On Love of the Poor and Reading the "Old Stuff"

"Do you think that kindness to others is not a necessity for you, but a matter of choice?  That it is not a law, but simply an exhortation?  I used to wish this very much myself, and supposed it to be true.  But that “left hand” has instilled fear in me, and the “goats” and rebukes that will come from him who raises them to stand before him: condemned to be in this class, not because they have committed theft or sacrilege or adultery, or have done anything else forbidden by the Law, but because they have not cared for Christ through the needy (14.39).”

This social justice quote is brought to you today by St. Gregory Nazianzen, from his 14th Oration "On Love of the Poor."  It was preached sometime between 367-371 AD.  It is probably the best sermon I've read on the Christian duty to the poor in terms of theological rigor, rhetorical skill, and pastoral intensity. 

It should be no secret that Matthew 25 is my favorite chapter in scripture, and that surely colors my view of this sermon.  In a reference to the parable of the sheep and the goats at the final judgment (Mt. 25:36-41), Gregory (following Christ in the parable) identifies a halfhearted attitude toward the poor with the goats, who did not care for Christ through the needy (and so go to everlasting punishment). “If you believe me at all, then, servants and brothers and sisters and fellow heirs of Christ, let us take care of Christ while there is still time,” by feeding him, clothing him, offering him shelter, and honoring him by service to the needy (14.40)” 

Theologically, the sermon is carefully constructed and touches on the nature of Christ's incarnation as both fully human and fully divine. Christopher Beeley (a professor at Yale) notes that “Gregory’s oration stands out among the other Cappadocians’ by the degree to which it links the love of the poor with Christ and the doctrine of the incarnation.” One could then go further and assert that by linking the care of the poor to the incarnation, care of the poor is also a component of a Christian’s sanctification/deification. While contemplation and scripture reading are certainly important to spiritual life and deification, all can seem to be for naught without tangible love for Christ though the care of our neighbors. The allusion to Matthew 25:36-41 is also powerful in its acknowledgment that Christ truly shared a fully human nature; in so doing helping the needy, indeed any human, is a service to someone sharing the same human nature of Christ and ourselves, and potentially His deified nature. It is to act both in imitation of—and obedience to—Christ, who fed and healed many in His own ministry.  In so doing, we gain a greater understanding of Christ and God; we come to participate in Christ and God toward the in-breaking of the Kingdom. 

To speak of both pastoral intensity and rhetorical skill:  Gregory is known for his rhetorical abilities, and with good reason.  Translation does not always show the brilliance of speech, but in general his writing (preaching) flows easily from point to point; he also does not shy away from unpopular points. This particular sermon was given on a feast day, probably to a well-off congregation, and he mentions that it is precisely because it is a feast day in the Church that he talks about the plight of the poor. 

"The wail of their begging offers a counterpoint to the sacred singing within the the church, and a miserable dirge is produced, in contrast to the sounds of the Mysteries.  Why must I depict all their misfortune to people celebrating a feast day? Perhaps it is that I might stir up some lament in your own hearts...(14.13)"

Gregory asks whether a Christian’s joining of the royal priesthood does not give a duty to help.  Gregory takes his congregation on a tour of a dinner party reeking of opulence and gluttony (and it seems like they all knew the type of party he was talking about), before bringing a call to repentance.  “Shall we not finally come to our senses?  Shall we not cast off our insensitivity—not to say our stinginess?  Shall we take no notice of human needs (14.9)?” 

Part of the study of history is coming to know that things very rarely change.  Gregory confronts reasons people give to not help the poor, reasons that are as familiar to us as they were to Gregory:  some people deserve to be poor, they brought it upon themselves, There is "not enough", or it's a punishment from God.  Gregory will have none of it. In fact, in the face of these objections, service to the poor is necessary so that we might "restrain those who have such an attitude towards [the poor], and [that we] might not give in to their foolish arguments, making cruelty into a law turned against our very selves (14.35)."

Here's the point:  The "social justice" stuff that is pilloried by some is not a new-fangled way to be Christian.  It's as old as the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Early Church, and the Patristic period down to our time.  

And it isn't optional.

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Confession: I've been lax in my own duty to the poor this semester.  I managed my time poorly and in ways that made it difficult for me to participate in the work that I've been given to do by God.  I will remedy this.
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This summary does not do justice to the Oration, which is lengthy, yet worth reading and re-reading.  The translation of oration 14 that I use is from Brian Daley’s Gregory of Nazianzus (London: Routledge, 2006), 74-97.