{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-2403","native_reference":{"book_number":620,"chapter_from":4,"chapter_to":4,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":2,"verse_to":2},"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>: Hence the Apostle says, \"What will ye, shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness.\" First he speaks of a rod, and as with the rod of an almond tree had smitten the wanderers, that he might afterwards comfort them with the spirit of meekness. Just so did meekness restore the man whom the rod had driven from the Divine sacraments. To his disciple too he gave the same injunctions, \"Reprove, beseech, rebuke.\" Here are two harsh terms and one gentle; but they are only harsh, that they may themselves be softened. For like as bitter food or drink becomes sweet to these bodies which are laden with excess of gall, and on the other hand sweet repasts are bitter to them, so also when the mind is wounded it languishes under the flattering touch of pleasure, but is healed again by the bitterness of correction.<br/><i>— Letter 41</i></p><p><b>Athanasius of Alexandria</b>: It is our duty and obligation to remember and heed the special day of Easter Sunday every year. St. Paul taught his disciple Timothy to be aware of dates, saying, \"Stand ready in season and out of season.\" Paul wrote that, of course, so that Timothy would do things when they were supposed to be done and avoid the blame for doing things at the wrong time.<br/><i>— FESTAL LETTERS 1.1</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: I know it is written, \"In the multitude of speech, thou shalt not escape sin.\" But O that I might speak only in preaching Thy word, and in praising Thee! Not only should I so flee from sin, but I should earn good desert, however much I so spake. For a man blessed of Thee would not enjoin a sin upon his own true son in the faith, to whom he wrote, \"Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season.\" Are we to say that he has not spoken much, who was not silent about Thy word, O Lord, not only in season, but out of season? But therefore it was not much, because it was only what was necessary.<br/><i>— ON THE TRINITY 15.28.51</i></p><p><b>Benedict of Nursia</b>: In his teaching the abbot is ever to observe this rule of the apostle: \"Reprove, beseech, correct.\" This consists in a judicious timing: to mix gentleness with sternness—at one time to show the severity of a master, at another the tenderness of a father. Use rigor with the irregular and the turbulent, but win to better things the obedient, mild and patient.<br/><i>— RULE OF ST. BENEDICT 2.23-25</i></p><p><b>Gregory the Dialogist</b>: Rulers ought also to guard with anxious thought not only against saying in any way what is wrong, but against uttering even what is right overmuch and inordinately; since the good effect of things spoken is often lost, when enfeebled to the hearts of hearers by the incautious importunity of loquacity; and this same loquacity, which knows not how to serve for the profit of the hearers, also defiles the speaker. Hence Paul also, in admonishing his disciple to be instant in preaching, when he says, I charge thee before God and Christ Jesus, Who shall judge the quick and the dead by His appearing and His kingdom, preach the word, be instant opportunely, importunely, being about to say importunely, premises opportunely, because in truth importunity mars itself to the mind of the hearer by its own very cheapness, if it knows not how to observe opportunity.<br/><i>— The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 2, Chapter 4</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: Let us then also learn hence to consider all things secondary to the hearing the word of God, and to deem no season unseasonable, and, though a man may even have to go into another person's house, and being a person unknown to make himself known to great men, though it be late in the day, or at any time whatever, never to neglect this traffic. Let food and baths and dinners and the other things of this life have their appointed time; but let the teaching of heavenly philosophy have no separate time, let every season belong to it. For Paul saith, \"In season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort\"; and the Prophet too saith, \"In His law will he meditate day and night\"; and Moses commanded the Jews to do this always.<br/><i>— Homily on John 18</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: \"Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.\" What means \"in season, out of season\"? That is, have not any limited season: let it always be thy season, not only in peace and security, and when sitting in the Church. Whether thou be in danger, in prison, in chains, or going to thy death, at that very time reprove. Withhold not rebuke, for reproof is then most seasonable, when thy rebuke will be most successful, when the reality is proved. \"Exhort,\" he says. After the manner of physicians, having shown the wound, he gives the incision, he applies the plaster. For if you omit either of these, the other becomes useless. If you rebuke without convicting, you will seem to be rash, and no one will tolerate it, but after the matter is proved, he will submit to rebuke: before, he will be headstrong. And if you convict and rebuke, but vehemently, and do not apply exhortation, all your labor will be lost. For conviction is intolerable in itself if consolation be not mingled with it. As if incision, though salutary in itself, have not plenty of lenitives to assuage the pain, the patient cannot endure cutting and hacking, so it is in this matter. \"With all longsuffering and doctrine.\" For he that reproves is required to be longsuffering, that he may not believe hastily, and rebuke needs consolation, that it may be received as it ought. And why to \"longsuffering\" does he add \"doctrine\"? \"Not as in anger, not as in hatred, not as insulting over him, not as having caught an enemy. Far be these things from thee.\" But how? As loving as sympathizing with him, as more distressed than himself at his grief, as melted at his sufferings? \"With all longsuffering and doctrine.\" No ordinary teaching is implied.<br/><i>— Homily on 2 Timothy 9</i></p><p><b>John Damascene</b>: That is to say, do not think its not time to preach, always let it be that time for you, not just in peace or in gladness, nor should you teach only in Church while you are being censored, but even if you are in prison laying in chains, do not cease preaching.</p><p><b>Oecumenius</b>: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.</p><p>Preach the word. But what then is the obstacle? Do not hide the message, but proclaim it.</p><p>be prepared. That is, repeat, look around and watch that no one sins. And do this promptly, untimely, that is, do not have a fixed and definite time for this, but at all times, even if it is not convenient, manage. And if you find, Paul says, someone sinning, correct. For nothing ought to be done before you have convinced: and after you have shown him to be guilty, rebuke.</p><p>Find fault, blame. Then after the wound, apply a remedy. For Paul says, \"encourage,\" so that such a person is not swallowed up by excessive grief.</p><p>with great patience. For the matter requires patience, so that one should not simply trust those who speak, but come through every investigation and the test of time to the truth.</p><p>and careful instruction. Paul says to admonish along with the rebuke, as one lays it upon a child, not as one punishing an enemy, for he knows when encouragement has more power than rebuke.</p><p>About those who were devising new things to oppose Timothy.<br/><i>— COMMENTARY ON 2 TIMOTHY</i></p><p><b>Pelagius</b>: Preaching is always appropriate, whether to those who hear willingly or not.<br/><i>— PELAGIUS'S COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND LETTER TO TIMOTHY</i></p><p><b>Severian of Gabala</b>: The opportune time for preaching and teaching is when the sinner needs the prophylaxis that will lead him to repentance. The sinner will be helped at exactly the right moment between the intention to sin and the commission of sin and will turn to penitence instead.<br/><i>— PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH</i></p><p><b>Theodore of Mopsuestia</b>: \"Reprove\" applies to those who persist in their sin, that they might be led to understand it as sin. \"Rebuke\" is aimed at those actually engaging in sin. \"Exhort\" is directed to those who might be led back to their former state after penitence.<br/><i>— COMMENTARY ON 2 TIMOTHY</i></p><p><b>Theodore of Mopsuestia</b>: Every occasion constitutes an opportune time for preaching.<br/><i>— COMMENTARY ON 2 TIMOTHY</i></p><p><b>Theodoret of Cyrus</b>: Every occasion is appropriate for teaching, so long as this is done boldly and with forethought.<br/><i>— INTERPRETATION OF THE SECOND LETTER TO TIMOTHY</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"503706654ee35616c35623f77256692b694b9598de216535c614a891e01cecdd","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":2403,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"a65f189b1a66b56ba942f737cbd2118b9b6c9bcd049344d254ad02ba6292547e","translator":null,"work":null}