Bonaventure

In his own words on Matthew

• Matthew 3:13

  In the middle of time there was both regeneration and the ordering of the Church and spiritual nourishment: therefore Christ instituted these three Sacraments, namely of baptism, the eucharist, and orders, both completely and clearly: first by receiving baptism, then by giving the form and making it known to the rest. And therefore these three Sacraments ought to have been instituted by Christ distinctly and integrally and to have been prefigured in manifold ways in the old law, as the substantial Sacraments of the new testament and proper to the lawgiver, namely the incarnate Word.

  Breviloquium, Part 6

• Matthew 3:15

  Whence on that passage in Matthew three: Thus it becomes us to fulfill; the Gloss: "that is, all humility, which is all justice." And Gregory in a Homily: "In the other things which you do, hold humility as the root of good work. For even if any works be present, they are nevertheless nothing unless they are seasoned with humility: for a wondrous action accompanied by pride does not elevate but weighs down. For he who gathers virtues without humility carries dust into the wind: and whence he is perceived to see, thence he is the more grievously blinded." The same: "Whatever you build grows entirely toward ruin, if before the mass of the structure you do not lay the foundations of humility."

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 1

• Matthew 3:15

  The perfect ordering according to the rule of abundant justice is that not only should the inferior subject himself to the superior, and the equal to the equal, but also that the superior should voluntarily subject himself to the inferior, according to what is said in Matthew 3: Thus it becometh us to fulfill all justice: where the Gloss says: "Thus, by subjecting himself to a servant and an inferior, it becometh him to fulfill all justice, that is, humility, which is all justice. And this humility has three degrees: the first is to subject oneself to a greater, and this is called sufficient; the second is to subject oneself to an equal, and this is called abundant; the third is to be subject to a lesser, in which consists all justice. This Christ fulfilled." Since therefore a man is then perfectly subjected to another man when he voluntarily binds himself to obey the commands of another in those things that are according to God, especially of one who was not greater than he, but either equal, or sometimes even lesser — for every man surpasses another in some respect, at least according to the soul — hence it is that toward the perfection of the justice that orders according to the way of the dignative order, which runs according to the law of grace, whereby the greater regards himself as the lesser, obedience which is rendered by one man to another both concurs and contributes most greatly.

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 4

• Matthew 3:15

  The order of regulars corresponds to the Angels, whose function is humility, for the members of regular orders must be more subject to their superior than a pupil to his master or a subject to his prelate, "for so it becomes us to fulfill all justice."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 22

• Matthew 3:16

  To appear denotes a sensible effect with express signification, as the Holy Spirit appeared in a dove. And since, just as the divine persons are distinct, so they can be distinctly signified both by signs and by names, therefore any person can appear by itself, and apparition can belong to all, whether together or to any one by itself. Whence that the Holy Spirit is said to have appeared in tongues of fire and in a dove, this is not on account of a new bond or a special effect, but on account of the union which exists between the thing signified and the sign specially and by manner and origin assigned to it.

  Breviloquium

• Matthew 4:10

  Note that latria is worship owed to God alone and is rendered in such a way that it is owed to no other. God prohibits the worship of others in the negative, and by this he implied the worship of God in the affirmative, which is made explicit in the New Testament, when the Lord says: Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. It is asked: why did the Lord prohibit the worship of others in the negative and not make explicit the worship of God in the affirmative? Certainly, because he wished to give us the commandments in the easiest manner he could; and therefore in the negative he called us back from the worship of others, so as to imply his own worship in the affirmative.

  Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 2

• Matthew 4:17

  Before the incarnation, both penitential compunction and matrimonial generation were necessary: therefore Christ did not institute these two Sacraments anew, but brought to completion and confirmed in the evangelical law what had already been instituted by him and in a certain way impressed upon the dictate of nature, when he preached penance and attended the wedding and approved the law of marriage, as is gathered from various passages of the Gospel.

  Breviloquium, Part 6

• Matthew 5:3

  These vices are expelled by the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and seven virtues are introduced, which Christ taught when he set forth the foundations of salvation on the mountain. The first virtue is voluntary poverty, concerning which it says in the Gospel: "Blessed are the poor in spirit." The gift of fear destroys pride and brings about the good of poverty.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 5:3

  Ambrose, in the book On Duties: "Riches furnish no assistance toward the blessed life; which the Lord clearly demonstrated in the Gospel, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, etc. And so it has been most clearly proven that poverty, hunger, and pain, which are thought to be evils, are not only no hindrance to the blessed life, but are even an assistance to it. Thus, therefore, the external goods of the body are not only no assistance to the blessed life, but are even a detriment." But it is perfect to relinquish those things which are no assistance but a detriment: therefore, etc.

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 2

• Matthew 5:3

  The gift of grace flowing liberally and abundantly ought to ramify even unto the habits of perfections, which, since they approximate the end, are rightly called by the name of beatitudes. For the integrity of perfection there is necessarily required a perfect withdrawal from evil, a perfect advance in good, and a perfect standing in the best. Since evil proceeds either from the swelling of pride, or from the rancor of malice, or from the languor of concupiscence, therefore for perfectly distancing oneself from this threefold kind of evil, three beatitudes are necessary, namely poverty of spirit, distancing from the evil of swelling; meekness, distancing from the evil of rancor; and mourning, distancing from the evil of lust and concupiscential languor. For the perfection of religious life, there is necessarily required the renunciation of private good, the acceptance of fraternal good, and the desire for eternal good; the first is accomplished through poverty of spirit. Fear causes one to withdraw from evil and from the occasion of evil; and because the root of all evils is cupidity, therefore fear disposes to poverty of spirit, in which humility is joined together with poverty, so that the perfect man may thus be distanced from the fount of all fault, namely from pride and cupidity. And hence it is that poverty of spirit is the foundation of all evangelical perfection. Whence he who wishes to come to the summit of perfection must first lay this foundation, according to that passage in Matthew nineteen: If you wish to be perfect, go and sell all that you have: behold, perfect poverty, which retains absolutely nothing for itself: and follow me: behold, humility, which causes a man, by denying himself, to take up his cross and follow Christ, who is the most principal foundation of all perfection. Fear therefore disposes to poverty of spirit.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 5:4

  The third virtue is mourning, concerning which it says in the Gospel: "Blessed are those who mourn." The gift of knowledge destroys wrath and introduces the gift of mourning — nothing is so contrary to wrath as serenity of mind.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 5:4

  Since evil proceeds either from the swelling of pride, or from the rancor of malice, or from the languor of concupiscence, therefore for perfectly distancing oneself from this threefold kind of evil, three beatitudes are necessary, namely poverty of spirit, distancing from the evil of swelling; meekness, distancing from the evil of rancor; and mourning, distancing from the evil of lust and concupiscential languor. For the perfection of religious life, there is necessarily required the renunciation of private good, the acceptance of fraternal good, and the desire for eternal good; the third is accomplished through the bitterness of mourning. Knowledge disposes to mourning, since through knowledge we recognize that we have been banished from the state of blessedness into this valley of misery and tears.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 5:5

  Since evil proceeds either from the swelling of pride, or from the rancor of malice, or from the languor of concupiscence, therefore for perfectly distancing oneself from this threefold kind of evil, three beatitudes are necessary, namely poverty of spirit, distancing from the evil of swelling; meekness, distancing from the evil of rancor; and mourning, distancing from the evil of lust and concupiscential languor. For the perfection of religious life, there is necessarily required the renunciation of private good, the acceptance of fraternal good, and the desire for eternal good; the second is accomplished through meekness of affection. Piety disposes to meekness: for he who is piously disposed toward another neither provokes him nor is provoked by him.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 5:5

  The second virtue is meekness or gentleness, concerning which it says in the Gospel: "Blessed are the meek." The gift of piety destroys envy and introduces meekness or gentleness of spirit.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 5:6

  Since indeed a perfect advance in good is considered according to divine imitation, and all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth: hence it is that there is a twofold beatitude according to these two ways, namely hunger or zeal for justice, and the affection of mercy. For the perfection of prelacy, two things are necessarily required, namely zeal for justice and the affection of mercy: for mercy and truth preserve the king. According to these two, the governance of prelacy in the Church militant ought to be ordered. Fortitude disposes to hunger for justice; for he who is strong holds so eagerly to justice that he would rather be separated from bodily life than from justice.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 5:6

  The fourth virtue is hunger for justice, concerning which it says in the Gospel: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice." The gift of fortitude destroys sloth and introduces hunger for justice.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 5:7

  The fifth virtue is mercy, concerning which it says in the Gospel: "Blessed are the merciful." The gift of counsel destroys avarice and introduces mercy.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 5:7

  Since indeed a perfect advance in good is considered according to divine imitation, and all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth: hence it is that there is a twofold beatitude according to these two ways, namely hunger or zeal for justice, and the affection of mercy. For the perfection of prelacy, two things are necessarily required, namely zeal for justice and the affection of mercy: for mercy and truth preserve the king. According to these two, the governance of prelacy in the Church militant ought to be ordered. Counsel disposes to mercy: for there is nothing God counsels more in Scripture than to show mercy, which he esteems above all holocausts.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 5:8

  The sixth virtue is purity of heart, concerning which it says in the Gospel: "Blessed are the pure of heart." The gift of understanding destroys gluttony and introduces purity of heart.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 5:8

  Since standing in the best is either through limpid cognition or through tranquil affection, hence it is that there are two final beatitudes, namely purity of heart for seeing God and peace of mind for perfectly enjoying him. For the perfection of interior sanctity, there is necessarily required purity of conscience and tranquility of the whole soul through the peace of God surpassing all human understanding. Understanding disposes to cleanness of heart: for the contemplation of truth cleanses our heart from all phantasms.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 5:9

  Since standing in the best is either through limpid cognition or through tranquil affection, hence it is that there are two final beatitudes, namely purity of heart for seeing God and peace of mind for perfectly enjoying him. For the perfection of interior sanctity, there is necessarily required purity of conscience and tranquility of the whole soul through the peace of God surpassing all human understanding. Wisdom disposes to peace: for wisdom joins us to the highest truth and good, in which is the end and tranquility of our whole rational appetite. When this peace has been attained, there necessarily follows a superabundant spiritual delight, which is contained in the twelvefold number of the fruits to intimate the superabundance of delights. For twelve is an abundant number, in which is intimated the exuberance of spiritual charisms, in which the holy soul takes delight and rejoices; and then the person is fit for contemplation and for the gazes and embraces of the Bridegroom and the Bride.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 5:9

  The seventh virtue is peace, concerning which it says in the Gospel: "Blessed are the peacemakers." The gift of wisdom destroys lust and introduces peace. It is impossible for the soul to tame its flesh unless it is filled with the gift of wisdom.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 5:10

  In the same manner, there are four acts of justice: to do good, to flee evil, to beware of prosperity, and to withstand misfortune. The fourth is referred to in Proverbs: "The just man, like a lion, feels sure of himself." There is also this: "Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake." And again: "Strive for justice for thy soul, and even unto death fight for justice."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 18

• Matthew 5:11

  Issachar is understood to mean "sturdy ass," and actually an ass bears a cross on its shoulders. It must always be ready to bear this cross. But the [true] interpretation is not "sturdy ass," but "reward," and it represents a man armed with love of the reward. Hence, in Matthew: "Blessed are you when men reproach you, and persecute you, and, speaking falsely, say all manner of evil against you, for My sake. Rejoice and exult, because your reward is great in heaven." And he said that once he was speaking with Brother Aegidius, who told him that we are not wise compared to Francis, the wise merchant: but we waste our substance, for we should pay a denarius to a man for him to strike us. And we do not even have the wisdom of the ass that bears its burden, and the more blows and insults it receives, the better it carries its load. And so, the obedient man should not let go any [potential] good. On the contrary, he should do better on account of any kind of tribulation, otherwise he is not a contemplative.

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 23

• Matthew 5:12

  Issachar is understood to mean "sturdy ass," and actually an ass bears a cross on its shoulders. It must always be ready to bear this cross. But the [true] interpretation is not "sturdy ass," but "reward," and it represents a man armed with love of the reward. Hence, in Matthew: "Blessed are you when men reproach you, and persecute you, and, speaking falsely, say all manner of evil against you, for My sake. Rejoice and exult, because your reward is great in heaven." And he said that once he was speaking with Brother Aegidius, who told him that we are not wise compared to Francis, the wise merchant: but we waste our substance, for we should pay a denarius to a man for him to strike us. And we do not even have the wisdom of the ass that bears its burden, and the more blows and insults it receives, the better it carries its load. And so, the obedient man should not let go any [potential] good. On the contrary, he should do better on account of any kind of tribulation, otherwise he is not a contemplative.

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 23

• Matthew 5:17

  Through these three, God the Trinity is pious, true, and holy, offering a pious law of nature, a true law of Scripture, and a holy law of grace. And through these three, He governs the world, and according to these three, He imprints laws in the rational mind. For all moral law is dependent upon these three. But in the law of nature, they are less distinct and explicit, in the law of Scripture, they are more explicit but less perfect, while in the law of grace they are more explicit and perfect. Hence, the Lord says: I have not come to destroy but to fulfill the law.

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 21

• Matthew 5:18

  Nothing in Sacred Scripture is to be despised as useless, nothing rejected as false, nothing repudiated as wicked, because the Holy Spirit, its most perfect author, could say nothing false, nothing superfluous, nothing deficient. And therefore heaven and earth shall pass away, but the words of sacred Scripture shall not pass away, without being fulfilled. Until indeed heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or one tittle shall pass from the Law, until all things be accomplished, as the Savior attests.

  Breviloquium, Prologue

• Matthew 5:19

  Nothing in Sacred Scripture is to be despised as useless, nothing rejected as false, nothing repudiated as wicked, because the Holy Spirit, its most perfect author, could say nothing false, nothing superfluous, nothing deficient. And therefore heaven and earth shall pass away, but the words of sacred Scripture shall not pass away, without being fulfilled. Until indeed heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or one tittle shall pass from the Law, until all things be accomplished, as the Savior attests. Whoever therefore shall break those things which Scripture teaches, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall do and teach them, shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

  Breviloquium, Prologue

• Matthew 5:20

  To bind oneself by vow to obey another is the ultimate completion of perfection, because in it is most fully realized abounding justice, which is evangelical justice, according to that passage in Matthew 5: Unless your justice shall abound more than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. For there is a threefold act of justice, namely to rectify, to coordinate, and to compensate. For justice is nothing other than a right will, ordered and recompensative, because through it "there is rendered to each one what is his own," according to what befits the rectitude of right and the dignity of order. The perfect rectification of abounding justice is measured according to the conformity of the will to truth; but truth humbles each person, so that one thinks less of oneself than of another. Therefore that person is perfectly and abundantly rectified who, according to what truth dictates, not unwillingly but voluntarily humbles his will beneath another and in a certain manner reduces and captivates it into a kind of servitude; which indeed is accomplished through obedience rendered to another person, which is most opposed to arrogance and ambition.

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 4

• Matthew 5:21

  In this commandment: "You shall not kill," anger breaking forth into injuries destructive of natural or substantial life and of sound life and of honorable life is prohibited. For nature desires what is better, and therefore it does not suffice for it to have mere existing life; rather, beyond this it desires a healthy and sound and honorable life; and accordingly the Lawgiver in this commandment: "You shall not kill," first prohibits anger breaking forth into injuries destructive of natural life; second, of sound life, namely, when injury is done through beatings or wounds; third, of honorable life, such as the injury done through open or hidden insult, such as that which is done through a gesture. Hence in the Gospel: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. And whoever says to his brother: Raca, shall be liable to the council. And whoever says: You fool, shall be liable to the fire of Gehenna." Therefore it is plain that in three ways a man acts against that commandment: "You shall not kill," namely when someone is angry with his brother, or when he says: Raca, or when he says: You fool. And when he does this from deliberation of mind, then he says that he is liable to the fire of Gehenna. And because natural life is the foundation of the others, therefore under this form: "You shall not kill," the Lawgiver expressed the commandment.

  Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 6

• Matthew 5:22

  In this commandment: "You shall not kill," anger breaking forth into injuries destructive of natural or substantial life and of sound life and of honorable life is prohibited. For nature desires what is better, and therefore it does not suffice for it to have mere existing life; rather, beyond this it desires a healthy and sound and honorable life; and accordingly the Lawgiver in this commandment: "You shall not kill," first prohibits anger breaking forth into injuries destructive of natural life; second, of sound life, namely, when injury is done through beatings or wounds; third, of honorable life, such as the injury done through open or hidden insult, such as that which is done through a gesture. Hence in the Gospel: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. And whoever says to his brother: Raca, shall be liable to the council. And whoever says: You fool, shall be liable to the fire of Gehenna." Therefore it is plain that in three ways a man acts against that commandment: "You shall not kill," namely when someone is angry with his brother, or when he says: Raca, or when he says: You fool. And when he does this from deliberation of mind, then he says that he is liable to the fire of Gehenna. And because natural life is the foundation of the others, therefore under this form: "You shall not kill," the Lawgiver expressed the commandment.

  Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 6

• Matthew 5:28

  She is a snare to those who look upon her; whence it is written: "Many, having admired the beauty of a strange woman, have become reprobate." It is read of blessed Bernard that his sister came to see him, adorned with the most beautiful finery; he spat in her face and fled from her. She, indignant, asked why he did this; he answered: "because you come in the adornment of a harlot to capture souls and carry the devil with you." Therefore he says: "She is the snare of hunters," that is, of the devil, who through her captures souls: because "whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 6

• Matthew 5:34

  The Manichaeans assail us and say that we ought not to swear at all, because it is said in the New Testament, namely in Matthew: "You shall not swear falsely;" and it follows: "But I say to you, not to swear at all. But let your speech be: yes yes, no no." I certainly say that in certain cases or for certain reasons it is quite lawful to swear. But the heretics do not rightly attend to the force of the words. For it is one thing to say: "not to swear at all," and another to say: "at all not to swear" — just as it is one thing to say: "a certain man does not run," and another: "not a certain man runs." "At all not to swear" is the same as "in no way to swear," and "not to swear at all" is the same as not "to swear in every way," but for certain reasons.

  Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 3

• Matthew 5:39

  What the Lord says: "But I say to you, not to resist evil," is true, from the desire for vengeance: but from the love of justice it is well lawful to resist evil.

  Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 6

• Matthew 6:9

  God, who is just and merciful, ought not to hear us except in those things which pertain to his honor and to our salvation—and such things are those which pertain to the reward of the homeland and to the provision for the journey, the first being three and the following four—hence it is that the petitions of the Lord's Prayer, which teach us what we ought profitably to ask, are seven. For those things which pertain to divine honor and the reward of the homeland are three, namely the understanding of truth, the reverence of majesty, and the concord of will; or in other words, it is either the vision of the highest truth, which is not seen except by the pure and holy, and this is asked when it is said: Hallowed be thy name, that is, may the knowledge of thy name be given to the perfect, holy, and pure.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 6:9

  These seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are touched upon in the Lord's Prayer. In the first part the gift of fear is sought, when he says: "Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name." In the first, our sanctification is sought, and this through the gift of fear. Isaiah: "Sanctify the Lord of hosts, and let him be your dread and your fear."

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 6:10

  In the second petition, piety is sought, when he says: "Thy kingdom come." In the second, the consummation of human salvation is sought, which is not obtained except through the gift of piety: "judgment without mercy shall be done to him who has not shown mercy." In the third part, the fulfillment of the divine law is sought through the gift of knowledge, which teaches to do good and to avoid evil. This gift is touched upon when he says: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 6:10

  For those things which pertain to divine honor and the reward of the homeland are three, namely the understanding of truth, the reverence of majesty, and the concord of will. It is either the attainment of the supremely exalted, which makes kings and through which the kingdom is possessed, and this is asked when it is said: Thy kingdom come; or it is the enjoyment of the highest good, which is not given except to those who have their wills conformed to the divine will, and this is asked when it is said: Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 6:11

  Likewise, no one ought to entirely reject that which he daily asks of God; but every day we ask in the Lord's Prayer for our daily bread: therefore he acts wrongly who abandons everything. To that which is lastly objected, that we ask for our daily bread in the Lord's Prayer, it must be said that this rather makes for the opposite than for the proposition. For from the fact that we daily ask for our daily bread, and do not ask for what we already have, it is manifest that it belongs to evangelical perfection to be content with daily sustenance.

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 2

• Matthew 6:11

  Those things which pertain to the passage of the journey regard either the bestowal of a benefiting good or the removal of a harming evil. The bestowal of a benefiting good is asked for in the daily or supersubstantial bread, in which is asked whatever is necessary for the preservation of present life, whether according to spirit or according to body.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 6:11

  In the fourth part, the refreshment of eternal strength is sought, and this through the gift of strength or fortitude, when he says: "Give us this day our daily bread." "Bread strengthens the heart of man."

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 6:12

  In the fifth, the remission of sin is sought through the gift of counsel, when he says: "And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors."

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 6:12

  The removal of a harming evil is asked in the three last petitions: because every evil either has the character of the past, or the future, or the present; or otherwise, it has the character of the evil of fault, or of struggle, or of punishment. The first is asked to be removed in the forgiveness of debts.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 6:13

  The removal of a harming evil is asked in the three last petitions: because every evil either has the character of the past, or the future, or the present; or otherwise, it has the character of the evil of fault, or of struggle, or of punishment. The first is asked to be removed in the forgiveness of debts; the second in the victory over temptations; the third and last, in deliverance from the oppression of evils. And thus there are seven petitions in all, in which is universally asked whatever ought to be asked; and this indeed quite fittingly, so that the sevenfold number of petitions corresponds to the sevenfold number of divine gifts and of the gifts of sevenfold grace.

  Breviloquium, Part 5

• Matthew 6:13

  In the sixth petition, the repulsion of hostile fraud is sought through the gift of understanding, when he says: "And lead us not into temptation." In the seventh petition, the subjugation of carnal concupiscence is sought through the gift of wisdom, when he says: "But deliver us from evil. Amen." It is impossible for the soul to tame its flesh unless it is filled with the gift of wisdom.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2

• Matthew 6:25

  Likewise, Jerome, on that passage of Matthew six: Is not the soul more than food? "Let no one doubt the promises of the Truth; let man be what he ought to be, and soon all things shall be added to him, for whose sake all things were made." Therefore he who relinquishes all things for the sake of Christ, trusting in the promise of Christ, acts according to perfect faith in Him; but he does this most perfectly who reserves absolutely nothing for himself, neither in common nor in particular: therefore etc.

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 2

• Matthew 6:26

  Likewise, Augustine, treating that passage of Matthew six: Behold the birds of the air: "The saints are rightly compared to birds, because they seek heaven, and because they are already so removed from the world that they no longer do anything on earth, no longer labor, but already dwell in heaven through contemplation alone." If therefore this life is the highest, then to have spurned all things and to place the whole hope of one's life in God belongs to perfect virtue.

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 2

• Matthew 6:26

  Augustine says in his Treatise on Almsgiving: "Elijah in the wilderness is fed by the ministry of ravens, and to Daniel, shut up in the den at the king's command as prey for the lions, a meal is divinely brought; and do you fear that sustenance will be lacking to one who labors and merits favor with the Lord? When He Himself in the Gospel, for the reproach of those whose mind is doubtful and faith small, solemnly declares and says: Behold the birds of the heavens, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? God feeds the birds, and daily sustenance is provided to the birds, and to those which have no sense of any divine thing, neither food nor drink is lacking; and do you think that something will be wanting to a Christian, to a servant of God, to one devoted to good works, to one dear to his Lord? Or do you think that he who feeds Christ will not himself be fed by Christ? Or will earthly things be lacking to those to whom heavenly and divine things are granted? Whence comes this unbelieving thought? Whence this impious and sacrilegious reflection? What does a faithless heart do in the house of God? Why is one who does not believe in Christ at all called and named a Christian? The name of Pharisee better suits you. For when He was discoursing in the Gospel about almsgiving, and was faithfully and salutarily admonishing us that by provident action we should make for ourselves friends from earthly gains, who would afterward receive us into eternal tabernacles, the Scripture adds after this, saying: The Pharisees, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided Him. Such as we now see certain men in the Church to be, whose closed ears and blinded hearts admit no light from spiritual and salutary admonitions. Concerning whom we ought not marvel that they despise the servants in such matters, when we see that the Lord Himself was despised by such men."

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 2

• Matthew 7:1

  "Judge not, that you be not judged." A man ought not to exceed his authority nor rashly judge without rectitude of zeal and clarity of knowledge. It is better, if one must judge concerning another, that one think well rather than ill. A man ought to be more inclined to mercifully excusing than to judging ill. That men judge the hidden faults of others and neglect themselves is the height of foolishness. Gregory says: "The mind, the more curious it is to investigate the affairs of others, the more foolish it is in knowing its own."

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 9

• Matthew 7:24

  "Everyone who hears these my words and does them shall be likened to a wise man who built his house upon firm rock." This house is principally built by wisdom: whence in Proverbs: "Wisdom has built herself a house, she has hewn out seven pillars." And thus this wisdom builds the Church and the soul, so that it may be a dwelling place of God and a house of God: a house pleasant, a house beautiful, and a house strong.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 9

• Matthew 7:24

  Wisdom was a light "coming down from the Father of Lights" within the soul, and that by radiating through it, made it in the form of God, and the house of God. This descending light makes the intellective power beautiful, the affective power delightful, and the operative power strong. This dwelling is built with seven columns which blessed James clearly touched upon: "But the wisdom that is from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, moderate, docile, in harmony with good things, full of mercy and good fruits, without dissimulation." It is of this house that Matthew writes: "Everyone therefore who hears these My words and acts upon them, shall be likened to a wise man who built his house on rock."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 2

• Matthew 7:24

  The commandments of God were in the heart of the glorious Virgin. She was not idle, she was not one who knew and did not act, but she was obedient. Therefore in her heart these commandments of God were founded. It is said in the Gospel: "Everyone who hears the word of God and does it is like one who builds his house upon a firm rock; but he who hears and does not do it is like one who builds upon sand." First it was necessary to find a person in whom the commandments of God might be placed, namely a strong woman. This was the glorious Virgin.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 6

• Matthew 7:25

  When the soul considers the Most High in a manner that is most pious, true, and good, then it is lifted up by zeal and the rapture of love to the third heaven, yet not in such a perfect way as Paul. And then the house is built on rock.

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 9

• Matthew 8:20

  Concerning whom, Matthew 8: The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, on which Chrysostom says: "Why do you expect to gather riches following me? Do you not see that I do not have so much as a lodging, as much as the birds have?" Therefore Christ had absolutely nothing: therefore etc.

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 2

• Matthew 8:20

  Augustine says that 'Christ became poor to such an extent that he does not have what the foxes have, because foxes have holes, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head; understand: Christ became poor so that we might imitate his poverty.' The Master says that we should imitate him in giving alms, in humility, in poverty, and in obedience.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 7

• Matthew 8:25

  Another event was the showing of the rainbow; and at that time God led Noah out, and made with him a covenant. In the New Testament, there were ten tribulations, so that Christians could say, "Lord, save us! we are perishing!" And then Constantine was led out, and the sign of the cross was shown to him in the sky, by which he was to win; and then he made a covenant, that the Roman Empire would never persecute Christians. Then was the kingdom of Nimrod scattered, and the Tower of Babylon, meaning the Romans, towards which all eyes were drawn. For in Scriptures Rome is called Babylon. And there came about a separation of tongues, and the Hebrew language remained with the house of Heber, and the witnessing of Christ, with the Christian people.

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 16

• Matthew 10:8

  There is a hierarchizing of the soul in the order of descent. Now, these things come about according to the powers of the soul, and Dionysius says they are three: the powers of receiving, preserving, and distributing, so that a soul may receive abundantly, preserve attentively, and pour out again generously. Hence, "freely you have received, freely give."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 22

• Matthew 10:8

  The use of grace ought to be generous toward one's neighbor. Whence in Matthew: "Freely you have received, freely give." O sun, why do you not sell your light? And you, O Seine, why do you not sell your drops of water? Surely, because it has received freely, therefore it shares freely. Only a wretched man sells the grace bestowed upon him.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 1

• Matthew 10:9-10

  Matthew 10: Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your belts, nor a wallet for the journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals: Gloss: "Let them carry with them neither necessities themselves nor a storehouse: nothing beyond the clothing with which one can be content." But in this the form of perfection is handed down to the Apostles themselves, and what belongs to perfection is perfect to imitate: therefore to go through the world in such a manner pertains to evangelical perfection. But this is to beg and to live on alms: therefore this pertains to evangelical perfection.

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 2

• Matthew 10:16

  It was necessary that there be another book through which this one would be lighted up, so that it could receive the symbols of things. Such a book is Scripture which establishes the likenesses, the properties, and the symbolism of things written down in the book of the world. And so, Scripture has the power to restore the whole world toward the knowledge, praise, and love of God. Hence, if you ask what is the meaning of the serpent to you, or what is its use — it is more useful to you than the whole world because it teaches you how to be prudent, as the ant teaches you how to be wise. Solomon says: "Go to the ant, O sluggard, study her ways and learn wisdom." And Matthew: "Be therefore wise as serpents."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 13