Sermon 72A

SERMON 72/A

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL MT 12, 41:
"Behold, something greater than Jonah is here" and so forth.

The Ninevites listened to a servant, the Jews killed the Lord.

The things that have been recited from the holy Gospel, my brothers, if we wish to investigate them all, hardly time suffices for individuals: how much less it suffices for all. Jonah the prophet, who was thrown into the sea and taken into the belly of a sea monster and, on the third day, vomited out alive, bore the figure of the Savior, who suffered and on the third day rose again, the Savior himself showed. The people of the Jews were accused in comparison with the Ninevites, because the Ninevites, to whom the prophet Jonah was sent to rebuke, by doing penance appeased the wrath of God and deserved mercy: And behold, he says, more than Jonah is here, wishing to be understood as Himself, the Lord Christ. They heard the servant and corrected their ways; these heard the Lord and not only did not correct themselves, but moreover killed Him. The queen of the south shall rise, he says, in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, more than Solomon is here. It was not a great thing for Christ to be more than Jonah, to be more than Solomon: for He was the Lord, they were servants; but yet what are they like who despised the present Lord, when foreigners heard His servants?

Good is to be done not from fear of punishment but from the love of what is right.

Then follows: When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it walks through dry places seeking rest and finds none. Then it says: I will return to my house from which I came out. And when it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and garnished. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it be also to this wicked generation. In order to understand this, if it is expounded correctly, the discourse will be prolonged; however, I will briefly touch upon it as much as the Lord grants, so that I may not leave you without understanding this matter. When sins are forgiven in the sacraments, the house is cleansed; but the inhabitant is needed, the Holy Spirit; however, the Holy Spirit dwells only in the humble of heart. For God says: On whom shall my spirit rest? And He answers: On the humble and quiet one who trembles at my words. Therefore, when He is the inhabitant, He fills, rules, acts, restrains from evil, excites to good, makes righteousness pleasant, so that a man does good out of love for what is right, not fear of punishment. That which I have said, a man is less able to do by himself; but if he has the Holy Spirit as an inhabitant, he finds the same Spirit as a helper in all good things. However, some proud ones, after having their sins forgiven, if they presume to live well by the free choice of human will alone, exclude the Holy Spirit by their very pride; and the house remains as if cleansed from sins but empty of all good things. Your sins have been forgiven, you have been freed from evils; but only the Holy Spirit will fill you with good things. Pride repels Him. You presume on yourself, He leaves you; you trust in yourself, you are given over to yourself. But that desire, by which you were bad, having been repelled from the man, that is, from your mind, when your sins were forgiven, wanders through desolate places seeking rest; and not finding rest, that desire returns to the house, finds it cleansed, brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. It brings with it seven others. What does it mean: seven others? So, is the unclean spirit also a set of seven? What is this? By seven is signified a totality. It went out totally, came back totally; and if only it came alone! What does it mean: it brings with it seven others? Those it did not have when it was bad, it will have others falsely good. Pay attention, so that, if I am able and as much as I am helped, I may explain what I say. The Holy Spirit is commended by a sevenfold operation, so that the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and piety, and the fear of God may be in us. To this sevenfold good, set in opposition a sevenfold evil: the spirit of folly and error, the spirit of rashness and laziness, the spirit of ignorance and impiety, and the spirit of pride against the fear of God. These are the seven wicked ones: who are the other seven more wicked ones? The other seven more wicked ones are found in hypocrisy; one bad spirit of folly, another worse, the simulation of wisdom; a bad spirit of error, another worse, the simulation of truth; a bad spirit of rashness, another worse, the simulation of counsel; a bad spirit of laziness, another worse, the simulation of strength; a bad spirit of ignorance, another worse, the simulation of knowledge; a bad spirit of impiety, another worse, the simulation of piety; a bad spirit of pride, another worse, the simulation of fear. Seven were not borne: who can bear fourteen? It is necessary, therefore, that when simulation of truth is added to wickedness, the last state of the man becomes worse than the first.

Which mother who brothers of the Lord.

While he was speaking to the crowds - I follow the Gospel - his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak with him. Someone told him, saying: Behold, your mother and your brothers are outside, wanting to speak with you. And he replied: Who is my mother? Or who are my brothers? And extending his hand over his disciples, he said: These are my mother and my brothers. And whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. I'd love to speak only on this matter; but since I did not wish to overlook the previous points, I consumed no small part of the time - as I sense - discussing them. For what I now set out to discuss contains many intricate complexities: how the Lord Christ, piously, disregarded his mother—not just any mother but such a one as the Virgin Mother, who, the more she was a mother, the more she was a virgin, and to whom he brought fruitfulness without taking away integrity: a mother who conceived as a virgin, gave birth as a virgin, and perpetually remained a virgin. He disregarded such a mother to prevent maternal affection from impeding his work. What was he doing? He was speaking to the people, destroying old men and building new ones, freeing souls, unbinding the bound, enlightening blind minds, doing a good work, fervent in good deeds in both act and word. Amid these activities, a carnal affection was announced to him. You heard what he replied: why should I repeat it? Let mothers hear so they do not interrupt the good deeds of their children with carnal affection. For if they wish to interfere, and if by pressing those engaged in such deeds they disrupt what should not be delayed, they will be disregarded by their children; I dare to say, disregarded out of piety. And when a woman is angry because she was disregarded—whether she is married or a widow, when the Virgin Mary was disregarded? But you will say to me, "Do you then compare my son to Christ?" I do not compare him to Christ, nor you to Mary. Therefore, Christ the Lord did not condemn maternal affection, but demonstrated in himself the great example of disregarding the mother for the work of God. And in speaking, he was a teacher, and in disregarding, he was a teacher; and so he deigned to disregard his mother to teach you to disregard even your father and mother for the work of God.

Why Christ willed to become man from a woman.

For the Lord Christ could not become a man without a mother, who could become a man without a father? If it was fitting, indeed because it was fitting, that He become man for the sake of man, who created man, consider and recall from where He made the first man. The first man was made without a father, without a mother. What was possible for Him first to adapt for teaching human matters, was He not able to later adapt something similar for the renewal of human matters? Was it difficult for the Wisdom of God, the Word of God, the Power of God, the only-begotten Son of God, was it difficult for Him to make a man from whichever source He wished? Angels presented themselves as men to human beings. Abraham fed holy angels and invited them as if they were men; and not only did he see them, but also touched them, for he washed their feet. Were these things done by angels as if through deceptive phantasms? If an angel was able to exhibit a true human form whenever he wished, could not the Lord of angels make a true man from whichever source He wanted to assume? But He did not want to have a human father, lest He come to men through carnal desire; yet He wanted a mother, so that He might have a mother among men and teach men to respect what is done by God. He chose to receive the male sex in Himself, and He considered it worthy to honor the female sex in His mother. Indeed, in ancient times a woman had sinned and had offered sin to the man; both unions were deceived by the devil’s deceit. If Christ had come as a man without commending the female sex, women would have despaired of themselves, especially since through a woman man fell: He honored both, commended both, accepted both. He was born of a woman. Do not despair, men; Christ chose to be a man. Do not despair, women; Christ chose to be born of a woman. Both sexes run together towards the salvation of Christ: let the male come, let the female come - in faith, there is neither male nor female. Therefore, Christ teaches you to disregard your parents and to love your parents. For then you love your parents orderly and piously when you do not place parents before God: The words of the Lord are - “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” By these words, he appears to admonish you not to love; rather, if you pay attention, he admonished you to love. For he could have said, “He who loves father or mother is not worthy of me.” He did not say this, so as not to speak against the law which he gave, for he himself gave that law through His servant Moses, where it is written: “Honor your father and your mother.” He did not promulgate a contrary law but commended that law; he taught you the order, not subverted piety: “He who loves father or mother, but more than me.” Love, therefore, but not more than me: God is God, man is man. Love your parents, obey your parents, honor your parents; but if God calls you to something greater, where parental affection could be an impediment, keep the order, do not overturn charity.

Against the Manichaeans asserting that Christ did not have a mother.

In such truth of the doctrine of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who would believe the calumny sought by the Manichaeans, with which they would attempt to assert that the Lord Jesus Christ did not have any mother? For they think, or rather, they are senseless, that the Lord Jesus did not have a human mother, contrary to the Gospel, contrary to the light of the very Truth itself. And consider from where they argue. Behold, they say, He Himself says. What does He say? Who is my mother? or who are my brothers? He Himself, they say, denies it, and you want to impose upon Him what He denies; He Himself says: Who is my mother, or who are my brothers? and you say: He has a mother? O fool, O contentious one, O deservedly hateful one! Answer me, from where do you know the Lord said: Who is my mother, or who are my brothers? You deny that Christ had a mother, and you try to teach what you intend through this, because He said: Who is my mother, or brothers? If someone else exists and says the Lord Christ did not say this at all, how will you prove it? Answer, if you can, to a man denying that Christ said this. From where you will prove it, from there you will be convicted. Did Christ Himself, indeed, indicate to you in the ear that He said this? Answer, that you may be convicted by your own mouth, answer, that you may prove Christ said this. I know what he will say: "I will take the book, I will open the Gospel, I will recite His words written in the holy Gospel." Good, good: I will hold you with that Gospel itself, I will bind you with that Gospel itself, I will suffocate you with that Gospel itself. Recite in the very Gospel what you think is for you: open, read. Who is my mother? Why did He say this? Read above. Someone announced to Him: Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside. I do not yet press, I do not yet hold, I do not yet suffocate; you can still say: That messenger, indeed, was false, did not speak the truth, suggested lies: therefore the Lord refuted a false messenger. After his announcement indeed, He responded: Who is my mother? As if He were saying: "You say: Your mother stands outside; I say: Who is my mother? Whom do you want us to believe? The suggesting messenger, or what Christ refuted in what was announced?" Therefore listen, I still ask you: hold only the Gospel, do not discard the book behind you: hold it, give authority to the Gospel; unless you give it authority, there will be no way to prove the Lord said: Who is my mother? But when you have given sufficient authority to the Gospel, see what I ask. A little while ago, I asked how you would know whether Christ said: Who is my mother? What preceded? A certain messenger said to Christ: Your mother stands outside. Before this messenger said this, or for this messenger to say this, what preceded? I compel you to read. I see you now fear lest you read. The Lord responded and said. Who said? I do not say: Who said: who is my mother? for you will answer, the Lord said. The Lord responded, who said? You will answer, the Evangelist said. Did this Evangelist speak the truth or a falsehood? You will say: "What did he speak, truth or falsehood?" The Lord responded, and said to him. What the Evangelist said, did he speak the truth or falsehood? If you would say the Evangelist spoke falsehood, saying the Lord responded; from where do you know the Lord said: who is my mother? If, therefore, you convict the Lord said: who is my mother? because the Evangelist said He said it, you do not convict the Lord said this, unless you believe the Evangelist. Now, if you believe the Evangelist (for you say nothing unless you believe the Evangelist), read above what the Evangelist himself said.

The authority of the Gospel depends on the truthfulness of the Evangelists.

How long must I delay you! How long must I keep you in suspense! It is a favor that you are quickly conquered. Pay attention, look, read. I see you are unwilling. Give the book, I will read: This he said while speaking to the crowds. Who says this? The Evangelist, whom if you do not believe, Christ said nothing. If Christ said nothing, who is my mother? Christ did not say. But if who is my mother? Christ said, it is true what the Evangelist wrote. See what he said before: This he said while speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak with him. The messenger had not yet announced anything you could say was a lie. See what he announced, attend to what the Evangelist stated beforehand: This the Lord spoke to the crowds, his mother and brothers stood outside. Who says this? The Evangelist, whom you believe the Lord said: Who is my mother? But if you do not believe these words, then the Lord did not say: Who is my mother? But truly the Lord said: Who is my mother? Therefore believe him, who said that the Lord said: Who is my mother? For he who said that the Lord said: Who is my mother? He himself said: This he spoke, his mother stood outside. Why then did he deny his mother? By no means! Understand: he did not deny, but he placed something he was doing above his mother. Lastly, the sole cause is to inquire why the Lord said: Who is my mother? The primary cause is to see that he had about whom he said: Who is my mother? He had: she stood outside, wanting to speak with him. Tell me, how do you know? The Evangelist says, whom if I do not believe, the Lord says nothing. Therefore he had a mother. But what is: Who is my mother? To these things that I do, who is my mother? If you say to someone in danger, and having a father: "Let your father save you," whom he knows is not capable of delivering his son, does he not respond to you with utmost reverence, with complete truth: "Who is my father? For this that I want, for this that I feel I need now, who is my father?". Therefore, for what Christ was doing, freeing the bound, enlightening the blind minds, building interior men, constructing a spiritual temple for himself, who is his mother? But, if you think that Christ did not have a mother on earth because he said: Who is my mother? neither did his disciples have fathers on earth because the Lord himself said to them: Do not call anyone on earth your father. The words of the Lord are: Do not call anyone your father on earth; for you have one Father, God. They did not lack fathers: but where it comes to regeneration, seek the Father of regeneration; do not condemn the father of generation, but put the Father of regeneration above him.

It is greater to have been a disciple of Christ for Mary than to have been His mother.

Behold, pay more attention to this, my brothers, pay more attention to this, I beg you, which the Lord Christ said, extending His hand over His disciples: "These are my mother and my brothers; and whoever does the will of My Father who sent Me, he is My brother and sister and mother." Did not the Virgin Mary do the will of the Father, who believed in faith, conceived in faith, was chosen from whom salvation would be born among men, was created by Christ before Christ was created in her? Holy Mary indeed did the will of the Father: and for this reason, it is greater for Mary to have been a disciple of Christ than to have been the mother of Christ: it is greater, it is more blessed to have been a disciple of Christ than to have been the mother of Christ. Therefore Mary was blessed because, even before giving birth, she carried the Master in her womb. See if it is not what I say. While the Lord was passing by with the following crowds and performing divine miracles, a certain woman said: "Blessed is the womb that carried you!" And the Lord, so that happiness would not be sought in the flesh, what did He reply? "Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it." Hence, therefore, also Mary is blessed because she heard the word of God and kept it: she preserved the truth in her mind more than the flesh in her womb. Christ the truth, Christ the flesh: Christ the truth in Mary's mind, Christ the flesh in Mary's womb; greater is what is in the mind than what is carried in the womb. Holy Mary, blessed Mary, but the Church is better than the Virgin Mary. Why? Because Mary is a portion of the Church, a holy member, an excellent member, an outstanding member, but still a member of the whole body. If of the whole body, surely the body is greater than the member. The Lord is the head, and the whole Christ is head and body. What shall I say? We have a divine head, we have God as the head.

The Church, mother and virgin, similar to Mary.

Therefore, beloved, pay attention to yourselves: you are members of Christ, and you are the body of Christ. Watch how you are what He says: "Behold my mother and my brothers." How will you be the mother of Christ? And whoever hears and whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, sister, and mother. I understand brothers, I understand sisters: for there is one inheritance; and thus by the mercy of Christ, who, though He was the only one, did not wish to be alone, He wanted us to be heirs to the Father, co-heirs with Himself. For such is that inheritance, which cannot be constrained by the multitude of co-heirs. Therefore I understand we are brothers of Christ, holy and faithful women are sisters of Christ. How can we understand ourselves to be mothers of Christ? What then? Do we dare to call ourselves mothers of Christ? Indeed we dare to call ourselves mothers of Christ. For I have called you all His brothers, and shall I not dare to call myself and you His mothers? Rather, I would much less dare to deny what Christ said. Ah, beloved, observe how the Church is, which is manifestly the spouse of Christ; more difficult to understand, but it is nonetheless true, the mother of Christ. Mary the virgin preceded in type. How, I ask you, is Mary the mother of Christ, if not because she gave birth to the members of Christ? You, to whom I speak, are members of Christ: who gave birth to you? I hear the voice of your heart: "Mother Church." This holy mother, honored, similar to Mary, both gives birth and is a virgin. Because she gives birth, I prove through you: you were born from her; and she gives birth to Christ, for you are the members of Christ. I have proved the birthing, I will prove the virginity: the divine testimony does not desert me, it does not desert me. Proceed to the people, blessed Paul, be a witness of my assertion; cry out, and say what I wish to say: "I have betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." Where is this virginity? Where is corruption feared? Let him who said virgin speak. "I have betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ; but I am afraid," he says, "that as the serpent deceived Eve with its cunning, so your minds may be corrupted from the chastity which is in Christ." Hold virginity in your minds: the virginity of the mind, the integrity of the catholic faith; where Eve was corrupted by the serpent's word, there must the Church be a virgin by the gift of the Almighty. Therefore, in mind, bring forth the members of Christ, just as Mary the virgin brought forth Christ in her womb; and thus you will be mothers of Christ. It is not far from you, it is not beyond you, it does not repel you: you were children, be also mothers. Children of the mother, when you were baptized, then you were born as members of Christ: bring to the washing of baptism those you can; so that, just as you were children when you were born, so also by bringing others to be born, you may be mothers of Christ.