Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew

¹⁰ Let the companions of your meals then be men that are poor and free, not perjured persons, nor stage-players. And if you must needs ask of them a requital for their food, enjoin them, should they see anything done that is amiss, to rebuke, to admonish, to help you in your care over your household, in the government of your servants. Have you children? Let these be joint fathers to them, let them divide your charge with you, let them yield you such profits as God loves. Engage them in a spiritual traffic. And if you see one needing protection, bid them succor, command them to minister. By these do thou track the strangers out, by these clothe the naked, by these send to the prison, put an end to the distresses of others.

Let them give you, for their food, this requital, which profits both you and them, and carries with it no condemnation.

Hereby friendship also is more closely riveted. For now, though they seem to be loved, yet for all that they are ashamed, as living without object in your house; but if they accomplish these purposes, both they will be more pleasantly situated, and you will have more satisfaction in maintaining them, as not spending your money without fruit; and they again will dwell with you in boldness and due freedom, and your house, instead of a theatre, will become to you a church, and the devil will be put to flight, and Christ will enter, and the choir of the angels. For where Christ is, there are the angels too, and where Christ and the angels are, there is Heaven, there is a light more cheerful than this of the sun.

And if you would reap yet another consolation through their means, command them, when you are at leisure, to take their books and read the divine law. They will have more pleasure in so ministering to you, than in the other way. For these things add respect both to you and to them, but those bring disgrace upon all together; upon you as an insolent person and a drunkard, upon them as wretched and gluttonous. For if you feed in order to insult them, it is worse than if you had put them to death; but if for their good and profit, it is more useful again than if you had brought them back from their way to execution. And now indeed thou dost disgrace them more than your servants, and your servants enjoy more liberty of speech, and freedom of conscience, than they do; but then you will make them equal to the angels.

Set free therefore both them and your own self, and take away the name of parasite, and call them companions of your meals; cast away the appellation of flatterers, and bestow on them that of friends. With this intent indeed did God make our friendships, not for evil to the beloved and loving, but for their good and profit.

But these friendships are more grievous than any enmity. For by our enemies, if we will, we are even profited; but by these we must needs be harmed, no question of it. Keep not then friends to teach you harm; keep not friends who are enamored rather of your table than of your friendship. For all such persons, if you retrench your good living, retrench their friendship too; but they that associate with you for virtue's sake, remain continually, enduring every change.

And besides, the race of the parasites does often take revenge upon you, and bring upon you an ill fame. Hence at least I know many respectable persons to have got bad characters, and some have been evil reported of for sorceries, some for adulteries and corrupting of youths. For whereas they have no work to do, but spend their own life unprofitably; their ministry is suspected by the multitude as being the same with that of corrupt youths.

Therefore, delivering ourselves both from evil report, and above all from the hell that is to come, and doing the things that are well-pleasing to God, let us put an end to this devilish custom, that “both eating and drinking we may do all things to the glory of God,” and enjoy the glory that comes from Him; unto which may we all attain, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.