ACC ~ 1 Timothy 6 v8

THE APOSTOLIC WAY OF LIFE. CHRYSOSTOM: For it is not by beautifying herself, or by living a life of luxury, or by demanding from her husband money, or by being extravagant and lavish that a good wife will be able to win him over. When she removes herself from all present concerns and imprints upon herself the apostolic way of life, when she displays great modesty, decorum, disdain for money and forbearance, then she will be able to capture him. When she says, “If we have food and clothing, we have all that we need,” when she practices this philosophy in her actions and, laughing at physical death, calls this life nothing, when she considers along with the prophet every glory of this life to be as the flower of the field, then she will capture him. ON VIRGINITY 47.1.

NOT FOR SELF-EXALTATION. CHRYSOSTOM: And observe also their laws,how moderate and freed from all vainglory. Thus: “Having,” says he, “food and covering, let us be content.” Not like him of Sinope [Diogenes the Cynic], who clothed in rags and living in a cask to no good, astonished many but profited none. Paul did none of these things. For neither had he an eye to ostentation, but was both clothed in ordinary apparel with all decency, and lived in a house continually, and displayed all exactness in the practice of all other virtue. These things the cynic despised, living impurely and publicly disgracing himself, and dragged away by his mad passion for glory. HOMILIES ON FIRST CORINTHIANS 35.4.

THE PARADOX OF FAITH. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM: For those who in appearance are rich, though they have many possessions, are yet poor in soul. The more they amass, the more they pine with longing for what they lack. But the believer, paradoxically, is rich even when poor. Knowing that we have need only of raiment and food and being content with these, he has trampled riches underfoot. CATECHETICAL LECTURES 5.2.

TOUCHING THE GROUND. JEROME: Let us now speak in particular about the interior man. A wheel, as you know, rests upon the ground with a very slight base. Nor does it merely rest; it rolls along; it does not stand still but barely touches the ground and passes on. Further, when it rolls onward, it always mounts higher. So the saintly man, because he has a human body, has to give some thought to earthly matters. When it comes to food and clothing and other such things, he is content with what he has, and merely touching the ground with them, hastens on to higher things. HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 10.

DAILY BREAD. AUGUSTINE: “Give us today our daily bread.”It can be taken quite simply that we pour out this prayer for our daily sustenance, that we may have plenty of it; and if we don’t have plenty, that we may not lack it entirely. He called it “daily,” “for as long as it is called ‘today.’” Daily we live, daily we get up, daily we take our fill, daily we get hungry. May he give us our daily bread. SERMONS 58.5.

MODERATION. BASIL THE GREAT: But, if a man would also have mercy upon his body as being a possession necessary to the soul and its co-operator in carrying on life on earth, he will occupy himself with its needs only so far as is required to preserve it and keep it vigorous by moderate care in the service of the soul. He will by no means allow it to become unmanageable through satiety. ON DETACHMENT, HOMILY 21.

VICTORY OVER COVETOUSNESS. JOHN CASSIAN: This then is the perfect victory over covetousness. It is not to allow a gleam from the very smallest scrap of it to remain in our heart, as we know that we shall have no further power of quenching it if we cherish even the tiniest bit of a spark of it in us. And we can better preserve this virtue unimpaired if we remain in a monastery, and as the apostle says, having food and clothing, are therewith content. INSTITUTES 7.28-29.

1 Tim