Sermon 139

SERMO 139

On the words of the Gospel of John (10:30):
"I and the Father are one."

Christ, how He is the Only Begotten of God the Father.

The Lord God, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, born of God the Father without any mother, and born of a virgin mother without a human father, you have heard what he said: I and the Father are one. Thus accept this, thus believe it, in order to be worthy of understanding. For faith ought to precede understanding, so that understanding may be the reward of faith. For the prophet spoke most clearly: Unless you believe, you will not understand. Therefore, what is preached simply must be believed; what is subtly disputed must be understood. Hence, first, for the instruction of your minds through faith, we preach to you Christ the only Son of God the Father. Why is it added: Only? Because He whose Only Son receives many sons through grace. Therefore, all the other holy ones are sons of God by grace; He alone is by nature. Those who are sons by grace are not what the Father is. Indeed, none of the saints dared to say what that Only One said: I and the Father are one. Is He not also our Father? If He is not our Father, how do we say in prayer: Our Father who art in heaven? But we are sons whom He has made sons by His will, not by His own nature. He indeed has begotten us, but in the manner in which it is said, adopted, brought forth by the benefit of the adopter, not by nature. Therefore, it is also stated that He called us to the adoption of sons; we are adopted men. He is called the Only Begotten, for He is what the Father is; we, however, are men, and God is the Father. Because He is what the Father is, He said, and truly said: I and the Father are one. What does it mean: we are one? We are one in nature. What does it mean: we are one? We are one in substance.

The Son of God and the Father are of one substance.

Perhaps you understand less what "of one substance" means. Let us labor so that you may understand; may God help both me speaking and you listening; me, so that I may say things that are true and suitable for you; and you, above all and especially so that you may believe; then, so that you may understand as much as you can. What then is: "of one substance"? I shall use examples for you, so that what is less understood may become clear by example. Suppose, gold is God, gold is also His Son. If examples from earthly things are not to be given for heavenly things, how is it written: But the rock was Christ? Therefore, whatever the Father is, the Son is also; as I said, for example: Gold is the Father, gold is the Son. For he who says: The Son is not of the same substance as the Father, what else does he say but: The Father is gold, the Son is silver? If the Father is gold, the Son is silver, then the only Son has degenerated from the Father. A man begets a man; of whatever substance the father who begets is, of the same substance is the son who is begotten. What does it mean, "of the same substance"? He is a man, and he is a man; that one has a soul, and this one has a soul; that one has flesh, and this one has flesh; what that one is, this one also is.

The objection of the Arians.

But the Arian heresy responds to me and says. What does it say to me? Pay attention to what you have said. What did I say? That the son of man is to be compared to the Son of God. Certainly compared: but not, as you think, in propriety; but in likeness. But you, who wish to make anything of this, say. Do you not see, it says, that the father who begot is greater, and the son who was begotten is lesser? How then do you say, tell me; how then do you say that the Father and the Son are equal, God and Christ; when you see that when a man begets a son, the son is lesser and the father is greater? A wise man, you search for times in eternity; where there are no times, you seek ages. When the father is greater, the son lesser, both are temporal; one grows, the other ages. For by nature man is the father, by nature, as I said, he did not beget a lesser; but by age. Do you want to know that by nature he did not beget a lesser? Wait, he will grow, and he will be equal to the father. For a little boy reaches the greatness of his father by growing. But you say the Son of God was born lesser, such that he never grows and reaches the greatness of his Father by growing. Therefore, the son of man, born of man, was born in a better condition than the Son of God. How? Because he grows and reaches the greatness of his father. But Christ, as you say, is therefore born lesser, so that he remains lesser, and not even the increase of age is to be expected. Thus, you say, there is a difference in nature. But why do you say this, unless because you do not wish to believe that the Son is of the same substance as the Father? Finally, first confess that he is of the same substance, and say he is lesser. Look at a man, he is a man. What is his substance? He is a man. What about the one he begets? He is lesser, but he is a man. The age is different, but the nature is equal. You too say: What the Father is, the Son is, but the Son is lesser. Say, make progress, say of the same substance, but lesser, and you will reach the equal. For you are not far off, you are not far from the truth, when you confess the lesser, if you have confessed him of the same substance. But you say he is not of the same substance. Hence because you say this: it is gold and silver; such as you say, it is as if a man were to bear a horse. For man is of one substance, horse another. If therefore the Son is of a different substance than the Father, the Father has generated a monster. For when a creature, that is, a woman gives birth to what is not a man, it is called a monster. But that it is not a monster, what is born is what is he who begot; that is, man and man, horse and horse, dove and dove, sparrow and sparrow.

What a blasphemy to say that the Son of God is of a different substance.

God gave his creatures to generate what they are. God gave to His creatures, to mortal earthly creatures, He granted, He bestowed, that they generate what they are; and do you think that He could not keep this for Himself, who is before the ages? He who has no beginning of time, would He generate a son not like Himself, a degenerate? Hear how great a blasphemy it is to say that the only Son of God is of a different substance. Surely if it is so, He is degenerate. If you say to any son of man: You are degenerate; how great an insult is it? And how is it said that the son of a man is degenerate? Suppose his father was strong, but he is timid and cowardly. Whoever sees him, and wishes to reprimand him, looking at his father, a strong man, what does he say to him? Go away, degenerate. What does this mean: degenerate? Your father was a strong man, and you tremble with fear. He to whom this is said is degenerate by fault, equal by nature. What does it mean: equal by nature? He is a man, what his father is also. But he strong, he cowardly; he bold, he timid; yet man and man. Therefore, he is degenerate by fault, not by nature. When you say that the only Son, the one Son of the Father, is degenerate, you say nothing else but that He is not what the Father is; and you do not say He was born degenerate but begotten. Who can bear such blasphemy? If anyone could see this blasphemy with whatever eyes, they would flee from it and become catholic.

The Arians falsely honor the Father through the injury of the Son.

But what shall I say, brothers? Let us not be angry with them: but let us pray for them that the Lord may give them understanding, because perhaps they were born in this way. What is this: they were born in this way? They received from their parents what they hold. They prefer lineage to truth. Let them become what they are not, that they may uphold what they are; that is, let them become Catholics, that they may preserve what it is to be human; so that God's creature may not perish in them, and God's grace may come to them. For they think that they are honoring the Father by insulting the Son. When you say to them: You blaspheme; they respond: Why do I blaspheme? Because you say that the Son is not what the Father is. And he to me: Rather you blaspheme. Why? Because you wish to make the Son equal to the Father. I wish to make the Son equal to the Father, but not a stranger. The Father rejoices when I make His only Son equal to Him; He rejoices because He does not envy. And God does not envy His only Son, therefore He begot Him as He is. You do injury to both the Son and the Father, in whose honor you wish to insult the Son. Truly, you say that the Son is not of the same substance as the Father, lest you do injury to His Father. I quickly show you that you do injury to both. How, you say? If I say to someone's son: You are degenerate, not like your father; degenerate, you are not what your father is. The son hears this and becomes angry and says: So, am I born degenerate? The father hears this and becomes even angrier. In anger, what does he say? So, I have begotten a degenerate son? Therefore, if I am different, I begot something different, I begot a monstrosity. Why is it that when you wish to honor one by insulting the other, you insult both? You offend the Son, but you will not propitiate the Father. When you honor the Father through the Son's insult, you offend both the Son and the Father. From whom do you flee? To whom do you flee? Do you flee to the Son when the Father is angry with you? What does He say to you? To whom do you flee, whom you have declared degenerate? Do you run to the Father when the Son is offended? He also says to you: To whom do you flee, whom you said has begotten a degenerate? Let this suffice for you; hold this, commit this to memory, write this in your faith. To understand this, pour out prayers to God the Father and the Son, who are one.