Moreover, it is a righteous thing to give (to the needy) of your bread, and of those things which are necessary for the support of man's life. For though you seem immediately to waste it upon some persons, as if you cast your bread upon the water, yet in the progress of time your kindness shall be seen to be not unprofitable for you. Also give liberally, and give a portion of your means to many; for you know not what the coming day does. The clouds, again, do not keep back their plenteous rains, but discharge their showers upon the earth. Nor does a tree stand for ever; but even though men may spare it, it shall be overturned by the wind at any rate. But many desire also to know beforehand what is to come from the heavens; and there have been those who, scrutinizing the clouds and waiting for the wind, have had nought to do with reaping and winnowing, putting their trust in vanity, and being all incapable of knowing anything of what may come from God in the future; just as men cannot tell what the woman with child shall bring forth. But sow in season, and thus reap your fruits whenever the time for that comes on. For it is not manifest what shall be better than those among all natural things. Would, indeed, that all things turned out well! Truly, when a man considers with himself that the sun is good, and that this life is sweet, and that it is a pleasant thing to have many years wherein one can delight himself continually, and that death is a terror and an endless evil, and a thing that brings us to nought, he thinks that he ought to enjoy himself in all the present and apparent pleasures of life. And he gives this counsel also to the young, that they should use to the uttermost the season of their youth, by giving up their minds to all manner of pleasure, and indulge their passions, and do all that seems good in their own eyes, and look upon that which delights, and avert themselves from that which is not so. But to such a man I shall say this much: Senseless are you, my friend, in that you do not look for the judgment that shall come from God upon all these things. And profligacy and licentiousness are evil, and the filthy wantonness of our bodies carries death in it. For folly attends on youth, and folly leads to destruction.
 | Author: Gregory the Wonderworker AD: 270 |
It happens with most people that they give indeed, but they do not do so freely and readily, which is a greater and more perfect thing than the mere act of offering itself. It is far better to be generous to the unworthy for the sake of the worthy than to deprive the worthy out of fear of the unworthy. This seems to have a bearing on our duty of casting bread upon the waters, not that it may be swept away or perish in the eyes of the just examiner, but that it may come to that place where all our goods will be stored up. And [it will] be there to meet us in due time, even though we may think otherwise. On the Death of His Father, Oration
 | Author: Gregory the Theologian AD: 390 |
Tears are aptly called bread there, where a hunger for justice exists. “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.” And so there are tears which are bread and which strengthen the human heart. The maxim of Ecclesiastes is also appropriate to this discussion, “Cast your bread on the face of the water.” For the bread of heaven is there, where the water of grace is; it is right that those from whose belly rivers of living water flow should receive the support of the Word and a nurture of a mystical kind. .
 | Author: Ambrosius von Mailand Rank: Bishop AD: 397 |
The listed verse explanations of the individual persons have nothing to do with the explanations of the other persons. This also applies to the Bible translations.
