Sermon 121

SERMO 121

On the words of the Gospel of John (1, 10-14):
"The world was made through Him."

The world: a double meaning of the word.

Therefore Christ was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. Which world was made through Him, which world did not know Him? For the world that was made through Him did not itself not know Him. Who is the world that was made through Him? Heaven and earth. How did heaven not know Him when at His passion the sun was darkened, how did the earth not know Him when it trembled while He was hanging there? But the world did not know Him whose prince is he of whom it was said: Behold, the prince of this world comes, and he has nothing in me. Evil men are called "the world," unfaithful men are called "the world." They received their name from what they love. By loving God, we become gods. Therefore by loving the world, we are called "the world." But God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Therefore the world did not know Him, but does that mean all?

The world is evil.

He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. To his own... All things are his, but his own are called those from whom his mother was, from whom he took flesh, to whom he had previously sent the heralds of his coming, to whom he had given the law, whom he had freed from the servitude of Egypt, whose carnal father he chose, Abraham. For he truly said: Before Abraham was, I am. He did not say: Before Abraham existed, I am, or: Before Abraham was created, I am, or: Before Abraham was, I am. For in the beginning was the Word, not made. Therefore: He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.

Who are the sons of Abraham?

But as many as received him... Indeed, there the Apostles who received him, there those who carried branches before his beast, went ahead and followed and spread their garments and with a loud voice said: Hosanna, son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Then the Pharisees said to him: Restrain the boys, they should not cry these things to you. And he: If these will be silent, the stones will cry out. He saw us when he said these things: If these will be silent, the stones will cry out. Who are the stones if not those who worship stones? If the little Jews will be silent, the greater and lesser nations will cry out. Who are the stones if not those of whom that John speaks who came to bear witness to the light? For when he saw the Jews boasting of being the offspring of Abraham, he said to them: Generation of vipers. They called themselves sons of Abraham and he called them: Generation of vipers. Was he injuring Abraham? Far from it! He gave them a name from their deeds, for if they were sons of Abraham, they would imitate Abraham. As he himself also said to those who said to him: We are free and have never served anyone, we have Abraham as our father. And he: If you were Abraham's children, you would do the deeds of Abraham. You want to kill me because I tell you the truth, this Abraham did not do. Therefore, you are born from him, but you have become degenerate. So what did John say? Generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Because they were coming to be baptized in John's baptism for repentance. Who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance and do not say in your hearts: We have Abraham as our father. God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. God is able from these stones, those whom he saw in spirit; he was speaking to them and foresaw us. For God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Of what stones: if these will be silent, the stones will cry out. Now you have heard them and cried out. It has been fulfilled: the stones will cry out. For we have come from the nations. In our ancestors, we worshipped stones, therefore we were called dogs. Remember what that woman heard who cried after the Lord because she was a Canaanite, a worshipper of idols, a slave of demons. What did Jesus say? It is not right to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs. Have you never noticed how dogs lick the anointed stones? So are all worshippers of idols. But grace has come to you. But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the children of God. Behold, you now have the born: He gave them power to become the children of God. To whom did he give this? To those who believe in his name.

Twofold birth.

And how do they become sons of God? Those who are not born of bloods, nor of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God. Attend therefore; these are born of God, having received power to become sons of God. They are born of God, not of bloods. What kind of birth is the first? What kind of birth is miserable, coming from the miserable? But those who are born of God, what was it from which they were first born? They were mixed from bloods, from the bloods of male and female, from the commixture of the flesh of male and female, from there they were born. Now from where are they born of God? The first birth from male and female, the second birth from God and the Church.

The same argument is treated.

Behold, they are born of God. How has it come to pass that those who were first born of men are now born of God? How has it come to pass that He dwelled among us? A great change: He was made flesh, they were made spirit. What is this? What kind of dignity, my brothers! Raise your mind to hope for and receive better things. Do not enslave yourselves to worldly desires. You were bought at a price; for your sake the Word was made flesh, for your sake He who was the Son of God was made the Son of Man so that you, who were sons of men, might be made sons of God. What was He? What has He become? What were you? What have you become? He was the Son of God who became the Son of Man. You were sons of men who have become sons of God. He shared in our evils and will give us His goods. Yet He, by becoming the Son of Man, differs from us. We are sons of men through carnal desire. He is the Son of Man through the faith of a Virgin. The mother of any human being has conceived by lying with a man. Each one born from a human father and a human mother. Christ however was born of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary. He approached us but did not greatly depart from Himself. Indeed, He never ceased to be what He was as God but added to Himself the nature of our being. For He took on what He was not, without losing what He was, made the Son of Man, but did not cease to be the Son of God. Thus, the Mediator in the middle. What does 'in the middle' mean? Neither above nor below. How is He neither above nor below? Neither above because He is flesh, nor below because He is not a sinner, but insofar as He is God, always above. For He did not come to us in such a way as to abandon the Father; He came from us, came and did not abandon us; He will come to us and never abandon Him.