Ælfric: Homily for the Beginning of Lent (Old English) (Ælfric of Eynsham, Lives of Saints, c. 995)

This discourse belongeth to the seventh night before Lent. In this week on Wednesday, even as ye yourselves know, is 'caput jejunii,' that is in English, Head of the Lenten Fast. We eat on the Sundays at the third hour and in the evening, because the Sunday is so holy that the man is liable, if he will fast on that day, to be excommunicated, if he does so through self-will; neither may any one kneel on Sundays. Nevertheless, we must both on Sundays and on other days shun drunkenness and surfeiting, according to what books teach us, and most especially in Lent. Now there will not be forty days fulfilled in our Lenten fast, unless we fast before that for these four days, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, even as it was appointed of old, though we tell it you but now.

On the Wednesday, throughout the whole world, the priests bless, even as it is appointed, clean ashes in church, and afterward lay them upon men's heads, that they may have in mind that they came from earth, and shall again return to dust, even as the Almighty God spake to Adam, after he had sinned against God's command ; 'In toil thou shalt live, and in sweat thou shalt eat thy loaf on earth, until thou return again to the same earth from which thou earnest, because thou art dust, and shalt to dust return.' This is not said of men's souls, but of men's bodies that moulder to dust, and afterwards shall at doomsday, through our Lord's might, all arise from the earth, that were ever alive, like as all trees are always quickened in the Lenten time, which before had been deadened by the winter's chill.

We read in the books, both in the old Law and in the new, that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes, and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little in the beginning of our Lent, that we strew ashes upon our heads, to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during our Lenten fast.

There was a certain foolish man with bishop Ælfstan in Wiltshire, in his household : this man would not go to the ashes on the Wednesday, as other men did, who attended at mass ; then his companions begged that he would go to the mass-priest, and receive the sacred mysteries which they had received. He said, 'I will not.' They still prayed him. He said that he would not, and spake strangely in his talk, and said that he would use his wife at the forbidden time. Then they left him so. It befell that the heretic was riding in that week about some errand, when hounds attacked him very fiercely, and he defended himself until his spear-shaft stood up before him, and the horse carried him forward so that the spear went right through him, and he fell dying. He was then buried, and there lay upon him many loads of earth within seven nights, because he had refused those few ashes.

In that same week came a certain buffoon to the bishop's household, who heeded no Lenten fast, but went to the kitchen, while the bishop was saying mass, and began to eat ; then fell he, at the first morsel, backward in a swoon, and spat blood, but his life, nevertheless, was with difficulty preserved.

Likewise Athelwold, the holy bishop, who now worketh miracles through God, often told us, that he knew a man with bishop Ælfheah, who would drink in Lent whenever it pleased him. Then one day he prayed the bishop Ælfheah to bless his cup ; he would not, and the fool drank without blessing, and went out. They were baiting a boar by chance outside, and the boar ran against him and thrust him so that he gave up his life ; and so paid for the untimely draught.

Every man who eateth or drinketh untimely in the holy Lent, or on appointed fast-days, let him know in sooth that his soul shall sorely abye it, though the body may here live sound.

We should ever desire the eternal life, because in that life there are good days; not however many days, but one which endeth never. Nevertheless whoso will here in life have good days, he can not find them here, though he be wealthy, for that he will be either sick or full of care, or his friends will fall away from him, or his wealth will escape from him, or some other mischance in this life will come to him, and in addition thereto he will ever dread his death. There will be none of these evils in the eternal life, but there shall be the one good day with God Himself, without care and sorrow and all tribulations, and unended bliss amongst all saints.

Truly may everyone know that if there is mirth and glory anywhere, that there is unspeakable glory where He dwelleth, who created all things; and God Himself hath promised to all them that love Him that they shall dwell in the eternal glory with Himself, for ever, without end. Know now, that God never lieth, and beware that thou never lie to Him ; if thou lie to Him, thou canst not deceive Him, but [deceivest] thyself most direly.

There is many a wealthy man in this world who would give much treasure and unnumbered riches provided that — if he might purchase it — he might here live for [this] world, without all toil, ever endlessly, and that everything might befall him as it should please himself, and that he might always be careless of any evil. Even if it might be so, that he might obtain these joys of which I spake before just now, it would yet not be more like the eternal mirth, than it fares with the man who sitteth in prison as compared with the man who goeth free through the land.

Now the rich man cannot here have, any more than any of us, that sorrowless and that untiring bliss ; why then will not he, or we ourselves, purchase, in this miserable life, the eternal joy with good merits, and with almsdeeds ?

Yet we can tell you a parable concerning this. If a thief were now being led to be put to death how thinkest thou ? would he not give all his goods, though he were wealthy, provided that he might live, if they would permit him this? Nevertheless, he could not live for ever, though they then released him, but he would only have a few years' delay.

It is then a great consideration to him who careth for himself, to purchase for himself that eternal life, of which we speak.

Now thinkest thou, and sayest, ' How may I purchase the eternal life?' I say to thee, give thyself to God, so that thou mayest love the things which God loveth, and detest those things which God detesteth. God abhorreth lies, and loveth truth. Be thou no liar, neither treacherous, but be true and ever faithful; because the faithless are [good] for no lord to have, nor likewise does God care for the unfaithful.

It would be very tedious for us here now to tell you all God's commands, but do ye one thing: let each one take heed that he spend not his life uselessly, but let him learn God's commands from wise teachers, and keep the same as he best may. If he in any wise sin against God's will, let him make amends for it earnestly, then shall he be God's man, and God shall give him for his reward that eternal life, concerning which we before spake.

Now every man is baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, and he may not be again baptized, that the invocation of the Holy Trinity be not contemned ; but true contrition, and penance with abstaining from evil, washeth us again from the sins which we have committed after our baptism. The merciful God speaketh, concerning all sinful men, two very profitable words, 'Declina a malo et fac bonum,' that is, 'Turn from evil, and do good.' It is not enough that thou turn from evil, unless thou ever, according to thy measure, do good. Penance, with abstaining from evil, and almsdeeds, and holy prayers, and faith, and hope in God, and the true love of God and men, heal and cure our sins, if we diligently use those medicines. God said that He desired not the death of the sinful, but He willeth rather that he should turn from his sins and live.

Again saith the Almighty God, ' If the wicked man, and the sinful do penance for all his sins, and keep my commandments, and follow after righteousness, he shall live, and shall not die an evil death, and I will not remember any of his sins which he hath committed.' There is no sin so great that a man may not atone for it if he cease from evil, and with true contrition repent of his guilt, according to the teaching of the doctors. The man who desires to weep for his sins, and make satisfaction for them with good, then must he diligently beware that he repeat not afterward the evil deeds. The man who after his penance reneweth his evil deeds, he so angereth God, that he is like the dog who spueth, and again eateth that which he before spued up. Nor must any man delay to amend his sins, for God hath promised to every penitent the forgiveness of his sins, but He hath promised to no procrastinator certain life until to-morrow.

Let no man be ashamed to make known his sins to a teacher; for he who will not confess his sins in this world with true contrition, he shall be shamed before God Almighty, and before the company of His Angels, and before all men, and before all devils at the great doom, where we shall all be gathered. There shall all our deeds be known to all that company ; and he who cannot for shame confess his sins to one man, shall then be shamed before the hosts of heaven, and the hosts of earth, and the hosts of hell, and his shame will be endless. Verily, no man gets forgiveness of his sins from God, unless he confess them to some man of God, and by his judgment make satisfaction.

Neither again may any man say, nor ought he to say, respecting himself, such [things] as he hath not done ; even as we read in books about a certain faithful woman, who willed to lose her life rather than to lie. Saint Jerome, the holy doctor, wrote in a certain place about the woman, thus —

He said that there was a certain man who accused his wife of having shamefully committed adultery; thereupon they were both brought to the judge, the guiltless wife, and the aforesaid youth ; they were then beaten and severely tortured, as it was then customary to punish adultery. They then scraped them with iron claws, in order that they might say whether it were true ; then the youth desired to end his torment by a short death, and wrongly accused them both.

Then said that constant woman, amidst the horrible tortures, 'Oh Thou Lord Christ! who knowest all secret things, Thou who art the searcher of the soul, and of men's hearts, Thou knowest that I will not refuse for myself to die, but I will not speak untruth of myself, that I may not sin against Thee, if I belie myself.' She said then to the youth, ' Oh thou wickedest of men ! Why wouldest thou thus falsely accuse us two guiltless ones? I desire even to die, not guilty, nevertheless, and I will bear forth with me my integrity, because in nowise he dieth who is slain unto life [eternal].'

Then wondered the judge at the woman's constancy, that she would not confess, in such severe tortures, that which the youth had soon said from cowardice, and condemned them both to be put to death. Then ran the people quickly to the spectacle, and forthwith the executioner struck the youth who had belied himself, so that he lay headless with one stroke, and he afterward turned to the constant woman, desiring to slay her.

She bent down for the stroke, and he then struck at her with all his might, but the sword could not cut anything but the skin, though he struck fiercely. He grew then ashamed, and struck again strongly; then the sword stood still, and did not touch the neck; but the executioner's gold suddenly fell from him, while he was shaking his hands so violently. The woman said to him, 'Youth, take thy gold, lest that be lost to thee for which thou hast so long laboured.' So unconcerned was the woman under the cruel executioner, that she could notice the money of him who would deprive her of life (or, who would behead her).

Then the executioner struck at her yet again with the sword, but the Holy Trinity held back the sword, that it could not wound the woman's neck. Then he would have pierced her through with the sword, but the point bent up to the hilt, and durst not touch her, because she was not a secret adultress. Then said all the multitude who stood there astonished, that the executioner should vex her no longer, and drove him away with his weapon altogether. God would even yet manifest His wonders in that constant woman, and it was thereupon agreed amongst them all to find a new sword, and a new executioner thereto ; because Christ would revive her from death.

She was then killed, but her neck was not stricken through; she was nevertheless dead, and quickly buried ; but God easily raised her again from death in that same night, and she lived sound in the world afterward, for a long time, to the glory of the Almighty, who had so made manifest her integrity by wonders. She would not speak untruth of herself and condemn herself, because a lying mouth destroyeth a man's soul.

Now ye have heard that ye must not conceal your own sins, neither say any more than ye have done, any more than this woman did ; because all false pretence is repugnant to God. The youth lied about himself, and was straightway slain, as likewise king David bade them slay the man, who had told him that he had killed Saul the king, and wished, by that leasing, to dissemble with David. David exclaimed, when the youth was dead, 'Now thou saidst that thou killedst the king Saul; be thy blood upon thee and upon thine head.'

The man who will confess his sins and make restitution, he must grant forgiveness to all those persons who have before angered him, even as it standeth in the Pater Noster, and as Christ said in His gospel ; He said, ' Except ye forgive those men who sin against you with your inmost heart, your Heavenly Father will not forgive you your trespasses.'

Every Christian man must know his Pater-Noster, and his Creed. With the Pater-Noster he shall pray, and with the Creed he shall confirm his faith. The master shall teach the unlearned men the meaning of the Pater-Noster, and of the Creed, that they may know what they ask of God, and how they are to believe in God.

We must be ever increasing in goodness, and every day increase for ourselves the eternal riches, the while we may, because we cannot, after our ending, do aught that is good, but there we shall have reward of that which we have merited here. No man may imagine, nor think in his mind that he hath done too many good deeds, and need do no more of the like kind; because he will lose the little that he before did, if he weeneth that he need not thenceforth do anything good, as if he were too good.