“He who is not angry, whereas he has cause to be, sins. For unreasonable patience is the hotbed of many vices, it fosters negligence, and incites not only the wicked but the good to do wrong.” St. John Chrysostom
And St. Jerome:
Writing to Saint Augustine: "Well done! You are famous throughout the world. Catholics revere you and point you out as the establisher of the old-time faith; and -- an even greater glory -- all heretics hate you. And they hate me too; unable to slay us with the sword, they would that wishes could kill."
Writing to Rufinus: "There is one point in which I cannot agree with you: you ask me to spare heretics -- or, in other words -- not to prove myself a Catholic."
5 comments:
These are fantastic quotes. Somehow I've either forgotten them or missed them in my readings of the fathers. Thank you!
The first isn't Chrysostom, but a 4th century Arian.
http://fatherstephen.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/the-good-anger/
Well, it has Aquinas' imprimatur regardless.
Aquinas thought its author was Chrysostom. His endorsement would not have been unqualified if he'd known it was, in fact, a heretic.
"Prooftexting" the Fathers always a bad idea, in any case.
Yeah, well, I like the St. Jerome one for St. Jerome was notoriously cranky. And it is super-timely.
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