Sermon 123

SERMO 123

OF THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (2, 1-11):
"JESUS ALSO WAS INVITED, AND HIS DISCIPLES, TO THE MARRIAGE," ETC.

The humility of Christ is the medicine for our pride.

You know, brothers, for having believed in Christ, you have learned, and we also continuously commend to you through our ministry, that the remedy for the swelling of man is the humility of Christ. For man would not have perished unless he had swollen with pride. For the beginning of all sin, as Scripture says, is pride. Against the beginning of sin, the beginning of justice was necessary. If, therefore, the beginning of all sin is pride, by what means would the swelling of pride be healed unless God deigned to become humble? Let man be ashamed to be proud; for God became humble. For when it is said to man to humble himself, he disdains it; and men desire to be avenged when they are harmed, which pride causes. When they disdain to be humble, they want to be avenged; as if another’s punishment could benefit each one. The injured and wronged person wants to be avenged; he seeks a remedy for himself from another’s punishment and acquires great torment. Therefore, in all things, the Lord Christ deigned to be humble, providing us the way: if indeed we deign to walk through it.

Why did Christ, when hungry, not make bread from a stone, as He made wine from water at the wedding?

Behold among other things, the Son of the Virgin came to a wedding; He who was with the Father instituted marriages. Just as the first woman was made, through whom sin came, from a man without a woman; thus the man, by whom sin was erased, from a woman without a man. Through the former we fell, through the latter we rise. And what did He do at those weddings? He made wine from water. What is more powerful? He who could do such things deigned to suffer need. He who made wine from water was also able to make bread from stones. It was the same power: but then the devil tempted, so Christ did not do it. For you know that when the Lord Christ was tempted, the devil suggested this to Him. For He was hungry, because He also deigned to be, because this too pertained to humility. The bread was hungry, just as the Way was tired, just as Health was wounded, just as Life was dead. Therefore, when He was hungry, as you know, the tempter said to Him: If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. And He answered the tempter, teaching you to respond to the tempter. For the commander fights for this purpose, that soldiers may learn. What did He reply? Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And He did not make bread from stones, who certainly could make it, just as He made wine from water. For it is of the same power to make bread from stone; but He did not do it, so as to scorn the will of the tempter. For otherwise the tempter is not conquered unless he is scorned. And when He had conquered the devil the tempter, the angels came and ministered to Him. Therefore, He who could do so much, why did He not do that, and did this? Read, or rather recall, what you have just heard, when He did this, that is, made wine from water; what did the Evangelist add? And His disciples believed in Him. Was the devil then about to believe?

Christ, humble, is the way to the homeland.

Therefore, He who could do so much was hungry, thirsty, tired, slept, was apprehended, beaten, crucified, killed. This is the way: walk through humility to come to eternity. God Christ is the homeland to which we go; man Christ is the way by which we go. We go to Him, we go through Him; what do we fear that we might stray? He did not depart from the Father, and came to us. He sucked at the breast and held the world. He lay in a manger and fed the Angels. God and man, the same God who is man, the same man who is God. But not from where He is man, from there is He God. He is God because He is the Word; He is man because the Word was made flesh; and remaining God, He took on human flesh; by adding what He was not, not losing what He was. Therefore, He who already suffered through that humility, already died, already was buried, already rose again, already ascended into heaven, is there and sits at the right hand of the Father: and He is here in need in His poor. I also commended this to your Love yesterday [in the previous sermon] because of what He said to Nathanael: You will see greater things than these. For truly I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. We have inquired what this is, and spoke at length; should we today also repeat the same? Those who were present may remember: yet briefly, I will recall.

Christ both above and below. Christ both rich and poor.

He would not say: Ascending to the Son of Man, unless he were above; he would not say: descending to the Son of Man, unless he were also below. He himself is above, he himself is below; above in himself, below in his own; above with the Father, below among us. Hence also that voice to Saul: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? He would not say: Saul, Saul, unless he were above. Saul did not persecute him above; he would not say: Why do you persecute me? who was above, unless he was also below. Fear Christ above, recognize him below. Have Christ above as the giver, recognize him here as needy. Here he is poor, there he is rich. Because Christ is poor here, he himself says for us: I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was naked, I was a stranger, I was in prison. And to some he said: You ministered to me; to some he said: You did not minister to me. Behold, we have proved Christ to be poor: who does not know Christ to be rich? And here it pertained to those riches that he turned water into wine. If he is rich who has wine, what kind of rich is he who makes wine? Therefore, Christ is rich and poor: rich as God, poor as man. And now he himself, the man, ascended rich into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father: yet still here he is poor, hungry, thirsty, naked.

Every man is a pauper and beggar of God.

What are you? Rich or poor? Many say to me: I am poor; and they speak the truth. I recognize someone who has something poor, I also recognize someone who is in need. But someone has much gold and silver. Oh, if only he would recognize himself as poor! He recognizes himself as poor if he recognizes the poor beside him. For what? No matter how much you have, whoever you are rich, you are a beggar of God. The time of prayer comes, and I test you there. You ask. How are you not poor, when you ask? I add more: You ask for bread. Are you not going to say: Give us this day our daily bread? Who asks for daily bread, are you poor or rich? And yet Christ says to you: Give me from that which I have given to you. For what did you bring when you came here? All that I created, you found here created: you brought nothing, and you will take nothing from here. Why do you not give me from my own? Because you are full, and the poor one is empty. Consider your beginnings: both were born naked. And so you were born naked. You found many things here: did you bring anything with you? I ask from my own: give, and I will repay. You had me as a giver, make me quickly a debtor. It is little that I said: You had me as a giver, make me a debtor; have me as a borrower. You give me a little, I will repay more. You give me earthly things, I will repay heavenly things. You give me temporal things, I will repay eternal things. I will give you yourself in return when I will have given myself to you.