And it was also said, A wise woman builds a house, but the foolish will destroy it with her hands. This means that the wise woman encourages her neighbor in the fear of God and the love which is in her heart toward her sister and her sisters. But, on the other hand, the foolish woman will destroy them by her words full of bitterness, hatred, wickedness and scorn, even as it is written, A rod of scorn is in the mouth of the foolish,^[1] and that means you.

The wise women built up their homes. The church built its house with its patience and hope in Christ, that is, it has roused and restored those entering it with its doctrine and faith. The foolish destroyed it with her own hand. This is the heresy which becomes the cause for their eternal death.

Both each faithful soul and the catholic church throughout the world build a house for itself in the heavenly homeland through good works. The wicked, however, through their evil living and even, at times, through open rebellion, destroy what was well designed by the good.

He who walks straight, fears the Lord. Not just any fear makes people walk straight, but the fear of God. . . . A life provided with virtue is quite illustrious, but the addition of fear makes persons more religious.

What judgment harder than that of our hearts, whereby each one stands convicted and accuses himself of the injury that he has wrongfully done against his brother? This the Scriptures speak of very plainly, saying, Out of the mouth of fools there is a rod for wrongdoing. Folly, then, is condemned because it causes wrongdoing. Ought we not rather to avoid this, than death, or loss, or want, or exile or sickness? Who would not think some blemish of body or loss of inheritance far less than some blemish of soul or loss of reputation?

It is the way of haughty preachers that they are more desirous of strictly reproving their hearers even when distressed than they are to cherish them in a kindly manner. For they study more to chide and reprove faults than to encourage goodness with praise. They are anxious to appear superior to other people, and they are better pleased when anger raises their feelings than when love makes them equal. They always want to find something to smite sharply with reproof. As it is written, In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride, because really he knows how to smite sharply but not to sympathize with humility.

These things we have said concerning those that in truth have been martyrs for Christ, but not concerning false martyrs, concerning whom the oracle speaks, The name of the ungodly is extinguished.^[1] For a faithful witness will not lie, but an unjust witness inflames lies. For he that departs this life in his testimony without lying, for the sake of the truth, is a faithful martyr, worthy to be believed in such things wherein he strove for the word of truth by his own blood.

The wisdom of able men will understand the paths of wisdom, but the folly of fools goes in the wrong direction. Prophecy says, To whom shall I look if not to the man who is gentle and tranquil and who trembles at my words.^[1] We have been taught that there are three forms of friendship. The first and best of these is based on virtue, since the love which proceeds from reason is firmly based. The second stands between the others and is based on mutuality. It involves mutual sharing and is beneficial to life. Friendship on the basis of free giving is mutual. The third, and last, comes, as we put it, from habit. Some say that it chops and changes, being based on pleasure.^[2]

We read in Proverbs, There is a way that seems just to men, yet the end of it leads to the depths of hades. You see, ignorance is also clearly condemned in this text, since man thinks otherwise and he falls into hades, seemingly having the truth. There are many thoughts, he says, in the heart of man.^[1] But still, it is not his will, which is uncertain and doubtful and changeable, that prevails but the counsel of God.

Awe is fear of the divine. But if fear is a passion, as some insist that fear is a passion, not every fear is a passion. Superstition is a passion, being the fear of spiritual powers which are themselves agitated by different passions. On the other side, the fear of the God who is free from passions is itself free from passions. It is really not a fear of God but a fear of losing him. This fear is a fear of falling into evil; it is a fear of evil. Fear of falling is a desire for incorruptibility and for freedom from the passions.

The fear of the Lord is the hope of courage. When you fear the punishment that is threatened, you learn to love the reward that is promised; and thus through fear of punishment you keep on leading a good life, and by leading a good life you acquire a good conscience, so that finally through a good conscience you don’t fear any punishment. Therefore, learn how to fear, if you don’t want to be afraid.

Strength is never shown except in adversity, and so patience is immediately made to succeed to strength. For every person proves himself in a much truer sense to have advanced in strength in proportion as he bears with the bolder heart the wrongs of other persons.

Everyone knows that patience is derived from passion and endurance and therefore that you cannot call anyone patient unless he endures indignities without annoyance. So Solomon rightly praised the patient person: Better is the patient man than the strong, and he who restrains his anger more than he that takes a city,^[1] and A long-suffering man is mighty in prudence, but a fainthearted man is very foolish. Therefore, if a wronged man flares up in anger, the wrongful abuse should not be thought of as the cause of his sin but the manifestation of a hidden weakness.

Do you not see the athletes, how they exercise when they have filled the bags with sand? But there is no need for you to practice this. Life is full of things that exercise you and make you strong. . . . For it is said, One who is long-suffering abounds in wisdom, but he who is small of soul is strongly foolish.

While all our actions should be free from hidden malevolence, this is particularly the case in the selection of a bishop, whose life is the pattern for all his flock. Calm and pacific judgment is called for if you are to prefer to all his fellows a man who will be elected by all and who will heal all dissension. The gentle man is the physician of the heart. In the gospel the Lord declared himself the physician of the heart when he said, They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick.^[1]

He who slanders the poor irritates his own Maker. Here there are two sins: slander and opposition to the poor. Why does he irritate his Maker? His Maker certainly made him and made it easy for him to be subjected to a tongue of a slanderer. He who really honors God has pity upon the needy. If God made the poor, why must the poor be pitied? Certainly I heard many saying: Is there any need to pity the poor man whom God would have not made poor if he loved him? How long will we play with our salvation? How long will we laugh at things in which the one who is wicked and loaded with countless sins should tremble and fear and be terrified? Tell me then whom God did favor: did he favor either Lazarus or the rich man? This is what ruins us, the fact that we easily slip into [bad] jokes.