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| St. Peter Chrysologus |
Prayer knocks, fasting obtains, mercy receives
From a sermon by Saint Peter Chrysologus, bishop
There are three things, my brethren, by which faith stands
firm, devotion remains constant, and virtue endures. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains,
mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and
fasting: these three are one, and they give life to each other.
Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of
fasting. Let no one try to separate them;
they cannot be separated. If you have
only one of them or not all together, you have nothing. So if you prayer, fast; if you fast, show
mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others you
open God’s ear to yourself.
When you fast, see the fasting of others. If you want God to know that you are hungry,
know that another is hungry. If you hope
for mercy, show mercy. If you look for
kindness, show kindness. If you want to
receive, give. If you ask for yourself
what you deny to others, your asking is a mockery.
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| Saint Peter Chrysologus, Quote |
Let this be the pattern for all men when they practice
mercy: show mercy to others in the same way, with the same generosity, with the
same promptness, as you want others to show mercy to you.
Therefore, let prayer, mercy and fasting the one single plea
to God on our behalf, one speech in our defense, a threefold united prayer in
our favor.
Let us use fasting to make up for what we have lost by
despising others. Let us offer our souls
in sacrifice by means of fasting. There
is nothing more pleasing that we can offer to God, as the psalmist said in
prophecy: A sacrifice to God is a broken
spirit; God does not despise a bruised and humbled heart.
Offer your soul to God, make him an oblation of your
fasting, so that your soul may be a pure offering, a holy sacrifice, a living
victim, remaining your own and at the same time made over to God. Whoever fails to give this to God will not be
excused, for if you are to give him yourself you are never without the means of
giving.
To make these acceptable, mercy must be added. Fasting bears no fruit unless it is watered
by mercy. Fasting dries up when mercy
dries up. Mercy is to fasting as rain is
to the earth. However much you may cultivate
your heart, clear the soil of your nature, root out vices, sow virtues, if you
do not release the springs of mercy, your fasting will bear no fruit.
When you fast, if your mercy is thin your harvest will be
thin; when you fast, what you pour out in mercy overflows into your barn. Therefore, do not lose by saving, but gather
in by scattering. Give to the poor, and
your give to yourself. You will not be
allowed to keep what you have refused to give to others.
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