Martin of Braga

In his own words on Ezekiel

• Ezekiel 14:14

  Abbot Moses said, Separation from material things, that is, voluntary poverty, and endurance with patience and understanding are the possessions of a monk.… Noah is the personification of voluntary poverty, Job the personification of endurance with patience, Daniel the personification of understanding. Accordingly, if the deeds of these three holy men are in any person, the Lord is with him, dwelling with him, receiving him and driving away from him every temptation and every tribulation that comes from the enemy.

  SAYINGS OF THE EGYPTIAN FATHERS 8

• Ezekiel 18:21

  Do not doubt the mercy of God. Only perform in your heart your pact with God not to practice the worship of demons any more, or to worship anything except the God of heaven, or to commit homicide, or to be involved in adultery or fornication or theft or to swear falsely. And when you have promised God this with your whole heart and have not committed these sins again, hope confidently for pardon from God.… True repentance consists of a person not doing again the evils that he did but asking pardon for past sins and watching in the future not to fall into them again.

  REFORMING THE RUSTICS 17