Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 25

St. John Chrysostom: In the previous parable, the Lord described the punishment of the man who was violent, drunk, and wasted his Lord's goods. In this one, He declares the punishment for the one who does not profit and fails to prepare abundantly the things he needs; for the foolish virgins had oil, but not enough. ¹

St. Hilary of Poitiers: He says "Then" because this entire discourse concerns the great day of the Lord, about which He had been speaking previously.

St. Gregory the Great: By "the kingdom of heaven" is meant the present Church, as in the passage, The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend (Matthew 13:41). ²

St. Jerome: Some interpret this parable of the ten foolish and ten wise virgins literally, referring to actual virgins. According to the Apostle,ⁱ some are virgins in both body and thought. Others have indeed preserved their bodies as virgins but lack the other deeds of virgins, or have only been kept pure by the guardianship of their parents but have married in their hearts.

However, based on what has come before, I think the meaning is different, and that the parable refers not only to virgins but to the entire human race.

St. Gregory the Great: In each of the five bodily senses there is a double instrument, and the number five doubled makes ten. And because the company of the faithful is gathered from both sexes, the Holy Church is described as being like ten virgins. Since the bad are mixed with the good, and the reprobate with the elect, it is like a mixture of wise and foolish virgins.

St. John Chrysostom: And He uses the character of virgins in this parable to show that even though virginity is a great thing, if it is not accompanied by works of mercy, it will be cast out with the adulterers.

Origen of Alexandria: Or, the minds of all who have received the word of God are virgins. For such is the word of God that it imparts its purity to all who, by its teaching, have departed from the worship of idols and have, through Christ, drawn near to the worship of God; who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride.ⁱ

They take "their lamps"—that is, their natural faculties—and go out from the world and its errors to meet the Savior, who is always ready to enter with those who are worthy into His blessed bride, the Church.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, "The bridegroom and the bride" represent our Lord God in the body, for the flesh is the bride of the spirit. "The lamps" are the light of bright souls, which shine forth in the sacrament of baptism.ⁱ

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, "The lamps" which they carry in their hands are their works, of which it was said above, Let your light so shine before men (Matthew 5:16). ³

Origen of Alexandria: Those who believe rightly and live righteously are likened to the five wise; those who profess the faith of Jesus but do not prepare for salvation by good works are likened to the five foolish.

St. Jerome: For there are five senses which hasten toward heavenly things and seek what is above. Of sight, hearing, and touch, it is specially said, That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled (1 John 1:1). Of taste, Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! (Psalm 34:8). Of smell, Because of the fragrance of your good ointments (Song of Songs 1:3). There are also five other senses which crave earthly husks.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, the five virgins denote a five-fold continence from the allurements of the flesh, for our appetite must be restrained from the gratification of the eyes, ears, smell, taste, and touch. And as this continence can be practiced before God to please Him with the inward joy of a clear conscience, or practiced only before men to gain their applause, five are called wise, and five foolish. Both are virgins, because both groups exercise continence, though from different motives.

Origen of Alexandria: And because the virtues are so linked together that whoever has one has them all, so all the senses follow one another, so that all must be wise, or all foolish.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, the five wise and five foolish represent an absolute distinction between believers and unbelievers.

St. Gregory the Great: It is to be observed that all have lamps, but not all have oil.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The "oil" is the fruit of good works; the "vessels" are the human bodies, in whose inward parts the treasure of a good conscience is to be stored.

St. Jerome: The virgins that have oil are those who, besides their faith, have the ornament of good works. Those who do not have oil are those who seem to confess with a similar faith but neglect the works of virtue.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, the "oil" denotes joy, according to the verse, God has anointed you with the oil of gladness (Psalm 45:7). Therefore, the one whose joy does not spring from being inwardly pleasing to God has no oil, for they find no gladness in their lives of continence except in the praises of men.

"But the wise took oil with their lamps," that is, the gladness of good works, "in their vessels," meaning they stored it in their heart and conscience, as the Apostle says, Let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor (Galatians 6:4).

St. John Chrysostom: Or, the "oil" denotes charity, alms, and all aid given to the needy; the lamps denote the gifts of virginity. He calls them "foolish" because after having gone through the greater toil, they lost everything for the sake of something lesser; for it is a greater labor to overcome the desires of the flesh than those of money.

Origen of Alexandria: Or, the "oil" is the word of teaching, with which the vessels of souls are filled; for what gives such great contentment as moral discourse, which is called the oil of light? The "wise" took with them enough of this oil to suffice, even if the Word should tarry long and be slow to come to their consummation.

The "foolish" took lamps, lit at first, but not supplied with enough oil to last to the end, being careless about the provision of doctrine that comforts faith and enlightens the lamp of good deeds.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For men of both kinds die in this interval of time before the resurrection of the dead and the Lord's coming.

St. Gregory the Great: To sleep is to die; to slumber before sleep is to fall away from salvation before death, because through the burden of sickness we come to the sleep of death.

St. Jerome: Or, "They slumbered," that is, they were dead. And then follows, "And slept," because they were to be awakened afterward. "While the bridegroom tarried" shows that a considerable time intervened between the Lord's first and second coming.

Origen of Alexandria: Or, while the bridegroom "tarried," and the Word does not come quickly to the consummation of this life, the senses suffer, slumbering and moving in the world's night. They sleep, functioning feebly and with no sharp perception. Yet those wise virgins did not abandon their lamps, nor did they despair of hoarding their oil.

St. Jerome: The Jews have a tradition that Christ will come at midnight, in the same way as in that visitation of Egypt, when the Paschal feast is celebrated, the destroyer comes, the Lord passes over our dwellings, and the doorposts of each person's face are hallowed by the blood of the Lamb.

From this, I suppose, the apostolic tradition has continued among us that on the vigil of Easter the people should not be dismissed before midnight, in expectation of Christ's coming. But when that hour has passed, they may celebrate the feast in security. From this the Psalmist also says, At midnight I rise to give you thanks (Psalm 119:62).ⁱ

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, "At midnight" means when no one knew or was expecting it.

St. Jerome: Thus, suddenly, as on a stormy night and when all think themselves secure, at the hour of deepest sleep, the coming of Christ will be proclaimed by the shout of angels and the trumpets of the Powers that go before Him. This is meant when it says, Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!

St. Hilary of Poitiers: At the trumpet signal they go out to meet the bridegroom alone, for then the two will become one—that is, the flesh and God—when the lowliness of the flesh will be transformed into spiritual glory.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, that the virgins go out to meet the bridegroom alone, I think should be understood to mean that the virgins themselves constitute the one who is called the bride. This is similar to how we speak of Christians flocking to the Church as children running to their mother, and yet this same mother consists only of the children who are gathered together. For now the Church is betrothed and is to be led forth as a virgin to the marriage. This takes place when, all her mortal part having passed away, she may be held in an eternal union.

Origen of Alexandria: Or, "At midnight," that is, at the time of their most reckless carelessness, "there was a great cry," of the angels, I suppose, desiring to arouse all people. Those ministering spirits cry out within the senses of all who sleep, Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him. All heard this summons and rose, but not all were able to trim their lamps properly. The lamps of the senses are trimmed by their evangelical and right use, and those who use their senses wrongly have their lamps untrimmed.

St. Gregory the Great: Or, "All the virgins arose," that is, both the elect and the reprobate are roused from the sleep of death. They "trimmed their lamps," that is, they reckon up their works for which they expect to receive eternal blessedness.

St. Augustine of Hippo: They "trimmed their lamps," that is, they prepared to give an account of their deeds.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, the trimming of their lamps is the return of their souls into their bodies, and their light is the shining consciousness of good works, which is contained in the vessels of the body.

St. Gregory the Great: The lamps of the foolish virgins go out because their works, which appeared bright to men outwardly, are dimmed within at the Judge's coming. When they then beg for oil from the wise virgins, what is it but this: that at the Judge's coming, finding themselves empty within, they seek for testimony from without? As though deceived by their own self-confidence, they say to their neighbors, "Since you see us rejected as if we lived without works, bear witness to our works that you have seen."

St. Augustine of Hippo: Out of habit, the mind seeks what usually gives it pleasure. And so these now seek from men, who cannot see the heart, a testimony for God, who does see the heart. But their lamps go out, because when that testimony is withdrawn, the good works of those who rely on it sink into nothing.

St. Jerome: Or, these virgins who complain that their lamps have gone out show that they are partially lit, yet they do not have an unfailing light or enduring works. Whoever, then, has a virgin soul and is a lover of chastity, should not rest content with virtues that fade quickly and are withered away when the heat comes upon them, but should follow after perfect virtues, that he may have an enduring light.

St. John Chrysostom: Or otherwise, these virgins were foolish not only because they departed from this life lacking a store of mercy, but because they thought they could receive it from those from whom they urgently begged it. For although nothing could be more merciful than those wise virgins—who were approved for this very mercy—they would not grant the foolish virgins' prayer. From this we learn that on that day, none of us will be able to stand as a patronⁱ for those who are betrayed by their own works, not because he is unwilling, but because he is unable.

St. Jerome: For these wise virgins do not answer this way out of greed, but out of fear. Therefore, each person will receive the reward for their own works, and the virtues of one cannot atone for the vices of another in the day of judgment. The wise admonish them not to go to meet the bridegroom without oil: Go instead to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Those who sell are the poor, who, needing the alms of the faithful, gave them the recompense they desire, selling, in return for the relief given to their needs, a consciousness of good works. This is the abundant fuel of an undying light which may be bought and stored up for the fruits of mercy.

St. John Chrysostom: You see, then, what great merchants the poor are for us. But the poor are not there; they are here. Therefore, we must store up oil here so that we may have it to use there when the occasion requires.

St. Jerome: And this oil is sold, and at a high cost, nor is it to be gotten without much toil, so that we understand this refers not only to alms but to all virtues and the counsels of teachers.

Origen of Alexandria: Otherwise, notwithstanding that they were foolish, they still understood that they must have light to go and meet the bridegroom, so that all the lights of their senses might be burning. This also they discerned: that because they had little of the spiritual oil, their lamps would burn dimly as darkness drew near. But the wise send the foolish to those that sell, seeing that they had not stored up so much oil—that is, word of doctrine—as would suffice both for themselves to live by and to teach others. Go instead to those who sell, that is, to the teachers, and buy, that is, take from them. The price is perseverance, the love of learning, industry, and the toil of all who are willing to learn.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or we may suppose this is not meant as advice on what they should do, but as an indirect reference to their fault. For flatterers sell oil; by praising what is false and unknown, they lead souls astray, recommending to them, as foolish, empty joys, and receiving in return some temporal benefit.

Go instead to those who sell, and buy for yourselves—that is, "Let us now see what profit you can get from those who used to sell you their praise." Lest there not be enough for us and you, because no one profits in God's sight by the testimony of others, for God sees the heart, and each person is barely able to give testimony concerning his own conscience.

St. Jerome: But because the time for buying was now past, and the day of judgment was coming on, there was no room for repentance. They could not now store up new works, but had to give an account of the old ones.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: "The marriage" is the putting on of immortality, and the joining of corruption and incorruption in a new union.

St. John Chrysostom: The phrase, While they went to buy, shows that even if we were to become merciful after death, it would do us no good in escaping punishment, just as it was no profit to the rich man that he became merciful and careful about those who belonged to him.

Origen of Alexandria: Or, He says, While they went to buy, because there are people to be found who have neglected to learn anything useful until, at the very end of their lives, when they finally apply themselves to learning, they are overtaken by death.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or otherwise: "While they went to buy," that is, while they turned to things without and sought to find pleasure in things they had been accustomed to, because they did not know inward joys, the One who judges came. And they "that were ready"—that is, those whose conscience bore witness for them before God—"went in with him to the wedding," that is, to where the pure soul is fruitfully united to the pure and perfect Word of God.

St. Jerome: After the day of judgment, there is no more opportunity for good works or for righteousness, and therefore it follows, And the door was shut.

St. Augustine of Hippo: When those who have been changed into angelic beings have been taken in, all entrance into the kingdom of heaven is closed. After the judgment, there is no longer any place for prayers or merit.ⁱ

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Yet even though the time for repentance is now past, the foolish virgins come and beg that entrance may be granted to them.

St. Jerome: Their worthy confession, calling Him, Lord, Lord, is a mark of faith. But what good is it to confess with your mouth the One whom you deny with your works?

Glossa Ordinaria: Grief at their exclusion extorts from them this repeated title of "Lord;" they do not call Him Father, whose mercy they despised during their lives. ⁴

St. Augustine of Hippo: It is not said that they bought any oil, and therefore we must suppose that with all their delight in human praise gone, they return in distress and affliction to implore God. But His severity after judgment is as great as His mercy was unspeakable before. "But He answered and said, Truly I say to you, I do not know you." This is according to the rule that the art of God—that is, His wisdom—does not permit those to enter His joy who have sought to do anything according to His commandments merely to please men, rather than to please God.

St. Jerome: For the Lord knows those who are his (2 Timothy 2:19), and whoever does not know will not be known. And though they may be virgins in bodily purity or in their confession of the true faith, yet because they have no oil, they are unknown to the bridegroom. When He adds, Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour, He means that everything that has been said points to this: namely, that since we do not know the day of judgment, we should be careful in providing the light of good works.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For indeed, we know neither the day nor the hour of that future time when the Bridegroom will come, nor of our own falling asleep. If we are prepared for the latter, we will also be prepared when that voice sounds which will arouse us all.

There have been some who would refer these ten virgins to the coming of Christ that takes place now in the Church, but this view should not be proposed hastily, lest something contradictory should arise from it. ⁵

Glossa Ordinaria: In the preceding parable is set forth the condemnation of those who have not prepared sufficient oil for themselves, whether oil means the brightness of good works, the inward joy of conscience, or alms paid in money.

St. John Chrysostom: This parable is directed against those who will not assist their neighbors with money, words, or in any other way, but hide all that they have.

St. Gregory the Great: The man traveling to a far country is our Redeemer, who ascended into heaven in the flesh He had taken upon Himself. For the proper home of the flesh is the earth; it travels, as it were, to a foreign country when it is placed by the Redeemer in heaven.¹

Origen of Alexandria: He travels, not according to His divine nature, but according to the dispensation of the flesh He took upon Himself. For He who says to His disciples, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20), is the Only-Begotten God, who is not circumscribed by bodily form. By saying this, we do not disunite Jesus, but attribute its proper qualities to each constituent substance.

We may also explain it this way: the Lord travels to a far country with all those who walk by faith and not by sight. And when we are absent from the body with the Lord, then He will also be with us. Observe that the turn of phrase is not, “I am like,” or “The Son of Man is like a man traveling to a far country,” because He is represented in the parable as traveling not as the Son of God, but as man.

St. Jerome: Calling the Apostles together, He gave them the Gospel doctrine—to one more, to another less, not out of His own generosity or stinginess, but according to the capacity of the receivers. As the Apostle saysⁱ, he fed with milk those who were unable to take solid food. In the five, two, and one talent, we recognize the diversity of gifts with which we have been entrusted.

Origen of Alexandria: Whenever you observe those who have received a dispensation of God's oracles from Christ, you will see that some have more and some have less. Some, compared to the better sort, do not have even half an understanding of things, while others have still less. In this, you will perceive the difference among those who have all received God's oracles from Christ. Those to whom five talents were given, those to whom two, and those to whom one, have diverse degrees of capacity, and one could not hold the measure of another. The one who received only one has received no small endowment, for one talent from such a master is a great thing.

He has three distinct servants, just as there are three kinds of those who bear fruit. The one who received five talents is able to elevate all the meanings of the Scriptures to their more divine significations. The one who has two has been taught carnal doctrine (for two seems to be a carnal number), and the Master of the household has given one talent to the less strong.

St. Gregory the Great: Alternatively, the five talents denote the gift of the five senses—that is, the knowledge of external things. The two signify understanding and action, and the one talent signifies understanding only.

Glossa Ordinaria: "And immediately took his journey," not changing his place, but leaving them to their own free will and choice of action.²

St. Jerome: "The one who had received five talents," that is, having received his bodily senses, doubled his knowledge of heavenly things: from the creature, understanding the Creator; from the earthly, the unearthly; from the temporal, the eternal.

St. Gregory the Great: There are also some who, though they cannot pierce to inward and mystical things, still teach rightly what they can, according to their view of their heavenly country. They teach what they have gathered from external things. And while they keep themselves from the wantonness of the flesh, from earthly ambition, and from the delights of visible things, they also restrain others from the same by their admonitions.

Origen of Alexandria: Or, those who have their senses exercised by healthy conduct, both raising themselves to higher knowledge and being zealous in teaching others, have gained another five. This is because no one can easily increase in any virtues that are not his own, and unless he teaches others what he himself knows, he gains no more.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, the servant who received five talents is the people of believers under the Law. Beginning with the Law, they doubled their merit by the right obedience of an evangelical faith.

St. Gregory the Great: Again, there are some who by their understanding and their actions preach to others, and from this gain, as it were, a twofold profit in such merchandise. Their preaching, bestowed upon both sexes, is thus a doubled talent.

Origen of Alexandria: Or, "gained another two" means carnal instruction, and another instruction that is a little higher.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, the servant to whom two talents were committed is the people of the Gentiles, justified by faith and the confession of the Father and the Son, confessing our Lord Jesus Christ to be both God and Man, both Spirit and Flesh. These are the two talents committed to this servant. But just as the Jewish people, by their belief in the Gospel, doubled every Sacrament they had learned in the Law (that is, their five talents), so these people, by the use of their two talents, merited understanding and good works.

St. Gregory the Great: To hide one's talent in the earth is to devote the ability we have received to worldly business.

Origen of Alexandria: Alternatively, when you see someone who has the power of teaching and of benefiting souls hiding this power—even though he may have a certain religiousness in his life—do not doubt that such a person has received one talent and is hiding it in the earth.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, this servant who has received one talent and hidden it in the earth is the people who continue in the Law, who, through jealousy over the salvation of the Gentiles, hide the talent they have received in the earth. For to hide a talent in the earth is to hide the glory of the new preaching because of offense at the Passion of His Body. His coming to reckon with them is the judgment of the last day.

Origen of Alexandria: And note here that the servants do not come to the Lord to be judged, but the Lord will come to them when the time is fulfilled. "After a long time," that is, when He has sent out those who are fitted to bring about the salvation of souls. Perhaps for this reason it is not easy to find one who is quite fit to pass immediately out of this life, as is manifest from this: that even the Apostles lived to old age. For example, it was said to Peter, When you are old, you will stretch out your hands (John 21:18); and Paul says to Philemon, as Paul the aged.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe also that the Lord does not require the reckoning immediately, that you may learn His long-suffering. He seems to me to say this covertly, alluding to the resurrection.

St. Jerome: "After a long time," because there is a long interval between the Savior's ascension and His second coming.

St. Gregory the Great: This lesson from the Gospel warns us to consider whether those who seem to have received more in this world than others will not be more severely judged by the Author of the world; the greater the gifts, the greater the reckoning for them. Therefore, everyone should be humble concerning his talents in proportion as he sees himself bound by a greater responsibility.

Origen of Alexandria: He who had received five talents comes first with boldness before his Lord.

St. Gregory the Great: And bringing his talents doubled, he is commended by his Lord and is sent into eternal happiness.³

Rabanus Maurus: "Well done" is an interjection of joy, the Lord showing us in this the joy with which He invites the servant who labors well to eternal bliss, of which the Prophet speaks, In your presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).

St. John Chrysostom: You good servant—this He means is the goodness that is shown toward our neighbor.

Glossa Ordinaria: "Faithful," because he appropriated to himself none of the things that were his lord's.⁴

St. Jerome: He says, You were faithful in a few things, because all that we have at present, though it seems great and numerous, is nevertheless little and few in comparison to the things to come.

St. Gregory the Great: The faithful servant is set over many things when, having overcome the afflictions of corruption, he rejoices with eternal joy in that heavenly seat. He is then fully admitted to the joy of his Lord when, taken into that abiding country and numbered among the companies of angels, he has such inward joy for this gift that there is no room for outward sorrow over his corruption.

St. Jerome: What greater thing can be given to a faithful servant than to be with his Lord and to see his Lord's joy?

St. John Chrysostom: By this word "joy," He expresses complete blessedness.

St. Augustine of Hippo: This will be our perfect joy, than which there is none greater: to have fruition of that Divine Trinity in whose image we were made.⁵

St. Jerome: The servant who made ten talents from five, and he who made four from two, are received with equal favor by the Master of the household, who looks not to the size of their profit, but to the disposition of their will.

Origen of Alexandria: That He says of both these servants that they "came," we must understand as their passing out of this world to Him. And observe that the same was said to them both; he who had less capacity, but exercised what he had in the manner he ought, will have nothing less with God than he who has a greater capacity. For all that is required is that whatever a man has from God, he should use it all for the glory of God.

St. Gregory the Great: The servant who would not trade with his talent returns to his Lord with words of excuse.⁶

St. Jerome: For truly what is written, To offer excuses for sins (Psalm 141:4, Vulgate), happened to this servant, so that the sin of pride was also added to his slothfulness and idleness. For he who ought to have honestly acknowledged his fault and pleaded with the Master of the household, instead cavils against him. He asserts that he acted with provident design, lest while seeking to make a profit he should risk the capital.

Origen of Alexandria: This servant seems to me to have been one of those who believe but do not act honestly, concealing their faith and doing everything so that they may not be known to be Christians. Such people seem to me to have a fear of God and to regard Him as austere and implacable. We indeed understand how the Lord reaps where He did not sow, because the righteous man sows in the Spirit, from which he will reap life eternal. Also, He reaps where He did not sow and gathers where He did not scatter, because He counts as bestowed upon Himself all that is sown among the poor.

St. Jerome: Also, by what this servant dared to say, You reap where you did not sow, we understand that the Lord accepts the good life of the Gentiles and the Philosophers.

St. Gregory the Great: But there are many within the Church of whom this servant is a type, who fear to set out on the path of a better life, and yet are not afraid to continue in carnal indolence. They esteem themselves sinners and therefore tremble to take up the paths of holiness, but fearlessly remain in their own iniquities.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, by this servant is understood the Jewish people who continue in the Law and say, "I was afraid of you," as if abstaining from the exercise of evangelical liberty through fear of the old commandments. And it says, "Look, here is what is yours," as though it had continued in those things the Lord commanded, even when it knew that the fruits of righteousness would be reaped where the Law had not been sown, and that some would be gathered from among the Gentiles who were not scattered from the seed of Abraham.

St. Jerome: But what he thought would be his excuse is turned into his condemnation. The Lord calls him a "wicked servant" because he caviled against his Lord, and "slothful" because he would not double his talent, condemning his pride in the one and his idleness in the other. "If you knew me to be hard and austere, and to seek after other men's goods, you should also have known that I exact what is my own with more rigor, and you should have given my money to the bankers." The Greek word here (αργυριον) means money.

As it is written, The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in the fire (Psalm 12:6). The money, or silver, then, is the preaching of the Gospel and the heavenly word. This ought to be given to the bankers—that is, either to other teachers, as the Apostles did when they ordained priests and bishops throughout the cities, or to all the believers, who can double the sum and restore it with interest by fulfilling in action what they have learned in word.

St. Gregory the Great: So then, we see both the peril of teachers if they withhold the Lord's money, and that of the hearers from whom what they have heard is exacted with interest—namely, that from what they have heard, they should strive to understand what they have not heard.⁷

Origen of Alexandria: The Lord did not allow that He was "a hard man," as the servant supposed, but He assented to all his other words. But He is indeed hard to those who abuse the mercy of God to allow themselves to become remiss, and do not use it to be converted.

St. Gregory the Great: Let us hear now the sentence by which the Lord condemns the slothful servant: Take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

Origen of Alexandria: The Lord is able by the might of His divinity to take away his ability from the man who is slack in using it, and to give it to him who has improved his own.

St. Gregory the Great: It might seem more reasonable to have given it to the one who had two talents, rather than to the one who had five. But since the five talents denote the knowledge of external things, and the two denote understanding and action, the one who had the two had more than the one who had the five. The man with five talents merited the administration of external things but was still without any understanding of eternal things. Therefore, the one talent, which we say signifies the intellect, ought to be given to him who had well administered the external things he had received. We see the same thing happen every day in the Holy Church: those who faithfully administer external things are also mighty in inward understanding.⁸

St. Jerome: Or, it is given to him who had gained five talents so that we may understand that although the Lord's joy over the labor of each is equal—both for him who doubled the five and him who doubled the two—yet a greater reward is due to him who labored more with the Lord's money.

St. Gregory the Great: Then follows a general sentence: For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from him who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away. For whoever has charity also receives the other gifts; but whoever does not have charity loses even the gifts he seemed to have.⁹

St. John Chrysostom: Also, he who has the graces of eloquence and teaching to profit with them, and does not use them, loses that grace; but he who makes an effort to put them to use acquires a larger share.

St. Jerome: Many who are naturally clever and have a sharp wit, if they become neglectful and spoil by disuse the good they have by nature, lose their natural gift. In comparison to one who is somewhat dull by nature but compensates for his slowness with industry and diligence, they see the reward promised to them pass away to others.

But it may also be understood this way: to him who has faith and a right will in the Lord, even if he falls short in any deed as a human being, more will be given by the merciful Judge. But he who does not have faith will lose even the other virtues he seems to have naturally. And He says carefully, From him who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away. For whatever is without faith in Christ ought not to be imputed to the one who uses it amiss, but to Him who gives the goods of nature even to a wicked servant.

St. Gregory the Great: Or, whoever does not have charity loses even those things he seems to have received.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: And on those who have the privilege of the Gospels, the honor of the Law is also conferred; but from him who does not have the faith of Christ is taken away even that honor which seemed to be his through the Law.

St. John Chrysostom: The wicked servant is punished not only by the loss of his talent, but by an intolerable punishment and a denunciation joined with the accusation.

Origen of Alexandria: Into outer darkness, where there is no light—perhaps not even physical light—and where God is not seen. Those who are condemned to it are condemned as unworthy of the contemplation of God. We have also read of someone before us who expounded this as the darkness of the abyss that is outside the world, as though, being unworthy of the world, they were cast out into that abyss, where there is darkness with nothing to lighten it.

St. Gregory the Great: And thus, for punishment, he who has of his own free will fallen into inward darkness will be cast into outer darkness.

St. Jerome: We have explained what "weeping and gnashing of teeth" means above.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe that not only he who robs others, or who works evil, is punished with extreme punishment, but also he who does not do good works.

St. Gregory the Great: Let him, then, who has understanding see to it that he does not hold his peace. Let him who has affluence not be dead to mercy. Let him who has the art of guiding life communicate its use with his neighbor, and let him who has the faculty of eloquence intercede with the rich for the poor. For the very least endowment will be reckoned as a talent entrusted for use.¹⁰

Origen of Alexandria: If you are offended by what we have said—namely, that a man will be judged if he does not teach others—call to mind the Apostle's words: Woe is to me if I do not preach the Gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16).

Rabanus Maurus: After the parables about the end of the world, the Lord proceeds to describe the manner of the judgment to come.

St. John Chrysostom: Let us now listen with all attention and compunction of spirit to this most sweet section of Scripture, which we continually ponder, for Christ truly clothes this discourse with more terror and vividness. Accordingly, He does not say of this as of the others, "The kingdom of heaven is like," but reveals Himself directly, saying, "When the Son of man shall come in his majesty."¹

St. Jerome: He who was two days away from celebrating the Passover, to be delivered to the cross and mocked by men, fittingly now holds out the glory of His triumph, so that He may counterbalance the offenses that were to follow with the promise of reward. And it should be noted that He who will be seen in majesty is the Son of Man.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The wicked, and also those who will be set on His right hand, will see Him in human form, for He will appear at the judgment in that form which He took upon Himself from us. But it will be afterward that He will be seen in the form of God, for which all believers long.²

Remigius of Auxerre: These words overthrow the error of those who said that the Lord would not continue in the same form of a servant. By "His majesty," He means His divinity, in which He is equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Origen of Alexandria: Or, He will come again with glory, so that His body may be like it was when He was transfigured on the mountain. "His throne" is either certain of the more perfect saints, about whom it is written, For there are set thrones in judgment (Psalm 122:5); or it refers to certain angelic powers of whom it is said, Thrones or dominions (Colossians 1:16).

St. Augustine of Hippo: He will come down with the angels whom He will call from the heavenly places to hold judgment.³

St. John Chrysostom: "For all his Angels shall be with him" to bear witness to the ways they have administered to humanity's salvation at His command.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, by "angels" here He means men who will judge with Christ. For "angels" are messengers, and we rightly understand this to include all who have brought news of heavenly salvation to humanity.⁴

Remigius of Auxerre: "And all nations shall be gathered before Him." These words prove that the resurrection of humanity will be real.

St. Augustine of Hippo: This gathering will be carried out by the ministry of angels, as it is said in the Psalm, Gather to him his saints (Psalm 50:5).⁵

Origen of Alexandria: Or, we need not understand this as a local gathering, but that the nations will no longer be dispersed among diverse and false doctrines concerning Him. For Christ's divinity will be manifested so that not even sinners will any longer be ignorant of Him. He will not then show Himself as Son of God in one place and not in another, as He sought to express to us by the comparison of the lightning.

As long as the wicked know neither themselves nor Christ, and the righteous see through a glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12), the good are not separated from the evil. But when the manifestation of the Son of God brings all people to the knowledge of Him, then the Savior will separate the good from the evil. For then sinners will see their sins, and the righteous will see clearly to what end the seeds of righteousness in them have led.

Those who are saved are called sheep because of the gentleness they have learned from Him who said, Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly (Matthew 11:29), and because they are ready to go even to death in imitation of Christ, who was led as a sheep to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7).

The wicked are called goats, because they climb rough and rugged rocks, and walk in dangerous places.

St. John Chrysostom: Or, He calls the one sheep and the other goats to denote the unprofitableness of the latter and the fruitfulness of the former, for sheep are very productive in fleece, milk, and lambs.

Glossa Ordinaria: Under the figure of a sheep in Scripture is signified simplicity and innocence. Beautifully, then, the elect are denoted by sheep in this place.⁶

St. Jerome: Also, the goat is a lustful animal and was the offering for sins in the Law; and He does not say "she-goats," which can produce young and come up shorn from the washing (Song of Solomon 4:2).

St. John Chrysostom: Then He separates them in place.

Origen of Alexandria: For the saints who have done righteous works will receive, as a reward for their right works, the King's right hand, at which there is rest and glory. But the wicked, for their evil and sinister deeds, have fallen to the left hand—that is, into the misery of torments. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come," so that in whatever they are lacking, they may make it up when they are more perfectly united to Christ. He adds, "you blessed of my Father," to show how eminently blessed they were, being of old blessed of the LORD, which made heaven and earth (Psalm 115:15).

Rabanus Maurus: Or, they are called "blessed" to whom an eternal blessing is due for their good merits. He calls it the kingdom of His Father, ascribing the dominion of the kingdom to Him by whom He, the King, was begotten. For by His royal power, with which He will be exalted alone on that day, He will pronounce the sentence of judgment, "Then shall the King say."

St. John Chrysostom: Observe that He says not "Receive," but "possess," or "inherit," as due to you from of old.

St. Jerome: This phrase, "prepared for you from the foundation of the world," should be understood as referring to the foreknowledge of God, with whom things to come are as if they are already done.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Besides that kingdom of which He will say in the end, "Inherit the kingdom prepared for you," the present Church is also called His kingdom, though in a very inferior manner. In it, we are still in conflict with the enemy until we come to that kingdom of peace, where we will reign without an enemy.⁷

But someone will say, "I do not desire to reign; it is enough for me to be saved." In this they are deceived, first, because there is no salvation for those whose iniquity abounds; and, secondly, because if there is any difference between those who reign and those who do not, all must still be within the same kingdom, lest they be considered foes or aliens and perish while the others reign. Thus, all Romans inherit the kingdom of Rome, though not all reign in it.⁸

St. John Chrysostom: He shows for what reason the saints obtain the gift of this heavenly kingdom when He adds, "I was hungry, and you gave me to eat."

Remigius of Auxerre: And it should be noted that the Lord here enumerates six works of mercy, and whoever strives to accomplish them will be entitled to the kingdom prepared for the chosen from the foundation of the world.

Rabanus Maurus: Mystically, the one who refreshes the soul hungering and thirsting for righteousness with the bread of the word and the drink of wisdom, or who admits into the home of our mother the Church someone wandering in heresy or sin, or who strengthens the weak in faith—such a person discharges the obligations of true love.

St. Gregory the Great: Those to whom the Judge, at His coming, will say as they stand on His right hand, "I was hungry, etc." are the ones who are judged on the side of the elect and who reign. They are those who wash away the stains of their life with tears, who redeem former sins with subsequent good deeds, and who, whatever unlawful thing they have at any time done, have covered it from the Judge's eyes with a cloak of almsgiving. Others indeed there are who are not judged, yet reign, who have gone even beyond the precepts of the Law in the perfection of their virtue.⁹

Origen of Alexandria: It is from humility that they declare themselves unworthy of any praise for their good deeds, not that they are forgetful of what they have done. But He shows them His close sympathy with His own.

Rabanus Maurus: "Lord, when did we see you, etc." They say this not because they distrust the Lord's words, but because they are amazed at such great exaltation and at the greatness of their own glory. Or, they say it because the good they have done will seem so small to them, according to the Apostle: For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).

St. Jerome: Indeed, we would be free to understand that it is Christ in every poor person whom we feed when he is hungry or give drink to when he is thirsty, and so on for other things. But when He says, "In that you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren," He seems to me not to speak of the poor generally, but of the poor in spirit—those to whom He pointed and said, Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother (Matthew 12:50).

St. John Chrysostom: But if they are His brethren, why does He call them "the least"? Because they are lowly, poor, and outcast. By these He means not only the monks who have retired to the mountains, but every believer, even if he is a layman. Though hungry or the like, He would have him receive merciful help, for baptism and communion in the divine mysteries make him a brother.

Origen of Alexandria: As He had said to the righteous, "Come, you blessed," so He says to the wicked, "Depart from me," for those who keep God's commandment are near to the Word and are called so that they may be brought nearer. But those who do not do His commands are far from it, though they may seem to stand close by. Therefore, it is said to them, "Depart," so that those who seemed to be living before Him might be seen no more.

It should be remarked that although He had said to the saints, "You blessed of my Father," He does not now say, "You cursed of my Father." This is because the Father is the author of all blessing, but each person is the origin of their own curse when they do things that deserve the curse. Those who depart from Jesus fall into eternal fire, which is of a very different kind from the fire we use, for no fire we have is eternal or even of any long duration.

And note that He does not say, "the kingdom prepared for the angels," as He does say, "everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels." This is because He did not, as far as it was in His power, create people for perdition. Rather, sinners yoke themselves to the Devil, so that just as those who are saved are made equal to the holy angels, those who perish are made equal to the Devil's angels.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It is clear from this that the same fire will be used for the punishment of humans and of demons. If, then, it inflicts pain by bodily touch so as to produce physical torment, how will there be any punishment in it for the evil spirits, unless the demons have, as some have thought, bodies composed of coarse and fluid air? But if anyone asserts that demons have no bodies, we would not stubbornly contend the point. For why may we not say that, truly, though wonderfully, even an incorporeal spirit can feel the pain of a corporeal fire? If the spirits of humans, though themselves incorporeal, can now be enclosed in bodily limbs, they can then be inseparably attached to the bonds of the body. The demons, then, will be united to a body of material fire—though they themselves are immaterial—drawing punishment from that body, not giving life to it. And that material fire will torture bodies such as ours along with their spirits; but the demons are spirits without bodies.¹⁰

Origen of Alexandria: Or it may be that this fire is of such a nature that it can burn invisible substances, being itself invisible, as the Apostle speaks, The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Do not wonder when you hear that there is a fire which, though unseen, has power to torture, when you see that there is an internal fever that comes upon people and pains them grievously.

It follows, "I was hungry, and you gave me no meat." It is written to the believers, You are the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). As the soul dwelling in the body, though it does not hunger in respect of its spiritual substance, yet hungers for the food of the body because it is yoked to the body, so the Savior suffers whatever His body, the Church, suffers, though He Himself is impassible.

And observe how in speaking to the righteous He lists their good deeds under their several kinds, but to the unrighteous He shortens the description under the one head, "I was sick and in prison, and you visited me not." This is because it was the part of a merciful Judge to enlarge and dwell upon people's good deeds, but to pass lightly and cursorily over their evil deeds.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe how they had failed in mercifulness, not in one or two respects only, but in all. Not only did they not feed Him when He was hungry, but they did not even visit Him when He was sick, which was easier. Notice also how light His commands are; He did not say, "I was in prison, and you did not set me free," but, "and you visited me not." Also, His hunger required no costly dainties, but only necessary food.

Each of these counts, then, is enough for their punishment. First, the simplicity of His request, namely, for bread. Second, the destitution of Him who sought it, for He was poor. Third, the natural feelings of compassion, for He was a man. Fourth, the expectation of His promise, for He promised a kingdom. Fifth, the greatness of Him who received, for it is God who receives in the poor. Sixth, the preeminent honor, in that He condescended to receive from humans. And, seventh, the righteousness of so bestowing it, for what He takes from us is our own. But avarice blinds people to all these considerations.

St. Gregory the Great: Those to whom this is said are the wicked believers, who are judged and perish. Others, being unbelievers, are not judged and yet perish, for there is no examination of the condition of those who appear before the face of an impartial Judge already condemned by their unbelief. But those who hold the profession of the faith, but do not have the works of their profession, are convicted so that they may be condemned. These at least hear the words of their Judge, because they have at least kept the words of His faith. The others hear no words from their Judge pronouncing a sentence of condemnation, because they have not paid Him honor even in word. For a prince who governs an earthly kingdom punishes the rebellion of a subject and the hostile attempts of an enemy in different ways. In the former case, he relies on his prerogative; against an enemy, he takes up arms and does not ask what penalty the law attaches to the crime.

St. John Chrysostom: Thus convicted by the words of the Judge, they answer submissively, "Lord, when did we see you, etc."

Origen of Alexandria: Mark how the righteous dwell upon each word, while the unrighteous answer summarily and do not go through the particular instances. For it is fitting for the righteous, out of humility, to disclaim each individual generous action when it is imputed to them publicly, whereas bad people excuse their sins and endeavor to prove them few and venial.

And Christ's answer conveys this. To the righteous He says, "In that you did it to my brethren," to show the greatness of their good deeds. To the sinners He says only, "to one of the least of these," not aggravating their sin. For they are truly His brethren who are perfect, and a deed of mercy shown to the more holy is more acceptable to God than one shown to the less holy; and the sin of overlooking the less holy is less than that of overlooking the more holy.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He is now discussing the last judgment, when Christ will come from heaven to judge the living and the dead. This day of divine judgment we call the Last Day—that is, the end of time. For we cannot tell through how many days that judgment will be prolonged, but "day," as is the custom in Holy Scripture, is used for "time." And we therefore call it the last or latest judgment because He both judges now and has judged from the beginning of the human race, when He cast out the first man from the tree of life and did not spare the angels that sinned. But in that final judgment, both humans and angels will be judged together. The divine power will bring each person's good and evil deeds into review before their memory, and one intuitive glance will present them to their perception, so that we will at once be condemned or acquitted in our consciences.¹¹

St. Augustine of Hippo: Some deceive themselves, saying that the fire is indeed called everlasting, but not the punishment. The Lord, foreseeing this, sums up His sentence in these words.¹

Origen of Alexandria: Observe that while He first put the invitation, “Come, you blessed,” and after that, “Depart, you cursed”—because it is characteristic of a merciful God to record the good deeds of the good before the bad deeds of the bad—He now reverses the order. He first describes the punishment of the wicked and then the life of the good, so that the terrors of the one may deter us from evil, and the honor of the other may incite us to good.

St. Gregory the Great: If someone who has not given to others receives such a heavy punishment, what will he receive who is convicted of having robbed others of what is theirs?²

St. Augustine of Hippo: Eternal life is our chief good and the goal of the city of God, of which the Apostle speaks, And the end everlasting life (Romans 6:22).³ However, because “eternal life” might be understood by those who are not well-versed in Holy Scripture to also mean the life of the wicked—due to the immortality of their souls or their endless torments—we must define the goal of this City. The goal, in which our chief good will be attained, must be called either “peace in eternal life” or “eternal life in peace,” so that it may be understood by all.

That which the Lord spoke to His servant Moses, I AM THAT I AM (Exodus 3:14), is what we will contemplate when we live in eternity. For the Lord says, This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God (John 17:3). This contemplation is promised to us as the goal of all action and the eternal perfection of our joys, of which John speaks: we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).⁴

St. Jerome: Let the thoughtful reader observe that the punishments are eternal, and that the life that continues on has, from that time forward, no fear of falling.

St. Gregory the Great: Some say that God offered empty threats only to deter people from sin. We answer that if He threatened falsely to check unrighteousness, then He also promised falsely to promote good conduct. Thus, while they go out of their way to prove God is merciful, they are not afraid to charge Him with fraud.⁵

But, they urge, finite sin ought not to be punished with infinite punishment. We answer that this argument would be just if the righteous Judge considered only people’s actions and not their hearts. Therefore, it is part of the righteousness of an impartial Judge that those whose hearts would never be without sin in this life should never be without punishment.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The justice of no law is concerned with ensuring that the duration of a person’s punishment should be the same as the duration of the sin that brought the punishment upon him. No one has ever held that the torment for someone who committed murder or adultery should be limited to the same amount of time it took to commit the act.⁶

When a person is punished with death for some enormous crime, does the law measure the punishment by the time it takes to execute him? Or does it not rather measure it by the fact that they remove him forever from the society of the living? And when fines, disgrace, exile, or slavery are inflicted without any hope of mercy, do they not seem like eternal punishments in proportion to the length of this life? They are not truly eternal only because the life that suffers them is not itself eternal.

But some ask, “How then is it true what Christ says, with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again (Matthew 7:2), if a temporal sin is punished with eternal pain?” They do not realize that this is said not in reference to an equal period of time, but to the retribution of evil—that is, that he who has done evil should suffer evil. Mankind became worthy of everlasting evil because he destroyed in himself the good that could have been eternal.

St. Gregory the Great: But they say that no just person takes pleasure in cruelty, and that a guilty servant was flogged to correct his fault. So when the wicked are given over to hell fire, for what purpose will they burn there forever? We reply that Almighty God, since He is good, does not delight in the torments of the wretched. But because He is righteous, He does not cease from taking vengeance on the wicked. Yet the wicked do not burn without a purpose: namely, so that the righteous may acknowledge their eternal debt to divine grace when they see the wicked suffering for eternity a misery which they themselves have escaped only by the assistance of that same grace.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But, they assert, no one can be simultaneously capable of suffering pain and incapable of death. It is true that one can live in pain, but it is not necessary that the pain kill him. For not even these mortal bodies die from every pain. The reason some pain causes death is that the connection between the soul and our present body is such that it breaks under extreme pain. But in the age to come, the soul will be united to a body in such a way that no pain will be able to overcome that connection.⁷

Therefore, it is not that there will be no death, but that there will be an everlasting death. The soul will be unable to live, since it is without God, and yet it will be equally unable to rid itself of the body’s pains by dying. Among these opponents of eternal punishment, Origen is the most merciful. He believed that the Devil himself and his angels, after sufferings proportioned to what they deserve and endured for a long time, would be delivered from those torments and reunited with the holy angels.

But for these and other teachings, Origen was deservedly rebuked by the Church. His apparent mercy was misguided, as it created for the saints real pains in which their sins were to be expiated, and a fictitious blessedness, since the joys of the good would not be secure and endless.

In a completely different way, the mercy of others errs because of their humane sympathies. They think that the sufferings of those condemned by this sentence will be temporary, but that the happiness of those who are eventually set free will be eternal. Why does their charity extend to the whole human race, but dry up when it comes to the angelic race?

St. Gregory the Great: But some ask, “How can they be called saints if they will not pray for their enemies whom they see burning?” They do indeed pray for their enemies as long as there is any possibility of converting their hearts to a fruitful repentance. But how can they pray for them when any change from their wickedness is no longer possible?

St. Augustine of Hippo: Some promise liberation from punishment not to all people, but only to those who have been washed in Christ’s Baptism and have been partakers of His Body, no matter how they have lived. They do this because the Lord says, If any man eat of this bread, he shall not die eternally (John 6:51). Again, others promise this not to all who have Christ’s sacrament, but only to Catholics, however badly they have lived, who have eaten Christ’s Body not only in sacrament but in truth (since they are established in the Church, which is His Body), even if they should afterward fall into heresy or pagan idolatry.⁸

Still others, because it is written, He that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved (Matthew 24:13), promise this only to those who persevere in the Catholic Church, believing that by the worthiness of their foundation—that is, their faith—they will be saved by fire. The Apostle opposes all of these when he says, The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, uncleanness, fornication, and the like; of which I tell you before, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Whoever in his heart prefers temporal things to Christ does not have Christ as his foundation, even though he seems to have the faith of Christ. How much more, then, is someone who has committed unlawful things convicted of not preferring Christ, but of preferring other things to Him? I have also met with some who thought that only those would burn in eternal torments who neglected to give alms in proportion to their sins. For this reason, they think that the Judge Himself mentions nothing else He will inquire about except the giving or not giving of alms.

But whoever gives alms worthily for his sins begins first with himself, for it would be improper for him not to do for himself what he does for others. For he has heard the words of God, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (Matthew 22:39), and likewise, Be merciful to thy soul in pleasing God (Ecclesiasticus 30:24).

How can he who does not give his own soul this alms of pleasing God be said to give alms appropriate for his sins? The reason we are to give alms, then, is so that when we pray for mercy for past sins, we may be heard—not so that we may thereby purchase a license to continue in sin.

And the Lord forewarns us that He will place alms that were given on the right hand, and alms that were not given on the left. This is to show us how powerful alms are for removing former sins, not for giving impunity to a continued life of sin.

Origen of Alexandria: It is not only one kind of righteousness that is rewarded, as many think. In whatever matters anyone follows Christ’s commands, he gives Christ food and drink, for Christ always feeds upon the truth and righteousness of His faithful people. So we weave clothing for a cold Christ when we take up wisdom’s web, instill it in others, and clothe them with bowels of mercy. Also, when we prepare our hearts with diverse virtues to receive Him or those who are His, we take Him in as a stranger into the home of our heart. When we visit a brother who is sick in either faith or good works—offering doctrine, reproof, or comfort—we visit Christ Himself. Moreover, this world is the prison of Christ and of His people, who live here as if chained in the prison of natural necessity. When we do a good work for them, we visit them in prison, and Christ in them.