CHAPTER 16

16:1-2 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

JEROME OF STRIDON. 16:2 BEHOLD, THE LORD HAS SHUT ME UP, THAT I SHOULD NOT BE BORN; GO TO YOUR SERVANT, SO THAT I HAVE CHILDREN. Note that procreation is in Hebrew “built”. It reads in this place: "Enter your servant's house, to see if I can be built through her. And see that this is not the meaning of what is said in Exodus: "God bless the wise women, and they give them houses." [Hebrew Questions on Genesis]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Sara, Abram's wife, did not give him a child, but she had an Egyptian maid, named Hagar. (Gen. 16:1) Observe here, my beloved ones, the extreme patience of God and the excess of faith and the recognition of the just for the predictions that were made to him. God had promised him many times that he would give the land to his race, and that the number of his descendants would equal the multitude of stars; however, seeing that nothing was realized of what was announced and that all promises stopped at words, his reason was not troubled, his mind was not agitated, he remained unshakeable in his faith and confident in the power of the One who spoke to him. This is what Scripture recalls here, saying: Sarah, Abram's wife, did not give him children; which gives us to understand that after alliances so often repeated, after this promise of an innumerable multitude which was to come out of him, he did not grieve, and did not doubt, seeing that these words did not occur. did not accomplish, and on the contrary all seemed to deny them. So it is said: Sara, his wife, did not give him children. To tell us that so many promises had come to nothing, while Sara's infertility and her age-old bosom could discourage the patriarch. But this one, far from stopping at the obstacles of nature, knew that nothing is impossible for the Lord, who is the Creator of this nature and makes possible what was impossible; as a faithful servant, he did not inquire how things should happen, but he abandoned himself to the incomprehensible providence of the Lord and believed in his word.

Consider how much they were free from all passion: their only purpose was not to die without children; but they thought of achieving it without trouble, and preserving the conjugal bond. Observe also the continence of the patriarch and his extreme sweetness. He did not want his wife to have no children, as some fools do; his love for her was not weakened. You know, indeed, you know that most men take opportunity to despise women, just as they appreciate them for the opposite reason: there is a lot of lightness and irreflexion to put on the, account of infertility or fertility; they do not know, therefore, that everything depends on the Creator, and that the union of the sexes, joined to all conceivable resources, can not give children if the hand above excites nature to bring them into being. The just knew it; so he did not impute to his wife his infertility, and he always honored him as well. The latter, by way of compensation, and to show how much she cherished her husband, forgot herself, and, seeking to console him for this sterility, took, as it were, her Egyptian servant by the hand and led her into her own hands. bed. Besides, she showed clearly in what intention she acted thus, saying: The Lord has closed my bowels so that I may not be pregnant. See what resignation! She says nothing bitter, she does not deplore her sterility; it only declares that, the Creator having thus willed it, she endures it with gentleness and courage, preferring the will of God to her desires, and that she seeks only to console her husband, since, she says, the Lord has closed my bowels so that I do not get pregnant. (Gen. 16:2) See the meaning of these words; as they show the infinite providence and power of God! We close and open our house: God does the same with nature; his firm order when he wills and reopens as he pleases; nature always obeys her commands. Since the Lord has closed my bowels so that I may not be born, come to my servant, so that you have children. It's because of me that you do not have one; I do not want to deprive you of this consolation. Perhaps Sara suspected that her sterility did not come from her alone, but also from the patriarch; so, wishing to convince herself of it by facts, she gives way to her servant and leads her to her bed, so that the event may show her if infertility depends on her alone. [Homilies on Genesis]

16:3-6 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. 6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen. 16:3) Et dedit eam Abram viro suo ipsi uxorem (She gave her as a wife to Abram her husband himself). The word ipsi (himself) is excessive. [Locutions]

(Gen. 16:5) Cum autem vidit se conceptum habere, spreta sum coram illa (Hagar, seeing that she conceived; for me nothing but contempt). The Greek here employs a participle that does not exist in the Latin language, participates ιδουσα; it is as if there were: Videns autem se eonceptum habere, spreta sum coram illa (But seeing that she conceived, I was scorned in her eyes), where we see a kind of error. There is also one in the use of the ιδουσα participle, which we replace by the Latin word videns.

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Abram did what Sara wanted. Notice the wisdom of the righteous. I repeat what I have already said: it was not he who first had this idea, although he was already very old; but when (259) Sara makes this offer to him, he accepts it, showing that, if he consents, it is not by desire and debauchery, but to leave posterity. Sarah, Abram's wife, took Hagar, his Egyptian maid, after ten years of living with Abram her husband in the land of Chanaan, and gave her to Abram her husband for a wife. (Gen. 16:3) See how accurate Scripture is! she wants to teach us that the righteous did not hurry as soon as Sara spoke to her, and she said: Sarah, Abram's wife, took Hagar, his Egyptian maid. Sacred Scripture thus makes us understand that the just does nothing except by complaisance for his wife and by condescending to his will. To teach us the continence of the just and its extreme moderation, it is written. After ten years of living with Abram, her husband, in the country of Chanaan. If this time interval is specified, it is not without reason; it is for us to know how many years the righteous man has borne this infertility without murmuring, and has shown a continence superior to all passions; it's still to teach us something else. When the Scripture adds: After ten years of living with Abram, her husband, in the land of Chanaan, it is not there all the time of their cohabitation, but only that which they spent in the land of Chanaan. Why that? Because, as soon as they arrive in the land of Chanaan, God says in his goodness: I will give this land to your race. Then he renews these promises more than once, to make us understand, my beloved, that, despite the interval that God has put before fulfilling these promises, the spirit of the patriarch has not been troubled and has not put human reasoning above divine words. Also the scripture says: After they had lived together for ten years in the land of Chanaan. See what courage, what wisdom! see also how the Lord delays and delays to make him more illustrious! For if he has servants whom he particularly cherishes, he is not satisfied with being favorable to them, but he covers them with glory to make their faith appear to all eyes. After saying that he would give this land to his race, if he had immediately opened the womb of Saras and had procured children for the patriarch, the miracle would not have been so great and the virtue of the just would not have been so bright in the eyes of all. Doubtless, the power of God would have manifested itself from that moment, for he would have fertilized by his order the laboratory of nature, come unable to reproduce; but the crown of glory would not have been complete on the head of the patriarch, as at this later time. where his virtue was tested again, and became every day brighter.

To make you see that God is not content to lavish his benefits, but that he usually seeks to illustrate those who receive them, see his conduct towards the Canaanite, as he differs and temporizes; however, he ends not only by welcoming his prayer, but by making this woman herself famous all over the world. When she begged him, saying, Lord, have mercy on me! my daughter is tormented by the devil (Matt XV, 22); This God of clemency and goodness does not, however, deign to answer him, though he always prevents our requests. His disciples, ignorant of what was to happen, that he was interested in this woman, and that, if he did not answer, it was to give him an opportunity to discover the treasure of his faith, his disciples, as if in pity approached him and begged him, saying, Send her away, because she cries after us, letting them see that they can no longer bear her importunity. Send her back satisfied, they said, not because she's unhappy, not because her prayers are reasonable, but because she's shouting after us. What does the Lord do then? Wanting to reveal little by little the treasure of faith possessed by this woman, and to show to her disciples how far they were from her goodness, he finally answers in such a way as to disturb the suppliant's judgment, if she had had less firmness in her life. 'spirit or less ardor in zeal, and so as to prevent the apostles from praying for her: I am sent,' said he, 'only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Indeed, these words are enough to prevent the disciples from interceding for this woman; but she herself did not cease her prayers, and redoubled them more earnestly. It is the characteristic of a soul suffering and possessed of a strong affection: it does not worry about what is said to it and think only of the purpose of its desires. That's what this woman did. After hearing these words, she bowed down, saying, Lord, have mercy on me! She knew the goodness of the Lord, and also her perseverance is indefatigable. But see what prudence and (260) what wisdom he shows himself! He does not grant anything, and even he responds even more severely and harshly. He knew the courage of this woman and did not want his blessing to remain hidden, so that his disciples, as well as the other men, would learn the reason that had led him to differ: the power of perseverance and diligence, and the virtue of this woman. He says, in fact: It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.

Here, I pray you, notice the energy of this woman, the ardor of desire that sets her on fire and the power of her faith in God, as her bowels were torn, so to speak, of compassion for the sufferings of her daughter ; she does not reply to the insult, she accepts the name of dog and agrees to be put in the rank of the dogs, provided that she obtains to be delivered from her irrationality to rise to the rank of the children of God. Listen to this woman's answer at last, it is the fruit of the delay that the Lord had brought to answer him. Not only did the severity of the Lord not repudiate the woman, but she over-excited her zeal, since she said: Yes, Lord; for the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.

Do you see why he has been so long to answer him? It was to teach us how far this woman's faith was going. See how at once the Lord praises and rewards him, saying: O woman, your faith is great! He sends back with praise and admiration that to whom he at first gave no answer. Your faith is great. She was tall, indeed, since this woman, after having seen her prayers repulsed a first and a second time, was not discouraged or withdrawn, and that, by the energy of her perseverance, she engaged God with 'grant. Let it be done, he says, as you wish! You see that it fills of its benefits that which first did not honor of an answer. He not only hears it, but glorifies it and crowns it. These words, O woman, show how much he is struck by his faith; these: your faith is great, reveal the full extent of this treasure, and finally this word: That it be done as you wish, means: whatever you can want or desire, I grant you ; such perseverance has made you deserve what you wanted.

You have seen the constancy of this woman; you have seen that, if God had waited to grant him, it was to render her more worthy of admiration. Let us return now, please, to our story, and learn that if God delayed for so many years in fulfilling the promises he had made to the Patriarch, it was to make him more illustrious and to make his faith. So the scripture says: After they had lived together ten years in the land of Chanaan, to show the time that had elapsed since the prediction. As soon as the righteous came to this land, God said to him, I will give this land to your seed. However, he had since remained without children; Sara's infertility increased, and she gave Hagar wife to her husband Abram.

See what was the wisdom of the elders, Men were temperamental, very attached to continence, and women were not jealous. In fact, Scripture shows an often useful example, when she says: Sarah took Hagar her handmaid and gave it to Abram as wife; it shows us on such occasions the coolness of women and the reserve of men. And he came to Hagar and she conceived. (Gen. 16:4) As you can see, Sara learns that it was not the fault of the righteous if he had no children, but that his own infertility was the only cause; for the union of the patriarch with the servant was immediately fertile. Well ! Observe now the ingratitude of this servant and the weakness of the feminine nature, in order to learn still here the admirable sweetness of the patriarch. She saw that she was fat and despised her mistress in the face. This is the custom of servants: to the slightest advantage they have, they no longer stand in their place, they forget their position and become ungrateful: this is the story of this maid. When she was pregnant, she did not think of the admirable resignation of her mistress or the inferiority of her position, but, in the intoxication of her pride, she disdained his mistress, who had shown him enough kindness to to take her to her husband's bed.

What is Sara doing then? She said to Abram, I am angry with you. I have put my servant in your arms; now that she is fat, she scorns me in the face. May God judge between you and me! (Gen. 16:5) Here, consider the extreme patience of the righteous and the respect he shows to Sara by excusing her for an accusation so little deserved. She, who had put her handmaid in her arms, saying: Come to my servant, she, who had it. driven to this liaison, suddenly changes to say: She insults me because of you. O woman! did he run after your maid? Did his desires lead him to this union? It is to follow your advice and advice that he did everything. What insult has made you your husband? I put, you say, my servant in your arms. If you admit that you gave it to him and that he did not take it for himself, what are you talking about insulting? Yes, she said, I gave it to you, but seeing her pride you had to repress her insolence. Seeing that she was fat, she despised me in the face; May God judge between you and me! These are the words of a woman, and are due to the weakness of her nature; it is as if she were telling him: I wanted to console you for not having children, I went so far as to put my servant in your arms so that she could replace me. Now, seeing that she is proud of her pregnancy and that she prides herself on it, you should have repressed and punished her insolence for me, and you did not do it. You seem to forget all our past life, and to despise me yourself, who lived so many years with you, and brought back from Egypt that servant who is mine and who scorns me. May God judge between you and me! Think, said she, of all that I have done to console you; In order to make you a father in your old age, I raised my servant to me: and you, seeing her ingratitude, you did not avenge me, you did not do anything to reward me for my good will to your respect. May God judge between you and me! He who knows the secrets of hearts will be our judge, I put your satisfaction above all my desires, I led my servant in your bed: and you, you did not conceive any recognition, you allow to this servant to revolt against my goodness, and you do not repress her audacity, and you do not punish her ingratitude!

What then did this unshakable man, that invincible athlete of God, who found everywhere the opportunity of deserving new crowns? He still shows his virtue here and says to Sarah: Here is your servant in your hands: do what you want. (Gen. 16:6) The righteous here shows much wisdom and extreme patience. Not only does he not be angry at Sarah's words, but he responds kindly to him and says to him: You believe me the cause of the injury you have received and you think I agree with your maid, because that she once shared my bed: first learn that I would never have consented to receive it there, if it had not been for your convenience: so that you are convinced of it, I put it back into your hands; do what you want. Is your power diminished? have you lost your authority over this woman? In spite of the relations I have had with her, you are always in control, she is in your hands, you can punish her, chastise her, gurm her: do whatever you want and what you please. Only do not irritate yourself, and do not attribute to me his insolence. As it is not the passion that has brought me to her, I do not take enough interest in defending her when she is wrong. I know the respect due to you, I am not unaware of the ingratitude of the servants. That does not worry me or look at me, I have only one desire, that of seeing you happy, quiet, filled with honor and delivered from all sorrow.

Here is a true union, a prudent husband who does not discuss his wife's words too rigorously, but condescends to the weakness of his sex, thinking only of sparing him of sorrows and of living with her in peace and understanding. Let the husbands pay attention to imitate the sweetness of the righteous, so that they have as much regard and respect for their wives as they can, and be full of indulgence for these weak beings, in order to strengthen the bonds of concord. True wealth, inestimable opulence is that the husband and wife are in agreement and united as if they were one body. They will be two in the same flesh. (Gen. II, 24.) Such husbands, even in poverty, even in the most humble position, are the happiest of all, they taste the true pleasure and live in a constant tranquility. Those, on the contrary, who do not have the same happiness, but suffer from jealousy and lose the advantages of peace, those, in spite of immense wealth, a sumptuous table, the nobility and the illustration, are the more unhappy men; every day storms and storms rise between them, they mutually suspect each other, and taste no pleasure; an internal war disturbs everything at home and fills them with bitterness. Here, nothing like it; the patriarch calmed by his mildness the anger of the mistress, and, in giving him his servant, brought peace to the house. Sara mistreated her and she ran away from her. When the mistress had punished her (216) insolence, the servant fled. It is the habit of the servants: when they can not do what they want, when one opposes their pretensions, they break their chain and take flight. For the rest, observe that the protection of the sky extends over the maid, out of respect for the just. [Homilies on Genesis]

16:7-12 And an angel of the Lord found her by the fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Sur. 8 And the angel of the Lord said to her, Hagar, Sara’s maid, whence comest thou, and wither goest thou? and she said, I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sara. 9 And the angel of the Lord said to her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 10 And the angel of the Lord said to her, I will surely multiply thy seed, and it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the Lord said to her, Behold thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ismael, for the Lord hath hearkened to thy humiliation. 12 He shall be a wild man, his hands against all, and the hands of all against him, and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

ALCUIN OF YORK. IN WHAT SENSE WILL ALL MEN’S HANDS BE AGAINST ISMAEL AND HIS HAND AGAINST ALL MEN? — Answer. The angel of the Lord found Hagar by a fountain of water in the desert, by a fountain in the way to Sur that leads to Egypt through the desert, [she was hurrying,] and called his name Ismael, because the Lord had heard her humility (“Ismael” translates to “the hearing of the Lord”). He shall be a wild man: his hand will be against all men, and all men’s hands against him: and he shall dwell against the face of all his brothers. This means that his seed will dwell in the desert, that is, his seed are the wandering Saracens, with no fixed dwellings, who make incursions and fight against all the nations bordering the desert, and are fought against by all. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 172]

JEROME OF STRIDON. 16:7 THE ANGEL OF THE LORD MET HER OVER A SPRING, IN THE DESERT, NEAR THE FOUNTAIN, ON THE ROAD TO SUR. Therefore she hastened to Egypt by way of Sur, which leads to Egypt by the desert.

16:11 SHE CALLED HIM BY THE NAME OF ISMAEL, SAYING: GOD HAS ANSWERED MY HUMILITY. Ishmael means “the God who listens.”

16:12 IT WILL BE A MAN OF THE FIELDS. HIS HANDS WILL BE ON ALL, AND THE HANDS OF ALL WILL BE ON HIM, AND HE WILL LIVE WITH ALL HIS BRETHREN. For fields, the Hebrew says PHARA, which translates as “wild ass”. This means that his descendants will live in the desert, that is to say that the Saracens will be wandering and nomadic; they attack all the nations that touch the desert on some side, and are fought by all. [Hebrew Questions on Genesis]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. As she bore the race of the righteous, she was honored by the appearance of an angel. The angel of the Lord found her near a fountain in the wilderness, on the road to Sur. (Gen. 16:7) See the goodness of the Lord who does not disdain anyone, even the slave or the servant, and covers them with his providence without looking at the difference of the ranks, but at the disposal of the soul. Here, moreover, it is not for the merit of the servant that the angel presents itself, it is for consideration for the just. For, as I have already said, she was worthy of protection, because she had been worthy to bear the race of the just. When the angel found it, he said to him, "Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, where do you come from and where are you going? (Gen. 16:8) See how the words of the angel remind him of his condition. To make her attentive, he begins by pronouncing his name, and says: Hagar. Indeed, we are accustomed to listen to the call of our name. Then he says: Sara's maid, to make her remember her mistress and let her know that, although she shared the bed of her master, she still has Sara as mistress. See now how the angel interrogates her to force her to answer. Where did you come from, he said, to this desert and where are you going? The angel appears in this desert so that it does not believe that the one who interrogates him is an ordinary traveler it was a desert, and no one that he appeared in this place. This is why he showed himself in this solitude, thus making him understand that his interlocutor was not the first to come, and he questioned her. And she said, I am running away from my mistress Sara. (Gen. 16:8) You see that she admits her subjection and that she agrees with everything. Whoever questions me, thinks she; is not a man I can deceive. He first told me my name and that of my mistress; I must answer him the truth. I'm running away from my mistress Sara. See how she speaks of her mistress without anger. She does not say: she made me suffer, she abused me, I can not bear her persecution, and I fled; she says nothing bitter and accuses herself as fugitive: see what frankness! Notice also what the angel said to him again: The angel of the Lord said to him, Return to your mistress and humble yourself under her hand. (Gen. 16:9) At these words: I flee my mistress, he answers: Return, and do not be ungrateful to a mistress who has done everything for you. Then, as she had irritated her mistress with her insolence and her pride, he said: "Humble yourself under his hand, be submissive to him, it is your advantage." Recognize your servitude, do not disregard its authority, do not have too high thoughts and do not esteem yourself more than you are worth. Humble yourself under his hand, always obey him. Thus the words of the angel sufficed to soften his soul, to lower his pride, to appease his anger, and to calm his mind.

Then, so that she does not believe that Providence was exercising on her at random and without a definite reason, so that she knew that such benevolence attached itself to the race of the just, see of what nature are the consolations that the angel gives him to lift his mind and how he achieves it. And the angel of the Lord said unto him, I will multiply thy seed, which shall be an innumerable people. (Gen. 16:10) Thus, I predict that your race can not be counted. Do not succumb to discouragement, let your mind not be troubled, but remain in obedience. You are pregnant, and you will give birth to a son, and you will call him Ishmael. (Gen. 16:11) Thus, I announce to you in advance your birth, and I give from now on a name to your son still to be born, so that after this assurance, you come back and you correct of your faults, because the Lord you listened to your lowering.

Let us learn from this the advantage of afflictions, all the utility of misfortunes. After so great prosperity, after. to have seen herself in the same rank as her mistress, she had fled, overwhelmed with grief, surrounded by afflictions, in the midst of solitude, desert, and suffering. So the help was not long in coming. Behold, says the angel, what I promise you: you will give birth to a son, and your descendants will be innumerable, because the Lord has heard you in your abasement.

Thus we do not grieve if circumstances reduce us. Nothing is better suited to our nature than the submission and lowering of our spirit, as well as the humiliation of our pride. The Lord never hears us better than if we call on him the afflicted soul and the contrite heart, by renewing our prayers with greater diligence. The Lord listened to you in your abasement, said the angel. Then he shows the interest attached to the child to be born. He will be a wild man: his hand will be against all, and the hand of all against him: he will live in front of all his brothers. (Gen. 16:12) It is expected that he will be courageous, warlike, and will take care of the land. See, according to what happens to this servant, what consideration was attached to the patriarch! All that is done for her, shows the benevolence of the Lord for the righteous. After addressing these advice and predictions to Hagar, the angel disappeared. But see again the frankness of the maid. [Homilies on Genesis]

JOHN OF DAMASCUS. multiply thy seed, and it shall not be numbered for multitude. The Ishmaelites which to this day prevails and keeps people in error, being a forerunner of the Antichrist. They are descended from Ishmael, who was born to Abraham of Hagar, and for this reason they are called both Hagarenes and Ishmaelites. They are also called Saracens, which is derived from Sarras kenoi, or destitute of Sara, because of what Hagar said to the angel: ‘Sara hath sent me away destitute.’ (Cf. Gen. 16.8)… From that time to the present a false prophet named Mohammed has appeared in their midst. [On Heresies]

16:13-16 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? 14 Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. She invoked the name of the Lord who spoke to her. You are the God who saw me, because she said: I saw in the face the one who appeared to me. So she called this well, the well where I saw in front. He is between Cades and Barach. (Gen. 16:13-14) See how she wants to leave an eternal memory of this place, by imposing on her a name; indeed, she called it the well where I saw in front. Thus the afflictions of this maid brought her little by little to correct herself, to show her gratitude for her benefactress, and to thank the power which had so much protected her. And Hagar bore a son to Abraham, who gave the son of Hagar the name of Ishmael. (Gen. 16:15)

Let us learn what is the advantage of gentleness, and what profit can be derived even from afflictions. The sweetness shown by the patriarch to Sara, by appeasing her anger and giving her all power over her servant, brought peace to the house; and on her side, this servant shows us the usefulness of afflictions. Full of sorrow, she had fled her mistress and had remained very unhappy; but in the sorrow of her soul she called the Lord, and was immediately honored by the presence of a heavenly messenger. To show her that her humiliation and her affliction had made her worthy of such assistance, the angel said to her, "You are fat, you will give birth to a son, and you will call him Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to you. in your lowering.

Let us then understand, my beloved, that if we watch over ourselves, our afflictions will bring us closer to the Lord, and that we will obtain his support above all when we present ourselves before him the suffering soul weeping bitter tears. so do not grieve us in our tribulations, but think that these tribulations themselves can turn us to good, if we support them gently. Let's learn to be humane and forgiving towards everyone, especially our women. Let us be especially careful, when they accuse us, either rightly or wrongly, of not judging everything with rigor, and think only of removing from ourselves all causes of annoyance, and of rendering domestic peace unshaken. The woman will then always have recourse to her husband, and the husband will come near his wife as in a quiet harbor, seek a refuge in all affairs and external agitations, sure to find a consolation to all his troubles. Indeed, the wife was given to the husband as a help that allows him to resist all the blows of fate. If she is good and gentle, not only will she procure for her husband the consolations of life together, but she will still be useful to her in a thousand ways, she will make everything easy and light for him, and prevent him from suffering from difficulties that arise every day in the interior of the house or outside. Like a good pilot, she will change by her wisdom any tempest of the soul into calm, and her prudence will soften everything. Those who are well united will find, even in the present life, nothing that disturbs their happiness. When harmony, peace and the bond of affection exist between the husband and the wife, all the goods happen to them, nothing can harm them, an impregnable wall surrounded them, I mean the union in God. This rampart will make them more invincible than diamonds, stronger than iron, they will be filled with wealth and opulence; finally, they will enjoy celestial glory, and obtain from God the most abundant blessings. Also, I conjure you, do not prefer anything to this treasure, but use all our actions and all our efforts to obtain this calm and rest from within. Then the children will imitate the virtues of their parents, the servants will do the same, and virtue will be the rule of the house, which will be filled with prosperity! If we prefer what comes from God, all the rest will follow, we will not experience any pain, and the divine goodness will provide us all in abundance. Thus, to pass without sadness the life of this world and to obtain more and more the benevolence of the Lord, let us practice virtue, seek to reign at home (264) concord and peace, care for the education of children and the mores of servants; then, by our gratitude for so much largesse, we will merit the goods that have been announced to us, by the grace and goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, as well as to the Father and the Holy Spirit, glory, power, , honor, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen. [Homilies on Genesis]