"Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: 'The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, "What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?" So he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.'" 'But God said to him, "Fool! This night your soul will be required of you: then whose will those things be which you have provided?" So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.'" Luke 12:16-21
St. Cyprian (c. 200-258) "Thus also the blessed apostle admonishes us, giving substance and strength to the stedfastness of our hope and faith: 'We brought nothing,' says he, 'into this world, nor indeed can we carry anything out. Having therefore food and raiment, let us be herewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many hurtful lusts, which drown men in perdition and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have made shipwreck from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.' He teaches us that riches are not only to be contemned, but that they are also full of peril; that in them is the root of seducing evils, that deceive the blindness of the human mind by a hidden deception. Whence also God rebukes the rich fool, who thinks of his earthly wealth, and boasts himself in the abundance of his overflowing harvests, saying, 'Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?' The fool who was to die that very night was rejoicing in his stores, and he to whom life already was failing, was thinking of the abundance of his food. But, on the other hand, the Lord tells us that he becomes perfect and complete who sells all his goods, and distributes them for the use of the poor, and so lays up for himself treasure in heaven."
St. Gregory Nazianzen (c. 329-389/390) "Let us not wait to be convicted by others, let us be our own examiners. An important medicine for evil is confession, and care to avoid stumbling. I will be the first to do so, as I made my report to my people from on high, and performed the duty of a watcher. For I did not conceal the coming of the sword that I might save my own soul and those of my hearers. So will I now announce the disobedience of my people, making what is theirs my own, if I may perchance thus obtain some tenderness and relief. One of us has oppressed the poor, and wrestled from him his portion of land, and wrongly encroached upon his landmark by fraud or violence, and joined house to house, and field to field, to rob his neighbour of something, and been eager to have no neighbor, so as to dwell alone on the earth. Another has defiled the land with usury and interest, both gathering where he has not sowed and reaping where he has not strawed, farming, not the land, but the necessity of the needy. Another has robbed God, the giver of all, of the firstfruits of the barnfloor and the winepress, showing himself at once thankless and senseless, in neither giving thanks for what he has had, nor prudently providing, at least, for the future. Another has had no pity on the widow and orphan, and not imparted his bread and meagre nourishment to the needy, or rather to Christ, Who is nourished in the persons of those who are nourished even in a slight degree; a man perhaps of much property unexpectedly gained, for this is the most unjust of all, who finds his many barns too narrow for him, filling some and emptying others, to build greater ones for future crops, not knowing that he is being snatched away with hopes unrealised, to give an account of his riches and fancies, and proved to have been a bad steward of another's goods."
St. Basil the Great (c. 329/330-379) "How can I bring before your eyes the poor man's sufferings that thou mayest know out of what creep groanings thou art accumulating thy treasures, and of what high value will seem to thee in the day of judgement the famous words, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founation of the world: for I was an hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink:...I was naked and ye clothed me.' What shuddering, what sweat, what darkness will be shed round thee, as thou hearest the words of condemnation!-'Depart from me, ye cursed, into outer darkness prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink:...I was naked and ye clothed me not.' I have told thee what I have thought profitable. To thee now it is clear and plain what are the good things promised for thee if thou obey. If thou disobey, for thee the threat is written. I pray that thou mayest change to a better mind and thus escape it's peril."
St. Augustine (c. 354-430) "For it is not a thing to be lightly regarded, my Brethren, when our Lord, our Redeemer, our Saviour, who died for us, who gave His Own Blood as our ransom, to redeem us, our Advocate and Judge; it is no light matter when He saith, 'Beware.' He knoweth well how great the evil is; we know it not, let us believe Him. 'Beware,' saith He. Wherefore? of what? 'of all covetousness.' I am but keeping what is mine own, I am not taking away another's; 'Beware of all covetousness.' Not only is he covetous, who plunders the goods of others; but he is covetous too, who greedily keeps his own."
St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) "Have ye seen the insignificance of human affairs? Have ye seen the frailty of power? Have ye seen the wealth which I always called a runaway and not a runaway only, but also a murderer. For it not only deserts those who possess it, but also slaughters them; for when anyone pays court to it then most of all does it betray him. Why dost thou pay court to wealth which to-day is for thee, and to-morrow for another? Why dost thou court wealth which can never be held fast? Dost thou desire to court it? Dost thou desire to hold it fast? Do not bury it but give it into the hands of the poor. For wealth is a wild beast: if it be tightly held it runs away: if it be let loose it remains where it is; 'For,' it is said, 'he hath dispersed abroad and given to the poor; his righteousness remaineth forever.'
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
On Making Friends With "Unrighteous Mammon."
"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home." Luke 16:9
St. Irenaeus (c. 120-202) "For, because He knew that we would make a good use of our substance which we should possess by receiving it from another, He says, 'He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.' And, 'For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was naked, and ye clothed Me.' And, 'When thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.' And we are proved to be righteous by whatsoever else we do well, redeeming, as it were, our property from strange hands. But thus do I say, 'from strange hands,' not as if the world were not God's possession, but that we have gifts of this sort, and receive them from others, in the same as as these men had them from the Egyptians who knew not God; and by means of these same do we erect in ourselves the tabernacle of God: for God dwells in those who act uprightly, as the Lord says: 'Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that they, when ye shall be put to flight, may receive you into eternal tabernacles.'"
St. Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215) "'Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.' 'Acquire treasues in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, nor thieves break through.' How could one give food to the hungry, and drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and shelter the houseless, for not doing which He threatens with fire and outer darkness, if each man first divested himself of all these things? Nay, He bids Zaccheus and Mathew, the rich tax-gatherers, entertain Him hospitably. And He does not bid them part with their property, but, applying the just and removing the unjust judgement, He subjoins, 'To-day salvation has come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham.' He so praises the use of property as to enjoin, along with this addition, the giving a share of it, to give drink to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, to take the houseless in, and clothe the naked. But if it is not possible to supply those needs without substance, and He bids people abandon their substance, what else would the Lord be doing than exhorting to give and not to give the same things, to feed and not to feed, to take in and to shut out, to share and not to share? which were the most irrational of all things. Riches, then, which benefit also our neighbours, are not to be thrown away."
St. Augustine (c. 354-430) "Our duty is to give to others the admonitions we have received ourselves. The recent lesson of the Gospel has admonished us to make friends of the mammon of iniquity, that they too may 'receive' those who do so 'into everlasting habitations.' But who are they that shall have everlasting habitations, but the Saints of God? And who are they who are to be received by them into everlasting habitations, but they who serve their need, and minister cheerfully to their necesities? Accordingly let us remember, that in the last judgement the Lord will say to those who shall stand on His right hand, 'I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat;' and the rest which ye know. And upon their enquiring when they had afforded these good offices to Him, He answered, 'When ye did it to one of the least of Mine, ye did it unto Me.'"
St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) "Let us make then to ourselves 'friends of the mammon of unrighteousness', that is: let us give alms; let us exhaust our possessions upon them, that so we may exhaust that fire: that we may quench it, that we may have boldness there. For there also it is not they who receive us, but our own work: for that it is not simply their being our friends which can save us, learn from what is added. For why did He not say, 'Make to yourselves friends, that they may receive you into their everlasting habitations,' but added also the manner? For saying, 'of the mammon of unrighteousness,' He points out that we must make friends of them by means of our possessions, showing that mere friendship will not protect us, unless we have good works, unless we spend righteously the wealth unrighteously gathered."
St. Jerome (c. 347-420) "Make to yourself friends of the mammon of unrighteousness that they may receive you into everlasting habitations. Give your riches not to those who feed on pheasants but to those who have none but common bread to eat, such as stays hunger while it does not stimulate lust. Consider the poor and needy. Give to everyone that asks of you, but especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick. Every time that you hold out your hand, think of Christ."
St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376-444) "The love of money, my brethren, is a most wicked passion, and not easy to abandon. For when Satan has planted this malady in a man's soul, he next proceeds to blind him, nor does he permit him to listen to the words of exhortation, lest there be found for us a way of healing, able to save from misery those who are ensnared thereby...As being therefore good and loving unto men, He (Jesus) has provided for them a special kind of help, lest eternal and never-ending poverty should follow upon wealth here, and everlasting torment succeed to the pleasures of the present time. 'Make for yourselves friends, He says, of the unrighteous mammon: that when it has failed, they may receive you into eternal tabernacles.' And this then is the advice of One providing them with something which they can do...For if, He says, you cannot be persuaded to give up this pleasure-loving wealth, and to sell your posessions, and make distribution to those who are in need, at least be diligent in the practice of inferior virtues. 'Make for yourselves friends with the unrighteous mammon:' that is, do not consider your riches as belonging to yourselves alone; open wide your hand to those who are in need: assist those in poverty and pain: comfort those who have fallen into extreme distress: console with those who are in sorrow, or oppressed with bodily maladies, and the want of necessaries: and comfort also the saints who embrace a voluntary poverty that they may serve God without distraction...Nor shall your so doing be unrewarded. For when your earthly wealth abandons you, as you reach the end of your life, then shall they make you partakers of their hope, and of the consolation given them by God."
St. Irenaeus (c. 120-202) "For, because He knew that we would make a good use of our substance which we should possess by receiving it from another, He says, 'He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.' And, 'For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was naked, and ye clothed Me.' And, 'When thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.' And we are proved to be righteous by whatsoever else we do well, redeeming, as it were, our property from strange hands. But thus do I say, 'from strange hands,' not as if the world were not God's possession, but that we have gifts of this sort, and receive them from others, in the same as as these men had them from the Egyptians who knew not God; and by means of these same do we erect in ourselves the tabernacle of God: for God dwells in those who act uprightly, as the Lord says: 'Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that they, when ye shall be put to flight, may receive you into eternal tabernacles.'"
St. Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215) "'Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.' 'Acquire treasues in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, nor thieves break through.' How could one give food to the hungry, and drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and shelter the houseless, for not doing which He threatens with fire and outer darkness, if each man first divested himself of all these things? Nay, He bids Zaccheus and Mathew, the rich tax-gatherers, entertain Him hospitably. And He does not bid them part with their property, but, applying the just and removing the unjust judgement, He subjoins, 'To-day salvation has come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham.' He so praises the use of property as to enjoin, along with this addition, the giving a share of it, to give drink to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, to take the houseless in, and clothe the naked. But if it is not possible to supply those needs without substance, and He bids people abandon their substance, what else would the Lord be doing than exhorting to give and not to give the same things, to feed and not to feed, to take in and to shut out, to share and not to share? which were the most irrational of all things. Riches, then, which benefit also our neighbours, are not to be thrown away."
St. Augustine (c. 354-430) "Our duty is to give to others the admonitions we have received ourselves. The recent lesson of the Gospel has admonished us to make friends of the mammon of iniquity, that they too may 'receive' those who do so 'into everlasting habitations.' But who are they that shall have everlasting habitations, but the Saints of God? And who are they who are to be received by them into everlasting habitations, but they who serve their need, and minister cheerfully to their necesities? Accordingly let us remember, that in the last judgement the Lord will say to those who shall stand on His right hand, 'I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat;' and the rest which ye know. And upon their enquiring when they had afforded these good offices to Him, He answered, 'When ye did it to one of the least of Mine, ye did it unto Me.'"
St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) "Let us make then to ourselves 'friends of the mammon of unrighteousness', that is: let us give alms; let us exhaust our possessions upon them, that so we may exhaust that fire: that we may quench it, that we may have boldness there. For there also it is not they who receive us, but our own work: for that it is not simply their being our friends which can save us, learn from what is added. For why did He not say, 'Make to yourselves friends, that they may receive you into their everlasting habitations,' but added also the manner? For saying, 'of the mammon of unrighteousness,' He points out that we must make friends of them by means of our possessions, showing that mere friendship will not protect us, unless we have good works, unless we spend righteously the wealth unrighteously gathered."
St. Jerome (c. 347-420) "Make to yourself friends of the mammon of unrighteousness that they may receive you into everlasting habitations. Give your riches not to those who feed on pheasants but to those who have none but common bread to eat, such as stays hunger while it does not stimulate lust. Consider the poor and needy. Give to everyone that asks of you, but especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick. Every time that you hold out your hand, think of Christ."
St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376-444) "The love of money, my brethren, is a most wicked passion, and not easy to abandon. For when Satan has planted this malady in a man's soul, he next proceeds to blind him, nor does he permit him to listen to the words of exhortation, lest there be found for us a way of healing, able to save from misery those who are ensnared thereby...As being therefore good and loving unto men, He (Jesus) has provided for them a special kind of help, lest eternal and never-ending poverty should follow upon wealth here, and everlasting torment succeed to the pleasures of the present time. 'Make for yourselves friends, He says, of the unrighteous mammon: that when it has failed, they may receive you into eternal tabernacles.' And this then is the advice of One providing them with something which they can do...For if, He says, you cannot be persuaded to give up this pleasure-loving wealth, and to sell your posessions, and make distribution to those who are in need, at least be diligent in the practice of inferior virtues. 'Make for yourselves friends with the unrighteous mammon:' that is, do not consider your riches as belonging to yourselves alone; open wide your hand to those who are in need: assist those in poverty and pain: comfort those who have fallen into extreme distress: console with those who are in sorrow, or oppressed with bodily maladies, and the want of necessaries: and comfort also the saints who embrace a voluntary poverty that they may serve God without distraction...Nor shall your so doing be unrewarded. For when your earthly wealth abandons you, as you reach the end of your life, then shall they make you partakers of their hope, and of the consolation given them by God."
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