(16) Perhaps to any of you who lack
faith, these statement seem to be either without validity or clarity. The Lord
Himself most clearly teaches in the Gospel that a Christian loses nothing from
his good works when He said: 'Whosoever shall give to drink to one of these
least ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, Amen I say to
you, he shall not lose his reward.' What could be said more clearly? he said
that one would receive a reward in the next world for a thing that was
valueless in the present world. He attached so much honor to worshipping God
that faith will give merit in heaven to that which is worthless in this life.
Lest anyone delude himself by the
false hope that those who have much can buy much for little, He implied that
the reward for even a cup of cold water would not be lost. He showed clearly
thereby not that much will be received for having given little, but only that
any work done with faith would not go unrecompensed.
You have the undoubted surety of
future recompense. You have a most suitable guarantee that good works are
acceptable to Him. You have Him whose assurance, mercy, and goodness are so great
that he not only pays what He promised as a debt, but even points out something
by which He makes Himself indebted to you. He who said that He would give
Himself as a reward for a cup of cold water not only wishes to pay for what He
had received, but also points out the reward which He is paying. Tender and
full of mercy and desirous of rewarding not only the liberality of the rich,
but even the tiny kindnesses of the poor, He points out also how we can lend at
interest and make God indebted to us, even though we have nothing whatsoever.
(17) To any of you who are rich,
perhaps this charity seems unworthy of your wealth, and you wish to hear some
pledge of the Holy Promise particularly pertinent to you. In the first place,
you have that saying which God spoke to that rich man in the Gospel: 'Go, sell
all your goods, and you will have treasure in Heaven.' Next, that saying
wherein He orders with a general prohibitory command: 'Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven.'
Lastly, He spoke these words with which
He invited all possessors of worldly goods to the duty of abundant alms with
the hope of eternal reward, because every man who for the honor and love of God
put aside either his house, or field, or any other wealth whatsoever as alms
would receive a hundred-fold in the next world. 'But moreover,' He says, 'he
will possess eternal life.' What better answer could He, who promised that He
would pay back a hundredfold interest to those who loaned Him wealth, give to
them who believe in Him?
Not only this, but He said: 'he will
possess life eternal.' This is much more than the actual hundredfold return,
because what anybody receives a hundredfold he will possess forever. Eternal
life will not be a perishable and transitory possession, nor will it be like earthly
riches of passing semblance, or perishable in the manner of vanishing dreams. Whatever
will be given by God will be immortal and whatever has been received will
remain without end. And therefore, as I said, he who so receives more than a
hundredfold, because he wins the prize of the
hundredfold and that is an everlasting hundredfold.
(18) Since this is the case and since
he who believes in God will doubtless receive great rewards in return, how can
you think that riches given by you to God will not profit you after death? God
has promised you these riches—not only their use, but also the fullest measure
of return from them? Or, perhaps you do not wish to receive these great return
from them. Or, perhaps you do not wish to receive these great returns? But it
does not stand to reason that you do not wish to receive them.
There is no one among men who chooses
to be sad when he can be happy; there is nobody alive who, when he can have the
delights of the greatest good, wishes to suffer the punishment of the greatest
evil. There is no one at all—not even you. Unless, perhaps, your nature is
abnormal and you differ from the human race in that you alone do not wish
yourself well, you alone flee from happiness, you alone delight in punishment.
If this is not your nature, when you
are dying and have arrived at the last moments of life, why do you not render
the obligation of the highest sacrifice with the whole of your wealth, so that,
if you can deserve it from God, you may be eternally rich and happy? if, on the
contrary, you cannot do this, act so that you may merit not to be truly
wretched, that you may not burn, that you may not suffer, that you may not be
destroyed in the exterior darkness, and that you may not burn in everlasting flames.
As I have said, what reason is there
that you do not do these things? What reason is there that you do not purchase
eternal goods? What reason is there that you do not fear do not think you are
to be judged by God or you do not fully eternal evils? What indeed, except as I
have said before, you believe that you will arise from the dead? If you did
believe, would you not flee from that immeasurable evil of the future judgment
and avoid the torments of eternal punishments?
You do not believe; you do not
believe; though you assert otherwise by word and profession, still you do not
believe. Your speech and profession make a display of your faith, but your life
and death make public your lack of faith. Convince me otherwise. I want to be
convinced. I do not ask that you prove to me your belief by acts of your past
life. I am content with the one proof furnished by your last moments.
Behold, behold, you are on the point
of death. You are about to depart from the home of your body, not knowing where
you will go, where you are to be taken. You do not know to what punishment, to
what foulness, you are being dragged. You, to whom only one thing remains in
the midst of your last moments, to you there is given one slight hope as an
asylum for fleeing eternal fire. Offer at least one your own behalf what you
have of your substance, because you do not have anything else you can offer to
God. You are unmindful of yourself, forgetful of your own salvation. You are
thinking about new legatees, you are longing to enrich your heir.
When you act as you do, do you say
that you believe in the judgment of God? You who are being judged, do you
consult your own little interests in the midst of your last moments? Do you say
that you believe that you are occupied with the salvation of your soul, to whom
it almost does not matter whom you favor provided you injure yourself? Do you
say that you believe in the future judgment, you with whom there is nobody less
and more despised than the Judge Himself? You scorn Him so much, you despise
Him so much, that you do not consult your own interest with Him as long as you
regard His commands with contempt.
If I am lying, refute or convince me.
Behold, your Judge, who is about to judge you, cries out to you, who are dying,
that you are not to love anyone more than yourself when you are handing out
your property and resources; that you, when you are dying, are not to consult
the interest of your substance more than of yourself; that you are not to think
someone more dear and more closely related to you than your own soul. The
Saviour says: 'What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer
the loss of his soul? or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?'
This means: what will it profit you, O
most unhappy man, if you possess the whole world or leave it to your near
relatives, if you suffer the loss of your salvation and soul? Damnation of the
soul takes everything completely with it. Neither can a man possess anything
whatsoever, who loses himself with the loss of his soul. The Saviour says: 'Or
what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?' This means: O man, do not look
to money or possessions and do not hesitate, when you are dying, to offer as
much as you can of your property and wealth in exchange for your hope. Whatever
you give on your own behalf is too little to offer. Whatsoever you offer on
your own behalf is a small price, because, in comparison, your soul is more
valuable than all riches. Therefore, have no hesitation in giving on your own
behalf, because, if you lose yourself, you lose everything in yourself. But if
you gain yourself, you shall possess all things with and in yourself. (Salvian,
The Four Books of Timothy to the Church, Book 3, 16-18, in Salvian:
The Writings of Salvian the Presbyter [trans. Jeremiah F. O’Sullivan; The
Fathers of the Church 3; Washington D. C.: The Catholic University of America
Press, 1947], 345-49)