Letter 68: Castrutius, a blind man of Pannonia, had set out for Bethlehem to visit Jerome. However, on reaching Cissa (whether that in Thrace or that on the Adriatic is uncertain) he was induced by his friends to turn back. Jerome writes to thank him for his intention and to console him for his inability to carry it out.

From: Jerome, priest and scholar in Bethlehem To: Castrutius, blind man of Pannonia Date: ~397 AD Context: A touching letter to a blind Pannonian Christian who tried to visit Jerome in Bethlehem but was persuaded by friends to turn back — Jerome thanks him for the intention and offers comfort for his blindness. Castrutius, My son, the deacon Heraclius, tells me that in your eagerness to see me you traveled all the way to Cissa, and that — though a Pannonian, and therefore a creature of solid land — you did not flinch at the surges of the Adriatic and the dangers of the Aegean and Ionian seas. He tells me you would have completed the journey had not our brothers, out of affectionate concern, held you back. I thank you all the same and count the intention as a kindness fulfilled. With friends, we must accept the will for the deed. Enemies sometimes give us actions; only genuine attachment gives us intentions. Do not regard the blindness that has come upon you as punishment for sin. When the apostles asked about the man born blind — "Who sinned, this man or his parents?" — the Lord answered: "Neither this man nor his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him" [John 9:2-3]. Look around you. We see pagans, heretics, and men of every vicious description wallowing in lust, bathed in blood, surpassing wolves in ferocity — and the plague does not come near their houses. They are not struck down like other men, and so they grow insolent and lift their faces to heaven. Meanwhile, holy men are afflicted with every kind of suffering. The patriarch Isaac was blind in his old age, yet his dim eyes saw the future more clearly than his open ones had seen the present [Genesis 27]. The prophet Ahijah was blind, yet he recognized the wife of Jeroboam in disguise when she came through his door [1 Kings 14:4-6]. Blindness of the body is no blindness at all when the eyes of the mind are open. Let me tell you a story. The great Antony [the father of Egyptian monasticism] once visited Didymus of Alexandria, a scholar who had been blind from childhood yet had mastered all the liberal arts and had become the most learned man in Egypt. After a long conversation, Antony asked him: "Are you not sorry to have lost your sight?" Didymus, ashamed to confess it, said nothing at first. When Antony pressed him, he admitted the truth. Antony replied: "I am amazed that a wise man should grieve over what ants and flies possess, and not rejoice in what only saints and apostles have been thought worthy of." Better to have the eyes of the heart than the eyes of the body. Better to see God, even dimly, than to see the whole bright world without him. Your body is blind, but your soul sees clearly. Many with perfect vision are blind to everything that matters. You, in your darkness, may be closer to the light than they will ever be. I beg you: if you cannot come to me, write to me. Letters are a conversation between absent friends, and the miles between us are nothing to the affection that binds us. Farewell in the Lord.

To Castrutius Castrutius, a blind man of Pannonia, had set out for Bethlehem to visit Jerome. However, on reaching Cissa (whether that in Thrace or that on the Adriatic is uncertain) he was induced by his friends to turn back. Jerome writes to thank him for his intention and to console him for his inability to carry it out. He then tries to comfort him in his blindness (1) by referring to Christ's words concerning the man born blind John 9:3 and (2) by telling him the story of Antony and Didymus. The date of the letter is 397 A.D. 1. My reverend son Heraclius the deacon has reported to me that in your eagerness to see me you came as far as Cissa, and that, though a Pannonian and consequently a land animal, you did not quail before the surges of the Adriatic and the dangers of the Ægean and Ionian seas. He tells me that you would have actually accomplished your purpose, had not our brethren with affectionate care held you back. I thank you all the same and regard it as a kindness shown. For in the case of friends one must accept the will for the deed. Enemies often give us the latter, but only sincere attachment can bring us the former. And now that I am writing to you I beseech you do not regard the bodily affliction which has befallen you as due to sin. When the Apostles speculated concerning the man that was born blind from the womb and asked our Lord and Saviour: Who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? they were told Neither has this man sinned nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. John 9:2-3 Do we not see numbers of heathens, Jews, heretics and men of various opinions rolling in the mire of lust, bathed in blood, surpassing wolves in ferocity and kites in rapacity, and for all this the plague does not come near their dwellings? They are not smitten as other men, and accordingly they wax insolent against God and lift up their faces even to heaven. We know on the other hand that holy men are afflicted with sicknesses, miseries, and want, and perhaps they are tempted to say Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. Yet immediately they go on to reprove themselves, If I say, I will speak thus; behold I should offend against the generation of your children. If you suppose that your blindness is caused by sin, and that a disease which physicians are often able to cure is an evidence of God's anger, you will think Isaac a sinner because he was so wholly sightless that he was deceived into blessing one whom he did not mean to bless. Genesis xxvii You will charge Jacob with sin, whose vision became so dim that he could not see Ephraim and Manasseh, Genesis 48:10 although with the inner eye and the prophetic spirit he could foresee the distant future and the Christ that was to come of his royal line. Genesis 49:10 Were any of the kings holier than Josiah? Yet he was slain by the sword of the Egyptians. 2 Kings 23:29 Were there ever loftier saints than Peter and Paul? Yet their blood stained the blade of Nero. And to say no more of men, did not the Son of God endure the shame of the cross? And yet you fancy those blessed who enjoy in this world happiness and pleasure? God's hottest anger against sinners is when he shows no anger. Wherefore in Ezekiel he says to Jerusalem: My jealousy will depart from you and I will be quiet and will be no more angry. For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. Hebrews 12:6 The father does not instruct his son unless he loves him. The master does not correct his disciple unless he sees in him signs of promise. When once the doctor gives over caring for the patient, it is a sign that he despairs. You should answer thus: as Lazarus in his lifetime Luke 16:25 received evil things so will I now gladly suffer torments that future glory may be laid up for me. For affliction shall not rise up the second time. If Job, a man holy and spotless and righteous in his generation, suffered terrible afflictions, his own book explains the reason why. 2. That I may not make myself tedious or exceed the due limits of a letter by repeating old stories, I will briefly relate to you an incident which happened in my childhood. The saintly Athanasius bishop of Alexandria had summoned the blessed Antony to that city to confute the heretics there. Hereupon Didymus, a man of great learning who had lost his eyes, came to visit the hermit and, the conversation turning upon the holy scriptures, Antony could not help admiring his ability and eulogizing his insight. At last he said: You do not regret, do you, the loss of your eyes? At first Didymus was ashamed to answer, but when the question had been repeated a second time and a third, he frankly confessed that his blindness was a great grief to him. Whereupon Antony said: I am surprised that a wise man should grieve at the loss of a faculty which he shares with ants and flies and gnats, and not rejoice rather in having one of which only saints and apostles have been thought worthy. From this story you may perceive how much better it is to have spiritual than carnal vision and to possess eyes into which the mote of sin cannot fall. Luke 6:42 Though you have failed to come this year, I do not yet despair of your coming. If the reverend deacon who is the bearer of this letter is again caught in the toils of your affection, and if you come hither in his company I shall be delighted to welcome you and shall readily acknowledge that the delay in payment is made up for by the largeness of the interest. About this page Source. Translated by W.H. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W.G. Martley. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1893.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3001068.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.