{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-4070","native_reference":{"book_number":250,"chapter_from":11,"chapter_to":11,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":1,"verse_to":1},"public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"verse-keyed-module-record","review_required":["English edition and exact text","author/work attribution","dating","verse mapping and citation kind","reuse and attribution","split author quotations and deduplicate"],"review_status":"unreviewed","source_html":"<p><b>Ambrose of Milan</b>: There, tears are indeed bread, where justice is hungered after. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled. Therefore, there are tears that are bread, and they strengthen the soul of man. This also agrees with that saying of Ecclesiastes: Cast your bread upon the waters; for there is the bread of heaven, where the water of grace is; for they rightly receive the substance of the Word and the nourishment of mystical understanding, by which streams of the water of life flow from the womb.<br/><i>— Interrogation of Job and David</i></p><p><b>Gregory of Nazianzus</b>: It happens with most people that they give indeed, but they do not do so freely and readily, which is a greater and more perfect thing than the mere act of offering itself. It is far better to be generous to the unworthy for the sake of the worthy than to deprive the worthy out of fear of the unworthy. This seems to have a bearing on our duty of casting bread upon the waters, not that it may be swept away or perish in the eyes of the just examiner, but that it may come to that place where all our goods will be stored up. And [it will] be there to meet us in due time, even though we may think otherwise.<br/><i>— ON THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER, ORATION 18:20</i></p><p><b>Gregory of Neocaesarea</b>: Moreover, it is a righteous thing to give (to the needy) of thy bread, and of those things which are necessary for the support of man's life. For though thou seemest forthwith to waste it upon some persons, as if thou didst cast thy bread upon the water, yet in the progress of time thy kindness shall be seen to be not unprofitable for thee. Also give liberally, and give a portion of thy means to many; for thou knowest not what the coming day doeth. The clouds, again, do not keep back their plenteous rains, but discharge their showers upon the earth. Nor does a tree stand for ever; but even though men may spare it, it shall be overturned by the wind at any rate. But many desire also to know beforehand what is to come from the heavens; and there have been those who, scrutinizing the clouds and waiting for the wind, have had nought to do with reaping and winnowing, putting their trust in vanity, and being all incapable of knowing aught of what may come from God in the future; just as men cannot tell what the woman with child shall bring forth. But sow thou in season, and thus reap thy fruits whenever the time for that comes on. For it is not manifest what shall be better than those among all natural things. Would, indeed, that all things turned out well! Truly, when a man considers with himself that the sun is good, and that this life is sweet, and that it is a pleasant thing to have many years wherein one can delight himself continually, and that death is a terror and an endless evil, and a thing that brings us to nought, he thinks that he ought to enjoy himself in all the present and apparent pleasures of life. And he gives this counsel also to the young, that they should use to the uttermost the season of their youth, by giving up their minds to all manner of pleasure, and indulge their passions, and do all that seemeth good in their own eyes, and look upon that which delighteth, and avert themselves from that which is not so. But to such a man I shall say this much: Senseless art thou, my friend, in that thou dost not look for the judgment that shall come from God upon all these things. And profligacy and licentiousness are evil, and the filthy wantonness of our bodies carries death in it. For folly attends on youth, and folly leads to destruction.<br/><i>— A Metaphrase of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter XI</i></p><p><b>Isaac of Nineveh</b>: When you give, give generously, with a joyous countenance, and give more than you are asked for, since it is said: \"Send forth thy morsel of bread toward the face of the poor man, and soon you will find your recompense.\" Do not separate the rich from the poor, nor try to discriminate the worthy from the unworthy, but let all persons be equal in your eyes for a good deed.<br/><i>— ASCETICAL HOMILIES 4</i></p><p><b>Jerome</b>: \"Send<br/>your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it.\" He<br/>encourages to mercy since it must be given to all that seek wisdom, and work<br/>well. For just as he sows over the<br/>well-watered fields and awaits the produce of his seed, so too he who is<br/>generous to the needy does not sow the grain of his seed, but bread itself. And he waits for it to grow into his future<br/>profit; and when the day of judgement comes much more will be found to have<br/>grown than was at first sown. <br/>Differently: in each and every man you can see this water, about which<br/>is said, \"rivers flow from his stomach, the waters of life\" [Ioh. 7, 38.],<br/>lest it should trouble you to display the bread of life, the bread of<br/>reasoning, and of speech. For if you do<br/>this many times you will find that you have not sown the seeds of doctrine in<br/>vain. I think that this is what is<br/>written in Isaiah too: \"blessed is he who sows across the water, where the<br/>ox and ass trample\" [Is. 32, 20.]. This is also because that teacher (about whom<br/>we have already spoken), is held to be worthy of blessing, because he sows<br/>across the well-watered hearts of his listeners, the hearts of the Jews, as<br/>those of the gentiles in the gathered congregation.<br/><i>— Commentary on Ecclesiastes</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"e7bdaab4dd8397b079d02ba8aedfe11bb4bf01c16be4220d6e601e0affda392f","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":4070,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"8f0a44e33bf86f8fb140793ae55898422dbab6c40a737575ce262aebf3a01036","translator":null,"work":null}