Commentaria in Exodum
Seventh, “we carry our very soul and body, exposed in this age to all injury, and undergo patience of its injury: far be it from a servant of Christ that, patience being prepared for greater temptations, it should fail in trifles.”
Secondly, against sharp words and blows, in the same chapter he gives these remedies of patience.
First: “The Lord admonishes: To him that striketh thee on the face, turn also the other cheek. Let another’s wickedness be wearied by your patience.”
Second, “you think him the more wicked for your enduring; for he will be beaten by him for whose sake you endure.”
Third, “regard the saying of the Lord: When they shall curse you, rejoice.”
Fourth, “The Lord himself was cursed in the law, and yet he alone is blessed; let us therefore, servants of the Lord, be able to be cursed.”
Fifth, “otherwise I shall be tormented, at least with a silent impatience.”
Sixth, “he who hurts you does so that you may grieve, because the fruit of the hurter is in the hurt one’s grief; therefore when you overthrow his fruit by not grieving, he must needs grieve himself, by the loss of his fruit: then you will go not only unhurt, but also delighted by the frustration of your adversary, and protected from pain.”
Thirdly, against grief at the death of dear ones, chap. 9, he gives these sweetmeats of patience.
First: “Read the Apostle, 1 Thess. 4: Concerning them that sleep, be not sorrowful,” etc.
Second, “we believe the resurrection of the dead; vain therefore is grief at death, vain also impatience of grief.”
Third, “why do you grieve, if you do not believe he has perished? why do you bear impatiently the departure of him whom you believe will return?”
Fourth, “what you think death is a departure, and to a blessed life.”
Fifth, “he who goes before is not to be lamented but plainly to be longed for; why bear immoderately that he is gone, whom you will soon follow?”
Sixth, “impatience in such matters both bodes ill for our hope and betrays our faith.”
Seventh, “we injure Christ when we do not accept with equanimity those called away by him, as though they were to be pitied.”
Eighth, “we resist the Apostle saying: I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ; that is therefore the best wish of Christians, and equally our own.” … if we shall have arrogated to ourselves the arbitration of defence (that is, of vengeance)?”
Fourth, “what do we believe that Judge to be, if not also an avenger? this he promises to us, saying: Vengeance is mine, and I will repay; that is, patience to me, and I will reward patience.”
Fifth, “he who avenges himself has taken away the honour of the one Judge, that is, God.”
Sixth, “after vengeance follows repentance, flight and guilt, so that we are punished in like manner.”
Seventh, “nothing undertaken in impatience knows how to be carried through without violence: whatever is done with violence either offends, or collapses, or goes headlong.”
Eighth, “if you defend yourself too lightly, you will rave: if more fully, you will be burdened.”
Ninth, “what have I to do with vengeance, of which I cannot rule the measure, through the impatience of grief?”
Tenth, “if I brood on patience, I shall not grieve: if I shall not grieve, I shall not desire to avenge.”
Fifthly, against the assaults of Satan, chap. 11, he gives these strengthenings of patience.
First: “Despise the little darts of Satan for their mediocrity; yield to the greatest for their excess.”
Second, “where the injury is smaller, there is no necessity of impatience: but where the injury is greater, there the remedy of injury, patience, is more necessary.”
Third, “let us therefore strive to endure what is inflicted by the evil one, that the enemy’s zeal may be baffled by the emulation of our equanimity.”
Fourth, “if indeed we bring some things upon ourselves, either by imprudence or even willingly, let us bear them equally patiently, as ones we must impute to ourselves.”
Sixthly, against crosses sent by God, he gives these supports of patience.
First: “If we believe that some things are inflicted by the Lord, to whom should we show patience rather than to the Lord?”
Second, “it becomes us to rejoice and be thankful at the favour of divine chastisement: I,” he says, “whom I love, I chastise.”
Third, “The Lord proclaims the patient happy, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that mourn, blessed the meek, blessed the peacemakers; rejoice when they shall curse you and persecute you: for your reward is very great in heaven.”
Fourthly, against the desire of vengeance, chap. 9 and 10, he gives these appeasements of patience. First: “This lust of avenging attends to a business Seventhly, chap. 12, he assigns these fruits of patience. The first is peace and reconciliation with neighbours. First, “The patient man fulfils the law of Christ, commanding”
either of glory or of malice; but glory is everywhere vain, and malice hateful to the Lord, in this place most of all: because it doubles the evil that was done once. For what difference is there between the provoker and the provoked, except that the former is found first in the wrong, the latter afterwards?”
Second, “each is guilty before the offended Lord, who forbids and condemns all wickedness, and who commands that evil be not repaid with evil.”
Third, “what honour shall we pay to the Lord, to forgive a brother, not seven times but seventy times seven; likewise that we remit a brother’s offence, if we desire pardon and remission from God.”
Second, “and of the Apostle saying: Let not the sun go down upon your anger; it is not lawful therefore for us to remain one day without patience.”
Third, “patience reconciles married persons at variance: it makes the one not an adulterer, it amends the other.”
Fourth, “the prodigal son the patience of the father receives, clothes, feeds, and excuses against the impatience of the angry brother.”
The second fruit of patience is love, or charity.
“Love is the highest Sacrament of faith, the treasure of the Christian name, which the Apostle commends with all the strength of the Holy Ghost, and which is learned from the discipline of none other than patience?”
First, “Love,” he says, “is long-suffering: so it takes patience.”
Second, “it is kind: patience does no evil.”
Third, “it envieth not: this indeed is proper to patience.”
Fourth, “nor savours of pride: it drew modesty from patience.”
Fifth, “it is not puffed up, it is not insolent: and this belongs to patience.”
Sixth, “it is not provoked, beareth all things, endureth all things: surely because it is patient.”
Seventh, “deservedly therefore it never falleth away; tongues shall be exhausted, knowledges, prophecies; faith, hope, love remain: faith, which the patience of Christ introduced; hope, which the patience of man awaits; love, which patience accompanies with God as master.”
The third is that patience suggests the exercises of piety, chap. 13.
“What is the business of patience in the body?”
First, “the affliction of the flesh, a propitiatory victim to the Lord.”
Second, “fasts joined with ashes and sackcloth.”
Third, “prayers and supplications.”
Fourth, “continence of the flesh.”
Fifth, “constancy under the cross.”
Examples. “Isaias is sawn asunder, patient; armed with strength, and he is not silent of the Lord; Stephen is stoned, and asks pardon for his enemies: Job fights out every form of patience against all the force of the devil, whom neither driven-off flocks, nor sons taken away in one onset of ruin, nor bodily torment excluded from patience: what a bier did God build out of the devil in that man? what a standard of glory, when that man, at every bitter message, uttered from his mouth nothing but thanks to God? What then? God laughed; what? Satan was torn asunder. Hence he recovered all things double.”
The fourth is that patience begets the other virtues, chap. 14.
First, “it instructs humility.”
Second, “it awaits penance.”
Third, “it assigns confession.”
Fourth, “it rules the flesh.”
Fifth, “it keeps the spirit.”
Sixth, “it bridles the tongue.”
Seventh, “it restrains the hand.”
Eighth, “it tramples temptations.”
Ninth, “it drives away scandals.”
Tenth, “it consummates martyrdom.”
Eleventh, “it consoles the poor, tempers the rich.”
Twelfth, “it commends the servant to his master, the master to God.”
Thirteenth, “it adorns the woman, approves the man; it is loved in a boy, praised in a youth, welcomed in an old man; in every sex, in every age it is beautiful.”
Eighthly, he paints the likeness of patience so to the life, chap. 15.
First: “Her countenance is tranquil and placid.”
Second, “her brow clear; contracted by no wrinkle of grief or anger.”
Third, “her eyebrows relaxed in a cheerful way.”
Fourth, “her eyes cast down by humility, not by unhappiness.”
Fifth, “her mouth marked with the blush of silence.”
Sixth, “her colour such as belongs to the secure and harmless.”
Seventh, “her frequent movement of the head toward the devil, and a threatening smile.”
Eighth, “her garment white about the breast, and fitted to the body, as one who is neither puffed up nor disquieted.”
Ninth, “she sits on the throne of the gentlest spirit, which is not rolled up in a whirlwind, not livid with cloud, but is of tender serenity, open and simple, which Elias saw the third time; for where God is, there also is his nursling, patience namely: when therefore the Spirit of God descends, indivisible patience accompanies him.”