Homily of St. -Augustine, Bishop
From these precepts it is clearly shown that all our
attention in to be directed to interior joys, lest, whilst seeking a reward in
exterior things, we conform ourselves to this world and lose the promise of
that happiness (which is more genuine and lasting the more interior it is) in
which God has chosen us to be made conformable to the image of His Son. We
must, moreover, note in this chapter of the Gospel that pride can have a place
not only in the splendor and pomp of earthly things, but even in unkempt
mourning garments. And this latter is more filled with dangers since it hides under
the name of worship of God.
He who is
conspicuous for immoderate care of his body, for his dress, or for the
brilliance of other things is easily convicted of being a votary of the
splendor of the world by these very traits, and misleads no one by deceitful
imitation of sanctity. But, because our Lord commanded us to beware of wolves
in sheep's clothing, saying, "By their fruits you shall know them,"
he who, professing Christianity, draws the eyes of men to himself by his
unusual filth and soiled apparel (provided he is not constrained by necessity,
but does this of his own accord) can be judged from the rest of his actions
whether he acts thus from contempt of superfluous care or from a certain secret
ambition.
For when, by a few tests, those very advantages which
they have obtained or desire to obtain by that subterfuge begin to be taken
away, then it is made manifest whether they are wolves in sheep's clothing or
sheep in their own. Yet a Christian does not have to delight the gazes of men
by undue superfluities because of the fact that very often hypocrites also don
a very poor and needy garb in order to deceive the unwary; just as those sheep
need not put off their own clothing if it happens at times that wolves hide
themselves in them.
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