Sermon 107A

SERMON 107/A

TREATISE ON THE GOSPEL OF THE TWO BROTHERS

What the Lord replied to him who interrupted about the inheritance

The Lord Jesus, the giver of charity, is the accuser of greed. For he wishes to uproot the bad tree and plant the good tree. From the love of the world no good fruit arises. From the love of God, none bad. These are the two trees about which the Lord himself spoke, saying: A good tree does not produce bad fruits. But a bad tree produces bad fruits. Therefore, our speech, when it is from the Lord God, is an ax to the root of the bad tree. The very word of the holy Gospel that sounded out struck down the bad trees. It prunes but does not cut down. For what your Maker did not want you to have, know that it is advantageous for you. The Lord does not want us to have worldly greed. No one, therefore, should say: I am seeking mine, not another's. Beware of all greed. If you love too much what can perish, you will lose truly what cannot perish. You say, I neither want to lose mine nor take another's. This is an excuse of a kind of greed, not the glory of charity. It has been said of charity: It does not seek what is its own, but what is of others. It does not seek its own advantages, but the salvation of the brothers. For even he who appealed to the Lord, if you have paid attention, was seeking his own, not another's. For his brother had taken everything and had not given him his due share. He saw the Lord as just, for he could not find a better judge, and made an appeal to him and said: Lord, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. What could be more just? Let him take his share, give mine to me. Neither I all, nor he all, because we are brothers. And the very thing they sought to divide they would always have whole if they lived in harmony. Everything that is divided is diminished. If they were in harmony in their house as they were when their father was alive, each would possess the whole. By analogy: if they had two estates, both would be of both, and when asked about each, they would call it their own. Whose estate is this? if you asked either one of them, he would respond: Ours. Likewise, if you asked whose the other was, similarly: Ours. But if each took one, the possession would be diminished, the response would change. Then if asked whose estate this was, he would answer: Mine. Whose is that? My brother's. You did not acquire one, but lost one because you divided. Therefore, because it appeared he had just greed since he sought his share, not coveting another's, presuming on the justice of his cause, he appealed to a just judge. But what did the just judge say to him? Speak, man - for you do not understand the things of God but those of men - who made me a divider between you of the inheritance? He denied what was asked, but he gave more than he denied. He asked for a judgment about possessing the inheritance. He gave advice about not having greed. Why do you seek the estate? Why do you seek the land? Why do you seek the share? If you do not have greed, you will have everything. Consider the non-greedy who said: As having nothing and yet possessing everything. Therefore, he says: You seek from me that your brother give you part of your inheritance. I say to you: Beware of all greed. You think you are guarding against greed for another's property. I say to you: Beware of all greed. And you want to love your things excessively, and because of your property, to lower your heart from heaven, and wanting to store up on earth, you seek to upend your soul; for the soul has its riches just as a chest has its own.

Example of the rich man who succeeded in the kingdom.

Finally, some rich man is offered as an example to beware of all greed. What does "all" mean? Even those things which are said to be yours. A certain rich man is proposed, to whom a region succeeded, that is, his possessions in the region; abundant fruits have grown: success indeed is called prosperity. And he thought to himself, saying what you heard when the Gospel was read: What shall I do, where shall I gather my fruits? He had nowhere to put them. He was too abundant. He was distressed by plenty, not by scarcity. How miserable he was, whom not lack but abundance disturbed! As if he truly had nowhere to put without losing anything! And he thought he had found a great plan: I have found, he said, what I will do. I will destroy the old barns and make new larger ones, and I will fill them, and I will say to my soul: Soul, you have many goods for many years. Rest, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him: Fool, you seem wise to yourself because you have found a plan for pulling down the small barns and making larger ones. You are foolish where you seem wise to yourself. Why have you done this to tell your soul: You have many goods for many years? This night your soul will be demanded from you. Where is the long time? This night your soul is being demanded from you. The things you have prepared, whose will they be? Are you not troubled in vain? You hoard up wealth and do not know for whom you gather these things. He had nowhere to put them! And where were the poor? What your narrow barns no longer held, would your brother take, would your Lord take who said: When you did it to one of these least of mine, you did it to me. Are you storing in barns and will not lose it? Are you migrating to heaven and will lose it? Do you have nowhere to put it? Give out, and expect it to be returned to you. You place in the hand of the poor, you receive from the hand of the rich. What you do not have where to put, who gave it to you? He who gave it to you wants to take something from what he gave. He who made you needs you. If he needs it for your good, give from what you have. You have earthly fruits, do you have eternal life? How great a possession it is! How cheaply valued! Do you want to know how cheaply valued? Such is the possession, such is the possession of eternal life, to which when you arrive (O fool who counts on earth and will lose heaven!), such is that possession, where when you arrive, you cannot migrate from it, but will also possess it forever and without any end. How great it is, you see. How cheaply valued, attend. It is valued for what your barns do not hold, what they cannot hold, what overflows, for which you want to make larger ones. But what is this? What is the price of the possession? If given to the poor laborers? You know and see that whom you give to walk on earth. What you give, they carry to heaven, and when they have brought it to heaven, you do not receive what you gave. For you will receive heavenly for earthly, immortal for mortal, eternal for temporal. If you gave at interest and for so much silver you received so much gold, for example, for a pound of silver, a pound of gold, how much richer would you be? You would be overjoyed when you were able to reach such usury, wouldn’t you? What kind of interest is this? See what you give, what you receive. You give what melts away here, you receive what you will never lose. For you give what you do not live on (for the Lord said, if you noticed, in the very reading of the Gospel: Not in the abundance of what a man has is his life), so that you may receive what you will always live on. The riches of the flesh are gold, silver, grain, wine and oil, fields, possessions; these are the riches of the flesh. The flesh itself, how much does it have from them, when the belly is filled? You see the rest lies superfluous. If you were compelled to eat as much as you have, would you not be compelled to expire?

If you despise earthly things, you will possess the Creator himself as your inheritance.

Beware, therefore, brothers, of all greed. Life on this earth is lived with very little, and the great eternal life is compared to the very little. Does it seem that Zacchaeus bought it at a higher price? For he was very rich, greater than the tax collectors. And when the Lord entered his house, thus salvation was made there: "Half," he says, "of my goods I give to the poor." He bought greatness with greatness. What about the other half? "If I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore it fourfold." Behold why the other half was preserved, not to be possessed greedily, but to be returned as a debt. He bought greatness with greatness who had many riches and gave half to the poor. Whatever he gave, what is it? What are the riches of any powerful person? What is the whole earth? What is earth and sea? Look at the sky, look at the stars, look at the whole creation. If you despise a few things, you will possess the Creator himself as an inheritance. Your Lord says this to you: Beware of all greed. Be careful in acquiring earthly things, and I will fill you. You respond and say: How will you fill me? For this is what you were seeking, when you despised a few things, to be filled with greater things. Because you gave something of your fruits and heard from your Lord: I will fill you, you will say: Will he fill my house with gold, with silver? I will fill you. You seek that I may fill your house. I will fill you if you will be my house. Recognize and love the one who made you, and he will fill you, not from what is his, but from himself. You will have God, you will be full of God. These are the great riches of the soul. The riches of the body are superfluous, because our body seeks little from which it may live. The riches of the soul are not superfluous. Whatever God has given you, whatever God has granted you of piety, whatever he has granted you of charity, whatever he has granted you of justice, whatever he has granted you of chastity, whatever he has granted you of himself, cannot be superfluous. Your inner riches are great. What are they called? God. O poor man, do you then have nothing if you have God? O rich man, do you then have something if you do not have God?

He who is greedy for money is a slave to it.

Therefore, let us return to the words of the Lord: beware of all greed. Of all? you will say. It is my property. He will say: Of all. For has it been said to you that you should not have your property? Have it, but without greed. Thus you will have it. But if you desire it, you will be possessed by it, not possess it. Do not love money if you wish to possess money. For if you do not love it, you will have money. If you love it, money will possess you. For you will not be master of money, but a servant, and because you are a servant, you will follow where it drags you. Are you not a servant when you are dragged by its desire? Does not its love wake you from sleep? If you were a servant of a man, perhaps he would allow you to sleep. If you do not have money and are avaricious, you stay awake from that very desire to have it. If you have it, you stay awake out of fear that you will lose it. You also fear that through it you will be lost yourself: I think, when you had less, you slept more securely.

The rich man and the poor man meet each other on the way: let the rich man give to the poor man from his own and both will reach their homeland.

Beware of all greed. It benefits you, brothers, because you are poor. Do not wish to be rich. Let God suffice for you, because He does not forsake you. He thought of you before you existed, and will He not think that you should live? You have already believed in Him, praised Him, hoped in Him, and will He withhold from you what He knows to be necessary for us? What He gives to others, will He deny to His own? Will He refuse those who praise Him, who gives to those who blaspheme Him? When you have Him, consider that you have everything. For your Father knows, the Lord Himself says in the Gospel, what you need before you ask Him. And about bodily matters He thus spoke: Seek first the kingdom of God and the justice of God, and all these things will be added unto you. But sometimes the righteous suffer hunger and see the wicked belching without restraint. Do not be surprised. The righteous one is being tested, the wicked one is being condemned. That one is tested who praises God in the very poverty. That one is condemned who offends God through the very abundance. Scripture says: The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord made them both. Where did they meet? On a certain road. What is that road? This life. Here the rich and the poor met because the rich is born, the poor is born. They met each other. They saw each other on the road. Both walk the road, one burdened, the other lightened. But the one who is lightened is hungry, the one who is burdened groans. Let the burdened one lighten his load. Let him give something to him who meets him, neither will starve, neither will groan, both will arrive. Where does your groaning come from, O rich man? Because you have no place to put [your wealth]? There is where to place it. I do not want you to groan. Consider the hungry, and you have where to place [your wealth]. Do you fear losing it? Then more you do not lose it.

The example of a certain mediocre religious man.

Something occurred that is both very delightful and worthy of being related to your Love. A certain moderately religious man sold a solidus for the needs of his household. And because he was religious, he took a hundred coins from the top of the price and gave them to the poor, intending to send the remainder to his house for his own use. To test him, a thief was sent to him, and he lost the entire price of the solidus. The devil did this to make him regret having given anything to the poor and to say: "O Lord, only those who do evil are pleasing to you. Men do evil and they acquire wealth. I did good and lost everything." But he did not say this; for he was steadfast, and he stood even when facing adversity. Therefore, when he had lost the entire price of the solidus from which he had given a hundred coins to the poor, he said: "Woe is me, for I did not give everything! What I gave, I did not lose; what I could lose was what I did not give." It came to his mind what he had heard from the Gospel or what he had read, and he believed. For this is indeed the advice of our Lord. Recollect and see. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The thief could take his money, but he could not remove his heart from heaven.

It is more to have God in the mind than gold in the bag.

Therefore, keep what you have, so that you may give to the needy. For when the Lord Christ said: "Fool, this night your soul will be required of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" It was not of a man who takes what is not his but of one who loves his own goods immoderately, he added and said: "So it is for everyone who treasures up for himself and is not rich towards God." Do you want to be rich towards God? Give to God. Give not out of great wealth, but out of your own will. For even if you give a little from what little you have, what you give is greatly received. God does not weigh the wealth but the will. Remember that widow, brothers. You heard Zacchaeus: "I give half of my possessions to the poor." He gave much from much, and he as if bought that kingdom of heaven at a great price. Whatever is considered how great it is, is worthless to Him. However, it seems much that he gave because he was very rich. Remember that poor widow who brought two small coins, and many rich people were casting gifts into the treasury and those who were present looked at what was being put in that was great. She entered and put in two small coins. Who even considered seeing her? But the Lord, He saw her in such a way that He saw only her and commended her to those not seeing, that is, He made them attend to what was not seen. "You see this widow," He said, and then they noticed her, "she put in more than all the rich," they said, large out of great. They were admiring the large gifts of the wealthy. When they saw those two coins, did they even see that widow afterwards? "She put in more," He said, "than all those rich people." For they put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in everything she had. She had much because she had God in her heart. It is more to have God in the soul than gold in the purse. Who put in more than she who left nothing for herself?

The price of heavenly possession.

However, beloved, pay attention because we were speaking about acquiring that heavenly possession. Did it cost as much as what Zacchaeus paid, and did it not cost as much as what that widow had? The price of it was what Zacchaeus gave, the price of it was also two small coins. Compare half of Zacchaeus' wealth with the two small coins; there is no comparison. Compare the will of Zacchaeus and the will of the widow. You will find the unequal in the former, the equal in the latter. Therefore, do not let your heart be saddened when you give a little from your little. What is little to a poor man is much to Him who knows the poor and the rich. For God knows with what spirit you give, with what will you give. Then, beware of all greed and give whatever you can from charity. Have we found anything cheaper than two small coins? A cup of cold water. Whoever gives, he says, a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. Now, how much is a cup of cold water worth, for which no wood was used to heat it? Therefore, he did not just say a cup of water but added of cold water. You see how much it is and how much it is that it compares. Is there anything cheaper than a cup of cold water? What? Nothing. If there is thus nothing, how can it be nothing? It is nothing and it is a thing. It is what you give: but peace on earth to men of good will. This was bought at this price from the Patriarchs and remained for sale to the Prophets. Why was it not preserved for others? The Prophets bought it, they left it to be purchased by the Apostles. The Apostles bought it, they preserved it for the martyrs to buy. The martyrs bought it, and we have it whole to buy. Let us love and buy it. It is not that you say: It is worth so much and I do not have. I will take so much on loan and from that I will pay it back, as men are accustomed to say, when they set a certain price either for a house or for a possession on sale. Do not revolve your chests, return to your conscience, where you find the price of the possession. If there is faith, hope, charity there, give and you buy, and when you give you do not lose. For if you have given faith, you do not lose faith, or if you have expended hope, you do not lose hope, or when you have given charity, you will not remain without charity. They are fountains: they abundantly flow.

Be you the house of God and the bodily church has been made.

Behold, you are poor and you build the Church. How is this, if you are poor, unless because you are rich in spirit? Act therefore, with the Lord helping, that you may accomplish it. For God loves a cheerful giver. When you give cheerfully, it is counted to you. However, when you give with sadness, and outwardly you have nothing, and inwardly, where there is sadness, there is anguish. The coin perishes, it is not bought, because a good will buys it. Give little, give much, a good will be there and you buy it. And that which you build the church, with God propitiating, you build for yourselves. It is different what you give to the poor: they pass and come. This you build for yourselves. It is the house of your prayers where you gather, where you perform what is divine, where you sing hymns and praises to God, where you pour out prayers, where you receive the sacraments. You see that it is the house of your prayers. Do you wish to make it? You be the house of God and that house is made. Amen.