One Book of Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, On Elijah and Fasting.

Latin Text from public domain Migne Editors, Patrologiae Cursus Completus.

Translated into English using ChatGPT.

Table of Contents Chapter I. Chapter II. Chapter III. Chapter IV. Chapter V. Chapter VI. Chapter VII. Chapter VIII. Chapter IX. Chapter X. Chapter XI. Chapter XII. Chapter XIII. Chapter XIV. Chapter XV. Chapter XVI. Chapter XVII. Chapter XVIII. Chapter XIX. Chapter XX. Chapter XXI. Chapter XXII.

Chapter I.

Just as in the past the Fathers, when they were advancing to war, and on the days of rejoicing were playing the trumpet, so also to us, on the days of fasting and approaching the Paschal feast, the trumpet is to be played.

1. The divine oracle resulted in the Israelites blowing the trumpet when they went out to battle, so that with the sound of the trumpet the Lord would remember His people and come to their aid, knowing the incentives of His mercy. And on the days of their joy, on their appointed feasts, they would sing with the sound of the trumpets. Hence David also says: Blow the trumpet at the beginning of the month, on the day of your solemn feast. Therefore the day of solemnity will come to us, and it is now approaching. Let us sing with the trumpet as if advancing into battle. Let us sing with the trumpet, to announce the day of solemnity, because both a contest is imminent for us and victory is promised. Our victory is the cross of Christ: our trophy is the Easter of the Lord Jesus. But He has fought the battle before, in order to conquer, not because He needed the struggle Himself; but so that He may beforehand prescribe to us the form of fighting, and afterwards give us the grace of triumph. Our struggle is a fast. Finally, the Savior fasted, and so the tempter approached him. And first, he directed a dart to the stomach, saying: If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread (Luke 4:3). He presented food as a lure, in order to ensnare bodily desire: the Lord preferred fasting, in order to dissolve the snares of the tempter and break his chains. Finally, it is written: Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (ibid., 4). By that noose Adam had been strangled, by this absolution from the devilish question every man is freed.

Chapter II.

How great is the virtue of fasting, and how beautiful and powerful its practice is, is confirmed by the example of Christ and the holy Elijah.

Great is the virtue of fasting. Indeed, its military appearance is so beautiful that it delightfully attracts and elevates humans to heaven for fasting and for Christ: so powerful that it raises men up to heaven. And to use more human than divine examples, from the fasting mouth of Elijah a voice was uttered that closed heaven to the sacrilegious people of the Jews (3 Kings 17:1). For when Ahab, the king, had set up an altar to the idol, according to the words of the prophet, there was no rain for three years and six months upon the earth. A fitting punishment which would appropriately restrain intemperance; that the heavens should be closed to the impious, who have defiled the earth. It is fitting also that the prophet of the sacrilegious king should be sent to the widow in Zarephath of Sidon, who, since she preferred devotion to food, deserved not to feel the hardship of the public drought alone. Therefore, the jug of meal did not run out, even when the flow of the river failed.

3. What does his remaining cover? He, while fasting, raised the widow's son from the dead; he, while fasting, caused rains to fall from his mouth; he, while fasting, brought forth fire from heaven; he, while fasting, was carried up to heaven in a chariot; and through a forty-day fast he obtained divine presence. Then at last he deserved more, when he fasted more. By his fasting he made the waters of the Jordan stand still, and the flowing river bed, suddenly dried up, he crossed over with a dusty footprint. By divine decree, he was deemed worthy to be taken up to heaven with his body; for he lived a heavenly life in the flesh and displayed the practice of heavenly conduct on earth.

Chapter III.

Recommendation of fasting: concerning the fast of Saint John; and what kind of food we should seek.

For what is fasting but the substance and image of heavenly things? Fasting is the refreshment of the soul, the food of the mind, the fasting of the Angels, the death of sin, the destruction of transgressions, the remedy of salvation, the root of grace, the foundation of chastity. By this means one may more quickly reach God; by this means Elias ascended before the chariot. Going to heaven, he left this inheritance of sobriety and abstinence to his disciple. In this virtue and spirit, John followed in the steps of Elias. Finally, in the desert, he fulfilled fasting. His food was locusts and wild honey. And because he had exceeded the limits of human capability in sustaining life, he was not considered a man, but an angel. About him, we read: 'More than a prophet.' This is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send my angel before your face, who will prepare your way before you' (Matthew 11:9-10). Who, by human strength, could ascend fiery horses, drive fiery chariots, and control chariots of air, if not he who, by the power of incorruptible fasting, has transformed the nature of the human body?


5. But we have already arranged in numerous discussions the deeds of Elijah, frequent in the discourse of various books; and I think we should be careful not to repeat them, especially since he himself is praised in his own work. Let us imitate him, therefore, and let us seek that food by the virtue of which we can make progress day and night toward the knowledge of heavenly things. For not all food is material, nor is all nourishment physical; there is nourishment for the mind, as we have said, with which the souls are feasted, about which the Lord says: 'My food is to do the will of my Father who is in heaven.' (John IV, 34). This is the food of angels, to serve the divine will. They have no concern for meals, no use for feasting, no stored banquets, no drinking of wine or cider, no overindulgence of the body, no offense to the stomach.

Chapter IV.

On the origin and antiquity of fasting, from which the first use of the world began, from which the first law was established in paradise; which finally covers those whom gluttony has stripped naked.


Therefore, so that no one may think that earthly or new fasting is useless, the first use of the world began with fasting when the bright light shone (Gen. I, 3 et seq.). The second day was a day of fasting when the firmament was made. On the third day, the earth produced food, obedient to nature, yet still observing heavenly discipline. On the fourth day, the luminaries of the sun and moon were made, and fasting continued. On the fifth day, the waters brought forth living creatures, and the flying living creatures flew above the earth under the firmament of heaven. And God saw that they were good, and He blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and let the waters that are in the sea be filled, and let the flying creatures multiply above the earth (Ibid., 22). And still fasting. Finally, he blessed them, as it is written, and said: Increase, and did not say: Eat and consume. On the sixth day, the beasts were created (Dist. 35, c. On the sixth day), and with the beasts arose the power of eating, and the use of food. Where food began, there the end of the world was made. Where it began not to know its own growth, there divine works began to rest upon it. By this sign it was declared that the world would diminish through food, by which it ceased to grow. No one knew the crime, no one feared punishment, no one knew death.

7. The Lord planted a paradise for the enjoyment of the blessed, and placed man there to work and take care of it. And in order that we may know (Dist. et cap. iisdem, § Et ut sciamus) that fasting is not a recent observance, He established the first law concerning fasting there. For He knew that through food man would have the opportunity to fall into sin. The first punishment for transgressing the law of fasting came when God commanded: 'Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat; for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die' (Gen. II, 17). However, until then (Dist. and cap. the same, § Until then), no one knew how to transgress, so that what was not yet arisen would be the first transgressed prohibition of abstinence. The law from the Lord God, transgression of the law from the devil: fault through food, hiding place after food. Knowledge of weakness in food, virtue of strength in fasting. In short, as long as they abstained from the forbidden things, they did not know that they were naked: after they ate from the forbidden tree, they realized that they were naked. Therefore, when the woman recognized the author of the fault, she was asked and she replied: The serpent persuaded me, and I ate (Gen. III, 13). The serpent advises the throat, the Lord decrees to fast (Dist. et cap. iisdem, § Serpens). Finally, he himself says: Fast and pray, lest you enter into temptation (Matth. XXVI, 41). Therefore, gluttony expelled the reigning one from paradise, and abstinence called back the one who was wandering to paradise.

8. And God said: Behold, Adam has become like one of us (Gen. III, 22). Surely God is mocking, not approving, and says this: You thought you would be like us: but because you wanted to be what you were not, you ceased to be what you were: you were within yourself, and while you strive to be above yourself, you began to be beneath yourself. Finally, He clothed him in a pelted tunic first, and thus He said: Behold, Adam, as if to say: Behold your garment, behold your worthy clothing, this clothing befits you. Those who seek the divine are considered worthy of such adornment. Behold where your fault has led you, behold now in this tunic of fur you have opened your eyes as one of us. Look around carefully, you see yourself naked, whom you thought was clothed.

9. Therefore, gluttony exposes the naked, while fasting even covers the desolate. Hence David says: I covered my soul in fasting (Ps. LXVIII,11). A good covering, that which covers the soul so that it may not be caught by the tempter, so that it may not be stripped by the tempter. A good veil that covers sin, it is covered by abstinence, it is covered by grace. Blessed are those to whom sins are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. It is covered by grace, while it forgives and abolishes all error; it is covered by abstinence, while it shadows vice and hides it with a sad disposition, and weakens it through repentance. Indeed, fasting and almsgiving free one from sin. Adam was covered with the garment of virtues before he transgressed, but like someone stripped of transgression, he saw himself as naked; for he had lost the garment he had. 'Then shall your light break forth as the morning,' he says, 'and your health will speedily spring forth, and your righteousness will go before you; and the glory of the Lord will surround you.' (Isaiah 58:8). Good clothing is light. It is written: 'He is clothed with light as with a garment' (Ps. 103:2). Good clothing; when the Lord surrounds and covers the fasting ones.

Chapter V.

Noah, who was intoxicated, is excused because of his ignorance; and the evils that arose from the use of wine, as well as the benefits from abstaining from it, are explained with examples from both sides.

Noah was naked when he became intoxicated, and his sons' piety covered him. But he was naked out of ignorance, not intemperance; for wine was still unknown. In the beginning of the human race, drunkenness was not yet known. Noah himself was the first to plant a vineyard: nature gave the vine, but he was unaware of its power. Therefore, he did not spare the wine from its creator. Is it any wonder that when the Lord himself praised his creatures, Noah was amazed? Therefore, when the creature, more powerful than usual, disturbed the elderly man's unfamiliar limbs, he was pleased with the gift and became intoxicated with a new potion. 'Those who ride horses have fallen asleep', he said (Psalm LXXV, 7). The righteous man succumbs to the pleasures of the body and falls asleep. But the drunkenness of the other persuades us to be sober (Distichs and Chapters on the Same Topic, § Sed illius). For Noah was once intoxicated. However, when he recognized the evil of drunkenness, he tempered his discovery as a remedy and did not pour it out as a vice. And the Apostle also says: Use a little wine for the sake of your frequent infirmities (I Tim. 5:23).

11. Freedom remained intact before wine was discovered, no one knew to demand the services of servitude from a companion of their own nature. There would be no slavery today if there had been no drunkenness. The envy of fraternal precedence had indeed already crept in, but the reverence for paternal piety still remained. Piety is injured while drunkenness is laughed at. Therefore, wine harms not only those who are tempted by it, but also those whose eyes are exposed to the intoxicated limbs of drunkards. From here irreverent laughter is born, from here desire is inflamed; so much so that drunkenness disturbs those whose eyes and minds it has intoxicated, more than those whose bodies it has laid low.

12. We also read (Dist. and cap. iisdem, § Legimus) that the daughters of Lot inebriated their father on that mountain (Gen. XIX, 33 et seq.), to which they had fled in fear of the fires of Sodom, and they dwelt in a cave. Drunkenness agrees with and promotes iniquity, and age, sex, solitude, place, the hiding places of wild animals, are more suited to it than to human dwellings. Therefore, drunkenness was the origin of incest, and the offspring of a most wicked mother were even more wicked.


13. But Abraham did not serve wine at his feast: instead, he sacrificed a calf and also offered butter and milk to the angelic guests. He recognized the Lord of heaven as the creator of the world, but he could not offer wine. However, it was right that there was no opportunity for sin where there was forgiveness of sins.

Finally, John announced about him, neither eating bread, nor drinking wine. For whoever announces about Christ, they must excel in avoiding every incentive to vices. Therefore, intoxication triumphed over the holy Noah, or even the nephew of Abraham, Lot, of whom one survived the flood while fasting, the other, the fire.

Moreover, we have learned that Moses tempered the bitterness of the waters for the thirsty people, not wine. The rock spewed forth water, and with an abundance of wine it was able to not be lacking. Ultimately, God said: 'Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink' (Exodus XVII, 6). He did not say: 'Wine will come out to the people'. For it would have been dangerous to provide wine to the people, which even the strongest would scarcely be able to bear.

Chapter VI.

On the law of fasting given by Moses, and on the fasting of the same. How the abstinence from wine made fruitful the barrenness of Samson's and Samuel's mothers; and with what foods Elisha nourished the sons of the prophets.


16. Finally, Moses gave the law about fasting, but not about wine. He himself, while fasting, was not terrified by loud noises, thunder and cloudy storms, or the smoking Mount Sinai. Indeed, he would not have entered the cloud and heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire without danger to his well-being, unless he had been fortified by the weapons of fasting. For he fasted for forty days on the mountain when he received the Law from the Lord our God. And in the higher parts of the mountain, the Law was given to Moses while fasting, but in the lower parts, the profane transgression was ignited by the luxurious feasting of the people who were eating. In which spectacle, Moses broke the tablets, judging it unworthy that the Law should be given to a drunken people. And so, the abstinence that he obtained caused the tablets of the Law to be broken by drunkenness.

17. But what else shall I say? Did not the abstinence from wine make the barrenness of Samson's mother fertile, and make her who was barren bring forth? For according to the commandment of the Lord, she did not drink wine. Did not the Lord hear Hannah, not partaking of food, and did fasting dissolve her barrenness? From these two, one was born strongest, the other most observant, they both proved themselves worthy, nourished for a long time in the womb of fasting, and seemed to be poured forth from the womb of abstinence. Similarly, Samson, who was conceived by his mother's sobriety, was avenged by the drunkenness of his adversaries.

18. Elisaeus the prophet, who had learned from his master the virtue of frugality, when he was feeding the sons of the prophets, loaded their tables with wild grapes and filled the duty of hospitality with tasteless forest herbs. When they were unable to eat because of the bitterness, he tempered all that bitterness with a sprinkling of fine flour, emptying the power of the poison with the gift of prophetic abstinence.

Chapter VII.

Three boys, having entered the furnace with empty stomachs, brought forth a cooling of the flames; and even the lions were taught by Daniel to fast.

There are certain creatures in nature, which are called amiantum, that are not easily consumed by fire. When placed in a fire, they ignite and immediately, when removed from the flame, shine brightly as if infused with water. The bodies of the Hebrew children, when transformed into amiantum through fasting, borrowed the power of fire not to the detriment of themselves, but for their own benefit. For when the fires of the furnace raged, spreading the flames around to a distance of over forty cubits, consuming many of the Chaldeans who supplied fuel to the fires with naphtha, pitch, tow, and kindling, the Hebrew children entered through fasting. The intense heat of the flames dissipated, and in the middle of the furnace they began to be moistened by a refreshing breath of dew. Not a single hair on their heads was burned, for fasting had also nourished their hair.


20. Daniel, a man of longings, also instructed the lions to fast for three weeks. He was thrown into the lake, hardened in the rigidity of abstinence, and his body was made firm and did not yield to injury. Such were the restraints of his fasting, that no place could be found for the bites of wild beasts on his body. The mouths of the lions were closed, which the sanctity of prophetic abstinence held in check, so that those animals, bound by certain chains, could not open them.


21. Therefore, fasting extinguished the power of fire, fasting closed the mouths of lions, fasting solidified the flow of the sea, fasting turned the rock into fountains of water, by the power of fasting, it restrained its own nature and calmed the waves, and the rock overflowed with water.

Chapter VIII.

To highlight the benefits of fasting, it presents a most elegant description comparing the inconveniences of gluttony and the disturbances that the same gluttony often causes; to which an exhortation to moderation is added.


22. But why should I make use of old examples, when even the present gifts of gratitude abound with fasting? Who has ruined his house by fasting? Who has diminished his resources? To whom has luxury been a cause of suspicion? To whom has abstinence not been venerable? Whose bed has frugality desired? Whose modesty has drunkenness not injured? Fasting is the rule of self-control, the discipline of chastity, the humility of the mind, the correction of the flesh, the form of sobriety, the norm of virtue, the purification of the soul, the expense of mercy, the institution of gentleness, the allurements of charity, the grace of old age, the protection of youth. Fasting is a remedy for weakness, a nourishment for health. No one has ever become sick from fasting, no one has ever felt a loss of blood from self-control; on the contrary, it has suppressed and expelled everything. It is a good provision for a journey, a good provision for all of life: it is good on the sea, it calms shipwrecks, it preserves food.

23. Those who say that fasting is burdensome should be asked who has died from fasting. Many have died while eating lunch, and many have vomited up their feast and lost their life. Finally, what animal has groaned that fasting was the cause of its death? A noose is not hidden in food, a hook lies hidden in bait, food leads to a pit, and food leads into a snare; food even binds birds with sticky substance, and food causes flying creatures to fall to their death. Are these not dangers for the stomach? Animals do not know crime, and they are punished only as if for a crime. Moderation of the mind is fasting, in this senses thrive, in this judgments are dealt with, in a feast, drinks. Fasting preserves discipline, while poverty follows luxury. Luxury is the mother of hunger (Tobias IV), according to the prophetic saying. Fasting loves rest, luxury loves restlessness. Fasting sows leisure, luxury sows business.

24. Sometimes the sword of the cook's footsteps will strike. May the butcher rest, who knocks on other people's doors before daybreak and wakes up the sleeping as if a war were imminent. You see him disturbed, panting; you give notice: you ask what is the cause of the disturbance. He demands, he says, that his master wants to know where the wine is best sold, he asks where a harder vagina can be cured, where liver is softer, where pheasant is fatter, where the fish is fresher. He runs through various places; and when he finds something, he hurries with great speed. He disturbs the sleepy master, the prices are raised. If he moves the price of a fish, he says that a better one cannot be found, indeed that it is lacking. Yesterday, he says, there was a storm, today a tempest, I could barely detect him hiding. Many people crowd in the market: if you give it back, another will give more; and what will you offer for lunch? That wine is his birthday wine, these oysters are selected from that lake: such is the bidding for each item. There is a certain quarrel between the hunter and the shepherd. Disturbed, he questions who is diminishing the rights of his possessions.

25. They run to the kitchen, there is a great noise, there is a commotion. The whole household is in uproar, everyone curses, because no rest is given to them. Finally, finally give the cook some rest. Like a statue, the butler's right hand is frozen by extreme cold. He exercises his hands in the cold, they wash the marbles. They clean the floors wet with wine, and covered with fish spines; and how many are wounded while they walk? In the very banquet, there is the noise of feasting, the groaning of those being flogged. If something happened to displease friends, they laugh, you become angry. Let the house be silent sometimes from the many disturbances of people running here and there, empty of smoke, and the smell of half-cooked food. Do not think it is a kitchen, but a slaughter: a battle is being fought, not a meal prepared; everything is floating in blood.

26. The evil mistress serves gluttony, which always desires, never satisfies. For what is more insatiable than the stomach? Today it indulges, and tomorrow it demands. When it is filled, there is discussion about self-restraint; when it is digested, it says goodbye to virtues and seeks excess. Among drinking cups, philosophy is preached; among philosophers, wine is praised. 'Watchfulness,' he says, 'and anger, and torment for the insatiable man' (Sirach 31:23): he eats and shortly regrets; his own intemperance did not delight him for long.


27. Listen to the rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasted sumptuously every day, while at his gate lay Lazarus, a beggar covered with sores, longing to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man's table. But after a little while, when he had died, he began to beg, placed in Hades, that the tip of his finger might be dipped in water and cool his tongue, which was burning with fire. Where are those riches? Where are those feasts? He who was getting drunk is thirsty: he who was begging is full. In the very banquet while they drink, they are thirsty; and when they have become drunk, they drink more. Wine is no longer drunk as if from an open fountain, but poured in like from a jug: the cup is not sipped, but emptied.

Chapter IX.

Why are powerful people prohibited from drinking wine? Judith, while fasting, kills Holofernes and with the same tactics liberates her people. Esther, to whom the drunk Aman pays the price, does the same. Finally, the praises of various fasting are enumerated.


28. 'Thorns,' he says, 'are born in the hand of the drunkard' (Prov. 26:9), because he wounds himself with his own hands and throws wounds upon his chest. With these thorns he tears the garment of faith that he received, and he will not be able to preserve his treasure. For every drunkard and fornicator will lack, and he will clothe himself with torn garments of foolishness. And therefore the powerful are prohibited from drinking wine, lest when they drink, they forget wisdom (Prov. 31:4).


Finally, those powerful men who desired to surrender themselves to Holophernes, the prince of the Assyrian army, were drinking wine in drunkenness. But Judith, fasting all the days of her widowhood, did not drink wine except on the solemnities of feast days. Armed with these weapons, she went forth and surrounded the entire Assyrian army. Sober in the strength of her wisdom, she took off the head of Holophernes, preserved her chastity, and brought back victory. For she pretended before others in the camp that she was girded with fasting, while he, buried in wine, lay unconscious, unable to feel the blow of her weapon. Therefore the fasting of one woman laid low countless armies of drunk men.

Esther also became more beautiful through fasting; for the Lord increased the grace of a sober mind. He delivered his own, that is, the whole people of the Jews, from the bitterness of persecution, so that he made the king subject to him, not inflamed by lust, but converted by heavenly mercy; so that punishment was turned against the wicked, and honor was restored to the sacred altars. Therefore, what she fasted for three days in a row, and washed her body with water, pleased more, and avenged herself. However, while he was boasting at a royal feast, he paid the price of his own drunkenness among the very wines.

31. Therefore, fasting is a sacrifice of reconciliation, an increase of virtue, which has also made women stronger by the addition of grace. Fasting does not know the moneylender, it does not know the interest of loans, the table of the fasting does not smell of usury: it does not strangle the son of a chaste man with the father's hundredth part: it does not torment the widow with the rights of a sober man whose property has been pledged: it does not exclude the heir from the court of fasting if he has not repaid.

32. Even fasting gives grace to feasts themselves. The meals are made sweeter after hunger, which becomes weary with constant repetition and loses value with prolonged continuation. Fasting is the seasoning of food. The hungrier the desire, the more enjoyable the food. Thirst commends the cup, it does not seek the age of wine. Whatever a fasting person drinks, it is transmitted to satisfaction, not to judgment, it floats. Precious things also deteriorate with use: but the difficult possession of them is the enjoyable experience of them. The sun itself is more pleasing after the night, light itself is brighter after darkness, and sleep is sweeter after vigilance, health itself is more enjoyable after the trials of sickness. From the very creator of the world, we have learned that grace often increases with diversity. Therefore, hunger accompanies a feast, so that the meal is more pleasing after periods of fasting.

Chapter X.

The mystical table is prepared with fasting. It is discussed morally and mystically what hunger makes fasting acceptable and what is meant by the statement: When you fast, anoint your head.


33. The mystical table is also compared to fasting: that table, of which David says: You have prepared a table before me against them that afflict me (Psalm 23:5). This table is acquired at the price of hunger: and that cup, by inebriating sobriety, is sought by the thirst for heavenly sacraments. For the Lord said: Come to the water, all you that thirst, and you that have no money, make haste, buy, and eat (Isaiah 55:1). And elsewhere He says: 'Behold, those who serve Me will eat, but you will be hungry. Behold, those who serve Me will drink, but you will be thirsty.' (Isaiah, 65:13). Who are you except those who have drunk before? Of whom it was said above: 'You have prepared a table for demons and filled a cup of fortune.' (Ibid., 11). Therefore, if holy fasts lead us to that venerable table, if by this hunger we obtain eternal treasures, why do we doubt the things that are in human use, since even this fasting makes them sweeter to us?


34. However, not every hunger makes an acceptable fast, but the hunger that is undertaken out of fear of God. Consider: Lent is observed throughout all days except for Saturday and Sunday. This fast concludes with the Lord's Easter. Now the day of resurrection has come, the Elect are baptized, they come to the altar, they receive the sacrament, the thirsty drink from the whole veins. Each one rightly says, having been restored, 'You have prepared a table before me.' . . . and how delightful is your intoxicating cup (Psalm 22, 5)! However, it is not only hunger that is sought, but also the full discipline of fasting. Moreover, it is said to others: 'In the days of your fasts, you find your own desires and provoke all who are subject to you. Do you fast for judgments and quarrels and strike with your fists? Why is this fast chosen by me, so that your voices are heard in clamor? This is not the fast that I have chosen, to humble oneself as a man; and even if you bend your neck like a circle, you still spread ashes and a hairshirt, and you will not call this a pleasing fast.' I have not chosen such a fast, says the Lord (Isaiah 58:3 et seq.). What kind of fast is condemned, we have heard; now let us hear what kind is approved. But undo all the chains of injustice, untie the chords of binding obligations, let the oppressed go free, and break every unjust yoke. Share your food with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, cover them, and do not hide yourself from your own flesh and blood. You see what kind and form is fasting, what disposition of the mind; that you may be empty for prayer, and meditate on the law of God day and night.

35. The very appearance of the body is full of dignity, with no hint of the flush of drunkenness on the cheeks that would offend the gaze of onlookers, but the countenance shines with a chaste pallor, the speech more serious, the eyes more modest, the steps more steady and measured; for often the movements of the soul are revealed by a more disturbed gait. The expression is more intense, a certain arbiter of one's thoughts, and a silent interpreter of the heart; so that neither does it conceal sadness, nor does it burst into immediate laughter. For you should not consider this a superfluous admonition of ours; since Wisdom says in the Gospel: 'When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, sad' (Matthew 6:16). He called them hypocrites, because they put on the appearance of another person through simulation; just as those who sing tragedies on stage, they provoke their own emotions according to the words of the characters they portray, so that they may either become angry, or mourn, or rejoice. These individuals strive to appear as though they are fasting, desiring to gain approval more from people than from God, just as the Jews did.


36. And therefore it is said to us: But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to men to fast, but to your Father who is in secret: and your Father who sees in secret will repay you (Matthew 6:17-18). What does it mean to anoint your head? But even the indulgent say: Let us fill ourselves with wine and ointments. For they anoint themselves with ointment, who seek the favor of bodily odor. But those ointments are accustomed to stir up the allurements of desire. There is another ointment of sobriety, of which the Church says to its spouse: Your name is poured out ointment (Cant. I, 2): another oil by which the limbs of the soul and certain members grow fat. Hence David says: You have anointed my head with oil (Psal. XXII, 5). And this is the oil of gladness, with which Christ was anointed by God the Father, so that he might excel above all his companions. This commands us to anoint our head, so that all feigned sadness may be covered with the oil of joy; lest you appear to be selling your fasting to men, lest you appear to be saddened about the salvation of your soul. For no one who is sad is crowned, no one who is sorrowful triumphs. Therefore, anoint your head, where the senses of the wise are; for the eyes of the wise are in their head. You are called to the mysteries, and you do not know: you learn when you come. And remember that: As the ointment on the head, which descends to the beard of Aaron (Ps. CXXXII, 2), then you know what it is: Anoint your head: how you may please God, so that He may reveal His sacraments to you, and grant you spiritual grace.


37. And there is another mystical head. What is that? Listen: The head of a woman is the man; and the head of the man is Christ (I Cor. XI, 3). Send the ointment into Christ, send it also into His head. His head is God. That woman, bearing the type of the Church, who sent the ointment into His head, confessed His divinity; and she who sent it to His feet, confessed His passion. Both are praised. And you, do something for which you may be praised, for which you may receive the forgiveness of sins (Matth. XXVI, 10). Wash your face, cleanse your sinful soul, cleanse your conscience. For the face is often the index of the conscience, and silent speech of the mind, when we are either stung by sin or joyful in integrity. Do not exterminate this face, wash it, and wash away all the filth of your conscience. He exterminates his own face, who carries one thing in his heart and pretends another outside. Let us not, like in some kind of theatrical performance, cover ourselves up: let what is inside shine on the outside, let what is outside work within. No one should include fault in fasting; let them bear innocence purely. For fasting is the slayer of faults.

Chapter XI.

The virtue of fasting is illustrated by the bitter example of bitter foods, and although the food may be sweet, its harmfulness is shown in the story of Esau and Jacob; then follows an exhortation to avoid boasting in fasting.


No one prefers sweet things to bitter things. Sweet pleasure seems, bitter fasting. Let that sweet thing be taken away from this bitterness. Bitter things are also accustomed to benefit the bodies themselves even more. Just as when worms are born in the innermost organs of boys from the indigestion of food, they cannot be extinguished unless a more bitter drink is poured in, or the strength of harsh medicines is applied, by the smell of which they die; so the profound virtue of the soul, having entered, kills the latent fault of fasting.


39. What did Esau do to his brother? Wasn't the food sweet for a time, but bitter in the future? What did Jacob give to his brother? Wasn't the contempt of the food more bitter for the time being, but healthy in the long run? The same bodies that are often bloated with sweet things are strained by honey; however, the bitterness of the food is tempered. Therefore, it is not a mediocre, but a praised question: From the eater came out food, and from the strong came forth sweetness (Judges 14:14). Others have: And from sadness comes sweetness; the Greeks especially have books. But it is also perhaps laborious; for sweetness arises from sadness or labor.

40. Therefore, do not boast when you fast, do not glory, lest fasting be of no benefit to you. For those things done for show will not bear fruit in the future; they consume their reward in the present. Elijah was in the desert, so that no one would see him fasting, except the ravens who fed him. Elisha was in the desert, where no food could be found, except bitter herbs. John was in the desert, where he could only find locusts and wild honey. The feasts are brought to those who are fasting by the pious ministry of angels. Daniel ate among the fasting lions. He ate a foreign meal, the animals did not touch their own. Feasts fly to those who are fasting, while those who are eating stumble on their feet: for those who are fasting, manna descends from heaven, while for those who are feasting, the guilt of transgression ascends.

Chapter XII.

How drunkenness leads to all kinds of wrongdoing, and how ridiculous and hateful it is, is explained with an elegant description. After that, some things are added about a luxuriant youth who turned to philosophy.

41. But what is this? While I discuss fasting, I hear the noise of feasts. Unless I am mistaken, my speech smells of lunch. Therefore, the sound of letters invites, examples of impatience do not deter. Indeed, the people did not allow the one who was fasting and carrying the things of the Law to wait, they sat down to eat and drink, and they rose to play. We see that sacrilege was combined with drunkenness. For just as temperance is the mother of faith, so drunkenness is the mother of unfaithfulness. Into what crime does this not hurry?

42. Men are sitting at the doors of the taverns without a tunic, nor the expense of the following day. They judge about emperors and powers; in fact, they seem to be kings themselves and to command armies. They become rich through drunkenness, who are poor in truth. They give gold, distribute money to the people, build cities, who do not have from where they can pay the price of their body's drink. For wine ferments in them, and they do not know what they are saying. They are rich while they are getting drunk: but soon when they have digested the wine, they realize that they are beggars. In one day, they consume the labors of many days.

43. From drunkenness, they rise to arms, with cups replacing weapons. For blood is shed for wine, and wine itself sheds blood. How strong men imagine themselves to be in wine, how wise, how eloquent, how even beautiful and graceful, when they cannot even stand! The mind must stumble, the tongue stammers, a pale color suffuses the bloodless face, and the stench of drunkenness nauseates. Barbarians rush to the sword, the common people to brawls. If anyone of them is struck with a fist, you would see their wounded faces shedding tears of wine, singing pitiful epilogues. One thing this drunkenness has, that it softens and dissolves the hearts of drunkards. For just as fire tests hard iron, so also the heat of wine melts even the hearts of proud men.

44. All seem equal to themselves in wine, no one inferior. The poor does not yield to the rich, as he does not know himself to be poor: the weak does not yield to the strong, in whom all strength is in drinking: the beggar does not yield to the wealthy, nor the ignoble to the honorable; when they drink, they consider him a king, who surpasses the others in drinking. And rightly it is written: Wine in drunkenness is equal for all men (Eccl. XXXI, 32). But I wish you also heard what follows: Drink it moderately, that you may be sober (Ibid.). You have nothing to blame: wine is created for pleasure, not for drunkenness from the beginning. It is a delight of the soul and heart, if you drink in moderation; however, excessive drinking incites anger and causes many ruinous consequences.

45. But perhaps they would say that these are the drinks of common and lowly people. Let us then come to the banquets of those who are powerful and strong. I will not here produce perfumed young boys or crowned with roses, such as they say he was who, covered in ointments, adorned with flowers, supported by harlots, drunk with the morning drink, and accompanied by the light of burning candles, entered the room of the philosopher who was delivering a lecture. Upon hearing this, he slowly removed the crowns, as they say, wiped away the ointments, and bid farewell to the prostitutes. The philosopher afterwards became so great that he was an example of sobriety, who had previously been a mockery of drunkenness. For I do not envy them the fact that they have reformed; let me teach you that their kind of luxury is not simulated by me. Certainly, even if he repented of wine, he was always drunken on sacrilege.

Chapter XIII.

The banquets of soldiers are compared to a certain battle and spectacle; and their individual parts, and as it were a kind of exposition, rising action, and catastrophe, are described with the utmost diligence.

46. Remove therefore from here the slippery young men, we have come to the banquets of warriors. It is necessary to dine among weapons, these are the warlike attendants who serve, girded with gold, and supported by Babylonian belts: their necks shine with golden necklaces, they cover their waist with golden bulla, they enclose their knives in golden sheaths, with which they will fight while dividing the feasts. Boys with long hair standing by, chosen from a barbarian nation for these purposes, in turns according to the distances of their ages. You see the ranks of diverse peoples, you think it is an ordered battle line: silver vessels on display, you believe it to be a pompous procession: a horn in the midst full of wine, not an instrument for battle, but for feasting, which ignites the contest among those reclining.

47. First, in smaller cups, like jockeys, the fight is preluded. But this is not a sign of sobriety, but of drinking discipline. Just as tragedians gradually excite their voices at first, until they open a passage for a clear sound, so these people also exercise themselves in preluding cups at first, to provoke thirst; lest perhaps they quench it, and afterwards cannot drink when satiated. Therefore, when things begin to heat up, they demand larger cups: the March heat flames up, thirst blazes with food, and where it seems to diminish, it is replenished with stronger drink. They compete cups with dishes, and often pause between bites. Then, as the drink progresses further and more intently, there are different and great competitions, who excels in drinking? It is noteworthy and serious if someone excuses themselves, if someone thinks wine should be moderated. And this continues until second courses are reached at the tables.


48 But when the feasts are finished, you would think it is time to rise: then they renew their drinking; and when they have finished that, then they say they begin; then the cups are brought forth, then the great bowls are brought forth, as it were instruments of war. And lest you should think this an immoderate thing, there is a measure set, it is disputed under the umpire, it is determined according to law. The Agonothetae are to them but madness, weakness is their stipend, fault is the reward of victory. The issue of war hangs long and doubtful; for that fury is the fury of a battle. The hands of the servers giving wine yield, and the hot labors of the cooks serving out; the ones weighing out the very good measures exceedingly carefully, not allowing anything to overflow: the drinkers do not yield.

49. Only those contests are without excuse. In war, if someone sees themselves inferior, they turn their weapons and earn forgiveness; but here, if someone turns their cup, they are urged to drink. In a game, if someone raises their hand, they are indeed free from punishment, but immune to injury; but in social gatherings, even if someone withdraws their hand from wine, it is poured into their mouth. Everyone becomes drunk, both the victorious and the defeated lie drunk, many are asleep. They cannot be carried to the grave until the one who feeds them sees himself avenged on all, in order to punish the loss. But those who do not feel the losses consider this the glory of their table, if all the wounded and injured come out of it as if from the arena.

50. A sad spectacle for the eyes of Christians, and a pitiful sight. You see young men being carried out from the feast, terrible to look upon by their enemies, and then being carried back to the feast, filled so that they may empty, and emptied so that they may drink. If someone is more modest, they blush to rise; when they are no longer able to hold excessive drinking, they pant more heavily, sweat, groan, betray with signs what they are ashamed to confess. There, each person recounts their own fights, there they boast of their brave deeds, they narrate the triumphs soaked in wine, and in their sleepy minds they do not know what their tongues utter. Each one snores and drinks, sleeps and fights; and if ever they stand up, the warriors cannot stand, staggering when they exit. The servants laugh at the insults of their masters, carrying the bellicose soldier in their own hands, even putting him on their shoulders. And so they wander here and there like ships without a helmsman; and like those struck by a wound, they fall to the ground unless they are caught by the servants. Others are carried on shields, a mockery procession is made. Those whom you had seen in the morning, distinguished by their weapons and menacing in appearance, you may also see in the evening, even being laughed at by children with impunity, wounded without the use of a sword, killed without battle, disturbed without an enemy, trembling without old age, in the very bloom of their youth.

Chapter XIV.

Those who prepare banquets for drunkenness are reproached: and the power of wine is shown to be greater than that of poison.

Who mixed such a cup of madness? Who poured so much poison into minds? A man risks drowning in the mud of his own body; and he himself is guilty of voluntary madness, of spontaneous corruption; and yet you are not excused, who call them friends and send them away as enemies. How much better would it have been if you had poured your wine into the earth? But even the earth becomes drunk, and it makes even the wild animals more savage, if they catch a whiff of wine. Finally, during the time of the grape harvest, if they enter the vineyard, they are accustomed to becoming inflamed with drunkenness. What delights you in losses without grace? You ask for pleasure, you compel to death: you invite to a feast, you wish to carry to a grave: you promise food, you inflict tortures: you offer wine, you pour out poison. For indeed, whatever harms, is poison. It takes away the senses, burns the organs, disturbs sleep, vexes the head.

Even the power of wine is greater than that of poison. In fact, poison is excluded by wine, not wine by poison. Justly God, through Moses, compared wine not only to poison, but also to the poison of serpents, saying: The fury of serpents is their wine, and the incurable wrath of asps (Deut. XXXII, 33). And he added beautifully, incurable; for many are cured of the poison of other serpents, but no one is cured of drunkenness. Certainly the flesh is wounded by poison, but the mind is without harm: drunkenness leads to the death of the body, and also adds guilt to the mind. Beware, however, of the poison and deceit of wine, declared by name. For it was said above concerning foreigners, who did not know God. For the wine of their vineyard is the wine of Sodom, and their vine is the vine of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter (Ibid., 32).

Chapter XV.

If he had not said everything that could be said about drunkards, he shows this by citing a passage from Isaiah: from where he launches into a discourse about the debauchery of taverns; and at the end he adds certain things about the golden cup of Babylon and the apostolic vessel.


Do you think that I, like someone intoxicated with wine, have mixed this speech with excessive zeal for fasting; and yet, because of these most brave men, how much have I left out, how much have I said, how much less than what the Lord has spoken! You have heard what He said through Moses: listen to what is written in the book of the words of Isaiah. For the Lord inveighs against such people in these verses, saying: Woe to those who rise early in the morning, and pursue strong drink, who are drunk in the evening, for the wine will burn them. For with harp and psaltery and timbrels they drink wine: but the works of the Lord they regard not, nor consider the operations of his hands. Woe unto them, that say: Woe unto him that judges, and to them that cause bitterness. (Isaiah 5:11) They differ, every one from the other, they consume all like drunkards. Woe to them that are drunken, but not with wine: who throw themselves into the evening. (Proverbs 23:29) What will they do then that go early to the morning, and continue until night, till the wine inflame them? Therefore woe to them, because they have forsaken the law of God. They have disputes, they provoke lawsuits, they rush into violence, and they come to the judgement seat or are called. They have judgments, therefore, as if they were things. Sometimes a more serious disturbance arises because the mind of the drunkard is perverted by wine. And neither the king nor the magistrates remember, as it is written: 'And he makes everything speak openly, and they do not remember the times of friendship nor of brotherhood' (3 Esdras 3:21 et seq). But after the disturbance they take up swords, and when they have been intoxicated with wine and have risen, they themselves do not remember what they have done. Therefore, the tumult also deserves a worthy reward.

54. Certainly I had seen lyres, psalteries, and drums, which we know are frequently used at such banquets to excite passions with wine and singing. Moreover, many, following the Persian fashion, order worthy women to be led into the company of the drunkards, and they receive cups from them and kneel down while they sit. And they consider this rite as a sacred observance in the ministry of drunkenness. Therefore, barbarians also have wine; the Romans gladly indulge them so that they themselves become dissolved in drinking and weakened by drunkenness. Not only wine causes drunkenness, but also beer. In fact, the Hebrews call any intoxicating drink by the name 'sicera'.

55. Therefore, not undeservedly, woe to those who seek a morning drink of drunkenness, whom it was fitting to offer praises to God, to anticipate dawn, and to meet in prayer with the only righteousness, who visits his own, and rises for us, if we rise with Christ, not with wine and strong drink. Hymns are sung, and do you hold a lyre? Psalms are chanted, and do you take up the psalter or the tambourine? Deservedly woe, because you forsake salvation and choose death. Scarcely dawn, and already they hurry through taverns, seeking wine, carpets are shaken out, they hasten to spread the drinking couch; silver flagons, golden cups are displayed. Alas, he says, those who seek such things!

56. The golden cup of Babylon in the hand of the Lord, intoxicating the whole earth. From his wine all nations have drunk, therefore they have been mad. And suddenly Babylon has fallen and is broken (Jer. 51:7-8). Therefore, the golden cup is broken; because Babylon is broken, she who was the golden cup. But even though she boasts in gold and price, she is still in the power of the Lord. Finally, she is crushed by divine indignation. In what way is she a golden cup? Since he lacks truth, he seeks deceit; so that at least the precious appearance can lure some to drink there.

Set before your eyes the splendor of this world, you see a specious allure, but empty grace. Let not golden and silver vessels entice you. We also have a treasure in earthen vessels (II Cor. IV, 7). The apostolic vessel is made of clay, but in it is the treasure of Christ. Woe to those who pursue the morning of silk! This vessel is golden, a cup, and in that cup is the poison of death, the poison of lust, the poison of drunkenness. He who drinks from this is disturbed and falls. He is moved not only in body, but also with a disturbed heart; for to be moved is a result of sin.

Chapter XVI.

Drunken dogs are like the persecutors of the Lord, in fact even more miserable than the demons themselves: they are depicted in their own colors: upon whom the holy Doctor declares the words of Jeremiah to fall.


58. Finally, Cain, exiting from the sight of God, dwelt in the land of Nod, which in interpretation means disturbance. Therefore, whoever is intoxicated with the golden cup is moved by sin. Why do you place yourself under the curse of Cain, the murderer, so that you may tremble and be moved? But even the persecutors of the Lord were stirred as they passed by. For the evil spirit, accustomed to filling bodies and moving them, would agitate them. And when that spirit is absent, the trembling ceases; but drunkenness continually causes trembling. The bodies of the intoxicated sweat wine: if you touch them lightly, you squeeze out the wine.

Drunkenness is the fuel of desire, drunkenness is the incentive of madness, drunkenness is the poison of folly. This frenzy changes the minds and forms of men, turning them into neighing horses. For when the natural heat of the body is inflamed by the unnatural heat of wine, they are unable to restrain themselves and are aroused to bestial desires, so that they have no defined time in which it is suitable to indulge in sexual intercourse. They lose their voice, their color changes, their eyes blaze, they breathe heavily, they snort, they grow furious, they surpass reason. Hence dangerous madness, hence severe punishment of stones, hence deadly rawness, hence frequent vomiting of half-digested feasts mixed with the blood of the internal organs pouring forth. I lie, unless the same Lord spoke through Jeremiah saying: Drink and be drunk, and vomit, and fall, and do not rise (Jer. XXV, 27).

Also from here come empty images, uncertain visions, unstable steps, they often jump over shadows like ditches. The ground appears to sway with these things, suddenly seeming to rise and lean, and as if it were turning, they rush in fear on their faces, and grasp only with their hands, or they seem to be enclosed by approaching mountains. The murmuring in their ears is like the roar of a fluctuating sea, and the shore echoes with the waves. If they see dogs, they think they are lions and flee. Some are dissolved in uncontrolled laughter, others deplore with inconsolable grief, others see irrational terrors. The awake dream, the sleeping quarrel. Life is a dream to them, death is sleep to them: they cannot be awakened by any voices; however much you may think of arousing them with an impulse, unless they come to their senses, they cannot be awakened.

61. Therefore, Jeremiah considers a man like this as a superfluous creature, to be mourned. For what is a drunken man but a superfluous creature? Thus he says: Like Jazer, I will weep for you, O vineyard; because the city of Jazer is deserted (Jer. 48:32). And further: They have not trodden wine in your winepresses, neither have they made wine in the daytime (Ibid. 48:33). Jazer is a superfluous work, it is a superfluous creation. For moderation is natural: anything that exceeds the measure is considered superfluous, and so is drunkenness, which is lamented with prophetic weeping. Where the Apostle says: 'Do not be drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit' (Ephesians 5:18). Therefore, there is drunkenness of sin, and there is also drunkenness of grace. And perhaps it is the nature of the grace that we, who are made in the image and likeness of God, should be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Chapter XVII.

On supplications, sacraments, and libations of revelers. How often secret things are wrung from wine. And on a miraculous manner of drinking, and how it is pernicious to health.

62. But what shall I say about the entreaties of those in power? What about the sacred oaths that they consider it a crime to violate? They say, 'Let us drink: I wish for the health of the emperors; for whoever does not drink shall be considered guilty of disrespect.' For it seems that one does not love the emperor if they do not drink for his health. Oh, the pious obedience of devotion! Let us drink for the well-being of the armies, for the bravery of the companions, for the health of our children. And they believe that these prayers reach God, just as those who bring cups to the tombs of martyrs and drink there until evening, not believing that they can be heard otherwise. Oh, the foolishness of humans who consider drunkenness a sacrifice: those who believe that pleasure is found in intoxication, and those who have learned to endure suffering through fasting!

63. How many of those we know have come from excessive conviviality to torture? While they fight for their control through drunkenness and promise themselves kingdoms, they promise honors to others, and the unfortunate who did not know what to say have been led to punishment. Hence, many good judges did not consider those things said in drunkenness to be held against them as a crime. Many also use wine like a rack; and those for whom torture does not elicit a voice of treason, they test by drinking; so that they may betray the state of their homeland, the safety of the citizens, and their plans of defense. For virtue generally conquers pain; but excessive drinking excludes faith. I have known many lute-players who, afflicted with sores, denied their name. Who concealed among the cups what he desired to keep hidden?

64. Why should I examine my hearing, not of a cup, but of a flood-like nature, through which wines are poured into the mouths of men like through tubes or channels? Should I consider these men as bags, or rather wineskins? And yet even wineskins, unless the pouring is controlled, often burst. Wines flowing through a horn also pour into the throats of men; and if anyone breathes, the committed offense, a loosened sword, is considered a change in position. Flowing water dissolves rocky cliffs from Mount Lebanon, how do they think that the violent onslaught of flowing wines does not harm the delicate internal organs of the wine drinkers?


65. They also say that elephants can suck up a great deal of water with their trunk; however, they are satisfied with a moderate amount of water to quench their thirst. But if they happen to be cheated by a certain innkeeper, feeling indignant, they fill their trunk with water not to drink it, but to spill it out; and in this way, they flood the inn with temporary inundations, thinking that they are avenging themselves. Suddenly, the lakes dry up and are suddenly poured out, and everything floats. To whom is it not surprising that such huge bodies of beasts can hold nothing superfluous?

Chapter XVIII.

How disgraceful and destructive the drunkenness of women is, even to those who witness it! And when one laments this evil, it reveals how beneficial sobriety is and how harmful intemperance is, as exemplified by the Israelites.

But why should we speak about men, when even women, who should exercise greater vigilance in preserving their chastity and sobriety, consume alcohol to the point of drunkenness? Then, when they rise, they dare to go out in public, without veiling their heads and with a bold expression, even though it is not appropriate for them to be heard by others or seen outside the intimate confines of the home. The Apostle (1 Cor. 14:35) commands women to remain silent even in the Church, and at home, he instructs them to question their husbands. Those women, in the streets, shamelessly even lead immodest dances in front of young men, tossing their hair, pulling their tunics, their garments torn, their bare arms exposed, clapping their hands, dancing with their feet, making noisy voices, arousing the lustful desires of the youths with their theatrical movements, their provocative gaze, their shameful mockery. The crowd of young people watches, and a pitiful spectacle is created. Amidst the ruin of the dancers and the falling of the spectators, the sky is polluted by impure gaze, the earth is defiled by indecent movements, which are beaten by obscene dances.


67. How can I speak with patience, pass by with piety, and appropriately lament? Wine has brought us the loss of so many souls. For if wine and women lead us away from God, since either drunkenness or the allure of lustful transgression, if each of these alone accomplishes this, what will they accomplish when united? Therefore, it is not without reason that a certain wise man before us says: A drunken woman, a great anger (Sirach XXVI, 11).

68. But what wonder if the souls of women are deceived by wine, when all those tribes of the fathers, when they drank water from the rock, ate manna, conquered mighty nations, and there was no weak among them: but when they began to desire meat, and they were turned back to Egypt by their desires, they did not deserve to arrive in the promised land except for two out of so many thousands of people? Therefore, what good sobriety is, what evil intemperance is, can be gathered from here: when they murmured seeking the delights of Egypt, they were bitten by serpents: when they crossed the path through the Red Sea, they drank water. So, are we not afraid of setting an example, not avoiding pleasures, lest we deprive ourselves of the attainment of future goods?

Chapter XIX.

The prophecy of Isaiah denounces destruction to the luxuriant: the sea should not be stirred up by merchants, who are consumed by their greed; for it was given not for sailing, but for food, and not for humans, but for fishes to swim in: finally, in what way should luxurious ships be compared?


69. And what will be the opinions of others? Let us hear what those who are well fed and luxurious hope for themselves. Isaiah the prophet brings them in, saying: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die (Isa. XXII, 13). And he rightly cries out: Howl, you ships of Carthage, that have perished, and will be no more (Isa. XXIII, 1). This is said concerning the vision of Tyre, a city that we know to be luxurious. And for this reason, it is not the ninth vision, but the seventh or eighth, because it neither keeps the law, nor the grace of the Gospel: since it is forbidden to kindle the fires of desire on the legitimate Sabbath, and the eighth day of resurrection shines forth in the series of the Gospel. But the same day is both the first and the eighth, because the Sunday recurs within itself. Therefore, luxury has neither faith nor observance of discipline: luxury is the seedbed and origin of vices. And do not think that I have spoken against the Apostle (I Tim. VI, 1), for he says that greed is the root of all vices, since luxury is the mother of greed. Indeed, when someone has exhausted their own resources by luxuriously indulging, they then seek greedy shortcuts.


Today's reading is about Merchants. The prophet says that the merchants of the Phoenicians navigate through many waters: the seed of merchants is like a harvest that is brought in. These cities are nearby, Tyre, Phoenicia, Sidon: nearby in location, as well as in vices. The merchants seek profit from dangerous sea crossings. People lead anxious lives, with unsettled conversations, always in turmoil, more restless than the very winds they are carried by, tossed here and there frequently. Certainly, you accuse frequent shipwrecks, but who compels you to navigate? As if you do not make envy of wealth and lands, and as if you excite many to robbery. God did not make the sea for sailing, but rather for the beauty of the element. He has spread out the wider expanses of the sea, certainly in order to enclose lands with a strait, so that you, as a wanderer and exile, would not roam too far. But the sea is tossed by storms. Therefore, you should fear, not use. The innocent element has done nothing wrong: human recklessness is itself a danger. Finally, he who does not sail does not know how to fear shipwreck. The Lord said: Rule over the fish of the sea (Gen. I, 28), he did not say: Sail on the waves. Finally, even the prophet Jonah, who was sent to Nineveh to preach repentance, because he wanted to sail away from the presence of God, was disturbed by a storm, and, being chosen by lot, was thrown into the sea, and was swallowed by a whale.

71. The Prophet David also says, when he is speaking of God's grace towards mankind: You have subjected everything under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and the beasts of the field, and the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea, that roam the paths of the sea (Psalms 8:8-9). He gave the fish the ability to traverse the paths of the sea, not humans. The sea was given to you for sustenance, not for danger: use it for food, not for commerce. Why do you create danger for yourself out of pleasure? Why do you explore the depths of the separate elements? Why do you seek the hidden secrets of the world? Why, as a restless sailor, do you strive to frequently navigate and carve the waves? Why do you often challenge peaceful seas and provoke storms in vain? Oh, insatiable greed of merchants! The sea and its restlessness cannot satisfy you. Finally, the sea itself testifies to the repeat offenses of merchants: Blush, Sidon, said the sea (Isaiah 23:4). This voice of the speaker is like tired elements saying: Blush, Sidon, this is, you blame my waves, though you yourself are more restless than the waves; and blush with shame, since you are not moved by danger. The winds are more modest than your desires. They have their leisure, but your desires are never satisfied. And even when the weather is calm, your ships are never idle. The wave moves under the oarsman when it rests from the winds.


72. 'I did not give birth,' she says, 'nor did I bear, nor did I rear youths.' (Ibid.) Why do I feel disturbed by those whom I do not know, whom I do not recognize? Go to Carthage, howl, you who inhabit the islands. (Ibid. 6) Above, she said: Howl you ships of Carthage. For indeed, the Tyrians founded Carthage, and therefore the Carthaginians follow the luxury of their founders, having absorbed into themselves a disgraceful succession of wickedness, becoming worse heirs of the worst vices. And he called them lavish, the ships. For just as these are tossed by the wind, so are they tossed by food and wine. They inhabit islands full of drink, surrounded by shipwrecks, they are struck by drunkenness with waves, they rest neither day nor night. Therefore, the seed of these merchants is in the water, the harvest is in the waves. For in the water they sow their labors, so that they may reap dangers. In the water, a crop sprouts for them, in the water the harvest abounds. The fruit itself is in the water, never safe and solid. Therefore it rightly says (Ez. 28): He who sows in the land does not enter into business; rather, he who sows in heaven. But there is good land in which whoever sows, heavenly fruits will arise for him.

Chapter XX.

In the cheapness of words, there is often a greater effectiveness. How the chorus of the harlot nations will sing; with an exhortation to moral conversion, as well as the redemption of sins through alms.

73. Ululate, he says, again, O ships of Carthage, since your defense has perished; and it will be on that day, Tyre will be abandoned (Isaiah 23:14). And further: And after seventy years Tyre will be like the song of a prostitute (Ibid. 15). See with what words the prophet speaks, and let him not shy away from the vulgarity of such words. Sometimes we shy away, not because our language is purer than theirs, but because our authority is lesser. For there is greater power in the expression of such words; so that those who are not ashamed of their sins, may be ashamed of even the names of sin. And so Tyre will be, he says, like the song of a prostitute. See, lest when someone sees those shameful dances, they say, 'Behold, Tyre has become like the song of a prostitute.' The oracle of prophetic proclamation has been fulfilled.

74. And he adds: Take up the lyre, and wander about, O forgotten city, O harpist, sing many songs, so that there may be a remembrance of you. And after seventy years Tyre will become like the song of a harlot, and God will visit Tyre (cf. Jer. 25:16). Therefore, we can also take as a good song the story of Rahab the harlot, who received the spies of Joshua with a faithful heart. For the Lord also said: We played the flute for you, and you did not dance (cf. Luke 7:32). And David said: Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth (Psalm XCV, 1), this is the song of a prostitute, which that prostitute sang in the land of Adam and Eve, the prostitute among the people of the nations. This prostitute has made many good prostitutes, of whom it is said by the Lord Jesus to the chosen and elder people of God: Tax collectors and prostitutes go before you into the kingdom of God (Matthew XXI, 31).

75. Therefore, since we have such a merciful Lord, who even forgives grave error, let us turn away from vices, let us not depart from the law, let us diligently fulfill the commandment of the Lord like eager servants. What do we have to do with impurities and indecencies? What do we have to do with the works of the devil? You have heard today in the passage read what the legion said: What do I have to do with you, Jesus, Son of God (Luke 8:28)? And you should also say, if perhaps you see the temptations of the devil fighting against you: What do I have to do with you, Belial? I am a servant of Christ, redeemed by his blood, I have given myself entirely to him. What is there for me and for you? I do not know your works, I seek nothing of yours, I possess nothing of yours, I desire nothing of yours. How much more must we separate ourselves from the devil, if he himself distinguishes himself from Christ? And if we were in any way subject to him, we are no longer: we have taken refuge in the physician, he has healed our wounds. And if there is any remaining bitterness, the remedy will not be lacking. And if we have done any wrong, he will not remember, who once granted. And if we have committed serious offenses, we have found a great physician, we have received a great medicine of his grace (De poenit., dist. 1, cap. Medicina). Indeed, great medicine removes great sins.

76. We also have many means by which we redeem our sins. If you have money, redeem your sin. The Lord is not for sale, but you yourself are for sale. You have been sold for your sins, redeem yourself with your works, redeem yourself with your money. Money is worthless, but mercy is precious. Almsgiving, it is said, frees from sin (Tob. XII, 9). And elsewhere it is said: The redemption of a man is his riches (Prov. XIII, 8). And in the Gospel the Lord says: Make friends for yourselves with the mammon of wickedness (Luc. XVI, 9). And frequently antidote is mixed with poison, that is, poison is excluded by poison. Poison is repelled by poison, life is saved. Do the same, like a good dispenser, provide assistance of mercy from the instrument of greed, grace of sincerity from the lure of corruption.

Chapter XXI.

The prophets also say that future things are present: similarly, the world is not unjustly to be destroyed according to Isaiah's prophecy, for the sake of illustrating this, a fitting comparison with a racecourse is used. On this occasion, it teaches us that we must be athletes and diligently train for the crown; and finally, it prays that Christ may hasten his coming.

77. Have you heard what has been read today: Behold, the Lord is coming to destroy the world (Isaiah XIII, 5). As if by a holy hand the prophet demonstrates, as if he sees with his eyes the coming day of judgment, he says: Behold, the Lord is coming to destroy the world. Indeed, because in the spirit the future is revealed to the prophets as if it were present, what he saw, he desired to also demonstrate to us, so that he may call us to conversion from error.


78. Nevertheless, no one should be broken when he hears that the Lord will destroy the world. Lest perhaps someone should say: Okay, we have committed serious sins, but what sins has the sky, the earth, the sea committed, that they too should be destroyed? Why will such beautiful decoration perish? Such a mindset is narrow-minded. However, if you look deeper, you will find that what you think is against us is actually for us: you will judge that what you consider against the world is actually for the world. The stadium is not always crowded with spectators, not always restless with competitions, not always covered in dust: but when there are competitions, then the people are in the stands, the fighter is on the mat, the dust is on the track. Once the competitions are over, the gathering disperses, each one either victorious in grace, or defeated in disgrace: the crown elevates the victor, shame weighs down the defeated, insult torments. So if someone enters the stadium afterwards, they will see an emptiness of the crowd, and they should say to the organizer: Why is the stadium empty; why are the competitions silent; why are the ceremonies not being held? The one who presides over the contest will answer: It is necessary for the athletes to rest, for the spectators to rest. For what is the fruit of labor, if not rest after work? Likewise, the world must sometimes be dissolved, so that there may be rest for the weary.

79. We are athletes, competing in a certain spiritual stadium. Indeed, a good athlete said: We have become a spectacle to the world (1 Cor. 4:9). And elsewhere: If I run, not as uncertainly; if I fight, not as one who beats the air; but I discipline my body (1 Cor. 9:26). And elsewhere: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal (Phil. 3:13). Therefore, we are athletes, and we must compete lawfully. There are many struggles: and he who is conquered today, repairs himself tomorrow. Before the contest, the prize is fought for, afterward the crown. Does an athlete have leisure when once he has given his name to the contest? He is exercised daily, anointed daily. He himself is given the food of an athlete, discipline is required, chastity is guarded. And you have given your name to the contest of Christ, you have subscribed to the competition for the crown: meditate, exercise, anoint yourself with the oil of joy, with the emptied ointment. May your food be the food of moderation, having nothing of excess or luxury. Let your drink be restrained, so as not to fall into drunkenness: maintain self-control over your body, so that you may be fit for the crown, lest your reputation offend the feelings of the observer, lest your supporters see you as negligent and abandon you. The Archangels, Powers, and Dominions are watching you, along with the ten thousand times ten thousand Angels. Reflect on how shameful it would be to blush in front of such spectators. Entering the stadium, stir up the dust of your soul, shake off your weariness. Advancing onto the platform, it is necessary for you to embrace the dust, endure the scorching heat of the summer sun. It is a heavy heat, but a sweet victory: the annoying haze of dust, but a beautiful tolerance. No one enters the dusty stadium, but the competitions make it dusty. There the dust accumulates, where the palm is held forth. No one is crowned shiny again, victory befits the dusty.


80. Come therefore, Lord Jesus, let your crown go forth, admit the victors to rest, the defeated to repentance. And if you scatter the world, there are more invisible works of yours than what we have seen. He who has a narrower mind does not perceive those things, he grieves that you scatter the world: but he who knows how to look at what is invisible, rejoices that you come, and free all. The athletes rejoice who can say: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matth. VI, 10). The creature of the world will rejoice, in order to be liberated from the vanity of this world which now groans and labors; for that creature is also subject to vanity, until the adoption of the sons is multiplied and the redemption of the whole body is completed. Therefore, it will destroy the earth in goodness. For there will be a new heaven, and there will no longer be night. Finally, it says, His face will be revealed, so that with His face revealed we may behold the glory of Christ.

Chapter XXII.

Feasts must be avoided so that Moses does not separate himself from us with the Levites, and how he still comes. Likewise, whom does the Apostle command to be abolished? After this, those who have not yet been baptized are invited to this great grace, with the excuses of some being finally rejected.

81. Therefore, let us consider in the stadium how much pleasure or pain we will be, who are now our supporters, so that they do not begin to be ashamed of us. For as there will be joy in heaven over one sinner doing penance (Luke 15:10), so there will be sadness over the one who, not having obtained forgiveness, completes the course of this life. Let us discipline our bodies with fasting, let us avoid indecent feasting. Let us beware lest it is said to us: Howl from wine. May Moses not come, and may the Levites summon: and whoever is prepared to bear the armed right hand of the Lord, may he separate himself from those who have contracted serious sins by eating and drinking. And today Moses came, when the Law is recounted: Moses calls, when the Law commands.

82. The Apostle teaches (II Thess. III, 6) that we should separate ourselves from every brother who is acting in a disorderly manner. Let us strike with the spiritual sword, which is the word of God. (Ephes. VI, 17). Let us not show favoritism towards brother or relative, but let us separate every unclean one from the altars of Christ, so that he may cleanse and correct his own faults in order to be worthy to return to the sacraments of Christ.

83. But if anyone is not baptized, let him convert with more security, receiving the remission of sins. Indeed, baptism, like a certain fire, consumes sins; for Christ baptizes in fire and spirit. Finally, this type is seen in the books of the Kings (3 Kings 18:34), where Elijah placed wood on the altar and said to pour water upon it from jars. And he said: Do it again, and they did it again. And he said: Do it a third time, and they did it a third time. And when the water flowed, Elijah prayed, and fire descended from heaven. You are a man standing over the altar, who is cleansed by water, whose guilt is burned away, so that life may be renewed. For fire consumes wood and straw. Do not fear the fire by which you are illuminated. Therefore, it is said to you: Approach him, and be illuminated (Psalm 33:6). Take up the yoke of Christ. Do not fear because it is a yoke: hasten, because it is light. It does not crush the neck, but honors it. Why do you hesitate; why do you delay? It does not bind the neck with chains, but unites the mind with grace: it does not constrain by necessity, but directs the will towards good works.


84. Why do you deny that there is still time? Every moment is opportune for repentance. If I offer you gold, you do not say to me: I will come tomorrow, but you demand it immediately. No one delays in accepting gold, no one makes excuses: the redemption of the soul is promised, and no one hurries. John was baptizing for repentance, and all Judea was coming: Christ baptizes in the Spirit: Christ dispenses grace, and he is approached with disdain. Elijah demonstrated the symbol of baptism, and he opened the heavens that had been closed for three years and six months (1 Kings 18:43ff). How great are the gifts of truth! Indeed, grace opened the heavens not with descending rain, but with ascending favor. For no one except the Spirit and water ascends into the kingdom of heaven. Perfidy had closed the heavens to mankind, but faith opened them.

85. The sky was open to humans before this. Finally, Enoch was taken up to heaven. It was closed again, but Elijah, who was taken up in a fiery chariot, opened it (2 Kings 2). And you can ascend too, if you obtain the grace of the sacraments. How long will you indulge in pleasures; how long will you be engrossed in excesses? The day of judgment is imminent: as you delay grace, death approaches. Who will say: Now is not the time for me, I am busy, do not show me the light, I do not want you to redeem me so quickly, I still need the kingdom of heaven? Doesn't he who excuses himself from baptism say this? And how great is the grace by which you are renewed, O man! You are purified, and not consumed; you are healed, and do not suffer; you are reformed, and not dissolved; you do not receive the blow of death, and you rise again. And still you delay; you still wait to live in the world, and then you reserve yourself for God. You do not know that Cain displeased God with his sacrifice because he did not offer first fruits, but he himself was consumed by the first fruits, and he attempted to offer to God from the following offerings. But Abel, by the offering of his first fruits, was preferred and deserved to be praised by the oracle of remarkable piety.