How miserable then will it be for the creation which was made for you to be fashioned “according to the glorious liberty of the children of God,” but for us who were made children of God, through our much listlessness, to be sent away to destruction and hell, for whose sake the creation shall enjoy that great festal time? Now to keep this from coming to pass, let such of us as have a pure soul keep it still such, or rather let us make its brightness more intense. And let those of us that have a soiled one, not despair.
For “if” (he says) “your sins be as purple, I will make them white as snow. And if they be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool.” But when it is God that promises, doubt not, but do those things whereby you may draw to you these promises. Are they unnumbered, the fearful and outrageous acts done by you? And what of this? For hitherto you are not gone away into the grave where no man shall confess. (ib. 38:18; Psalm 6:5.) Hitherto the arena (θέατρον) is not broken up for you, but you are standing within the line, and you are able even by a struggle at the last to recover all your defeats.
You are not yet come to where the rich man was, for you to hear it said, “there is a gulf between you and us.” The Bridegroom is not yet at hand, that one should fear to give you of his oil. Still can you buy and store up. And there is not one yet to say, “Not so; lest there be not enough for us and and you”; but there are many that sell, the naked, the hungry, the sick, the imprisoned. Give food to these, clothing to those, visit the sick, and the oil will come more than from fountains.
The day of account is not here. Use the time as need be, and make deductions from the debts, and to him that owes “an hundred measures of oil, say, Take your bill and write fifty.” And with money, and with words, and with every other thing do in like manner, imitating that steward. And advise this to yourself, and also to your relatives, for you have still the power of saying so. You are not yet come to the necessity of calling in another in their behalf, but you have power to give advice at once to yourself and to others. But when you are gone away there, neither of these things will you have it in your power to do at need.
And with good reason. For thou who hast had so long a period fixed you, and neither done yourself good, nor any else, how when you are under the Judge's hands shall you be able to obtain this grace? Putting all these things together then, let us cling fast to our own salvation, and not lose the opportunity of this life present. For it is possible, it is, even at our last breath to please God. It is possible to gain approval by your last will, not indeed in such way as in our lifetime, still it is possible.
How, and in what way? If you leave Him among your heirs, and givest Him also (καὶ αὐτᾥ) a portion of your whole estate. Have you not fed Him in your lifetime? At all events when departed, when you are no longer owner, give Him a share of your goods. He is loving unto man, He does not deal niggardly by you. It is a mark to be sure of a greater desire, and so it will be more rewarded, to feed Him in your lifetime. But if you have not done this, at all events do the next best thing.
Leave Him joint-heir (see p. 384) with your children, and if you are dilatory over this, bethink yourself that His Father made you joint-heir with Him, and break down your inhuman spirit. For what excuse will you have if you dost not even make Him a sharer with your children, who made you share the Heaven, and was slain for you? And yet all that ever He did, He did not in repayment of a debt, but as bestowing a favor. But you after so great benefits, have been made a debtor as well.
And yet, though things are so, it is as if receiving a favor, not as demanding payment of a debt, that He crowns you; and this too when what He is to receive is His own. Give then your money, which is now no longer of any use to you, and of which you are no longer owner; and He will give you a Kingdom which shall be of service to you perpetually, and with it will bestow also the things of this life. For if He be made the joint heir of your children, He does lighten their orphanage for them, do away with plots against them, beat off insults, stop the mouths of pettifoggers.
And if they themselves be unable to stand up for their bequeathments, He will Himself stand up, and not let them be broken through. But if He do even allow this, then He makes up of Himself all that was ordered in the will with still greater liberality, because He has been but mentioned in it. Leave Him then your heir. For it is to Him that you are upon the point of going. He will be your Judge Himself in the trial for all that has been done here. But there are some so miserable and pinched, that though they have no children, still they have not the courage to do this, but approve of giving that they have to hangers on, and to flatterers, and to this person and to that, sooner than to Christ, Who has done them so great benefits.
And what can be more unreasonable than this conduct? For if one were to compare men of this cast to asses, aye, or to stones, one shall not still be saying anything tantamount to their unreasonableness and senselessness. Nor could one find a similitude to put before you their madness and dementedness. For what pardon shall they obtain for not having fed Him in their lifetime, who, even when they are on the point of departing to Him, have not the inclination to give Him but a trifle out of those goods, of which they are no longer the owners, but are of such an inimical and hostile disposition, as not even to give Him a share in what is useless to themselves?
Do you not know how many of mankind have not even been counted worthy to obtain an end of this kind, but have been snatched off suddenly? But you does God empower to give orders to your kindred, and to speak with them about your property, and set all that is in your house in order. What defence then will you have to set up, when even after receiving this favor from Him, you have treacherously given up the benefit, and art standing as it were in diametrical opposition to your forefathers in the faith?
For they even in their lifetime sold all, and brought it to the Apostle's feet. But you, even at your death, dost not give any share to them that need. What is the better part, and gives one much boldness, is to remedy poverty in one's lifetime. But if you have not been minded to do this, at all events do upon your death-bed some noble act. For this is not what a strong love for Christ would do, yet still it is an act of love. For if you will not have the high place with the Lambs, still even to be after them at all is no light thing, and so not to be placed with the goats nor on the left hand.
But if you will not do even this, what plea is to rescue you, when neither the fear of death nor your money having become henceforth of no use to you, nor the leaving of safety behind you to your children, nor the laying up of much pardon there against the time to come, will make you merciful to man? Wherefore I advise, as the best thing, that in your lifetime you give the larger half of your goods to the poor. But if there be any of so narrow a soul as not to have the heart to do so, at all events let them by necessity become merciful.
For when you were living as if there were no death, then you clung close to your goods. But now since you have learned that you are to die, at least now give over your opinion, and deliberate about your affairs as one that must die. Or rather as one that ought to enjoy immortal life for evermore. For if what I am going to say be distasteful, and big with horror, still it must be said. Reckon with your slaves the Lord. Are you giving your slaves liberty? Give Christ liberty from famine, from distress, from imprisonment, from nakedness.
Are you horrified at the words? Is it not then more horrible when thou dost not even thus much? And here the word makes your blood curdle. But when you are gone to that world, and hast to hear things far more grievous than these, and see the tortures which are incurable, what will you say? To whom will you flee for refuge? Whom will you call to your alliance and assistance? Will it be Abraham? He will not hearken to you. Or those virgins? They will not give you of their oil. Your father then or your grandfather?
But none even of these, if he be ever so holy, will have it in his power to reverse that sentence. Weighing then all these things, to Him Who alone is Lord to blot out the bill against you and to quench that flame, to Him make prayer and supplication, and propitiate Him, by now feeding Him and clothing Him continually: that in this world you may depart with a good hope, and when you are there you may enjoy eternal blessings, which may we all attain to by the grace and love toward man, etc.
Source: Homilies on Romans (New Advent)