Psalms 62:10

He turneth therefore Himself to them, thirsting for them: "Do not hope in iniquity" [Psalm 62:10]. For my hope is in God. Ye that will not draw near and pass over, "do not hope in iniquity." For I that have leapt over, my hope is in God; and is there anywise iniquity with God? This thing let us do, that thing let us do, of that thing let us think, thus let us adjust our lyings in wait; "Because of vanity being at one." Thou thirstest: they that think of those things against thee are given up by those whom thou drinkest, "Do not hope in vanity." Vain is iniquity, nought is iniquity, mighty is nothing save righteousness. Truth may be hidden for a time, conquered it cannot be. Iniquity may flourish for a time, abide it cannot. "Do not hope upon iniquity: and for robbery be not covetous." Thou art not rich, and wilt thou rob? What findest thou? What losest thou? O losing gains! Thou findest money, thou losest righteousness. "For robbery be not covetous." ...Therefore, vain sons of men, lying sons of men, neither rob, nor, if there flow riches, set heart upon them: no longer love vanity, and seek lying. For "blessed is the man who hath the Lord God for his hope, and who hath not had regard unto vanities, and lying follies." Ye would deceive, ye would commit a fraud, what bring ye in order that ye may cheat. Deceitful balances. For "lying," he saith, "are the sons of men in the balances," in order that they may cheat by bringing forth deceitful balances. By a false balance ye beguile men looking on: know ye not that one is he that weigheth, Another He that judgeth of the weight? He seeth not, for whom thou weighest, but He seeth that weigheth thee and him. Therefore neither fraud nor robbery covet ye any longer, nor on those things which ye have set your hope: I have admonished, have foretold, saith this Idithun.

I speak, therefore, to Your Charity. Do not love the happiness of this world, and those of you who might have it, do not place your hope in it. It is deceitful, it deceives, it is not possessed. And if it is possessed, it should not be loved, it should not be hoped in, and it will not be a trap. The Apostle says, "Command the rich of this world, command the rich to be." But the rich of this world are Christians, they are faithful. Command them. What? Not to be proud, nor to place their hope in the uncertainty of riches. As the psalm also says: "If riches flow, do not set your heart on them." If it flows, it makes a river: you set your heart on it, and it carries you away.

Wherefore, until that consolation come, remember, in order to your "continuing in prayers and supplications night and day," that, however great the temporal prosperity may be which flows around you, you are desolate. For the apostle does not ascribe this gift to every widow, but to her who, being a widow indeed, and desolate, "trusteth in God, and continueth in supplication night and day." Observe, however, most vigilantly the warning which follows: "But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth;" for a person lives in those things which he loves, which he greatly desires, and in which he believes himself to be blessed. Wherefore, what Scripture has said of riches: "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them," I say to you concerning pleasures: "If pleasures increase, set not your heart upon them." Do not, therefore, think highly of yourself because these things are not wanting, but are yours abundantly, flowing, as it were, from a most copious fountain of earthly felicity. By all means look upon your possession of these things with indifference and contempt, and seek nothing from them beyond health of body. For this is a blessing not to be despised, because of its being necessary to the work of life until "this mortal shall have put on immortality," in other words, the true, perfect, and everlasting health, which is neither reduced by earthly infirmities nor repaired by corruptible gratification, but, enduring with celestial rigour, is animated with a life eternally incorruptible. For the apostle himself says, "Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof," because we must take care of the flesh, but only in so far as is necessary for health; "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh," as he himself likewise says. […]

You are troubled, you hoard, you think, you labor, you stay awake. By day you are vexed with labors, by night you are agitated with fears. So that your purse may be filled with coins, your soul burns with cares. I see, I grieve: you are troubled, and as He who is incapable of deceit says, you are troubled in vain. You hoard wealth. Even supposing that everything you do turns out well, let us not speak of losses, of so many dangers, where each gain brings a particular death (I speak not of bodily deaths, but of evil thoughts; as gold increases, faith perishes; as you are clothed outwardly, you are stripped inwardly), therefore let us omit these things, let us be silent about other matters, let us pass over adversities, let us only consider prosperity, behold you are hoarding, behold wealth flows from all sides, and like streams, coins rush; everywhere poverty burns, from every side abundance flows. Have you not heard: If riches increase, do not set your heart on them? Behold you acquire, you are not troubled without profit, yet you are troubled in vain. Why, you ask, am I troubled in vain? Behold, I fill sacks, my walls can scarcely hold what I acquire: why am I troubled in vain? Because you hoard and do not know for whom you gather. Or if you know for whom, I beg you, tell me too. I will hear you. For whom? If you are not troubled in vain, tell for whom you hoard. For myself, you say. Do you dare to say this as one who will die? For my children, you say. Do you dare to say this about those who will die? Great piety: a father hoards for his children; but rather great vanity: one who will die hoards for those who will die. If not for yourself, because you will leave behind whatever you gather, then this is also true of your children; they will succeed, not endure. I refrain from saying for which children, lest what greed gathered, luxury may waste. […]

"But foolish are the sons of people." The psalmist knew that not all follow his instruction or permit themselves to hope in God, but that they have their hope in the follies of life. Therefore, he says, "But vain are the sons of people, the sons of people are liars." Why vain? Because they are liars. Where, especially, is their deceit proved? "In the balances used for defrauding," he says. In what sort of balances does he mean? All people do not weigh in the balance, do they? All people are not wool sellers or butchers, are they? Or do not handle gold or silver, or in general themselves deal with these materials that the merchants are accustomed to exchange by means of scales and weights, do they? But there is a large class of artisans, which does not need scales at all for its work; and there are many sailors and many who are always engaged about courts of justice and the duty of ruling, among whom there is deceit, but the deceit is not practiced through scales. What, then, does he mean? That there is a certain balance constructed in the interior of each of us by our Creator, on which it is possible to judge the nature of things. "I have set before you life and death, good and evil," two natures contrary to each other; balance them against each other in your own tribunal; weigh accurately which is more profitable to you: to choose a temporary pleasure and through it to receive eternal death, or having chosen suffering in the practice of virtue, to use it to attain everlasting delights.