Homilies on Titus 6.1–6.4

“And I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in good works. These things are good and profitable for people. But avoid foolish questionings and genealogies and quarrels and fights about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. Avoid a factious man after one and a second admonition, knowing that such a man is perverted and sins, being self-condemned.” Having spoken of God's love for humankind and of his ineffable care for us, and of what we were and what he has made us, he added, “And I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in good works”: that is, speak of these things, and from them urge people to almsgiving. For what has been said will serve not only for humility, for not being puffed up and not reproaching others, but for every other virtue as well. So too in speaking to the Corinthians he says, “You know that the Lord became poor, though he was rich, so that we by his poverty might become rich.” Having considered God's care and his surpassing love for humankind, he urges them to almsgiving, and not simply or in passing: “so that they may be careful,” he says, “to engage in good works,” that is, to help those who are wronged, not only with money but also with patronage, to defend widows and orphans, and to bring all who suffer into safety; for this is what “to engage in good works” means. “For these things,” he says, “are good and profitable for people. But avoid foolish questionings and genealogies and quarrels and fights about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” What do the genealogies mean? For in the letter to Timothy too he puts this, saying, “myths and endless genealogies.” Perhaps both here and there he is hinting at the Jews, who, priding themselves on having Abraham as their forefather, neglected their own conduct. That is why he calls these things foolish and unprofitable; for “foolishness” is said of things that are unprofitable. By “quarrels” he means those with heretics, so that we may not labour in vain when there is no gain; for they come to nothing. When someone is perverted and has resolved not to change his opinion whatever happens, why do you labour in vain, sowing on rocks, when you ought to spend this good labour on your own people, speaking to them about almsgiving and the other virtues? How, then, does he say elsewhere, “If perhaps God may grant them repentance,” but here, “Avoid a factious man after one and a second admonition, knowing that such a man is perverted and sins, being self-condemned”? There he speaks of the correction of those who give some hope, and of those who simply oppose; but when the man is plain and manifest to all, why do you box in vain? Why do you beat the air? What does “being self-condemned” mean? He cannot say that no one told him, no one admonished him. So when he persists after the admonition, he becomes self-condemned. “When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis.” What are you saying? Having set him over Crete, do you call him to yourself again? Not to take him away from that charge, but to shape him further for it. For that he does not call him in order to take him about and have him follow him everywhere, hear what he says: “For I have decided to winter there. Speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way diligently, so that nothing may be lacking to them.” These were not yet among those entrusted with churches, but among his companions; and Apollos was the more vehement, being mighty in the Scriptures and an eloquent man. “But if Zenas was a lawyer,” someone says, “he ought not to have been supported by others.” But here he calls “lawyer” one who was skilled in the Jewish laws; as if he said, “Set them up in full abundance, so that nothing may be lacking to them.” “And let our people also learn to engage in good works for necessary needs, so that they may not be unfruitful. All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith.” He means either those who love him, or the men who are faithful. “Grace be with you all. Amen.” How, then, does he order him to silence the opponents, if he must avoid them when they do everything to their own ruin? He says that he must never do this chiefly for their gain; for they would never gain anything, once perverted in mind. But if they ruin others, one must stand against them and fight and resist with great courage. If you are put under necessity, seeing others being corrupted, do not be silent, but stop their mouths, out of care for those who are about to perish. In general, it is not possible for one who has zeal and an upright life to put up with fighting. Nevertheless, as I said, act in this way; for the thing comes from idleness and superfluous philosophizing, from being occupied only with words. For uttering superfluous words is a great loss, when one ought either to teach or to pray or to give thanks. We ought not to be sparing of our money and not of our words; we ought to be sparing of words above all, and not give ourselves away indiscriminately to everyone. What does “so that they may be careful to engage in good works” mean? That they should not wait for the needy to come to them, but should themselves seek out those who need their help; for one who is careful will be careful in this way, and so will do it above all and with great zeal. For in doing good, it is not so much those who receive the kindness as those who do good who gain income and profit from what is done; for it gives them boldness before God. But of fighting there is no end. So he calls the incorrigible man a heretic. For as overlooking those who have hope of change is sloth, so treating those who are incurably sick is folly and the height of madness. “And let our people also learn,” he says, “to engage in good works for necessary needs, so that they may not be unfruitful.” Do you see that he cares for them more than for those who receive? For it was perhaps possible for these men to be sent on their way from many quarters. But I care for our own people, he says. For what benefit would it be to them, tell me? If others dug up treasures and supported the teachers, our people would have no gain from it; they would remain unfruitful. What then, tell me? Could not Christ, who fed five thousand from five loaves and four thousand from seven, feed himself and those with him? Why, then, was he fed by women (“For women followed him,” it says, “who ministered to him”)? To teach us from the first that he cares for those who do good. Could not Paul, who supported others too with his own hands, have taken nothing from anyone? But you see him both receiving and asking; and hear why: “For I seek not the gift,” he says, “but the fruit that increases to your account.” And at the beginning too, when people sold all their goods and laid them at the apostles' feet, do you see the apostles caring for them more than for those who received? For if they had cared only that the poor be supplied in any way whatever, they would have taken no account of Sapphira and Ananias when they kept back the money, and Paul would not have given the order, “Not out of grief or under compulsion.” What are you saying, Paul? Are you hindering the poor? No, he says; I am looking not to their interest only, but to that of the givers. And see the prophet too, when he gave Nebuchadnezzar that excellent counsel, not caring only for the poor; for he did not simply say, “Give to the poor,” but what? “Redeem your sins by almsgiving, and your iniquities by compassion for the poor.” Empty out your money, he says, not only so that others may be fed, but so that you yourself may be freed from punishment. And again Christ: “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and come, follow me.” Do you see that there too this was commanded for the sake of following him? Because money is a hindrance, he commanded that it be given away, training the soul to be merciful and compassionate, training it to despise money, training it to keep away from greed. For one who is trained to give to those who do not have will in time be trained also not to take from those who have. This is what makes people like God. And yet virginity involves harder labour than almsgiving, and so do fasting and sleeping on the ground; but nothing is so strong and powerful to quench the fire of our sins as almsgiving. It is greater than all; it sets its lovers beside the King himself, and very reasonably. For virginity and fasting and sleeping on the ground concern only the one who practises them and save no one else; but almsgiving extends to everyone and embraces the members of Christ; and good deeds that extend to many are much greater than those confined to one.

For almsgiving is the mother of love—of the love that marks out Christianity, that is greater than all signs, by which the disciples of Christ are made known. It is the remedy of our sins, the soap that washes the dirt from our soul, a ladder set up to heaven; it binds together the body of Christ. Do you wish to learn how great a good it is? In the time of the apostles all sold their goods and brought the proceeds to them, and it was distributed: “For they distributed to each,” it says, “as anyone had need.” Tell me, even apart from the things to come (let us not yet raise the question of the kingdom, but look at the present), who gained, those who received or those who gave? The former grumbled and quarrelled with one another; but the latter had one soul: “For the heart and soul of all,” it says, “were one, and great grace was upon them all,” and they lived with great benefit. Do you see that the givers gained even in this life? Tell me, which would you have wished to be: one of those who threw away their own goods and had nothing, or one of those who received the goods of others? See the fruit of almsgiving: the partitions and obstacles were removed, and at once their souls were joined: “the heart and soul of all were one.” So even apart from the almsgiving, emptying out one's money brings great gain. I have said this so that those who have not inherited an estate from their forebears may not grieve or be downcast, as though they had less than the rich; for they have more, if they will. For they will come to almsgiving with greater ease, as the widow did; they will have no occasion for enmity toward their neighbour; and they will be freer than all. No one will be able to threaten such a man with confiscation; he is above suffering harm. And as no one would quickly catch those who flee naked, while those who are wrapped in many clothes are easily caught, so it is with the rich man and the poor man. The one, even if he is caught, can easily escape; but the other, even if he is not held, is held fast by his own ropes. And not only these things, but many others too, we drag along with us from our wealth. For it is harder for the rich man than for the poor to be moderate and to live frugally, and harder for him than for the other to be free from anger. “Then,” someone says, “will he have a greater reward?” By no means. “Why, if he achieves what is difficult?” Because he contrived the difficulties for himself; for he has not been commanded to be rich, but the opposite; and he prepares countless stumbling blocks and hindrances for himself. Others not only put away their money but also waste away most of their body, as those who travel the narrow road; but you not only do not do this, you even feed the furnace of the passions and load yourself with other burdens … Then go off to the broad road; for that is the one that receives such people. The narrow road receives those who are afflicted, who are hemmed in, who carry nothing but the burdens that can be carried through it: almsgiving, love for humankind, kindness, gentleness. If you carry these, you will be able to enter easily; but if you carry madness and an inflamed soul, and that load of thorns, wealth, you need a great deal of room. For you cannot even enter a crowd without striking others as you are carried along on high; here you would need much space. But one who carries away gold and silver—I mean the achievements of virtue—not only does not have his neighbours fleeing from him, but has them drawing near and joining him. But if wealth itself is a thorn, what is greed? Why do you take it there with you? To make the flame greater, putting fuel on the fire? Is not the fire of hell enough? How did the three children overcome the furnace? Consider that furnace to be hell: they fell into it in affliction, bound and fettered; but they found great room inside; but not those outside …

Something like this will happen now too, if we are willing to stand nobly and bravely against the trials brought upon us. If we place our hopes in God, we shall be in safety and in a wide place, and those who throw us in will perish. “For whoever digs a pit,” it says, “will fall into it.” Even if they bind our hands, even if they bind our feet, affliction will be able to loose them. See the marvel: those whom men had bound, the fire set loose. For just as, if someone handed people over to his friends' servants, and these, out of respect for their master's friendship, not only did them no harm but even showed them great honour, so too the fire, when it recognized that those children were friends of its Master, burst their bonds and set them loose and let them go, and became a floor for them, and was trodden under their feet—and rightly so, for they had been thrown in for the glory of God. All of us who are in afflictions, let us hold fast to these examples. “But see,” someone says, “they were freed from their affliction, but we are not.” Naturally, since they did not go into the furnace as we do …; for hear them saying, “There is a God in heaven who will rescue us; and if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image that you have set up.” But we, as though we were bargaining over God's training, even fix a time, saying, “If he does not have mercy by such and such a time …” That is why we are not freed. For Abraham too went off not as one who would receive his son back safe, but as one who was going to sacrifice him; and against all expectation he received him safe. And you, when you fall into affliction, do not be in a hurry, do not hasten to be freed; prepare your mind for complete endurance, and you will quickly be freed from your affliction; for this is why God brings it upon us, to train us. When, then, we are trained from the outset to bear it and do not fret, he then lets it go, since the whole purpose has been accomplished. I want to tell you a story that is useful and of great benefit. What is it? Once, when a persecution had broken out and a fierce war had been stirred up against the church, two men were arrested. One was ready to suffer anything whatever; the other was ready and brave enough to have his head cut off, but feared and trembled at the other tortures. See, then, God's dispensation. When the judge took his seat, he ordered the one who was ready to suffer anything to be beheaded; but the other he hung up and tore with hooks, and not once or twice, but taking him round all the cities. Why was this permitted? So that he might regain through the tortures the part of his mind that had been neglected, so that he might cast out all cowardice, so that no longer … And Joseph, when he was most eager to get out, was then kept in longest; for hear him saying, “I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews”; and, “Remember me to the king.” That is why he was kept there: so that he might learn that one must not trust or hope in men, but cast everything upon God. Knowing these things, then, let us confess our thanks to God and do everything that is for our good, so that we may obtain the good things to come, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen.