Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Peter of Scala, On Matthew, chapter 6, lecture 1. "Take heed that you do not do your righteousness before men." This is the second part from that place, "But I say to you," etc., in which, after he admonished them to the carrying-out of evangelical perfection, he admonishes them to the right intention of that execution. And it is divided into two: first he admonishes to the simplicity of holy intention; second, to the purity of holy conduct, at the place "Beware of false prophets." The simplicity of holy intention ought to be both in affection and in effect: against duplicity of effect, concerning which Ecclesiasticus 2:14, "Woe to the sinner who enters upon the earth by two ways"; and against duplicity of affection, concerning which James 1:8, "A man double in mind is inconstant in all his works." Therefore he removes the first in this chapter, and he removes the duplicity of effect at the place "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth." Duplicity of affection is when someone does what is good in its kind out of worldly favor. Therefore he first removes the desire for worldly favor from all works in general; second, specifically, at the place "When therefore you do alms." Moreover, first he sets forth the exclusion of worldly favor; second he adds the reason, at the place "otherwise you shall not have a reward with your Father."

He says therefore, "Take heed" — that is, be cautious and attentive — "lest your righteousness" (the Gloss: that is, the works of your righteousness) "you do" (the Gloss: to this end) "before men, to be seen by them," that is, so that you may seek human favor. Augustine: he does not forbid being seen so that God may be praised, but being seen so that they themselves may be praised. Chrysostom: just as a lamp cannot be hidden, so neither can the work of righteousness be concealed. "Otherwise" — as if he were saying that if you do not act thus, you shall not have a reward with your Father who is in heaven. The Gloss: because human favor is reckoned to you, for love of which reward it is done. Haggai 1:6: "He who gathered wages put them into a bag with holes." Jerome: not the virtue itself, but the cause of the virtue, has a reward with God.

"When therefore you do alms" — this is the second part, where he removes specifically the desire for human favor from good works. Whence Augustine in the Gloss: he descends from the whole into the parts. Now there are three good works especially, namely almsgiving, prayer, and fasting: almsgiving against the concupiscence of the eyes, prayer against the pride of life, fasting against the concupiscence of the flesh. The first is ordered toward one's neighbor; the second toward God; the third toward oneself. He excludes, therefore, the desire for human favor: first from almsgiving; second from prayer, at the place "And when you pray," etc.; third from fasting, at the place "And when you fast," etc. In the first, four things are said: first he sets forth the exclusion of favor; second, its reason, at the place "Amen I say to you, they have received their reward"; third, the manner and discretion of giving, at the place "But when you do alms"; fourth, the promise to the giver, at the place "And your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you."

He says therefore, "When therefore you do alms," that is, works of mercy, "do not sound a trumpet before you" — according to the letter, following Anselm, perhaps they sounded a trumpet so that all would come as to a spectacle, when they gave alms. Or, to sound a trumpet is to seek the pomp of vain praise; whence Rabanus: he sounds a trumpet before himself who wishes to be praised ahead of others. Or, as Chrysostom says, the trumpet is every act or speech by which the very boasting of the work is signified. And thus sometimes even the very concealment of the deed is itself a trumpet. "As the hypocrites do." A hypocrite, as Augustine says, is one who feigns what he is not: whence it is named from "hypo," which is under, or above, and "crisis," gold — as it were gilded above, muddy within. "In the synagogues," so that they may be seen by the wise, and "in the streets," so that they may be seen by the crowds. And by this their vain intention is noted. "That they may be honored by men," that is, to this end, that men may honor them. Behold the desire for vain pomp. Chrysostom: the alms which has been seen by men is not displeasing to God; but that which is done for this purpose, that it be seen by men, is displeasing.

"Amen I say to you, they have received their reward." Here he sets forth the reason for the exclusion. "Amen I say to you," that is, know for certain, "they have received their reward." The Gloss: that is, their reward is human praise.

"But when you do alms." Here, thirdly, the manner of doing alms is shown. Whence he says, "But when you do alms," that is, when you do some work of mercy, "let not your left hand know" — by the left hand a perverse intention of vain praise is signified; by the right hand, the holy intention of fulfilling the precepts of God, as Augustine says. Whence "let not your left hand know," that is, let not a perverse intention of praise, or of foolish gladness, or of pride mix itself in with — "what your right hand does," that is, when you strive to fulfill the precepts of God; as if he were saying: let not pride or vain glory know what virtue is doing. "That your alms may be in secret," that is, in the secrecy of conscience, according to the Gloss. Alms is said to be done in conscience when it is done for God's sake, not because it is sometimes hidden from men. Whence Chrysostom: he who does alms for God's sake sees no one in his heart except God, for whose sake he does it; and therefore, if he does it in the presence of some, nevertheless his mind does not see them, even though he is seen by them; and the contrary can also happen, that no one is present, yet in his heart he carries the persons to whom he wishes to make display. Alms done in secret is that which is mingled with no darkness: the light is within, the darkness without.

"And your Father..." Behold the fourth point, namely the promise to the one who does the deed. Whence he says, "And your Father, who sees in secret," that is, who is the discerner of intentions, Hebrews 4:12. And 1 Kings 16:7: "Man sees the things that appear outwardly; but God looks upon the heart." "Will repay you," namely the reward; Ecclesiasticus 5:4: "The Most High is a patient rewarder." Chrysostom: it is impossible that God should let a good work in secret go unrewarded, because it is His glory. If therefore you wish to see your right actions, hide them. For if you strive now to lie hidden, then God will proclaim it famously with the whole world present.

Peter of Scala, On Matthew, chapter 6, lecture 2: "And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites." Here he removes, in the second place, the desire for human favor from prayer, and this contains three parts. First he excludes the desire for human favor; second he teaches the manner of praying, at "But thou, when thou shalt pray"; third he subjoins the due form of prayer, at "Thus therefore shall you pray," etc. The first part contains three things. First he removes from prayer the ostentation of hypocrites; second, the manner and end of that ostentation, at "who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets"; third he subjoins their condemnation, at "Amen I say to you, they have received their reward." He says therefore "and when you pray," that is, out of the affection of the mind. But here there is a question of the letter: why did he not say, in the singular, "when thou prayest," as he did above, and "when thou doest," etc.? Response: he speaks in the plural, "when you pray," because prayer belongs to all, since nothing temporal is required for it, only the intention of the heart; but giving alms does not belong to all. Or it may be said that prayer is made in two ways: in common, as in choir, and in solitude, etc. "You shall not be as the hypocrites," shining outwardly, foul within, below, chapter 23:27. "Who love." But it is asked why he does not say, "who pray." Chrysostom's response: because in truth they do not pray, but love to be seen as though they were praying. Along the same line it is asked why he did not say the same thing about almsgiving. Response: because although they give alms with an evil intention, they nevertheless give the thing itself. "In the synagogues," where the learned gather to pray, so that they may be seen. "Standing." He says this because it is the custom of the Jews to pray standing, since they received the law standing; Exodus 19:17, "they stood at the foot of the mountain," etc. "And in the corners of the streets," supply: they love to pray. Chrysostom: they seek to hide themselves so that they may be praised in a twofold way: first, because they pray; second, because they pray secretly. "That they may be seen by men." Behold the empty intention. Chrysostom: they do not intend to be heard, but to be seen; likewise the same: O madness of vanity! They do not wish to be what they desire to appear: they pray falsely, since they do not pray; and they are falsely praised, since they are not praiseworthy. They sell an empty semblance of religion, and they buy an empty word of praise. When the word is finished, the good that was placed in the word is also finished. Whence he fittingly subjoins, "Amen I say to you," as if to say: know for certain that "they have received their reward"; the Gloss: human praise; but from me they will receive eternal punishment.

"But thou, when thou shalt pray," etc. This is the second part, where he gives the manner of praying. And first he shows the due manner; second he excludes from that manner the rite of the pagans, that is, much speaking, at "And when you are praying, speak not much." The first part is divided into two: first he gives the manner of praying; second he subjoins the promise, at "and thy Father, who seeth in secret, will repay thee." Now the manner of praying consists in three things. First, in the secrecy of meditation; second, in the exclusion of depraved affection, at "and having shut the door"; third, in rectitude of intention, at "pray to thy Father in secret." He says therefore, "but thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber," that is, into the secrecy and inner recess of the mind, as Augustine says, and Rabanus, by the act of secret meditation. Chrysostom: God is not to be moved by a clamorous voice, but is to be appeased by a right conscience, for he is a hearer not of the voice but of the heart. Or, "enter into thy chamber" according to the letter. And he pointedly says "chamber," because then the soul ought to rest from external things when it prays; and then is the more fitting time, and the place more secret. Chrysostom: through the day a thousand causes surround you and do not permit you to be secret for prayer. But when you come to your bed, say to your soul: soul, how have we spent the day? What good or evil have we done? Ask God first, and then permit your soul to fall asleep. Thus did Judith, Judith 8:6; thus Peter, Acts 10:9; and Tobias, Tobit 3:10. "And having shut the door," that is, with every depraved and worldly affection excluded, or with the outer senses closed, as the Gloss says. Isaiah 26:20: "Go, my people, into thy chambers, and shut thy doors upon thee." "Pray to thy Father," the Gloss: he who is prayed to in spirit and in truth, John 4:23. Pray, not concerning worldly things. Isidore: far from God is the soul that has been occupied with the thoughts of the age. Jerome: it is one thing to relate to one who does not know, another to ask one who knows: the former is a disclosure, the latter a service. "In secret," that is, in the innermost part of the heart. Chrysostom: let the one praying do nothing new for men to look at, nor cry out with the voice, nor spread out the hands, nor shamelessly lift the eyes to heaven, so as to become conspicuous. "And thy Father, who seeth in secret, will repay thee." Behold, he subjoins the promise, saying, "and thy Father, who seeth in secret," that is, who beholds the heart; Hebrews 4:13: "all things are naked and open to his eyes." "Will repay thee." He does not say "will give," because he has already constituted himself a debtor, that is, he will for certain repay you the reward. Chrysostom: consider the philanthropy of God, that is, the love which he has for men; and consider with wonder the mercy of God, since even for those goods which are asked of him he promises to give a reward.

"And when you are praying, speak not much." Here he excludes much speaking from prayer, where first he sets down the prohibition of much speaking; second the reason for the prohibition, at "Be you not therefore like to them." He says therefore, "and when you are praying, speak not much," that is, do not put your trust in words. On the contrary: 1 Thessalonians, last chapter, 17: "Pray without ceasing." Moreover the Lord persevered long in prayer, below, chapter 26:36ff., and Luke 6:12. The response, according to Augustine: he condemns much speaking arising from unbelief, but not the prayers which the saints make in purity of heart. Whence Anselm: it is not a sin to pray with devotion of heart through many words. "As the heathens do," for the gentiles multiplied words in their prayers, first, so that they might indicate their intention to the demons whom they worshiped, since otherwise the demons could not have known it; whence Augustine: for the gentiles a multiplicity of words was necessary on account of the demons. Second, so that they might call back to themselves the demons who were absent; and to this cause Elijah alludes, 1 Kings 18:27, saying to the priests of Baal, when they had prayed for a long time: "Cry with a louder voice: for he is a god, and perhaps he is talking, or is in an inn, or on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep, and must be awaked." Third, so that by the persuasion of words they might incline them to mercy; whence he adds: "for they think that in their much speaking they may be heard," that is, they suppose that by a multitude of persuasive words their prayers are made effective. And because they do so, "therefore be you not," my faithful ones, "like to them," namely in much speaking, so that you should believe God to be inclined by persuasive words. Isidore: men are not heard for their much speaking, as though they were striving by more words to bend God. Likewise, lest you think your God ignorant of what you ask: "for your Father knoweth what is need­ful for you." Behold the reason for the prohibition; as if to say: it is not fitting for you to pray with many words, but with deeds and with a simple affection of heart, says Rabanus. "For your Father knoweth what is need," that is, what is necessary for you, "before you ask him." Why then is it fitting to pray? Response: not that you may teach him, but that you may bend yourself, that you may be made familiar with him, that you may be humbled, that you may be reminded of your sins. And he pointedly says, "your Father." Chrysostom: by saying "Father," he signified in one word both the forgiveness of sins, and the destruction of punishments, and justification, and sanctification, and liberation, and the adoption of sons, and the inheritance of God, and brotherhood joined with the Only-Begotten, and the most abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit. Here Jerome and Rabanus ask: if God knows before we ask, to what purpose do we ask one who knows? Response: manifold is the reason why we speak to one who knows, and why we pray. The first, that we may profess and know that we have from him that which we ask; whence Rabanus: it is not necessary to relate, but to beseech. The second, that an example may be furnished; whence Rabanus: God wishes to be asked, so that his goodness may be conveyed to the peoples. The third, that our mind may be roused; whence Jerome: at the time of prayer we rouse ourselves. The fourth, that devotion may be roused in those standing by. Jerome: we speak, not that we may make a disclosure of our own will, but that we may rouse the service of pious devotion. The fifth, that desire may be kindled. The sixth, that the heart may be purified. Concerning these two the interlinear Gloss: by words the heart is kindled, and by prayers it is made serene. The seventh, that the mind, occupied about holy words, may be withdrawn from superfluous thoughts.

Thus therefore shall you pray. Above, the Lord taught the manner of praying, namely that we should avoid both the vanity of hypocrites and the much-speaking of the Gentiles; here he teaches what we ought to ask for in prayer, and concerning this he does two things: first the title of the prayer is set down, second the prayer itself is proposed. He continues from what precedes thus: I have said, praying, do not use much speech, etc.; therefore, as you were speaking in few words, so shall you pray. And note that the Lord does not say: this shall you pray, but: thus shall you pray; for he does not forbid that we might pray with other words, but he teaches the manner of praying. And as Augustine says in the book On Prayer to Proba: no one prays as he ought unless he asks for some one of those things which are contained in the Lord's Prayer. Now it is fitting that we should pray with these words because, as Cyprian says in the book On the Lord's Prayer, it is a friendly and familiar thing to ask the Lord using his own words, and he gives the example that it is customary among advocates to put words into the mouths of those whom they represent, which they ought to say in the court. Hence this prayer is most secure, as one formed by our own advocate, who is most wise, in whom are all treasures (Colossians 2:3). Hence Cyprian says: since we have Christ as advocate with the Father for our sins, when we ask for our offenses let us bring forward our advocate's own words. 1 John 2:1: we have an advocate. Therefore it is said in Hebrews 4:16: let us approach with confidence, etc.; James 1:6: but let him ask in faith. And this prayer has these three things: brevity, perfection, and efficacy. Brevity, for two reasons: so that all might easily learn it, both small and great, since he is the same Lord over all, rich (Romans 10:12); second, so that it might give confidence of easily obtaining. It is also perfect, hence Isaiah 10:23: a shortened word; and, as Augustine says, whatever can be contained in other prayers is wholly contained in this one; hence he says that if we pray fittingly and rightly, whatever words we may use, we say nothing other than what is set down in the Lord's Prayer; Deuteronomy 32:4: the works of God are perfect. It is efficacious, because prayer, according to Damascene, is the asking of fitting things from God; James 4:3: you ask and do not receive. Now to know what ought to be asked for is most difficult, just as also what ought to be desired, Romans 8:26: for we do not know what we should pray for, but the Spirit himself, etc. And because God himself taught this prayer, it is therefore most efficacious, and hence it is said in Luke 11:1: Lord, teach us. Now in this prayer the Lord does two things: first he sets down the prayer, second he assigns the reason for the prayer, at the words: for if you forgive. It should be known that in every prayer, even the prayers of rhetoricians, before the petition goodwill is sought. Hence, just as happens in a speech that is made to men, so likewise ought to happen in a prayer that is made to God, but with a different intention in each case, because in a man goodwill is sought insofar as we bend his mind toward us, while in God it is sought insofar as we lift up our own mind to him. The Lord therefore sets down two things for the securing of goodwill which are necessary for one who prays: for it is necessary that he believe in the one from whom he asks, and that this one wills to give and is able to give; and therefore he says: Father, who art in heaven. Now that he says Father serves five purposes. First, for the instruction of faith: for faith is necessary to one who prays. Now there were three errors by which prayer was excluded: two of them destroyed prayer entirely, and the third granted more than it ought; and these are excluded by his saying: Our Father. For some said that God has no care for human affairs, Ezekiel 9:9: the Lord has forsaken; hence according to this it would be in vain to ask anything of God. Others said that God has providence, but that this providence imposes necessity upon things. The third error granted more, for it said that God arranges all things by his providence, but that through prayer the divine disposition is changed. Now these errors are excluded by his saying: Our Father who art in heaven, because if he is Father, he has providence, Wisdom 14:3: but you, Father. Likewise the second error is excluded: for Father is said in relation to a son, and Lord in relation to a servant; therefore in that we say Father, we call ourselves free. For nowhere almost in sacred Scripture is it found that God is called the father of insensible creatures, although otherwise Job 38:28: who is the father of the rain? Therefore Father is said in relation to a son, and by this we call ourselves free: for the son has the character of freedom; therefore necessity is not imposed upon us. Now by his saying in heaven, a mutable disposition is excluded. And prayer serves this purpose, that we may believe that God so disposes all things as befits the natures of things: for it is from providence that man, through his own acts, attains his end; hence prayer neither changes providence nor is outside providence, but falls under it. First, then, it serves for the instruction of faith. Second, for the raising up of hope: for if he is Father, he wills to give, since, as below in chapter 7:11, if you, being evil, etc. Third, for the arousing of charity: for it is natural that a father should love his son and conversely, Ephesians 5:1: be imitators; and therefore by this we are called to imitation, for the son ought to imitate the father as much as he can, Jeremiah 3:19: you shall call me Father. Fourth, we are called to humility, Malachi 1:6: if I am a father. Fifth, by this our affection is ordered toward our neighbor, Malachi 2:10: is there not one father of all. But why do we not say: my Father? There is a twofold reason: first, because Christ wished to reserve this to himself as his own proper right, since he is Son by nature, while we are sons by adoption, which is common to all, John 20:17: I ascend to my Father, etc.; second, because, according to Chrysostom, the Lord teaches us not to make private prayers but to pray in common for the whole people, which prayer indeed is more acceptable before God. Hence Chrysostom: sweeter before God is the prayer which is offered not out of necessity, but out of charity, etc. James 5:16: pray for one another, etc. The second thing that pertains to the securing of goodwill is: who art in heaven. This is explained in two ways. First according to the letter, that we should understand the bodily heavens; not that he is enclosed there, since Jeremiah 23:24: do I not fill heaven, etc., but it is said on account of the eminence of that creature itself, according to Isaiah, the last chapter (66:1): heaven is my throne. Likewise by this those are instructed who cannot be raised up above bodily things, and therefore Augustine says that this is the reason why we pray facing the east, because the heaven rises from the east; and just as the heaven is above our body, so is God above our spirit; hence it is given to be understood that our spirit ought to be turned toward God himself, just as our body is turned toward the heaven itself in praying. Now he says: who art in heaven, so that your intention may be lifted up from earthly things, 1 Peter 1:4: unto an inheritance that fades not away. Or by the heavens are understood the saints, according to Isaiah 1:2: hear, O heavens, Psalm 21:4: but you dwell in the holy place, etc.; and he says this for greater confidence of obtaining, because he is not far from us, Jeremiah 14:9: you are in us, O Lord. Hallowed. Here the petitions are set down, and let us discuss them first in general, afterward in particular. In these petitions we ought to consider three things: for petition serves desire, since we ask for those things which we wish to have; now in this prayer is contained the whole of whatever we can desire; second is contained the order in which we ought to desire; the third is that these petitions correspond both to the gifts and to the beatitudes. Now it should be known that man naturally desires two things, namely to attain the good and to avoid evil. Four goods are set down here as to be desired. Now desire tends first toward the end rather than toward those things which are means to the end; and the ultimate end of all things is God; hence the first thing to be desired ought to be the honor of God, 1 Corinthians 10:31: do all things for the honor of God; and this we ask for first here: hallowed be your name. Now among those things that pertain to us, the ultimate end is eternal life; and this we ask when we say: your kingdom come. The third thing we ought to ask for is concerning those things which are means to the end, namely that we may have virtue and good merits, and this is at the words: your will be done; and what we ask concerning the virtues is nothing other than this. Therefore our beatitude is ordered to God, the virtues to beatitude. But it is necessary to have support, whether temporal or spiritual, such as the sacraments of the Church, and this we ask at the words: our bread, whether the exterior or the sacramental bread. In these four all good is contained. Now man avoids evil insofar as it is an impediment to good. But the first good, namely divine honor, cannot be impeded, because if justice is done, God is honored, and if evil is done, he is likewise honored insofar as he punishes it, although he is not honored to the extent that the sinner is concerned. But sin impedes beatitude, and therefore this he removes first when he says: and forgive. Temptation is opposed to the good of the virtues, and therefore we ask: and lead us not; any failure whatsoever against the necessity of life, and this is: but deliver. It is clear, then, that whatever is desired, the whole of it is contained in the Lord's Prayer. And it should be known that the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be applied to these petitions, but in different ways, since either ascending or descending: ascending, so that the first petition is applied to fear, which produces poverty of spirit and causes one to seek the honor of God, and therefore we say: hallowed be; descending, so that we should say that the last gift, namely wisdom, which makes sons of God, is applied to this petition. But it must be considered concerning this petition: hallowed be. Now it seems to be unfitting: for the name of God is always holy. And it should be known that this is explained in many ways by the saints; first by Augustine, and I believe that this is the more literal sense: hallowed be, that is, may the name which is always holy appear holy among men; and this is to honor God: for from this no increase of glory accrues to God, but to us the knowledge of him, Ecclesiasticus 36:4: as in our sight, etc. And quite fittingly, after: Our Father who art in heaven, he says: hallowed be, because nothing so proves sons of God: for a good son manifests the honor of his father. According to Chrysostom: hallowed be, through our works, as if to say: make us so to live that from our works your name may appear holy, 1 Peter 3:15. Or according to Cyprian: hallowed be, that is: sanctify us in your name, John 17:17: sanctify them in your name, Isaiah 8:14: and he shall be unto you. And it should be known that first hallowed be is understood so that those who are not holy may become holy: for this prayer is made for the whole human race; second, hallowed be, that is, may they persevere in holiness; third, hallowed be, so that if anything of admixture is in their holiness, it may be removed: for daily we need sanctification on account of our daily sins.

Thy kingdom come. This petition can correspond either to the gift of understanding, which cleanses the heart, or to the gift of piety. Thy kingdom come. According to Chrysostom and Augustine, the kingdom of God is eternal life, and I believe that this is the literal exposition; we ask, then, that it come, that is, make us arrive at and participate in eternal beatitude, below in chapter 25:34: come, you blessed, Luke 22:29: I appoint unto you a kingdom. Or otherwise, also according to Augustine: thy kingdom come, Christ began to reign from that time when he redeemed the world, John (Matthew 28:18): all power is given to me; let thy kingdom come, then, that is, may the consummation of your kingdom come. And this will be when he shall put his enemies under his feet; hence thy kingdom come, that is: Lord, may you come to judgment so that the glory of your kingdom may appear, Luke 21:28: when these things begin to come to pass, etc. And the saints desire the coming of Christ, because then they will possess perfect glory, 2 Timothy 4:8: and not only to me but also to those, etc.; but the contrary is said (Amos 5:18): woe to those who desire the day of the Lord, because only, according to Jerome, it belongs to a secure conscience not to fear the judge. Or thy kingdom come, that is, may the kingdom of sin be destroyed, and may you, Lord, reign over us: for when we serve justice, then God reigns, but when we serve sin, the Devil reigns; Romans 6:12: let sin not therefore reign in your, 1 Kings 8:7: it is not you they have rejected. And note that they could quite justly ask that your kingdom come, who had proven themselves sons by saying: Our Father, etc.: for to sons is owed an inheritance; but this kingdom is in heaven, hence you cannot go there unless you become heavenly. And therefore he consequently adds: thy will be done, that is, make us imitators of the heavenly ones, 1 Corinthians 15:49: as we have borne. And note that he does not say: your will be done, as if to say: may God do our will, but rather as if to say: may his will be fulfilled through us, he who wills all men to be saved, 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Psalm 142:10: teach me to do; in which the error of Pelagius is destroyed, who said that we had no need of divine help. As in heaven. This is explained in many ways by Augustine. First thus: as in heaven, that is, just as the angels in heaven do your will, so may we on earth fulfill your will; of the angels it is said, Psalm 102:21: his ministers who do; in which the error of Origen is destroyed, who held that an angel could sin. Or otherwise: thy will be done as in heaven, so also on earth, that is, as in Christ, so also in the Church. For the earth is made fruitful by heaven: hence also the Gentiles said that the gods of the heavens were male, those of the earth female; John 6:38: I came down from heaven. Or by the heavens are understood the saints, whose conversation is in heaven; and such as is the proportion of heaven to earth, such is that of the saints to sinners; as if to say: Lord, convert sinners to doing your will. Or thy will be done, etc.: for just as heaven is compared in the world to earth, so is the spirit to the flesh in man; the spirit, so far as it is in itself, does the will of God, but the flesh resists, Romans 7:23: I see another law, Psalm 50:12 (Vulgate): create in me a clean heart. All these petitions are begun in part here, but will be fulfilled in the future. Chrysostom, however, refers this, namely as in heaven, to all the preceding petitions; hence: may your kingdom come as in heaven, so also on earth, and so of the others. Likewise, according to Chrysostom, note that he did not say: let us hallow, nor: may you hallow, but in a middle way; nor did he say: let us go to the kingdom, but: may it come. Thus in all the petitions he kept to the middle way, and this because for our salvation two things are required: the grace of God and free will; hence if he had said: hallow, he would have given no place to free will; if: let us make, he would have given the whole to free will, but he spoke in a middle way both here and: thy will be done, etc.

Give us this day our bread. After he had taught us to ask for the glory of God, eternal life, and the working of the virtues by which we merit eternal life, here he teaches us to ask for all the things that are necessary for the present life. Now this, our bread, is explained in four ways: for it can be explained of a fourfold bread. First, of the bread which is Christ, John 6:35: I am the bread, etc., who is especially bread according as he is contained under the sacrament of the altar, John 6:52: the bread which I will give, and again (6:56): my flesh is truly food. And he says: our, because it is not everyone's but that of the faithful, Isaiah 9:6: for a child is given to us; for from the fact that someone becomes a member of Christ in Baptism, he can partake of this bread; and therefore it ought in no way be given to unbaptized unbelievers. Supersubstantial. Jerome says that in the Greek it is epiousion, and Symmachus translated it: special or excellent; but the ancient translation has: daily. Now that it is supersubstantial, that is, above all substances, is evident from Ephesians 1:20: setting him above all principality, etc. He calls it daily, because it ought to be received daily, but not by everyone; hence it is said in the book On Ecclesiastical Dogmas: I neither commend nor blame this. But it ought to be received daily in the Church; or at least let it be received spiritually by the faithful daily through faith. Now in the Eastern Church it is not received daily in church, because Mass is not celebrated daily there, but only once in the week. But since the Church tolerates this, it suffices that they receive it spiritually daily, and not sacramentally. Give us. If it is ours, how does he say: give us? Cyprian: give us, that is, make us live in such a way that we may be able to receive this bread to our benefit; hence he who asks this asks for nothing other than perseverance in good, namely that nothing contrary be mixed with holiness, 1 Corinthians 11:29: for he who unworthily, etc. Our bread give us this day. Here Augustine raises an objection, because this prayer is said at any hour whatsoever of the day, even at Compline; do we then ask at that time that he give us to receive this bread? But it must be said that today is understood in two ways: for sometimes it signifies a determinate day, sometimes the whole of the present life; Hebrews 3 touches on the determinate today; hence: give that throughout the whole present life we may be able to partake of this bread. And he fittingly says: give us this day, because this sacramental bread is necessary only in this life: for when we shall see him as he is, we shall not need sacraments and signs. Hence this singular and peculiar bread is necessary only in the present life; and now we receive it daily in a special way, but then continually. Second, by bread is understood God, namely the divinity itself, Luke 14:15: blessed is he who shall eat bread, Psalm 78:25: man ate the bread of angels. Give, then, the supersubstantial bread this day, that is, that according to the manner of the present life we may be able to enjoy him. Third, the precepts of God can be understood, which are the bread of wisdom, Proverbs 9:5: come, eat; for he eats here who keeps the precepts of wisdom, John 4:34: my food is. These divine precepts are now bread, because with a certain difficulty they are chewed over by consideration and by practice, but afterward they will be drink, because they will refresh without difficulty. Fourth, bodily bread is understood according to the letter. For the Lord had said: thy will be done, and had wished that in the fulfilling of the divine will we should be heavenly; but mindful of our frailty, he teaches us to ask also for temporal things which are necessary for the sustaining of life; hence he does not teach us to ask for magnificent or superfluous things, but for necessary ones, 1 Timothy 6:8: having food, etc.; thus Jacob asked, Genesis 28:20: if you will give me bread to eat. Now he says our, for two reasons. So that no one should appropriate temporal things to himself, according to Chrysostom: first, because no one ought to eat bread got by plunder, but from his own labor; second, because the temporal goods that are given for necessity we ought to receive in such a way that we share them with others, Job 31:17: if I have eaten my morsel. And Augustine says, in the book On Prayer to Proba, that from that which excels and is principal among all particulars, according to our capacity, is signified the whole: for bread is more necessary to man, Ecclesiasticus 29:28 (Vulgate): the principal thing for man's life; and this is: supersubstantial, because it pertains principally to necessary things. But if you say: daily, then it has a twofold sense, according to Cyprian. First, so that you should not seek temporal things for a long time to come, because otherwise you would be contrary to yourself: for you have said: thy kingdom come; but as long as we are in the body we are pilgrims from the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6); hence, in saying: thy kingdom come, and asking for a long life, you are contrary to yourself. Or he says daily against the prodigal, who spend to excess and do not confine themselves to the daily bread that suffices for one day's sustenance. But if it is ours, why does he say give us? For two reasons, according to Chrysostom. First, because temporal goods are given both to the good and to the evil, but in different ways: to the good for their benefit, to the evil for their harm, because they misuse them; hence to the evil it is not given, because they abuse it, and this happens not from God but from the Devil. And he says that it is similar to the case of someone who offers bread to a priest so that he may sanctify it, and afterward asks it back; he could say: give me the bread which is mine by possession, give it to sanctification. He says this day, because he did not wish us to ask for a long time to come. But Augustine raises a question here, because the Lord in what follows teaches us to have no anxious care for temporal things: hence, be not solicitous, etc.; therefore it seems that we ought not to pray for temporal things. And he answers that concerning every licit desirable thing we may pray, because we look for the desirable thing from God, and what we look for from God we may ask for; and this not only in extreme necessity but also for a fitting state for oneself. But it is one thing to desire, another to be anxious about something as about one's ultimate end, because this the Lord forbids, as will be said below. But again a question is raised concerning this: give us this day, because it seems that we ought not to desire except for one day; therefore all who desire otherwise sin, and then human life would perish, since no one would gather the harvest in summer in order to eat in winter. And it must be said that the Lord does not intend to forbid that someone should think about future things, but he forbids that one should take upon himself anxiety before its time: for if care presses upon you now, this you ought to attend to, but not that care which might press upon you in time to come.

And forgive us. Here he begins to set down the petitions that pertain to the removal of evil, and first he sets down that by which the chief evil is removed, namely of fault, hence: and forgive us. It is repugnant that a man who lives from the things of God should live against God. Sins are debts, because for our sins we are obligated to God by debt: for if you have received something unjustly from another, you are bound to restitution; and because when you sin you usurp what is God's, since it is God's that every will should be regulated according to the will of God, therefore you take away what is God's and are bound to restitution; but you pay when you endure something against your own will according to the will of God, below in chapter 18:32: I forgave you all that debt. Forgive us, then, our debts, that is, our sins, Psalm 38:14 (Vulgate): forgive me, that I may be refreshed. By this word two heresies are refuted, namely that of Pelagius and that of Novatian. Pelagius said that some perfect men in this life could live without sin and fulfill that word of Ephesians 5:27: that he might present a glorious Church; but if this were so, then we would not say forgive, Proverbs 24:16: a just man falls seven times; 1 John 1:8: if we say that we have no sin. Novatian said that a man who sins mortally after Baptism cannot do penance; but if this were so, then we would say forgive in vain, John 1:12: he gave them power to become sons of God, namely through the adoption of grace. As we also forgive our debtors. Now debtors can be of two kinds: either because they have sinned against us, or because they owe us money; but he does not admonish us that we should forgive this second kind of debt, but sins of whatever kind, even in the taking away of temporal goods: for it would be unworthy to ask pardon from God and not grant it to a fellow servant, Ecclesiasticus 28:3 (Vulgate): does a man keep anger against a man, (Ecclesiasticus 29:2 [numbering as in the text]): and again, forgive your neighbor, etc. But what is to be said of those who are unwilling to forgive and yet say Our Father? It seems that they should never say it, because they would be lying; hence it is said that some used to omit that clause: as we also. But this is disproved by Chrysostom in two ways: first, because he does not keep to the form of the Church in praying; second, because the prayer is not acceptable to God when it does not keep to what Christ dictated. Hence it must be said that one does not sin in saying Our Father, however much he may be in rancor and grave sin, because such persons ought to do whatever good they can, both almsgiving and prayers and such things as dispose toward the recovery of grace; nor does he lie, because this prayer is not offered in one's own person but in that of the whole Church, and it is agreed that the Church forgives the debts of all who are in the Church; but such a one loses the fruit, because only those obtain the fruit who forgive. But it seems that not only those obtain the fruit who forgive offenses. But it should be known that Augustine resolves this, as far as the present matter is concerned, in this way: that concerning the love of enemies it was said above that God wills us to forgive offenses in the same measure in which he himself forgives us our faults; but he forgives only those who ask; and therefore whoever is so disposed that he is ready to grant pardon to one who asks, such a one does not lose the fruit, provided that in general he holds no one in hatred, as was said above.

And lead us not. Here he sets down another petition. Another reading has: and do not bring us in; and another: and do not allow us; and this is the explanation of the former: for God tempts no one, although he permits one to be tempted. And he does not say: do not allow us to be tempted, because temptation is useful, and one is tempted so that he may become known to himself and to others, he who is already known to God, Ecclesiasticus 34:9 (Vulgate): he who has not been tempted; but he says: and lead us not, that is, do not permit us to succumb, as if someone were to say: I wish to be warmed by fire but not to be burned up, 1 Corinthians 10:13: God is faithful, who will not suffer, etc. In this account the error of Pelagius is refuted as to two points: for he said that man could persist by free will without the help of God, which is nothing other than not succumbing to temptation; likewise he said that it does not pertain to God to change the wills of men; but if this were so, he would not say: and lead us not into temptation, which is the same as: make us not consent; therefore it is in his power both to change the will and not to change it, Philippians 2:13: it is God who works in you. But deliver us. This is the last petition: deliver us from evil past, present, and future, of fault and of punishment, and from every evil. Augustine: every Christian, in whatever tribulation, pours out these words in tears and utters them with groaning, Psalm 58:2 (Vulgate): deliver me from my enemies; Isaiah 51:12: who are you that you should fear. Amen, that is, so be it. This word no one has wished to interpret, out of reverence, because the Lord frequently used it. In this is given security of obtaining, provided that what has been said is kept. It should be known that in the Hebrew three words are added, which Chrysostom explains: the first is: for thine is the kingdom, afterward: and the power and the glory. Amen; and these seem to correspond to the three things set down before: thine is the kingdom, to the words: thy kingdom come; power, to: thy will be done; glory, to: Our Father, and to all the other things that pertain to the honor of God. Or otherwise, as if to say: you can do these other things because you are king, and therefore no one else can; thine is the power, and therefore you can give the kingdom; thine is the glory, and therefore, Psalm 113:1 (Vulgate): not to us, O Lord, not to us, etc.

For if you shall forgive. The Lord had added a certain condition in the prayer, namely: forgive; but this condition might seem burdensome to someone there; and therefore the Lord shows the reason for it, and concerning this he does two things: first he shows that this condition is useful, second that it is necessary. It is useful because through it we obtain the remission of sins, and this is: for if you shall forgive men their sins which they have sinned against you, he will forgive, etc., which you have sinned against him, Ecclesiasticus 28:2 (Vulgate): forgive your neighbor. But note that he says: if you shall forgive men; for men, so long as they live innocently, are gods; but when they sin, they fall into the human condition, Psalm 82:6 (Vulgate): I have said, etc., afterward (82:7): but you, etc.; therefore you who are gods and spiritual, you will forgive sinful men. Likewise note that he says: your Father, etc.; for the offenses which occur according to men occur on account of some earthly thing; whereas, on the contrary, heavenly men, who have a Father in heaven, ought to have no discord on account of anything earthly, Luke 6:36: be merciful. This condition is also necessary, because without it there is no remission of sins, hence: but if you shall not, etc.; nor is it a wonder, because no sin can ever be forgiven without charity, Proverbs 10:12: all faults; for he who holds hatred against one is not in charity, and therefore his sin is not forgiven him, Ecclesiasticus 28:3 (Vulgate): man keeps anger against man, James 2:13: judgment without mercy. But someone might believe that, since it is so that the offense must be forgiven, therefore the Church sins when she does not forgive. It must be said that if that person asks for pardon, she would sin if she did not forgive; but if he does not ask, then she does not forgive either out of hatred, and thus she sins, or for the good of that person or of others, namely so that the evil may not be repeated, and thus she does not sin.

"But when you fast," and so on. This is the third part from that place, "When you give alms," etc.; in which he excludes the desire for human favor from fasting. Here he first excludes from fasting an undue manner; second, he adds the due manner of fasting, at "But you, when you fast," etc. In the first, three things are said. First he dissuades the pretense of the hypocrites; second he sets down the perverse intention of their ostentation, at "for they disfigure their faces"; third he adds their condemnation, at "Amen I say to you, they have received their reward." He says therefore, "when you fast, do not become like the hypocrites." By saying "do not," he forbids not only the doing but the willing, because in the will is the root of meriting and demeriting.

"Sad": he pointedly says "become sad," and not "be sad," because that sadness, or pretense, exists only in appearance. Chrysostom: while they pretend to fast, they are not sad, but they become so. "They disfigure": behold the perverse intention, because they "disfigure," that is, according to Augustine and Rabanus, they place outside the proper bounds of the human condition their faces, in which the good appear the more. Augustine: just as there is a boasting from the splendor of garments, so too from excessive squalor and emaciation. "So that they may appear to men" — who see only exterior things, 1 Kings 16:7 — "fasting," that is, abstaining. Isidore on Amos: those who abstain from food and yet do evil imitate the demons, in whom fault is present and food is absent. Chrysostom: if someone fasts and makes himself sad, he is a hypocrite; how much more wicked is he who does not fast, but by certain contrivances feigns upon his face a pallor for sale?

"Amen I say to you." Here their condemnation is added; hence he says "amen," that is, truly, "I say to you, they have received their reward" — not God's, that is, the praise which they were aiming at. Gregory, in a Homily: in vain is the flesh worn down, if the mind is not restrained from its pleasures.

"But you, when you fast, anoint your head." Here he adds the due manner of fasting. And first he exhorts to it; second he sets down the promise, at "and your Father," etc. As to the first, he says, "But you, when you fast, anoint your head," in four ways. First, the head — that is, the mind — with the oil of the cleanness of conscience, lest the Devil hold it by the hairs, that is, by the thoughts. Esther 2:12: the virgins were anointed with oil of myrrh. Second, with the oil of charity: with this the fighters are anointed, that is, those who are active in good. Below, 25:4: the wise virgins took oil in their vessels along with their lamps. Likewise with the oil of compassion and mercy, with which prelates ought to be anointed; Ecclesiastes 9:8: "let not oil be lacking from your head." Chrysostom: your head is Christ. Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and thus you will have anointed your head with the oil of mercy — he who cries out in the Gospel, "what you have done to one of the least of mine, you have done to me." Likewise with the oil of spiritual gladness, with which kings are anointed, that is, the contemplatives. Exodus 17:19: you shall sanctify the vessels of the tabernacle with oil. Hence Jerome and Augustine: it was the custom among the Palestinians to anoint the head. Anoint, therefore, the head — that is, show yourself cheerful and festive.

"And wash your face." Chrysostom: the face is the conscience. Wash, therefore, your face with a fourfold washing. First, through true contrition; Jeremiah 4:14: "wash your heart from malice, Jerusalem, that you may be saved." Second, through confession; Isaiah 1:16: "wash yourselves, be clean," etc. Third, through the endurance of tribulations; Apocalypse 7:14: "they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Fourth, through devout prayer; Genesis 18:4: "I will bring a little water, that your feet may be washed." Or else, wash the face — that is, the intellect from curiosity, and the affection from illicit love.

"That you may not appear to men to be fasting." He does not simply forbid being seen, but wanting to be seen; as if he were saying: do not wish to capture favor or praise for your fasting from men, but from your Father — through creation, and re-creation, and conservation — who is in secret; the Gloss: that is, in the heart, through faith. Isaiah 45:15: "truly you are a hidden God." "And your Father" (behold the promise) "who sees in secret" — that is, in a humble and pure conscience — "will repay you"; Wisdom 10:17: "God will repay the labor of his saints."

After he taught us about fasting, he teaches us about almsgiving, and he says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth." But it seems that this is not true, since it belongs to kings to store up treasure. But it must be said that by "treasures" he understands abundance, and this is twofold, necessary and superfluous: what is not necessary for one person is necessary for another. And therefore, since a king needs many things, he can gather many things. What would be a sin for a simple, private person is not a sin for a king, because the king needs to defend the kingdom. Again, he forbids it to those who seem to place their confidence in riches; hence 1 Timothy, last chapter, 17: "Charge the rich of this world not to be highminded, nor to trust in the uncertainty of their riches"; Baruch 3:16: "Where are the princes of the nations, who fashion (or store up) silver and gold, in which men trust?" Again, he forbids it on account of instability, because riches are quickly lost.

And he sets down three things that riches contain: metals, and these are consumed by rust; garments, and these by moths; and certain things which are consumed by neither, such as precious stones. Another reading has "nor by decay." Hence they are destroyed in three ways: either from an intrinsic principle, as the moth which is born in garments — hence, "where rust and moth [consume]"; or from the excess of the possessor, hence "decay"; or sometimes from outsiders, hence he says, "where thieves do not dig through." If someone should say that these things do not happen, it must be said that even if they do not happen, still it often does happen; and if it does not happen, it is nevertheless possible for it to happen — therefore he argues that riches are uncertain.

Again, it is explained mystically. Rust appears; the moth is hidden. Hence by rust are meant bodily sins, by the moth, spiritual sins. Again, some sins are those which men commit by themselves, some which are committed with another, and the latter do more harm — hence he says, "nor do thieves dig through," or he says this on account of hidden treasures. Again, by rust the proud are meant; Ecclesiasticus 12:10: "As bronze rusts, so does their wickedness." The moth corrodes garments, and this signifies exterior works, which are corroded by envy; Proverbs 25:20: "As the moth harms the garment, and the worm the wood, so the sadness of a man harms the heart." Again, by thieves is meant vainglory: thieves, that is, demons, who, since they cannot deceive men through other sins, deceive them through vainglory.

Again, he sets down the stability of heavenly riches, where he says, "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." And here Augustine says: "Store up for yourselves in heaven" — not in some bodily place, but in heaven, that is, in spiritual goods, that is, acquire an abundance of good merits. And he says "for yourselves," not "for God," because nothing accrues to him; Job 35:7: "If you act justly, what will you give him, or what will he receive from your hand?" The Lord also teaches whence this is acquired, namely through almsgiving, saying, Luke 18:22: "Sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." For there, that is, in heaven, there will be no corruption, "for this corruptible must put on incorruption," 1 Corinthians 15:53.

There follows: "Where your treasure is, there also is your heart." He teaches that the contrary conclusion is harmful, and this because it entails a distraction of the heart: for if you love earthly things, there your heart will be; for where love is, there is the eye — "the eyes of fools are in the ends of the earth." But since there are few who consider this, he therefore shows, by an example, how great the danger is: "The lamp of your body..." And this is first explained concerning the bodily eye; for just as a lamp directs a man's steps, so does the eye. Hence, "if your eye is sound," that is, strong for seeing, "your whole body will be full of light," that is, it will be directed toward right action; "if it is evil," that is, bleary and dim, "your whole body will be full of darkness," that is, all your works will happen in the manner of darkness. "If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great will that darkness itself be?" The light that is in you is the heart and mind. If then it is directed toward the earth, all the senses of man too will be directed toward the earth.

Otherwise it is explained concerning the spiritual eye: for light leads to testing, as does man's reason; Proverbs 20:27: "The lamp of the Lord is the breath of man." Hence, if your eye is sound, in such a way that your reason is directed toward God, your whole body, that is, all your members, will be kept from sin; if not, they will be wrapped up in works of darkness. Or "full of light" refers to the resurrection of the saints; below, Matthew 13:43: "Then the just will shine like the sun." Again, by the eye is signified intention: hence whoever wishes to act, intends something; hence if your intention is full of light, that is, directed toward God, your whole body, that is, your operations, will be full of light — and this is understood of things good absolutely. Again, by the eye is understood faith; hence if it is sound, in such a way that it tends toward God, that is, does not waver, and so on; Romans 14:23: "What is not of faith is sin." Again, by the eye is signified the prelate, who is the eye of his subjects; hence when good prelates direct the people, the whole congregation of the people shines with virtues, and so on; Ecclesiasticus 10:2: "As the judge of the people is, so also are his ministers."

There follows: "No one can serve two masters," and so on. Because he had said that the storing up of treasure distracts from God, it is therefore said to be something to be shunned, since it not only distracts but alienates from God: "for no one can serve two masters." A slave is one who, as to what he is, belongs to another; but it is impossible for the mind to be borne toward two ends at once and at the same time — I mean ends that are contrary and dissenting. Again, note that some rule so that their subjects may be rightly directed; others, so as to be feared. The Lord and riches are contrary masters; therefore "you cannot serve God and mammon." But note that it is one thing to have riches as a master, another as a slave: for he has them as a master who uses them well and makes fruit from them; but he is a slave of riches who draws no fruit from them; Ecclesiastes 5:12: "There is another evil which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of their owner." Now that in which anyone places his end is his god. Hence he who places his end in riches — riches are his god, as is said of those whose "god is the belly," Philippians 3:19.

"You cannot serve God and mammon." By mammon can be understood the Devil, who presides over riches, and is as it were his god — not because he is able to give riches, but because he strives to deceive men by means of riches. Hence, just as there is a certain spirit of fornication, so there is a spirit of riches. Augustine explains it otherwise: "no one can [serve two masters]," namely, masters that are contrary; but God and the Devil are contrary. "What agreement has Christ with Belial?" 2 Corinthians 6:15; and in the third Book of Kings 18:21: "How long do you halt between two sides?" And there follows: "or he will bear with the one," that is, the Devil. And he does not say "will love," because the Devil cannot naturally be loved. God is naturally loved; the Devil, however, is only borne with, as Augustine gives the example: if someone desires another's maidservant, he serves that other out of love for the maidservant, not for the master himself; hence he bears with servitude to the master for the sake of the maidservant. So someone bears with servitude to the Devil for the sake of riches.

Again, someone could say: I do not place my end in superfluous riches, but in necessary ones. And this the Lord forbids, saying, "Therefore I say to you, be not anxious for your soul," and so on — not because the soul eats, but because it is fitting for man, the soul existing in him. Or, "for your soul," that is, for the life of the soul. And here he destroys the error of the Euchites, who said that apostolic men ought not to labor. But Paul rebukes these, saying, 2 Thessalonians 3:10: "He who does not wish to work, let him not eat." According to the Apostle, therefore, all are bound. But I ask: is it a counsel, or a precept? If a precept, then all are bound; if a counsel, it is clear that not all are bound, since only perfect men are bound to counsels. I say that some things are commanded for their own sake, some for the sake of another: as when someone has taken up the cross in order to go overseas, he is bound to go overseas, but he cannot go unless he seeks a ship — hence seeking a ship is necessary for him. Thus all are bound to preserve life, and therefore they are bound to all the things that serve this end; hence whoever has no means of preserving his life is bound to labor in order to preserve it.

What then does he mean by saying, "Be not anxious," and so on? It must be said that anxiety names a foresight joined with eager pursuit; and eager pursuit is a vehement application of the mind. Now in this vehement application there can be sin, namely when one places the mind there as upon an end, and in this way we ought not to be anxious; and therefore it is found in Proverbs 11:7: "The expectation of the anxious will perish." Again, it can happen that the mind intends to acquire superfluous things, and this is forbidden, as is found in Ecclesiastes 2:1: "I said in my heart: I will go, and I will overflow with riches." Again, there can be anxiety because the mind is excessively solicited to acquire temporal and necessary things, and concerning this it is found in 1 Corinthians 2. Again, some are anxious with a certain fear and despair, because they fear that provision will fail them, and this anxiety is forbidden.

There follows: "Is not the soul more than food?" He taught us to avoid anxiety even about necessary things, and he sets down arguments. And first this one: he who gave the greater things will give the lesser; but God gave the soul and the body; therefore he who gave these will preserve them. "Behold the birds of the air," and so on — this is another argument: he who provides for the lesser will provide for the greater; but God provides for brute animals; therefore, and so on. First he draws this out with regard to food; second, with regard to clothing. He teaches, then, to avoid anxiety, saying "Behold," that is, consider, "the birds of the air," because wisdom is to be had from them; hence Job 12:7: "Ask the cattle, and they will teach you." Hence, although they have no work by which to acquire bread, nevertheless, and so on. And he mentions three things corresponding to the three things that are required, namely to sow, to reap, and to gather; and as to this he says three things: "they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." And he says "your," not "their," because properly he is Father of the rational creature. "He feeds them" — concerning which it is written in Psalm 146:9: "Who gives to the cattle their food," and so on. "Are not you of much more worth than they?" — that is, of greater value? For man is set above all things, as is found in Genesis 1:26: "Let us make man," and so on; and there follows, "that he may have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air."

And it is not to be understood that apostolic men do not gather provisions; rather it is to be understood that God, in their gathering, delivers the just from tribulation, as he delivered Daniel from the lions' den, and the three boys from the furnace. And I do not say that those existing in tribulation ought not to act so as to be delivered, since the Lord commanded that they should flee from one city into another; but it is to be understood that if the just do what lies in their power, the Lord will deliver them. And these examples are brought forward so that we may know that the Lord has providence over all things, and gives to each according to its own manner: for to the birds he gave the means by which they might acquire necessities, for he gave them a natural instinct by which they are moved to seek out whence they might live; therefore we ought not to be excessively anxious.

"But which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?" Here he proves by experience that just as he provides for the birds, so also for us: for there is a part of the soul that is subject to reason, such as the motive and sensitive powers, and a part that is not, such as the augmentative and nutritive powers; and in these man agrees with brute animals; and just as he provides for brute animals in growth and nourishment, so also for men. Hence growth is not from ourselves, but from God; hence you ought not to despair of God's providence.

"Consider the lilies of the field," and so on. He has instructed us concerning food, now concerning clothing; hence, "having food, and something with which to be covered, with these we are content." He says, therefore, "Consider the lilies of the field." The consideration of creatures ought to be for the praise of God; Psalm 142:5: "I will meditate on all your works," and so on. "They labor not, neither do they spin": for both the work of men and of women is required for clothing; therefore, to remove the work of men he says, "they labor not"; to exclude the work of women he says, "neither do they spin." For I say to you that "not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these," because even though art imitates nature, it nevertheless does not attain to it. Hence art would never produce colors as pure as those that occur in nature in the flowers. And he says "in glory," because among those known among the Jews, Solomon was more glorious; and yet clothing could not be so fitted to him as it is to the lily. Again, Chrysostom says that the lily has these things without anxiety, whereas Solomon at least had to give orders for his. Jerome turns this back to the resurrection, since by the lilies are meant the angels; and just as angels have no need of clothing, so in the resurrection he who will refashion the body will provide for its clothing.

"For if the grass of the field," and so on. Here he changes the lily into grass, and argues that if God provides for the lesser things, he will provide also for us, who are of greater worth as to the dignity of our substance, since we are above these things. Again, as to duration: since we are eternal as to the soul, whereas this grass "today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven," and so on; Isaiah 40:7: "The grass is withered, and the flower has fallen." Again, as to the end: because man exists for the sake of beatitude, whereas grass exists for the use of man; Psalm 146:8: "Who brings forth grass and herb on the mountains for the service of men," and so on — and for a base use at that, namely that it be cast into the oven, with respect to certain lands, where fire is made from stubble. "And if God so clothes" this, that is, gives it its necessary adornment, "how much more you, of little faith?" Or thus: that by the grass are understood unbelievers — if then God provides for unbelievers, who are ready for the oven of fire, much more will he provide for the elect.

"Be not therefore anxious," and so on. Here he draws his conclusion concerning both food and clothing; and you should explain "anxiety" in the four ways stated above. Or thus: if you live within some community, do not be anxious for more abundant food or more abundant clothing, but rather be among them as one of them. "For after all these things do the Gentiles seek," because they place their end there, since they believe that beatitude consists in them; and if they do not believe this, they still place great anxiety there, because they do not believe in divine providence. And because in ordering something toward an end two things are required, namely knowledge and will, he says, "For your Father knows that you need all these things." Hence: he knows, because he is God; likewise, because he is Father, he wills [to provide].

What then will you do? He states three things. First: "Seek the kingdom of God," as an end, since the kingdom is beatitude. The kingdom is named from ruling: for a man is then ruled when he is made subject to the will of the one ruling; but this will be in heaven; hence Luke 14:15: "Blessed is he who eats bread in the kingdom of God." Again, justice leads to the kingdom; Proverbs 8:20: "I walk in the ways of justice, in the midst of the paths of judgment, that I may enrich those who love me, and may fill their treasures," and so on. And therefore he says, "and his justice." And he says "his," and not "man's," because by his own justice no one can come to the kingdom. Third, he says, "and all these things will be added unto you," as if to say, beyond the bargain these things will be added; Proverbs 10:3: "The Lord will not afflict the soul of the just with famine." We ought not, therefore, to seek these temporal things — and this is true if they are sought as an end, or as a reward. Hence we ought not to preach the gospel in order that we may eat, but rather the reverse. But against this Augustine raises an objection concerning Paul, since he says: "In hunger, and thirst, and nakedness I have labored." And he answers that just as a physician sometimes withholds food and drink from a sick person, in order to cure him, so the Lord, whose task it is to provide, permits a man to suffer, either that he may be cured, if there is something to be cured, or that others may receive an example.

"Be not therefore anxious for tomorrow." But this does not seem right, because no one is bound to a greater perfection than Christ and the apostles; but Christ had a money-box, and the apostles too used to gather provisions. Augustine explains it thus: "for tomorrow," that is, for the future, meaning: by thinking too much about temporal things, namely by placing one's end there, or also by gathering superfluous things. Or, according to Jerome, "Be not anxious for tomorrow" is true concerning those things which pertain to God, provided we are doing what lies in our power; for we ought not to cease from laboring for fear of rain, or such other things which pertain to God. Or thus: do not take up in the present that anxiety which you ought to have in the future, just as it is not fitting, at the time of the harvest, to take up care about the vintage. Why? For "sufficient for the day is its own evil" — that is, the tribulation and anguish which a man has in his day ought to suffice for him; he ought not to take up in advance that which he is to have in the future, and so on.