Sf. m. Eufemia.Ap Rom 8,22-27; Ev Mt 10,23-31.

8:22 Creation Groans
THE ANALOGY OF GROANING. ORIGEN: We must understand this in the same way as we understand Paul’s groaning on account of the gospel for those whom he has brought to the light by faith in Christ, or as he said elsewhere: “My little children, with whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you!”56 COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.57
AWAITING RELEASE FROM SIN. AMBROSE: The moon toils for you and by reason of the will of God is made subject.… It is you who undergo changes of your own volition, not the moon. The moon groans and travails in pain in its changes. You without understanding often find joy in this. The moon frequently awaits your release from sin, so that it may be released from the servitude in which all creation shares. But you place obstacles in the way of your release from sin and to the moon’s freedom. The fact that you yourself still await that conversion which fails to come, whereas the moon suffers change, is the result not of the moon’s folly but of yours. SIX DAYS OF CREATION 4.8.31.58
THE GRIEF OF CREATION. AMBROSIASTER: To groan in travail is to grieve.… The elements themselves show forth their works with care, for both the sun and the moon fill the spaces allotted to them not without travail, and the spirit of the animals demonstrates its servitude by loud groanings. All these are waiting for rest and to be set free from their servile labor. Now if this service were of any benefit to God the creation would be rejoicing, not grieving. But every day it watches its labor disappear. Every day its work appears and vanishes. Therefore it is right to grieve, because its work leads not to eternity but to corruption. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.59
CHRYSOSTOM: Paul says this in order to shame his hearers. He is virtually saying: “Do not be worse than the creation, and do not derive pleasure from the things of this life. Not only should we not cling to them; we should be groaning at the slowness of our departure from this world. For if this is how the creation behaves, you ought to do so all the more, seeing as you have the gift of reason.” HOMILIES ON ROMANS 14.60
WHETHER CREATION REFERS TO HUMAN CREATION. AUGUSTINE: This is not to be understood simply as meaning that trees, vegetables, stones and the like sorrow and sigh-this is the error of the Manichaeans-nor should we think that the holy angels are subject to vanity or that they will be set free from the slavery of death, since they are immortal. Here “the creation” means the human race. AUGUSTINE ON ROMANS 53.61
AUGUSTINE:Every creature is represented in man, not because all the angels … are in him, nor the heaven, earth, sea and all that is in them, but because the human creature is partly spirit, partly soul and partly body. QUESTIONS 67.5.62
[PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: Here Paul gives the common designation of “creation” to all the righteous from Adam and Eve up to the time of Christ, saying that they too groaned along with Adam and Eve, desiring to receive the reward of virtue which the Lord had promised to them, viz., the adoption of sons. THE HOLY LETTER OF ST. PAUL TO THE ROMANS.63
PELAGIUS: Just as the angels rejoice over those who repent,64 so they grieve over those who are unwilling to repent. PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS.65
THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA:How did the whole creation suffer this? The invisible creatures did it by thinking and feeling; the visible creatures did it by sharing in the thing itself. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.66
8:23-27 THE HOPE OF GOD’S CHILDREN
OVERVIEW: Christians share in the groaning of creation as it waits for the revelation of God. This is because we know what is coming and can hardly wait for it to be fulfilled in us. The eschatological perspective of the Fathers is clear from the call to hope, which by definition refers to things we do not yet see. The virtue of patience was dear to the Fathers, as appears from what they have to say about Romans 8:25. Christians were to continue to expect Christ’s second coming at any moment, but they were not to despair if he did not return when they expected him. Prayer is effective only when it is offered in the Spirit. This was a major preoccupation of the Fathers, who were acutely conscious of the dangers of unanswered prayer, which might turn people away from their faith. Prayer in the Spirit is prayer according to the will of God, not according to our own desires.

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10:23 Flee Persecution
THE FLIGHT OF THE GOSPEL. HILARY: He then tells them to flee out of one city into another. This means that his message would first go beyond the borders of Judea and pass into Greece. Then the messengers would be harassed and the various apostles would suffer among the cities of Greece. At last the message would be established among all the Gentiles. He also wished to indicate that the Gentiles would believe in the apostles’ preaching but that Israel alone would not believe until his own return. For this reason he said, “You will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes,” that is, after the conversion of all of the Gentiles. Israel will be left, and when he comes in splendor, it will fill out the number of the holy and be established in the church. ON MATTHEW 10.14.16
DO NOT FEAR PERSECUTION. JEROME: This should be read as referring to the time when the apostles were sent forth to preach. It was properly said to them: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,”17 because they should not fear persecution but should turn away from it. We see that this is what the believers did in the first days. When persecution began in Jerusalem, they scattered throughout all Judea. Their time of trial thus became a seedbed for the good news.
On the spiritual level we propose this symbolic interpretation. When we are persecuted in one city-that is, in one book or passage in Scripture-we will flee to other cities, that is, to other books. No matter how menacing the persecutor may be, he must come before the judgment seat of the Savior. Victory is not to be granted to our opponents before we have done this. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 1.10.23.18
FROM ONE TOWN TO THE NEXT. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: Jesus commands his disciples to flee from one town to the next, and from that one to another. In saying this he is not telling his disciples to be cowardly. He is telling them not to cast themselves into dangers and die at once, for that would be a loss to those who otherwise will benefit from the teaching. FRAGMENT 120.19
BEFORE THE SON OF MAN COMES. THEODORE OF HERACLEA: His coming is not described as a manifest one at the end of our life. His coming will appear as spiritual guidance and help for those who are persecuted from time to time for the sake of God. FRAGMENT 68.20

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10:24 A Disciple Not Above the Teacher
LIKE THE TEACHER. THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: It is truly said that a disciple is not above his teacher according to his nature. For he who is made like his teacher by adoption can never go beyond his nature, but to be made like his teacher is the highest end he can reach. It is also for this reason that Jesus says there is only one teacher, and that teacher is himself. For the teachers among humans are more like routinely stamped images of teachers than like true ones, as each of them teaches what he himself takes for granted. One will make more progress if one is reconciled to the good that has already been given. FRAGMENT 53.21
10:25 The Servant Like the Master
OUR LORD’S EXAMPLE. HILARY: Knowledge of things to come is very edifying for acquiring tolerance, especially if our own will to endure has been molded by another’s example. Our Lord, who is eternal light and the leader of all believers and the founder of immortality, sent consolations in advance to his disciples for the sufferings they would endure. This was so that no disciple would think himself above his teacher or above the Lord, when in reality he is a servant. For some call the master of the house by a demon’s name out of their ill will. If we were indeed equal to our Lord or to the circumstances of his sufferings, how much more would they commit every sort of injury and insult on those of his household who have more fully entered the realm of glory? ON MATTHEW 10.15.22
CALLING THE MASTER BEELZEBUL. CHRYSOSTOM: What Christ is saying to the faithful is, I am now already sharing with you the same stigma you are presently suffering. That is sufficient for your encouragement. I, your Master and Lord, have felt the same grief you now feel. And if that distresses you further, remember this: that even from this foreboding you will soon be freed. For why do you now grieve? Are you troubled that someone is calling you a deceiver or a liar? So what? Wait a little while. In time you will be seen as benefactors of the world and champions of faith. For time reveals whatever is concealed. Time will refute their false accusations and make your good intent known. For as historic events unfold, a larger design will be recognized. Everyone will finally grasp the real state of the case and not merely the frail words used to describe it. Then your adversaries will be revealed as false accusers, liars and slanderers. With time lengthening to reveal and proclaim your innocence, you will shine brighter than the sun. Your voice will in time be heard more clearly than a trumpet. Your good intent will be attested by all. So do not let what is now being said demoralize you. Rather, let the hope of the good things to come raise you up. For the true story of your testimony cannot be suppressed forever. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 34.1.23
THE RELATION BETWEEN MASTER AND SERVANT. CHRYSOSTOM: Observe how he reveals that he is the Lord and God and Creator of all things. What does it mean that “a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master”? As long as one is a disciple or a servant, one is not ready to receive honor. So do not speak to me of what is lacking in the Master. Learn your arguments from all that is sufficient about him. Jesus does not say “how much more will they malign his servants?” but instead “how much more will they malign those of his household?” This demonstrates his close relationship with them. In another place Christ says, “I no longer call you my slaves; you are my friends.”24 Moreover, he does not say “if they are insolent to the master of the house and accuse him.” Instead, he includes the exact form their insolence took, namely, that they called him Beelzebul. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 34.1.25

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10:26-31 THE ONE TO FEAR
OVERVIEW: We are not to fear our persecutors’ threats or stratagems, because the day of judgment will reveal that these all were empty (HILARY). Although the mystery has been hidden from the ages, it is now made manifest to all (ANONYMOUS). In contrast with Jesus’ quiet tone of voice, the disciples would soon be making a proclamation with a boldness of speech that was to be conferred upon them (CHRYSOSTOM). Those things that were once said in the darkness are now preached in the light (HILARY). What Jesus teaches through the indirect communication of parables, the apostles are proclaiming openly (ANONYMOUS). Jesus was restraining himself, looking toward a more appropriate time for public speech (EUSEBIUS OF EMESA). Do not grieve over death, but sin (THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA, AUGUSTINE). The body is dead without the soul, and the soul is dead without God (AUGUSTINE).
Some things happen because of God’s direct will, but some happen merely with his permissive consent (ORIGEN). When persons sell themselves for the sake of an insignificant sin, it is like two sparrows being sold for a penny. Yet whatever is sold sinfully, Christ can buy back and redeem (HILARY). The sparrows do not fall apart from the will of God, who intends even these to serve a useful purpose (APOLLINARIS). If God is not ignorant of anything that happens in creation and if God loves us more truly than the best human father, then we need not be afraid (CHRYSOSTOM).

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10:26 Having No Fear
REVEALED IN JUDGMENT. HILARY: This refers to the day of judgment, which will make known the hidden conscience of our will and reveal to public knowledge those things that now seem obscure. Jesus is admonishing us, therefore, that we are not to fear our persecutors’ threats or stratagems or power, because the day of judgment will reveal that these all were nothing and empty. ON MATTHEW 10.16.1
10:27 Uttered in the Light
WHAT YOU HEAR IN THE DARK. HILARY: We do not take this to mean that the Lord was accustomed to preach at night and to transmit his teaching in the dark. Rather, to those who are carnal, everything he said is darkness, and to unbelievers his word is night.… Therefore Jesus commands that those things which were said in the darkness should be preached in the light. In this way the things he secretly whispered into their ears will be heard from the housetops, from on high, through those who speak as heralds. ON MATTHEW 10.17.2
WHAT YOU HEAR WHISPERED. CHRYSOSTOM: The point is not that Jesus was literally whispering into their ears or speaking in physical darkness. Rather, he was here pressing a strong figure of speech. He was conversing with them quietly and alone in a small corner of Palestine. In contrast with this tone of voice, they would soon be preaching with a boldness of speech that would in due time be conferred upon them. The metaphor of whispering in the ear in a dark place, in this present quietness, is contrasted with what is to come. For they were soon to be commissioned to speak not to one or two or three cities but to the whole world. They would soon be traversing land and sea, amid inhabited countries and across deserts, addressing both princes and tribes, philosophers and orators, telling it like it is with an open face and with all boldness of speech. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 34.2.3
PUBLIC SPEECH AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME. EUSEBIUS OF EMESA: But someone may ask, “If it is good to speak in the light, why did he himself speak in darkness? And if it is good to preach from the housetops, why did he himself quietly speak into their ears?” He keeps quiet because it is timely, but he instructs the disciples to proclaim and preach his words. He is not afraid-it is, rather, for ignorant people to fear the Lord Jesus. He is carefully managing his speech, much like a steward manages money. At times he keeps silent and at other appropriate times he speaks openly. HOMILY 27.3.4
BEYOND THE ENIGMA OF PARABLES. ANONYMOUS: What is the meaning of “What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops”? This refers to the darkness of the Jewish people, as is written elsewhere: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”5 The “darkness” means that they have not been capable of recognizing the true light. And so the Lord was proclaiming that whatever he had said among the Jews would have to be made manifest in the church.… To return to our passage, “What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops.” This means, “What I am now telling you through the enigma of parables, you are hereafter to say openly.” INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 25.6
NO PLACE WHERE CHRIST WILL NOT BE KNOWN. ANONYMOUS: He now reveals to them what will be the outcome of their preaching, because their preaching was going to have a glorious result. “Here I am,” he says. “I am the light hidden in the shadows, God concealed in a man, exaltation in humility. So although this mystery was hidden from the ages, it will now be made manifest to all through you, so that the prophecy I spoke will be fulfilled: ‘Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hid from its heat.’ ”7 For there is no place where the sun is not seen and its heat is not felt. In the same way there will be no place where Christ is not known and his divine nature is not understood. In this way all humankind will be divided into two groups: the unbelievers who will have no excuse and will be punished, and believers. INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 25.8

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10:28 Fear the One Who Can Kill Body and Soul
DO NOT FEAR THOSE WHO KILL THE BODY. ANONYMOUS: “Do not fear those who kill the body.” The essence of the human is not the body, but the soul. It is the soul alone that God made in his own image and the soul that he loves. For the sake of the soul he even created the world. Our enemies are jealous of the soul and persecute the soul. For the sake of the soul even the Son of God came into the world. But the body is the garment of the soul, as the apostle says: “For while we are still in this body, we sigh with anxiety; not that we would be unclothed but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”9 If a madman destroyed someone’s garment that is worn over the body, his victim would think of him as the inflicter of an injury, but there would be no harm to the victim’s nature. In the same way if unbelievers murder the body that is worn over the soul, the soul is grieved by the murder, but there is no harm to the soul’s nature.… What do you mean that the soul perishes? Was not the soul created to be immortal? “Death” can mean not only the snuffing out of the body but also torment. Thus Paul says, “Every day I die for your glory, which I possess in Jesus Christ.”10 And John says this in Revelation: “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power.”11 For the second death is fire and sulphur. You can see therefore that by “damnation of the soul” he does not mean the disappearance of the soul but the torture of the soul in hell, which is the second death. INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 25.12
DO NOT BEWAIL DEATH, BUT SIN. AUGUSTINE: The gospel is life. Impiety and infidelity are the death of the soul. So then, if the soul can die, how then is it yet immortal? Because there is always a dimension of life in the soul that can never be extinguished. And how does it die? Not in ceasing to be life but by losing its proper life. For the soul is both life to something else, and it has it own proper life. Consider the order of the creatures. The soul is the life of the body. God is the life of the soul. As the life that is the soul is present with the body, that the body may not die, so the life of the soul (God) ought to be with the soul that it may not die.
How does the body die? By the departure of the soul. I say, by the departure of the soul the body dies, and it lies there as a mere carcass, what was a little before a lively, not a contemptible, object. There are in it still its several members, the eyes and ears. But these are merely the windows of the house; its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the dead cry in vain at the windows of the house. There is no one there within it to hear.… Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone. But at what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has forsaken it.… This then we can know and hold for certain: the body is dead without the soul, and the soul is dead without God. Every one without God has a dead soul. You who bewail the dead rather should bewail sin. Bewail ungodliness. Bewail disbelief. SERMON 65.5-7.13
DESTROYED IN HELL. THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: When Jesus says “hell,” he is emphasizing that punishment there is eternal. By “hell” he means the condemnation awaiting those who receive recompense according to their life.
His choice of words shows that there is a great difference between the two things. He first says “kill” but next says “destroy,” and from destruction there is no longer any salvation. FRAGMENT 56.14

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10:29 A Sparrow’s Fall
WITHOUT YOUR FATHER’S WILL. ORIGEN: In this passage, Jesus demonstrates his foresight in all things. The word without refers not to will but to foreknowledge. Some things happen because of his direct will, but some happen merely with his approval and consent. And so on the literal level, he is showing the subtlety of his foresight and his previous knowledge of events.
On the spiritual level,15 however, a sparrow falls to the ground when it looks at what is below it and falls to earth, ensnared by the vices of the flesh, given up “to dishonorable passions.”16 It loses its freedom together with its honor. For a sparrow is either borne always upward, or else it comes to rest by alighting on mountains or hills (the hills are metaphors for Scripture). And such a person is one who has been raised aloft by the Word but has his mind on earthly concerns. FRAGMENT 212.17
CHRIST BUYS BACK WHAT IS SOLD. HILARY: What is sold is the body and soul. It is a sin to sell them to anyone, because Christ redeems from sin and is the Redeemer of body and soul. So when persons sell themselves for the sake of an insignificant sin, it is like two sparrows being sold for a penny. They were born for flying and to be carried to heaven on spiritual wings, but they are overtaken by the price of their immediate pleasures, and by such actions they trade away all their eternal treasures for the sake of temporal luxury. ON MATTHEW 10.18.18
THE SPARROW’S FALL KNOWN BY GOD. APOLLINARIS: However, you must know that the story of the sparrows is figurative, since foresight in matters like these makes no difference at all to God. As the apostle said, “Is it for oxen that God is concerned?”19 It is for the sake of humanity that he has foresight of sparrows, which he gives to us for our use. The “penny” is symbolic of something seemingly worthless. FRAGMENT 55.20