Moralia in Job 140

In the same place. — And with his head shorn, falling to the ground he adored. 82. How elation and vanity of thoughts are to be cut back. — For what do we morally understand by the hairs, but the flowing thoughts of the soul? Whence also it is elsewhere said to the Church: Thy lips are like a scarlet fillet, O spouse, and thy speech is sweet (Cant. iv, 3). For a fillet binds the hairs of the head. The lips of the spouse, therefore, are like a fillet, because by the exhortation of holy Church all the thoughts diffused in the minds of hearers are bound together; lest, being loosed, they flow away, lest they scatter themselves through unlawful things, lest, scattered, they weigh down the eyes of the heart; but they gather themselves as it were to one intention, while the fillet of holy preaching binds them. And how rightly it also asserts them to be scarlet;

because the preaching of the saints blazes with the ardor of charity alone. But what is signified by the head, but the very mind, which is the chief part of each one's action? Whence also it is elsewhere said: And let not oil be lacking from thy head (Eccles. ix, 8). For oil upon the head is charity in the mind; and oil is lacking from the head when charity departs from the mind. To shear the head, therefore, is to cut back superfluous thoughts from the mind. And with head shorn he falls to the ground, who, having repressed the thoughts of his own presumption, humbly recognizes how weak he is in himself. 83. It is difficult to do great things and not to have confidence about the deeds done.

— For it is difficult to do great things and not, within oneself, to have some confidence of thoughts about the great deeds. For by the very fact that one lives bravely against the vices, a presumption of thoughts is generated in the heart; and while the mind mightily crushes outward faults, for the most part it secretly swells within itself; and now it esteems itself to be of some great merit, and thinks itself not to sin in the thought of its own self-esteem. But before the eyes of the strict Judge one offends by so much the more grievously, by as much as the fault, the more secretly, is the more nearly incorrigibly perpetrated: and the pit lies open for devouring by so much the more widely, by as much as the life more loftily glories about itself.

Whence, as we have often already said, it is brought about by the loving dispensation of the Creator, that the soul confident of itself should be smitten by a dispensatory temptation, in order that, being weakened, it may find out what it is, and lay aside the arrogance of its own presumption. For as soon as temptation has smitten the mind, all the presumption and tumult of our thoughts is stilled. 84. The elated mind breaks out into tyranny; its attendants are put to flight by temptation. — For the mind, when it raises itself up in elation, breaks out as it were into tyranny. But it has the attendants of its tyranny, its own thoughts that flatter it. But if an enemy rushes upon the tyrant, the favor of the attendants presently ceases.

For when the adversary enters, the attendants flee, and, terrified, they shun him whom, while established in peace, they praised with crafty flattery. But the attendants being withdrawn, he remains alone before the enemy, because, the elated thoughts retreating, the disturbed soul sees only itself and the temptation. Therefore, upon hearing of adversities, the head is shorn, when, temptations vehemently rushing in, the mind is stripped of the thoughts of its own presumption. For what is it that the Nazarites nourish their hair (Num. vi, 5), but that through a life of great continence the thoughts of presumption grow?

But what is it that, the devotion being completed, the Nazarite is commanded to shave his head and to place the hairs in the fire of sacrifice, but that we then attain to the summit of perfection, when we so conquer the outward vices that we cut back even the superfluous thoughts from the mind? To burn these up in the fire of sacrifice is assuredly to kindle them with the flame of divine love, so that the whole heart may burn in the love of God, and, consuming the superfluous thoughts, may consume them as it were like the hairs of the Nazarite by the perfection of devotion. And it is to be noted that, falling to the ground, he adored. For he renders true adoration to God who beholds himself.

who humbly sees that he is dust, who ascribes to himself no virtue, who acknowledges that the good things he does are of the mercy of the Creator. Whence also he fittingly says.