One of the best known
incidents in the rich and tumultuous life of St. Ambrose was his decision to
ransom captives with treasures from the church. What are the riches of the
Church?
In explaining his
decision, St. Ambrose referred to the six precepts of the Lord in his description
of the Last Judgment. But he was drawing on the spirit of the precepts – serve those
in need – not on a specific item. Later in Church history, the six precepts in
Matthew’s Gospel became the foundation of a teaching tool called the seven “corporal
works of mercy.” (The seventh, burying the dead, is based on the Book of
Tobit.) The seven works of mercy drifted away from the six precepts a little,
and “visit the imprisoned” became “ransom captives.” And to understand how the
Church’s teaching on hospitality changed over the ages, it helps to see how
Ambrose and others thought about the six precepts.
In 379, amidst a growing
civil war in the Roman Empire, an army of Goths marched across northern Italy,
and took thousands of captives. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, decided to free
them; so he broke up consecrated vessels, and melted the gold and silver. This
was controversial, but St. Ambrose defended his decision firmly. (The Duties of
the Clergy, Book II, chapter 28)
Mercy requires that we share in others’ misfortunes, and help
them in their needs as far as our means allow – and sometimes even beyond that.
It is better, for the sake of mercy, to take up a cause, and to suffer hatred, rather
than to harden ourselves. Once, I provoked hatred of myself because I broke up the
sacred vessels to redeem captives – an act that could displease my opponents the
Arians. It was not the act itself that provoked them; it provided them with an
excuse to blame me for something. Who can be so hard, cruel, iron-hearted, as
to be displeased because a man is redeemed from death, or a woman from
barbarian sexual assaults that are worse than death, or boys and girls and
infants from the pollution of idols, whereby – through fear of death – they
were defiled?
I have never let go of it, and have stated over and over: it
was far better to preserve souls than to preserve gold for the Lord. He who
sent out the apostles without gold also brought the churches together without gold. The Church has gold – not
to store up, but to lay out, to spend on those who need. Why is it necessary to
guard something that’s worthless? Do you know how much gold and silver the
Assyrians took out of the temple of the Lord when they attacked Jerusalem? Isn’t
it much better that the priests should melt it down to help the poor, if other
supplies fail, than that a sacrilegious enemy should carry it off and defile
it? Would not the Lord himself ask: Why didst you let so many needy people die
of hunger? Surely you had gold? You should have given them something! Why are
so many captives sold as slaves? Why are so many captives – who could be
ransomed – abandoned, left to be slain by the enemy? It would be better to
preserve living vessels than gold ones!
There was no answer to this. What would you say? I was
afraid that that the temple of God would need its ornaments? The sacraments don’t
need gold. It’s not improper to use something other than gold. They aren’t
bought with gold. The glory of the sacraments is the redemption of captives!
Truly, these are precious vessels, because they redeem men from death. That,
indeed, is the true treasure of the Lord, which effects what his blood
effected. Then, indeed, is the vessel of the Lord’s blood recognized, when you
see redemption in the vessel and in the blood both: the chalice redeems people from
the enemy, people whom the Lord’s blood has redeemed from sin. How beautifully
it is said, when long lines of captives are redeemed by the Church: these
Christ has redeemed. Behold the gold that can be tested and tried, behold the gold
found useful, behold the gold of Christ which frees from death, behold the gold
whereby modesty is redeemed and chastity is preserved.
I preferred to hand these people over to you as free men,
rather than to store up the gold. This crowd of captives: surely this company is
more glorious than the sight of cups. The gold of the Redeemer ought to
contribute to this work so as to redeem those in danger. I recognize the fact
that the blood of Christ not only glows in cups of gold, but also the work of
redemption has displayed the power of God’s work.
The holy martyr Lawrence preserved the same gold for the
Lord. When the treasures of the Church were demanded from him, he promised that
he would show them. Then on the following day, he brought the poor together.
When asked where the treasures were which he had promised, he pointed to the
poor, saying: “These are the treasures of the Church.” And truly they were
treasures, in whom Christ lives, in whom there is faith in him. So, too, the
Apostle Paul says: “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels.” What greater
treasures does Christ have, than those in whom he says that he himself lives?
For thus it is written: “I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was thirsty and
you gave me to drink, I was a stranger and you took me in.” And again: “What
you did to one of these, you did to me.” What better treasures has Jesus than those in
whom he loves to be seen?
Lawrence pointed out these treasures, and he prevailed, for
the persecutors could not take them away. Jehoiachim, who preserved his gold
during the siege of Jerusalem and refused to spend it providing food, saw his
gold carried off, and himself led into captivity. Lawrence, who preferred to
spend the gold of the Church on the poor, rather than to keep it in hand for
the persecutor, received the sacred crown of martyrdom for the unique and far-sighted
vigor of his message. Did anyone say to holy Lawrence: “You should not spend
the treasures of the Church, or sell the sacred vessels!"