Sermon 131

SERMO 131

On the Words of the Gospel of John (6:54-66): "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him. And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
"Unless you eat the flesh," etc.
CONCERNING THE WORDS OF THE APOSTLE AND THE PSALMS, AGAINST THE PELAGIANS
Attitude at the Table of Saint Martyr Cyprian on the ninth Kalends of October on the Lord's Day.

The sacrament of the body and blood of Christ.

We have heard the truthful Teacher, the divine Redeemer, the human Savior, recommending to us our price, His own blood. For He spoke to us about His body and blood; He called His body food, and His blood drink. Believers recognize the sacrament of the faithful. But what else do those who listen hear? Therefore, when He was recommending such food and such drink, He said: Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will not have life in you (and He said this about life—who else but life itself would say this? But it will be death, not life, for that man who considers life a liar); His disciples were scandalized, not indeed all, but many, saying among themselves: This is a hard saying, who can listen to it? But when the Lord had perceived this within Himself, and had heard the murmuring of their thoughts, He responded to those thinking, without them speaking aloud, so they might recognize that they had been heard, and cease to think such things. What then did He respond? Does this offend you? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending where He was before? What does He mean by: Does this offend you? Do you think that I will divide parts of this body of mine which you see, and cut my members to pieces, and give them to you? What: what then if you see the Son of Man ascending where He was before? Surely He who could ascend whole, could not be consumed. Therefore, He also gave us healthy refreshment from His body and blood, and solved such a great question of His integrity briefly. Let those who eat, eat, and those who drink, drink; let them hunger and thirst: let them eat life, let them drink life. Eating that is to be refreshed; but you are refreshed in such a way that the source of your refreshment never diminishes. What is drinking that, if not living? Eat life, drink life: you will have life, and life is whole. But then this will be—that is, life will be for each person the body and blood of Christ; if what is taken visibly in the Sacrament is consumed in very truth spiritually, it is consumed spiritually. For we have heard the Lord Himself saying: It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh counts for nothing. The words that I have spoken to you, they are spirit and they are life. But, He says, there are some who do not believe. They themselves were saying: This is a hard saying, who can listen to it? It is hard, but for the hard; that is, unbelievable, but for the unbelieving.

Faith is a gift of God. The force of grace is gentle.

But in order to teach us that even believing itself is a gift, not a merit: "As I said to you, no one comes to me unless it has been given to him by my Father." But where the Lord said this, if we recall the earlier words of the Gospel, we find him saying: "No one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." He did not say "leads," but "draws." This drawing is a force exerted on the heart, not on the flesh. Why then do you marvel? Believe, and you come; love, and you are drawn. Do not think of this as a harsh and troublesome force: it is sweet, it is gentle; it is sweetness itself that draws you. Is not the sheep drawn when the hungry one [sheep] is shown the grass? And I believe it is not pushed bodily but bound by desire. Thus also come to Christ: do not contemplate long journeys; where you believe, there you come. For to him who is everywhere, one comes by loving, not by sailing. But since even on such a journey the waves and storms of various temptations abound; believe in the crucified, so that your faith may climb the wood [the cross]. You will not sink, but you will be carried by the wood. Thus, thus in the waves of this world did he navigate who said: "But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Neither faith nor a good life should be claimed by one's own strength.

It is remarkable that upon the preaching of Christ crucified, two hear, one despises, the other ascends. Let the one who despises, blame himself; the one who ascends, let him not ascribe it to himself. For he has heard from the truthful Teacher: No one comes to me unless it has been granted to him by my Father. Let him rejoice because it has been granted; let him give thanks to the one who gives with a humble heart, not with an arrogant one; lest what the humble has deserved, the proud may lose. For even those who already walk in the righteous path, if they attribute it to themselves and their strengths, they perish from it. Therefore, the holy Scripture teaching us humility through the Apostle says: Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. And lest they ascribe anything of it to themselves, because he said: work out, he immediately added: For it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to his good purpose. It is God who works in you; therefore: with fear and trembling, make a valley, receive the rain. The low places are filled, the high places are dried up. Grace is rain. Why then do you wonder if God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble? Therefore: with fear and trembling; that is: "with humility". Do not be wise in your own conceits, but fear. Fear, that you may be filled; do not be wise in your own conceits, lest you dry up.

Grace is necessary for the justified person to walk in the right path.

But now, you say, I walk this way; it was necessary to learn, it was necessary to know through the teaching of the Law what I should do: I have free will; who will separate me from this path? If you read diligently, you will find someone who, from a certain abundance he had received, began to exalt himself; but the merciful Lord, to teach humility, took away what He had given; and he suddenly remained in need and confessed with the memory of God's mercy, saying: I said in my abundance, I shall never be moved. I said in my abundance. But I said; a man said: Every man is a liar. I said. Thus: I said in my abundance; such was the abundance that I dared to say this: I shall never be moved. What then? O Lord, by Your will, You granted strength to my beauty. But when You hid Your face, I was troubled. He showed me, he said, that what I abounded in was from You. You showed me where to seek, to whom to attribute what I had received, to whom I should give thanks, to whom I should run when thirsty, where I could be filled, and once filled, by whom to be kept. For I will keep my strength for You, so that, being filled by You as the giver, I may not lose it by You the keeper. I will keep my strength for You. This to show me: You hid Your face from me, and I was troubled. Troubled, because dried up; dried up, because exalted. Therefore say, dried and withered, so that you may be filled again: My soul is like a land without water unto You. Say: My soul is like a land without water unto You. For you said, not the Lord: I shall never be moved. You said this presuming upon yourself; but not of your own, and as if thinking it was of your own.

Walking in the just way, if he ascribes this to himself, he perishes from the just way.

What then does the Lord say? Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Thus also the Apostle: Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you. Therefore: Rejoice with trembling. Lest the Lord be angry at any time. I see that you anticipate by shouting. For you know what I am about to say, you anticipate by shouting. And where do you get this from, except that he taught you in whom you have believed? Therefore, he says this: Hear what you know; I do not teach, but remind by preaching: indeed, I do not teach, because you know; nor do I remind, because you remember; but let us say together what you hold with us. The Lord says this: Seize discipline, and rejoice, but with trembling, so that you may always humbly hold what you have received. Lest the Lord be angry at any time, surely with the proud, attributing to themselves what they have, not giving thanks to him from whom they have it. Lest the Lord be angry at any time, and you perish from the just way. Did he say: Lest the Lord be angry at any time, and you do not come to the just way? Did he say: Lest the Lord be angry at any time, and he does not lead you to the just way, or does not admit you to the just way? Now that you walk in it, do not be proud, lest you also perish from it. And he says, perish from the just way. When his wrath is kindled in a short time over you. Not for long. Where you are proud, there you lose what you had received. Frightened by these things, a man would almost say: What then shall I do? It follows: Blessed are all who trust in him; not in themselves, but in him. By grace we are saved, not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.

Against the Pelagians. Forgiveness of sins in baptism. Weakness after baptism.

Perhaps you may say: What does it mean that he often says this? Again this, and a third time this: and he almost never speaks, unless when he says this. I hope I am not speaking in vain. For there are men ungrateful for grace, attributing much to impoverished and wounded nature. Truly, man received great powers of free will when he was created; but he lost them by sinning. He fell into death, became weak, was left half-dead by robbers on the way; the passing Samaritan, which means "Guardian," lifted him onto his own animal and brought him to an inn. Why is he exalted? He is still being treated. But it suffices for me, he says, that I received the remission of all sins in Baptism. Just because iniquity was erased, does it mean that weakness is ended? I received, he says, the remission of all sins. Indeed, it is true. All sins were erased in the sacrament of Baptism, all indeed, words, deeds, thoughts, all were erased. But this is what was poured on the way, oil and wine. You remember, dearest ones, how the half-dead man on the way, wounded by robbers, was comforted by receiving oil and wine for his wounds. Certainly, his error was forgiven, and yet his ailment is treated in the inn. If you recognize the inn, it is the Church. It is an inn now, because we pass through it by living: it will be a home from which we will never depart, when we have reached the kingdom of heaven healed. Meanwhile, let us willingly be treated in the inn, not still ailing in health boasting; lest, boasting, we do nothing else but fail to ever be healed by not being treated.

The gifts of grace are four: the remission of sins, the healing of infirmity, the redemption from all corruption and desire.

Bless the Lord, O my soul. Say to your soul, say: You are still in this life, you still bear the fragile flesh, the body that corrupts still burdens the soul; you have received the remedy of prayer after the fullness of remission; you still indeed say, until your weaknesses are healed: Forgive us our debts. Therefore, say to your soul, humble valley, not lofty hill; say to your soul: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His benefits. What benefits? Say, enumerate, give thanks. What benefits? Who forgives all your iniquities. This was done in Baptism. What is happening now? Who heals all your diseases. This is happening now: I acknowledge. But as long as I am here, the body that corrupts burdens the soul. Therefore, also say what follows: Who redeems your life from corruption. What remains after redemption from corruption? When this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your contention? There truly: Where, O death, is your sting? You seek its place, and do not find it. What is the sting of death? What is: Where, O death, is your sting? Where is sin? You seek, and it is nowhere. For the sting of death is sin. The words are those of the Apostle, not mine. Then it will be said: Where, O death, is your sting? Sin will be nowhere, neither to capture you, nor to assail you, nor to tickle your conscience. Then it will not be said: Forgive us our debts. But what will be said? Lord our God, give us peace: for you have repaid all to us.

The final benefit of grace, the crown of righteousness.

Finally, after redemption from all corruption, what remains except the crown of righteousness? Certainly, it remains, but even in it or under it, let there not be a swollen head, so that it may receive the crown. Listen, attend to the Psalm, how that crown does not want a swollen head. When it said: Who redeems your life from corruption; who crowns you, it says. And here you would have said: It crowns you, my merits confess, my virtue has done this: it is rendered as due, not given as a gift. Rather, listen to the Psalm. For you also say this: Every man is a liar. Listen to what God says: Who crowns you with compassion and mercy. He crowns you from His mercy, He crowns you from His compassion. For you were not worthy to be called, and when called to be justified, and when justified to be glorified. The remnants have been saved by the election of grace. But if by grace, it is no longer out of works: otherwise grace is no longer grace. For to him who works, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt. The Apostle speaks: Not according to grace, but according to debt. However, He crowns you in compassion and mercy: and if your merits have preceded, God says to you: Examine your merits well, and you will see that they are my gifts.

The justice of God, which is unknown to Jews and Pelagians. Grace hidden in the Old Testament, revealed in the New Testament.

This is the righteousness of God. As it is said: The salvation of the Lord, not by which the Lord is saved, but which He gives to those whom He saves: so also the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord is called the righteousness of God, not by which the Lord is righteous, but by which He justifies those whom He makes righteous out of the ungodly. But certain people, like the Jews at times, wanting to be called Christians, still ignoring God's righteousness, want to establish their own, even in our times, the times of revealed grace, the times now evident, grace once hidden, now evident in the area, which once lay hidden in the fleece. I see few have understood this, many have not understood, whom I will not defraud by remaining silent. One of the ancient righteous, Gideon, asked for a sign from the Lord, and said: I ask, Lord, that this fleece which I place in the area be wet, and the area be dry. It happened: the fleece was wet, the entire area was dry. He squeezed the fleece in the morning into a bowl; for grace is given to the humble: and you know what the Lord did with the bowl for His disciples. He again asked for another sign: I wish, he said, Lord, that the fleece be dry and the area be wet. And this also happened. Recall the time of the Old Testament, grace was hidden in the cloud, like rain in the fleece. Now attend to the time of the New Testament, examine the Jewish nation, you will find it as dry fleece: but the whole world is like that area full of grace, not hidden, but evident. Hence we are compelled to mourn greatly for our brothers, who contend not against hidden grace but against revealed and manifest grace. It is excused for the Jews. But Christians? Why are you enemies of the grace of Christ? Why are you presumptuous? Why are you ungrateful? For why did Christ come? Was nature not here? Was the law not here? But the Apostle says: If righteousness is through the Law, then Christ died in vain. What the Apostle says about the law, we say to these people about nature: If righteousness is through nature, then Christ died in vain.

Councils against the Pelagians.

What therefore was said about the Jews, we absolutely see in these. They have a zeal for God. I bear witness to them, for they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. What does it mean: Not according to knowledge? For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to the righteousness of God. My brothers, sympathize with me. Where you find such people, do not hide it, do not let there be a perverse mercy in you: absolutely where you find such people, do not hide it. Rebuke those who contradict, and lead those who resist to us. For already on this cause two councils have been sent to the Apostolic See: thence also responses have come. The case is closed: would that the error may sometime end! Therefore, we advise that they pay attention, we teach that they be instructed, we pray that they be changed. Turned to the Lord...