1

In illud: Utinam sustineretis modicum

ON THE APOSTOLIC SAYING, I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness.

51.301

1. I love all the saints, but especially the blessed Paul, the chosen vessel, the heavenly trumpet, the bridgeroom's attendant of Christ. I have said this, and brought forth into the open the love which I have for him, so that I may make you also partakers of this affection. For those who love with a carnal love are rightly ashamed to confess it, since they both bring shame upon themselves and harm those who hear; but let those who love with a spiritual love never cease to confess it; for they benefit both themselves and their hearers through this good confession. For that love is an accusation, but this is a commendation; that is a maligned passion of the soul, but this is gladness of soul, and exultation, and the best adornment; that love brings war into the mind of the lovers, but this casts out even the existing war, and establishes the lovers in great peace.

And from that love no benefit comes, but rather great loss of money and a foolish expense, and subversion of life, and the complete ruin of households; but from this love comes a great wealth of right actions, a great abundance of virtue. In addition to what has been said, those who love beautiful bodies, and gape at splendid 51.302 appearances, if they are ugly and ill-favored, gain nothing from their desire for the relief of their own deformity, but are judged even uglier and more repulsive; but in the case of this love, it is all the contrary. For he who loves a holy soul, one that is beautiful, and bright, and exceedingly comely, even if he himself is ugly and ill-favored, even if he is the ugliest of all men, by abiding in the love of the saints, will quickly become such as the one he loves.

For this too is a work of God's love for humanity, that while one cannot correct a deformed and maimed body, one can make an ugly and ill-favored soul bright and exceedingly comely. For from the beauty of that person there would be no profit; but from the beauty of this soul it is possible to reap so many good things, as it is likely for the lover who has God to possess. Concerning this beauty David also, singing in the Psalms, says, "Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; and the king shall greatly desire thy beauty"; here he calls beauty that which is of the soul, which is constituted by virtue and piety.

2. Since, then, the profit is so great for those who have fellowship with the saints,

share with me in this love, and let us love this saint with much extravagance. For if this love should enter into our soul and kindle a bright flame, even if it should find something thorny, or stony and hard and unfeeling in your thoughts, consuming the one and softening the other, it will make our soul a certain deep and fertile field, and suitable for the sowing of the divine seeds. And let no one say to me, "He is not present now, nor is Paul seen by our eyes; and how is it possible to love one who is not seen?"

For there is no hindrance to this love; for it is possible to love one who has departed, and to cherish one who is not seen, and especially when so many and such things of his virtue

1

In illud: Utinam sustineretis modicum

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΙΚΟΝ ΡΗΤΟΝ, Ὄφελον ἀνείχεσθέ μου μικρὸν τῇ ἀφροσύνῃ.

51.301

αʹ. Ἅπαντας μὲν φιλῶ τοὺς ἁγίους, μάλιστα δὲ τὸν μακάριον Παῦλον, τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς, τὴν σάλ πιγγα τὴν οὐράνιον, τὸν νυμφαγωγὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ εἶπον, καὶ ὃν περὶ αὐτὸν ἔρωτα ἔχω, εἰς μέσον ἐξήνεγκα, ἵνα καὶ ὑμᾶς κοινωνοὺς ποιήσω τοῦ φίλτρου. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὸν σωματικὸν ἔρωτα ἐρῶντες εἰκότως αἰσχύνονται ὁμολογεῖν, ἅτε καὶ ἑαυτοὺς κατ αισχύνοντες, καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας βλάπτοντες· οἱ δὲ τὸν πνευματικὸν, μηδέποτε ὁμολογοῦντες παυέσθω σαν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ὠφε λοῦσι διὰ τῆς καλῆς ταύτης ὁμολογίας. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἔρως ἔγκλημα, οὗτος δὲ ἐγκώμιον· ἐκεῖνος μὲν πάθος ψυχῆς διαβεβλημένον ἐστὶν, οὗτος δὲ εὐφρο σύνη ψυχῆς, καὶ ἀγαλλίαμα, καὶ κόσμος ἄριστος· ἐκεῖνος εἰσάγει πόλεμον εἰς τὴν τῶν ἐρώντων διά νοιαν, οὗτος καὶ τὸν ὄντα πόλεμον ἐκβάλλει, καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ πολλῇ τοὺς ἐρῶντας καθίστησι.

Κἀκεῖθεν μὲν οὐδὲν ὄφελος γίνεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴ ζημία χρημά των καὶ δαπάνη τις ἀνόητος, καὶ ζωῆς ἀνατροπὴ, καὶ οἰκιῶν ὁλόκληροι διαφθοραί· ἐντεῦθεν δὲ πολὺς ὁ πλοῦτος τῶν κατορθωμάτων, πολλὴ ἡ περιουσία τῆς ἀρετῆς. Πρὸς δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, οἱ μὲν σωμά των εὐμόρφων ἐρῶντες, καὶ πρὸς τὰς λαμπρὰς τῶν 51.302 ὄψεων κεχηνότες, ἂν ὦσιν αἰσχροὶ καὶ δυσειδεῖς, οὐδὲν ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνων ἐπιθυμίας εἰς ἀπαλλαγὴν τῆς οἰκείας κερδαίνουσιν ἀμορφίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἰσχρότεροι κρίνονται καὶ εἰδεχθέστεροι· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ ἔρωτος τού του τοὐναντίον ἅπαν. Ὁ γὰρ ψυχῆς ἁγίας ἐρῶν, καὶ εὐμόρφου, καὶ λαμπρᾶς, καὶ περικαλλοῦς, κἂν αὐτὸς αἰσχρὸς ᾖ καὶ δυσειδὴς, κἂν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων αἴσχιστος, ἐμμένων τῷ ἔρωτι τῶν ἁγίων, ταχέως ἔσται τοιοῦτος, οἷος ὁ ἐρώμενος.

Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἔργον, τὸ σῶμα μὲν ἄμορφον καὶ πεπηρωμένον μὴ δύνασθαι διορθοῦν, ψυχὴν δὲ αἰσχρὰν καὶ δυσειδῆ δύνασθαι λαμπρὰν καὶ περικαλλῆ ποιεῖν. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς εὐμορφίας τῆς ἐκεί νου οὐδὲν ἂν γένοιτο κέρδος· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ κάλλους τοῦ ταύτης τοσαῦτα ἔξεστι καρπώσασθαι ἀγαθὰ, ὅσα εἰκὸς κεκτῆσθαι τὸν ἐραστὴν ἔχοντα τὸν Θεόν. Περὶ ταύτης τῆς εὐμορφίας καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐν ψαλμοῖς ᾄδων, Ἄκουσον, φησὶ, θύγατερ, καὶ ἴδε, καὶ κλῖ νον τὸ οὖς σου, καὶ ἐπιλάθου τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου, καὶ ἐπιθυμήσει ὁ βα σιλεὺς τοῦ κάλλους σου· κάλλος ἐνταῦθα λέγων τὸ κατὰ ψυχὴν, ὅπερ δι' ἀρετῆς καὶ εὐλαβείας συν ίσταται.

βʹ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοσοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ κέρδος τοῖς κοινωνοῦσι τῶν ἁγίων,

κοινωνήσατέ μοι τοῦ ἔρωτος, καὶ φιλή σωμεν τὸν ἅγιον τοῦτον μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ὑπερβολῆς. Ἂν γὰρ οὗτος εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν ὁ ἔρως εἰσέλθῃ καὶ φλόγα ἀνάψῃ λαμπρὰν, κἂν ἀκανθῶδες, κἂν λιθῶδές τι καὶ σκληρὸν καὶ ἀναίσθητον ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς εὕρῃ τοῖς ὑμετέροις, τὸ μὲν ἀναλώσας, τὸ δὲ μαλάξας, βαθεῖάν τινα καὶ λιπαρὰν ἄρουραν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐργάσεται ψυχὴν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν θείων σπερμάτων καταβολὴν ἐπιτηδείαν. Καὶ μή μοι λε γέτω τὶς, ὅτι Νῦν οὐ πάρεστιν, οὐδὲ ὁρᾶται τοῖς ἡμε τέροις ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁ Παῦλος· καὶ πῶς δυνατὸν φιλεῖν τὸν μὴ βλεπόμενον;

Οὐδὲν γὰρ τῷ ἔρωτι τούτῳ κώ λυμα γίνεται· ἔξεστι γὰρ καὶ ἀπελθόντα φιλεῖν, καὶ μὴ ὁρώμενον ἀγαπᾷν, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν τοσαῦτα καὶ τοιαῦτα τῆς ἀρετῆς