Glory to You, O Christ; with how many good things have You filled us! How have You provided for our health! From how great monstrousness, from how great unreasonableness, have You set us free! Mark! I forewarn you, I advise no longer; but I command and charge; let him that wills, obey, and him that wills not, be disobedient; that if you women do continue thus to act, I will not suffer it, nor receive you, nor permit you to pass across this threshold. For what need have I of a crowd of distempered people? And what if, in my training of you, I do not forbid what is not excessive? And yet Paul forbade both gold and pearls. We are laughed at by the Greeks, our religion appears a fable.
And to the men I give this advice: Are you come to school to be instructed in spiritual philosophy? Divest yourself of that pride! This is my advice both to men and women; and if any act otherwise, henceforward I will not suffer it. The disciples were but twelve, and hear what Christ says unto them, “Would ye also go away?” For if we go on for ever flattering you, when shall we reclaim you? When shall we do you service? “But,” says one, “there are other sects, and people go over.” This is a cold argument, “Better is one that does the will of the Lord, than ten thousand transgressors.” For, what would you choose yourself, tell me; to have ten thousand servants that were runaways and thieves, or a single one that loved you? Lo! I admonish and command you to break up both those gay deckings for the face, and such vessels as I have described, and give to the poor, and not to be so mad.
Let him that likes quit me at once; let him that likes accuse me, I will not suffer it in any one. When I am about to be judged at the Tribunal of Christ, you stand afar off, and your favor, while I am giving in my account. “Those words have ruined all! He says, 'let him not go and transfer himself to another sect!' Nay! He is weak! condescend to him!” To what point? Till when? Once, and twice, and thrice, but not perpetually.
Lo! I charge you again, and protest after the pattern of the blessed Paul, “that if I come again I will not spare.” But when you have done as you ought, then you will know how great the gain is, how great the advantage. Yes! I entreat and beseech you, and would not refuse to clasp your knees and supplicate you in this behalf. What softness is it! What luxury, what wantonness! This is not luxury, but wantonness. What senselessness is it! What madness! So many poor stand around the Church; and though the Church has so many children, and so wealthy, she is unable to give relief to even one poor person; “but one is hungry, and another is drunken”; one voids his excrement even into silver, another has not so much as bread! What madness! What brutishness so great as this? May we never come to the proof, whether we will prosecute the disobedient, nor to the indignation which allowing these practices would cause us; but that willingly and with patience we may avoid all this, that we may live to God's glory, and be delivered from the punishment in the other world, and may obtain the good things promised to those who love Him, through the grace and love toward man, etc.
Source: Homilies on Colossians (New Advent)