Sermon 85
SERMO 85
OF THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL MT 19, 17-25:
"If you wish to come to life, keep the commandments," and so forth.
The observation of commandments for the attainment of life.
The Gospel reading, which just resounded in our ears, brothers, demands a listener and a doer more than an expositor. What is clearer than this light: If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments? What then shall I say? If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments. Who is there who does not want life? And yet who is there who wants to keep the commandments? If you do not wish to keep the commandments, why do you seek life? If you are lazy in work, why do you hurry for the reward? That rich young man said he had kept the commandments: he heard the greater commandments: If you wish to be perfect, one thing is lacking in you; go, sell all that you have and give to the poor; and you will not lose, but you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. For what does it profit you if you do it and do not follow me? But he went away sorrowful and sad, as you have heard: for he had many riches. What he heard, we also heard. The mouth of Christ is the Gospel. He sits in heaven; but He does not cease to speak on earth. Let us not be deaf: for He cries out. Let us not be dead: for He thunders. If you do not wish to do the greater things, do the lesser. The burden of the greater is much for you, at least undertake the lesser. Why are you lazy about both? Why do you oppose both? The greater things are, Sell all that you have and give to the poor, and follow me. The lesser things are: Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not bear false witness, Do not steal. Honor your father and mother, Love your neighbor as yourself. Do these. Why do I call to you, to sell your things, when I cannot force you not to steal what belongs to others? You have heard: You shall not steal; you rob. Before the presence of such a great Judge, I now hold you not a thief, but a robber. Spare yourself, have mercy on yourself. This life still gives you a reprieve, do not reject correction. You were a thief yesterday; do not be one today. Perhaps you were one even today; do not be one tomorrow. At some time end the evil, and for the reward demand the good. You want to have good things, and you do not want to be good: your life is contrary to your wishes. If it is a great good to have a good house, how much evil is it to have an evil soul?
The rich are saved with difficulty.
The rich man left sorrowful, and the Lord said: How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of heaven! And how difficult it would be, he showed by proposing a similitude so difficult that it would be utterly impossible. For everything impossible is difficult, but not everything difficult is impossible. Consider the kind of difficulty: Truly I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. A camel passing through the eye of a needle: if he had said a flea, it would be impossible. Finally, having heard this, the disciples were saddened and said: If it is so, who then can be saved? What rich man? Poor people, hear Christ, I speak to the people of God. You who are poor are more numerous, at least seize this; and yet listen. Whoever glories in poverty, beware of pride, lest humble rich people surpass you: beware of impiety, lest pious rich people surpass you: beware of drunkenness, lest sober rich people surpass you. Do not glory in poverty, just as they should not glory in riches.
The worm of riches is pride.
Let the rich hear, if indeed there are any; let them hear the Apostle: Command the rich of this world, for there are rich of another age. The poor are the rich of another age, the Apostles are the rich of another age, who said: As having nothing, and possessing all things. To let you know of which rich he speaks, he added, of this world. Therefore let the rich of this world hear the Apostle: Command, he says, the rich of this world, not to be proud. The first worm of riches is pride. A bad moth, it gnaws everything and leads to ashes. Command, therefore, not to be proud, nor to hope in the uncertainty of riches; lest perhaps you sleep rich, and rise poor. Nor hope in the uncertainty of riches (these are the words of the Apostle); but in God, he says, the living. A thief takes your gold, who takes God from you? What does the rich man have, if he does not have God? What does the poor man not have, if he has God? Therefore, do not hope in riches, he says; but in the living God, who provides us abundantly with all things to enjoy; among which all things, also himself.
On what should be given regarding wealth.
If therefore they should not hope in riches, nor trust in them, but in the living God; what are they to do with riches? Hear what: They should be rich in good works. What does this mean? Explain it, Apostle. For many do not want to understand what they do not want to do. Explain it, Apostle: do not give occasion for evil deeds through the obscurity of speech. Tell what you have said: They should be rich in good works. Let them hear, understand: let them not be allowed to excuse themselves, but rather begin to accuse themselves, and say what we have just heard in the Psalm: For I acknowledge my sin. Tell what it is:
Let the rich be rich in good works.
What does it mean: "Let them give easily"? Is this not also understood? Let them give easily, let them share. You have, another does not have: share, so that it may be shared with you. Share here, and you will share there. Share bread here, and you will receive bread there. What bread here? What you gather with sweat and toil, from the curse of the first man. What bread there? He who said: I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. You are rich here, but you are poor there. You have gold, but you do not yet hold present Christ. Distribute what you have, so that you may receive what you do not have. Let them be rich in good works, let them give easily, let them share.
How much should be distributed to the poor?
Therefore, will they lose their possessions? Let them share, he said: no, let them give all. Let them keep for themselves as much as is sufficient, let them keep more than is sufficient. Let us give a certain part from it. What part? The tenth part. The scribes and Pharisees gave tithes. Let us be ashamed, brothers; they gave tithes, for whom Christ had not yet shed blood. The scribes and Pharisees gave tithes: lest you think you are doing something great because you break bread for the poor; and that is scarcely one-thousandth of your wealth. And yet I do not blame it: at least do this. I am so thirsty, so hungry, that even for those crumbs I am glad. But nevertheless, I will not remain silent about what He who died for us said while alive. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, he says, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. He does not flatter us: He is a physician, He reaches to the living. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. The scribes and Pharisees gave tithes. What is it? Ask yourselves. See what you do, of what you do; what you give, what you leave for yourselves; what you spend in mercy, what you reserve for luxury. Therefore: Let them willingly distribute, let them share, let them store up a good foundation for themselves for the future, so that they may lay hold of true life.
The poor are bound to curb their desires.
I have admonished the rich: listen, you poor. You give: you do not desire to steal. You distribute your resources: you restrain your desires. Listen, you poor, to the same apostle: It is indeed great gain. Gain is the acquisition of profit. It is indeed great gain, he says, piety with sufficiency. You share the world with the rich: you do not share a home with the rich, but you share the sky, you share the light. Seek sufficiency, seek what is enough, do not desire more. The rest burdens, it does not uplift; it loads, it does not honor. Great gain, piety with sufficiency. First and foremost piety. Piety is the worship of God. Piety with sufficiency. For we brought nothing into this world. Have you brought anything here? But neither have you, the rich, brought anything. You found everything here, you were born naked with the poor. Common to both is the frailty of the body; common is the wailing, a witness of miseries. For we brought nothing into this world (he speaks to the poor); but neither can we take anything out. Having food and clothing, let us be content with these. For those who wish to become rich <...> Those who wish to become rich; not: Those who are. Let those who are, be. What concerns them they have heard, that they be rich in good deeds, readily give, share.
They heard it themselves. You who are not yet, listen. Those who want to become rich fall into temptation and traps, and many foolish and harmful desires. Do you not fear? Hear what follows: Which drown men in destruction and perdition. Do you not fear? For the love of money is the root of all evils. Avarice is wanting to be rich, not merely being rich. That is avarice itself. Do you not fear being drowned in destruction and perdition? Do you not fear the root of all evils, avarice? You uproot the root of thorns from your field, and do not uproot from your heart the root of evil desires? You cleanse your field, from which your belly may receive fruit; and do you not cleanse your heart, where your God may dwell? For the love of money is the root of all evils: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Meeting of the rich and the poor.
You have heard what you should do, you have heard what you should fear, you have heard from where the kingdom of heaven is purchased, you have heard from where the kingdom of heaven is hindered. All of you agree on the word of God. Both the rich and the poor God has made. Scripture speaks: The rich and the poor have met together; the Lord has made both. The rich and the poor have met together. On what road, unless in this life? A rich man is born, a poor man is born. You meet each other while walking the same road. Do not oppress, do not defraud. This one needs, that one has. But the Lord has made both. Through him who has, He helps the needy: through him who does not have, He tests the one who has. We have heard, we have spoken: let us fear, let us beware, let us pray, let us reach.