Homilies on First Corinthians 35 part 2/2

For whom does the rich man not fear? Is it not robbers? Is it not men of power? Is it not the envious? Is it not slanderers? And why do I speak of robbers and slanderers, when he even suspects his very own domestics? And why do I speak of him while living? Not even when he has died is he freed from the villainy of those who plunder, nor is death able to place him in security, but even when he is a corpse the evildoers despoil him;

so precarious a thing is wealth.

For not only are houses broken into, but tombs also are burst open and coffins.

What then could be more wretched than this, when not even death affords him this immunity, but that miserable body, though deprived of life, is not freed from the evils of life, from those who work such villainy and hasten to make war even on dust and ashes—and that far more grievously than when he was alive? For then, entering into the treasure-chamber, they moved the coffers indeed, but kept their hands off the body, and would not take so much as to strip the body itself bare;

but now not even from these do the polluted hands of the tomb-robbers keep off, but they move it and turn it about, and with great savagery outrage it.

For after it has been committed to the earth, having stripped it bare both of its covering from thence and of that from the garments, they thus leave it flung aside.

Who then is so hostile as wealth, which while men live destroys even the soul, and when they are dead outrages even the body, and does not even permit it to be hidden in the earth—a thing that is common even to condemned criminals and to those caught in the most shameful crimes?

For the lawgivers, having exacted from those men the penalty of death, meddle no further;

But upon these men their wealth exacts a most bitter penalty even after death, laying them out naked and unburied, a dreadful and pitiable spectacle.

For these men suffer things more grievous than those who endure this by a court's verdict and the wrath of a judge.

For those men, remaining unburied only for the first day and the second, are then delivered to the earth;

but these men, when they have been delivered to the earth, are then stripped naked and outraged.

And if the robbers do not also depart carrying off the very coffin, no longer is the thanks due to wealth, but here too to poverty;

for if we had entrusted even this to wealth, and, forsaking the making of it from stone, had wrought it out of gold, we should have lost this too.

So faithless a thing is wealth, and it belongs not so much to those who possess it as to those who attempt to snatch it away.

So that superfluous is that argument which is at pains to show that wealth is hard to master, seeing that not even on the day of death do those who possess it enjoy any security.

And yet, who is not reconciled toward one who has departed, be he a wild beast, be he a demon, be he whoever he may? For indeed they lie in wait for it;

but wealth is quite the contrary—easy to attack and easy to capture.

And just as among animals deer and hares are of all creatures the most easily taken, because of the timidity in their nature, whereas the wild boar and the bull and the lion would not readily fall into the hands of those who plot against them,

so also is it to be seen in the case of the wealthy and of those who live willingly in poverty.

For the one resembles the lion and the bull, but the other the deer and the hare.

For whom does the rich man not fear? Is it not robbers? Is it not men of power? Is it not the envious? Is it not slanderers?

And why do I speak of robbers and slanderers, when he suspects even his own household servants? And why do I speak of the living? Not even in death is he freed from the malice of those who plunder, nor is death able to establish him in security, but they who work evil despoil him even when he is a corpse;

so perilous a thing is wealth.

For not only are houses broken into, but tombs too are torn open and coffins.

What then could be more wretched than this, when not even death affords him this immunity, but that miserable body, though it has been deprived of life, is not freed from the evils of life—from those who commit such crimes and hasten to wage war even against dust and ashes, and that far more grievously than while he was alive? For then, entering the storeroom, they would move the chests but keep their hands off the body, and would not take so much as to strip the body itself bare;

but now the polluted hands of the tomb-robbers do not even keep off from these, but move it and turn it about, and with much brutality do outrage to it.

For after it has been delivered to the earth, having made it bare both of the covering from there and of that from the garments, thus they leave it cast aside.

Who then is so hostile as wealth, which while men live destroys even the soul, and when they are dead outrages even the body, and does not permit it to be hidden in the earth?—a thing which is common even to condemned criminals and to those convicted of the most shameful deeds.

For as for those men, once the lawgivers have exacted the penalty of death, they meddle no further;

but upon these men their wealth exacts a most bitter penalty even after death, laying them out naked and unburied, a dreadful and pitiable spectacle.

For these men suffer things more grievous than those who endure this by a court's verdict and the wrath of a judge.

For those men, remaining unburied only for the first day and the second, are then delivered to the earth;

but these men, when they have been delivered to the earth, are then stripped naked and outraged.

And if the robbers do not also depart carrying off the very coffin, no longer is the thanks due to wealth, but here too to poverty;

for if we had entrusted even this to wealth, and, forsaking the making of it from stone, had wrought it out of gold, we should have lost this too.

So faithless a thing is wealth, and it belongs not so much to those who possess it as to those who attempt to snatch it away.

So that superfluous is that argument which is at pains to show that wealth is hard to master, seeing that not even on the day of death do those who possess it enjoy any security.

And yet, who is not reconciled toward one who has departed, be he a wild beast, be he a demon, be he whoever he may? For the very sight of him is enough to bend even the man who is exceedingly iron-hearted and unfeeling.

For this reason, whenever a man sees a corpse, even if he sees an enemy, even if he sees a foe, he weeps together with the dearest of friends;

and his anger is quenched together with the man's life, while pity is brought in.

And at a funeral and a burial one could not distinguish the enemy from him who is not such;

so do all men reverence the common nature, and the laws that have been introduced concerning it.

But wealth, not attaining even to this, does not lay aside its wrath toward those who have acquired it, but makes even those who have suffered no wrong enemies of the deceased—if indeed to strip a dead body naked belongs to the most bitter enemies and foes.

And nature reconciles even his enemies to him at that time, but wealth wages war even against those who have nothing to charge against him, and mangles the body in utter desolation.

And yet there are there many things able to draw one on to compassion: the very fact of being a corpse, the immobility, the journeying toward earth and corruption, the presence of no one to give aid.

But none of these things breaks down those polluted men, because of the tyranny that comes from wicked desire.

For the love of money, like some pitiless tyrant, stands over them, enjoining upon them those inhuman commands, and having made them wild beasts, thus leads them to the coffins.

For like wild beasts setting upon the dead, not even from the flesh would they have kept off, if indeed the limbs had been in any way of use to them.

Such things do we enjoy from wealth: being outraged even after death, and being deprived of burial—that which even those who have dared unspeakable crimes obtain.

Shall we then, tell me, still cherish it, this thing so hostile? No, I beseech you, no, brethren, but let us flee it without turning back;

and if it should come into our hands, let us not keep it within, but let us bind it with the hands of the poor.

For these bonds are the more able to hold it fast, and out of those storehouses it will never escape; and this faithless thing henceforth remains faithful, tractable, tame, having become so by the right hand of almsgiving.

If then it should at some time come to us, let us deliver it to this hand;

but if it should not come, let us not seek it, nor throttle ourselves, nor count happy those who possess it.

For what sort of blessedness is this? Unless indeed you would say that those who fight with wild beasts are also to be envied, because those who arrange such contests keep those highly-prized beasts shut up and guard them for themselves, yet do not dare to approach them or lay hold of them, but rather are in an agony over them and tremble.

For the wealthy also suffer something of this kind, having shut up wealth like a savage beast in their storehouses, and each day receiving from it countless wounds, contrary to the beasts.

For those beasts, when you lead them out, then do harm to those who meet them;

but this beast, when it is shut up and guarded, then destroys those who possess and guard it.

But let us make this beast tame.

And it will be tame, if we do not shut it up, but bring it to the hands of all who are in need.

Thus shall we reap from it the greatest goods, both living in the present life with security and good hope, and standing with boldness on the day to come;

which may it be granted us all to attain, by the grace and lovingkindness [of our Lord Jesus Christ], and so forth.