Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
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Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
Then shall He say to those on the left, &c. Note the antithesis: Christ says to the elect, "Come to Me and to My glory." But to the reprobate, "Depart from Me, to the devil and hell, because in life ye clave to the devil, and not to Me." The word depart denotes the pain of loss (pÅ“na damni), which is the deprivation of the glory of Heaven for ever. But the word fire denotes the pain of sense; for the fire of hell burns continually, not only the bodies, but the souls of the wicked, and yet does not consume them. This punishment is very dreadful. For to be banished from God, from Christ, from Heaven, from the Saints, from everything that is good, is horrible torment. Wherefore S. Chrysostom (Paræn1 , ad Theodor. lapsum) thinks that the deprivation of the vision of God is a greater torment to the damned than the fire of hell. Others entertain the opposite opinion. Isaiah says, "The wicked shall not behold the glory of the Lord" (xxvi10). Cursed, those whom God will curse as His enemies. ...
Then shall He say to those on the left, &c. Note the antithesis: Christ says to the elect, "Come to Me and to My glory." But to the reprobate, "Depart from Me, to the devil and hell, because in life ye clave to the devil, and not to Me." The word depart denotes the pain of loss (pœna damni), which is the deprivation of the glory of Heaven for ever. But the word fire denotes the pain of sense; for the fire of hell burns continually, not only the bodies, but the souls of the wicked, and yet does not consume them. This punishment is very dreadful. For to be banished from God, f
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Prepared for the devil. When Christ invited the just to his heavenly kingdom, he calls it a kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world; a kingdom of inexpressible happiness, which from all eternity he designed for those who he knew would faithfully serve him. But, when he pronounces the sentence of the reprobate, he speaks in a widely different manner. He calls it an everlasting fire, prepared not for them, but for the devils and wicked spirits, their accomplices. They have chosen to cast themselves into it; they must therefore look upon themselves as the authors of all their miseries and sufferings. (St. Chrysostom, hom. lxxx.)
The pain of loss is here expressed by depart from me, and the pain of sense by eternal fire. (Menochius and Maldonatus)
“For I was hungry, and you gave me no food.” For even though you should meet your enemy, is not his suffering enough to overcome and subdue your resistance to being merciful? And what about his hunger, cold, chains, nakedness and sickness? What about his homelessness? Are not these sufferings sufficient to overcome even your alienation? But you did not do these things for a friend, much less a foe. You could have at once befriended and done good. Even when you see a dog hungry you feel sympathy. But when you see the Lord hungry, you ignore it. You are left without excuse. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
But to the others He says, Depart from me, you cursed, (no longer of the Father; for not He laid the curse upon them, but their own works), into the everlasting fire, prepared, not for you, but for the devil and his angels. For concerning the kingdom indeed, when He had said, Come, inherit the kingdom, He added, prepared for you before the foundation of the world; but concerning the fire, no longer so, but, prepared for the devil. I, says He, prepared the kingdom for you, but the fire no more for you, but for the devil and his angels; but since you cast yourselves therein, impute it to yourselves. And not in this way only, but by what follows also, like as though He were excusing Himself to them, He sets forth the causes.
But to the others he says, “Depart from me, you cursed.” He does not say they are cursed by the Father, for the Father had not laid a curse upon them, but only their own works. He does not say that the eternal fire is prepared only for you but “for the devil and his angels.” For concerning the kingdom indeed, when he had said, “Come, inherit the kingdom,” he added, “prepared for you before the foundation of the world.” But concerning the fire, he does not say this but “prepared for the devil.” I prepared the kingdom for you, he says, but the fire I did not prepare for you but “for the devil and his angels.” But you have cast yourselves in it. You have imputed it to yourselves. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
He sends those on the left into the fire which had been prepared for the devil. For as the demons are without compassion and are cruelly and maliciously disposed towards us, it is fitting that those who are of like mind with them, and who have been cursed by their own deeds, should merit the same punishment. See that God did not prepare the fire for men, nor did He make hell for us, but for the devil—I make myself liable to hell. Tremble, then, O man, and understand from this that these men were not punished as fornicators, or robbers, or perpetrators of any other vice, but for not having done good. Indeed, if you consider things well, the robber is he who has much and does not give alms, even if he does no obvious injury. For whatever he has in excess of his needs, he has stolen from those who are in need and who have not received anything from him. If he had shared these things with them, they would not be in need. Now that he has locked these things up and kept them for himself, for...
