De rege qui voluit rationem ponere cum servis suis
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
The Lord teaches the necessity of forgiving others by comparing our debts to God with the small debts our neighbors owe us.
The fact that we must forgive a brother who sins against us—and not just seven times, but seventy-seven times—and that this shouldn't seem heavy or difficult to anyone if they consider that God forgives much greater things in those who sin against Him, is shown by the Lord through a parable; for we are greater debtors to God, and we offend Him more than any human could ever offend a neighbor. For the offense is as great as the one who is offended: God, however, is infinite, and therefore an offense committed against Him has a certain infinity. Yet, as often as we offend, He is ready to forgive, provided we truly wish to repent. If, therefore, He who is the Lord and King of all forgives His servant, we ought all the more to forgive a brother and neighbor who sins against us. And for this reason, He gives the example of the parable of the king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants, and in the end, He applies the parable to the point, saying: 'So will my heavenly Father do to you.' In the same way, God settles accounts with His servants—that is, with human beings. God carefully examines everyone's actions and weighs their merits through the Scriptures, through His creatures, through confessors, and through the humbling of one's own conscience, even though He doesn't wish to demand an accounting of human deeds. This parable can therefore be adapted to the point and explained as follows: 'The kingdom of heaven'—that is, the state of the Church militant, or of the present time, which is called the kingdom of heaven both because it is subject to the laws of heaven and because through it one arrives at heaven—is likened to a human king, that is, to Christ. He is true man and true God, King of kings and Lord of lords, who wished to settle accounts with His servants, the human beings whose Lord He is, because the examination of every individual's merits belongs to Him. And it should be noted that the Lord will hold us to an accounting: for the good things committed to us, and for the good things we have omitted; likewise, for the evils we have committed, and for the evils we have allowed. The first is the parable of the dishonest steward, and this accounting is much to be feared; for many good things have been committed to us, and of great value—namely, the goods of nature, of grace, and of fortune—for all of which we must render an account of how we have used them. If we had to give an account for nothing more than our time, we would have much to fear; for every moment given to a person will be required of them, and they'll have to answer for how it was spent. When the reckoning is made. His own. A person can be absolved from debt and earn the kingdom of heaven in a single hour of time. Secondly, there is the parable of the talents; this reckoning is also much to be feared, since the Lord says in that same place: 'Throw the useless servant into the outer darkness.' Thirdly, a reckoning is also much to be feared, since the Lord is going to demand an account even for idle thoughts and words. Fourthly, there is the present parable of the King settling accounts with his servants; this reckoning is very much to be feared because of the vileness of ingratitude, which is extremely dangerous. When he began to settle accounts—that is, to examine merits and consciences, a process we are in now, though our final judgment will come later based on our merits—a man was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents, meaning he was liable for a massive penalty due to his many sins. The gravity and number of his sins are represented by this debt; a specific number is used to stand in for an indefinite one. As Augustine says: "Because the Law is commended in the ten commandments, he owed ten thousand talents, which represent all sins—specifically those committed against the Law." But when. He had nothing to pay with—meaning he couldn't satisfy God for his sins through his own strength. A person can fall on their own, but they cannot rise again; they can offend and sin by themselves, thereby incurring a debt, but they cannot pay it off alone unless the grace of God intervenes. If a person isn't enough to make satisfaction for even one sin, they are far less capable of doing so for ten thousand talents of sin. Therefore, his Lord ordered him to be sold into the slavery of punishment, because, according to Remigius, the price of this person being sold is the torment of the damned. His wife—that is, concupiscence, from which evil children are conceived—and his children—that is, evil works—were to be sold. In a person, the spirit is the man and sensuality is the woman; through their union, children—that is, works—are generated. Therefore, having his wife and children sold means paying the penalty for interior concupiscences and exterior evil works, which is his price. All that he had—namely, temporal goods—is included, because one's entire substance is sometimes handed over to strangers due to the magnitude of the offense. Alternatively, all that the spirit has are the powers of the soul and body, and even exterior goods, all of which are turned into punishment so that the punishment may dominate the person in every area where they have sinned. Hence it is added: 'And to be paid,' for the debt of sin is paid when the price of punishment is discharged for it. But that servant, who is the sinner, falling down through penance and humility of self—he who previously had, as it were, raised his neck against God—earnestly begged him. He said: 'Have patience with me, by granting me time for life and penance, by forgiving the offense, and by relaxing the punishment; and I will pay you everything by doing meritorious works and by amending myself, awaited by your patience, anticipated by your grace, and helped by your mercy.' But the Lord had mercy, because the Lord is merciful and compassionate, ready to show mercy and to spare those who truly repent—the servant who was falling in contrition, speaking in confession, and promising satisfaction. He dismissed him, free from the captivity of guilt, and forgave him the debt, relaxing the penalty of eternal punishment; he forgave everything, because he gives more than is asked. Chrysostom says: Look at the mercy of God; he asked for more time, and he received forgiveness for all his sins. The cruelty of the servant who had been forgiven toward his fellow servant. Once that servant was released from the obligation of his sin—freed from the debt, yet still a slave to wickedness and forgetful of the mercy he had found—he came upon one of his fellow servants (that is, one of the sinners and people who are God's servants just as he is; for we are all fellow servants and servants of one Lord, both we and the angels). This man owed him a hundred denarii, meaning he had offended him only slightly, and he was held to account for very little, because an offense against a person is small compared to the offense committed against God. He found him in his mind through the memory of the injury, and grabbing him, he began to choke him, tightening his grip and pressing him hard, because he was cruelly forcing him to pay and make amends. He holds his debtor when he keeps the offense in his memory, harboring anger and hatred in his heart. To choke is to strangle or to tighten one's grip around the throat; and since we speak with our throat, he chokes his neighbor who will not hear words of excuse—in which is shown the harshness of demanding vengeance from a neighbor. Hence Remigius says: To choke a fellow servant is to burn with vengeance against a brother. Holding him, therefore, he choked him, saying: Pay what you owe—that is, torment for an injury, and blows for words. His fellow servant fell down and begged him, saying, "Have patience with me—spare me—and I will pay you everything." It is as if to say: "I am ready to make amends as I am able; and, as the law says, I will make restitution for my wrongdoing, according to the judgment or counsel of the Church." Notice that the fellow servant who was begging used the same words the wicked servant had used when he begged the Lord and earned his forgiveness. But, as Chrysostom says, the ungrateful servant did not respect the very words by which he himself had been saved. He, however, refused to have patience or grant an extension, and he wouldn't let go of his resentment; he showed his cruelty in the way he demanded vengeance. Hence Augustine says: "This man did not find in his fellow servant the same thing that he had found in the Lord." The one asked for an extension and earned forgiveness; the other, who was begging for the mercy of an extension, felt the punishment of being choked. He walked in the way of Cain, turning away from natural kindness and alienating himself from the familiarity and friendship of his neighbor; he threw him into prison, cruelly afflicting him until he could pay the debt in full and satisfy him at his every whim. This prison can be understood as hell. We throw our neighbor into prison whenever we sin against them and refuse to forgive their faults; for as much as it lies within us, by failing to show mercy, we condemn them to prison. His fellow servants—the angels, who the Book of Revelation calls our fellow servants because we all serve the same Lord—were watching. They saw the servant acting cruelly toward his fellow servant, for they see all our actions and the sufferings we endure, and they bring them before God. We have three witnesses from whom we can never hide: God, the holy angels, and the demons. They were, I say, deeply saddened by the servant's ingratitude and guilt, and by the affliction and punishment of his fellow servant. For the angels are saddened by sin, they are stirred to repentance, and they carry souls toward glory; they came and told their Lord everything that had happened, reporting it to God, complaining, and imploring His help. Alternatively, these fellow servants are the ministers of the Church and all the faithful and just. When they see the cruelty of men toward their neighbors—or see a brother who has received the forgiveness of sins but refuses to show mercy to his own fellow servant—they are saddened, because it is part of the same virtue to rejoice in what is good and be saddened by what is evil. They report this to the Lord, because in prayer they ask the Lord to judge such things for the sake of justice, not out of a bitter desire for vengeance. Or, to tell the Lord is to show God the sorrows and contrition of one's heart in their own affection. Or, when they come to the Lord—that is, to the prelate who acts in God's place on earth—they announce the evil deeds to him for the purpose of correction. Then his Lord called him through the sentence of death and ordered him to depart from this world, so that he might render an account for everything. Remigius says, "This calling doesn't just happen within the conscience; it happens outwardly in judgment." And he says to him, 'You wicked servant, for it isn't fair, but unjust, to receive mercy and then return unmercifulness or injury; I forgave you the whole debt—that is, the great offense committed against me.' In this, according to Chrysostom, the great sin of ingratitude is clear; for at first, when he was a debtor of ten thousand talents, he didn't call him wicked, nor did he insult him. But when he fell into the vice of such great ingratitude, he said to him in anger, 'You wicked servant, because you have become worse than you were at first.' For, according to Gregory, just as good people are made better by insults, so the reprobate are always made worse by kindness. Was it not, therefore, fitting for you to have mercy on your fellow servant by forgiving the small things, just as I had mercy on you by forgiving the greater things? For there was no satisfaction intervening, but for this reason alone—because you asked me, you asked for a delay, but you deserved a full pardon. It would have been fitting, indeed, that, provoked by such kindness, you would have released even the whole debt to the one asking; but you were unwilling to do even what is less, because you refused to grant a delay. Chrysostom says this: "If the loss seems grave, the profit should have moved you; if the command seems grave, think of the reward; if it seems grave to forgive the one who offended you, it is graver to fall into hell." According to Remigius, this servant is not recorded as having given any answer to the Lord; in which it is demonstrated that on the day of judgment, and immediately after this life, every excuse for sin will cease. And the Lord, in his anger—not out of a human feeling of rage, but in a way that resembles it, acting as one who is angry by inflicting punishment—handed him over to the torturers, that is, to the demons and the ministers of hell, who in this are the executors of divine justice. For we suffer the torturers in our punishment whom we once welcomed as our tempters in our sin, until he should pay back through his suffering the entire debt incurred through his guilt. This will be eternal and everlasting, for 'until' is used here to signify an infinite duration, just as it is used in the passage: 'He did not know her until she gave birth.' The meaning is this: he will always be paying, yet he will never pay it off; he will never be released, but will always suffer the penalty, for he can never pay it back because he will be eternally condemned. For in hell there is always a paying back without any gain, since the punishment remains forever without end; because there is no place there for redemption or satisfaction, but only a place of condemnation and punishment. The reason the Lord himself brought up this entire parable was to explain it by adapting it to his purpose, saying: 'So also will my heavenly Father do to you, by demanding the entire debt from you and handing you over to the torturers to be tormented.' According to Chrysostom, he does not say 'your Father,' but 'my Father'; for it is not fitting for a person like this to call God his Father, since he is so destructive and hateful. On this, Jerome says: 'It is a terrifying thought: if we do not forgive our brother his small debts, the great ones will not be forgiven us by God.' And because anyone can say with their mouth, 'I have nothing against him,' they have God as their judge, who strips away the pretense of a fake peace when he says: 'If you do not forgive, each one of you, your brother—not just with your mouth, but also from your hearts.' It is not a peace made in pretense, but one made in true and complete love; because it is not enough to forgive with words unless the mouth and the heart are in agreement. Some people refuse to forgive entirely because they harbor malice in their hearts and carry out vengeance whenever they can; others, even if they let go of the desire for vengeance, still hold onto a deep-seated hatred in their malice.
The Return of Sins and the Duty of Forgiveness
A theological discussion on how sins can return through ingratitude and the practical benefits of forgiving those who offend us.
But whoever wants to be forgiven by the Lord must forgive their brother in both ways: by not taking revenge in action, and by not harboring malice in their heart. For, as Gregory says, if we don't forgive from the heart what is done against us, that which we were already glad to have had forgiven through penance will be demanded back from us. Where there is no perseverance in love, there is no sufficient penance; that is why it is said to the one freed from sins: "Go, and sin no more." Even secular laws sometimes force those who have been set free back into their former servitude because of their ingratitude. But from this, it seems that forgiven sins return because of the repeated commission of sin. To this, it is commonly said that they return through the aggravation of the subsequent sin; not that the new sin is as grave as all the preceding ones, but because it is graver by comparison to those that came before. Therefore, what had been forgiven is demanded back—not in itself, but because of the ingratitude shown for that forgiveness. Everything is said to return because the ingratitude is directed toward the forgiveness that covered everything, and in that way, it relates to all the sins that were forgiven. They do not return, therefore, in terms of their stain and guilt, but in terms of ingratitude. For whoever returns to sin after receiving forgiveness sins more, because they have shown themselves ungrateful for such a great benefit; and thus, ingratitude aggravates the sin of falling back. Some, however, say that sins return in four cases: namely, because of hatred for a brother, apostasy from the faith, contempt for confession, and regret over having done penance. Hence the verses: A brother hates, an apostate is made, one scorns to confess, and it's a regret to have repented: the former sin returns. You'll easily and rightly forgive someone who sins against you if you truly consider how much you want to be forgiven yourself. For, according to Chrysostom, even if you were to forgive seventy-seven times, and even if you were to keep forgiving your neighbor for every sin, your love still falls short of the infinite goodness of God—to whom you must answer when you are judged and when you have to account for your own offenses—by as much as a single drop of water falls short of an infinite ocean. And that is why it's right to compare sins against God to ten thousand talents, and sins against a neighbor to a hundred denarii; because the very same sins are committed much more gravely against God than against a neighbor. We are taught here that just as the Lord forgives our greater sins, so we should forgive our fellow servants for the lesser ones they commit against us; otherwise, he will demand the entire debt from us. Why is that? Augustine says: 'Every person is a debtor to God, and has their own brother as a debtor.' Therefore, a just God has established a rule for you regarding your debtor, which he himself will also follow with his own. And so Chrysostom adds: 'Understanding all these things, and considering those ten thousand talents, let us at least be quick to forgive our neighbors for their small and trivial offenses.' Let's listen to the merciless and cruel, for we aren't cruel to others, but to ourselves. When you want to remember wrongs, think about the fact that you are remembering your own wrongs, not someone else's; for you are counting your own sins, not your neighbor's. There are two things to learn from this: recognizing our own sins and forgiving others. The latter is for the sake of the former, so it might be done more easily; for whoever understands his own sins forgives his fellow servant more easily, and not just with his lips. But also from the heart. So don't say that he insulted you, slandered you, or did you ten thousand evils. The more you say that, the more you show him to be a benefactor, for he gave you an opportunity to wash away your sins. Therefore, the greater the injustice he did to you, the greater the cause you have for the forgiveness of your own sins. For if we are willing, no one will be able to do us injustice; instead, even our enemies will be of the greatest benefit to us. See, then, how much you gain by gently bearing with the thoughtlessness of your enemies: first, and most importantly, the forgiveness of your sins; second, patience and perseverance; third, gentleness and love for others; and fourth, being constantly free from anger and the sadness that comes from it. By doing this, you'll be held in honor, even by your enemies—even if they are demons—and what's more, you won't have any enemies left if you're disposed this way. But what is greater and primary is friendship with God, and if you have sinned, you will obtain forgiveness. And again: "Let us not keep a record of wrongs against those who attack us; for they are of the greatest benefit to us, provided we do not take revenge ourselves." If he has robbed you, you have given thanks for the injustice and glorified God; you have reaped infinite rewards. But if you pray for him, you have become like God. You see how we gain the most from the persecution of others. Nothing pleases God as much as not returning evil for evil; rather, we are commanded to return the opposite: kindness and prayers. There's nothing more difficult than remembering the wrongs done to us. Knowing this, let's humble ourselves and even show gratitude to those who owe us; for if we want to live wisely, they become an opportunity not just for great forgiveness, but for the greatest reward. We give a little, only to receive much. Why, then, do you demand it so forcefully, when it would be more fitting—even if the other person were willing to pay—to yield to them, so that you might receive everything from God? Yet now you do everything and fight so that nothing of what is owed to you is forgiven. Whatever debtors you have, then—whether in money or in labor—let them all go free, and look to God as your rewarder. We must, therefore, forgive our debtors everything—both money and sins—so that the reward we desire may come to us; and by forgetting the malice committed against us, we may fulfill the virtue we've neglected and attain eternal goods: so says Chrysostom. Consider also what Seneca says here: "If you are magnanimous, you will never judge that an insult has been done to you." Regarding an enemy, you might say, 'He didn't actually harm me, but he had the soul of someone who wanted to,' and when you see him in your power, you'll think you could have taken your revenge. Know, then, that to forgive is a noble and great form of revenge. And again: 'The remedy for injuries is to forget them'—so says Seneca.
Twelve Remedies Against Despair
A pastoral reflection on the twelve ways to receive forgiveness and the importance of balancing hope and fear to avoid despair or presumption.
Note that, following the number of the twelve apostles, there are also twelve ways to receive forgiveness. The first is Baptism, as the Gospel says: "Unless one is born again of water," and so on. The second is love, for the Gospel also says: "Her many sins are forgiven, because she loved much." The third is almsgiving and works of charity, for the Wise Man says: "As water extinguishes fire, so almsgiving extinguishes sin." The fourth is weeping and tears, as the Lord says: "Because he has wept in my sight, I will not bring evil in his days." The fifth is confession and penance, for the Psalmist says: "I said, I will confess my injustice against myself to the Lord; and you forgave the wickedness of my sin." The sixth is the affliction of the body, for the Apostle Paul says: "I have delivered such a man to the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved." The seventh is the amendment of life or the renunciation of vices, for the Gospel says: "Behold, you are made whole; sin no more." The eighth is the intercession of the Saints, for James says: "Is any one among you sick? Let him bring in the priests of the Church," and so on. The ninth is the merit of mercy and faith, for the Gospel says: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." The tenth is the conversion and salvation of one's neighbor, for James says: "He who makes a sinner turn from the error of his way." . . It will cover a multitude of sins. The eleventh is mutual forgiveness and indulgence, for the Gospel says: "Forgive, and you will be forgiven," as in this present place. The twelfth is the suffering of martyrdom for the faith of the Church, for which the penitent and suffering thief is told by the Lord: "Amen I say to you, this day you will be with me in paradise." From this, and from many other passages in the Gospel, we have healthy remedies against the evil of despair; therefore, no one should despair, since we have many harbors of salvation. If you've despaired because of the magnitude of your sin, you have Peter, who denied the faith—which is the greatest sin—and yet God looked upon him. If you've despaired because of the multitude of your sin, you have Mary Magdalene, who had seven demons—that is, all sins—and yet it was said of her: "Her many sins are forgiven." If you've despaired because of the shame of your sin, you have the woman caught in adultery, to whom it was said: 'Go, and sin no more.' If you've despaired because of the infamy of your sin, you have Matthew sitting publicly at the tax office, and yet the Lord said to him: 'Follow me.' If you've despaired because of the long duration of your sin, you have the thief on Calvary who persisted in evil until death, and yet it was said to him by the Lord: 'Today you will be with me in paradise.' If you've despaired because of the cruelty of your sin, you have Paul the Apostle stoning Stephen, of whom it was said: 'He is a chosen instrument for me.' If you've despaired because of relapsing into sin, or because of the repetition and magnitude of your sin, you have here the clear authority for forgiving your brother seventy times seven. Hence Bernard says: 'We run after you, Lord Jesus, entirely because of the gentleness that is preached of you, hearing that you do not despise the poor, and do not shrink from the sinner.' You didn't shrink from the confessing thief, nor the weeping sinful woman, nor the Canaanite woman begging, nor the one caught in adultery, nor the one sitting at the tax office, nor the publican praying, nor the disciple denying you, nor the persecutor of your disciples, nor your very crucifiers. In short, you are as powerful in justifying as you are abundant in forgiving. The bride runs, and the young women run; but she who loves more ardently runs faster and arrives sooner. Hence Chrysostom says: 'God created us with free will, so that by our own will, with the help of God, we may do what we wish.' If you are a tax collector, you can become an Evangelist; if you are a blasphemer, you can become an Apostle; if you are a thief, you can become a citizen of paradise; if you are a magician, you can worship God. There is no malice that cannot be undone by repentance. And for this reason, Christ chose the greatest of sins, so that no one, even to the very end, should despair of himself. Don't tell me, 'I am lost'; don't tell me, 'I have sinned.' For you have a physician who is strong enough and powerful enough to overcome your infirmity. You have your own will as a physician, if you choose—one that is healing, powerful, and willing. He created you when you didn't even exist, and because you've become corrupt, He is all the more capable of restoring you. But perhaps you'll ask, "How can a sinner be like the saints?" Don't ask for the method or look for the reason; just believe in the mercy and kindness of God. But you say, "My sins are great, and my wickedness is immense." And who is without sin? But you say, "I am the worst, worse than anyone else." To appease God, it's enough for you to stop sinning and do what is good. He says, "State your sins first, so that you may be justified." Acknowledge that you have sinned; and if you admit it, you've already begun your correction. Sigh, feel sorrow, and pour out your tears. As Chrysostom says, the woman who was a sinner poured out nothing but tears, joining them to her repentance; with those tears as her companion, she reached the fountain. Hence Gregory also says: "Therefore, let no quality or quantity of our sins break us away from the certainty of hope." For this reason, the almighty God allows His chosen ones to fall into certain lapses, so that He may restore hope to others who are lying in their guilt, if they rise up to Him with their whole heart; and through their laments, He opens to them the way of mercy. Since we see many healed from their own iniquities, what else do we hold but a pledge of heavenly mercy? And again: "What else should we look at in this matter but the immense mercy of our Creator, who set before us those whom He made to live after their fall through repentance, as a sign and an example of repentance?" Indeed, I see nothing else in these things but examples of hope and repentance placed before our eyes. Almighty God places before our eyes everywhere those whom we should imitate; everywhere He sets before us examples of His mercy. And so Augustine also says: 'What necessity could ever force a sinner into impenitence?' Neither the scale of the crime, the brevity of time, the enormity of a life, nor the finality of the hour excludes anyone from forgiveness, provided the change of heart is complete; rather, the mother of charity receives her prodigal sons back into her most expansive embrace. And again: 'The Father handed over His Son to redeem His servants; He sent the Holy Spirit to adopt His servants as sons. He gave the Son as the price of redemption, and the Holy Spirit as the privilege of adoption; He keeps Himself entirely as the inheritance for those He has adopted.' Therefore, let no one doubt the mercy of God, for His mercy is greater than our misery. Whoever cries out to Him with their whole heart, He will hear, because He is merciful. Indeed, it seems to take Him longer to grant forgiveness to the sinner than it does for the sinner to receive it. So it is. He hastens to absolve the guilty from the torment of their own conscience, as if the compassion of the One who is merciful feels more pain than the miserable person feels from their own misery. Chrysostom also says: "Believe me, God's mercy toward humanity is such that He never rejects repentance if it's offered to Him sincerely and simply. Even if someone has reached the height of wickedness and then wants to turn back to the way of truth, He welcomes and embraces them, and does everything to restore them to their former state." Regarding Cain's words, 'My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon,' Augustine says: 'You're lying, Cain, you're lying; God's mercy is greater than any iniquity.' See, it's clear that he despaired; and for this reason the same Augustine says that he offended God more by his despair than by his fratricide, just as Judas did more by his despair than by his betrayal. Bernard says: 'O confused thing, O monstrous thing, a sinner despairing of God's mercy, when all the original, mortal, and venial sins committed from the beginning of the world, compared to divine mercy, are like a single drop compared to the vastness of the entire sea!' In short, according to Augustine and Gregory, if one person had committed the sins of all humanity and had despaired just as Cain and Judas did, and if God had even sworn to deny that person pardon—if that miserable person had asked for pardon with a contrite heart, the merciful God would not have denied it. And, as Augustine and Jerome testify, past sins don't harm if they no longer please us. We must also place great hope in the merit of Christ, without whom we cannot be saved. For all our merits are rooted in the merit of Christ, whether they are the penance that makes satisfaction or the merits that earn eternal life; because we aren't worthy to be absolved from the offense against the Creator, nor are we worthy to attain the immensity of the reward that is God, except through the merit of the God-man. We must place our hope primarily in the merit of Christ’s Passion, for it is a special comfort to the miserable. Bernard says: “Your Passion, Lord, is the final refuge, the unique remedy when wisdom fails, justice falls short, and holiness is insufficient; when our own merits collapse, it is your Passion that comes to our aid.” We must guard against not only despair, but also vain hope, for there is great danger in both. Augustine says: “People are in danger from both directions—both by hoping and by despairing.” What, then, does God do with those who are in danger from both these maladies? To those in danger from hope, he says: “Don't delay in turning to the Lord, and don't put it off from day to day; for his wrath will come suddenly, and in the time of vengeance he will destroy you.” But what does he say to those in danger from despair? “On whatever day the wicked person turns, I will forget all his iniquities.”✦ He has offered indulgence to those in danger of despair. He has provided a harbor for those in danger of despair, but for those in danger of presumption who are deceived by delays, he has made the day of death uncertain. You don't know when the final day will come. You are ungrateful, because you have today to be corrected, yet you wait for tomorrow; perhaps it won't be given to you. And again: 'Lest we increase our sin by despairing, a harbor of repentance has been given to us; and lest we increase our sin by presuming, an uncertain day of death has been given to us.' And again: 'The thief acknowledged, Peter denied; in Peter it is shown that no righteous person should presume upon himself; in the thief, that no impious person who has converted should despair.' Therefore, let the good person fear, lest he perish through pride; and let the bad person not despair because of his many sins: so says Augustine. Hence also Gregory: 'Have confidence, my brothers, in the mercy of our Creator; and come with tears to the merciful Judge, while he still waits for you.' Since you must consider that He is just, don't neglect your sins; yet since you must consider that He is merciful, don't despair. And again: "May His mercy so refresh us that it doesn't make us negligent in any way; and may our sins so trouble us that our mind does not fall into despair." For if we fear while being presumptuous, and hope while being fearful, we will reach the eternal kingdom all the sooner. Chrysostom also says: "Let us not laugh while we are standing, but let us say to ourselves: 'Whoever thinks he is standing, let him watch that he does not fall'; and let us not despair if we have fallen, but let us say to ourselves: 'Will he who falls not rise again?'" For many have ascended to the very summit of heaven, and have been translated from the stage and from buffoonery to angelic refinement; and they have shown such virtue that they have driven away demons and performed many signs. Scripture and the lives of the Fathers are full of such examples for us. And again: "Let no one who is in malice despair as if they were lost; let no one who is in the virtues doze off as if they were entirely secure. For the one should not be overconfident, since a prostitute will often overtake them; and the other should not despair, for it is possible for them to surpass even the first." So says Chrysostom.
A Prayer for Mercy
A concluding prayer seeking the grace to settle accounts with God and neighbor through the mercy of Christ.
PRAYER: Woe to me, a miserable man! For when I look at the sins I've committed and understand the punishments I deserve to suffer for them, I feel no small amount of fear. What then? Am I to remain in despair, without guidance or help? To you, Jesus Christ, the fountain of piety and mercy, I run and hasten—in whom I already see and recognize so many sinners washed clean. I beg for your ineffable mercy, that you might grant me to settle my accounts here and now, both with myself and with your ministers, and to forgive my fellow servants their sins and amend my own, so that in the future, when you choose to settle accounts personally with your servants, you may forgive me what I owe both to you and to my neighbor. Amen.
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Quod autem dimittendum sit fratri peccanti, et non tantum septies, sed septuagies septies, et quod hoc non debeat ahcui grave aut diificile videri, si attendatur quod Deus majora remitlit in sepeccanti, ostenditDuminus per exempium ; quia magis sumus debitores Dei, et plus offendimus eum, quam homo posset ofTendere proximum. Tantaenim estoffensa^quantus est ille qui offenditur : Deus autem est intinitus, et ideo offcnsa in ipsum commissa quamdam habet infinitatem; et tamen quotiescumque offendimus, toties ipse paratus est remittere, dum tamen velimus veraciter poenitt;re ; si ergo ipse, qui est Dominus et Rex omnium, dimittit servo, multo fortius et nos debemus dimitLere peccanti in nos fratri et proximo. Etideopro exemplo ponit parabolam de rege, qui voluit rationem ponere cum servis suis, et in fine apphcat parabolam ad propositum, dicens : Sic ct Puter meus coBlestis faciet vobis. Similiter cnim Deus ponit rationem cum servis, sciHcet hominibus ; nam omniumactusDeusdiscutitdiligenter, et mcrita cujusque examinat, et hoc : per Scripturas, per creaturas, per confcssores, per humiliationem propriae conscientiae, nolens rationem de factis humanis exigere. Potest ergo haec parahoia ad propositum aptari, et sic exponi : Assimilatum est regnum coBlorum, id est status Ecclesia; militantis, seu prsesentis temporis, quae regnum ccelorum diciiur, tum quia legibus coeU suhjicitur, tum quia de ea ad coelum pervenitur, homini regi, id est, Christo. ipse enim est verus homo et verus Deus, Rex regum et Dominus dominantium ; c^ui voluit rationem ponere cum servis suis, scilicet hominibus, quorum est Dominus, quia ad ipsum pertinet examinatio nieritorum quorumiibet, et singulorum. Et notandum, quod Dominus ponet nos ad ralionem : de omnihus bonis commissis, et de bonis omissis ; itemque de malis a nobis commissis, et de malis a nobis dimissis. De primo est parabola de villico iniquitatis, et ista cumputatio multum timenda est; multaenim bona nobiscommissa sunt, et magni valoris, scilicet : bona naturae, gratise et fortunae,de quibus omnibus oportet reddere ralionem, qualiter eis usi simus.
Et, si non haberemus reddere rationem nisi de tempore, multum esset nobis timendum; omne enim tempus homini impensum requiretur ab eo qualiter fuerit exDi; KEGi-: oui voLuiT UAT. poNEHi-: cuM si:uv. SUIS. Gl peiisum, et una hora temporis potest liomo absolvi a debito, et regnum cffilorum lucrari. Do secundo est parabola de talentis ; et ha)c ctiam computatio muUum est timenda, cum Dominus dicat ibidem : Et inutilem servum projicite in tenebr' ' s extcriores. De tertio, computatio etiam multum est timenda,cumDominuspositurussitrationem etiam de cogitationibusetverbis otiosis. De quarto est parabolapryesens de Rege ponente ralionem cum servissuis;et hasccomputatio muitum timencia est, propler vilium ingratitudinis, quod est valde periculosum.
Et, cum cospisset rationem ponere, id est mcrita et conscientias examinare, in qua examinatione modo sumus, sed postmodum dabitur de nobis sententia, secundum merita : Ohlatus est ei unus, qui debebat decem millia talenta, id est obligatus ad magnam poenam, proptcr multa pecrata. In debito istius denotatur gravitas et numerositas peccatoi um ; et accipitur determinatus numeruspro indetei-minato. Unde Augustinus : « Quia Lex in decem prseceptis commendatur, ille debebat decem millia talentorum, per quod omnia peccata designantur, quae scilicet contra Legem tiunt. » Cum autem. non haberet, unde redderet, id est, cum non posset viribus suis Deo satisfacere pro peccatis ; homo enim per se potest ruere, sed non resurgere, per se ofTendere et peccare, ac per hoc debitum contrahere, sed non per se satisfacere, nisi gratia Dei accedente; et si homo pro uno tantum peccato non sutficit satisfacere, multo minus pro decem millibus peccatorum talentis : jussit ergo eum Dominusejus venumdari^ in servitutem poenae , quia, secundum Remigium, pretium hujus venditi, supplicium est damnati ; et uxorem ejus, id est concupiscentiam, ex qua concipiuntur mali lilii, et filios ejas, id est mala opera; in homine enim spiritus est vir, sensualitas mulier, per quorum conimixtionem filii, id est operagenerantur ; uxorem ergo et filios venumdari, est pro concupiscentiis interioribus, et malis operibus exterioribus poenam soivere, quod est pretium ejus; et omnia qux Imbehat, scilicet tefiiporalia, quia tota subslantia sua pro magniludine deiicti traditur quandoque extraneis; vel, omnia qua3 spiritus habet, sunt vires anima; et corporis, et etiam bona exteriora, qua^ omnia in poenani commutantur, ut poena dominctur ipsi, quantumad omnia in quibus peccavit; unde subditur : Et rcddi, tunc enim debitum pcccati redditnr, cum pro eo poenai prelium exsolvitur. Procidens autem scrvus ille,k\ est peccator, per poenitentiam et humilitatem sui, qui prius quasi coUuni contra Deum erexerat, obnixe orabat eum, dv. ens : Patientiam habc in me, donando mihi vitae et poenitentiae spatium, condonando delictum, relaxando supplicium; ct omnia rcddam tibi, opera meritoria faciendo, et me emendando, tua patieniia exspectatus, tua gratia praeventus, tuaque mi>ericordia adjutus. Misertus autcm Dominus, quia miscricors et miserator Dominus, paratus e4 miscreri et parcere vere pusmtentibus, scrvi ilUus, sic procidentis in contritione, sic dicentis in confessione, sic proiuittentis de satisfactione; dimisit eum Jiberum a captivitate culpae, et debitum dimisit ei, relaxando realum pienae seternae ; dimitiit totum, quia plus dat quani rogetur.
Unde Chrysostomus : a Vide misericordiam Dei ; petierat dilationem, et accepit omnium peccatorum remissionem. » 3 Crudelitas servi condonati erga coNSERvuM. — Egressus autem de obligatione peccati servus ille, a debito quidem Iiber, sed iniqiiitatis servus, et niisericordiae inventae oblitus, znuenit unum de conserms suis, id est de peccatoribus et hominibus, qui sunt servi Dei cum ipso, omnes enini conservi, et unius Domini servi sumus, etnos et Angeli; qui dcbebat ei centum denarios, id est parum offendit eum, et in modico tenetur respective, quia oiTensa in homincm modica est respectu offensae commissae in Deum. Invenit autem in animo per recordationem injuriae, et tenens suffocabat eum, stringendo et arctando, quia cnidelitercoegiteum reddereet satisfacere. Ille debitoretn tenet , qui offensam tenet in memoria, qiii iram et odium servat in corde. SufTocare, est strangulare, vel stringere per gulam ; et, quoniam gutture loquimur, ille suflocat proximum, qui verba excusationis non autlit; inquo ostenditur austeritas in repetendo vindictam a proximo. Unde sic dicit Remigius : « Conservum sufFocare est in fratrem per vindictam exardescere. » Tenens ergo suffocabat eim, dicens : Redde quod debes, scilicet tormentum pro injuria, pro verbis verbera.
Et procidens conservus ejus, rogabat eum, dicens : Patientiam habe in me, id est parce mihi ; et omnia reddam tibi. Quasi diceret : Paratus sum, secundum possibilitatem meam satisfacere; et,utdicit2lemi^zMS,emendabojudicio vel consilio Ecclesiae, quod deliqui. Attende quod eadem verba protulit conservus supplicans, quibus supplicando a Domino remissionem meruerat malus servus. Sed, ut dicit Chrysostomus, haec verba ingratus servus reveritus non est, quibus salvatus est. Ille autem noluit habere patientiam, praestando dilationem, nec voluit dimitteresinevindictarancorem,ostendens crudelitatcm in motlo ropetendi vindictam. Unde Augustinus : « Non talem invenit iste conservum, qualem ille invenerat Dominum. Petiit ille dilationem, et meruit remissionem; iste, qui misericordiam petebat dilationis, sensit poenam suifocationis. » Sedabiit in via Cain, a naturali pietate recedendo , et a familiaritate et amicitia proximi se alienando ; et misit eum in carcerem, crudeliter atfligendo, donec redderet debitum plenarie et ad nutum satisCaciendo.
Hic carcer infernus potest intelligi. Toties vero peccantem in nos proximum in carcerem mittimus, quoties ejus culpae non indulgemus; quantum enim in nobisipsis est, dum non parcimus, carceri damnamus.
Videntcs autem conservi ejus, scilicet Angeli , qui , secuudum Apocalypsim, conservi sunt nostri : quia ejusdem Domini sumus servi, quaefiebant. scilicet crudeliter a servo in conservum suum; omnia enim opera quae agimus, et supplicia quae patimur vident, etcoram Deo repraesentant; tres enim testes habemtis a quibus numquam abscondimur, scilicet : Deum, Angelos sanctos, et daemones. Videntes, inquam, contristati sunt valde de ingratitudine et culpa servi, de afflictione et pnena conservi. Angeli enim contristantur ad culpam, Ia3tantur ad poenitentiam, et ferunt animas ad gloriam ; et venerunt, et narraverunt Domino suo omnia quse facta fuerunt, ad Deum referendo, conquerendo, et auxilium implorando. Vel, isti conservi sunt ecclesiarum ministri, et quique fideles et justi, qui videntes crudelitatem hominum erga proximos, vel aliquem fratrem remissionem peccatorum adeptum, non velle misereri conservi sui, contristantur, quia ad eamdem virtutem periinet gaudere de bono et contristari de malo ; et narrant Domino, quia in oratione petunta Domino talia judicari ad declarationem justitiae, non ex livore vindictae. Vel, Domino narrare est dolores et contritiones cordis in suo aflectu Deo demonstrare. Vel, cum veniunt ad Dominum, id est ad praelatum, qui vicem Dei gerit in terris, denuntiant ei mala facta ad flnem correctionis. Tunc vocavit illum Dominus suus per sententiam mortis, et de hoc seculo migrare jussit, ut de omnibus rationem reddat.
Unde Remigius : (( Haec vocatio non fit modo intus in conscientia, sed fit exterius in judicio. » Et ait illi : Serve nequam, quia non est aequus, sed iniquus recipiendo misericordiam, et reddendo immisericordiam seu injuriam; omne debitum dimisi tibi, id est magnam offensam in me commissam. In hoc, secundum Chrysostomum, patet magnum esse peccatum ingratitudinis ; nam primo, quando debitor erat decem millium talentorum, nou eum nequam appellavit, non sibi insultavit; sed ubi incurrit vitium tantae ingratitudinis, animo irato ait ei : Scrve nequam^ quia pejor es effectus quam primo ; nam , secundum Gregorium, sicut boni contumeliis efficiuntur meDE iiores,sic semper reprobi de beneficio efficiuntur pejores. Nonne ergo opor'tuit et te misereri conservi tui, remittendo parva, sicut et ego tni misertus sum, remitleudo majora? NuIlaquippe interveniente satislactione, sed ob lioc solum, qnoniam rogasti me, rogasti dilationem, sed meruisti remissiouem; oportuisset quidem, ut tali provocatus beneficio totum etiam debitum relaxares roganti ; sed tu etiam quod minus est, lacere noluisti, quia dilationem concedere rccusasti. Ubisic ait Chrysostomus : u Si grave videtur damnum, atficere debuit lucrum; si grave videtur praeceptum, cogita praemium ; si grave sit remitterc ei qui contristavit, gravius est incidere in gehennam. » Secundum Remigium, servus iste nullum respousum legitur dedisse Domino;in quo demonstratur quod in die judicii, et statim post hanc vitam, cessabit omnis peccati excusatio.
Et iratus Dominus ejus non per affectum, sed similitudinem affectus hominis irati, id est ad modum irati se habens, poenam inferendo, tradidit eum tortoribus, id est dsemonibus et ministris tartareis, qui in hoc sunt divince justitise exsecutores; quiatortores patimur in poena, quos passi sumus suasores in culpa ; quoadusque redderet per pcenam universum debitum commissum per culpam : et hoc erit aeternaliter et in perpetuum; quoadusque enimponiturpro infinito, sicut donec ponitur ibi : Non cognovit eam donec peperit. Et est sensus : semper solvet et numquam persolvet ; neque reddet ahquando, sed semper pcenam luet; numquam enim reddere poterit, quia aeternahter damnatus erit. Nam in inferno semper est redditio absque acquisitione, cum poena semper maneat sine fine ; quia ibi non est locus redernptionis vel satisfactionis, sed iocus condemnationiset punitionis. Quod autem hanc totam similitudinem ad hoc attulerit ipse Dominus, eam modo quo dictum est, ad propositum adaptando exponit, dicens : Sic et Pater ineus coilestis faciet vobis, universum debitum a vubis exigendo, et vos tortoribus cruciandos tradeudo. Secunduui Chri/sostomum, non dicit pater vester, sed Pater meus ; nou enim dignum est hominis talis vocari patrem Deum, qui ita perniciosus et odiosus est. Ubi Hieronymus : Furmidolosa sentential Si parva fratri non dimittamus, magna nobis a Deo nun dimittcntur; et quia unusquisque potest dicere ore : Nihil habeo contra eum; habct Dcum judicem, qui simulationem fictiB pacis aufert, cum dicit : Si non remiseritis unusquisque fratri suo,non solum ore, sed etiam de cordibus vestris. non hcta pace, sed vera et integra dilectione; quia non suilicit iahiis dimittere,nisi ora et corda cunveniant. Quidam et enim dimittere nolunt omnino, quia et malitiam servant in corde, et vindictam, dum possuut, exercent in opere ; alii, etsi remittunt quanlum ad vindictam, servant tamen conceptum odium quantum ad maliiiam.
Sed, quisquis sibi a Domino remitti desiderat, oportet ut utroque modo fratri remittat : ut nec opere exerceat vindictam, nec corde reservet malitiam ; quia, secundum Gregorium, si hoc quod in nos delinquitur ex corde non dimittimus, iliud rursus a nobis exigetur, quod nobis jatn per poenitentiam dimissum fuisse gaudebatnus. Ubi ergo non fuerit caritatis perseverantia, nulla est sufficiens poenitentia ; unde a peccatis soluto dicitur: Vade, et amphus noli peccare. Seculares quoque lcges, propter ingratitudines, quosdam revocant manumissos ad priorein servitutem. 6 — Sed, ex his videtur quod peccata dimissaredeantpropteriteratampeccati perpetrationem. Ad hoc dicitur communiter quod redeunt per aggravationem peccati sequentis ; non quod peccatum sequens sit aeque grave sicut omuia praecedentia, sed quia gravius est ex comparatione praecedentium. Unde exigitur quod diinissum fuerat, non in se, sed quantum ad ingratitudinem dimissionis ; et ideo dicuutur omnia redire, quia ingratitudo est respectu dimissionis quae omiiium fuit, et ita quodammodo respectum hai^et ad omnia dimissa. Non ergo redeunt quantum ad maculam et reatum ; sed quantum ad ingratitudinem. Qui enim post acceptam remissionem ad peccatum redit, magis delinquit, quod ingratus tanto beneficio exstitit ; et ita ingratitudo peccatum recidivationis aggravat.
Quidam vero dicunt quod peccata redeunt in quatuor casitjus, scilicet : propter odium fraternum, propter apostasiam a fide, propter contemptum confessionis, et propter dolorem de poenitentia habita ; unde sunt versus : Frater odit, apostata fit, spernitque [fateri, Tainituisse piget : pistina culpa [redit.
P\iciliter ergo et merito in te peccanti dimittes, si, quantum tibi dimitti dcsidenis, veraciter attendas. Quia, secundum Chrysostomum, etsi septuagies septies dimiseris, etsi omnia simpliciter peccata concesseris continue proximo, quantum gutta aqsiai ad pelagus infinitum, tanto magis et multo plus deficit tuus amor ad infinitam bonitatem Dei, cujus in necessitate constitutus es, cum judicaberis et noxas tribueris. Et ideo bene peccata in Deum deceni millibus talentis, et peccata in proximum centum denariis comparavit ; quia etiam eadem peccata multo graviora commissa sunt in Deum, quam in proximum. Docemur ergo hoc loco, ut sicut Dominus nobis dimittit majorapeccata, sic nos dimittamus conseivis nostris minora in nos commissa ; alioquin a nobis exigct debita universa. UndeaitA? ^gustinus : « Omnis homo debitor est Dei ; et debitorem habet Iratrem suum. Ideo Deus justus constituit tibi regulam in debitore tuo, quam faciet et ipse cum suo. » Unde et Chrysostomus : « Hsc igitur omnia intelJigentes, et hffic decem miiiia excogitantes, saltem hinc festinemus ad dimittendumproximisparvaetvilia.
Audiamus immisericordes et crudeles, quoniam non ahis sumus crudeles, sed nobismetipsis. Cum memorari malorum vis, excogita quoniam tibiipsi malorum rememoraris, non alii ; quoniam tua h'gas peccata, non proximi. Duo itaque hinc quaeiut ; et cognoscere adversum peccata nostra, et aHis dimittere; et illud propter hoc, ut facihus hoc fiat: qui enim sua intelligit, faciliusignoscit conservo,et non simphciter ab ore dim. ittere, sed et a corde. Ne igitur dicas quoniam convitiatus est, et detraxit, atque decem milha operatus est mihi mala. Quanto enim dixeris, tanto magis monstras eum henefaciorem, dedit cnim occasionem abluendi peccata tua. Quare, quanto majora injusta tibi fecit, tanto et majorum peccatorum dimissionis causa tibi cousistit. Si enim voluerimus, nuUus injusta nobis facere poterit; sed et inimici maxime proderunt nobis.
Vide ergo quanta lucraris mansuete inimicorum ferens imprudentias : primum quidem, et maximum, peccatnrum remissionem ; secundum, patientiam et perseverantiam ; tertium, mansuetudinem et amorem hominum ; quartum, ab ira continue esse liberum et a tristitia, quoe hinc est. Cum his et venerabilis eris et ipse inimicis, etsi da^mones fuerint; magis autem neque habebis jam inimicum ita dispositus. Quod autem est majus et primum , Dei amicitia, et si peccaveris, venia potieris. )) Et iterum : « Non memoriam malorum habeamus in eos qui Isedunt ; nam nobis prosunt maxime, nisi nosipsos vindicaverimus. Rapuit ille : gratias egisti tu, pro injustitia, et glorificasti Deum; infiuitas iructificasti mercedes. Si autem oraveris pro eo, Deo factus es similis. Vides qualiter maxime Jucramur ab ahorum pcrsecutione. Nihil ita Deum laetificat, ut non reddere malum pro malo ; imo reddere contraria injunctum est nobis : beneficia et orationes.
Non est quid dilficilius quam memoria malorum. Hsec igitur scientes humiliemur, et debitoribus nostris etiam gratias agamus ; fiunt enim nobis, si philosophari volumus, magnae nou sulum indulgentiffi,verumeiiam maxima^ mercedis occasio. Paucasiquidemdamus, plurima recepluri. Quid igitur cxpetis cum violentia, cum deceret, et si ille vellet dare, ei CDUcedcro, ut a Deo totum accipias ? Nunc autem omnia facis et iitigaSjUt nihil tibi dimittatur tuorum. Quotcumque ergo debitores habcs et pecuniarum et laborum, omnes dimitte liberos, et Deum expete remuneratorem. Cuncta igitur et pecuniasetpeccata, debitoribus nostris debemusremittere, ut nobis retributio optata proveniat ; quodque neglexerimus per aliam explere virtutem, hoc de oblivione admissae in nos malitiae adipiscentes , aeternis potiamur bonis : )) hsec Chrysostomus. Attende et hic Senecam, qui dicit : « Si magnanimus fueris, numquam judicabis tibi contumeliam fieri.
De inimico dices : Non nocuit mihi, sed animam nocendi habuit ; et cum iUum iu potestate tua videris, vindictam putabis vindicare potuisse. Scito enim honestum etmagnum vindictae esse genus,ignoscere.)) Et iterum: « Injuriarum remedium est oblivio : )) heec Seneca.
Et nota hic, quod secundum numerum gradus apostolici duodenum, sunt etiam duodecim modi remissionum : primus est Baptismus, unde in Evangelio : Nisi qiiis renatus fuerit ex aqua^ etc. ; secundus est caritas, unde etiam in Evangelio : Remittuntur ei peccata multa, quoniam dilexit multum ; tertius est eleemosyna et;caritatis opera, unde Sapiens ait : Sicut exstinguit ignem aqua, sic eleemosyna peccatum ; quartus est fletus et lacrymae, dicente Domino : Quia flevit in conspectu meo^ non inducam mala in diebus suis; quintus est confessio atque poenitentia, unde Psalmista : Dixi, confitebor adversum me injustitiam Domiiio; et tu remisisti impietatem peccati mei ; sextus est afIlictio corporis, unde Paulus Apostolus : Tradidi hujusmodi hominem in interitum carnis, ut spiritus salvus sit; septimus est emendatio morum, vel abrenuntiatio vitiorum, unde in Evangelio : Ecce sanus factus es, jam amplius nolipeccare; octavus est intercessio Sanctorum,unde Jacobus : Infirmatur aliquis in vobis, inducat presbyteros Ecclesiae, eic; nonus est mise ricordiai et fidei meritum, unde in Evangclio: Beutimisericordes^ quoniam ipsi miscricordiam consequentur ; decimus est conversio et salus proximorum, unde Jacobus : Qui converti fecerit peccatorem ab errore via} suw. . . operiet multitudinem peccatorum; undecimus est mutua remissio et indulgentia, unde in Evangelio : Dimittite, et dimittemini, ut in hoc loco praesenti ; duodecimus est passio martyrii pro fide Ecclesiae, unde latroni pcenitenti ac patienti dicitur a Domino : Amen dico tibi: Hodie mecum eris in paradiso. 9 — Ex hoc etiam loco, et pluribus aliis Evangelii locis, salubria habemus remedia contra malum desperationis ; et ideo non desperet aliquis, cum multos habeamus portus salutis. Si enim desperasti propter peccati magnitudinem ; habes Fetrum qui negavit fidem, quod est maximum peccatum, et tamen Deus respexit eum. Si desperasti, propter peccati multitudinem,habesMariam Magdalenam,quae septem habebat dsemonia, id est universa peccata, et tamen de ea dictum est : Remittuntur ei peccata multa.
Si desperasti propter peccati turpitudinem, habes mulierem in adulterio deprehensam, cui dictum est : Yade, et amplius noli peccare. Si desperasti propter peccati infamiam, habes Matthaeum publice in telonio sedentem, et tamen Dominus dixit ei : Sequere me. Si desperasti propter peccati diuturnitatem,'habes latronem Calvariae, qui perseveravit in malo usque ad mortem, ettamen dictum est ei a Domino : Hodie mecum eris in paradiso. Si desperasti propter peccati crudelitatem, habes Paulum Apostolum lapidantem Stephanum, d-e quo dictum cst : Vas electionis mihi est iste. Si desperasti propter peccati recidivationem seu peccati iterationem et magnitudinem, habes hic auctoritatem expressam de dimittendo fratri septuagies septies. Unde Bernardus : « Omnino propter mansuetudinem quac in te prsedicatur, currimus post te,Domine Jesu; audientes quod non spernas pauperem, peccatorem non horreas. Non horruisti confitentem latronem, non lacrymantem peccatricem, non Chananoeam supplicantem, non deprehensam in adultcrio, non sedentem in telonio, non supplicantem publicanum, non negantem discipulum, non persecutorem discipuiorum, non ipsos crucifixores tuos. Tam validus denique es ad justificandum, quam multus ad ignoscendum.
Currit sponsa, currunt adolescentulse ; sed quse amat ardentius, currit velocius, et pervenit citius. » Unde et Chrysostomus : « Liberi quippe nos arbitrii creavit Deus, ut voluntate nostra cum adjutorio Dei, quod volumus,faciamus. Si publicanus es, potes fieri Evangelista; si blasphemus es, potes fieri Apostolus; si latro es, potes paridisi colonus elfici ; si magus es, potes Deum adorare. Nec est ulla malitia, quae po^nitentia non solvatur. Et ideo tamquam preecipua malignitatum elegit Ghristus, ut nemo usque in finem semetipsum despiciat. Noli mihi dicere : Perii ; noli mihi dicere : Peccavi. Et quidem medicum habes satis fortiorem, et potentiorem, quam infirmitas tua est. Medicum habes voluntatem tuam, si volueris, emendantem, et potentem, et cupientem.
Cum enim non subsisteres, fecit te; et quia perversus es efiectus, multo magis emendare te poterit. Sed forsitan dices : Quomodo poterit pt^ccator similis esse Sanctis? Noli requirere qua arte, noli scrutari rationem ; sed crede clementiae et benignitati divinae. Sed dicis : Grandia sunt peccata mea, et immensa scelera mea. Et quis est sine peccato ? Sed ego, inquis, pessime, et super omnem hominem. Sufficit tibi, ad placandum Deum, peccare desinere, et benefacere. Dic tu prior, inquit, iniquitates tuas ut justificeris.
Recognosce quia tu peccasti ; et si agnoveris, initium correctionis factum esttibi. Suspira, moestus esto,effunde lacrymas. Nec enim aliud quid elfudit meretrix illa, sed lacrymis poenitentiam sociavit, et ipsa comite, pervemt adfontem; » haec Ckrysostomus. Undc etiarn Gregorius: « A spei ergo certitudine nulla nosmalorum nostrorum qualitas, nulla quantitas frangat. Idcirco enim omnipotens Deus electos suos in quibusdam lapsibus cadere permiltit, ut aliis in culpa jacentibus, si toto ad eum corde consurgant, spem venise reddat ; et eis per lamcnta poenitentieeviampietatisaperiat. Quia, qui multos a suis iniquitatibus jara sanatos aspicimus, quid aliud quam supernse misericordiae pignus tenemus ? » Et iterum : « Quid iiaque in hac re debemus aspicere, nisi immensam misericordiam Conditoris nostri, qui nobis velut in signo ad exemplum poenitentiae posuit eos, quos per poenitentiam vivere post lapsum fecit. Etenim nihil in his aliud video, nisi ante oculos nostros posita spei et poenitentiae exempla.
Omnipotens Deus ubique oculis quos imitari tiebeamus ohjicit; ubique exemplasuoe misericordiiB opponit. » Unde dicit et Augustinus : u Quoecumque necessitas cogit peccatorem ad impoenitentiam? Nec criminis quantitas, nec temporis brevitas, nec vitae enormitas, nec horae extremitas exciudit a venia, si perfecta fuerit voluntatis mutatio ; sed in amplissimos sinus mater caritatis fihos prodigos suscipit revertentes. » Et iterum : « Pater tradidit Filium suum, quo redimeret servos; misit Spiritum Sanctum, quo servos adoptaret in filios; Filium dedit in pretium redemptionis, Spiritum Sanctum in privilegium adoptionis ; se totum servat in hereditatem adoptatis. Nemo ergo de Dei pietate difhdat ; quia major est Dei misericordia quam nostra miseria, et quisquis ad (3um toto corde clamaverit, exaudiet illum ; quia misericors est. Tardius siquidem ei videtur peccatori veniani dare, quani ipsi peccatori accipere. Sic. enim festinat reum absolvere a tormento conscientiae suae, quasi plus cruciet eum compassio miseri, cjuam ipsum miserum compassio sui.
» Unde etiam Clirysostomus : « Crede milii, talis est erga hominem pietas Dei, quod numquam spernit poenitentiam, si ei sincere et simplicitsr offeralur; etiamsi ad summum quis venerit malorum, et inde velit reverti ad verifatis viam, suscipit libenter et amplectitur, et facit omnia quatenus ad priorem revocet statum. » Unde super illo verbo DE REGE OUl (37 Cain : Major est imqidtas mea, quam iit veniam merear, dicit Auyustiniis : a Mentiris, inqiiit, Cain, mcntuis; niajor est Dei pietas, quam omnis iniquitas. » Erce expresse apparet quod desperavit; et idco dicit idem Augustinus, quod ipse plus turbavit Deum in despcratione, quam in Iratricidio, sicul Judas in despcralione, quam in proditione. Unde Bernardus : <( 0 res confusa, o res monstruosa, peccator desperans de Dci misericordia, cum cuncta peccata originalia, mortalia, venialia ab originc mundi commissa, divinae misericordiae comparata, sunt quasi una gutta ad pelagus totius maris ! » Et breviter dicendo, secundum Augustinum et Gregorium^ si unus homo omnium hominum peccata perpetrasset, et velut Cain et Judas desperasset, praeterea Dcus illi veniam denegare jurasset; si miser ille contritus veniam rogasset, Deus pius illi veniam non denegasset. Et, tcstante Augustino et Uieromjmo, peccata practerita non nocent, si non placent. Multum etiam sperare debemus in merito Christi, sine quo non possumussalvari. Inmerito enim Christi radicata sunt omnia merita nostra, sive satisfactoria poenai, sive meritoria vitae aeternae ; quia nec ab olfensa Creatoris sumus digni absolvi, nec immensitatempraemii,quod Deus est, digni sumus assequi , nisi per meritum hominis Dei.
Etpraecipue in merito Passionis Christi est sperandum ; quia haec est miseris speciale solatium. Unde Bernardus : « Passio tua, Domine, ultimum refugium, singuiare remedium, deficicnte sapientia, non sutTragante justitia, non sufficiente sanctitate ; succumbentibus meritis, illa succurrit. » lO — Non solum autem a desperatione, sed etiam a vana spe est cavendum ; quia utrobique magnum est periculum. Unde Augustinus : « Ex utroque homines periclitantur et sperando et desperando. Quid igitur agit Deus cum pericJitantibus utroque morbo ? Ulis qui spe periclitantur, hoc dicit : Ne tardes converti ad Dominum, et ne differas de die in diem\ subito enim vcniet ira illius, et in temporc vindictx dispcrdct te. Illis vero, qui despcrationc i)criclilaiitur, quid dicit? In quacumquc die iniquus conversus fuerit, omncs iniquitatcs ejus obliviscar.
Propter illos crgo qui dcsperatione pcriclilantur, proposuit eis indul. iiciitiiu portum; propter illos vero qui spe pcriclitanturet dilalionibusilluduntur,fecit dicm mortis inccrtum. Quando autein veniet ultimus dies , nescis. Ingratus es, quia hodiernum habes in quo corrigaris, et crastinum exspectas; forte non addetur. » Et iterum : « Ne despcrando augeamus peccatum, datus est nobis poenitentiae portus ; rursus ne sperando augeamus peccatum, datus est nobis dics morlis incertus. » Et iterum : « Latro agnovit, Petrus negavit; in Petro demonstratur quemquam justum non de se debere praesumere; in latrone, non impium conversum desperare del3ere. Timeat ergo bonus, ne pereat, per superbiam ; et malus ne desperet, propter multam malitiam : » haec Augustinus. Unde ct Gregorius : « Habete, fratrcs mei, fiduciam de misericordia Conditoris nostri ; et ad misericordem Judiccm, dum vos adhuc exspectat, cum lacrymis venite.
Considerantes namque quod justus sit, peccata vestra nolite negligere; considerantes vero quod pius sit, nolite desperare. » Et iterum : « Sic autcm nos misericordia ejus refoveal, ut nuUo modo negligentes reddat ; sic peccata perturbent, ut mens in desperationem non proruat. Quia, et si praesumentes metuimus, et metuentes speramus, aGtcrnum rcgnum citius adepturi sumus. » Unde etiam Chrysostomus : « Ne rideamus qui stamus ; sed dicamus nobisipsis : Qui aostimat se stare, videat ne cadat; neque desperemus si cecidimus, sed dicamus nobis : Numquid cjui cadit non resurget? Etenim multi in ipsum cceli verticem ascenderunt, et a scena et scurrilitate, ad angelicam translali sunt urbanitatem; et tantam ostenderunt virtutem, ut daemoncs abegerint, et multa si,i:na operati fucrint. Et horum quidemplenai sunt ScripturaB, etplenavita Patrum exemplis nobis. )^ Et iterum : u Nullus eorum qui in malitia sunt, diffldat tamquam desperatus; nemo in virtutibus existens dormitet tamquam omnino securus ; neque hic confldat, multoties enim meretrix pertraasibit; neque ille desperet, possibile enim est ei, et primos transire : » ha3C Chrysostomus. ORATIO Vae mihi, misero!
quia, cum ad peccata quse feci inspicio, et supplicia intelligo, quae pro liis pati debeo, non parvum timorem habeo. Quid ergo? Remanebo quasi desperatus, sine consiho, sine adjutorio ? Ad te fontem pietatis et misericurdiae, Jesu Christe, curro et festino, in quo jam tot et tantos peccatores ablutos video et agnosco; tuamque ineffabiiem misericordiam exoro, ut mihi sic concedas in praesenti mecum, et cum ministris tuiscomputationem facere; ac couservis meispeccata sua dimittere, et mea emendare, utin futuro, quando personahter rationem ponere volueris cum servis tuis, dimittas mihi quae tibi debeo et proximis. Amen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ezek.18.21-Ezek.18.22 — But if the wicked turns from all the sins he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Ezek.18.22 — All his transgressions that he has committed will not be remembered against him; by his righteousness that he has done he shall live.
The Life of Christ (Vita Christi) companion
A prayer for every moment, already on your phone
Chosen Portion puts a curated historic prayer in front of you each day — so the words are there before the moment arrives.
Chosen Portion is the digital descendant of the carried prayer book: the short daily prayers this collection preserves, delivered one a day to your pocket.
- One short, memorable prayer delivered daily — build your repertoire a card at a time
- Prayers matched to real situations: fear, gratitude, decisions, grief, sleep
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