1Tim 4:8

“Those who are too hasty, and give up even before midnight, we reprehend as remiss and intemperate, and as almost breaking off from their course in their precipitation, for it is a wise man's word, "That is not little in life which is within a little." And those who hold out and continue for a very long time, and persevere even on to the fourth watch, which is also the time at which our Saviour manifested Himself walking upon the sea to those who were then on the deep, we receive as noble and laborious disciples. On those, again, who pause and refresh themselves in the course as they are moved or as they are able, let us not press very hard: for all do not carry out the six days of fasting either equally or alike; but some pass even all the days as a fast, remaining without food through the whole; while others take but two, and others three, and others four, and others not even one.”

“Some indeed put it thus, "Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies and not to what is useful." The reference is to that kind of usefulness which is always on the watch for making gains in business and has been bent and diverted by the habits of men to the pursuit of money. For as a rule most people call that only useful which is profitable, but we are speaking of that kind of usefulness which is sought in earthly loss "that we may gain Christ," whose gain is "godliness with contentment." Great, too, is the gain whereby we attain to godliness, which is rich with God, not indeed in fleeting wealth but in eternal gifts, and in which rests no uncertain trial but grace constant and unending. There is therefore a usefulness connected with the body, and also one that has to do with godliness, according to the apostle's division, "Bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things."”

“"For bodily exercise profiteth little." This has by some been referred to fasting; but away with such a notion! for that is not a bodily but a spiritual exercise. If it were bodily it would nourish the body, whereas it wastes and makes it lean, so that it is not bodily. Hence he is not speaking of the discipline of the body. What we need, therefore, is the exercise of the soul. For the exercise of the body hath no profit, but may benefit the body a little, but the exercise of godliness yields fruit and advantage both here and hereafter.”

“"Godliness," then, "which is the true worship of God, is profitable to all things," since it deflects or blunts the troubles of this life and leads to that other life, our salvation, where we shall suffer no evil and enjoy the supreme and everlasting good. I exhort you as I do myself to pursue this happiness more earnestly and to hold to it with strong constancy.”

“St. Paul is plainly referring to this when he says, "bodily exercise is profitable for a little, but godliness" (by which he surely means charity) "is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of the life to come." What is said to be profitable for a little cannot be profitable forever and cannot (of itself) bring a man to the perfect life. The phrase "for a little" might mean one of two things. It might mean "for a short time," since these bodily exercises are not going to last as long as the man who practices them. Or it might mean "only of little profit." Corporal austerity brings the first beginnings of progress, but it does not beget that perfect charity which has the promise of this life and the life to come.”

“Some suppose that by fasting he means bodily exercise. This is not true: fasting is a spiritual exercise. But by bodily exercise he means that which, although it requires great labors, nevertheless brings little profit, and only for a time. Here, he says, piety helps a person. For one whose conscience convicts him of nothing bad both rejoices in spirit here, having sure promises of future blessings, and there will live the true life in very deed. Through comparison the apostle shows the superiority of piety.”

“But what is the usefulness of the gift of piety? He says: "Piety is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of the life to come." I do not know what more to add. Do you have temporal goods? Piety is profitable for those; and likewise for spiritual goods. Those who have suffered the slipperiness of the flesh have sometimes been freed through the gift of piety, and afterwards they obtained mercy. For piety is profitable for all things: it is profitable for knowing truths, for avoiding all evils, and for obtaining all goods.”

“Someone will say: 'Do you commend to me that I should follow the counsels and enter the religious order?' He says: 'The order is fictitious, newly established, it has outward signs.' Further he says: 'It is a small thing to despise temporal goods; we cannot give them up. Why should we give up these few goods? What is the worth of bare feet? Bodily exercise is profitable for a little, but godliness is profitable for all things.' However much the order may be fictitious and new, it is nevertheless good. And as to what he says, that bodily exercise is profitable for a little, and that it is a small thing to give up temporal goods; I say that these are the greatest sacrifices. Christ did not come for a small thing. It is the greatest thing to live in chastity and poverty. These are the greatest, highest, and noblest sacrifices, and you reckon the counsel of God as nothing, you despise the counsel of God in yourself and in others.”

“Then when he says, bodily exercise is profitable to little, he chooses it over abstinence: first, he shows how it is profitable; second, how godliness is profitable, at but godliness. He says, therefore, that the bodily exercise of fasting and so on are not good of their very nature, but penal. Furthermore, if man had not sinned, they would be useless; yet they are good medicine. For just as rhubarb is good for relieving cholera, so bodily exercise is good for repressing concupiscence. Therefore, it is useful in that respect: I chastise my body and bring it into subjection (1 Cor 9:27); mortify your members which are upon the earth (Col 3:5). And so, if man were in that state in which he could not sin, he would not need fastings and the like. Hence Chrysostom, commenting on Matthew: Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi, says: John, a mere man, needed the medicine of fasting; but Christ was pure God and not merely man; therefore, he did not need such a thing (Matt 16:30). Consequently, it is useful to little, namely, for diseases of carnal sin, not of spiritual; for sometimes a man falls into anger, vain glory, and so on because of fasting. Then when he says, but godliness is profitable to all things, he chooses it over abstinence; where godliness is taken in both senses of referring to divine worship and mercy. It is profitable to all things, because it removes all sins: water quenches a flaming fire; and alms resists sin (Sir 3:33); also it promotes what is good: the alms of a man is as a signet with him (Sir 17:18). Again, it merits God's special mercy: blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matt 5:7). Therefore, in order to stress this the Lord praises works of mercy in a special way (Matt 25). Then the Apostle proves his statement when he adds, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. For in the precepts of the decalogue there is but one which refers to godliness, namely, to honor your father and your mother; but under it are contained all the precepts that are concerned with bestowing benefits upon one's neighbor. Furthermore, this is the only precept, among those that are concerned with our neighbor, having promise attached to it, namely, that you may be long-lived upon the land which the Lord, your God, will give you (Exod 20:12). And the Apostle here takes long-lived as referring to the present life and the future life: length of days is in her right hand (Prov 3:16). But here a question arises: for we sometimes observe a man who pursues godliness but does not live long. I answer, according to the Philosopher, that temporal goods are good only to the extent that they are useful for felicity. Hence, if a man had so many temporal goods that they hindered him from the pursuit of goodness and felicity, this would not turn out for his good, but for evil, as it is stated in the Ethics X. And length of days is one of the temporal goods, inasmuch as it is an aid to virtue. But sometimes it is an occasion for sinning; as a result God sometimes keeps them from a man, not because he is reneging on his promise, but because he wishes to give something better: he was taken away lest wickedness should alter his understanding (Wis 4:11). Then there is another question: the Apostle seems to prefer godliness over bodily exercise, because it holds a promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. But does not bodily exercise hold a promise? Otherwise, one who fasts would not merit eternal life. The answer is that when two virtues are such that one contains the other, then the per se characteristics of the higher virtue belong accidentally to the lower. Now the virtue whose per se characteristic is to merit eternal life is charity, whose proper and immediate effect is godliness. Therefore, it belongs to the very nature of godliness to merit eternal life; but not so abstinence, unless it is ordained to charity and godliness. For if one who fasts does not relate it to love of God, he does not merit eternal life. The third question is this: Ambrose in a Gloss on this passage says that the whole sum of Christian discipline lies in mercy and godliness, which, when someone follows them, if he experiences perils to his flesh, he will doubtlessly be attacked, but will not perish. The first question is concerned with the first part of this statement, because mercy and godliness are immediately ordained to charity, in which lies the sum of the Christian religion. The answer, as given by Augustine in The City of God, is that it has been the opinion of some that those who perform acts of godliness will not perish in the end, no matter how many carnal sins they commit. And to this is an authority, where Christ reproaches the damned for not performing works of mercy (Matt 25:41). Consequently, eternal damnation will fall only on the unmerciful. But Augustine says the contrary, because the Apostle states: they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God (Gal 5:21). For no matter how much a person is exercised in the works of mercy, if he dies in mortal sin, he will not enter the kingdom. The answer to the opposite opinion is that a person is not merciful, if he is not merciful to himself, as it is said: have pity on your own soul, pleasing God (Sir 30:24); and this happens if a man is united to God in love; otherwise he cannot be merciful. To the citation from Matthew, Augustine answers that not everyone who sins is cast into hell at once, because there still remains some room for repentance; but he will be cast in who finally dies in sin; and penance pertains to mercy. But what does Ambrose mean by experiencing perils in the flesh? I answer that he is speaking of mortal peril. And he says, he will not perish, although this is not ex condigno but ex congruo, inasmuch as the soul is disposed toward the good. That is why the Lord restored man after his fall. And this is especially seen in godliness, because a man by helping others induces them to pray for him; and the Lord sometimes grants pardon to sinners because of the prayers of the saints, inasmuch as they obtain from him a pardon for sin and the gift of grace. For a man can merit ex congruo the first grace for another man; otherwise the Church's prayers for sinners would be of no avail.”

“Train yourself to godliness; for physical exercise is of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. Train. That is, accustom yourself. to godliness. Godliness is the diligence and zeal of life with right faith. for physical exercise. It makes the body healthy. However, in comparison it is only for a short time. having promise of the life. Do you see the benefit? That godliness also in the present and in the future life gives life to the spiritual life.”