CHAPTER Ix
CHAPTER Ix
THIRD PoINT OF THE THIRD ANSWER, IN WHICH
A FALSE REASON FOR RENOUNCEMENT Is ELIM~
INATED, AND THE TWELVE PREROGATIVES OF
STRICT POVERTY ARE EXPOSED
EN of perverse mind faced with arguments opposed to their own opinion and so evident as to be unassailable often distort them with fraudulent malice and force upon them a meaning they do not have, as Bernard suggests in a @&¥4) passage from his work entitled "To the Brothers of the Mountain of God': "If a reader is seeking
God while he reads, all things work together with him in cf. Rom. 8:28 this activity; but if his attention is brought down to some other matter, he drags all things down with him, and he finds in the Scriptures nothing so holy and pious that it cannot be used to foster his malice or vanity through vainglory, a distorted perception, or a depraved intellect.'"* As is clearly evident, this is what occurred in the case of the enemy of the poor. Poverty, consisting as it does in re~ nouncement of temporal goods, is most certainly a praiseworthy state.
Christ, the Master of Perfection, lived in it until His death.f And yet this man weakens it by comparing it perversely with possessions and wealth, admitting no relationship whatsoever between holy poverty and the sum-~ mit of perfection.
+ Cf. ch. VIL, (G 6ff.
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
2. In the beginning of his investigation of the reasons why temporal goods should be given up, he says that it is because they are appropriated or privately owned, and that, to use his own words, appropriation and private ownership,
"because they derive from the root of covetousness, are not compatible with perfect charity, which is not self-seeking."
He means that renouncement of riches is counseled for the iGorsi3:5 sake of rooting out covetousness. "To those out of whom it has been already rooted, the dispensing of temporal goods is rightly entrusted as to men who know how to use them properly and who seek not their own interest but that of Jesus Christ." He supports this theory by offering as examples Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, David and Daniel, that is, the Fathers of the Old Testament.
Considered superficially, these words and examples do not seem to be wrong, but when analyzed carefully, they reveal a strong poison within. ef. Phil. 2:21
3. If, indeed, private ownership is the only reason for renouncing temporal goods — with the intent of rooting out covetousness and perfecting charity for the sake of the dispensation of these same goods—then poverty is nothing but a road to abundance, a kind of preparation for wealth, and there is no perfection in poverty itself. But then the life of Christ would have been imperfect, and His teaching false when He said: "If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor."
Mt. 19:21
Furthermore, if any group of men were to possess in common all the wealth, not only of a kingdom, but even of the whole world, it would then be observing most perfectly the highest counsel of poverty— or rather, and this is absurd, it would be acting much more perfectly than those who serve the Lord in a state of dire need, that is, in hunger and thirst,...in cold and nakedness, as did the apostles,
2 Cor, 11:27
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and as do those who follow their example. Since this is evidently untrue, it remains that the precise and principal reason for renouncing riches is not that they are privately owned, but that they are alluring, as demonstrated above.f
It is true, however, that riches owned privately are generally more attractive than those owned in common, and to despise them is closer to the essence of perfection —not because appropriation is a sin or is always related to sin, but because it is often an occasion of sin.t Hence, in his later examples, this man is contradicting himself when he says that the holy Fathers possessed such goods, not only without sin, but with full perfection. The Levites who had wives and sons did own some things privately, and yet he had praised them earlier for their perfection. The very people of Israel, as soon as they had reached the land promised to their fathers, received distinct and proper grants without any sin. Furthermore, at the present time when grace has been revealed, an inheritance may be justly and holily received and possessed in full accord with the decrees of laws and canons, not only as regard individual fortunes, but also principalities and kingdoms, as he himself admits later concerning Constantine, Raymond and the like.
Hence, the reason for giving up, is not private ownership, as he falsely suggests —as if it were always related to sin. Certainly, Clement's saying, "Because of iniquity, one man says he owns this object, and another says it is his," should not be taken for a universal statement, but merely as one applying in many cases. Again, we should understand that private ownership resulted from our first parents' wickedness: had they not sinned, there would have been no + CE. ch. VIL, 4 28.
+ CE. ibid.
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
appropriation.'
It does not follow, however, that every appropriation is sinful, for our first parents' prevarication brought about not only sins but also penalties of sin.
4. And so, although riches, both private and common, may be had without sin, giving them up is a matter of perfection. As imperfection is not necessarily sinful
— which appears from what has been saidf—so perfection is not merely the rectitude of justice, but also a liberation. Riches, being alluring and dangerous, prevent this liberation.
As Gregory writes in the fourth book of his "Ethics": "It is extremely rare that those who possess gold tend toward rest, for Truth in Person says: 'With what difficulty will
Lk. 18:24 they who have riches enter the kingdom of God!'''* And in the fourth book of the "Dialogue," he says: "It is difficult to manage a household without sinning, even for those who know how not to sin."' And Rabanus comments as follows on Matthew's text: "It is difficult, that is, it takes hard work, for those who have money or who place their trust in it to escape from the snares of money-loving and enter the court of the heavenly kingdom.''® Hence it is safe to flee from riches, and perfect to renounce them entirely.
As Jerome writes to Demetriades: "It is a deed of apostolic splendor and perfect virtue to sell all, give to the poor, and fly light and free into heaven with Christ."
5. When this man calls upon the example of the Fathers, it is to no avail. First, because THEY DID NOT ABANDON
THEIR PROPERTY, as he falsely imagines when he says: "The Lord commanded that Abraham, after rejecting his own inheritance, be naked when he left his country." The text of Genesis clearly contradicts him, for it says: Abram went
Gn. 12:4f.
+ Cf. ch. Il, FF 3ff.; ch. IH, | 4; ch. IV, § 7, in fine; ch. V, {{ 16ff.; ch. VI, ({ 2ff.; ch. VIL 9 4 ff.
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away as the Lord commanded him, and... took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother's son, all the property they had acquired, ...and departed for the land of Chanaan. As for Jacob, Joseph and David, if at one time in their lives they were in a state of poverty, this was an effect of unavoidable necessity rather than of willful despoiling. When our author adduces the example of Daniel selling all his belongings, since he did not obtain the information from the authority of the Scriptures, he would have not dared to bring it up had he been endowed with the wisdom of the same Daniel. It is far better to cover with silence anything unproven by scriptural witness.® 6. The second reason why the examples of the Fathers are of no avail is that, while they were perfect in virtue, they indulged in some external practices that CONFORMED
TO THE WAYS OF THEIR TIME, but cannot be taken as models of perfection.
For instance, the Patriarchs had many wives, David was eager for war, Elias slaughtered the prophets of Baal. If they did preserve their perfection [in cf. 3 Kgs. 18:
40, etc. spite of all this], yet they should be seen by perfect men as objects of admiration rather than of imitation.
Augustine concurs in his work "On the Habits of the Church": "Job lost all his wealth and became instantly the poorest of men, but his spirit remained unshaken. If men of our time had had such courage, there would have been no need in the New Testament for so forceful a prohibition of the ownership of these goods as a condition of our perfection."® Gregory agrees in his first book of "Ethics":
"Even before the precept concerning renouncement of all riches had been uttered, blessed Job kept the strength of it in his heart, for certainly he had already given up in spirit this wealth which he possessed without attachment."
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
It appears clearly that Job, while actually owning earthly goods, could be perfect since he despised them in his mind even before the counsel of poverty had been given. Hence, as in the case of Abraham, to which the celibacy of John was not preferred,}!! this is not to be taken as an example of perfection fitting for the time of grace—and neither are the temporal possessions of the holy Fathers.
7. The third reason why these examples are worthless is that many things happened to the Fathers that were TYPES
AND SHADOWS and are not consonant with perfection at the time of revealed truth. That is why there is no small abcf. 1 Cor. 10:11 surdity in taking them as examples for the present.
It is in that sense that Bernard writes in his work "On the Colloquy of Simon and Jesus': "Some men may perhaps excuse themselves by saying: 'Do we not read that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and other saints, possessed earthly riches? It is enough for us that they did, for we are not any cf. 3 Kgs. 19:4 better than the Fathers.
If it had been sinful to possess riches, never would these rich men have found so great a grace with the Lord.' What shall we answer the modern imitators of ancient saints? Put calves on the Lord's altar, slaughter rams in sacrifice, immolate goats, because so also did Abraham. ...— "But such things,' they will say, 'are not done any more: wherever truth has been revealed, they have passed away.' What if we answer that the temporal tiches of the saints are but shadows of the... things to come? For we read that all these things happened, in a way,
Chan, 15:95 5 22:13
Heb. 10:1; ee Gou gly as a type. Finally, why should not holy and perfect men openly possess the riches of the earth at a time when earthly goods were the only ones to have been promised clearly by 1 Cor. 10:11 t Because this was the time of the Law and the Gospel had not yet been promulgated.
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the Lord? ... As soon, however, as a promise of heavenly delights had been made, the necessity had arisen of combining spiritual with spiritual, and of changing the sacrifice
1 Cor. 2:13 as soon as the expectation had been changed.'
8. And so, neither should examples of this kind, nor the one of prelates which our author brings up later in the section on the perfection of poverty, be brought into the argument, lest, under the pretext of the holiness of the papal office which is surrounded with wealth and honor, poverty be despised, humility vilified, cupidity excited, and ambition fostered: all results which the man we are answering, the enemy of the poor, is striving with all his might to bring about. Indeed, it is the Sun of Justice—who sent
Mal. 3:20 forth His rays of light throughout the world by the example of His poverty and humility—that this man attempts to obscure by interposing imaginary clouds.
For he asks:
"Why did Christ choose to be poor? Why did He refuse ef. Jn 6:15 to be made a king?" And he answers: "Christ had to be poor for the reason that He had to live in a state that could be imitated by all. Indeed, all cannot become rich, but if they want to, all may become poor." Then, he continues:
"For when Christ fled in order not to be made a king, He was teaching us to flee from worldly dignities; far different is the honor of a king, or that of a prelate or a priest."
9. These are the very words in which he expresses his opinion and speaks of such lofty things in a manner so vile and unlearned that we are almost ashamed to reply to his ineptitudes. Who, indeed, with any amount of knowledge of Holy Scriptures, or with any small measure of reverence for Christ, would dare to belittle the most kind condescen~ sion of the highest God who stooped to the misery of ex~ treme poverty, and to believe that He did not do so for a
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
supremely high reason and purpose? The enemy of poverty judges this reason to be so frivolous that he is not ashamed to say that Christ was poor merely because all cannot be rich! Thus, if all men had been able to obtain riches as easily as to become poor, it would have been just as good, or even better according to this unholy doctrine, if Christ, instead of being poor, had been endowed with a wealth of temporal goods. And if this is true, poverty is in no way to be preferred to riches, nor is it more meritorious to be poor for the sake of Christ than to be rich. While Christ had said to the youth who was rich: "Go, sell what thou
Mt. 19:21 hast,"' according to this anti-Christian doctrine He might also have said to the poor: "If thou wilt be perfect, go and possess wealth."
Furthermore, when this author says that all men have the opportunity to be poor, he understands it either of the poverty in which some things are owned in common, as, for instance, in collegial churches, and in this case the statement is untrue, since all applicants are not accepted in these congregations; or he understands it of that poverty in which nothing is owned, and then it is also untrue, for such poverty is not accessible to all without impairing those states that exist in the Universal Church by the command of God, as it appears in the case of kings and princes, of soldiers and other people who have wives and sons.
10. And, since a man who strays from the straight path of truth is led to wander through the byways of error, when this man speaks later of the flight of Christ, he falls into many fallacies. For when he says that "Christ taught that honors are to be avoided—not the ecclesiastical honors, but the earthly, since in Jerusalem He accepted the honor that was rendered to Him as a prophet, while earlier He
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had fled from the honor rendered to Him as a king," he expressly contradicts the Gospel text. For it is written in John:
"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!' And according to Mark, the crowd shouted:
"Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes!"
Jn. 12:13
Mk. 11:10
Commenting on this, Bede writes: "He does not still the voice of those who sing the reign of David the Patriarch that He is to restore, and the gift of earlier blessings that He is to renew. Why did He accept willingly at that time what
He had avoided earlier by His flight? Is it not in order to teach clearly that He would not be king of a temporal and earthly kingdom, but of the eternal kingdom in heaven which He was soon to reach through contempt of death and the glorification of the resurrection?'
It is clear, then, that Christ was offered royal honors — and not the honors due to a prophet or a priest as this man claims. This honor, however, Christ accepted for the sake of the mystery of our salvation and as an example of humility: for He accepted tribute even from those He knew would soon be crucifying Him. Humble and kind as He was, He was not ashamed to ride an ass, and He shed an abundant flow of tears. Likewise, when He humbly washed
His disciples' feet, He showed that He was Master and Lord of MRL? fLR, 19:
35, 41 and had to be recognized as such, so that by manifesting the height of His kingship, he could induce the disciples to practice the humility He had shown.
11. And so, it takes amazing perversity to twist the Scripture's examples of humiliation into reasons for ambition, as if it were not part of the virtue of humility to avoid ecclesiastic honors, and part of the sin of pride to seek them.
Gregory holds the opposite view in the "Register": "Following the way of the Head, I had decided before all else
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
to be the scorn of men, despised by the people.''* Thus does he show clearly that the imitation of Christ consists in avoiding ecclesiastic honors. In his "Pastoral" he also says:
Ps, 21:7
"Be ye not many masters. Hence even the Mediator between God and men, who surpasses the heavenly spirits in knowledge and understanding and who reigns over heaven before all ages, refused to take possession of the earthly kingdom; ... becoming incarnate, not only to redeem us jas.3:1° blot. 2:5 cj. jn. 6:15 through His passion but also to teach us through His action, and showing Himself as an example to His followers not only by refusing kingly honors but by going of His own will to the gibbet of the cross. He refused the glory of the lofty position offered to Him and chose instead the penalty of a shameful death. Thus did He teach His members to avoid favors, remain unshaken by fear, lovingly accept trials for the sake of truth, and refuse prosperity with trembling."
And so Christ, by avoiding kingship, gave His followers an example of how to shun glory, favors, and prosperity.
Since they are found not only in worldly dignity but in the ecclesiastic as well, true humility consists in avoiding all such honors in perfect imitation of Christ—as much as it may be done without compromising zeal for the salvation of souls and obedience to superiors. When the disciples were arguing among themselves about which would be the greatest, Christ had answered: "Whoever... humbles himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom
Mt. 18:4 of heaven."
12. Were anyone to claim—as this man dares to do in a later passage—that this refers to a spiritual and inner humiliation, and not to the external or bodily, he is greatly unwise, for the Lord and Master of the Universe showed
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Himself as an example of humility not only of the spirit but also of the body by washing and wiping His disciples' feet and then saying: "I have given you an example, that Jn. 13:15 as I have done to you, so you also should do."
Augustine writes in his Fifty-fifth Homily: "Christ, who was to suffer death, anticipated His own burial, not only for the sake of those for whom He was to die, but even for the one who was to deliver Him up to death. Such is the import of man's humility that Sublimity Itself endorsed it Sy Wy Ze aMLLY through Its own . og CE Man, exalting himself, would have been lost forever, had not God come down to him by being humble in His divine
Self.... Man had become lost, matching the deceiver's pride. When found, He was called to follow the Redeemer's humble steps."'?°
"Brethren, let us learn humility from the Most High, let us be humble enough to do among ourselves what the Most
High so humbly did.
This is high praise of humility.
Brothers act toward each other also in this visible way when they entertain each other as honored guests. Praising the pious widow, the Apostle writes that she was practicing hospitality, ... washing the saints' feet. Wherever such hospitality is impossible, let the saints at least have in their
1 Tm. 5:10
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
hearts what they cannot express with their hands. . .
. Undoubtedly, however, it is much better to act with both heart and hands, so that no Christian despise what Christ had deigned to do. When we stoop over our brother's feet, a humble disposition arises in our heart, or becomes stronger if it had been there before."*" Thus does Augustine assert that a gesture of humiliation procures those graces that lead to true humbleness of heart.
13. Again, when external goods are scarce, and although scarcity as such may seem worthless, when a true spirit of renouncement goes with it, not only does poverty increase merit: it is precious also in many other ways. Indeed, it has been called the Pearl of the Gospel, for it has such value that in order to obtain it, everything else should be thrown away.
Poverty is particularly valuable in four cf. Mt. 13:46 cases: as a destroyer of iniquity, an exercise of perfect virtue, a means toward the fruition of inner joy, and a manner of proclaiming the Gospel teaching.
14. Poverty is useful, first, as a DESTROYER OF INIQUITY, primarily as an expiation for past sins. It is, in a sense, a cleansing furnace, a flame that burns away the filth of vice, as shown in Isaias: I have chosen thee in the furnace of poverty. This is to be understood, not of that poverty which Is, 48:10* afflicts the will internally through contempt for wealth, but of that which afflicts the body externally through dire necessity, and of which Gregory writes in his Homily on the Rich Man and Lazarus: "The fire of want had purged the sins of Lazarus and the pleasure of wealth repaid the dying man's good deeds. Poverty had afflicted and cleansed the former, abundance rewarded the latter and brought about his rejection. All you rich in the world, consider your good deeds and dread your wealth, for the prosperity you received
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may have been your full reward. When you witness the sins of the poor, despise them not nor despair of them. While a man living in abundance may be sullied by the slightest sin, another may be cleansed in the furnace of poverty. As for you, great should be your fear, for certain misdeeds are a natural consequence of a life of luxury. Think with care about the poor, for their master, poverty, crucifies their lives and leads them all the way to righteousness.'"®
15. As a destroyer of iniquity, poverty is useful also because it eliminates many of the occasions of sin. While sins increase in number with the affluence of wealth, they decrease through voluntary poverty. In his Second Sermon on the Epistle to the Hebrews, Chrysostom says: "The Christian shines with greater brilliance in poverty than in wealth.
How is this? Because he casts far away from him the arro-~ gance of pride. Neither is he haughty, but patient, obedient, modest, mild, and wise. As for the rich man, many obstacles prevent him from obtaining these same benefits. Let us see what he does: he seizes other peoples' property, he burns with cupidity, he engages constantly in abominable associa~ tions, he commits every manner of wicked deed. Don't you see that all of this evil is born of wealth? Don't you see how much easier it is to be virtuous in poverty than abundance?
Do not argue that the rich receive no punishment in the present life, for in addition to all the usual troubles, they must bear the evils of wealth. Those who sin by malice are watched by revenge, and no pain is remitted to the rich sinner: he suffers the wounds of sin without any atonement since there is no one to put a bridle upon him."
Were anyone to say that many evils come from poverty, the same Chrysostom answers in his Eighteenth Sermon:
"Tet no one imagine that poverty is the cause of many evils
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
nor object to the fact that Christ called it perfect: 'If thou wilt be perfect....' This He said in His own words and acted out in His own deeds and taught through His own disciples. Let us, then, follow poverty which is undoubtedly a very great good. ... For no man is wealthier than the one who willingly loves poverty and receives it with joy.'"°
Mt. 19:21
16. As a destroyer of iniquity, poverty is useful in the third place because it cuts away the root of vice. In the same sermon, Chrysostom says: "Let us throw out anything that makes the body blossom forth but damages the soul: riches, pleasures, glory. All these are of the flesh and pertain to body-love. Let us not seek greater abundance but always follow poverty which is a very great good indeed.
"Tt is written, however: The wisdom of the poor man is despised; and: Give me neither poverty nor riches; and again:
Deliver me from the furnace of poverty. Why? These things Eccl. 9:16
Prv. 30:8 cf. Is. 48:10 are written in the Old Testament where riches are often praised and poverty is often scorned, the latter as a malediction, the former as a blessing. At present, however, it is not at all the same. Do you wish to hear poverty praised?
Christ professed it and said: The Son of Man has nowhere Mt. 8:20 to lay His head; again, talking to His disciples: Do not keep gold or silver; ... And Peter said to the man who had been ibid. 10:9 lame from birth: Silver and gold I have none. Even in the Old Testament, did not Elias own nothing but his mantle?
And how about Eliseus and John??? Thus does ChrysosActs 3:6 cf. 4 Kgs. 1:8; 2:13 tom praise the suffering of poverty because it removes decf. Mt. 3:4 sire for material goods, the primary root of vice. He praises it again because it removes also its secondary root,?? fear that depresses man in a bad way. And he concludes: "Do you see that poverty is the state leading to the greatest confidence? The rich man is a slave exposed to harm and at
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the mercy of every enemy, while the man who has nothing fears neither proscription nor condemnation, since he has nothing by which he can be harmed.'
Chrysostom's teaching applies only to the almost destitute.
From all this it appears clearly that voluntary poverty is an important means for the destruction of all evil.
17. Poverty is useful, in the second place, as an EXER~ CISE OF PERFECT VIRTUE, first because it is a test for a virtue already present. In his first book "On Offices,' Ambrose writes: "No one is entitled to a reward unless he has fought ef. Tm. 25 a lawful fight, nor is there any glorious history where there has been no strenuous combat. That is why the Lord says in the Gospel: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' He did not say, blessed are the rich, but the poor. In the divine judgment, beatitude begins at a point where man sees nothing but pain.""* The fact remains, then, that the pain of poverty consists, not in mental contempt for possessions, but in temporal indigence which we suffer in the body.
As an exercise of perfect virtue, poverty is useful also because it preserves a virtue that has been duly tested. Jerome writes to Paulinus: "Crates, a Theban who once had been very rich, discarded a great mass of gold before going to Athens to study philosophy, for he believed he could not possess virtues and riches together. You also, after hearing the Saviour's teaching: 'If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor,...and come, folMt. 19:21 low Me,' you will change the words into deeds, and in your nakedness follow the naked cross. You will then climb
Jacob's ladder more easily and lightly. With clean hands and a pure heart, you will glory in the poverty of your spirit and your works."
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
As an exercise of perfect virtue, poverty is useful, finally, because it more readily leads to its end a virtue that has been duly preserved, as Chrysostom explains in his Second
Sermon on the Epistle to the Hebrews: "When we are poor, there is no reason to lament, but rather to give thanks to the God and Lord of the universe: for with little work we will deserve the same reward as the rich, and even a higher one if we so desire. Out of little we obtain great gains.""°
Gregory concurs in one of his homilies: "The value of the kingdom of heaven is proportionate to the measure in which you possess it.""' And again: "In the eyes of God, the hand is never empty so long as the ark of the heart is filled with good will."'* Since "intention, whenever it cannot be carried out, is considered as good as realization,'"? and it is easier for the holy poor to intend than for the rich to both intend and realize, the destitution of poverty contributes greatly to the development of virtue.
If, then, voluntary privation of temporal goods can test, preserve and develop virtue, it is clear that the height of poverty has an important effect upon its perfect exercise.
18. As a consequence, poverty is useful also for the FRUITION OF INNER JOY, first because it procures external security. In his final homily on Matthew, Chrysostom writes:
"The rich man must necessarily crave many things and serve them in shame. He must live in fear and suspicion, dread the eyes of those he suspects, the words of calumniators, and the greed of covetous men. In poverty, there is no such trouble, but the exact opposite: it is a country free from robbers, a protected and peaceful haven, a place to Jearn and practice philosophy.'*® In order to be free from robbers, poverty must consist in the absence of any possession.
Speaking of it, the same author continues: "Listen, any of
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you who are poor, and even more, any of you who crave to become rich: there is no evil in poverty, but in refusing to be poor. If you do not consider poverty evil, it will not be so to you. . . . If you take it philosophically, it will be the fountainhead and origin of ten thousand goods."
Deep poverty makes a man secure, not only in this world, but also at the time of the judgment to come. Commenting on the Psalm You who dwell... , Bernard writes: "Happy the poverty of those who give up all things willfully and follow Thee, Lord Jesus! Oh, truly happy this poverty that makes them so safe and even glorious in this amazing dePs. 90 struction of the elements, in this dreadful examination of merits, in this so great difference between the sentences!'
19. Again, poverty is useful for the fruition of inner joy by reason of the expected reward. Commenting on this passage from Job: The simplicity of the just man is laughed to Jb. 12:4f.* scorn. The lamp, despised in the thoughts of the rich, is ready for the time appointed, Gregory writes: "Certainly, the time appointed for the despised lamp is the day appointed for the final judgment. Then will the eyes of the reprobate clearly see that those who gave up all earthly goods are sustained by a heavenly power. For any man, prodded with the goad of divine love, who has abandoned his worldly possessions shall undoubtedly obtain at that time the highest power of judgment. He who, at present and in view of the judgment, chastises himself through selfimposed poverty, shall then come as a judge together with the Supreme Judge.'
It is clear, then, that the poverty for which a man is mocked and despised is that which implies penury and humiliation. Hence, Bernard writes in his One Hundred and fifty-first Sermon: '"The poverty of the Lord's followers has
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
two aspects: affliction and lowliness, of which the Prophet says: See my abjection and my labor; and, therefore they shall receive double in their land, so that instead of shame they shall have for reward the power to judge, and instead of labor the refreshment of the most restful abode. For it is this very poverty that chastises, cleanses, and tests, that humiliates and exalts."** Ps. 24:18* SMOil ae A spiritual joy goes hand in hand with the expectation of the reward. Hence the gloss on the Psalm: I am afflicted and in pain; let your saving help, O God, protect me, reads
Ps. 68:30 as follows: "I will praise, in myself and in my limbs, the name of God in song, that is, with delight, for even though ibid. 31 all things may be lacking, the Lord is with me.'* It is a Jer. 20:11* fact that no man is poorer than the one who lacks everything: and yet there is in him no lack of mental joy. We may say, then: See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your heart be merry!?° Ps. 68:33
20. Finally, poverty is useful for the fruition of inner joy by reason of superinfused consolation. In his Fourth
Homily on Matthew, Chrysostom writes: "Let us go down into the furnace of poverty; let us see who are those who walk about in it and tread upon the neck of the haughty; let us behold the miracle and paradox of a man singing psalms in the fire, of a man giving thanks in the midst of flames, praising God loudly while held down by the direst destitution.
For those who suffer poverty and yet give thanks are comparable to the Three Youths, for poverty burns more fiercely than fire—and fire leaves the youths unscathed. If you could give thanks right now for your destitution, all shackles would fall and all flames die. And still greater wonder: if the fire did not go out, it is dew that would rise instead of flames. Here is proof, even for the
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philosopher, that some men are abundantly rich in the midst of poverty and that they receive refreshing dew in the midst of flames: for abundant dew comes forth from renouncing the concupiscence of wealth. The youths, despising the king, became more brilliant than the king. You too, despis~ ing worldly concerns, will become more honorable than the whole world, like those saints of whom the world was not Heb. 11:38 worthy. If, then, you desire to merit heaven, make light of the things of the earth. By doing so, you will become more illustrious in this present world while deserving also the joys of the world to come." Thus does Chrysostom demonstrate with clarity that willful poverty is supremely useful for the fruition of inner joy.
21. Poverty is useful, in the fourth place, for the DIFFUSION OF THE GOSPEL TEACHING, first because it makes it more readily believable.
In his Fifteenth Homily on Matthew, Chrysostom writes: "Such is the power of light that it not only shines, but attracts those who follow it. When people see that we despise all the goods of the present time and prepare for future delights, they believe in our deeds before having heard our words. Who, indeed, would be so foolish as not to see a manifest proof of the reality of things to come when he beholds a man who had been living before in lust and wealth now despoiling himself of everything, and ready for hunger, destitution, hardships, danger, blood~shed, violent death and all such perils? On the other hand, had we become involved and implicated in the things of the present, how could anyone believe we were hastening toward the possession of something else?'"''* Thus does
Chrysostom demonstrate clearly that the preacher's example of voluntary poverty makes the Gospel lessons more read~ ily believable.
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
The example of poverty is useful, again, for the diffusion of the Gospel lessons because it makes their teaching more effective, as the Damascene explains in his Fourth
Book: ''The happy message of the knowledge of God has been preached, not by overwhelming its enemies with wars and armed troops, but by sending out a few men, destitute, poor, illiterate, persecuted, smitten, put to death, preaching the One who was crucified in the flesh and died, and these few men prevailed against the worldly wise and the powerful."*? Their imitators were those of whom Eusebius writes in the Third Book of his "History of the Church": "A few men, inflamed by a more ardent desire, consecrated their souls to the word of God and began to fulfill in a salutary manner the precept of perfection by distributing all they had to the poor in order to be less encumbered when they preached the Gospel.''*° Finally, the example of poverty is useful for the diffusion of the Gospel lessons because it makes this teaching more readily acceptable. Commenting on a passage from Matthew, the laborer deserves his living, Chrysostom says in his Thirty-second Homily: "It is clear that since the apostles were to be fed by their followers, they would not be swelled with pride in the presence of those who were being taught, which might have occurred if they had
Mt. 10:10 offered them everything and received nothing in return.
Neither would the catechumens fall away, as might have occurred had they felt the apostles were despising them.''*
22. Now, since voluntary poverty makes the Gospel lessons more believable, effective, and acceptable, leading the listeners to faith, raising them to hope, and drawing them to love, it is evident that this poverty is of the greatest value for the diffusion of evangelical truth. An evident sign of it
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is the fact that evangelical truth was spread throughout the world by apostles who were poor in possessions and in spirit and few in number, so that it was truly said of them:
Through all the earth their voice resounds.
Ps. 18:5
In his Forty-sixth Homily on Matthew, Chrysostom says:
"If, indeed, twelve men succeeded in converting the whole earth, consider how great is our malice when we, who are so many and should have been sufficient to ferment ten thou-~ sand worlds, are unable to straighten our own flock. 'But they were working miracles,' you say. It is not the miracles that made them worthy of admiration: many others who even cast out demons did not become admirable, but were cf. Acts 5:12 punished for having done evil. 'But what is it,' you may ask, 'that reveals their greatness?' Contempt of riches, disdain of glory, detachment from all concern for the present life. Although they might have suffered ten thousand deaths, had they lacked these virtues, they would have been looked upon as deceivers."*? Thus does Chrysostom clearly demonstrate that nothing is more effective for the diffusion of Christ's Gospel than a perfect contempt for earthly goods.
23. Since it appears from all this that voluntary and deep poverty has four incomparable merits, each one multiplied by three, such poverty is properly figured, not only by the single pearl of the Gospel, but also, because of its immense
Mt. 13:46 value and amazing beauty, by the twelve most brilliant cf. Ap. 21:21 pearls in the gates of the New Jerusalem coming down out ibid. 10 of heaven, to which correspond the names of the Twelve
Poor in Spirit, that is, the apostles placed in the foundacf. ibid. 14 tions [of these gates]. Again, it may be represented by cf. Ex. 28:17ff. the twelve precious stones on the breastplate of decision — made distinct by a fourfold ordering—that adorned our supreme High Priest when He hung naked on the cross in
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
order to reconcile us with the Father. And, to this breast~plate of decision, there is also attached an ephod, that is, the example of the twelve apostles, bound with the affection of love as with violet ribbons. Indeed, the great value of such poverty is not only varied, but also immense and beyond comparison with any value of the earth, as Chryibid. 28 sostom says in his Forty-sixth Homily on Matthew: "What if someone proposed to you either to have the power to change straw into gold, or to be able to despise all wealth as mere straw? Would you not accept the latter as better and more convenient? In fact, the former would be most attractive to men: for if they were to see straw turned into gold, like Simon they would want this power for themselves, and their craving for riches would greatly increase. But if they were to see all men despising wealth as mere straw, they would have been cured long since from this disease."
24. In his final homily the same Chrysostom says: "Tf someone offered you leadership, political power, riches, and carnal delights, and then proposed poverty, and gave you the faculty to choose whatever you wanted, it is poverty you would immediately grasp if only you could know its beauty. To me, poverty appears as a splendid and appealing maiden. It is in her company that Elias grew up, and cf.4Kgs.2:11ff. cf. ibid. 1:8; that he was ravished in the blessed elevation; it is with her
PACING; cf. Mt. 3:4 that Eliseus found his glory; and with her, also, that John and all the apostles did the same. We may even look upon this maiden's beauty: her eyes are pure and clear, never disturbed, but meek, quiet, delightful, looking to all, mild, humble, without hatred, and tuming no men away; her mouth and tongue are sound, at all times filled with thanksgivings and blessings, and with mild and friendly words.
And if you wish to see the proportions of her limbs, they
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are perfect, and much more elegant than those of overabundance. And if many run away from her, do not won~ der, for the foolish also flee from other virtues. 'But,' you say, 'the poor suffer insults from the rich?'
— Again, you are singing to me the praise of destitution, for blessed is he who suffers abuse. And to suffer abuse is a sign of destitucf. Mt. 5:10 tion.
'But,' you say, 'the poor are in a state of need?' — Paul also was in a state of need and hunger. 'But the poor have no repose?"
— The Son of Man, likewise has nowhere ef.2 Cor.
11:27
Mt. 8:20 to lay His head.'"** In these words, the Golden-mouthed expressly declares that a willful privation of material goods is not only of great value, but also of wonderful beauty.
25. What is more, this privation is of great opulence and honor, as this same holy man says in his Forty~seventh
Homily on Matthew: "The soul of the destitute man, of the willfully destitute, glitters like gold, shines like a glowing pearl, blossoms like a rose. For in such a state there is cf. Lk. 12:33 no moth, no thief, and no concern for matters of this life, but a conversation as of angels. Do you wish to behold the beauty of such a soul, and, also, to learn the riches of destitution? This soul does not submit to demons, nor does it serve a king, but it serves God; it does not contend with men, but with angels; it does not have two chests, or three, or even twenty, but such an abundance that it estimates the whole universe as nothing; it possesses no treasure, but heaven itself; nor is it in need of slaves, for it holds in slavery the thoughts and passions that dominate kings. It makes light of kingly power, and of gold, and other such childish amusements as paltry for them as are hoops and balls. Indeed, he possesses a world which those who play with such games are unable even to behold. What state could be better than that of a poor man? The sky is his floor,
O12
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
and if such is his floor, think of what his roof must be!
'But he has no horse or carriage?"
— What need for this in a man who is to be borne upon the clouds, and to be with Christ?' Thus far John the Golden-mouthed, in fiery,
Phil. 1:23 striking, weighty, and precious words, commends the admirable height, beauty, and value of a willful poverty that implies privation of material goods.
26. Yet, because such things are not revealed to the wise of the world, as it is said in the words of the Lord in Matthew: "Thou didst hide these things from the wise and prudent, and didst reveal them to little ones," they are not proposed to carnal men, but to the spiritual, according to Mt. 11:25 this saying: "Do not give to dogs what is holy, neither cast your pearls before swine'; they are not revealed to the lovers ibid. 7:6 of riches, but to those who love and practice poverty, who have already overcome the world, according to this passage
Ap. 2:17 of the Apocalypse: "To him who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna, and I will give him a white pebble and upon the pebble, a name written, which no one knows except him who receives it." Thus, this manner of poverty is called a treasure hidden in a field; he who finds it hides it, and in Mt. 13:44 his joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
And so, if anyone wishes to know the value of holy poverty, let him either attempt to experience it in himself, or let him accept the opinion of those who experienced it, in accordance with the words of Bernard in the letter he wrote to Thomas who, out of love for science, postponed his intended entrance into the religious life: "How much more salutary would it be for you to learn Jesus Christ and Him
TCor232 crucified, a science which most certainly will be hard to learn for anyone who has not been crucified to the world.
You are mistaken, son, you are mistaken if you believe that cf. Gal. 6:14
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B13 you will be able to find with the masters of the world the science which alone the disciples of Christ, that is, the contemptors of the world, obtain through the favor of God.
Indeed, it is not reading that teaches it, but unction; not Chal fc227 erudition, but training in the commandments of the Lord.''4°
27. Chrysostom is in harmony with this holy eloquence of Bernard when he speaks thus in his Thirty-eighth Homily on Matthew: "In truth, whatever things I may be saying, my words do not mean a thing compared to factual experience. That is why I would like any one of those who have already attained this summit of philosophy to be present among us: then, you would manifestly see the enjoyment of such a thing, and how none of those who love poverty would accept to be made rich with ten thousand prebends. ... Such men do not lament in their necessities, but are more magnificently adorned in their poverty than those who wear a crown.'"%'
If, indeed, experience teaches such things, and if those who embrace the riches, delights, and honors of the world neither practice them nor wish to do so, such men must condemn themselves to silence in these matters, lest they appear as blind men reasoning on colors. Such is the temerity Jerome condemned when he wrote to Demetriades:
"Some men, who do not know how to speak, are yet unable to remain silent but attempt to expose the Scriptures they do not understand. When they have convinced others, they attract upon themselves the scorn of the learned for being the teachers of the ignorant, before having been the disciples of the doctors. Indeed, it is good to obey greater men and to yield to the perfect, and, after the rules of the Scriptures, to learn from others the pattern of one's life, not following the worst teacher: our own presumption."
DEFENSE OF THE MENDICANTS
Now, if the one we are answering had not made use of this worst of teachers, he never would have presumed to propose with dishonest temerity, and as an assault on poverty, that temporal possessions are to be recommended.
Even though evil may come from time to time from a priva~ tion of things, and good from their affluence, never does evil come from a poverty that is beloved, but from one that is hated; nor does good come from riches that are loved, but from those that are despised, and this is attested by Solomon himself: The lover of wealth reaps no fruit from it.
Eccl. 5:9
28. On the other hand, it is a fact that, as praise of a thing leads to the love of it, so also disparagement leads to contempt. And so, since to despise wealth and love poverty is to uproot vice and bring in virtue; and, contrariwise, since to despise poverty and love wealth is to uproot virtue and bring in vice: it may be gathered for an obvious reason that as much as a commendation of poverty and of the poor in spirit and a low esteem of riches and of the teachings of the rich pertain to Christ, as much does the assertion of the opposite pertain to the impious doctrine of the antichrist.
Thus, Jerome writes "On the Life of Paula": "It is not praiseworthy to possess riches, but to despise them for the sake of Christ; nor is it laudable to be excited by honors, but to consider them as little. For this reason, Paula, also, by avoiding glory, came to deserve honor, for she followed virtues as a shadow, and avoided those who sought her, and sought those who despised her....The men of the world look up to those who excel in such privileges, but we praise those who look down upon such things for the sake of the Saviour. And, in a wonderful manner, those men for whom we have little consideration when they possess such things, we praise when they have refused them.'
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29. And if, perchance, the enemy of the poor comes to say that he is not praising the honors and riches of the world, but only those of the Church, we will ask him whether he believes that desire for these ecclesiastic goods is dangerous, or more or less indifferent, or meritorious. If he believes the desire for ecclesiastic riches and honors is dangerous, and yet makes them desirable by praising them, either he is deceiving his auditors or he is talking nonsense.
If he believes this desire to be indifferent, let him not attempt to persuade anyone by praising these things, for he is speaking in vain and working for nothing. But if he believes that the desire for the resources and honors of the Church is meritorious and holy, since no vice is more abominable than the covetousness and ambition of ecclesiastics, — because in these two sins the Holy Spirit is either bought or sold, so that the house of God becomes a den of Mt. 21:13 thieves, —he is attacking both the foundation of Christian religion and evangelical poverty.
Let this be the end of the third answer, even though there is no corresponding subdivision in our adversary's book.
From now on, this man prepares himself to attack the spiritual order by launching a new onslaught, and, with the help of Christ, we will put on the armor of a new response.
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