Homily 21 — Romans 12, verses 4 to 13

“For as we have many members in one body, and all the members do not have the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and each one members of one another.” [a]

Again he uses the same illustration he used with the Corinthians, and to calm the same passion. Great is the power of this medicine, and the force of this illustration, for correcting this disease of arrogance. This is what he means: “Why do you think so highly of yourself? Or again, why does another utterly despise himself? Are we not all one body, great and small alike? Since, then, in the total count we are only one, and members of one another, why do you cut yourself off by your arrogance? Why do you put your brother to shame? For as he is a member of you, so you are a member of him. And that is why your claims to honor are so equal.” He has stated two things that can bring down their proud spirit. One is that we are members of one another — not only the small of the great, but the great of the small as well. The other is that we are all one body. Or rather, there are three points, since he also shows that the gift was a matter of grace.

“Therefore do not be high-minded.” For it was given to you by God; you did not take it, or even find it. That is why, when he touches on the gifts, he does not say that one received more and another less. What does he say? That they are different. His words are “having then gifts” — not less and greater, but “differing.” And what if you are not appointed to the same office? The body is still the same. [b]

And beginning with gifts, he ends with a good deed. After mentioning prophecy and ministry and the like, he concludes with showing mercy, diligence, and help. Since it was likely that some would live virtuously and yet not have prophecy, he shows that this too is a gift, and a much greater one than the other, as he shows in the letter to the Corinthians. It is greater by as much as the one has a reward, while the other carries no recompense. For the whole thing is a matter of gift and grace. That is why he says, in verse 6: “Having then gifts differing according to the grace of God that is given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.”

Now that he has comforted them enough, he also wants to make them compete with one another and work harder, by showing that they themselves give the grounds for receiving more or less. He does say that it is given by God — as when he says, “according as God has dealt to each one the measure of faith,” and again, “according to the grace given to us” (Romans 12, verse 3) — so as to subdue the arrogant. But he also says that the beginnings lie with themselves, to rouse the listless. [d]

He does this in the letter to the Corinthians too, to produce both these feelings. When he says, “Earnestly desire the gifts” (First Corinthians 12, verse 31), he shows that they themselves were the cause of the differences in what was given. But when he says, “All these things are the work of one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one individually as he wills” (First Corinthians 12, verse 11), he is proving that those who have received ought not to be puffed up. In this way he uses every means open to him to calm their disorder. And he does the same here. Again, to rouse those who have grown drowsy, he says, “If prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.” For though it is a grace, it is not poured out at random. It shapes its measure to those who receive it, and lets as much flow as it finds the vessel of faith that is brought able to hold.

Verse 7: “Or ministry, let us attend to our ministry.” Here he names something that covers a great deal. Even the office of apostle is called a ministry, and every spiritual work is a ministry. It is, indeed, the name of one particular office, that of deacon; but here it is used in a general sense. [e]

“Or the one who teaches, to teaching.” See how he sets them down without distinction, the small first and the great afterward, again teaching us the same lesson: not to be puffed up or proud.

Verse 8: “Or the one who exhorts, to exhortation.” This too is a kind of teaching. For “if you have any word of exhortation,” it says, “speak to the people” (Acts 13, verse 15). Then, to show that it is no great good to pursue virtue unless it is done by the proper rule, he goes on: “The one who gives, with simplicity.” It is not enough to give; we must do it generously too, for that is what the word “simplicity” always stands for. The virgins had oil too, but because they did not have enough, they were shut out of everything. “The one who defends, with diligence” — for it is not enough to undertake the defense. “The one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” It is not enough to show mercy; we must do it with an open hand and without grudging — or rather, not only without grudging, but cheerfully and with joy, for not grudging does not amount to rejoicing.

He pressed this same point very strongly when he wrote to the Corinthians as well. To rouse them to such generosity he said, “The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (Second Corinthians 9, verse 6). But to correct their attitude he added, “Not grudgingly, or under compulsion” (Second Corinthians 9, verse 7). The one who shows mercy ought to have both: freedom from grudging, and pleasure.

Why do you lament over giving alms? Why do you grieve at showing mercy, and lose the benefit of the good deed? If you grieve, you are not showing mercy; you are cruel and inhuman. If you grieve, how will you be able to lift up the one who is in sorrow? It is a great deal if he suspects nothing wrong even when you give with joy. For nothing seems to people so disgraceful as receiving from others. So unless you remove that suspicion by a very cheerful face, and show that you are receiving rather than giving, you will cast the receiver down rather than raise him up. That is why he says, “The one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Who looks gloomy when he is receiving a kingdom? Who keeps a downcast face when he is receiving pardon for his sins?

So do not look at the money you spend, but at the increase that comes from spending it. If the sower rejoices, though he sows with no certainty of a return, much more should the one who farms heaven. In this way, even if you give only a little, you will be giving much; while however much you give with a gloomy face, you will have made your much into little. That is how the widow outweighed many talents with her two small coins: her spirit was large.

Someone may say: “And how is it possible for someone who lives in the extremes of poverty, and pours out everything he has, to do this with a willing mind?” Ask the widow, and you will hear how. You will learn that it is not poverty that puts a man in narrow straits, but his own disposition that brings about both this and its opposite. It is possible to be large-hearted even in poverty, and stingy in wealth. So in giving he looks for simplicity, in showing mercy for cheerfulness, and in standing up for others for diligence. For he does not want us to help those in need with money only, but with words and deeds, in person, and in every other way. He first mentioned the chief kind of standing up for others, the kind that lies in teaching and in exhorting — the more necessary kind, since it nourishes the soul. Then he goes on to help given with money and by all other means. And then, to show how these may be done rightly, he brings in their mother: love.

Verse 9: “Let love be without hypocrisy.” If you have this, he says, you will not notice the loss of your money, the labor of your body, the toil of your words, your trouble, and your service. You will bear it all bravely, whether it is with your person, your money, your words, or anything else whatever that you are to help your neighbor. He does not ask only for giving, but for giving with simplicity; not only for standing up for others, but with diligence; not only for alms, but with cheerfulness. In the same way he does not ask for love alone, but for love without hypocrisy. For this is what love is. If a man has it, everything else follows. The one who shows mercy does it with cheerfulness, for he is giving to himself. The one who stands up for others does it with diligence, for it is himself he is helping. And the one who shares does it generously, for he is bestowing it on himself. [j]

Then, since there is a love even for evil things — the love of those who lack self-control, and of those who are of one mind for money and for plunder, for revels and for drinking clubs — he clears it of all these by saying, “Abhor what is evil.” He does not speak of refraining from it but of hating it; and not merely hating it, but hating it intensely. For this prefix “apo” often has an intensifying force with him, as when he speaks of “earnest expectation,” of “looking out for,” and of “redemption,” that is, complete redemption. Many who do not do evil things still desire them; that is why he says, “Abhor.” What he wants is to purify the thought itself, and that we should have a mighty hostility, hatred, and war against vice. This is what he means: “Do not imagine, because I said, ‘Love one another,’ that I want you to go so far as to cooperate with one another even in bad actions. The law I am laying down is just the reverse. It would have you a stranger not only to the act, but even to any leaning toward vice; and not merely a stranger to that leaning, but filled with an intense aversion and hatred for it.” And he is not content with this alone; he also brings in the practice of virtue.

“Hold fast to what is good.” He speaks not only of doing it, but of being inwardly disposed toward it as well; that is what the command to “hold fast” to it shows. So God, when he joined the man to the woman, said, “For he will hold fast to his wife” (Genesis 2, verse 24). Then he gives reasons why we ought to love one another. [k]

Verse 10: “Be warmly affectionate to one another with brotherly love.” You are brothers and sisters, he means, and born of the same birth pangs; so on this ground too you ought to love one another. Moses said the same to those who were quarreling in Egypt: “You are brothers; why do you wrong one another?” (Exodus 2, verse 13). When he speaks of those outside, he says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people” (Romans 12, verse 18). But when he speaks of his own, he says, “Be warmly affectionate to one another with brotherly love.” In the first case he asks them to keep from quarreling, hatred, and hostility; here he asks for love as well — and not merely love, but the love of kin. For love must not only be “without hypocrisy”; it must be intense too, warm and glowing. What is the use of loving without deceit, if you do not love warmly?

That is why he says, “warmly affectionate to one another”: that is, be friends, and warm ones too. Do not wait to be loved by someone else; leap at it yourself, and be the first to begin. In this way you will reap the reward of his love as well.

Having given the reason why we ought to love one another, he also tells us the way this affection can become unchangeable. So he goes on: “In honor preferring one another.” This is how affection is produced, and how, once produced, it remains. Nothing makes friends so much as eagerly trying to outdo one’s neighbor in honoring him. What he mentioned before comes from love, and love comes from honor, just as honor also comes from love. Then, so that we may not merely honor, he asks for something more when he says, in verse 11, “Not lagging in zeal.”

For this too produces love: when, along with honor, we also show a readiness to protect. Nothing makes people so loved as honor and care taken on their behalf. Loving is not enough; there must be this too. Or rather, this too comes from loving, just as loving gets its warmth from this; each strengthens the other. There are many who love in their minds but do not stretch out a hand. That is why he uses every means to build up love. And how are we to become “not lagging in zeal”? [n]

“Fervent in spirit.” See how in every case he reaches for a higher degree. He does not say only “give,” but give “generously”; not only “rule,” but do it “with diligence”; not only “show mercy,” but do it “with cheerfulness”; not only “honor,” but “prefer one another”; not only “love,” but do it “without hypocrisy”; not only refrain from “evil” things, but “abhor” them; not only keep to “what is good,” but “hold fast” to it; not only “love,” but do it “with brotherly affection”; not only be zealous, but be so without lagging; not only have the “Spirit,” but have it “fervent” — that is, be warm and awake. For if you have the things mentioned above, you will draw the Spirit to you. And if the Spirit remains with you, the Spirit will in turn make you fit for those tasks, and everything will be easy through the Spirit and through love, as you are set glowing from both sides. Do you not see the bulls that carry a flame on their backs, and how no one can stand against them? So you too will be more than the devil can withstand, if you take both these flames.

“Serving the Lord.” It is possible to serve God in all these ways, for whatever you do to your brother passes on to your Master; and he, as though he himself had been helped, will reckon your reward accordingly. See to what height he has raised the spirit of the one who does these things! Then, to show how the flame of the Spirit may be kindled, he says, in verse 12: “Rejoicing in hope, patient in distress, persevering in prayer.”

All these things are fuel for that fire. He had called for the spending of money and the labor of the body, for ruling and zeal and teaching and other laborious tasks; now he again supplies the wrestler, through hope, with love and with the Spirit. For nothing makes the soul so brave and so ready to venture anything as good hope. Then, even before the good things hoped for, he gives another reward. Since hope is of things to come, he says, “patient in distress.” Even before the things to come, in this present life you will gain a great good from distress: you will become tough and proven. And after this he gives them another help when he says, “persevering in prayer.” [p]

So when love makes things easy, the Spirit helps, hope lightens the load, and distress makes you proven and fit to bear everything nobly — and you have, along with these, another very great weapon, “prayer,” and the help that comes from prayer — what burden can there still be in what he commands? None at all. You see how in every way he gives the wrestler firm footing, and shows that his commands are perfectly easy.

Notice again how he speaks up for almsgiving — or rather, not almsgiving in general, but almsgiving to the saints. Above, when he said, “The one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness,” he made us open-handed to everyone. Here, however, he is speaking on behalf of the faithful. And so he goes on to say:

Verse 13: “Sharing in the needs of the saints.” He does not say “bestow on,” but “share in the needs of the saints,” to show that they receive more than they give. It is a matter of trade, because it is a partnership. Do you bring in money? They bring you in confidence before God. “Given to hospitality.” He does not say “practicing” it, but “given” to it, to teach us not to wait for those who will ask for it, watching for when they will come to us, but to run to them, and be given to finding them. [r]

This is what Lot did, and Abraham. Abraham spent the whole day at it, waiting for this fine catch; and when he saw it, he leaped on it, ran to meet them, bowed down to the ground, and said, “My lord, if I have now found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant” (Genesis 18, verse 3).

We do not do as he did. If we happen to see a stranger or a poor man, we knit our brows and do not even deign to speak to them. And if after countless pleadings we soften and tell the servant to give them a trifle, we think we have fully done our duty. He did not act like that. He took the posture of a suppliant and a servant, though he did not know whom he was about to take under his roof. But we, who know clearly that it is Christ whom we take in, do not grow gentle even for this. He begs and pleads and falls on his knees before them; we insult those who come to us. He did everything himself, with his wife; we do not even do it through our servants.

If you want to see the table he set before them, there too you will see great generosity. But the generosity did not come from an excess of wealth; it came from the riches of a willing mind. How many rich people were there then? Yet none of them did anything of the kind. How many widows were there in Israel? Yet none of them showed hospitality to Elijah. How many wealthy people were there, again, in Elisha’s day? Yet the Shunammite woman alone gathered the fruits of hospitality — as Abraham did too. Besides his generosity and his willing mind, Abraham deserves special admiration on this ground: he acted as he did when he did not know who had come.

So do not pry either, for it is Christ you are receiving. If you are always so particular, you will many times pass by a man of real worth and lose the reward he would bring you. The one who receives someone of no worth is not blamed; he is even rewarded. For “the one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward” (Matthew 10, verse 41). But the one who, out of this ill-timed fussiness, passes by someone who ought to have been admired will even be punished.

So do not busy yourself with people’s lives and doings. It is the very extreme of stinginess to demand an account of a man’s whole life for the sake of one loaf. Suppose he is a murderer, or a robber, or whatever you like: does he seem to you on that account not to deserve a loaf and a few coins? Yet your Master makes even the sun rise on him! And do you judge him unworthy of food even for a single day?

I will put another case to you as well. Even if you knew for certain that he was loaded with countless wrongdoings, not even then would you have an excuse for depriving him of this day’s food. For you are the servant of the one who said, “You do not know what spirit you are of” (Luke 9, verse 55). You are the servant of the one who healed those who stoned him — or rather, who was crucified for them. And do not tell me that he killed someone else. Even if he were about to kill you yourself, you should not neglect him when he is starving. For you are a disciple of the one who desired the salvation even of those who crucified him, who said on the cross itself, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23, verse 34).

You are the servant of the one who healed the man who struck him, who on the cross itself crowned the man who had mocked him. What can equal this? Both robbers mocked him at first, yet to one of them he opened paradise. He wept over those who were about to kill him, and he was troubled and shaken at the sight of the traitor — not because he was going to be crucified, but because the man was lost. He was troubled, then, because he foresaw the hanging, and the punishment after the hanging. And though he knew his wickedness, he bore with him to the last hour. He did not thrust the traitor away; he even kissed him. Your Master kisses, and with his lips receives the man who was on the very point of shedding his precious blood — and do you count the poor unworthy even of a loaf, and have no reverence for the law that Christ laid down? By this he shows that we ought not to turn away, not only from the poor, but not even from those who would lead us off to death.

So do not tell me, “So-and-so has done me grievous harm.” Just think what Christ did near the cross itself, wanting to set right by his kiss the traitor by whom he was about to be betrayed. And see how much power to shame him his words had. For he says, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22, verse 48). Whom would this not have softened? Whom would this address not have made yielding? What wild beast? What diamond? Yet it did not move that wretched man.

So do not say, “So-and-so murdered so-and-so, and that is why I turn away from him.” Even if he were about to drive a sword into you and plunge his hand into your very throat, kiss that very right hand! For Christ, too, kissed the mouth that brought about his death. So do not hate the one who plots against you either, but mourn over him and pity him. Such a man deserves pity from us, and tears. For we are the servants of the one who kissed even the traitor — I will not stop dwelling on this, over and over — and who spoke words to him gentler than the kiss. He did not even say, “You foul and villainous traitor, is this the return you make us for so great a kindness?” What did he say? “Judas” — using his own name, which is more like someone mourning over him and calling him back than someone angry with him. And he does not say “your Teacher, your Master, your Benefactor,” but “the Son of Man.” Even if he were neither Teacher nor Master — is it against one so gentle, so sincerely disposed toward you that he kisses you at the moment of betrayal, and when a kiss was the very signal for the betrayal, is it against him that you play the traitor?

Blessed are you, O Lord! What lowliness of mind, what forbearance you have given us as examples!

That is how he treated Judas. And was it not the same with those who came to him with clubs and swords? What could be gentler than the words he spoke to them? He had the power to destroy them all in an instant, yet he did nothing of the kind. Instead, as if appealing to their sense of shame, he said to them, “Have you come out as against a thief, with swords and clubs?” (Matthew 26, verse 55). And when he had thrown them backward to the ground (John 18, verse 6) and they remained unmoved, he gave himself up next, of his own accord, and bore it while he watched them putting chains on his holy hands, though he had the power to throw everything into confusion at once and overturn it.

And after this, do you still deal savagely with the poor? Even if he were guilty of ten thousand sins, want and hunger would be enough to soften a soul however dulled. But you stand there brutalized, imitating the rage of lions. Yet lions never taste dead bodies. But you, though you see him no better than an embalmed corpse from his troubles, still leap on him now that he is down, tear his body with your insults, pile storm upon storm, and, as he flees to the harbor for refuge, make him strike a rock — bringing about a shipwreck more terrible than those at sea.

How will you say to God, “Have mercy on me,” and ask him for the forgiveness of sins, when you are insolent to someone who has done no wrong, and call him to account for his hunger and great need, and put all the wild beasts in the shade with your cruelty? They seize the food they need because their bellies drive them to it. But you, with nothing pushing or compelling you, devour your brother — you bite him and tear him, if not with your teeth, then with words that bite more sharply. How then will you receive the sacred offering, when you have dyed your tongue red with human blood? How will you give the kiss of peace, with a mouth stuffed with war? How can you even enjoy ordinary food, when you are gathering up so much venom?

You do not relieve his poverty; why make it even more crushing? You do not lift up the one who has fallen; why throw him down as well? You do not remove his dejection; why even increase it? You give no money; why add insulting words besides? Have you not heard what punishment awaits those who do not feed the poor, and what vengeance they are condemned to? For he says, “Depart into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25, verse 41). If those who do not feed them are condemned like this, what punishment will those suffer who not only do not feed them, but insult them as well? What punishment will they undergo? What hell?

So that we may not kindle such great evils against ourselves while it is still in our power, let us correct this sickness too, and put a bridle on our tongue. Let us be so far from insulting them that we even invite them, by words and by actions, so that, by storing up much mercy for ourselves, we may obtain the blessings promised to us. May God grant that we all attain them, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.