Homily XIX.
Matt. VI. 1.
“Take heed that ye do not your almsbefore men, to be seen of them.”
roots out in what remains
the most tyrannical passion of all, the rage and madness with respect
to vainglory, which springs up in them that do right. For at first He
had not at all discoursed about it; it being indeed superfluous, before
He had persuaded them to do any of the things which they ought, to
teach in which way they should practise and pursue them.
But after He had led them on to self-command, then He
proceeds to purge away also the alloy which secretly subsists with it. For this disease is by no means of random birth; but when we have duly performed many of the commandments.
It behooved therefore first to implant virtue, and then
to remove the passion which mars its fruit.
And see with what He begins, with fasting, and prayer, and almsgiving: for in these good deeds most especially it is wont to make its haunt. The Pharisee, for instance, was hereby puffed up, who saith, “I fast twice a week, I give tithes of my substance.” And he was vainglorious too in his very prayer, making it for display. For since there was no one else present, he pointed himself out to the publican,saying, “I am not as the rest of men, nor even as this publican.”
And mark how Christ began, as though He were speaking of
some wild beast, hard to catch, and crafty to deceive him who was not
very watchful. Thus, “take heed,” saith He, “as to
your alms.” So Paul also speaks to the Philippians; “Beware
of dogs.” And with reason, forthe evil beast comes in upon us secretly, and without noise puffs all away, and unobservedly carries out all that is within.
Forasmuch then as He had made much discourse about
almsgiving, and brought forward God, “Who maketh His sun to rise
on the evil and the good,”and by motives from all quarters had urged them on to this, and had persuaded them to exult in the abundance of their giving; He finishes by taking away also all things that encumber this fair olive tree. For which same cause He saith, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men,” for that which was before mentioned, is “God’s” almsgiving.
2. And when He had said, “not to do it before
men,” He added, “to be seen of them.” And though it
seems as if the same thing were said a second time, yet if any one give
particular attention, it is not the same thing, but one is different
from the other; and it hath great security, and unspeakable care and
tenderness. For it may be, both that one doing alms before men may not
do it to be seen of them, and again that one not doing it before men
may do it to be seen of them. Wherefore it is not simply the thing, but
the intent, which He both punishes and rewards. And unless such
exactness were employed, this would make many more backward about the
giving of alms, because it is not on every occasion altogether possible
to do it secretly. For this cause, setting thee free from this
restraint, He defines both the penalty and the reward not by the result
of the action, but by the intention of the doer.
That is, that thou mayest not say, “What? am I
then the worse, should another see?”—“it is not
this,” saith He, “that I am seeking, but the mind that is
in thee, and the tone of what thou doest.” For His will is to
bring our soul altogether into frame, and to deliver it from every
disease. Now having, as you see, forbidden men’s acting for
display, and having taught them the penalty thence ensuing, namely, to
do it vainly, and for nought, He again rouses their spirits by putting
them in mind of the Father, and of Heaven, that not by the loss alone
He might sting them, but also shame them by the recollection of Him who
gave them being.
“For ye have no reward,” saith He, “with your Father which is in Heaven.”
Nor even at this did He stop, but proceeds yet further, by other motives also increasing their disgust. For as above He set forth publicans and heathens, by the quality of the person shaming their imitators, so also in this place the hypocrites.
“Therefore when thou doest thine alms,” saith He, “do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do.”
Not that they had trumpets, but He means to display the
greatness of their frenzy, by the use of this figure of speech, deriding and making a showof them hereby.