Sermon 98

SERMO 98

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 7:11-15
AND ABOUT THE THREE DEAD WHOM THE LORD RAISED

The miracles of the Lord in bodies and in souls.

The miracles of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ move all who hear and believe: but differently for different people. Some, marveling at His physical miracles, do not know how to look at greater things: while others, hearing what happened to the bodies, now admire even more what happens in the souls. The Lord Himself says: "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it." Certainly, it is not that the Son gives life to some and the Father to others; but the Father and the Son give life to the same ones: because the Father does everything through the Son. Therefore, let no one who is a Christian doubt that even now the dead are raised. But every man has eyes by which he can see the dead rise in such a way that the son of this widow, who has just now been recited in the Gospel, rose: but to see dead men rise in the heart, not all have such eyes, except those who have already risen in the heart. It is greater to raise someone to live forever than to raise someone who will die again.

Two kinds of the dead.

The mother, a widow, rejoiced over that young man who was raised: the mother Church rejoices daily over men who are raised in spirit. That one was indeed dead in body; but these were dead in mind. His visible death was visibly mourned: their invisible death was neither sought nor seen. He who knew the dead sought them: he alone knew the dead, who could make them alive. For unless the Lord had come to raise the dead, the Apostle would not say: "Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." You hear the sleeper, when he says: "Awake, you who sleep": but understand the dead, when you hear: "And arise from the dead." Often sleepers and the dead have been visibly called. And clearly all sleep to him who can awaken. For the one dead is dead to you, who, however much you may strike, however much you may call, however much you may tear, does not wake up. But to Christ, he was sleeping, to whom it was said: "Arise"; and immediately he arose. No one awakens in bed so easily as Christ in the tomb.

Three dead were raised by the Lord.

We find however three dead visibly raised by the Lord, thousands invisibly. But who knows how many dead He raised visibly? For not all things which He did are written: John says this: "Jesus did many other things which, if they were written, I think the whole world could not contain the books." Therefore many others without a doubt were raised: but three were not mentioned in vain. For our Lord Jesus Christ wished those things which He did physically also to be understood spiritually. Nor did He do miracles just for the sake of miracles: but so that what He did would be wonders to those who saw them and truths to those who understood them. Just as one who sees letters in a well-written book and does not know how to read, indeed praises the hand of the scribe, admiring the beauty of the letters; but he does not know what those letters indicate or mean; he is therefore an admirer with his eyes, not with his mind: another both praises the craftsmanship and grasps the meaning; certainly he who not only can see, as is common to all, but also can read; which he who has not learned cannot do. So those who saw Christ’s miracles and did not understand what they meant, and what they in some way indicated to those who understood, marveled merely because they were done: others both marveled at the deeds, and understood them. We ought to be such in Christ’s school. For he who says that Christ only performed miracles so that they would be nothing but miracles might also say that He did not know the season of figs, when He sought them on the tree. For it was not the season of that fruit, as the Evangelist testifies: and nevertheless He, being hungry, sought fruit on the tree. Did Christ not know what the farmer knew? Did the creator of the tree not know what the cultivator knew? When therefore, He being hungry sought fruit on the tree, He signified that He was hungry for something, and was seeking something else: and He found that tree full of leaves without fruit, and cursed it; and it withered. What had the tree done by not bearing fruit? What blame is the tree’s barrenness? But there are those who cannot give fruit by will. The fault of barrenness belongs to those for whom fruitfulness is a matter of will. Therefore, the Jews had the words of the Law and did not have the deeds, full of leaves and bearing no fruit. I said this to persuade that our Lord Jesus Christ did miracles, thus to signify something by those miracles, so that beyond the fact that they were marvelous and great and divine, we might also learn something from them.

The resurrection of three dead men.

So let us see what He wanted to teach us in the three dead whom He raised. He raised the dead daughter of the synagogue leader, to whom He was being requested to go so that He might heal her from her sickness. And while He was on His way, news came that she had died; and as if now He would be wearied in vain, it was reported to her father: "Your daughter is dead, why do you still trouble the Teacher?" But He proceeded and said to the girl's father: "Do not fear, only believe." He came to the house and found the funeral rites already being prepared, and He said to them: "Do not weep, for the girl is not dead but sleeping." He spoke the truth: she was sleeping, but by Him who could awaken her. Awakening her, He restored her alive to her parents. He also raised the widow's son, about whom we are now reminded, that from this we may speak of what He who is gracious grants, with your charity. You just heard how he was raised. The Lord was approaching the city, and behold, the dead man was being carried out, already outside the gate. Moved by compassion, because the mourning mother was a widow and bereaved of her only son, He did what you heard, saying: "Young man, I say to you, arise." The dead man arose and began to speak; and He restored him to his mother. He also raised Lazarus from the tomb. And when His disciples, with whom He was speaking, knew he was sick (for He loved him), He said: "Lazarus, our friend, sleeps." They, thinking He meant the healthy sleep of the sick: "If he sleeps," they said, "Lord, he will be well." And He said: "I tell you more plainly: Lazarus our friend is dead." Both statements were true: He is dead to you, he sleeps to me.

Three kinds of sinners are represented by those three dead ones.

These three types of dead are the three types of sinners, whom Christ raises even today. For the dead daughter of the ruler of the synagogue was inside the house, not yet brought out from the hidden walls into the public. There she was raised inside and returned alive to her parents. But this one was indeed no longer in the house, but not yet in the tomb, he was brought out from the walls, but not entrusted to the earth. He who raised the dead one not yet brought out, raised the dead one already brought out but not yet buried. A third remained, that he might raise even the one who was buried: and this he did in Lazarus. There are therefore those who have sin within their heart, but not yet in deed. Someone is moved by some lust. For the Lord himself says: "Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." He has not yet approached bodily, he has consented in heart: he has a dead one within, not yet brought out. And as often happens, as we know, as men daily experience in themselves, sometimes upon hearing the word of God, as if the Lord were saying, “Arise”; the consent to iniquity is condemned, he breathes toward salvation and righteousness. The dead rises in the house, the heart revives in the secret of thought. This resurrection of a dead soul happened inside the hiding places of the conscience, as if within domestic walls. Others, after consent, go into deed, as if bringing out the dead, so that what lay hidden in secret, appears in public. Are those who have proceeded into deed now desperate? Was it not said even to that young man: "I say to you, rise"? Was he not also returned to his mother? So in this way also, if one who has already done it is perhaps admonished and moved by the word of truth, he rises at the voice of Christ, returned alive. He could progress, he could not perish forever. But those who, by doing what is evil, also entangle themselves with evil habits, so that the very habit of evil does not allow them to see that it is evil, become defenders of their evil deeds: they get angry when reproved; so much so that the Sodomites once said to a just man reproving their wicked will: "You came to dwell, not to give laws." Such was the habit of shameful debauchery there, that already wickedness was justice, and the reprover was blamed rather than the doer. Such buried under the malignant habit are, as it were, buried. But what shall I say, brothers? Buried in such a way, as it was said of Lazarus: "By now he stinks." That heavy stone placed on the tomb is the hard force of habit, by which the soul is pressed, and is allowed neither to rise nor to breathe.

The progress of four sins.

It was said: He has been dead for four days. Indeed, according to the custom I am speaking of, the soul reaches a certain fourth stage. The first stage is, for instance, the tickling delight in the heart; the second, consent; the third, action; the fourth, habit. Some people completely reject illicit matters that arise in their thoughts so that they are not even delighted by them. Some are delighted but do not consent: it is not yet complete death, but in a way, it has begun. Delight is followed by consent: now it is condemnation. After consent, it proceeds to action: action turns into habit: and a certain despair sets in, such that it is said: He has been dead for four days, he already stinks. Then the Lord comes, for whom all things are indeed easy; and shows you a certain difficulty. He groaned in his spirit, showing that much shouting and scolding was needed for those hardened by habit. Yet at the voice of the shouting Lord, the bonds of necessity were broken. The dominion of hell trembled, and Lazarus was given back alive. For the Lord also frees the four-day dead from the bad habit; for even the four-day dead slept when Christ wanted to resurrect him. But what does he say? See the manner of resurrection. He came out of the tomb alive and could not walk. And the Lord said to the disciples: Untie him, and let him go. The Lord resurrected the dead one, and they unbound the bound one. See how this pertains to the majesty of God resurrecting. Someone placed in a bad habit is reproved by the word of truth. How many are reproved and do not listen! Who then acts within the one who listens? Who breathes life within? Who expels the hidden death and gives hidden life? After reprovals and scoldings, are people not sent to their own thoughts and begin to ponder how bad a life they lead, how they are weighed down by the worst habit? Then displeased with themselves, they resolve to change their life. These have resurrected; those who are displeased with what they were have come back to life: but the revived cannot walk. These are the fetters of their guilt itself. Therefore, it is necessary that the revived be unbound and permitted to go. This office he gave to his disciples, to whom he said: Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.

Quickly rise again from sin.

Therefore, dearest, let us listen in such a way that those who live may live; those who are dead may revive. Whether sin is still conceived in the heart and has not progressed into action; let there be repentance, correction of thought, and let the dead rise within the house of conscience. Or if what was thought has already been committed, let there not be despair. If the dead did not rise within, let the exalted rise. Let there be repentance of the deed, and let there quickly be revival: let it not go into the depths of the grave, let it not bear the weight of habit on top. But perhaps I am now speaking to those who are already pressed by the hard stone of their way of life, who are already burdened by the weight of habit, who already reek after four days. Even he should not despair: he is deeply dead, but Christ is high. He knows how to break earthly burdens by crying out, he knows how to bring life internally through himself, to place the task of unbinding in the hands of his disciples. Let these people also do penance. For there was no stench in Lazarus when he was raised after four days. Therefore, let those who live, live: and whosoever is dead, in whichever of these three types of death they find themselves, let them act quickly to rise again.