On reading passages from sermons 17 and 17 of Saint Maximus, said Benedict XVI, "many Christians not only do not share their own things but they also still other people’s things". In addition, Maximus censured "recurring forms of exploitation of other people’s calamities", exhorting in particular the wealthy people of his Christian community not to bring "home mauled earnings" but to "behave like Christians and good citizens who buy to give back". In so doing, said the Pope, "Maximus did preach a deep relationship between the duties of the Christian and the duties of the citizen". In the difficult historical predicament of that time, went on the Pontiff, Maximus’ bishop’s figure stood out "as a sentinel on the highest fortress of the city". With the collapse of the civil authorities of the Roman Empire, "Maximus not only worked to rekindle in the congregation the traditional love for their hometown, but also proclaimed the specific duty to fulfil the tax obligations, no matter how heavy and unpleasant they might seem". "It is clear concluded Benedict XVI that the historical, cultural and social milieus are now dramatically different", but "the believers’ duties towards their city and their home country are still applicable. The combination of the commitment of the honest citizen with that of the good Christian has not waned at all".
