Fathers

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What the Fathers say

Ecclesiastes 11:10

Eastern Fathers

Ephrem the Syrian

Put sorrow far from thy flesh, and sadness from thy thoughts; save only that for thy sins thou shouldst be constant in sadness. Cease not from labour, not even though thou be rich, for the slothful man gains manifold guilt by his idleness.

Homily - On Admonition and Repentance ↗

Western Saints

Augustine of Hippo

Therefore, if anger has held out with most shameful boldness in the heart of any one of you until these holy days, now at least let it depart. [Thus] your prayer may proceed in peace and … may not stumble, tremble, or become mute under the pricking of conscience when it has come to that passage where it must say, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive also our debtors."

Sermon 208:2 ↗

Bonaventure

Remove anger etc. Here thirdly he exhorts to cast away all wickedness, namely malice of heart and uncleanness of flesh. As to malice of heart he says: Remove anger from your heart, so that you may not be angry, because anger renders a man wicked; Matthew 5: "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment"; and if he is angry, he ought not to persist in it; whence Ephesians 4: "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." As to uncleanness of flesh he says: And remove evil from your flesh, and …

Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 11 ↗