Reading 1
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to MatthewMatt 5:43-48; 6:1-4
In that time, Jesus said to his disciples: You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy. And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest at Bethlehem.
Bk. i, Comm. on Matth. v and vi
But I say unto you: "Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you." There are many who judge of the commandments of the Lord by their own weakness, and not by the strength of His Saints; and so deem Him to have commanded things impossible. These are they who think that not to hate their enemies is all that they are able to do; and that to command us to love them, is to command more than man's nature can bear. It behooved them to know, that this which Christ commands is not impossible, albeit perfect. This is what David did in respect of Saul and Absalom; the martyr Stephen also prayed for his enemies, even while they were stoning him; and Paul could wish that himself were accursed from Christ for his persecutors. Rom. ix. 3. And this, Jesus Himself did, as well as taught, when He said: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Luke xxiii. 34.
Reading 2
That you may be the children of your Father Which is in heaven. If he that doeth the commandments of God becometh a son of God, then is he not a son by nature, but by his own choice. Therefore, when you do your alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. He that sounds a trumpet before him, when he does alms, is a hypocrite. He that disfigures his face, when he fasts, to the end that he may show the emptiness of his belly in his looks, he also is an hypocrite.
That you may be the children of your Father Which is in heaven. If he that doeth the commandments of God becometh a son of God, then is he not a son by nature, but by his own choice. Therefore, when you do your alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. He that sounds a trumpet before him, when he does alms, is a hypocrite. He that disfigures his face, when he fasts, to the end that he may show the emptiness of his belly in his looks, he also is an hypocrite.
Reading 3
He that prays in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that he may be seen of men, is an hypocrite. From all which, we gather that an hypocrite is one which doeth anything that he may have glory of men. To me also it seems that he which saith unto his brother: "Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye", vii. 4 that he also is an hypocrite; for he proposes to take upon him that office for vainglory's sake, that he himself may appear righteous. Therefore, the Lord saith unto him: "You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye." Thus, we see that it is, not the doing good, but the motive which moves us to do good, which will meet with reward from God; and, if thou stray but a little from the right way, it is of small moment whether thou wander to the right hand or to the left, when once thou hast lost the straight path.
He that prays in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that he may be seen of men, is an hypocrite. From all which, we gather that an hypocrite is one which doeth anything that he may have glory of men. To me also it seems that he which saith unto his brother: "Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye", vii. 4 that he also is an hypocrite; for he proposes to take upon him that office for vainglory's sake, that he himself may appear righteous. Therefore, the Lord saith unto him: "You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye." Thus, we see that it is, not the doing good, but the motive which moves us to do good, which will meet with reward from God; and, if thou stray but a little from the right way, it is of small moment whether thou wander to the right hand or to the left, when once thou hast lost the straight path.
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