Gregory the Great — on Ezek 1:23 (Homilies on Ezekiel, Book 1, Homily 7)

“Hence it is fittingly added soon after: "And under the firmament their wings were straight, one toward the other." Then the wings of virtues are straight beneath the firmament when the good that one person has, he bestows upon another, so that he who has received earthly substance may relieve the poverty of a needy neighbor; he who is full of the grace of teaching may illuminate the darkness of an ignorant neighbor with the word of his preaching; he who is supported by temporal power may relieve those oppressed by violence; he who is full of the spirit of prophecy may turn aside evils threatening a neighbor's life by persuading him to good; he who has received the grace of healing may devoutly and humbly bestow his intercession for the health of the sick; he who, free from earthly activities, has merited to be occupied with God alone, may pray for his erring neighbors. But it often happens that he who is too much occupied with earthly substance does not watch in prayer as much as he ought. And it frequently happens that he who, stripped of all the burdens of the world, is free to entreat the Lord, does not have the sustenance for living. But when the rich man extends food and clothing to the poor, and when the poor man bestows his prayer upon the soul of the rich, the wings of the living creatures are stretched straight from one to another. For when that man offers me the word of preaching and expels the darkness of ignorance from my heart with the light of truth, and when I, because perhaps he is oppressed by some powerful person of this world, impart to him the comfort of my defense and rescue him from violent hands, we stretch our wings to one another in turn, so that we may touch each other with mutual affection and assistance from the good we have received. Hence the first pastor rightly admonishes, saying: "The end of all things has drawn near. Be therefore prudent, and watch in prayers; above all, having mutual charity continuous among yourselves, because charity covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without murmuring. Each one, as he has received grace, administering it to one another." What therefore in Ezekiel is called a wing, in the apostle Peter is called received grace. And what he says: "The straight wings of one to another," the pastor of the Church says: "Each one, as he has received grace, administering it to one another." For our wings are no longer straight if they are bent back only for our own benefit. But they become straight when we direct what we have to the benefit of our neighbor. For since our goods are not from ourselves, but we have received them from him by whom it was made that we should exist, we ought not to keep them private for ourselves to the extent that we perceive them given to us by our Author for common benefit. Hence the apostle Peter rightly adds in his exhortation on this matter, saying: "As good stewards of the manifold grace of God." And he still adds: "If anyone speaks, as it were the words of God; if anyone ministers, as from the strength which God administers." As if he openly said: Humbly bestow good upon your neighbors, because you know that what you have is not from yourselves. For any wing of virtue, when it is stretched out by being imparted to a neighbor, will not be straight if it lacks humility.”