Homilies on Titus 6

'And concerning these things I will that you affirm confidently, that they who have believed in God may be careful to maintain good works.'

'These things are good and profitable unto men.'

'But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law;

for they are unprofitable and vain.'

'A man that is a heretic after a first and second admonition reject;

knowing that such a one is subverted, and sins, being self-condemned.'

Having spoken concerning the love toward man of God and concerning his unspeakable tender care for us, and what we were and what he made us, he goes on and says:

'And concerning these things I will that you affirm confidently, that they who have believed in God may be careful to maintain good works;'

that is, to discourse upon these things, and by means of them to urge them on to almsgiving.

For not only will the things that have been said fit us for humility, and for not being lifted up and reproaching others, but also for every other virtue.

Thus at any rate, discoursing also to the Corinthians, he says:

'You know that the Lord became poor, though he was rich, that we by his poverty might become rich.'

Having considered God's tender care and his surpassing love toward man, he urges them on to almsgiving, and that not lightly nor in passing;

but what? 'That they may be careful,' he says, 'to maintain good works;'

that is, both to help those who are wronged, not with money only, but also with protection, and to defend widows and orphans, and to establish all those who are suffering ill in safety;

for this is what it means to 'maintain good works.'

'For these things,' he says, 'are good and profitable unto men.'

'But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law;

for they are unprofitable and vain.'

What is the meaning of these genealogies? For indeed in the Epistle to Timothy also he sets down this same thing, saying:

'and endless genealogies.'

Perhaps here as there he is hinting at the Jews, who, priding themselves greatly on having Abraham for their forefather, neglected their own conduct.

For this reason he calls these genealogies both foolish and unprofitable;

for it is folly to place one's confidence in things that bring no profit.

But he says, 'strifes' — meaning those with the heretics — that we may not toil in vain when there is no gain to be had;

For when a man is perverted, and is resolved not to change his mind no matter what happens, why do you toil in vain, sowing upon rocks, when you ought rather to expend this noble labor upon your own people, discoursing to them concerning almsgiving and the rest of virtue? How then does he say elsewhere, 'if peradventure God will give them repentance,' but here, 'A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject, knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself'? There indeed he speaks concerning the correction of those who have hope, and concerning those who simply set themselves in opposition;

but when a man is manifest and evident to all, why do you box the air in vain? Why do you beat the air? What does 'being condemned of himself' mean? For he cannot say that no one told him, no one admonished him.

When therefore after the exhortation the same man persists, he becomes self-condemned.

'When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis.'

What are you saying? Having set him over Crete, do you call him back again to yourself? Not that you are drawing him away from that ministry, but rather to give him further training.

For that it is not in order to lead him about and have him following him everywhere that he calls him to himself, hear what he says:

'For there I have determined to winter.'

Now Nicopolis is a city of Thrace.

'Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.'

These men were not yet among those to whom charge had been committed, but among those who accompanied him;

and Apollos was the more forceful of the two, being mighty in the Scriptures, and an eloquent man.

If then that man was a lawyer, he ought not, one might say, to have been supported by others.

But by 'lawyer' he here means one skilled in the Jewish laws;

as if he had said, Establish them in all abundance, that nothing may be wanting to them.

'And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.'

'All they that are with me salute thee;'

'greet them that love us in the faith.'

He means either those who love him, or the faithful men.

How then do you bid him stop the mouths of the gainsayers, if we must avoid these men when they do everything to their own ruin? He says, then, that in what pertains directly to their own gain he is never to do this;

for they would never gain any benefit, once they are perverted in mind.

For if they are injuring others, one must stand apart and contend, and with much courage avoid them;

but if you are brought to a necessity, seeing others being corrupted, do not keep silent, but stop his mouth, taking thought for those who are about to perish.

But in general it is not possible for one who is diligent and of upright life to endure strife.

Nevertheless, as I said, do thus;

for it is from idleness and superfluous cleverness that this thing arises, namely being occupied about mere words.

For to utter superfluous things is a great loss, when one ought either to teach, or to pray, or to give thanks.

For we ought not to be sparing of money but lavish of words;

but rather of these or of those, and not simply to give ourselves up to all men.

What does 'that they may be careful to maintain good works' mean? That they may not wait for those in need to come to them, but may themselves seek out those who need their help;

for he who is careful is careful in this way;

for thus especially and with much diligence will he accomplish this.

For indeed in the good he does, the deed brings gain and profit not so much to those who receive as to those who do good;

for it gives them boldness toward God.

But there is no end to strife of that kind.

By 'heretic,' then, he means the man who is incorrigible.

For just as to overlook those who have hope of a change belongs to sloth,

so also to attempt to heal those who are incurably diseased belongs to folly and the utmost madness; for we only make such men the bolder.

'And let ours also learn,' he says, 'to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.'

Do you see that he takes thought for them rather than for those who receive? For it was perhaps possible to send these men forward with provision from many other sources; but 'I take thought,' he says, 'for our own people.'

For what benefit would there be, tell me? For if others were to feed the teachers by digging up buried treasures, there would as yet be no gain to these;

What then, tell me? Was not Christ able—He who from five loaves fed five thousand, and from seven fed four thousand—to feed Himself and those who were with Him? Why then was He supported by women? (For women followed Him, it says, who ministered unto Him.) It was to teach us from the first that He takes thought for those who do good.

Was not Paul able—he who by his own hands even supplied the needs of others—to take nothing from anyone? Yet you see him both receiving and asking;

'For I seek not,' he says, 'the gift, but the fruit that aboundeth to your account.'

And in the beginning too, when they sold all their possessions and laid them at the feet of the apostles, you see the apostles taking thought for them rather than for those who received. For if in any way they had merely been taking thought for the poor, they would have made no account concerning Sapphira and Ananias when they kept back the money, nor would Paul have given the direction, saying:

'Not grudgingly, or of necessity.'

What are you saying, Paul? Are you putting a hindrance in the way of the poor? No, he says;

for I look not to their interest, but to that of the givers.

And observe the prophet also, when he counseled Nebuchadnezzar that excellent counsel, taking thought not for the poor alone;

for he did not say simply, Give to the poor, but what? 'Redeem thy sins by almsdeeds, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor.'

Empty out thy wealth, he says, not only that others may be fed, but that thou thyself mayest be delivered from punishment.

'Sell thy possessions, and give to the poor, and come, follow me.'

Do you see that there too this was enjoined for the sake of the following? For since wealth is a hindrance, on this account He commanded it to be given to the poor, training the soul to be merciful and compassionate, training it to despise riches, training it to depart from covetousness.

For he who is trained to give to him who has not, will in time be trained also not to take from those who have.

This makes us like unto God.

And yet virginity involves a harder toil than this, as do fasting and sleeping on the ground;

but nothing is so strong and mighty to quench the flame of our sins as almsgiving;

it is greater than all these, and sets those who love it beside the King Himself.

For virginity and fasting and sleeping on the ground stand only about the one who practices them, and have saved no other;

but almsgiving is extended unto all, and embraces the members of Christ;

and the good deeds extended toward many are far greater than those which are confined to a single person.

For this is the mother of love—of that love which characterizes Christianity, which is greater than all the signs, by which the disciples of Christ are made manifest;

this is the medicine of our sins, the cleansing agent of the filth of our soul, a ladder fixed and reaching unto heaven;

this binds together the body of Christ.

Do you wish to learn how great a good this is? In the days of the apostles all sold their possessions and brought the proceeds to them, which were then distributed;

For they distributed, it says, to each according as anyone had need.

Tell me, then, even apart from things to come (for let us not now raise the question of the Kingdom,

but let us look at the present) — who gain more, those who receive, or those who give? For the former murmured and quarrelled with one another;

but these had one soul.

For, it says, the heart and soul of them all was one, and grace was upon them all, and they passed their life with much profit.

Do you see that even from this those men were the gainers? Now tell me, of which company would you have wished to be — of those who cast away their own possessions and had nothing, or of those who took even what belonged to others? Behold the fruit of almsgiving!

The barriers and hindrances were taken away, and at once their souls were joined together.

The heart and soul of all was one.

So that even apart from almsgiving the mere emptying-out of one's wealth carries with it much gain.

But these things have been said by me so that those who have not inherited a patrimony from their forefathers may not grieve nor be downcast, as though they had less than the rich;

for they have more, if they are willing.

For indeed they will come to almsgiving with greater readiness, like the widow, and they will have no occasion for enmity toward their neighbour, and they will be freer than all men;

no one will be able to threaten such a man with confiscation, but he is above suffering harm.

And just as no one could quickly seize men who flee naked, whereas one might easily lay hold of those who are wrapped about with much clothing and trail it behind them;

so it is also with the rich man and the poor man.

For the one, even if he be caught, will easily be able to slip away;

but the other, even if he be not caught, is entangled by his own cords — by countless anxieties, by despondencies, by fits of anger, by outbursts of passion.

All these things bury the soul;

and not these only, but many other things besides, which we drag along in the train of wealth.

For indeed it is harder for the rich man than for the poor to practise moderation and to live in frugality, and harder for this one than for that to be rid of wrath.

Then, one says, will he have a greater reward? By no means.

Why, if indeed he accomplishes what is difficult? Because he himself has contrived these difficulties for himself;

for it is not enjoined upon him to be rich, but the very opposite;

yet he prepares for himself ten thousand stumbling-blocks and hindrances.

Others not only lay aside their possessions, but also waste away the greater part of their body, as men journeying by a narrow way;

but you not only do not this, but even feed the furnace of the passions and heap on yet more.

Depart, then, into the broad way;

for that is the way which receives such men as these;

but the narrow way receives those who are afflicted, those who are straitened, those who bear nothing except these burdens which it is possible to carry through it — almsgiving, loving-kindness, goodness, forbearance.

If you bear these things, you will be able to enter easily;

but if you bear arrogance and the inflammation of the soul, and the burden of thorns — that is, wealth — you have need of much broad room.

For you cannot even enter into the crowd without striking others as you are borne down upon them from above, but there would be need here of much clear space.

But he who carries off gold and silver — I mean the good deeds of virtue — not only does not have his neighbours fleeing from him, but rather has them drawing near and joining themselves to him.

But if wealth itself is a thorn, what is covetousness? For what reason do you carry this down thither — that you may make the flame greater, laying fuel upon the fire? Is not the fire of Gehenna enough? Consider how the three youths overcame the furnace;

consider that furnace to be Gehenna;

with affliction they were cast into it, bound and fettered together;

yet within it they found much broad room;

but not so those who stood round about it from without.

Some such thing will come to pass even now, if we are willing to stand nobly and manfully against the temptations that are brought upon us;

if we have our hopes set upon God, we ourselves shall be in safety and in broad room, but those who cast us in shall perish;

for he who digs a pit, it says, shall fall into it.

Even if they bind the hands, even if they bind the feet, affliction will be able to loose them;

those whom men had bound, the fire loosed.

For just as if someone were to hand over certain persons to the household servants of his friends, and these, out of respect for the friendship of their master,

reverencing their master, not only do not injure them, but even bestow upon them much honour;

so also the fire, when it recognized that those youths were friends of its own Master, both rent asunder their bonds and loosed them and let them go, and became a floor for them, and was trodden underfoot by them — and rightly so;

for it was for the glory of God that they had been cast in.

As many of us as are in afflictions, let us hold fast to these examples.

But behold, one says, those men were delivered from their affliction, whereas we are not.

And rightly so, since those men did not enter into the furnace as men who would be delivered, but as men who would utterly die;

for hear them saying:

There is a God in heaven, who will deliver us;

and if not, be it known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor do we worship the golden image which you have set up.

But we, as though bargaining with God over His chastisements, even set a time limit, saying:

If within such-and-such a time He does not show mercy —

For this reason we are not delivered.

Since Abraham too set out, not as one who would receive his son back safe, but as one who would slay him;

and beyond his expectation he received him back safe.

And you too, when you fall into affliction, do not be in haste, do not hasten to be delivered; prepare your mind for all endurance, and you will be delivered quickly from the affliction;

for it is for this very reason that God brings it upon you, that He may train you.

When therefore we are trained from the outset to bear it, and are not distressed, He then relaxes it, as though the whole matter had been accomplished.

I wish to relate to you a certain story that is profitable and carries much benefit.

What then is it? Once, when a persecution had overtaken them and a fierce war had been kindled against the Church, two men were arrested;

and the one was ready to suffer anything whatsoever, while the other was himself also ready and courageous as to having his head cut off, but as to the other tortures he was fearful and trembling.

Behold, then, the divine dispensation.

When the judge had taken his seat, the one who was ready to suffer anything whatsoever, he ordered to have his head cut off;

but the other he hung up and tore with combs, and not once nor twice, but leading him about through all the cities.

Why then was this permitted? That he might recover through the tortures that part of his mind which had been neglected, that he might cast out all cowardice, that he might no longer be fearful nor shrinking nor trembling before the ordeal.

And Joseph too, when he was most eager to go out, then most of all remained within;

for hear him saying, I was indeed stolen away by theft out of the land of the Hebrews;

And, 'Remember me,' he says, 'before the king.'

For this reason he was left to remain there, that he might learn that one must not put one's confidence, nor place one's hope, in men, but must cast the whole of it upon God.

Knowing these things, therefore, let us render thanks to God, and let us do all things that are conducive to our profit;

that we may attain unto the good things to come, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father be the glory, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.