James 5

James 5:1

Hesychius of Jerusalem: God delays the judgment because of his love for humanity, so that those who repent may not suffer along with those who are condemned. — CATENA

Hilary of Arles: The rich must repent while there is still time for them to do so. James is speaking here of those rich people who have shown themselves to be too stingy to offer any help to the poor. — INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES

Oecumenius: Act now you rich men, weep, howling in your miseries which shall come to you. Your riches are corrupt: and your garments are eaten by moths. Your gold and silver is rusted: and their rust shall be for a testimony to you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. You have stored to yourselves wrath in the last days. Behold the hire of the workmen that have reaped your fields, which is defrauded of you, cries: and their cry has entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. “Act now.” The greed and frugality of the rich are made evident by their lamentation, commanding them to weep, that is, to mourn, as those who hide their wealth for destruction and ruin, nor do they spend it on the needy: for indeed, the expenditure of wealth on these does not perish, but the one who spends it remains intact. Therefore, the author of Proverbs (Παροιμιαστής) also says: Cast your bread upon the waters, (Eccles. 11:1) that is, upon the apparent dissolution and corruption (for bread cast upon the waters is destined to be lost): yet it is by no means lost, but through its corruption it provides us with refreshment, when it would come to pass that we were pressed by thirst like a tongue tortured in flame. “Your riches.” Or your wealth. It must be understood, that is, what wealth, as the saying goes: Your riches, which you have hidden like fire as a treasure, will exceed your flesh. “Your garments are eaten by moths.” The rotting, James says, of riches and the corrosion or consumption of garments by moths, and the rust of gold and silver will bear witness against you, arguing your greed. Because of this, in the last days (the Lord says of His coming), you will find your riches hidden for you like fire for destruction: which also happened to the rich man, of whom it is told in the Gospel. (Luke 15:24) — Commentary on James

James 5:2

Caesarius of Arles: Riches cannot harm a good person, because he spends them kindly. Likewise they cannot help an evil person as long as he keeps them avariciously or wastes them in dissipation. — SERMONS 35.4

James 5:3

Bede: You have stored up wrath for yourselves in the last days. Because, having neglected the nakedness or hunger of the poor, you rejoiced in storing up treasures of money for yourselves, now, not having foreseen it, you have accumulated the wrath of the eternal Judge against yourselves. Although it has not yet appeared, in the last days it is already most certain, that is, when the end of temporal days has come. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Hilary of Arles: It is true of course that gold does not rust, but James is comparing it to material things which do rust in the course of time. — INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES

John Chrysostom: Let us go in by the narrow way. How long will luxury last? How long will there be licentiousness? Have not the heedless among us been warned? What about the mockers and the procrastinators? Will not their banquets and gluttony and self-satisfaction, not to mention their wealth, their possessions and their property all disappear? What reward have they got? Death. And what will their end be? Dust and ashes, urns and worms. — CATENA

James 5:4

Bede: Behold, the wages of the workers who have reaped your fields, which were withheld by you, cry out. How great is the iniquity of the proud, who, although they have sufficient wealth, not only disdain to welcome and refresh the poor coming everywhere, but also refuse to give the due wages of their work to the laborers or their servants. This fault of impiety the blessed Job indicates that he took great care to avoid, as he says: If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together, if I have eaten its fruits without money, and afflicted the soul of its tillers, let thorns grow instead of wheat, and thistles instead of barley (Job 31). And their cry has entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts. He calls the Lord of Hosts to instill fear in those who think that the poor have no protector. But to this place suits that of the Psalmist: “For the poor are left to you, you will be a helper to the orphan” (Psa. Heb. 10). And what is written in the book of the blessed Job: “For God will not hear in vain, and the Almighty will consider the causes of each one” (Job 35). You have feasted on the earth. Having neglected the heavenly joys to which you could have come through afflictions and fasts, you only love carnal feasts, which will be followed by such great hunger and thirst in the future, that not even a single drop of water can then be obtained from elsewhere to cool your burning tongue. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Hilary of Arles: What James means here is not that God has ears but that he can use his power to put right the wrongs which exist on earth. — INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES

Theophylact of Ohrid: This accusation is a digression directed against the Jewish leaders who robbed the poor and covered themselves with all manner of riches. But they were being prepared for destruction at the hands of the Romans, not least because they condemned our Lord to death. — COMMENTARY ON JAMES

James 5:5

Bede: And in luxury you have nourished your hearts. They nourish their hearts in luxury, who, according to that saying of Ecclesiastes, do not forbid their heart to enjoy every pleasure and to amuse itself with those things they have prepared. And this they take as their part, if they use their own works, having no care for the sustenance or amusement of the poor (Eccl. II). On the day of slaughter you have led and killed the just man, and he did not resist you. He calls the Lord Savior just, about whom the blessed first martyr Stephen also speaks to the same Jews: Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute, and killed those who announced the coming of the Just One? of whom you have now been the betrayers and murderers (Acts VII). Therefore it appears that the blessed James addresses those rich men from that place, where he says: Come now, you rich, weep and howl, who conspired for the death of the Lord, and yet have not accepted the faith of his name by which they might be saved. Of whom he also speaks above to the believers: Do not the rich oppress you through repentance, and they themselves drag you into courts? Do they not blaspheme that good name that has been invoked upon you (James II)? And because he writes to the twelve tribes that are in dispersion, he thus urges the faithful to do works of faith, so that he may also persuade those who had not yet believed to convert to the faith of the Lord along with the works of faith, reminding them that they had killed the Son of God, and moreover, as if they had done nothing evil, they gave themselves over to luxury and avarice, nor did they care to amend such a crime with repentance and alms. To whom it properly applies what he says: That avarice will consume their flesh like fire, and because they have treasured up wrath for themselves in the last days. For this became evident in them after the killing of James himself, when the city of Jerusalem, indeed the whole province of Judea, was besieged and cleared by the Romans, and for the rest of their crimes they had committed. Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. After he had rebuked the proud and incredulous, he again turns to those who had been oppressed by the wickedness of such men, exhorting them to patience, and insinuating that the end of such pressures is near, whether by them being taken up to the Lord and receiving the fruit of their patience, or by their persecutors being deprived of the power to persecute. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, patiently enduring until he receives the early and the latter rain, etc. If he for the fruit of the earth, which he expects, and hopes to obtain in due season, labors so patiently, how much more ought you, for the fruit of heavenly reward, which you can possess forever, endure all present adversities? For you will indeed receive the early fruit, namely the life of the soul after death. You will also receive the latter, the incorruption of the flesh at the judgment. Or certainly the early fruit in works of righteousness, the latter in the reward of labors, according to that of the Apostle: You have your fruit unto holiness, and the end eternal life (Rom. VI). Do not groan, brothers, against one another, so that you may not be judged. As if you suffer greater adversities than you deserve, and your persecutors, though they have committed the greatest crimes, seem to endure nothing adverse. So that you may not be judged. By the judgment of condemnation, because you reproach this judge as if he judged unjustly. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Caesarius of Arles: These things which Christ threatened through the apostle should terrify us very much, but we should not despair of the mercy of God. Those of us who have been careless up to now can, with God’s help, correct ourselves, provide that we are willing to dispense more generously those alms which we have given sparingly up to now. — SERMONS 199.5

John Chrysostom: What then? Has luxury been condemned? It certainly has—so why do you continue to strive for it? A man has made bread, but the excess has been trimmed away. A man has made wine, but the excess has been cut off there also. God desires that we should pray not for impure food but for souls set free from excess. For everything that God has created is good, and nothing which has been received with thanks is to be despised. — CATENA

Oecumenius: You have made merry upon the earth: and in riotousness you have nourished your hearts in the day of slaughter. You have presented, and slain the Just One: and he did not resist you. “You have made merry upon the earth.” The Jewish leaders were devouring the poor, and they were growing fat on honors that were conferred by all, but they were being prepared for slaughter under the hands of the Romans. And especially because they condemned the Lord, who alone was just, and killed Him without resisting or shouting. Therefore, James now says: “You have slain the Just One.” Without a doubt, this refers to Christ. However, by what He adds: “He did not resist you,” James makes a common statement also to others who have suffered similar things from the Jews. Perhaps, however, He also prophetically designates His own passion. — Commentary on James

James 5:6

Theophylact of Ohrid: It cannot be denied that this verse refers to Christ, especially since James adds that there was no resistance. Nevertheless it also includes others who suffered at the hands of the Jews, and he may even have been speaking prophetically about his own approaching death. — COMMENTARY ON JAMES

James 5:7

Cyril of Alexandria: If God delays the punishment of sinners, waiting for them to repent, it is not because his character has changed, so that now he loves sin. Rather he is giving them time to repent. — CATENA

Oecumenius: Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient for it until he receives the early and latter rain. Be patient therefore, you also, and establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door. Take as an example, my brothers, of suffering and patience, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who endured. You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. After James has accused the indulgences of the Jewish leaders, and their cruelty and inhumanity towards the poor, he also turns to the faithful and says: “Do not be offended by seeing these things, brothers, nor be disheartened, as if either vengeance is not being taken against them, or if it is indeed being taken, it is too delayed. For there is certain retribution, and it will come immediately.” He speaks of the insult of the Romans and the captivity of the Jews under them, which he even calls the coming of the Lord: just as John, who reclined on the Lord’s breast, when he speaks of his own destruction, introduces the Lord himself, saying: “‘If I want him to remain until I come.” (Jn. 21:22) Indeed, this time of this life has been extended until the captivity of Jerusalem, and a little beyond that time. And that the coming of the Lord and the destruction of Jerusalem in this place and in John is evident from the prophet, who says: “Behold, the Lord will come, and who will endure the day of his coming?” (Mal. 3:1) as the coming of the Lord brings judgment against the wicked. But also John Chrysostom1, in a certain commentary of his, explains the same thing, saying: This statement intends to signify the complete destruction of Jerusalem: and he confirms it from the prayer of the three youths, who said: “So let our sacrifice be in your presence today, and may it be perfected after you.” (Dan. 3:40 LXX) He says: What does “after you” mean? It means, after your fury has passed. And when did it come? When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. And indeed, this is about the coming. However, some of the Fathers say that “patience” [µακροθυµία] here refers to long-suffering, which pertains to those who are among us; while “endurance” [ὑπομονή] refers to patience towards strangers. For one bears with those whom he could avenge; but he endures those whom he cannot avenge. Therefore, in God, “endurance” [ὑπομονή] is never said but “patience” [µακροθυµία]; in men, however, it is “endurance” [ὑπομονή]. Until he receives the early and latter rain. The early rain is repentance completed in youth with tears, while the later rain is that which occurs in old age. Indeed, all things depend on God’s kindness, therefore it says: Until he receives. — Commentary on James

James 5:8

John Chrysostom: Longsuffering toward one another and patience to those outside. Longsuffering is what we show toward those who can return it, and patience is how we act toward those who cannot do the same to us. — CATENA

James 5:9

Bede: Behold, the Judge stands at the door. He will return to you the rewards of patience, and to your adversaries the punishment they deserve. He stands at the door, because either He is close to knowing everything you do, or He will come quickly to repay, to you and to your persecutors, what each one has deserved. Take as an example, brothers, the outcome of evil, and of longsuffering, and of labor, and of patience, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. See, he says, that the prophets who were so holy, so free from sins, so that the Spirit of God spoke through them His mysteries to men, had an evil end by suffering death from the faithless, such as Zechariah, Uriah, and the Maccabee martyrs. And in the New Testament, John, Stephen, James the son of Zebedee, and many others. Nevertheless, they did not lament over such an end, but rather wished to bear it with long-suffering. Others endured long labors, but they bore these patiently and without grumbling, like Noah in the building of the ark for a hundred years, Moses in the redemption and leadership of the people for forty years, David in suffering exile without fault, Joseph in service taken deceitfully by his brothers. To both cases, however, he added a firm and immutable example saying: You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the end of the Lord. You have learned by reading about the labor and patience of Job, and how he received double of everything he lost due to the enemy’s deceit, through the mercy of the Lord. You also saw the end of the Lord on the cross which He patiently endured, but also learned by evangelical preaching of His glory in the resurrection and ascension to heaven. Because the Lord is merciful and compassionate. So that either He may deliver His own from temptations in the present life, and glorify those living for the steadfastness of their faith even before men, or crown them in secret after death, and not even then take away the memory of the praise they deserved from men. Above all, however, my brothers, do not swear, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by any other oath. But let your speech be Yes, yes; No, no. Because He desires to completely drain the deadly poison of the tongue from His listeners, prohibiting backbiting, forbidding judging one’s neighbor, and banning mutual groaning in adversities, which are manifest sins, He also adds this which to some may seem trivial, to abolish the custom of oath-taking as well. For it is clearly evident that this too is by no means to be overlooked by those who carefully consider that saying of the Lord, who says: Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matthew 12), that you do not fall under judgment. Accordingly, He says, I restrain you from guilt of swearing, lest by frequently swearing truthfully you may sometimes also fall into perjury, but stay as far away from the sin of perjury as you would not even want to swear truthfully except out of urgent necessity. But even he falls under the judgment of guilt, who, although he never perjures, more often than necessary swears truthfully. Because undoubtedly he sins by the very idleness of excessive speech and offends the Judge, who forbids both an unnecessary word and every oath. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Ishodad of Merv: James means that we should stop mocking the poor and doing them harm, complaining about them at the same time, because we shall be judged according to our cruelty and condemned by the righteous judge. — COMMENTARIES

James 5:11

Augustine of Hippo: James means: “Bear your temporal misfortunes as Job did, but do not hope for temporal goods as a reward for your patience, such as were returned to him double. Rather hope for the eternal goods which the Lord went before us to secure.” — LETTERS 140.10

John Chrysostom: It is a great thing if we can give thanks with great joy. But there is such a thing as giving thanks out of fear, and also such a thing as giving thanks in grief. This is what Job did when, in great suffering, he thanked God, saying: “The Lord has given, the Lord has taken away.” Let no one say that he was not grieving over what had happened to him or that he did not feel it deeply. Do not take away the great praise due to the righteous.… How great is this praise? Tell me, in what circumstances do you bless Job? Is it when he had all those camels and flocks and herds? Or is it when he says: “The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away”? For the devil also harms us not in order to take our possessions away so that we have nothing left but so that when that happens he can force us to curse God because of it. — CATENA

James 5:12

Bede: This is the judgment to which Herod fell victim, so that he found that he had either to break his oath or commit another shameful act in order to avoid breaking it. — Homilies on the Gospels 2.23

Cyril of Alexandria: Let the witness of our life be stronger than an oath, and if some shameless person dares to ask an oath from you, let your yes be yes and your no be no, instead of swearing an oath. James forbids us to swear by heaven or by earth for this reason, that we should not give the creation more value than it has by deifying it. For those who swear, swear by something greater than themselves, as the apostle says. — CATENA

John Chrysostom: What if someone swears an oath and claims that he was forced to do so? The fear of God is more powerful than any force. For though you may start out by swearing all kinds of promises, you will not keep any of them. Moreover, you would not dare to swear or give an oath in matters of human law, which you accept whether you want to or not. You would certainly never claim that you were forced into doing so. Now the person who has heard the blessings of God and who has prepared himself as Christ has commanded will never claim any need to do anything of the kind, for he is respected and honored by all. What is needed beyond a simple yes and no? An oath adds nothing to these, for no one has to be told that evil is the source of both excess and its deficient opposite. An oath is a form of excess. — CATENA

Leander of Seville: Jesus said: “Let your yes be yes and your no, no.” Any more than this is evil. So do not swear for good reason, because that is evil. It is said to be evil because the need of an oath comes from an unsure conscience. It is necessary to extract an oath from one whose sincerity is in doubt, but why should you bind yourself by an involuntary oath when you are bound to show with your lips the sincerity of your heart? Speak the truth from your heart and you will not need an oath. — THE TRAINING OF NUNS 29 (19)

Oecumenius: But above all, my brothers, do not swear, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by any other oath. But let your yes be yes, and your no be no, so that you do not fall into hypocrisy. But someone will say: If someone is compelled to swear, what should be done? We say that the fear of God will be stronger than the necessity imposing force. However, someone might doubt, since the old law holds that those who swear by the name of the Lord are worthy of praise, how does grace forbid this? Therefore, we say that the old law, leading the Jews not to swear by idols, commanded them to swear by God: just as it also commanded them to sacrifice to God, withdrawing them from sacrificing to idols: where it sufficiently taught the worship of God, then it also rejected sacrifices as useless: not seeking the sacrifice of animals, but a repentant soul as a sacrifice. But what is that? It is one that is entirely set ablaze with the fire of love through the modesty of the spirit, such as was also the soul of Paul, who, because some of the faithful were offended, was wondrously kindled. “But let your yes be yes.” This means your deposit should be firm and reaffirmed, and denial in those things that do not correspond to the act. “That they may not fall into hypocrisy.” The term hypocrisy refers to condemnation, that is, the condemnation that follows those who incessantly and without selection swear: and by the habit of swearing, they are led to perjury. Or even the term hypocrisy in this context has a specific meaning (for example, simulation) which is different from what it appears. How then does one who swears fall into hypocrisy? For in swearing, one is believed to be truthful, but by subsequent transgression, he is found to be lying instead of truthful. Or also because ναὶ, that is yes, is not presented for confirmation, nor is οὐ, that is no, in response to what does not correspond to the act. However, swearing by God is prohibited because of perjury; but swearing by heaven and the rest, so that these may not be referred to divine honor. For whoever swears, swears by the greater. — Commentary on James

James 5:13

Andreas of Caesarea: What should you do when you are in trouble? Call on God. And what should you do when you are happy? Praise him. — CATENA

Bede: Is anyone among you in trouble? etc. He who previously forbade brothers to groan to each other under trials now demonstrates what should be done in contrast. If, he says, any of you is oppressed by sadness, whether an injury received from other men may accidentally occur, or by an incidental fault, or by a domestic loss overwhelming, or by any other reason you are caused grief, in no way at that hour should you murmur amongst yourselves and convene to complain about God’s judgments, but rather run to the church, pray to the Lord on bended knees, so that He may send the grace of His consolation, lest the sadness of the world, which works death, swallow you (II Cor. VII). Also, drive away the harmful plague of sadness from your heart by the sweetness of frequent Psalm-singing. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Oecumenius: Is anyone among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Prayer go together with affliction, so that for the one who is afflicted, the withdraw from afflictions or temptations may be lighter. Then, when through prayer it has pleased God to remove the things that trouble us, and the soul has reached its state of peace and tranquility, let him sing psalms, so that what is beneficial may be multiplied, and it may delight in spiritual joy. Indeed, joy and gladness are the right state of the mind, according to our great Basil, for hymns or divine praises confer the grace of consolation. Therefore, whoever has not progressed in this way, nor reached such a state, which David also calls holiness: “Sing to the Lord, you His saints,” (Ps. 30:4) does great nonsense, singing vainly and empty, as the proverb says. “anointing him with oil.” This is what the apostles did while the Lord was still among men, anointing the sick with oil and healing them. (Mark 6:13) — Commentary on James

James 5:14

Bede: Is anyone among you sick? etc. Just as he gave counsel to the sorrowful, so he gives counsel to the sick, on how to guard themselves from the foolishness of murmuring, and he sets the manner of healing according to the manner of the wound, instructing the sorrowful that they should pray and sing Psalms for themselves, but commanding the sick either in body or in faith to remember to cure themselves with the aid of several, and especially elders, and not to refer the cause of their weakness to the younger and less learned, lest they might receive some harmful word or advice from them. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Bede: And let them pray over him, anointing him, etc. We read that the apostles did this in the Gospel, and now the custom of the Church holds that the sick are anointed with consecrated oil by the presbyters, and are healed with accompanying prayer. Not only the presbyters, but as Pope Innocent writes, also all Christians are permitted to use the same oil to anoint in their own or their relatives’ necessity, though this oil may only be consecrated by bishops. For what he says, With oil in the name of the Lord, signifies oil consecrated in the name of the Lord. Or certainly because when they anoint the sick, they should also invoke the name of the Lord over him. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Hilary of Arles: This sickness is the sickness of sin. If someone is struck down by his own thoughts, then he should pray on his own, but if he has committed some sin he should ask for the church’s prayers. The custom mentioned here is followed even today, for the grace of mercy is symbolized by oil. — INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES

Richard Challoner: Let him bring in: See here a plain warrant of scripture for the sacrament of extreme unction, that any controversy against its institution would be against the express words of the sacred text in the plainest terms.

James 5:15

Bede: And if he is in sins, they will be forgiven him. Many people, due to sins committed in the soul, are punished with sickness or even death of the body. Hence the apostle told the Corinthians, who were accustomed to receive the body of the Lord unworthily: Therefore many among you are weak and ill, and many sleep (1 Corinthians 11). If therefore the sick are in sins, and they have confessed these to the elders of the Church, and have endeavored with a perfect heart to abandon and correct them, they will be forgiven. For sins cannot be forgiven without the confession of amendment. Hence it is rightly added: — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Caesarius of Arles: Whenever some illness comes upon a man, he should hurry back to the church. Let him receive the body and blood of Christ, be anointed by the presbyters with consecrated oil and ask them and the deacons to pray over him in Christ’s name. If he does this, he will receive not only bodily health but also the forgiveness of his sins. — SERMONS 19.5

Hilary of Arles: The prayer of faith is the consensus of the whole church, as it is said in the Gospel: “Whatever you ask in my name shall be done for you.” — INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES

James 5:16

Augustine of Hippo: Everyone claims this consideration from others whenever possible, for what each of us would punish if it occurred in our house, we want to leave unpunished in someone else’s house. For if we are called to a friend’s house and find him about to punish someone over whom he has power, it is considered most inhumane for us not to intervene. — LETTERS 153

Augustine of Hippo: The Lord himself sets an example for us in this also. For if he who neither has, nor had, nor will have any sin prays for our sins, how much more ought we to pray for each other’s sins! And if he for whom we have nothing to forgive forgives us, how much more should we forgive one another, knowing that we cannot live on earth without sinning! — TRACTATES 58.2

Bede: God loves to be asked, so that he can give. — Homilies on the Gospels 2.14

Bede: Confess therefore your sins to one another, etc. In this matter, there should be this discretion, that we confess our daily and trivial sins to one another, to our equals, and believe that we are saved by their daily prayer. Moreover, we should disclose the uncleanness of graver leprosy according to the law of the priesthood, and take care to purify according to his judgment as he has ordered and for as long as he has ordered. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Bede: For the prayer of a righteous person has great power, etc. He adds a fitting example of how much the continual prayer of the righteous avails, when Elijah with one prayer by praying for such a long time withheld the heavens, turned away rain from the lands, denied fruits to mortals, and again when he willed, when he perceived the time was appropriate, when he saw the heart of the proud king and the idolatrous nation bent to repentance by the long plague of famine, with only one prayer prayed, and restored to the lands the fruits and waters he had denied. For thus it follows: — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Braulio of Zaragoza: Since it would be a long and unpleasant task to reveal my sinful ways to you and to tell you everything in detail, it must suffice for me to reveal to your most holy mind that I am not what you believe, though I beg you to pray to God that he might make me what you believe. — LETTERS 44

CS Lewis: Apparently I have been myself guilty of introducing another red herring by mentioning devotions to the saints. I didn’t in the least want to go off into a discussion on that subject. There is clearly a theological defense for it; if you can ask for the prayers of the living, why should you not ask for the prayers of the dead? There is clearly also a great danger. In some popular practise we see it leading off into an infinitely silly picture of heaven as an earthly court where applicants will be wise to pull the right wires, discover the best ‘channels’, and attach themselves to the most influential pressure groups. But I have nothing to do with all this. I am not thinking of adopting the practise myself; and who am I to judge the practises of others? I only hope there’ll be no scheme for canonisations in the Church of England. Can you imagine a better hot-bed for yet more divisions between us?

The consoling thing is that while Christendom is divided about the rationality, and even the lawfulness, of praying to the saints, we are all agreed about praying with them. ‘With angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.’ — LETTERS TO MALCOLM: CHIEFLY ON PRAYER, Letter 3, Paragraphs 3-4

Desert Fathers: Cassian said, ‘Moses the Hermit told us, “It is good not to hide our thoughts; we ought to disclose them to discreet and devout elders; but not to those who are old merely in years, for many have found final despair instead of comfort by confessing to those whom they saw to be old, but who were in fact inexperienced.” ’ — The Desert Fathers, Sayings of the Early Christian Monks

Gregory the Dialogist: Sometimes in sacred speech preachers are understood by dogs. For the tongue of a dog, when it licks a wound, heals it, because holy teachers too, when they instruct us in the confession of our sin, touch as it were the wound of the mind through their tongue; and because by speaking they rescue us from sins, by touching wounds as it were they restore us to health. Against this it is said of certain reprobates: “Dumb dogs, not able to bark.” Because therefore holy preachers condemn sins, but approve the confession of sins, saying: “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be saved,” dogs lick the sores of Lazarus. For holy teachers, when they receive the confessions of the Gentiles, restore the wounds of minds to health. Hence also Lazarus is well interpreted as “one who is helped,” because they help him toward deliverance, because they heal his wounds through the correction of their tongue. — Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 40

Maximus the Confessor: There are two ways in which the prayer of a righteous man is effective. The first is when the person praying does so by offering to God his works done according to his commands. Then the prayer is not just a matter of words, blurted out meaninglessly with the empty echo of the tongue, but powerful and living and inspired with the spirit of the commandments. For the true basis of prayer and supplication is the fulfillment of the commandments by virtue. This makes the prayer of a righteous person strong and full of power. The second way is when the person who asks for the prayers of a righteous man fulfills the works of prayer, above all by putting his life right. Then he makes the prayer of the righteous man strong, because it is reinforced by his own wonderful conversion. For there is nothing to be profited by a person who makes use of the prayer of a righteous man if he is himself already more inclined to virtue than to vice. — CATENA

Oecumenius: Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is very effective. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. “The effective prayer.” The prayer of a righteous person is effective when he who prays helps the one for whom he prays with spiritual affliction. For if, while others pray for us, we indulge in pleasures and dissolutions, and our lives are full of transgressions, we dissolve through this the fervor of the prayer that strives for us: and that which Saint Peter says is fulfilled in us: “One builds and one destroys, what does it profit them but labor?” (Sirach 34:28) — Commentary on James

Richard Challoner: Confess therefore your sins one to another: That is, to the priests of the church, whom (ver. 14) he had ordered to be called for, and brought in to the sick; moreover, to confess to persons who had no power to forgive sins, would be useless. Hence the precept here means, that we must confess to men whom God hath appointed, and who, by their ordination and jurisdiction, have received the power of remitting sins in his name.

Tertullian: With regard also to the very dress and food, it commands (the penitent) to lie in sackcloth and ashes, to cover his body in mourning, to lay his spirit low in sorrows, to exchange for severe treatment the sins which he has committed; moreover, to know no food and drink but such as is plain,-not for the stomach’s sake, to wit, but the soul’s; for the most part, however, to feed prayers on fastings, to groan, to weep and make outcries unto the Lord your God; to bow before the feet of the presbyters, and kneel to God’s dear ones; to enjoin on all the brethren to be ambassadors to bear his deprecatory supplication (before God). — On Repentance

Theophylact of Ohrid: The prayer of a righteous man is effective as long as the person who is being prayed for cooperates with his intentions. For if other people are praying for us while we are wasting our time in idleness and debauchery, their prayers will be useless. — COMMENTARY ON JAMES

James 5:17

Hilary of Arles: The apostle regards himself as inferior to the prophets, who performed such miracles. The three years and six months represent the time of the antichrist, but the three years may also stand for the three ages of human history from the creation to the time of David, or they may symbolize the patriarchs, the prophets and the apostles. The miracle mentioned here is meant to encourage believers to persevere in their struggle against the unrighteous, for as in the case of Elijah, even if only one person prays, his prayer represents the common mind of all the righteous. — INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES

James 5:18

Bede: And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, etc. Therefore, he prayed once and before and after, and this one Elijah obtained such great and mighty things; how much more, then, is the frequent prayer of many righteous people worth? But lest our frailty should tremble, thinking that it cannot do similar things to such a great prophet, who deserved to be taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, the blessed James, intending to speak about his prayer, thus began: Elijah was a man like us, subject to suffering. For he was a man, although second to none in virtue, like us in the origin of the flesh, subject to suffering as we are, both in the frailty of the mind and the flesh. For he showed that he was frail in the flesh by seeking sustenance from the widow at Zarephath. And because he was also subject to the suffering of the mind, he showed it when, after waters were returned to the earth and the prophets and priests of idols were slain, he fled through the deserts, terrified by the threats of a single woman. But how great it is to pray for the sick before the Lord, and to call them back to health as confessing their sins, he shows by adding: — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

John Chrysostom: The word of the prophet went forth and suddenly the air was changed, the sky became bronze, not because its nature was altered but because of the electric effect which was produced. Suddenly the elements were transformed, as the prophet’s word fell like a fiery bolt on the hollow parts of the earth, and immediately everything dried up, became a desert and disappeared. — CATENA

Theodoret of Cyrus: It is rash to think that anything which spiritual men say is excessive or badly stated, for what is said is not mindless or superficial. For this man was a prophet, and the greatest of the prophets, on fire with zeal for God. What he said, he said by the inspiration of God’s Spirit, which explains its extraordinary character. — CATENA

James 5:19

Bede: My brothers, if anyone among you strays from the truth, etc. For, as in the earlier sections of this Epistle, our tongue is restrained from wicked or idle speech, it is now shown what we should especially speak at the end. Therefore, we are commanded to pray and sing psalms to the Lord whenever we are struck by adversities. Likewise, we must confess our sins to one another and pray for each other, so that we may be saved, showing as much care as we can for the health of our neighbors, not only their temporal but rather their eternal health. For just as it is of great reward to save a body destined to die, how much more meritorious is it to save a soul destined to live forever in the heavenly homeland? It should be noted that some codices have: “He will save his own soul from death.” And from the ambiguous Greek, it can also be rightly interpreted this way. Indeed, whoever corrects a stray person thereby secures for themselves greater joys of celestial life. He says, “He will save his own soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” He who converts a sinner from error hides his sins from the view of the inner Judge by the superposition of a better life; and he also covers his own failings, in whatever ways he has erred, from the sight of Him who sees all things by caring for his neighbor, according to the Psalmist: “Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Psalms 31). And Blessed James, urging this, does not forget what he said earlier: “Do not become many teachers, my brothers” (James 3). For there, he removes the imperfect from the office of teaching, which they sought out of pride. Here, however, he instructs those who are well-prepared on what they ought to do for the salvation of their neighbors out of fraternal love. For what a teacher is said to do here, elsewhere charity is remembered to do, according to Blessed Peter the apostle: “Because charity covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4). Nor should it be overlooked that this conversion of the erring is often accomplished not only by speaking but also frequently by acting well. For if anyone shows good examples of action to their neighbors, even without speaking, and converts them to works of alms, hospitality, or other virtues they had neglected, they indeed perform the office of a teacher and will receive a certain reward from the merciful Judge for the salvation of the brother they corrected. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Oecumenius: Brothers, if anyone among you has strayed from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. “someone turns him back, let him know.” For it is necessary to serve the salvation of one’s neighbor. “whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way.” This is also said by Jeremiah: “And if you separate the precious from the vile, you will be as my mouth.” (Jer. 15:12) For whoever announces His words becomes the mouth of God. “For it is not you who speak,” He says, “but the Spirit of my Father who speaks in you.” (Matt. 10:19) Therefore, He also forbids the sinner, through David (Ps. 49:16), not to declare his justifications, and to take the covenant upon his lips. on the Epistles of Peter This letter is written by Peter to the Jews who had become Christians and were dispersed in various places, teaching them. For he confirms those who believed from among the Jews. First, he narrates and shows that faith in Christ was announced by the prophets, and that the redemption which would come through His blood was signified by them: and that all things to which angels desire to look have been announced to them and the Gentiles. Then, having urged them to conduct themselves worthily toward Him who called them, Peter exhorts them to honor even kings and commands harmony among women and men, and after briefly encouraging them regarding morals, he signifies that a preaching of salvation and resurrection was also made by the Lord in Hades: so that those who had previously died might indeed rise and be judged in the body, but through the grace of resurrection may persevere. And that the end of all things is imminent, and all should be prepared, as if to give an account to the Judge: and thus Peter concludes the letter. — Commentary on James

James 5:20

Gregory the Dialogist: For if it is a thing of great recompense to rescue from death the flesh sooner or later to die, of what high merit is it to free the soul from death, to live without end in the heavenly country? — Morals on the Book of Job 19.31

Hilary of Arles: Someone who preaches to sinners in order to convert them will save his soul, even if the people he preaches to are not actually converted. — INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES

John Chrysostom: And how do you go about converting someone? It is like the seeds sown by farmers. They are sown once, but they do not survive forever unless they are carefully nurtured. And unless the tillers of the soil protect the seeds, they will be exposed to the birds and to every seed-eating creature. We are just like this, unless we protect what has been sown in us by constant care, for the devil will snatch it away and our own lethargy will destroy it. The sun dries it up, the rain drowns it, and weeds choke it, so that it is not enough for the sower to pass by once only. Rather he must tend it often, driving away the birds of the air, pulling up the weeds and filling up the rocky places with much soil. He must prevent, block off and eject any form of destruction. Where soil is concerned, everything depends on the farmer, for without him it remains lifeless, ready only to suffer harm. It is not like that with spiritual soil however. For in spiritual matters it is not all up to the teachers; at least half the effort must come from the pupils. It is up to us the teachers to sow the seed but up to you the pupils to do the rest. — CATENA

Origen of Alexandria: A man who converts others will have his own sins forgiven. — SERMONS ON Leviticus 2.4

Symeon the New Theologian: As a physician you must cure the passions and diseases of those who are sick in soul; as a shepherd you must bring back those who have strayed. — DISCOURSES 18.16