Matthew 6 · The Lantern

Giving to the Needy

But beware of doing your righteousness before men in order to be seen by them; and if not, you have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens.

But since Scripture commands each of two things-namely, that we work for the Lord without the privity of any second person, and without pressure upon ourselves, it matters not in which quarter you sin; whether in regard to your husband's privity, if he be tolerant, or else in regard of your own affliction in avoiding his intolerance.

A brother said to Poemen, 'If I give my brother something, for instance a piece of bread, the demons made the gift worthless by making me think that it was done to please men.' The hermit said to him, 'Even if it is done to please men, we still ought to give our brothers what they need.' He told him this parable: 'In a town there were two farmers.

Take heed that you do not your justice. Above, the Lord fulfilled the Law with respect to the precepts; now he begins to fulfill it with respect to the promises.

When therefore you may do acts of charity, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Amen I say to you, they have their reward.

Is it to please the brethren, or God Himself? If God Himself, He is as capable of beholding whatever is done in secret, as He is just to remunerate what is done for His sole honour. In fine, He enjoins us not to trumpet forth any one of those things which will merit reward in His sight, nor get compensation for them from men.

(Mor. xxxi. 13.) It should be known, that there are some who wear the dress of sanctity, and are not able to work out the merit of perfection, yet who must in no wise be numbered among the hypocrites, because it is one thing to sin from weakness, another from crafty affectation.

Regarding almsgiving, therefore, which is the first, he does two things. First, he excludes the undue manner; secondly, he sets forth the due manner, at the words But when thou dost alms. Regarding the first, he excludes the undue manner; secondly, he assigns the reason, at the words Amen I say to you.

But you, doing charity, let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

And therefore has the Lord said: "Judge not, that ye be not judged: for with what judgment ye shall judge, ye shall be judged." [Matthew 7:1-2] [The meaning is] not certainly that we should not find fault with sinners, nor that we should consent to those who act wickedly; but that we should not pronounce an unfair judgment on the dispensations of God, inasmuch as He has Himself…

(ubi sup.) But according to this interpretation, it will be no fault to have a respect to pleasing the faithful; and yet we are forbidden to propose as the end of any good work the pleasing of any kind of men. Yet if you would have men to imitate your actions which may be pleasing to them, they must be done before unbelievers as well as believers.

Consequently, he assigns the due and fitting manner, and afterward assigns the reason, at the words That thy alms may be in secret. He says, therefore: But when thou dost alms. This is expounded in many ways. For Chrysostom says that in the book of the Canons of the Apostles it is expounded thus: by the left hand is understood the unfaithful people; by the right, the faithful.

so that your giving may be in the secret. And your Father, the One seeing in the secret, will reward you.

And then the reward too; consider how great it is. For after He had spoken of the punishment from the one, He points out also the honor derived from the other; from either side urging them, and leading them on to high lessons.

"That thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father Who seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly." When will He reward you? When all things are revealed clearly and openly, and then you will be not merely rewarded, but glorified.

The reason is given: That thy alms may be in secret, and in your conscience, which is hidden: "No one knows the things of a man" (1 Cor 2:11); and again: "Our glory is this, the testimony of our conscience" (2 Cor 1:12). For thus is that text understood: "For it is not he who is a Jew outwardly" (Rom 2:28).

The Lord’s Prayer

And when you may pray, you will not be like the hypocrites; for they love to pray having stood in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, so that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have their reward.

Neither pray as the hypocrites; but as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, thus pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us to-day our daily (needful) bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors.

(Collat. ix. 35.) Also we should observe close silence in our prayers, that our enemies, who are ever most watchful to ensnare us at that time, may not know the purport of our petition.

And when ye pray. Above, the Lord showed regarding the work of almsgiving that it should not be done for human glory; here he shows the same regarding prayer, and concerning this he does two things. First, he teaches the manner of praying; secondly, he teaches what should be sought in prayer, at the words Thus therefore shall you pray.

But you yourself, when you may pray, enter into your room; and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret. And your Father, the One seeing in the secret, will reward you.

We are asked to pray with the bedroom door closed, as it were, and we are taught to pour out our prayer in every place. The saints' prayers were undertaken in the presence of wild animals, in prisons, in flames, from the depths of the sea and the belly of the beast. Hence we are admonished not to enter the recesses of our homes but the bedroom of our hearts.

Outside the inner chamber are all things in time and space, which knock on the door. Through our bodily senses they clamor to interrupt our prayer, so that prayer is invaded with a crowd of vain phantoms. This is why you must shut the door. The senses of the body are resisted, that the spirit of prayer may be directed to the Father.

But thou when thou shalt pray. Here he sets forth the due manner, and first he presents it; secondly, he assigns the reason: And thy Father. He says, therefore: But thou, when thou shalt pray, i.e., when you dispose yourself to pray. Enter into thy chamber. This is expounded in three ways. It is understood first literally of the secret of a private room.

And praying, do not use vain repetitions like the pagans; for they think that in their many words they will be heard.

Nevertheless, the proceeding of a discussion on the necessaries of faith is not idle, because it is not unfruitful. In edification no loquacity is base, if it be base at any time. And so, if the discourse be concerning some particular good, the subject requires us to review also the contrary of that good.

(Collat. ix. 36.) We should indeed pray often, but in short form, lest if we be long in our prayers, the enemy that lies in wait for us, might suggest something for our thoughts.

And when you are praying, speak not much. Here he teaches us to avoid the second vice, namely, the wordiness of the gentiles, and regarding this he does three things. First, he teaches us to avoid the example of the gentiles; secondly, he sets forth their intention; thirdly, he assigns the reason.

Do not therefore be like them; for your Father has known of what things you have need before your asking Him.

Since, however, the Lord, the Foreseer of human necessities, said separately, after delivering His Rule of Prayer, "Ask, and ye shall receive; " and since there are petitions which are made according to the circumstances of each individual; our additional wants have the right-after beginning with the legitimate and customary prayers as a foundation, as it were-of rearing an out…

And it should be noted what He says to the blind man as he approaches: "What do you want Me to do for you?" Did He who was able to restore light not know what the blind man wanted? But He wishes to be asked for that which He foreknows both that we will ask and that He will grant.

For they think, etc. Be not you therefore like to them, etc., and why: for your Father knoweth, etc.: "Lord, before you is all my desire" (Ps 38:9). Therefore, if he knows, we should not multiply words. But it will be said: God knows what things are necessary for us. Why then do we pray?

Thus therefore pray you yourselves: ‘Our Father who is in the heavens, hallowed be Your name;

Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven so also upon earth;

When we pray "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," we do not imply that anyone could prevent the fulfillment of God's will or that he needs our prayer to accomplish his will. Rather, we pray that his will be done in all. Think of heaven and earth as a picture of our very selves, spirit and flesh.

(Collat. ix. 19.) Or; because the Saint knows by the witness of his conscience, that when the kingdom of God shall appear, he shall be partaker therein.

You should desire three things from God, and they concern yourself. The first is that you may arrive at eternal life. And you pray for this when you say: "Thy kingdom come." The second is that you will do the will of God and His justice. You pray for this in the words: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

grant us today our daily bread;

How unworthy, also, is the way in which you interpret to the favour of your own lust the fact that the Lord "ate and drank" promiscuously!

There remain now the petitions for this life of our pilgrimage; therefore follows, "Give us this day our daily bread." Give us eternal things, give us things temporal. Thou hast promised a kingdom, deny us not the means of subsistence. Thou wilt give everlasting glory with Thyself hereafter, give us in this earth temporal support.

Sometimes it happens that one of great learning and wisdom becomes fearful and timid; and, therefore, it is necessary that he have fortitude of heart lest he lack necessities: "It is He that giveth strength to the weary, and increaseth force and might to them that are not." The Holy Spirit gives this fortitude: "And the Spirit entered into me,...

and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves also forgive our debtors;

It was suitable that, after contemplating the liberality of God, we should likewise address His clemency. For what will aliments profit us, if we are really consigned to them, as it were a bull destined for a victim?

Hyperichius said, 'Snatch your neighbour from his sins, so far as you can, and refrain from condemning him, for God does not reject those who turn to him. Let no evil word about your brother stay in your mind, so that you can say, "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors" (Mt. 7:12).'

There are some men of great wisdom and fortitude who, because they trust too much in their own strength, do not wisely carry out what they attempt, and they do not bring to completion that which they have in mind. "Designs are strengthened by counsels." It must be known that the Holy Ghost who gives fortitude also gives counsel.

and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil.’

And certainly, when the Son of God has faith's protection absolutely committed to Him, beseeching it of the Father, from whom He receives all power in heaven and on earth, how entirely out of the question is it that the devil should have the assailing of it in his own power!

(Enchir. 73.) Forasmuch as this so great goodness, namely, to forgive debts, and to love our enemies, cannot be possessed by so great a number as we suppose to be heard in the use of this prayer; without doubt the terms of this stipulation are fulfilled, though one have not attained to such proficiency as to love his enemy; yet if when he is requested by one, who has trespassed…

SEVENTH PETITION: "But Deliver Us from Evil. Amen." The Lord has already taught us to pray for forgiveness of our sins, and how to avoid temptations. In this petition, He teaches us to pray to be preserved from evil, and indeed from all evil in general, such as sin, illness, affliction and all others, as St. Augustine explains it.

For if you shall forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you also;

Let us therefore, brethren, be of humble mind, laying aside all haughtiness, and pride, and foolishness, and angry feelings; and let us act according to that which is written (for the Holy Spirit saith, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, neither let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in the Lo…

(Serm. in Mont. ii. 11.) Here we should not overlook that of all the petitions enjoined by the Lord, He judged that most worthy of further enforcement, which relates to forgiveness of sins, in which He would have us merciful; which is the only means of escaping misery. (Enchir.

For if you will forgive men their offences. The Lord had added a certain condition in the prayer, namely, forgive us; but this condition could seem burdensome to someone. And therefore the Lord shows the reason for it, and regarding this he does two things: first, he shows this condition to be useful; secondly, necessary.

but unless you shall forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Proper Fasting

And whenever you may fast, do not be gloomy like the hypocrites; for they disfigure their appearance so that they may appear to men as fasting. Amen I say to you, they have their reward.

But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites; for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week; but do ye fast on the fourth day and the Preparation (Friday).

She also said, 'The devil sometimes sends a severe fast which is too prolonged; the devil's disciples do this as well as holy men. How do we distinguish the fasting of our God and King from the fasting of that tyrant the devil? Clearly by its moderation. Throughout your life, then, you ought to keep an unvarying rule of fasting.

And when you fast. After he determined the manner of praying and giving alms, here he determines the manner of fasting, and first he excludes the unfitting manner; secondly, he establishes the true manner, at the words But thou. Regarding the first, he does three things.

But you yourself, fasting, anoint your head and wash your face,

As therefore, when He said, "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth," it was not of hands that He was speaking, but of the duty of being strictly concealed from all; and as when He commanded us to enter into our closet, not there alone absolutely, nor there primarily, did He command us to pray, but He covertly intimated the same thing again; so likewise here, in c…

(Hom. in Ev. xvi. 6.) For God approves that fasting, which before His eyes opens the hands of alms. This then that you deny yourself, bestow on another, that wherein your flesh is afflicted, that of your needy neighbour may be refreshed.

But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face. Here the fitting manner of fasting is set forth, and regarding this he does three things. First, he sets forth the manner; secondly, he assigns the reason; thirdly, the benefit.

so that you may not appear to men as fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret. And your Father, the One seeing in the secret, will reward you.

Treasures in Heaven

Do not store up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal;

Saying, Lay not up for yourselves treasure on earth, He adds, where rust and moth destroy, in order to show the insecurity of that treasure that is here, and the advantage of that which is in Heaven, both from the place, and from those things which harm. As though He had said; Why fear you that your wealth should be consumed, if you should give alms?

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where the moth and the rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where the moth and the rust do not corrupt, and where thieves break not through nor steal." And it is evident that this commandment is not applicable to solitaries and to those who are perfect, for how cou…

Lay not up to yourselves treasures. Above, the Lord determined that we should not do works for the sake of glory. Here he teaches that we should not set riches as the end of our good works. For there are two evils — covetousness and vainglory — which follow upon each other. For many seek riches not for necessity but for display.

but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in nor steal.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The mind compasses the whole man about, and whither it wills it carries him. But where thy heart shall be, there shall be thy treasure. Be there our heart, then, where we would have our treasure.

(Verse 21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This applies not only to money, but also to all passions and possessions. The stomach is the god of gluttons: there it has its heart, where its treasure is. The treasure of the luxurious is feasts. For the lascivious, it is playfulness; for the lover, it is desire.

For where thy treasure is. Here he wishes to show that we should treasure up in heaven and not on earth, first because of the harm that results, which is twofold. The first is the distraction of the heart; the second, alienation from God, at the words No man can serve two masters. Regarding the first, he does two things.

The Lamp of the Body

The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye shall be clear, your whole body will be full of light;

The single eye is the love unfeigned; for when the body is enlightened by it, it sets forth through the medium of the outer members only things which are perfectly correspondent with the inner thoughts. But the evil eye is the pretended love, which is also called hypocrisy, by which the whole body of the man is made darkness.

(ap. Gloss. ord.) Otherwise; faith is likened to a light, because by it the goings of the inner man, that is, action, are lightened, that he should not stumble according to that, Thy word is a light to my feet. (Ps. 119:105.) If that then be pure and single, the whole body is light; but if defiled, the whole body will be dark.

And because this harm, namely, the distraction of the heart, few consider, therefore the Lord shows how great this danger is by a certain example. Hence The light of thy body is thy eye; through sensible things he instructs about intelligible things. And this can be read in two ways.

but if your eye shall be evil, all your body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is within you is darkness, how great that darkness!

No one is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and will love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and will despise the other. You are not able to serve God and money.

For who would doubt that faith undergoes a daily process of obliteration by unbelieving intercourse? "Evil confabulations corrupt good morals; " how much more fellowship of life, and indivisible intimacy! Any and every believing woman must of necessity obey God. And how can she serve two lords -the Lord, and her husband-a Gentile to boot?

No man can serve two masters. Above, the Lord set forth one lesson, that we should not accumulate treasures on earth because the heart is distracted by this; now he sets forth another, namely, that it makes one alienated from God, and this is No man can serve two masters.

Do Not Worry

Because of this I say to you: do not be anxious about your life, what you may eat or what you may drink, nor about your body, what you may put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing?

We who carry about our very soul, our very body, exposed in this world to injury from all, and exhibit patience under that injury; shall we be hurt at the loss of less important things? Far from a servant of Christ be such a defilement as that the patience which has been prepared for greater temptations should forsake him in frivolous ones.

"For this reason I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on." "For this reason" - for what reason? Because concern over money drives a man away from God. The soul does not eat, for it is bodiless, but Jesus said this according to the common use of the word.

Therefore I say to you. After the Lord had shown that we should not set our end in superfluous earthly treasures, he wishes also to show the same regarding the acquisition of necessities; and this is Therefore I say to you.

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow nor do they reap nor do they gather into barns — and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you yourselves much more valuable than they?

On the other hand, this worldly concupiscence (to which I referred) has, as its causes, glory, cupidity, ambition, want of sufficiency; through which causes it trumps up the "necessity" for marrying,-promising itself, forsooth, heavenly things in return-to lord it, (namely,) in another's family; to roost on another's wealth; to extort splendour from another's store to lavish ex…

"Behold the birds of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much more than they?" Although He could have given the example of Elijah and John the Baptist, instead He mentions the birds in order to shame us, for we are even more witless than these creatures.

Consequently, the second reason from the lesser is set forth, which is this: he who has provided for lesser things, about which there seems to be less concern, will also provide for greater things. But God provides for plants and birds, etc. And regarding this he does two things.

And who from among you, being anxious, is able to add one cubit to his stature?

The wonder is, that there is no (open) contending against the Lord's prescripts! It has been pronounced that no one can add to his own stature. You, however, do add to your weight some kind of rolls, or shield-bosses, to be piled upon your necks!

(Serm. in Mont. ii. 15.) Or it may be connected with what follows it; as though He should say, It was not by our care that our body was brought to its present stature; so that we may know that if we desired to add one cubit to it, we should not be able. Leave then the care of clothing that body to Him who made it to grow to its present stature.

And which of you by taking thought, can add to his stature one cubit? He draws an argument from experience. For it is manifest that just as God provides for animals in the works of nature, so also for men.

And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe the lilies of the field, how they grow; they do not labour nor do they spin.

But I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.

But if Solomon was surpassed by their beauty, and that not once nor twice, but throughout all his reign;-for neither can one say, that at one time He was clothed with such apparel, but after that He was so no more; rather not so much as on one day did He array Himself so beautifully: for this Christ declared by saying, "in all his reign:" and if it was not that He was surpassed…

Or the meaning may be, that Solomon though he toiled not for his own raiment, yet he gave command for the making of it. But where command is, there is often found both offence of them that minister, and wrath of him that commands. When then any are without these things, then they are arrayed as are the lilies.

But I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. Here the benefit of divine providence is set forth. For God so provides that the whole effort of man could not equal it, because things made by art cannot equal those made by nature.

But if God thus clothes the grass of the field, being here today and tomorrow being thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Or, under the signification of grass the Gentiles are pointed to. If then an eternal existence is only therefore granted to the Gentiles, that they may soon be handed over to the judgment fires; how impious it is that the saints should doubt of attaining to eternal glory, when the wicked have eternity bestowed on them for their punishment.

"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" We learn from this that we ought not to be concerned with beautifying ourselves, for our adornments wither like the fading flowers. Therefore one who beautifies himself is like grass.

And if the grass of the field. Here he argues from the example. Above the Lord had made mention of lilies; here he changes to grass, because he intends to argue from the lesser. Hence he sets forth deficiency on one hand to show pre-eminence on the other: he shows pre-eminence as to the dignity of substance, because we are men. "The grass has withered" (Is 40:7).

Do not therefore be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

It should be observed that He does not say, Do not ye seek, or be thoughful for, food, drink, and raiment, but what ye shall eat, what ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed. Wherein they seem to me to be convicted, who, using themselves the usual food and clothing, require of those with whom they live either greater sumptuousness, or greater austerity in both.

Be not solicitous therefore. Here he argues, and regarding this he does two things: first, he draws one conclusion; secondly, he introduces another argument for the same conclusion, at the words For after all these things. Separately he had treated of the solicitude about food and drink and about clothing; here he concludes about both. Hence Be not solicitous.

For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all of them.

But, because that word is admissible in a carnal sense too, it cannot be so used without the religious remembrance withal of spiritual Discipline; for (the Lord) commands that bread be prayed for, which is the only food necessary for believers; for "all other things the nations seek after." The like lesson He both inculcates by examples, and repeatedly handles in parables, when…

"For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." The kingdom of God is the enjoyment of all that is good. This comes through righteousness. To him who seeks after spiritual things God in His generosity adds that which is needed for physical life.

For after all these things do the heathens seek — as though the faithful should not do what the unfaithful do; hence the unfaithful are blamed, but the gentiles are blamed for this; therefore, etc. And first he sets forth the error of the unfaithful; secondly, he disproves it; thirdly, he shows what the faithful should do.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

But how gracefully has the Divine Wisdom arranged the order of the prayer; so that after things heavenly-that is, after the "Name" of God, the "Will" of God, and the "Kingdom" of God-it should give earthly necessities also room for a petition!

Behold, we see, dearest brothers, how many of you have gathered for the feast of the martyr: you bend your knees, you beat your breasts, you utter words of prayer and confession, you wet your faces with tears. But consider, I ask, your petitions; see whether you are asking in the name of Jesus, that is, whether you are seeking the joys of eternal salvation.

Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God. He sets forth three things here: the kingdom as the end, because by the kingdom of God is understood eternal beatitude. For then something is properly ruled when it is subject to the rule of the one governing.

Do not therefore be anxious about the things of tomorrow; for tomorrow will be anxious about itself. Sufficient to the day is its trouble.

Moreover, He Justly added, "Give us this day," seeing He had previously said, "Take no careful thought about the morrow, what ye are to eat." To which subject He also adapted the parable of the man who pondered on an enlargement of his barns for his forthcoming fruits, and on seasons of prolonged security; but that very night he dies.

[Syncletica] said, ' "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Eph. 4:26). Likewise, if you wait until the sun is going down on your life, you will not know how to say, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Matt. 6:34). Why do you hate the man who has harmed you? It is not he who has harmed you but the devil. You ought to hate the sickness, not the sick man.'

Be not therefore solicitous for to morrow. Here he forbids solicitude about future things, and first he sets forth his admonition; secondly, he explains it, at the words for the morrow. He says, therefore: Be not solicitous. And note that the Lord does not intend to forbid a man from being at all solicitous about what he should eat tomorrow.