Commentaria in Tobiam
This is the second fruit and spur of almsgiving. The third follows.
11. “FOR ALMS DELIVER FROM ALL SIN, AND FROM DEATH (eternal, and often from the present).”
In what way? First dispositively, because alms obtains greater grace, by which almsgivers are gradually advanced to remission of fault, even mortal, and disposes to it, if indeed it be done from the prevenient grace of God, as faith, hope and fear dispose to the same; especially if it be done for some supernatural motive, for example to obtain pardon of sin, to please God, to obtain his grace; secondly, because if the fault is already forgiven, alms merits remission of the remaining penalty; thirdly, because God on account of alms removes or defers the penalty of the present life, even when the fault is not forgiven. Whence almsgivers, though otherwise impious, are seldom chastised by God in this life. Wherefore Daniel, chapter 4, persuaded Nabuchodonosor, fierce and impious, saying: “Redeem thou thy sins with alms:” indeed St. Augustine, City of God book 21, chapter 27, says that some cannot be saved without alms.
Whence St. Ambrose, sermons 30 and 34, compares alms to baptism: “Thus,” he says, “alms extinguishes sins, as the water of baptism extinguishes the fire of hell. Alms is therefore in a way another washing of souls, so that if anyone after baptism, by human frailty, has sinned, there remains for him to be cleansed again by alms.” And St. Cyprian, book On Prayer and Alms: “As the fire of hell is extinguished by the laver of saving water, so by alms and just works the flame of sins is lulled.” St. Bernard, sermon 4 after the Epiphany, appoints alms as the third water-jar, by which the washing away of sins is made. So also St. Leo compares it to baptism, homily 2 On Collections, and sermon 5: “Alms,” he says, “blot out sins, destroy death, and quench the penalty of perpetual fire,” and he adds this place of Tobias. See what was said on Ecclesiasticus 3:33, on that: “Water quencheth a flaming fire, and alms resisteth sins.”
Fourthly, “AND WILL NOT SUFFER THE SOUL TO GO INTO DARKNESS,”—of hell, because alms as it were shuts and stops the mouth of hell. St. Augustine raises an objection, sermon 18 On the Words of the Lord according to Matthew chapter 16, and at the same time answers: “If,” he says, “the son in astonishment were to answer him: What then, father, didst thou not give alms, that thou speakest now blind? art thou not now in darkness, who sayest to me: alms suffer not to go into darkness? He knew of what light he taught his son, he knew in the inner man what he saw. The son held out his hand to the father, that he might walk upon the earth: and the father to the son, that he might dwell in heaven.” The same, homily 41, among the fifty: “Alms,” he says, “is the patron of a man in the day of judgment, that he fear not the eternal flames.” This is the fourth fruit of almsgiving; the fifth and sixth follow.
12. “ALMS SHALL BE A GREAT CONFIDENCE BEFORE THE MOST HIGH GOD, TO ALL THEM THAT GIVE IT.”—The Hebrew, an ample and good reward shall be rendered before the holy one. Vatablus: the best reward shall be paid. For this reason Alms, in the dress of a royal Virgin, wearing on her head a crown of olive branches, appeared in a dream to St. John the Almoner, archbishop of Alexandria, and said to him: “I am the first of the king’s daughters; if thou wilt possess me as a friend, I will lead thee into the sight of the Emperor. For no one has a part with him as I have. I it was who made him become man on earth, and save men.” Roused by this vision, St. John gave all his goods to the poor, and the more he gave out, the more he received from God, so that he turned tin into silver: so Leontius, bishop of Neapolis in Cyprus, in his Life.
13. “TAKE HEED TO KEEP THYSELF, MY SON, FROM ALL FORNICATION,”—which many of the Gentiles thought lawful, and therefore it was forbidden by name by the Apostles to the Gentiles converted to Christ, Acts 15:29, and Paul writing to the Gentiles repeatedly forbids it under pain of hell, as 1 Corinthians 6; Galatians 5; Ephesians 5; Hebrews 13, and St. John, Apocalypse 21:8: “The fornicators,” he says, “shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
“AND BESIDE THY WIFE NEVER ENDURE TO KNOW A CRIME,”—as if to say: Know no woman besides thy wife, so as to commit with her the crime of fornication. The same Plato learned from Moses and enacted, Laws book 7: “Let no one,” he says, “dare to touch any woman besides his lawful wife.”
14. “NEVER SUFFER PRIDE TO REIGN IN THY MIND (in thy thought, estimation, judgment and will), OR IN THY WORDS” (so that though thou feel the temptations of pride, yet thou consent not to them so that it rule thee; but generously repress it and rule it:) “FOR FROM IT ALL PERDITION TOOK ITS BEGINNING,”—both of Lucifer and the Angels, and of Adam and men; indeed, as St. Prosper says, book On the Contemplative Life, chapter 25: “no sin can be, or could have been, or will be, without pride,” because everyone who sins prefers himself and his appetite to God and his law, which is surely pride. Hear St. Bernard: “If God spared not the angels, how much less thee, rottenness and worm? He did nothing, he wrought nothing; he only thought pride: and in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, he was irreparably cast down, because he stood not in the truth. Flee pride, my brethren, I beseech you, flee it much. The beginning of all sin is pride, which so swiftly darkened with eternal gloom Lucifer himself, shining brighter than all the stars; which changed into a devil not only an Angel but the first of the Angels.” Finally, sermon 54 on the Canticle: “A dreadful and fearful curse is hurled at the proud Angel, because he stood not in the truth. If it was so done with an Angel, what will become of thee, earth and ashes? He swelled in heaven, I on a dunghill. Who would not count pride more tolerable in the rich than in the poor? Woe to me, if punishment was so hard on that powerful one because his heart was lifted up; nor did it avail that pride is known to be akin to the powerful.” St. Chrysostom, homily 4 to the People: “As fasting is the beginning of modesty, that is, its foundation and constitution, so pride is of sin, and from it every sin begins. From pride is born contempt of the poor, desire of money, love of rule, great desire of glory. The proud man cannot bear insult either from his betters, still less from his inferiors,” etc. Gregory, Morals book 34, chapter 17: “As the root below is covered, but the branches are spread outward from it, so pride hides itself within, but from it vices straightway sprout into the open. For no evils would come forth in public if this did not bind the mind in secret.” Finally, pride renders a man unseemly and ignoble, Proverbs 11:2: “Where pride is, there also shall be reproach;” and chapter 29:23, “and glory shall uphold the humble of spirit.”
15. “IF ANY MAN HATH DONE ANY WORK FOR THEE, IMMEDIATELY PAY HIM HIS HIRE,”—namely “before sunset,” if he be poor, as is commanded in Deuteronomy 24 and Leviticus 19: “The wages of him that hath been hired by thee shall not abide with thee until the morning.”
16. “SEE THOU NEVER DO TO ANOTHER WHAT THOU WOULDST HATE TO HAVE DONE TO THEE BY ANOTHER.”—This is the first principle, from which all virtues concerning our neighbour are drawn as conclusions, and all vices that hurt a neighbour are cut away.
Hear St. Chrysostom, homily 13 to the People: “There is no need of many words, nor of long laws, nor of various teaching. Let thy will be the law. Dost thou wish to receive benefits? bestow a benefit on another. Dost thou wish to obtain mercy? have mercy on thy neighbour. Dost thou wish to be praised? praise another. Dost thou wish to be loved? love. Dost thou wish to have the first places? yield first to another. Be thou the judge. Be thou the lawgiver of thy life.” And again: “What thou hatest, do not to others. By this he induces flight from evil, and by that the working of virtue. Thou hatest to suffer insult? neither do thou envy another. Thou hatest to be deceived? neither do thou deceive another. And in all things generally, if we hold these two sayings, we shall need no other teaching.”