Today, Holy Church presents to us a rich tapestry in her sacred liturgy: the figure of Sanctus Joannes Gualbertus Abbas, radiant model of mercy and monastic reform, and in quiet commemoration at Lauds, Sancti Nabores et Felicis Martyres, steadfast soldiers of Christ. The epistle and gospel appointed for today—Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11 and Matthew 5:43-48—form a luminous prism through which we can contemplate the sanctity to which the Christian soul is called.
I. “Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish…”
(Eccli 31:8)
This verse from the Book of Ecclesiasticus is not mere praise of material wealth, but rather a paradox: a rich man, found without blemish and unstained by avarice or pride, is rare and worthy of admiration. The Fathers repeatedly remind us that true riches consist not in gold or silver, but in virtue.
St. Ambrose comments:
“Riches are not forbidden, but the pursuit of them is perilous. What matters is how one uses them. If they are used to serve Christ in the poor, they become riches in heaven.” (De Officiis, I.30)
Thus, the blessed man is one who, having wealth, does not allow it to rule him. He neither clings to his possessions nor turns them to vanity, but glorifies God in his stewardship. Such was the noble-born John Gualbert, who, having the rank and comforts of a Florentine noble, abandoned all to follow the Crucified Lord in monastic humility.
II. “Love your enemies… be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
(Matt 5:44, 48)
If Ecclesiasticus praises the rare virtue of untainted stewardship, the Gospel proposes a still higher ideal: perfect charity, even toward one’s enemies. This command of Our Lord seems impossible to nature, and yet, it is the very heart of the Gospel.
St. Augustine writes:
“He does not say: ‘Be ye as perfect as the angels,’ but ‘as your heavenly Father.’ What greater call could there be? But because it is He who calls, He also makes it possible.” (Sermon on the Mount, I.23.79)
This perfection is not sterile rigorism, but the fullness of caritas. It was this very perfection that St. John Gualbert approached when, upon meeting his brother’s murderer in a narrow Florentine street, chose not vengeance but mercy, embracing the man in Christ’s name. For this act of supernatural charity, the Lord confirmed His pleasure with a miraculous vision of the Crucified inclining His head in approval, as John prayed before Him in the church of San Miniato.
Is not this the true wealth praised in the Epistle? The soul that has learned not only to give alms, but to forgive; not only to be clean in body and purse, but merciful in heart. As St. John Chrysostom teaches:
“Nothing makes us so like God as being ready to forgive the wicked and love our enemies.” (Hom. on Matt 18)
III. The Witness of the Saints: from Mercy to Martyrdom
The martyrs Nabor and Felix, commemorated today, confirm the truth of this teaching with their blood. As Roman soldiers turned witnesses for Christ, they abandoned the glory of the empire for the glory of the Kingdom. They showed forth the perfection of charity not by resisting their persecutors, but by loving the Lord unto death.
Their commemoration at Lauds reminds us that the monastic path of St. John Gualbert and the martyr’s path of Nabor and Felix are not opposed. Both are roads of sanctity walked in the footsteps of Christ: one in the cloistered silence of Vallombrosa, the other in the blood-stained arena. In both shines the same light of perfect love.
Conclusion: The Church’s Call to Perfect Charity
Today’s liturgy, steeped in the spirit of traditional Catholic piety, sets before us not only the example of individual saints, but the call to holiness itself. Whether rich or poor, monk or soldier, we are summoned to bear the image of the Father: “Be ye perfect.”
The Collect of St. John Gualbert beseeches:
“O God, who didst vouchsafe to draw blessed John, Thy Confessor, from the court of an earthly prince to the desert, and to adorn him with the merit of monastic life: grant that, by his example, we may despise worldly things and ever aspire to those that are heavenly.”
This is the essence of both readings: to be rich in God, to be merciful as He is merciful, and to love—even our enemies—with the boundless heart of Christ. Let us pray, through the intercession of St. John Gualbert and the holy martyrs Nabor and Felix, that we may walk this path with fidelity, and thus, attain to that heavenly perfection promised by Our Lord.
Suggested Practice Today:
Pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart, meditating on the invocation: Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy. Ask especially for the grace to forgive anyone who has injured you.
For Further Reading in the Learning Path of Spiritual Practices and Devotions:
- Rule of St. Benedict, ch. 4: “The Instruments of Good Works”
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God
- Dom Gueranger, The Liturgical Year, July 12
Per Iesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.