Cyprian of Carthage: Seems Horrible and Deadly

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25:34-36

“The just are dying with the unjust, it is not for you to think that the destruction is a common one for both the evil and the good. The just are called to refreshment, the unjust are carried off to torture; protection is more quickly given to the faithful, punishment to the faithless…

How suitable, how necessary it is that this plague and pestilence, which seems horrible and deadly, searches out the justice of each and every one and examines the minds of the human race; whether the well care for the sick, whether relatives dutifully love their kinsmen as they should, whether masters show compassion for their ailing slaves, whether physicians do not desert the afflicted…

Although this mortality has contributed nothing else, it has especially accomplished this for Christians and servants of God, that we have begun gladly to seek martyrdom while we are learning not to fear death. These are trying exercises for us, not deaths; they give to the mind the glory of fortitude; by contempt of death they prepare for the crown…

Our brethren who have been freed from the world by summons of the Lord should not be mourned, since we know that they are not lost but sent before; that in departing they lead the way; that as travelers, as voyagers are won’t to be, they should be longed for, not lamented…and that no occasion should be given to pagans to censure us deservedly and justly, on the ground that we grieve for those who we say are living.”

Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, writing c. 251 during the plague, in Treatise VII, On the Mortality 15-20 in Treatises, ed. Roy J. Deferrari (The Fathers of the Church, Volume 36; Washington D.C.: CUAP, 1958).

In today’s post we see another early church bishop helping the people think clearly in the midst of a plague. We must care for people but not care about the plague.

In his words, the disease “seems horrible and deadly” but when we have the right perspective, we “learn not to fear death” because by contempt of death we “prepare for the crown.”

Suffering is part of life. If we are not prepared to meet the Lord it perhaps says that we have gotten too comfortable here on this earth. These are strong but sobering thoughts.

So, how should we live in this season of Lent when everyone is in a COVID-19 frenzy? Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Meditate on Romans 12:9-21 and follow God’s leading.

Keep praying, fasting, and giving. Hoarding is a common sinful reaction in crisis. My friend, Roger Lam, reminded me this week that the gap between the rich and poor widens in crisis.

Those who have resources tend to hoard, and those in need tend to suffer. Fasting is the antidote. Set aside personal desires and pursue what God cares about. Keep giving and serving generously. With you!

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:44-46

“Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead…

The best of our brothers lost their lives in this manner, a number of presbyters, deacons, and laymen, winning high commendation so that death in this form, the result of great piety and strong faith, seems in every way the equal of martyrdom…

The heathen behaved in the very opposite way. At the first onset of the disease, they pushed the sufferers away and fled from their dearest, throwing them into the roads before they were dead and treated unburied corpses as dirt, hoping thereby to avert the spread and contagion of the fatal disease; but do what they might, they found it difficult to escape.”

Dionysius of Alexandria (c. 260 at Eastertide) in Festival Letters, quoted by Eusebius in Ecclesiastical History 7.22) as recounted by Rodney Stark in The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries (New York: HarperCollins, 1997) 82.

How should followers of Christ respond to Covid-19? The early disciples provide us with inspiration that reflects obedience to the command of Christ. In short, they moved toward disease with deep faith rather than running from it in fear. They did not retreat in self-preservation

This vivid picture from Eastertide in the year 260 celebrates the courage of the first Christians. In moving toward disease, they caused the gospel to spread across the ancient world So what would it look like for you and me to move toward Covid-19 rather than away from it?

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

“It is not enough to help the poor. We must help them with generosity and without grumbling. And it is not enough to help them without grumbling. We must help them gladly and happily. When the poor are helped there ought to be these two conditions: generosity and joy.

Why do you complain of giving something to the poor? Why do you display bad temper in the practice of almsgiving? If they see you in that frame of mind, the poor would prefer to refuse your gift. If you give with a brusque demeanor, you are not being generous but lacking gentleness and courtesy. If your face reveals a feeling a of hostility, you cannot bring comfort to your brother or sister who is living in the midst of hostility.

Afterwards, you will be happy to see that they do not feel ashamed or humiliated just because you have helped them joyfully. Nothing actually causes shame so much as having to receive something from someone else.

By showing great joyfulness you will succeed in enabling your brother or sister to overcome their sensitivity. They will understand that in your opinion receiving is just as beautiful as giving.

By showing a bad temper, on the other hand, far from cheering them up you will be depressing them even further.

If you give gladly, even if you give only a little, it is a big gift. If you give unwillingly, even if you give a big gift, you turn it into a small one.”

John Chyrsostom in On the Letter to the Romans 21 (PG60, 603) in Drinking from the Hidden Fountain: A Patristic Breviary, Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World, ed. by Thomas Spidlik (Kalamazoo: Cistercian, 1994) 302.

The world looks at how much we give. More is better. Scriptures teach us that God looks at what we don’t give and what that says about our hearts and where we place our trust.

Likewise, how we give, with glad hearts, matters more to God than the size of our gifts. And without cheerful hearts, whatever we do give appears to be spoiled.

So how does this relate to your compassionate generosity and mine? Let us sit with the Holy Spirit to discern if there be any bad temper or brusque demeanor in our giving. God, please root that out.

Let’s replace such hostility with hope. This requires us to slow down and add empathy to our giving. It’s a good lesson for me. Perhaps you too. Jesus, cause our giving to look like yours: glad.

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17

“If all the same you are looking for some profit, be content with what the Lord will give you. He will also give the interest on your gift to the poor. So wait for the benevolence of the one who is truly benevolent.

The profit that you gain from the poor surpasses all bounds of cruelty. You are profiting from misfortune, you are squeezing money out of tears, you are persecuting a defenseless being, you are belaboring someone who is starving.

You think the profit you make out of the poor is just. But ‘Woe to those who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!’ [Isaiah 5:20] ‘Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?’ [Matthew 7:16] or kindly relationships from usury?”

Basil the Great in On Psalm 14 (PG 31, 277) in Drinking from the Hidden Fountain: A Patristic Breviary, Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World, ed. by Thomas Spidlik (Kalamazoo: Cistercian, 1994) 298.

Basil was addressing the issue of charging interest and making a profit at the expense of the poor. Sadly, this is a common practice in modern times. It’s the opposite of justice in God’s eyes. Rather than kindly relationships that help, we charge interest and extort usury from them.

If you are reading this and you have more than enough resources to live, find someone in need and assist them. God is watching. Give them a hand up to build them up as a disciple. Don’t engage in financial practices that prey on the poor. Though legal, God sees them as unjust.

Instead, use the wealth you have to be kind to the poor. This is what it means to be compassionate. Trust God to give you the interest on your gift. This form of accounting makes no sense in the world, but it will benefit all who follow it now and for all eternity.

You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil. Seek good, not evil that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say He is. Amos 5:11-14

“It is folly, it is madness, to fill our wardrobes full of clothes and to regard with indifference a human being, a being made in the image and likeness of God, who is naked, trembling with cold, and almost unable to stand.

You say, ‘But that fellow there is pretending to tremble and not to have any strength.’ So what? If that poor fellow is putting it on, he is doing that because he is trapped between his own wretchedness and your cruelty. Yes, you are cruel and guilty of inhumanity. You would not have opened your heart to his destitution without his play-acting.

If it were not necessity compelling him, why should he behave in such a humiliating way just to get a bit of bread?

The made-up tale of a beggar is evidence of your inhumanity. His prayers, his begging, his complaints, his tears, his wandering all day long round the city did not secure for him the smallest amount to live on. That perhaps is the reason why he thought of acting a part. But the shame and the blame for his made-up take falls less on him than on you.

He has in fact a right to be pitied, finding himself in such an abyss of destitution. You, on the other hand, deserve a thousand punishments fro having brought him to such humiliation.”

John Chrysostom in On the First Letter to the Corinthians 21, 5 (PG61, 177) in Drinking from the Hidden Fountain: A Patristic Breviary, Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World, ed. by Thomas Spidlik (Kalamazoo: Cistercian, 1994) 296-297.

God sees the poor in the gates of the city and on the corners of the streets.

Today, Chrystostom shakes and wakes us to the reality that our indifference to the person in need, even if he is play-acting to get help, demonstrates our own cruelty. This is a powerful idea.

Think about it. Asking for our help has gotten him or her nowhere.

Years ago I contributed to an article for Christianity Today about why Christians don’t give money to play-actors on the street. In short, I wrote that don’t give because we judge them for how they got into their plight and what they will do with our aid. I added that we fear running out of resources ourselves. Lastly, I noted that we fail to give freely because we value possession over people. Reply by email if you want a PDF of the piece.

Anyway, what I missed was the notion that the destitute person, full of sin and shame, stoops to the humiliation of play-acting because he thinks that is his only option.

As we approach the cross and Easter, we realize that we were nothing but a bunch of play-actors, faking our way through life, when Jesus came to us, loved us, and lifted us up.

The early church comes into view as a safe haven for such people. The poor flocked into the church as they were welcomed. Few local congregations have a reputation among the needy as the place to go to find hope and help.

I don’t know what this looks like for you, but let us stop filling our closets with clothing and our homes with possessions and instead care for people like Christ has cared for us.

I have reasoned that they don’t want help. It’s their corrupt system of making a living.. This too is the response Jesus experienced. Many rejected him. But that did not stop him from coming and giving His life for those who were disinterested, undeserving, and far from God.

Father, forgive us as sinners for our indifference and cruelty toward fellow sinners who are play-acting for help. Raise us up by your Holy Spirit to love and serve the least deserving to show that your love, grace, and generosity is for everyone. In your mercy hear my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

And God bless our son, Samuel David Hoag, as he turns 24 today. When he’s not fly fishing on a river (like the one pictured above), he helps others with a smile. He neither judges whether they are deserving of his aid, nor the size of the sacrifice, because He knows who empowers His selfless service.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon. Matthew 6:24

‘No one can serve two masters.’ What sort of masters? Christ explains it to you when He continues, ‘You cannot serve God and Mammon.’

It is clear then. Those who make Mammon their master cannot serve God, but they serve the master they have freely chosen. They love to be at Mammon’s disposal, they are happy to serve him because they have chosen Mammon, because they have voluntarily subjected themselves to him. Generally people love the masters they have chosen of their own free will more than those whom they have become subject to by compulsion.

A different pattern of behavior is exhibited by a small number of people who are pleasing God. They have become the masters of their own wealth. And they have used it, as if it were their faithful slave, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to free the debtors who are insolvent and in prison. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, Joseph. David, acted like this. Money was not the master of these people; they were the masters of their money.

‘You cannot serve God and Mammon.’ Here then is the commandment to be observed by those who possess riches. Christ, seeing that they were not raising themselves in the height of perfection, came down to their level with His word and established a law which they can keep in the situation they are.

In other words, it is as fit he had said, ‘Seeing that you are not willing renounce wealth, at least don’t become its slave. Become in actual fact its master and use it for all the very best of actions.”

Philoxenus of Mabbug (440-523) in Homily 8, 226ff. (SC44, pp. 225ff) in Drinking from the Hidden Fountain: A Patristic Breviary, Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World, ed. by Thomas Spidlik (Kalamazoo: Cistercian, 1994) 295-296.

The key that Philoxenus helps readers grasp is that you are either a slave to Mammon or money and possessions or you make Mammon your slave. There’s no middle ground. And he further explains how to do this, but using wealth for “all the very best of actions.”

Will you master money or will it master you? The key is to determine what good you will do with the wealth God has entrusted to you. The funny part is that if you don’t put wealth to work, it will come up with ideas for you that will enslave you.

As today is a feast day, celebrate all that God has richly supplied for you with thanksgiving. And determine some destitute person to help or ministry that serves the needy. This is what Jesus wants to find us doing with His resources as His hands and feet.

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Luke 12:33

“Riches ought to be used in a reasonable way, and it is necessary to overcome avarice and share them generously with others . . .We must continually repeat those amazing words of the Lord: ‘Sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, where there are neither robbers nor rust.’ [cf. Matthew 19:21; 6:20] The truly rich are not those who keep their riches to themselves but those who give to others. Happiness comes not from possessing wealth but from giving it away. Whatever is generously given away becomes a fruit of the soul. It therefore becomes the soul’s wealth.”

Clement of Alexandria in The Teacher, 3.6 (PG8, 604) in Drinking from the Hidden Fountain: A Patristic Breviary, Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World, ed. by Thomas Spidlik (Kalamazoo: Cistercian, 1994) 294-295.

The Teacher, Clement, helps us discern richly that giving is the necessary step to overcoming the power of avarice in our lives. We discover that rather than hoarding riches, we get to enjoy and share them. And at least two things happen when we do this. On earth we experience happiness and in heaven we store up true wealth.

I want to make a suggestion today. The teacher called the command of Jesus “amazing” not because it robs us but because it shows us the path to true riches. Take some time to meditate on today’s Scripture above and the one in the quote. What action does this exercise inspire you to do? Whatever it is, go do it following the leading of the Spirit.

It is necessary to obey with open hands to overcome avarice. If you want inspiration and you like podcasts, click to hear me on the Robert Martin “Bigger Questions” show recorded on my last trip to Melbourne, Australia. It It’s called “Why be generous?” Enjoy!

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

“Coronavirus is making the rounds across oceans and borders. Despite the relatively low rate of fatality, I am the first to admit that it is a daunting reality that I am desperately trying to avoid for me and my family in Hong Kong.

Having said that, shocking scenes of emptied supermarket shelves have followed the spread of the coronavirus around the world, racial and cultural differences aside. Not only are we as a human race, generally speaking, hoarders of money, we have also reduced ourselves to become hoarders of face masks, and of all things, toilet paper.

There is much irony in such behavior.

If you were the only household in your neighborhood with all the available face masks, it would actually increase your chances of getting infected with the coronavirus, with no one else having adequate protection in crowded places like public transportation and elevators.

If you were the only household in your neighborhood with all the toilet paper, it would also increase the likelihood of you getting infected with the coronavirus, as medical evidence has shown that it spreads through feces; if no else had access to toilet paper, you are actually in effect doing yourself a disservice directly or indirectly.

Jesus asked these relevant questions in Matthew 16:26 (CJB): “What good will it do someone if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or, what can a person give in exchange for his life?” How much more absurd if we ratchet down to such a primitive level and beat others in the queue to covet over gaining an excessive supply of face masks and toilet paper, of all things?

I have faith that this episode of coronavirus will pass sooner or later. I trust that a medical solution is in the works to either prevent or cure this illness, but there is no cure for fear or expressions thereof, apart from trusting in our Ultimate Provider, Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides at all times.

Fear is the expression of insecurity in provision. It is an outward demonstration of pure self-reliance, and as a corollary a complete forfeiture of good sense and long-term perspective. Selfishness cannot be a successful strategy for survival, and it cannot be a desired legacy one would wish to pass down to the next generation.

It is more blessed to give than to receive (Act 20:35), and our Heavenly Father, who has infinite ability to understand and supply all our needs, has made a promise especially to those who obey His life-giving ways.

Friends, choose life.”

Roger Lam in “Loving Your Neighbour as Yourself Makes Good Sense, Especially in the Time of Coronavirus” blog post dated 5 March 2020. I consider Roger a friend, a fellow author and speaker, and dear brother in Christ.

Join me as a subscriber to Roger’s blog (by clicking and subscribing above), and if you have not read his two books, buy them today on Amazon, Lost and Found: Money vs. Riches and Lose to Find: Change of Control. I formally endorsed them and can’t say enough good things about these books.

What’s been your reaction to Coronavirus?

I think Roger is spot on with articulating that “fear is the expression of insecurity in provision.” If crisis situations immobilize us with fear or cause us to hoard, we must pause and ask ourselves where we place our trust.

Sure, there are prudent responses to such maladies but things have gotten out of hand.

Not only do I believe, with Roger, that we should share whatever masks and the toilet paper we possess, I think we need to look at our hearts and see what our actions are saying about where we find our security.

Lent is a season of fasting and setting aside our self-reliance and choosing instead to rely on God. Only as we walk in the way of Jesus do we discover that His commands are good and they actually save us from selfishness.

Along with fasting, perhaps pray for those affected by the virus and move toward the sick rather than away from them. Consider giving to someone experiencing infirmity right now. Ask the Spirit to guide you.

Or you can allow fear to destroy you. It’s your choice.

Not me! Roger, I’m with you. Friends, choose life.

Now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:32-35

“If money competes with God in our life, it is giving that can counter it. Giving breaks the hold that money has on us. If we keep increasing our giving as a matter of discipline, we will be able to turn our eyes away from money, on onto God, the Provider of all things. Giving is the very nature of God and learning to care and provide for the needs of others is absorbing the character of God in us . . .

The ultimate objective of God’s provision of riches is not just to provide for our personal needs, but to use us as a channel to bless the world. We give out of love for our Father whose nature is to give out of His love for us. So great is His love that He sent His Son to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life. As we respond out of that love in generosity, it leads to a blessing to the world that God desires through us.”

Manju George in Enjoy Money, God’s Way (Bengaluru, India: Eudemonia Consulting LLP, 2018) 14, 17.

This is a great little book! Manju graciously gave it to me in Bengaluru, India, when we met up in January 2020 and I brought it on this trip and read it on my long flight home. I am glad I did.

I strongly endorse it. Though it may be hard to access outside of India. It’s readable, biblical, and has practical tips for application. And the excerpts from the book, which I cited above, struck me as so beautiful!

God’s very nature is generosity and love. When we give, we absorb that character. The act of giving transforms us. We become channels of love and blessing that God desires us to be.

How are you? We are one week into the journey of Lent. Are you increasing giving “as a matter of discipline” to help you grow in this grace? God does not need the money; we need to give it to turn our eyes to Him.

This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; He will surely take me to Himself. Psalm 49:13-15

“Isidore said, ‘In this fleeting life the rich do not have the satisfaction of permanently enjoying their power, their fame, or their money. Suddenly death carries them off, the abyss swallows them up, and they disappear, condemned to eternal torments.’

‘Greed makes the rich haughty. It does not happen because of their riches, but because of their free choice. Evil does not consist in things, but in the use we make of them.’

‘Those who spend their riches on beneficial objects are making good use of good things. The same good things are being badly used by those who plan to multiply their wealth or who only do good to their neighbors for reputation’s sake.’

Defensor Grammaticus (seventh century monk from St. Martin’s Abbey) in Book of Sparkling Sayings, 58 (SC86, p. 160) in Drinking from the Hidden Fountain: A Patristic Breviary, Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World, ed. by Thomas Spidlik (Kalamazoo: Cistercian, 1994) 292-293.

Read all of Psalm 49 today. It is the message about money for the world that is echoed by Defensor and Isidore. This Psalm seemed fitting as I wrap up this trip around the world with fruitful service and meetings in five countries thanks to the faithfulness of God.