The World as a Theater

Both men departed to that place where everything is true. The stage sets were removed and the masks were taken off. In a theater of this world at mid-day the stage is set and many actors enter, playing parts, wearing masks on their faces, retelling some old story, narrating the events. One becomes a philosopher, though he is not a philosopher. Another becomes a king, though he is not a king, but has the appearance of a king for the story. Another becomes a physician without knowing how to handle even a piece of wood, but wearing the garments of a physician. Another becomes a slave, though he is free; another a teacher, though he does not even know his letters. They appear something other than what they are, and they do not appear what they really are. One appears to be a physician, another appears to be a philosopher by wearing a hairy mask, and another appears to be a soldier by bearing the equipment of a soldier. The appearance of the mask deceives us, but it does not falsify the nature, for it truly changes the character which is represented. As long as the audience remains in their seats, the masks are valid; but when evening overtakes them, and the play is ended, and everyone goes out, the masks are cast aside. He who is king inside the theater is found to be a coppersmith outside. The masks are removed, the deceit departs, the truth is revealed. He who is a free man inside the theater is found to be a slave outside; for, as I said, the deceit is inside, but the truth is outside. Evening overtakes them, the play is ended, the truth appears. So it is also in life and its end. The present world is a theater, the conditions of men are roles: wealth and poverty, ruler and ruled, and so forth. When this day is cast aside, and that terrible night comes, or rather day, night indeed for sinners, but day for the righteous — when the play is ended, when the masks are removed, when each person is judged with his works — not each person with his wealth, not each person with his office, not each person with his authority, not each person with his power, but each person with his works, whether he is a ruler or a king, a woman or a man, when He requires an account of our life and our good deeds, not the weight of our reputation, not the slightness of our poverty, not the tyranny of our disdain — give me your deeds if you are a slave but nobler than a free person, if you are a woman but braver than a man. When the masks are removed, then the truly rich and the truly poor are revealed. When the play ends, one of us looking out an upper window sees the man who is a philosopher inside the theater but a coppersmith outside, and says, “Hey! Wasn’t this man a philosopher inside? Outside I see that he is a coppersmith. Wasn’t this other man a king inside? Outside I see that he is some humble person. Wasn’t that man rich inside? Outside I see that he is poor.” The same thing happens when this life ends.

– St. John Chrysostom, On Wealth and Poverty, Discourse II

Church Fathers on Animals

Martin Luther, upon seeing a dog, whose tail had been mangled by a wagon wheel said: “Take comfort, small friend, in the Resurrection, you too shall have a little golden tail.” Martin Luther, Letter to J. Goritz, 1544

“I beg you to show kindness to animals. The very least you can do is to put out food and water for them. Animals are like us, they love, suffer, feel happiness and pain. Do not subject them to the same treatment which you would abhor receiving at their hands.”
John Chrysostom

“The dog is the most faithful of animals
and would be much esteemed
were it not so common.
Our Lord God has made His greatest gifts
the commonest.” Martin Luther

“A cat is a most perfect work of God.”
Philip Neri

“[Through] the practice of cruelty toward animals
is fostered also inhumanity toward our neighbor.”
Martin Chemnitz, Loci II:706

“There is need for virtue
which allows neither hatred nor envy to lodge in the soul, neither fraud nor any such thing as malice, which does not allow foolish habits of speech, but orders all things rightly, which does not permit slanderous or foul tongue, which knows not to bear a grudge or to do evil,
which honors the virtuous and makes common cause with those who live rightly,
which wishes to keep the body in health. Such a virtue is the loving of dogs, which, though they suffer blows, do not bear a grudge.”
Basil the Great

Come Out, Lazar

Come out, Lazar!
Come out, Lazaro, what so befall.
Then might not the fiend of hell
Longer make that soule to dwell.
So dreadful was that ilke cry
To that feloun, our enemy.
The kinges trumpet blew a blast;
Come out! it said, be not aghast.
With that voice the find gan quake,
As doth the leaf when windes wake.
‘Come out’ is now a wonder soun,
It hath o’ercome that foul feloun
And all his careful company.
For dread thereof they gunne cry:
Yet is come out a wonder song,
For it has broken the prison strong.
Fetters, chains and bondes mo
That wroughten wretched soules woe.
Come out! That kinges voice so free
It maketh the devil and death to flee.
Say me now thou serpent sly Is not?
Come out! an asper cry?
“Come out’ is a word of battle,
For it gan helle soon t’assail.
Why stoppest thou not, fiend, thine ear?
That this word enter not there?
He that said that word of might,
Shop him felly to the fight.
For with that word he won the field
Withouten spear, withouten shield,
And brought them out of prison strong,
That were enholden there with wrong.
Tell now, tyrant, where is thy might?
“‘Come out’ hath felled it all with fight.

– Anonymous fourteenth-century Middle English

Leaf from Leaf

Leaf from leaf Christ knows;
Himself the Lily and the Rose:

Sheep from sheep Christ tells;
Himself the Shepherd, no one else:

Star and star He names,
Himself outblazing all their flames:

Dove by dove, He calls
To set each on the golden walls:

Drop by drop, He counts
The flood of ocean as it mounts:

Grain by grain, His hand
Numbers the innumerable sand.

Lord, I lift to Thee
In peace what is and what shall be:

Lord, in peace I trust
To Thee all spirits and all dust.

– Christina Rossetti

The Church Fathers on Racism

“We ought to understand that while the names of God may differ among the various nations, nevertheless, since we are all of the same origin, we ought to consider ourselves as of one family, and not despise the kinship of the human race.” (Gregory of Nyssa, Great Catechism, 32)

“God has made all races of men of one blood. Whoever says that one man is of a different race from another makes a distinction in flesh, not in spirit or in faith.” (Augustine of Hippo, On Baptism, Against the Donatists, Book I, Chapter 1)

“God does not call men to the grace of His knowledge according to their race or language, but according to their own will and judgment.” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 4, Paragraph 8)

“All nations are made of one blood; the earth is everywhere alike fruitful, and one sun gives light to all.” (Jerome, Letter 122 to Ageruchia)

Maria Walks amid the Thorn

Maria walks amid the thorn,
Kyrie eleison,
Maria walks amid the thorn,
Which seven years no leaf has born.
Jesus and Maria.

What ‘neath her heart doth Mary bear?
Kyrie eleison,
The little Child doth Mary bear,
Beneath her heart He nestles there.
Jesus and Maria.

And as the two are passing near,
Kyrie eleison,
And as the two are passing near,
Lo! roses on the thorns appear!
Jesus and Maria.

What shall this Infant called be?
Kyrie eleison,
The Christ this child shall called be
His name from all eternity.
Jesus and Maria.

Who hath the world from sin set free?
Kyrie eleison.
This child alone and only he,
He hath the world from sin set free.
Jesus and Maria.

– Maria durch ein Dornwald ging, German carol

Aelfric on Pentecost

The Holy Ghost appeared over the apostles in semblance of fire, and over Christ, at his baptism, in likeness of a dove. Why over Christ in semblance of a dove? Why over the followers of Christ in likeness of fire? In books it is read concerning that kind of birds that its nature is very meek, and innocent, and peaceful. The Saviour is the Judge of all mankind, but he came not to judge mankind, as he himself said, but to save. If he then would have judged mankind, when he first came on earth, who would have been saved? But he would not by his advent condemn the sinful, but would gather them to his kingdom. He would first with gentleness direct us, that he might afterwards preserve us at his judgement. Therefore was the Holy Ghost seen in likeness of a dove above Christ, because he was living in this world in meekness, and innocence, and peacefulness. He cried not out, nor was he inclined to bitterness, nor did he stir up strife, but endured man’s wickedness through his meekness. But he who at his first advent mitigated, for the conversion of the sinful, will deem stern doom to the reckless at his second advent.

The Holy Ghost was seen as fiery tongues above the apostles; for he effected that they were burning in God’s will, and preaching of God’s kingdom. They had fiery tongues when with love they preached the greatness of God, that the hearts of the heathen men, which were cold through infidelity and fleshly desires, might be kindled to the heavenly commands. If the Holy Ghost teach not a man’s mind within, in vain will be the words of the preacher proclaimed without. It is the nature of fire to consume whatsoever is near to it: so shall the teacher do, who is inspired by the Holy Ghost, first extinguish every sin in himself, and afterwards in those under his care.

In likeness of a dove and in semblance of fire was the Spirit of God manifested; for he causes those to be meek in innocence, and burning in the will of God, whom he fills with his grace. Meekness is not pleasing to God without wisdom, nor wisdom without meekness; as it is said by the blessed Job, that he was meek and righteous. What is righteousness without meekness? Or what is meekness without righteousness? But the Holy Ghost, who teaches both righteousness and meekness, should be manifested both as fire and as a dove, for he causes the hearts of those men whom he enlightens with his grace to be meek through innocence, and kindled by love and wisdom. God is, as Paul said, a consuming fire. He is a fire unspeakable and invisible. Concerning that fire Jesus said, “I come because I would send fire on earth, and I will that it burn.” He sent the Holy Ghost on earth, and he by his inspiration kindled the hearts of earthly men. Then burns the earth, when the earthly man’s heart is kindled to love of God, which before was cold through fleshly lusts.

The Holy Ghost is not in his nature existing as he was seen, for he is invisible; but for the sign, as we before said, he appeared as a dove and as fire. He is called in the Greek tongue Παρακλητος, that is, Comforting Spirit, because he comforts the sad, who repent of their sins, and gives them hope of forgiveness, and alleviates their sorrowful minds. He forgives sins, and he is the way to forgiveness of all sins. He gives his grace to whom he will. To one man he gives wisdom and eloquence, to one good knowledge, to one great faith, to one power to heal the sick, to one prophetic power, to one discrimination of good and evil spirits; to one he gives divers tongues, to one interpretation of divers sayings. The Holy Ghost does all these things, distributing to everyone as to him seems good; for he is the Almighty Worker, and as soon as he enlightens the mind of a man, he turns it from evil to good. He enlightened the heart of David, when in youth he loved the harp, and made him to be a psalmist. There was a cow-herd called Amos, whom the Holy Ghost turned to a great prophet. Peter was a fisher, whom the same Spirit of God turned to an apostle. Paul persecuted Christian men, whom he chose for instructor of all nations. Matthew was a toll-gatherer, whom he turned to an evangelist. The apostles durst not preach the true faith, for fear of the Jewish folk; but after that they were fired by the Holy Ghost, they despised all bodily tortures, and fearlessly preached the greatness of God.

Ælfric of Eynsham, Homiles of the Anglo-Saxon Church, “On the Holy Day of Pentecost”