Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
All Commentaries on Job 29:12 Go To Job 29
Gregory The Dialogist
AD 604
29. Great mercifulness these deeds are proofs of, to ‘deliver the poor that crieth,’ to minister aid to the ‘fatherless,’ to rescue one on the point to perish, to ‘cheer the heart of the widow.’ For above it was said what he put forth in respect of instruction. For he says; The ear hearing blessed me; but now he relates what he rendered in respect of mercifulness, saying, Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. Since the voice along with the deed of necessity accords with itself.
These things blessed Job both exhibited to those under him, and thus notwithstanding represented them as destined to be exhibited by Holy Church. Who doth now unceasingly enact both one and the other, that is to say, that her children she should at once feed by speaking, and protect by shielding, so that she should at once by words replenish the good, and by her patronage defend them from the evil. Now it is well written; Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after his kind. [Gen. 1, 11] Which really and truly happened in such a way, that it was a sign of something really and truly to happen, For by ‘the earth’ the Church is represented, which both regales us with the provender of the word, and keeps us safe by the shadow of her patronage; which both by speaking feeds and by aiding protects, so that she should not only bring forth the herb of refreshment, but also along with the fruit of the deed, the tree of protection.
30. I see that it also deserves to be well considered by those who head the governments of the common herds, that in saying above, The young men saw me and hid themselves; he now affirms, I comforted the widow’s heart. What great discipline of rule, that before his presence ‘the young men’ should ‘hide themselves!’ What great mildness of pitying that by him ‘the widows’ hearts should be cheered!’ For there are some persons so severe that they lose even all gentleness of kindly affection, and there are some so mild, that they part with the lights of strict rule. Whence by all rulers both are with all diligence to be maintained, that neither in the rigorousness of discipline they abandon the loving-kindness of a mild disposition, not again in gentleness abandon severity of discipline, so that they may neither grow hard to the fellow-feeling of pitifulness, when they chastise the contumacious, nor enervate the strong arm of discipline when they cheer the hearts of the weak. Thus, then, let vigour of discipline control mildness, and mildness adorn vigour, and so let the one be recommended by the other, that neither vigour become hard, nor mildness unstrung.
31. Now these works of pitifulness, which we have named above, Holy Church at once exhibits corporally, and ceases not to exhibit spiritually. For she ‘delivers the poor that crieth,’ when to the sinner imploring pardon she remits those sins which he has been guilty of. Since it is of such poor that it is said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [Matt. 5, 3] And the cry of such poor ones is the cry of those saying in the voice of the Psalmist, Let Thy tender mercy speedily prevent us; for we are made very poor. [Ps. 79, 8] Now she ‘delivers the fatherless who hath no helper,’ in that everyone who now flying the desires of a persecuting world, his old father the devil being dead, runneth to the bosom of Holy Church, finds therein the help of exhortation. It may be that by the title of ‘the fatherless,’ any believer may be understood even with reference to the death of a good father, of the sight of whom he is deprived for a while, though not deprived of solace. And ‘the blessing’ too ‘of him that was ready to perish’ comes upon her, when she anticipates the destruction of a sinner, and when by holy admonitions she brings him back from the pit of sin. Whence it is written; He that converteth a sinner from the error of his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. [Jam. 5, 20] For if it is a thing of great recompense to rescue from death the flesh sooner or later to die, of what high merit is it to free the soul from death, to live without end in the heavenly country? Now ‘the heart of the widow’ she ‘comforteth,’ in that to each faithful soul he that describes the recompenses of the Lord, as it were recalls to remembrance the blessings of her husband. Unto Whom as the soul is spiritually united, He being dead, she is called ‘a widow,’ but is cheered by the declarations of Holy Church in consequence of His Resurrection. Great consolation therefore doth the heart of the widow receive, when the faithful soul learns by the words of the Church somewhat concerning the Coming of Him, to Whom she is spiritually united.
