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My son, 19 A righteous son is born for life: but the persecution of the ungodly ends in death. 20 Perverse ways are an abomination to the Lord: but all they that are blameless in their ways are acceptable to him. 21 He that unjustly strikes hands shall not be unpunished: but he that sows righteousness he shall receive a faithful reward. 22 As an ornament in a swine’s snout, so is beauty to a ill-minded women. 23 All the desire of the righteous is good: but the hope of the ungodly shall perish. 24 There are some who scatter their own, and make it more: and there are some also who gather, yet have less. 25 Every sincere soul is blessed: but a passionate man is not graceful. 26 May he that hoards corn leave it to the nation: but blessing be on the head of him that gives it. 27 He that devises good counsels seeks good favour: but as for him that seeks after evil, evil shall overtake him. 28 He that trusts in wealth shall fall; but he that helps righteous men shall rise. 29 He that deals not graciously with his own house shall inherit the wind; and the fool shall be servant to the wise man. 30 Out of the fruit of righteousness grows a tree of life; but the souls of transgressors are cut off before their time. 31 If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 12:1 He that loves instruction loves sense, but he that hates reproofs is a fool. 2 He that has found favour with the Lord is made better; but a transgressor shall be passed over in silence. 3 A man shall not prosper by wickedness; but the roots of the righteous shall not be taken up. 4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband; but as a worm in wood, so a bad woman destroys her husband. 5 The thoughts of the righteous are true judgments; but ungodly men devise deceits. 6 The words of ungodly men are crafty; but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.
Verse eleven is one of the better known Proverbs, because of its wry humor, and because it rings so true to experience. How often, indeed, have women who possessed physical beauty but were evil-minded (in the Septuagint kakophron), or just silly and empty-headed (in St. Jerome’s Latin version, fatua) – or both – destroyed the lives of their husbands and children by their swinish behavior!
The Holy Fathers, however, do not rest content with the obvious meaning of the verse, that pious women should aim at exhibiting good will, sobriety, and prudence in their thinking and their conduct. The Fathers raise the bar (as usual!) in order to apply this verse to God-loving souls, both men and women, who, despite their outward piety and striving after virtue, nonetheless keep giving in to their passions. That’s us.
St. John Cassian, in his Fourteenth Conference, “On Spiritual Knowledge,” quotes Abba Nesteros as follows:
As for those who seem to have some semblance of knowledge yet do not abandon the sins of the flesh even when they apply themselves diligently to the reading and memorizing of Scripture, Proverbs has the following well-put statement: “The beauty of a woman of evil ways is like a golden ring in the snout of a pig.” What use is it for a man to possess the jewel of heaven’s words and to give himself over to that most precious loveliness of Scripture if he himself is stuck fast in muddied works and thoughts?
St. Gregory of Nyssa applies this insight specifically to those who have consecrated their lives to God in virginity:
Let eagerness for virginity be written down as the foundation for the life of virtue, but let there be built upon this foundation all the products of virtue. If [virginity] is believed to be precious and befitting to God, as it is, but one’s whole life does not conform to it and is stained by the rest of the soul’s disorder, then this is “the golden ring in the swine’s snout” or the pearl trampled under the feet of the swine. – St. Gregory of Nyssa, On Virginity 18 .
This does not mean, however, that our profession of the Faith and outward piety are useless. On the contrary, our orthodoxy – professing the the right faith – and striving after orthopraxis – right behavior – are absolutely essential, and through them God will save us, though we fall a thousand times a day. But we must be willing to endure whatever tribulations He sends us for the cleansing of our passions, that we may obtain that purity of heart without which we will not see God.
St. Peter quotes verse 31 of today’s reading in his First Epistle: “If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear (I Peter 4:18) ?.” St. Bede, commenting on this verse, says that even the righteous have countless falls due to our fallen nature, but they are saved through tribulations, while those outside the Church’s realm of grace do not even have the starting point for running the course of salvation:
“If the righteous receives [retribution] on earth, how much more the wicked and sinner?” This is to say clearly, “If the frailty of mortal life is so great that not even the righteous who are to be crowned in heaven pass through life without tribulations on account of the countless slips of our flawed nature, how much more do those who are cut off from heavenly grace await the certain outcome of their everlasting damnation? – The Venerable Bede, Commentary on I Peter 4:18
Let us, then, accept with humility and gratitude whatever trials come our way, so that, purified of the passions through repentance, we may attain the heavenly kingdom.
