Homilies on Matthew, Homily 78

“Then the kingdom of Heaven,” He says, “will be compared to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise, and the other five foolish, who did not take,” He says, “oil.” “Then, while the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and slept. And at midnight a cry went up: Look, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet Him. And the five got up and, not knowing what to do, said to the wise, Give us some of your oil. But they would not agree, saying, No, there may not be enough for us and you; go to those who sell it, and buy some.” “And while they were away doing this, the bridegroom came, and those went in; but these came afterward, saying, Lord, Lord, open the door for us. But He answered, Truly I tell you, I do not know you. So keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” “Then He told another parable. A man traveling to a distant country called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them: to one five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his own ability; then he left on his journey. Then, when the two had brought him twice as much, the one who had been entrusted with the one talent brought only that and, when blamed, said, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed; and I was afraid and hid your talent. Look, here you have what is yours. His Lord answered, You wicked servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and then when I came I could have received my own money with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And throw the useless servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” These parables are like the earlier parable of the faithful servant and the one who was ungrateful and consumed his Lord’s possessions. There are four in all, warning us in different ways about the same things: diligence in almsgiving and helping our neighbor by every means available to us, since it is impossible to be saved in any other way. There He speaks more generally about all the help we should give our neighbor; but with the virgins, He speaks specifically about mercy in almsgiving, and more forcefully than in the earlier parable. There He punishes the one who beats others, gets drunk, and squanders and wastes his lord’s possessions; but here He punishes even the one who does not help or generously spend his possessions on the needy. For they did have oil, but not in abundance, and that is why they too are punished. But why does He present this parable through virgins, instead of simply choosing any sort of person? He had said great things about virginity: “There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven”; and, “Let whoever is able to accept this accept it.” He also knew that most people would hold it in high regard. For the undertaking is indeed great by its very nature, as this shows: those ancient and holy men did not practice it under the old order, nor was it made compulsory by law under the new. For He did not command it, but left it to His hearers’ choice. That is why Paul also said, “Now, concerning virgins I have no commandment from the Lord.” “For although I praise the one who achieves this, I do not compel the unwilling or make it a command.” Since, then, it is both great in itself and highly honored by most people, He presents this parable to convince them that no one who achieves it should feel that he has achieved everything and neglect the rest. Virginity, even if it has everything else, is thrown out with the prostitutes if it lacks the good things that come from almsgiving, and He places the inhumane and merciless with them. And with very good reason: the one was overcome by the love of carnal pleasure, but these by the love of money. Yet the love of carnal pleasure and the love of money are not equal; the love of carnal pleasure is far fiercer and more tyrannical. And the weaker the opponent, the less excuse those overcome by it have. That is also why He calls them foolish: after undertaking the greater labor, they have betrayed everything by failing to undertake the lesser. By lamps here He means the gift of virginity itself, the purity of holiness; and by oil, compassion, almsgiving, and help for those in need. “Then, while the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and slept.” He shows that the intervening time will not be short, steering His disciples away from the expectation that His kingdom was about to appear immediately. For that was indeed their hope, and so He continually restrains this hope. At the same time, He also suggests that death is a sleep. For they slept, He says. “And about midnight a cry went up.” Either He was continuing the parable, or He is again showing that the resurrection will take place at night. Paul also points to the cry when he says, “With a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the last trumpet, He will come down from Heaven.” And what do the trumpets mean, and what does the cry say? “The bridegroom is coming.” Then, when they had trimmed their lamps, the foolish say to the wise, “Give us some of your oil.” Again He calls them foolish, showing that nothing can be more foolish than people who are wealthy here and leave naked for that place where we need compassion most of all, where we need much oil. But they were foolish not only in this respect, but also because they expected to receive it there and sought it when the time had passed. And yet no one could be more compassionate than those virgins, who were approved especially for this. Nor do they ask for all of it, for they say, “Give us some of your oil”; and the urgency of their need is clear: “For our lamps,” they say, “are going out.” But even so they failed, and neither the compassion of those they asked, nor the ease of granting their request, nor their urgent need and lack of oil enabled them to obtain it. What, then, do we learn from this? That no one can protect us there if our works betray us, because he cannot, not because he is unwilling. For these virgins too plead that it is impossible. The blessed Abraham also indicated this when he said, “Between us and you there is a great gulf,” so that even if they are willing, they are not allowed to cross it. “But go to those who sell it, and buy some.” And who are those who sell it? The poor. And where are they? Here, and they should have sought them while they were here, not at that later time. 2. Do you see how greatly we benefit from the poor? If you took them away, you would take away our great hope of salvation. So we must gather the oil here, so that it may be useful to us there when the time calls us. For that is not the time to gather it; this is. So do not waste your possessions on luxury and the pursuit of empty praise. For you will need much oil there. After hearing this, those virgins went away, but it did them no good. He says this either to continue and develop the parable, or also to show through it that even if we become compassionate after our departure, we will gain nothing from it toward our escape. So these virgins’ eagerness did them no good, because they went to those who sell there, instead of here. Nor did it help the rich man when he became so charitable that he was even concerned about his relatives. For the man who had passed by the one lying at his gate is eager to rescue from danger and hell people he did not even see, and begs that someone be sent to tell them these things. Nevertheless, he gained nothing from it, just as these virgins gained nothing. For when they heard this and went away, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with Him, but the others were shut out. After their many labors, after their countless hardships, that unbearable struggle, and those trophies they had raised over the frenzy of natural desire, they withdrew in disgrace, their lamps extinguished, their faces bowed to the ground. For nothing is more defiled than virginity without mercy; even ordinary people commonly call the merciless dark. What benefit, then, was there in virginity when they did not see the bridegroom? Even when they knocked, they did not gain entry, but heard that fearful statement: “Go away, I do not know you.” And when He has said this, nothing remains but hell and that unbearable punishment; or rather, these words are even more painful than hell. He speaks these words also to those who practice lawlessness. “So keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Do you see how continually He adds this, showing how dreadful it is that we do not know when we will depart from here? Where now are those who are negligent throughout their lives, but when we blame them, say, At the time of my death I will leave money to the poor? Let them listen to these words and change their ways. For many have indeed failed to do this at that time, because they were suddenly snatched away and were not even allowed to give their relatives instructions about what they wanted done. This parable was told about mercy in almsgiving; but the one that follows concerns those who are unwilling to help their neighbors with money, words, protection, or anything else at all, and withhold everything. And why does this parable introduce a king, but that one a bridegroom? So that you may learn how closely Christ is joined to the virgins who strip themselves of their possessions; for this is indeed virginity. That is why Paul also defines it in this way. “The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord”; those are his words. And, “For what is fitting, and so that you may attend to the Lord without distraction. These are the things we advise,” he says. And if the parable of the talents is presented differently in Luke, the answer is that the two really are different parables. In that one, different amounts of profit were made from the same capital: from one pound, one brought five and another ten. That is why they did not receive the same reward. But here the opposite is true, and the crown is accordingly equal. For the one who received two gained two, and the one who had received five did the same proportionately. But there, since one made a greater profit and another a smaller one from the same starting amount, they naturally do not receive the same rewards either. But notice that everywhere He refrains from demanding a return immediately. In the case of the vineyard, He leased it to farmers and went to a distant country; and here He entrusted the talents to them and left on His journey, so that you might learn His patience. And it seems to me that He says these things to suggest the resurrection. But here there are no longer a vineyard and farmers; all are servants. For He addresses His words to everyone, not only rulers or Jews. And those who bring Him a return openly acknowledge both what is their own and what belongs to their Master. One says, Lord, “You gave me five talents”; and the other says, “two,” indicating that they received the source of their gain from Him. They are very thankful and credit everything to Him. What, then, does the Master say? “Well done, good” (for goodness means looking after your neighbor) “and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord,” meaning by this expression every kind of blessedness. But the other one does not act this way. What does he say? “I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed; and I was afraid and hid your talent. Look, here you have what is yours.” What, then, does the Master say? “You should have deposited my money with the bankers,” that is, “you should have spoken, warned, and advised.” But what if they are disobedient? You are not responsible for that. What could be gentler than this? People do not act this way: they make even the person who has lent the money at interest responsible for collecting it. But He does not. You should, He says, have lent it and left the collection to me. And I would have collected it with interest; by interest earned on what people hear, He means the deeds that put it into practice. You should have done what was easier and left what was harder to me. Since he did not do this, He says, “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” What does this mean? The person who has a gift for speaking and teaching that can benefit others, but does not use it, will lose the gift as well. But the one who works diligently will gain the gift in greater abundance, just as the other loses what he had received. Yet the penalty for the lazy person does not end here: the punishment is unbearable, and along with the punishment comes a sentence containing a grave accusation. For He says, “Throw the useless servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Do you see how not only the plunderer and the greedy person, nor only the person who does evil, but also the person who does not do good, receives the severest punishment? So let us listen to these words. While we have the opportunity, let us work toward our salvation, get oil for our lamps, and labor to increase our talent. For if we hold back and spend our time here in laziness, no one will pity us afterward, even if we wail ten thousand times. The man wearing the filthy clothes also condemned himself and gained nothing. The man with the one talent also returned what had been entrusted to him, and yet he was condemned. The virgins too pleaded, came to Him, and knocked, all in vain and without any effect. Knowing these things, then, let us contribute wealth, diligence, protection, and everything else for our neighbor’s benefit. For the talents here are each person’s ability, whether to provide protection, money, teaching, or anything of that kind. Let no one say, I have only one talent and can do nothing; for even with one you can prove yourself. You are not poorer than that widow; you are not less educated than Peter and John, who were both “uneducated and ignorant men.” Nevertheless, because they showed zeal and did everything for the common good, they reached Heaven. For nothing is so pleasing to God as living for the good of all. This is why God gave us speech, hands, feet, bodily strength, a mind, and understanding: so that we might use all these things both for our own salvation and for our neighbor’s benefit. For our speech serves us not only for hymns and thanksgivings, but also for instruction and warning. If we used it for this purpose, we would be imitating our Master; but if we used it for the opposite purposes, we would be imitating the devil. Peter too, when he confessed the Christ, was blessed because he had spoken the Father’s words; but when he rejected the cross and argued against it, he was severely rebuked for thinking the devil’s thoughts. But if the blame is so severe when the words were spoken in ignorance, what favor will we receive when we deliberately commit many sins? So let us say things that will be recognizable in themselves as the words of Christ. For it is not only when I say, “Get up and walk,” or, “Tabitha, get up,” that I speak Christ’s words. I do so much more when I bless those who insult me and pray for someone who mistreats me. Recently I said that our tongue is a hand taking hold of God’s feet; but now I say something much greater: our tongue is a tongue imitating Christ’s tongue, if it displays the discipline that is proper for us, if we say what He wants. And what does He want us to say? Words full of gentleness and meekness, just as He Himself spoke, saying to those who insulted Him, “I do not have a demon”; and again, “If I have spoken evil, testify to the evil.” If you too speak this way, if you speak to help your neighbor change for the better, you will obtain a tongue like His. And God Himself says this: “For whoever brings out what is precious from what is worthless will be like my mouth”; those are His words. When your tongue is like Christ’s tongue, your mouth has become the Father’s mouth, and you are a temple of the Holy Spirit, what honor could equal this? For even if your mouth were made of gold, or even of precious stones, it would not shine as it does now, lit up with the beauty of meekness. For what is lovelier than a mouth that does not know how to insult, but is accustomed to blessing and speaking kindly? But if you cannot bear to bless the person who curses you, keep silent and accomplish just this for now. Then, as you advance step by step and make the effort you should, you will reach that other point too and acquire the kind of mouth we have described. 4. And do not consider this statement reckless. For the Lord loves humanity, and the gift comes from His goodness. What is reckless is to have a mouth like the devil’s, a tongue resembling an evil demon’s, especially for someone who partakes of such mysteries and shares in the Lord’s very flesh. Reflect on these things, then, and become like Him to the utmost of your ability. Then the devil will no longer be able even to look you in the face, once you have become like this. For he recognizes the King’s image; he knows Christ’s weapons, by which he was defeated. And what are they? Gentleness and meekness. For when Christ overthrew and laid low the devil who was attacking Him on the mountain, He did it by trapping him with these sayings, rather than by revealing that He was Christ. He caught him through gentleness and put him to flight through meekness. You too must do this: if you see a man become a devil and come against you, overcome him in the same way, even then. Christ has also given you the power to become like Him as far as your ability allows. Do not be afraid to hear this. What you should fear is failing to be like Him. So speak as He does, and in this respect you have become like Him, as far as a human being possibly can. That is why the person who speaks this way is greater than the person who prophesies. For prophecy is entirely a gift, but the other also involves your labor and effort. Teach your soul to form a mouth like Christ’s for you. For it can create such things if it is willing; it knows the art, if it is not negligent. And how is such a mouth made, someone may ask? With what colors? With what material? With no colors or material, but only with virtue, meekness, and humility. Let us also see how a devil’s mouth is made, so that we may never form one. How, then, is it made? Through curses, insults, envy, and perjury. For when anyone speaks the devil’s words, he takes on the devil’s tongue. What excuse, then, will we have? Or rather, what punishment will we not undergo when we neglect this tongue of ours, with which we are allowed to taste the Lord’s flesh—when we neglect it, I say, as it speaks the devil’s words? Let us not neglect it, but make every effort to train it to imitate its Lord. For if we train it in this way, it will bring us before Christ’s judgment seat with great confidence. Unless someone knows how to speak this way, the judge will not even hear him. For just as, when the judge happens to be a Roman, he will not hear the defense of someone who does not know how to speak his language, so too Christ will not hear you or pay attention unless you speak as He does. So let us learn to speak in the way our Judge is accustomed to hearing; let us strive to imitate that tongue. And if you are overcome by grief, take care that the tyranny of discouragement does not twist your tongue, but that you speak like Christ. For He too mourned for Lazarus and Judas. If you become afraid, again seek to speak as He did. For He Himself experienced fear for your sake, in His humanity. You too should say, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." And if you mourn, weep calmly as He did. If you face plots and sorrows, handle these too as Christ did. For plots were indeed laid against Him, and He was in sorrow and said, "My soul is deeply sorrowful, even to death." And He gave you all these examples so that you would continually keep to the same limits and not overturn the rules given to you. In this way you will be able to have a mouth like His mouth; in this way, while walking on earth, you will display a tongue like that of Him who sits on high. You will keep the limits He observed in discouragement, anger, suffering, and agony. How many of you long to see His form? Look, it is possible not only to see Him, but also to become like Him, if we make a serious effort. So let us not delay. He does not accept prophets’ lips as readily as those of meek and patient people. "For many will say to me," He says, "Have we not prophesied in Your name? And I will say to them, I do not know you." But because Moses was so gentle and meek ("for Moses," it says, "was meek beyond all the people on the face of the earth"), He so accepted and loved his lips that He said, "Face to face, mouth to mouth, He spoke, as a man speaks to his friend." You will not command demons now, but you will then command the fire of hell if you keep your mouth like Christ’s mouth. You will command the abyss of fire and say to it, "Peace, be still," and with great confidence you will set foot in the Heavens and enjoy the kingdom. May God grant that all of us attain it, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom may glory, might, and honor be to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.