Moralia in Job 1135

Verse 19. — 'Lay aside your greatness without tribulation, and all the strong in fortitude.' 75. The Apostles and the strong of the Church having been called to their rewards, God in their stead strengthened the weak for the contests. — Whom else do we take to be the strong of holy Church, but those who grow strong for conquering the desires of this world, both in sublime undertakings and in accomplished advances? Her greatness therefore consists in the life of her strong ones, because she is then rendered more glorious when, for the defense of truth, her elect contend even unto death with steadfast virtue.

The arrogant, therefore, when the Apostles have been withdrawn from this world, when the martyrs have been withdrawn to the things above, because they perhaps behold that more learned and more capable overseers are lacking in abundance, suspect that they alone have remained within the Church. Whence, while they set themselves forward, they mock her as though counseling her, saying: 'Lay aside your greatness without tribulation, and all the strong in fortitude.' As if with open reproaches they were to say: 'By no means trust that you have greatness, because, the former ones having been withdrawn, you no longer have fathers of whose life you may glory.' They say these things indeed, not knowing that Almighty God does not desert His Church, leaving her without worthy administration.

For when He calls the strong to their reward, in their stead He strengthens the weak for the contests; when by receiving those He rewards them, to these He supplies the strength for labors, which He may reward. Of whom it is said to that same holy Church: 'Instead of your fathers, sons are born to you; you shall make them princes over all the earth' (Psalm 45:16). For into the virtue of the ancient fathers, these who are afterward set forward are substituted, because, when aged trees are cut down, into their strength tender saplings grow up. But arrogant men do not believe that those grow strong whom they once knew to be infirm; and they disdain to venerate those transformed whom they remember to have been contemptible. 76. In the Church the just are far fewer than the wicked.

Proud shepherds harvest with exultation what their fathers sowed by dying. — But because in her they see the more just to be few, and the wicked more numerous, just as in the threshing of grain the multitude of chaff is greater, they hold in contempt even the life of the just by the estimation of the wicked. They see indeed that some of her rulers, propped up by temporal power, are fed by the elation of that same power. They see that the reverence of religion, which the fathers preserved for this world by dying, these harvest with exultation in earthly joys; and they weigh indeed that they are robust, but not in fortitude. For while they are supported by temporal power, they are strengthened as it were by a certain weakness.

For the more they are strong outwardly, the more they are emptied inwardly of all the powers of fortitude. And therefore it is said to her by the arrogant: 'Lay aside the strong in fortitude.' As if it were openly said: 'Those truly clung to you as strong ones, who held by living in you that which they spoke by teaching; but now these who preside over you are strong in appearance, not in fortitude, because indeed they do not cease to display themselves as honorable, but they are so much the weaker and more contemptible, the more they dread that the glory of their honor be despised for the sake of truth.' Which the arrogant indeed truly perceive concerning very many, but they rush into the vice of elation in this, that they judge all whom they behold to be in charge to be such.

For the evil of the many ought not to extend into the estimation of all, because, although those are wicked whom they discern by knowing, nevertheless some are holy whom they do not know. It is indeed the time of threshing, and the grains still lie hidden beneath the chaff. No fruit therefore is to be expected from the threshing-floor, if this alone is believed to be in it, which is seen on the surface. Therefore, because they despise those whom they behold, and disdain that those whom they know be substituted into the ranks of the ancient fathers, it is fitly subjoined: