a quibusuniversis desertus est hoedus. » Et iterum : (( Oves, homines justi : propter mansuetudinem, quia ipsi neminem laedunt, et propter patientiam, quia cum ab aliis Isesae fuerint, sustinent ; hoedos autem homines peccatores dicit, quia in capris haec naturaliter insunt vitia : libido prae ceteris animalibus, superbia, rixa, invidia, concupiscenfia gulae, et clamoribus super omnia garrulae ; in omnibus his vitiis peccatores abundant, et ideo hoedis sunt assimilati : » haec Chrysostomus. Et statuet oves, seu bonos, a dextris suis ; hosdos autem, seu malos, a sinistris. In ipsa positione dexterse et sinistrae, jam ex tunc utraque pars cognoscere poterit, cui misericordia, et cui miseria immineat. Unde idem ait Chrysostomus : a Justos quidem ad dexteram constituet, peccatores ad sinistram, ut unusquisque meritorum suorum conditionem, ex ipsius luci quahtate cognoscat. Merito justos ad dexteram collocabit, quoniam numquam sinistram cognoverunt ; merito impios ad sinistram, quia numquam cognoscere voluerunt dexteram partem : Vias enim quse a dextris sunt, novit Dominus ; perversae autem sunt, quse ad sinistram sunt.
» Et iterum: « A sinistris sunt, qui quaerunt temporalia; a dextris vero, qui quserunt aeterna. » Unde et Remigius: <( In dextris aeternae beatitudinis confirmabimtur, qui amaverunt aeterna; in sinistris aeternae miseriae, qui cupierunt praesentia. Nam et ipsa transitoria Dei dona , respectu aeternorum, dicuntur esse sinistra ; aeterna, vero in dextera, qui sunt potiora, hinc est illud : Cor sapientis in dextera ejus, et cor stulti in sinistra iU lius : » haec Remigius.
Tunc dicet Rex his qui a dextris ejus erunt^ id est bonis : hic non dicit, Filius hominis, sicutsupra, sed, Rex, ad cujus apicem pertinet subditos regere, leges condere, transgressores legis punire, etobservatores praemiare; quod tunc apparebit manifeste. Tunc non quaeret Pilatus : Ergo rex es tu? Tunc non dicent Judaei : JSon habemusregem nisi CdBsarem. Dicet, inquam, Rex : Venite, benedicti Patris mei, id est a Patre meo, qui a Patre benedictionem gratiae accepistis; quia non nisi benedicti primo per gratiam ct meritum, vocantur adbeatitudinem aeternam et praemium: nondatenim Deus pacem aeternitatis, nisi supra pacem pectoris ; vel, secundum Rabanum, dicuntur benedicti, quibus pro bonis meritis debetur aeterna benedictio : Possidete, et aeternaliter tenete, pa^^atumvobisregnum ccelorum, locum Sanctorum, a constitutione mundi. Ubi dicit Chrysostomus : (( Antequam enim vos nasceremini, ait, haec vobis praeparata sunt et praeaptata, quia vidi vos tales futuros. » Ubi etiam ait Remigius : a Rex regum sine strepitu verborum loquetur, id est manifestabit conscientias et merita , dicetque per coJlationem gloriae : Venite, beneficio Patris mei promoti ad obtinendum regnum vitae, praedestinatum vobis a constitutione mundi : » haec Remigius. Ante mundi constitutionem paratum fuit, per praedestinationem; a constitutione mundi, per creationem ; ab ascensione, per apparitionem. Attende hic dulcissimam invitationem Domini, cum dicit : Ve*# E nitey benedicti Patris mei.
0 quam felices et beali qui hoc dulce invitatorium ad se directiim meruerint audire, et a Domino invitati regnum ejus percipere ! Frequentemus ev^o nunc et cantemus devote invitatorium Ecclesiae, dicentes : Venite ,exsultemus Bomino, ut tunc cum electis mereamur audire invitatorium Domini, et regnare sine fme cum eo.
Et commemorabit Do minus sex opera misericordise, in se capite et in membris suis propter eum facta, quse sunt : pascere esurientem, putare sitientem, collocare hospitem, vestire nudum, visitare infirmum, consolari vinculatum et per haec intelligitur septimum, quod est in Tobia, scilicet sepelire mortuos. Unde versus : Visito, poto, cibo, redimo, tego, col[ligo, condo, Et secundum quosdam non erit aliud haec commemoratio, nisi quia omnes scient merita sua,pro quibus salvabuntur vel etiam damnabuntur. Ubi Chrysostomus : « Putas quanto gaudio extoliunturSanctiquandoinconspectu omniumAngelorum,quodfecerunthominibus fatetur se accepisse, nam tale videtur opus eorum non quale datum est, sed quahspersonainius est qui accepit:» haec Chrysostomus. Sediustl^ quasi laudem fugientes , interrogabuntquando haecsibi fecerint. Secundum Remigium, in conscientiis suis ita respondebunt, non dubitantes vel ditfidentes de verbis Domini ; sed vel stupentes pro magnitudine majestatis Regis, vel, quia parvum videtur eis omne bonum quod fecerunt comparatione praemii, juxta illud Apostoli: Non sunt condignss passiones hujus temporis ad futuram gloriam qude revelabitur in nobis. Unde ait Ghrysostomus : « 0 humiiitas, quae nec post mortem deficies ! Homo enim malus etiam falsis honoribus delectatur, vir autem bonus etiam sibi dehitam laudem fugit; sic et Sancti, debitam sibi laudem repellentes,dicent: Quando te vidimus esurientem, etc. : » haec Chrysostomus.
Et respondens Rex , dicct illis : Amen dico vobis, quamdiu^ id est eo et quanto tempore, fecistis, id est opera misericordiae exhibuistis uni de his fratribus meis minimis , mihi fecistis. Fratres sunt, quia fecerunt voluntatem Patris ; minimi vero, quia fuerunt humiies et abjecti. Ubi idem Chrysostomus : « 0 bonitas Christi! Quamdiu in corpore contemptibili erat in mundo, fuerat verisimilis ratio, ut propter similitudincm visionis fratres suos homines appeilaret ; quid autemdicamus, quod iuillagloria constitutus, adhuc contentus est eos dicere fratres, quibus sufficeret ad laudem si vel bonos servos illos vocaret? » Et iterum : « Propter hoc enim sunt fratres, quia humiies, quia abjecti et contemptibiles, hos enim tales maxime in fraternitatem vocat. » Unde Qt Augustinus : « Minimi ergo qui sunt Ghristi, hi illi sunt qui omnia dimiserunt et secuti sunt eum, et quidquid habiierunt pauperibus distribuerunt, ut Deo sine seculari compede expediti servirent, et ab oneribus mundi libei'os velut pennatos sursum humeros tollerent. Hi sunt minimi ; quare minimi? Quia humiles, quia non elali , et quia non superbi.
Apprehende minimos istos, et grave pondus invenies : » haec Augustinus. Ghri>tus itaque in esurientibus esurit, in sitientibus sitit, in infirmis aegrotat, et in aliis simihter patitur ; magna ergo reverentia suscipiendi sunt minimi et pauperes Ghristi; et cum magna veneratione serviendum est eis, siquidem Christus in eis suscipitur et honoratur. Unde Gregorius : « Ad tribuendum ergo pigri cur estis, quando hoc quod jacenti in terra porrigitis, sedenti in coelo datis? » 5 Opera misericordle ad animam perTiNENTiA. — Haec praemissa sunt opera misericordiae, ad corporis miserias pertinentia; ad animas vero spectat : ut esurientem et sitieitem justitiam, pane verbi Dei reficias, et potu sapientiae refrigeres, errantem per haeresim, per schisma, vel per peccatum in domum matris Ecclesiae Dei revoces,innocentem a malis protegas, nudum a bono opere virtutibus ornes, infirmum in fide corrobores, tribulatione seu carcere tristitiae oppresso subvenias compatiendo, acI consolando. Qui enim haec facit, veram dilectionem et caritatem adimplet, et haec majora suntquam alia prsemissa, quia, ut ait Gregorius, plus est verbi pabulo victuram in perpetuum mentem reficere, quam ventrem moriturse carnis terreno pane satiare. Unde Chrysostomus : « Si hsec omnia corporaliter corporibus Christi ministrare magnas beatitudinis est, quae omnino post modicum sunt peritura, putas quantai beatitudidis est, haec omnia spiritualiter animabus periclitantibus ministrare, quibus vivificatae possint vivere in aeternum ! Quanto meliop est anima quam cor[)US, tanto meliora sunt quae ad salutem animarum, quam quae ad sustentationem corporum, ministranlur.
» 6 QuiD DicET Rex malis? — Tunc dicet Rex et his qui a sinistris ejus erunt, id est reprobis, qui sinistra, id est temporalia, quamdiu vixerunt, ardenter amaverunt : Biscedite a me. 0 inCelix discessio ! 0 dura separatio ! 0 miserabilis conditio! Discedite ergo a me fonte vitae indeficientis, a me lumine gloriae beatificantis, a me torrente voluptatis inundanlis, a me plenitudine ubertatis inebriantis; maledicti dupliciter : primo maledictione cuipae, sed modo maledictione poenae aeternae, in ignem deternum, sine fine vos arsurum, qui paratus est diabolo et angelis ejus, ut quibus colligati fuistis in culpa, sociemini in poena. 0 consortium malum, horribile quidem ad imaginandum, horribile amplius ad videndum, sed adhuc horribilius ad cohabitandum! Nonportastis, inquit, clavem crucis, in regnum non intrabitis ; non navigastis in nave crucis, ideo ad portum non pervenietis ; sed poenam damni et sensus habebitis.
Dum mali permixti sunt bonis, videntur esse cum Deo, sed tandem discedent ab eo, et mittentur in ignem aeternum, nec videbit impius gloriam Dei. Discedite, [aqmt^ qui adhuc commixti fuistis bonis in mundo, a mea facie, ab omni mea misericordia, ab omni gloria ; maledicti, sed non addit Patris mei, quoniam ex Patre est benedictio, ex nobis vero maledictio Ubi sic ait Ghrysostomus : « Quasi qui non suff^erat praesentiam illorum vel aspicere, sic inquit : T)iscedite a me, nam Deus qui in sanctitate delectatur animarum, peccatrices animas aspiciens quasi gravatus non suflert. Tamquam si dicat eis : Quasi putredo et spurcitia estis, nec tamdiu vos sustineo, quamdiu statis in judicio meo.)) Et iterum: « Discedite, maledicti, non a Patre meo, neque ipse eos maledixit, sed propria opera, in ignem asternum, qui paratus est, non vobis, sed, diabolo et angelis ejus; quia vero vosipsos in ignem misi. 4is, vobis ipsis reputate.» Sed, ne umquam haec paticimur, o unigenite Fili Dei, scilicet faciem illam mansuetam videre aversam a nobis, et tranquillum illum oculum non ferentem videre nos, neque accipiamus aliquam experientiam illius poenae incurabilis, scilicet excidere a ccrlestis regni gloria, et comburi in gehenna. De hac etiam exclusione et separatione sic dicit idem Chrysostomus : « Ponamus iliud ante oculos, quanti dolorisestexcludi et projici a regno coelorum, quod ut mihi videtur, ipsa gravius est gehenna. Nam, et si ille ignis non arderet et immortalis illa poena non esset parata; hoc solum quod alieni efficimur a Christo, et excludimur a bonis aeternis, nonne omni poena cruciabilius diceretur?
» haec Chrysostomus.
Et commemorabit Judex opera misericordiae praedicta, ab ipsis reprobis sibi non facta ; sed reprobi quasi se excusantes respondebunt et interrogabunt, quando haec sibi non fecerunt. Verum, ut aitjR,a6anus,Qi si se excusare satagunt, tamen Deum fallere non possunt. Et idcirco respondebit illis, dicens : Quamdiu non fecistis uni de minoribus his, nec mihi fecistis. Unde dicit Augustinus: « Christus caput est Ecclesiae, corpus ejus Ecclesia. In nostro corpore caput sursum est, pedes in terra. In aliqua constipatione hominum, quando aliquis tibi pedem calcal, nonne dicit cnput : Calcas me ? Quo modo ergo lingua, quam nemo tangit, dicit: Calcas me; sic Christus capiit Ecclesise, quem nemo calcat, dicet : Esurivi, et non dedistis mihi manducnrc^ etc. » Unde et Chrysostomiis : « Et vide qualiter levia injungit; non enim dicit : In carcere eram, et non eripuistis me, infirmus , el non curastis me ; sed non visitastis me, et non venistis ad me.
In esuriendo etiam non pctit mensam pretiosam, sed necessarium cibum. Omnia ergo sufficientia sunt ad poenam : primo quidem, facilitas petitionis, panis enim erat; sccundo, misericordia ejus, pauper enim erat qui petebat ; ierlio, comparatio naturae, homo enim erat ; quarto, desiderium promi-sionis, regnum enim promisit; quinto, dignitas ejus qui accipiebat, Deus enim erat qui per pauperesaccipiebat ; sexto, superabundantia honoris, quoniam dignatus est ad hominibusaccipere; septimo, justitia dationis, ex suis enim a nobis accipit, sed contra universa haec homines per avaritiam excaecantur : » haec Chrysostomiis.
Rcvera quippe per avaritiam homines circa opera misericordiae exercenda excaecantur, et ad ea duri et quasi insensibiles relduntur; sicut enim caritas, quae dire:te opponitur avaritise, vult omnibus subvenire et benefacere, sic avaritia suadet a talibus abstinere, et non operibusmisericordiae intendere. . Suggerit enim quasi consulendo ipsi misero quem possidet, ut de talibus non curet, quia tantum constaret, et ideo tantum damnum inde reciperet. Hic siste, tu, miser avare, qui aliis iu necessitate positis non curas succurrere, et maxime, tu crudelis praesidens seu praelate, et specialiter religiose, qui infirmis tibi commissis de ministris et custodibus, vei quibuscumque aliis necessariiis non studes providere. Attende et vide, quia hoc terribile judicium, in quo de operibus misericordia? disceptatio fit, tibi specialiter imminet, quia praecipue immisericordes arguet Judex et puniet ; tunc audies correptiones durissimas, quibus non poteris contradicere, qui modo abjicis monitioncs mollissimas, quibus non vcreris repugnare; tunc erit hora tua, qua tibi instabit horrenda miscria, ut cum malcdictis eas in ignem aiternum, diabolo et angelis cjus paratum. Illuc pergcs derelictus a cura et custodia divina, qui hic tuos infirmos dereliquisti sine cura et custodia humana; et tunc nihil eorum quae contra caritatem servasti et nccessitatibus indigentium crudeliter subtraxisti, te a miseria liberabit, sed tua crudelitas te sine fine immaniter cruciabit. Tunc boni potcrunt contra te sumcre parabolam, et dicere ad exaggerandum tuam miseriam : Quomodo cessavit exactor, quievit tributum?
Cessavit exactor, quia aliisnecessaria subtrahendo, quasi exactionare eos videbatur ; quievit tributum, quod alii defectum patiendo, quasi solvere cogebantur. Quid tibi, miscr, tunc proderit tua crudelitas et avaritia. pro qua habebis pati tanta ettalia sinc fuie mansura? Tunc per poenam, sed nimis tarde aperientur oculi tui,qui modo per avariliam contra opera misericordiae sunt excsecati, et tunc sola vexatio dabit intellectum, tibi, qui modo circa vexatos habes cor induratum. Haec pauca , o avare , impie, crudelis, et dire tyranne, diligenter attende ; et dum adhuc vales te emendare, stude ut mala perpetua possis, DeoauxiIiante,evadere. Amen.
Sufficientia autem praedictorum operum misericordiae hoc modo accipitur : homo enim in vita praesenti primo indiget ex parle corporis alimento, sine quo non potestesse, scilicet cibo et potu, et sic est duplex opus misericordiae, scilicetpascere esurientem, et potare sitientem. Secundo, indiget tegumento, sine quo non potest bene esse, sciiicet indumento et domicilio,et sic iterum est duplex opus misericordiae, scilicet vestire nudum, et colligere vel recipere hospitem. Tertio,indigel postvitam istam sepultura,et sicest quintum opus misericordiae, scilicet sepclire mortuos. Istaautem quinque praedicta sunt omnibus communia. Alia sunt duo opera misericordiae, quae impenduntur alicui, ex aliquo accidente superveniente, ut si ali(]uis incurrat infirmitatem, vel si capiatur ab hostibus : et sic accipiuntur duo opera misericordise, quse sunt visitare infirmos et redimere captivos. Et nomine redemptionis intelligitur omne beneficium eis impensum. Ista autem septem impensa fidelibus propter Christum, reputat ipse Christus sibimetipsi facta; et e contrario fidelibus denegata, sibimetipsi reputat denegata. Fideles sunt ejus membra : propter quod facientibus opera misericordiae, reddit vitam aeternam: denegantibus autem ea, reddit poenam.
Advertendum tamen quod cum dicitur : Dominej quando te vidimus esurientem, etc, non est quaestio procedens ex ignorantia, quoniam justi cognoscent quod opera misericordiae facta membris Christi, ipse sibi reputat fieri, et pro talibus se salvari ; et similiter mali scient se pro contrario damnari ; sed est quaestio admirationis, pro magnitudine gratiae quae fiet electis , et pro magnitudine miseriae quae infligetur reprobis. Sic itaque judicium sine misericordia , fit ei qui non fecit misericordiam. Quid ergo merentur qui aliena rapiunt, si aeternaliter damnantur, qui de suo non dederint? Et, si talia sustinebunt immisericordes, quaiia passuros putamus crudeles? Unde ait Chrysostomus : « Ex hoc loco sciendum est, quod non tantum pro eo quod peccaverunt homines condemnandi sunt, sed etiam pro eo quod bene non faciunt ; si autem pro 60 quod bene non faciunt sic condemnantur, putas quales poenas exsolvent pro eo quod peccant? Et digne, Deus enim hominem ideo fecit ut benefaciat, et ad gloriam Dei pertineat, non ideo tantum ut non peccet, nam si non faciat bonum, nec est causa qua creatus est. Sine dubio enim, si creatus non fuisset, peccatum non fieret super terram ; nam qui inteliigit mysterium divinae dispensationis , quare factus est homo cogiioscit, quia merito quasi peccans condemnetur, qui justitiam non facit : )) haec Chrysostomus. Sicut autem melius est opera misericordiae circa animam, quam circa corpus facere ; sic pejus est ea circa animam quam circa corpus negligere.
Unde idem Chrysostomus : a Si haec corporaliter corporibus non praestare impietatis est, quae et si accipiunt ea, non possunt tamen vivere semper, putas quantae impietatis et haec omnia spiritualiter animabus periclitantibus non ministrare, quae poterant vivere in aeternum, si haec eis ministrata fuissent? Quantum enim melior est anima quam corpus, tanto gravius est peccatum animabus laborantibus spiritualeseleemosynasnonpraestare, quam corporibus corporales. In Ecclesia er^o non solum sunt pauperes corporaliter esurientes, aut debiies corporaliter, aut peregrini et captiyi secundum corpus ; sed etiam spiritualiter pauperes sine cibo justitiae, sine potu agnitionis Dei , necnon sine vestimento Christi. Maxime taliter pauperes sunt, qui corporaliter videnturdivites esse, quoniam plerumque in abundantia rerum inopia justitiae invenitur. Sunt peregrini in hoc mundo, sunt debiles animo, sunt mente caeci, in obedientia surdi, et ceteris passionibus spiritualibus aegrotantes, quorum animae omnem escam spiritualem abominantes appropinquaverunt usque ad portas mortis. Qui ergo non habet unde faciat eleeniosynas corporales,faciat spirituales, ex gratia verbi quam accepit a Deo, et inveniet retributionem dignam a Christo, qui omnia tam corporalia quam spiritualia data, quasi in se facta commemorat, quae cum hominibus fiunt ; haec diximus ut sciant doctores quantum beatitudinis sibi acquirant, si diligentes fuerintcirca verbum Dei annuntiandum, et quantum damnationis, si fuerint negligentes : » haec Chrysostomus.
Et ibunt hij scihcet reprobi, in supplicium seternum ; justi autem in vitam seternam. Unde Chrysostomus : « Propter hoc utique et hi juste puniuntur et illi coronantur, etsi decem miJlia bona fecerint, gratiae DE VENTILATIONE kWlM enim haec est munificentia pro tam parvis et vilibus coelum tantum et regnum, et tam magnum eis dari honorem : » haec Chrysostomus. JEievnum est ergo supplicium malorum, et similiter prsemium bonorum, sicut enim peccata actualia transeunt actu, et remanent reatu ; ita bona opera transeunt actu, et remanent merito. Unde Hieronymus : « Prudens lector attende, quod et supplicia seterna sint ; et vita perpetua, metum deinceps non habeat ruinarum. » 1 1 ? — Et notaudum, quod potius fit disceptatio de operibus misericordiae, quam de operibus justitiae, cum tamen magis teneamur ad operajustitiae,quia opera misericordiae faciliora sunt : natura enim ad haec inclinat, et ideo magis arguenda ubi deficiunt, et minus remuneranda ubi ad sunt. Et ergo , si ista remunerantur, et alia. Item, potius arguit de omissione, quam de commissione , cum tamen majoris criminis sint commissa, et ideo magis arguenda, quia puniendo quod minus est, innuit amplius faciendum de majoribus; si enim omissa arguit, multo plus commissa.
Item, magis arguit, de peccatis in proximum, quam in Deum, quia si peccata in proximum condemnaniur, multo magis peccata in Deum, ut blasphemia et idololatria. Item, cum septem sint opera misericordiae, unum, scilicet sepulturam mortuurum, de qua in tantum Tobias commendatur, omittit, quia minus est necessaria inter cetera opera misericordiae. Item, cum sit misericordia corporalis et spiritualis, potius defectum arguit operum corporalium, quam spirituahum, quia opera corporaliasuntevidentiora, vel per hoc etiam signiticantur illa.
Potost autom quaeri utrum illa disceptatio et sententia erit vocalis, vel mentalis tantum ; et videtur quod vocaiis, quia, ut dicit Augustinus, per quot dies hoc judicium tendatur, incertum est; sed si mentaliter fieret tantum, statim expediretur. E contra quidam dicunt. quod judicium erit mentale, et non vocalc, aliter multo tempore protenderetur; unde Sapiens : Disrnmpet illos inflatos sine voce. Alii dicunt, quia et mcntale erit intcrius, et vocalc exterius; quia judicabit Christus non tantum ut Deus, sed ut homo, ideo ejus judicium erit non divino modo tantum, sed humano. Ex hoc autem majus gaudium sensibile bonorum, et major dolor sensibilis reproborum erit; unde non frustra erit hoc, sed utiliter sicut et corporahs apparitio hominum. Huic opinioni adhaerendo dicendum ad objectum, sapientiae locum quod disrumpet illos sine voce excusationis sutficieniis vel appellationis ; sed non sine voce disceptationis generalis. i3 Hetributionis et damnationis CAuSiE. De motivis autem hujusce sententiae sic habet Augustinus : « Quaere causas vel tantae mercedis, vel tanti supplicii : Percipite regnum, etc.
; et : Ite in ignem deternum, etc. Quare illi percepturi regnum ? Esurivi enim, et dedistis mihi manducare, etc. Quare isti ituri in ignem a^ternum ? Esurivi enim, et non dedistis mihi manducare, etc. Quid est hoc, rogo ? Video de his qui percepturi sunt regnum, quia dederunt tamquam boni et fldeles Christiani, qui verba Domini non contemnentes, et cum fiducia promissa sperantes fecerunt hoc; quia, si non fecissent,vitae ipsorum bonae sterilitas ista non utique convenisset. Forte enim casti erant, non fraudatores, non ebriosi, abstinentes se ab operibus malis ; si hoc non adderent, steriles remanerent, fecissent enim, declina a malo ; non fecisscnt, et fac bonum.
Scriptum est : Sicut aqua exstinguit ignem, sic eleemosynapeccatum ; item, scriptumest : Conclude eleemosynam in corde pauperis, et hxc pro te exorabit Dominum ; et alia mulla sunt divini eloquii dogmata quibus ostenditur multum valere eleemosynam ad exstinguenda etdelenda peccata. Proindeillis quos damnaturus, imo plus illis quos coronaturus est solas eieemosynas imputabit, dicens : Dilficile est ut si examinem vos et apprehendam, et scruter diligentissime facla vestra, non inveniamunde vosdamnem ; sed ite, percipite regnum : Esurivi enim^ et dedistis mihi manducare ; non ergo itis in regnum, quia non peccastis, sed quia peccata vestra eleemosynis redemistis. Rursus et illis : Ite in ignem seternum, sine dubio videbunt sejuste damnari pro sceleribus suis ; at quasi eis diceret : Non inde unde putatis, sed quia esurivi, et non dedistis mihi manducare. Si enim ab illis omnibiis vestris factis aversi, at ad me conversi illa omniacrimina atque peccata eleemosyuis redemissetis, ipsae eleemusynae modo liberarent vos, et a reatu tantorum criminum absolverent : Beati enim miseriGordes, quoniam ipsi misericordiam consequentur ; et : Judicium sine misericordia, ei, qui non fecit misericordiam : » haec Augustinus. i4 Pr^destinationis et pr. escienti^ DiscRiMEN. — Sicut ergo boni,quibus paratum est regnum a constitutione mundi, antequam fierent, ad vitam selernam erant praedestinati; sic mali, qui mittentur in ignem paratum diabolo et angelis suis, a constitutione mundi, antejuam flerent, ad mortem erant praesciti. Est autem differentia inter praedestinationem et praescientiam, quia praedestinatio est praecognitio bonorum, cum causalitate eorumdem ; sed praescientia dicit praecognitionem respectu malorum sine causalitate, quae potius residet penes liberum arbitrium.
Fit autem conditionaliter praedestinatio Dei,nihilque sine aliquaconditione praedestinatum est : prsedestinatum est enim ut salvaretur mundus, sed per aquam Baptismatis et mortem Filii Dei ; praedestinati sunt omnes boni adgloriam, ea tamen conditione, si fidemte nuerint, si caritatem, si humilitatem, si patientiam, si misericordiam et pietatem, et his similia habuerint. Tales enim eos futuros praevidit, quos Deus ad vitam praedestinavit ; et quasi prasdestinando eis diceret: Egoquidem ad vitam vos praedestino, si tamen tales et tales fucritis, si niandata mea custodieritis, si fidem et misericordiam habueritis. et si in bono tandem inventi fueritis. Qui ergo talis esse non vult, qui mandata Dei custodire non nititur , ideo non venit ad praedestinationem, quia non servat conditionera. Noli igitur attendere ad praedestinationem Dei quam ignoras ; attende ad verba, quae audis et intelligis. Sicut enim praedestinatione suaverus est Deus, et mutari non potest; ita et vcrba ejus vera sunt, et mutari non possunt. Sed audiamus quaBnam sint haec verba : Peccator, inquit, quacumque hora conversus fuerit et ingemuerit, vita vivet et non morietur ; et iterum : Si volueritis et audieritis me, bona terrsb comeietis ; quod si nolueritis, gladius devorabit vos. Similiter in Evangelio inquit : Qui crediderit, et baptizatus fuerit, etc; et iterum ; Si dimiseritis hominibus peccata eorum, dimittet vobis Pater vester ccBlestis, etc.
Nec quaeras aliam psedestinationem. In his enim verbis omnis et vitae et mortis praedestinatio et praescientia consistit ; si haec leceris, esto securus, et crede indubitanter, quia ad vitam aeternam praedestinatus es; quod si, indurato corde. haec facere nolueris, et in hac malitia perseveraveris, pro certo te scias ad mortem praesciium. Quamvis enim nullus homo ad peccatum sit praedestinatus, omnis tamen homo, aut ad gloriam, aut ad supplicium est praevisus. NuIIus ergo dicat frustra se orare Deum, et alia bona facere; quoniam praedestinatio divina, quae est praeparatio gratiae in praesenti, et gloriae in futuro, cum sit seterna, sicut ab aeterno Deus praedestinavit aliquem ad beatitudinem, ita et praeordinavit modum per quem daret sibi illam beatitudinem, scilicet. per merita sua et orationem. Pnedestinatio enim taliter est instituta, ut precibus et laboribus obtineatur ; et ideo nullus frustra orat Deum, quia oratio est illad per quod ex ordinatione divina debet consequi gratiam et gloriam ; et eadem ratio est de omnibus aliis bonis, quia cadunt sub ordine divinae praedestinationis. Unde' sicut Deus aliquem salvandum praevidet, sic et modum quo salvari debeat.
Propter hoc stultus est, qui EjE 1N EXTREMO JUDICIO. dirit : Volo facere quod mihi plaruerit, quia si salvari debeo, salvalior, vel si damnari debeo,damnabor ; sicut stullus esset infirmus qui diceret : Volo comedere et bibere quod mihi placuerit,quia si curari debco, curabor, et si mori debeo, moriar : sic enim inutiles essent medicinm Sane si Deus dimittit libcrum arbitriuui, quod se habet ad utrumlibet, iu malum cadere, hoc nou permitlit nisi juste; rursus, si praeveniat per gratiam. nulli facit injuriam. Unde, secundum Angustinum, liberum arbitrium est libertas eiigendi bonum vel malum; et hoc in paradiso homo habuit liberum, nunc vere captivum, quia bonum non vult, nisi gralia Dei prseveniatur, nec potest nisi eam sequatur. Cum ergo malos damnat et reprobat, operatur secundum justitiam suam; quando vero prsedestinat et salvat, agit secundum gratiam et misericordiam suam, qua3 non excludit justitiam. i5 Providentia Dei non cogit, nec Tio. — Nnllam autem necessitatem infert providentia Dei rerum eventibus; sed sicut sese habent res ad utrumlibet, scilicet fieri et non fieri, sic sc providentur habere. Quse providentia, seu quod idem est praescientia Dei, ex sua sapientia praescientis omnia antequam sint, omnino inevilabilis est, et nullo modo potest falli ; et ideo omnia praevisa a Deo necesse est fieri, quia non potest simul esse quod praevisa sint et non fiant, sed non sequiturquod necessario fiant.
Sic quuque dicimus: Me vidente te currere, necessaiium est ut curras, hoc est, non potest simul fieri: ut videam te currere, et non curras; et ex hoc nequaquam provenit quod necessario curras. Unde ait Boetius: « Duae sunt enim necessitates: simplex una, veluti quod necesse est omnes homines esse mortales; alteravero, conditionis, ut si aliquem ambularescias. eum ambulare necesse est, hanc etiam necessitatem non lacit propria natura, sed conditionis adjectio. NuUa enim necessitas cogit incedere voluntariegradientem,quamvis eum tunc cum gradiiur nccessarium slt incedere. Quae igitur, cum nuiit carent existendi necessitate, eadem priusquam (iant sine necessitate futurasunt :nam sieut scientia pra^scnlium rerum nihil his quce liunt, ita praiSLientia futurorum nihil his quie futura sunt, necessitatis importat. Eodem modo, si quid provideiitia praisens videt, id esse necesse est,tametsi nullam naturoe haheat necessitatem : » haec Boetius. Et ideo haecduplex est. Si Deus praevidet hoc, necessario eveniie oportet, quia conjunctim vera,divisim est falsa ; et est ibi necessitas consequcntiae , et non consequentis.
Exemplum habemus ex eodem Boetio : « Si aliquis videat aliquem facientem rotani, necesse est qu )d ille faciat rotam, nec tamen visus ejus causa est illius factionis; sic Deus praevidet mala istius opera, nec tamen causa est quare iste male operetur : verumtamen fiet, si praevisum est. Quandoautem Deus facit aliquam rem, non fit in ipso Deo mutatio ; sed in re certa quam operatur. Unde quando fecit praedicari subversionem JNinivae, et pra^dici moctem Ezechiae, quorum neutrum accidit, in talibus non mutavit Deus consilium quod ab agterno secum fuit ; sed sentenliam quae respectum ad ipsa negotia habuit, quia Niniva subverteuda erat secundum merita, et Ezechias moriturus erat secundum causas inferiores, vel etiam secundum merila ; sed haec non imposuerunt necessitatem divinaepotentiae. Praedestinatio igitur, licet certa sit, libertatem tamen arbitrii numquam tollit; unde bonorum salvatio est necessaria necessitate consequentiae vel conditionata, non necessitate consequentis vel absokita. Ista enim propositio : Praedestinatus potest damnari, falsa est, in sensu composito ; est tamen vera, in sensu diviso. Sic ergo exclusum est sophisma quod multos in errorem duxit, utomnia ex necessitatefieriputarent. Si ergo dicis quid adhuc Taciendum est? Respundeo, quia hoc solum superest consilium, utcurramus, et contendamus placere ei, qui nosvocavit.
Dicit enim Augustinus : « Sic praeordinata est divina praedestinatio, ut ad eam per bonorum operum perseverantiam perveniamus. » Hinc Bernardus : « Ipsa coelestis regni praedestinatio ita ab omnipotenti Deo prseordinata est, ut ad hoc electi ex labore perveniant,quatenus mereantur precibus obtinere quod ipse omnipotens Deus ante tempus disposuit donare :
Ubi nota exemplum utile, et aptum ad propositum. Fuit in quodam monasterio fraterquidam religiosus et devotus, cui ssepe revelationes fiebant divinitus;quod quidam alterejusdem nonasterii frater sciens, institit apud eumdem, ut Deum oraret, quatenus sibi dignaretur ostendere, si ipse de numero salvandorum esset. Et, cum ille vix precibus victus orationi instando hoc a Deo postularet, ostensum est sibi quod ille frater de numero damnandorum esset, unde timens fratrem alium turbare, per aliquot dies hoc sibi celavit ; sed tandem eidem requirenti, licet invitus, aperuit. Ule autem hoc audiens, et Scripturas intelHgens, statim respondit : Benedictus Deus, nec tamen sic desperabo, sed poenitentiamquam per ingressum rehgionisassumpsi, de cetero duplicabo, et tripbcabo. donec gratiam et miseric<irdiam apud Deum altissimum, qui pius est, inveniam. Etpost multos diesiterum fratri praedicto divinitus est revelalum, quod ille frater de numero salvandorum esset ; quod cum eidem fratri retulisset, ille laetus effctus de revelatione, fortior factus est in opere, ac virihter agens, et de virtute in virtutem quotidie proficiens perseveravit in bono sine cessatione. Utinam multi animati hoc exemplo, manum suam ad fortia mitterent, et non desperarent vel deticerent: quia sic agendo, et in hoc perseverando, Deum sibi propitium utique invenirent I ORATIO Domine Jesu Christe, judex vivorum et mortuorum, in extremo judicio me a dexteris collocare digneris, ettunc auditam fac mihi illam dulcissimam vocem tuam, quam promisisti electis tuis, dicens : Venite, benedicti Patris mei, percipite regnum; et fac, ut non timeam ab auditione mala, quam comminatus es reprobis, dicens : Ite, maledicti in ignem seternum. 0 unigenite Fili Dei, miserere nostri, ne umquam illam poenam incurabilem experiamur.
scihcet excidere a regni coelestis gloria, et comburi gehenna, Deus meus, misericordia mea. Amen.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin text contains several typos (e.g., 'pctit', 'sccundo', 'ierlio', 'promi-sionis', 'pauperesaccipiebat', 'hominibusaccipere'). These have been corrected in translation to 'petit', 'secundo', 'tertio', 'promissionis', 'pauperes accipiebat', and 'hominibus accipere' respectively.
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