Caesarius of Arles

In his own words on Ezekiel

• Ezekiel 3:17

  If we carefully heed the lessons that are read at the consecration of bishops, we have a means of rousing ourselves to the greatest compunction. What Gospel text is it, except the one I mentioned a little while ago? "Peter, Peter, tend my sheep," and again, "feed my sheep." Did Christ say, cultivate the vineyards by your presence, arrange the country estates yourself, exercise the cultivation of land? He did not say this, but "feed my sheep." Now what kind of a prophetic text is read at the consecration of a bishop? It is this: "I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel." It did not say a steward of vineyards or country estates or the manager of fields; doubtless it is a watchman of souls.

  SERMONS 1:11

• Ezekiel 3:18

  It is necessary for us to rebuke, either in secret or in public, those who are careless. Now if the one whom we reprove is wicked, when we do so he will notice by whom he is rebuked, and he will more readily recognize what is being corrected in the one who is reproving him than in himself.

  SERMONS 145:1

• Ezekiel 3:18

  Whenever we preach something hard, we do not do so because we believe that you have done something of the sort, but we denounce things that you have not done, in order to be able to cure those matters in which you may have been overcome. It often happens that we fear to do great wrongs but more quickly fail to guard against slight ones.

  SERMONS 57:2

• Ezekiel 18:21

  A person who is always uncertain of his life is also swift to apply the remedy of his salvation. The same one who gave us assurance by the words, "On whatever day the sinner is converted, all his iniquities will be forgiven," also wanted to make us careful when he said, "Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day."

  SERMON 56:3

• Ezekiel 18:21

  Since no one makes a fool of the Lord, he deceives himself if having led a wicked life for a long time he arises to seek life when he is already half-dead. He should listen to the prophet say, "If the sinner turns away from his sins"—if he turns away, he says, not if he only talks about it—"he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced." Surely you have noticed that healing medicine of this kind must be asked with the lips, but it must be brought to completion by deeds. That gift of repentance that is received at the end of one's life should be believed to be profitable if it is accepted with a sublime intention, much crying and groaning, and is further enhanced by more abundant almsgiving. However, there must be as much piety on the part of sinners in healing the wounds as the intention of the mind was quick and active in doing evil.

  SERMON 209:1

• Ezekiel 18:21

  The person who believes that even if he does penance for his sins the divine mercy will not forgive him wrongly despairs, while one who defers the remedy of repentance to a much later day is presumptuous. Just as it is said to those who despair, "On whatever day the sinner is converted, all his iniquities will be forgotten," so it is said to the presumptuous, "Delay not to be converted to the Lord."

  SERMON 64:4

• Ezekiel 18:32

  As we shudder at the wounds of our sins as at deadly poisons, let us apply ourselves to almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Above all, by a charity that loves not only friends but even enemies, let us have recourse to the mercy of that heavenly physician to recover the health of our souls as if by spiritual remedies. For he said, "I take no pleasure in the death of the sinner but rather in the wicked person's conversion, that he may live."

  SERMONS 150:5

• Ezekiel 33:2

  Mine is the burden that you just heard about when the prophet Ezekiel was read. It is not enough that the day itself admonishes us to reflect on the burden; in addition such a lesson was read to excite great fear in us, so we will think about what we are carrying. Unless the One who imposed the burden on us carried it with us, we fail.

  SERMON 231:2

• Ezekiel 33:11

  Let your charity believe devoutly and firmly that God never abandons a person unless he is first deserted by him. Although a person may have committed serious sins once, twice and a third time, God still looks for him.

  SERMON 101:2

• Ezekiel 34:4

  Since we have been appointed by the Lord to direct the ship of his church, let us with his help and the direction of the two Testaments so govern the ship of his church that we may not through some negligence turn aside either to the right or to the left but may without effort keep a straight course of life in the midst of the great dangers of this world. Just as any ship cannot gather earthly profits without many labors, so the ship of the church cannot obtain the gains and joy of the eternal homeland without many tribulations. For just as pilots of ships, if they fail to be alert because of an excessive desire for sleep or false sense of security and do not show the sailors what they should do, immediately suffer shipwreck, so unless the church's pilots with all vigilance teach, terrify, sometimes even censure and occasionally punish lightly, at times even threatening the day of judgment with severity and thus showing how to keep the straight path of eternal life, it is to be feared that they will receive judgment where they might have had a remedy. For this reason, with the inspiration and assistance of the Lord, let us endeavor as far as it lies in our power to inform by word and example the people entrusted to our care.

  SERMONS 1:19

• Ezekiel 37:27

  If he has walked among us in this life, he will dwell among us in that other one: who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

  SERMON 217:4