ELEMENTS FROM
THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH
The Writings of the Fathers

Among the Fathers of the second century, Justin (in his first "Apology") had already linked the Eucharist with solidarity for the poorest. Spiritual and material sharing were already joined together. Major Church authors will constantly recall the need to give alms, to practice charity, to welcome the needy; they will also reflect on the questions of justice and wealth.

After 313, the Church will no longer have to suffer persecutions as before and will progressively become the official religion of the Empire. This was the period when the Church sought to evangelize everything, including social and economic life. At that time social distinctions were extremely pronounced, the owners of the land led very luxurious lives, while the poor who were very numerous had nothing. The Fathers of the Church spoke out quite explicitly about the need to help the poor in order to insure that Christian life may be true and that the sacraments may find their fullness.

Among those who were the main theologians involved in this struggle, we want to call particular attention to: Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom and Ambrose of Milan. They showed how true faith must be channeled through service to the poor.

Basil was an exemplary pastor who sought to defend his people. He took a strong stance against injustices and excessive taxes. He distributed his goods graciously to the poor, thus practicing charity and inviting his parishioners to do the same. He set up a vast health complex where the poor could receive the help and the support they needed.

In respect to Justice and Peace, Basil preached a series of sermons against the rich and against wealth (commenting particularly on Lk 12:16 and Mt 19: 16-26) and gave a homily on Ps 14; in these presentations, he violently criticized the desire to possess, interests on loans, debts, the fact that accumulation of wealth was obtained by robbing the poor... You may want to read Basil's text, In Times of Famine.

Gregory of Nyssa dealt with the social ills of his time, such as usurious rates on loans, indifference and contempt towards the poor. He fought for the recognition of the dignity of the poor and he invited the people to share with them. Two major sermons can be recalled here: On the Love of the Poor and Against Loan-sharks.

John Chrysostom was the defender of the poor and the little ones. In his preaching, he lashed out against the ill will of the rich and those who accumulated wealth. For him the poor were the sacraments of God. Among the many texts that he left us on the theme of Justice and Peace, the ones that stand out are The Homily on Poor Lazarus, the Second Homily on the Word of the Prophet David (Ps 48) and Homily 63 on Mt 19, 16-29, his Commentaries on the First Letter to the Corinthians (Homilies # 10, 11, 14, 34, 38), on the First Letter to the Thessalonians (Homily 12), on the Acts of the Apostles (Homilies #7,11,13) and the First Treaty on Asceticism.

Ambrose of Milan was particularly involved in defending the poor against the rich, the loan-sharks, the oppressors. He invited his listeners to give alms, which he considered simply the restitution of goods that belonged to everyone and had been stolen by the rich. Ambrose wrote a small treatise on the topic, called Naboth, the Poor. But Augustine will also insist on that true poverty which all of us are called to live, the distance we must keep with respect to the ownership of things which allows one to search for God and to belong to God. On these topics, see Sermons 14, 39, 41, 107, 113, 123; and Commentaries 1 and 2 of Ps 48.


Liturgy and the Divine Office

There are numerous beautiful texts produced by these authors that are already part of the Liturgy of the Hours and the Divine Office.

"Gathered in the church, we praise God.

When each one of us goes back to work, it seems that we stop praising God. Keep on living well and you will praise God through that life.

When you sing "Alleluia", give bread to the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the homeless, it is not only your voice that sings, but your hand sings also when your actions are in conformity with your words.

It is not sufficient to pray God only at certain times, your life must praise God always.

If you only sing with your voice, there will be moments of silence.

May your life be an uninterrupted song.

Sing with your voice, may your heart never cease expressing itself; may your life never cease expressing itself."

(Saint Augustine, Commentaries on Psalms #148, #149 and #146)

Readings:

To continue your reflection on this theme you may want to read:

R. Sierra Bravo, Doctrina social y economica de los padres de la iglesia, Madrid, 1967.

P. Christophe, Les devoirs moraux des riches; l'usage du droit de propriété dans l'Eglise et la tradition patristique", Paris, 1962.

A. Hamman, Riches et pauvres dans l'Eglise ancienne, Paris 1962.

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