Ambrose of Milan

While Peter was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

“"While he spoke, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them." That is the overshadowing of the divine Spirit, who is not dark with the emotions of humankind but unveils secrets.”

And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!”

“Now observe, that the cloud was not black from the darkness of condensed air, and such as to overcast the sky with a horrible gloom, but a shining cloud, from which we were not moistened with rain, but as the voice of Almighty God came…”

After the voice had spoken, only Jesus was present with them. The disciples kept this to themselves, and in those days they did not tell anyone what they had seen.

“They then departed, when our Lord's manifestation had begun. There are three seen at the beginning, one at the end; for faith being made perfect, they are one.”

And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me.

“For he who receives the followers of Christ, receives Christ; and he who receives the image of God, receives God; but because we cannot see the image of God, it has been made present to us by the incarnation of the Word, that the divine…”

“Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

“Now John is not blamed, because he did this from love, but he is taught to know the difference between the strong and the weak.”

When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”

“For they knew both that when Phineas had slain the idolaters it was counted to him for righteousness; (Numb. 25:8, Ps. 107:31) and that at the prayer of Elijah fire came down from heaven, that the injuries of the prophet might be avenged.”

But Jesus turned and rebuked them.

“But the Lord is not moved against them, that He might show that perfect virtue has no feeling of revenge, nor is there any anger where there is fulness of love. For weakness must not be thrust out, but assisted.”

And He and His disciples went on to another village.

“For we must not always punish the offender, since mercy sometimes does more good, leading thee to patience, the sinner to repentance. Lastly, those Samaritans believed the sooner, who were in this place saved from fire.”

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

“He compares foxes to heretics, because they are indeed a wily animal, and, ever intent upon fraud, commit their robberies by stealth. They let nothing be safe, nothing be at rest, nothing secure, for they hunt their prey into the very abodes of men.”

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago…

“He also teaches that those who judged that the gospel should not be followed should be subjected to a harsher punishment than those who thought that the law should be dissolved.”

Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.

“But that you may know that as the Son revealed the Father to whom He will, the Father also reveals the Son to whom He will, hear our Lord's words, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood have not revealed it to thee…”

One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?”

“For he was one of those who think themselves skilled in the law, and who keep the letter of the law, while they know nothing of its spirit.”

Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers.

“Jericho is an image of this world. Adam, cast out from Paradise, that heavenly Jerusalem, descended to it by the mistake of his transgression, that is, departing from the living to hell, for whom change not of place but of conduct made the exile of…”

But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion.

“That extraordinary Samaritan did not himself shun him whom the priest and the Levite had shunned. In the name of a sect, you may not shun him whom you will admire by interpretation of the word. Indeed, "guard" is signified by the name Samaritan.”

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.

“"And bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine." That Physician has many remedies with which he is accustomed to cure. His speech is a remedy. One of his sayings binds up wounds, another treats with oil, another pours in wine.”

The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper.

“Blessed is that innkeeper who can care for another's wounds. Blessed is he to whom Jesus says, "Whatever you shall spend over and above, I will repay you." A good steward is one who also spends over and above.”

Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

“Since no one is closer than he who tended to our wounds, let us love him as our Lord, and let us love him as our neighbor. Nothing is so close as the head to the members.”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things. But only one thing is necessary.

“May you then like Mary be influenced by the desire of wisdom. For this is the greater, this the more perfect work.”

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine has…

“Who is a greater friend to us, than He who delivered up His body for us? Now we have here another kind of command given us, that at all times, not only in the day, but at night, prayers should be offered up.”

The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear…

“In this also is clearly expressed the mystery of the Church, which is gathered from the ends of the earth, in the penance of the Ninevites, and in the seeking of wisdom by the Queen of the South: so that she may know the peaceful…”

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.

“Therefore, because in previous passages he preferred the Church to the Synagogue, he exhorts us to rather transfer our faith to the Church; for faith is a lamp, according to what is written: Your word, Lord, is a lamp to my feet; for our faith…”

“Now then,” said the Lord, “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools!

“You see that our bodies, which are earthly and fragile, are marked by their outward appearance and easily broken by a brief fall.”

But give as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you.

“Do you see what great remedies there are? Mercy cleanses us, the Word of God cleanses us, as it is written: Now you are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken to you.”

Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God.

“However, he briefly exposes their many sins who devote all their effort to contributing the tithes of cheaper fruits: they have no fear of the future judgment or any love for God, since their works are worthless without faith; for they disregard the judgment and…”

Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.”

“And like graves which appear not, they deceive by their outside beauty, and by their look impose upon the passers by; as it follows, And the men that walk over them are not aware of them; so much that in truth, though they give outward…”