St. Ambrose: the most desolate house

Friday, December 7, 2018
    Feast of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, Teacher, 397
Meditation:
    Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
    —Luke 12:15 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Wealth, which leads men the wrong way so often, [should be] seen less for its own qualities than for the human misery it stands for... The large rooms of which you are so proud are in fact your shame. They are big enough to hold crowds—and also big enough to shut out the voice of the poor! ... The poor man cries before your house, and you pay no attention. There is your brother, naked, crying, and you stand there, confused over the choice of an attractive floor covering.
    ... St. Ambrose of Milan (Aurelius Ambrosius) (339-397), De Nabuthe Jezraelite [ca.395], in Journal of the History of Ideas, v. III, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1942, XIII.56, p. 461 (see the book)
    See also Luke 12:15; 1 Kings 21:1-19; Ps. 62:10; 119:36-37; Pr. 23:4-5; Luke 8:14; 16:14; Col. 3:5; 1 Tim. 6:7-10
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, make my house a mansion of generosity. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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