Proverbs 31:13

The sacred text describes this housewife as a weaver of woolens and linen. But what we want to find out is what wool represents and what linen does. I think wool means something of the flesh, linen something of the spirit. I hazard this conjecture from the order we wear our clothes in; our underclothes or inner garments are linen, our outer garments woolen. Now everything we do in flesh is public, whatever we do in the spirit is private. Now to act in the flesh and not to act in spirit may seem good but is in fact worthless, whereas to act in spirit and not act in the flesh is downright laziness.

The sacred word describes that woman as working in wool and linen. Perhaps you will ask us what the wool and linen are. The wool signifies something carnal; the linen, what is spiritual. This interpretation is given because in the order of clothing inner garments are of linen, outer ones are of wool. Therefore, the wool signifies something carnal, because it is produced from a mingling or union, while the linen is brought forth from the earth without any carnal pleasure and for this reason seems to be an image of chastity. So true is this that by command of the law, priests of the Old Testament used linen bands as an indication of chastity.

"She seeks wool and flax," etc. The beginning of this verse, the strong woman, that is the holy Church, customarily takes and observes even according to the letter; according to the prophetic saying, "When you see the naked, cover him, and do not hide yourself from your own flesh" (Isaiah 58). However, she works not with superfluous and blind labor, but certainly with that counsel, that she may deserve to hear from her own husband, namely the Lord Christ, in judgment, "I was naked, and you clothed me" (Matthew 25); and "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me" (Ibid.). But she works with the counsel of her own hands, that is, those persons, through whom she distributes alms to the poor. In this devoted work, he very profitably uses this advice, that when dispersing he gives to the poor, he is not praised by men at that time, but his righteousness endures from generation to generation, his horn is exalted in glory (Psalm III). Mystically, however, everything of simplicity and piety which we bestow on our neighbors can be received in the wool, which is the clothing of sheep. As punishment of our flesh can be indicated in the linen, which greenily springs from the earth but loses its native moisture through long and numerous exercises and reaches the grace of new whiteness. While we boil out the ingrained filth of vices through continence, we indeed make it worthy to be donned by Christ, according to that of the Apostle, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians III). Therefore, the strong woman seeks wool and linen and works with the counsel of her hands, when the holy Church diligently seeks what fruits of piety she may exercise, how to cleanse herself from carnal allurements. And she does both of these with the most prudent counsel, that is, only in view of the reward of modernity. This reward is also more openly remembered in the following verse, when it is added, "She is like the merchant ship, etc." He calls the merchant a trader, who is so called by the ancients because he diligently attends to acquiring and multiplying goods. Therefore, the strong woman becomes like the merchant ship, for just as the merchant ship, laden with merchandise that is more abundant in its homeland, seeks other lands by sea so that, selling what it had brought, it may bring back more expensive goods home,…