The worthy Baruch accompanied the fleeing Jews into Egypt, as we have seen.^[1] Five years after the destruction of the city, he went to Babylon. Those who distributed the food of goodness dedicated themselves in any case to helping the weak and guiding them to truth. Once he had reached Babylon, he read the prophecy of Jeremiah to the deportees, and in particular to Jeconiah, who was taken prisoner after a brief reign—and he was struck to the heart. Indeed, Baruch made them aware of the sins of the past, so they would know the reasons for their disgrace and would shed many tears and that each might offer money to send to the priests at Jerusalem to buy offerings to sacrifice to the Lord.

Perhaps he mentions Baruch’s ancestors because they were worthy of respect.

He had earlier been deported to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar: the same Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim, was also called Eliakim, because he had two names.

Even though the temple had been razed to the ground, they offered sacrifices on the spot where it was built. In fact, it was unlawful to offer sacrifices in a place other than Jerusalem.

The Fathers call sexual desire Egypt, meaning the body’s inclination toward its own satisfaction and the mind’s focus on pleasure. They understand by Assyrians the passionate, all-consuming thoughts that trouble and confuse the mind as they fill it with impure images and violently drag it down with sin, even when it does not want that sin around. . . . Before one gives into passion, even if his thoughts rise up against him, he is still free in his own city; indeed, he also has God helping him. If, therefore, such a person humbles himself before God and bears the yoke of his affliction of temptation with thanksgiving and puts up even a small fight, the help of God will surely deliver him. If instead he flees hard work and lowers himself to the desires of the body, then he is deported with force and violence to the land of the Assyrians, where he must serve them even if he does not want to. But then the prophet still says, Pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar because in his life is your salvation. Nebuchadnezzar stands for someone who does not become discouraged at the affliction of temptation that comes, nor does he rebel but endures it with humility, suffering it like something he deserves and considering that he is not worthy to be freed from this weight. Indeed, he understands that his trial deserves to last even longer and should be even more severe. He is someone who, whether he is aware or not that the cause of his troubles lies with himself or his circumstances at the moment, believes that nothing that comes from God is without justice.

God punished us justly, and today we are ashamed to be justly made prisoners.

God’s judgment against us is extremely just: we deserve shame, all of us having transgressed. Indeed, like the kings, even the priests have done what is forbidden.

We are stubborn, not to mention we have devised every kind of sin. Paul says of them that they are ingenious in wickedness.^[1]

The siege led to hunger, which forced them to eat human flesh.^[1] As it says, the pagans around us rejoiced over this.

He calls his punishment the swiftness of the Lord. The Scripture often calls his patience sleep.^[1] Moreover, recalling the punishment, they affirm that the Lord is just. Indeed, it was because they had transgressed and did not want to be healed that he punished them. Then they humbly beg him, remembering the ancient freedom that their fathers enjoyed, when they were freed from the bitter servitude of Egypt.^[2]