Sermon 145

SERMO 145

On the Words of the Gospel of John (16:24):
"Until now you have asked nothing in my name."
AND ABOUT THE WORDS OF LUKE (10, 17. 20):
"Lord, behold in Your name even the demons are subject to us."

A passage of John, how to reconcile it with the words of Luke.

When the Holy Gospel was read, we heard that indeed every attentive soul ought to be moved to seek, not to fail. For he who is not moved, is not changed. But there is a dangerous movement, of which it is written: "Let not the foot of pride come against me." However, there is another movement of the seeker, the knocker, the petitioner. Therefore, what has been read, we all heard; but I think that not all understood. He reminds that you seek with me, ask with me, knock with me for receiving. For the grace of the Lord will be present, as we hope, that when I want to serve you, I also may be worthy to receive. What is it, I beseech you, that we have just heard the Lord say to His disciples: "Until now, you have asked nothing in my name"? Does He not speak to those disciples, whom He sent with the authority given to preach the Gospel and perform great works, who returned rejoicing and said to Him: "Lord, behold, in Your name even the demons are subjected to us"? You recognize and recall what I mentioned from the Gospel, true in every place and every statement, never false, never deceiving. How then is it true: "Until now, you have asked nothing in my name"; and: "Lord, behold, in Your name even the demons are subjected to us"? It certainly moves the mind to understand the secret of this question. Therefore, let us ask, seek, knock. This in us is faithful piety, not the restlessness of the flesh, but the submission of the soul; so that He who sees us knocking may open to us.

To those who fear, the sweetness of God is hidden; to those who hope, it is revealed.

What then does the Lord give as a ministry to you, attentive ones, that is, take it as those who are hungry; what I will say, without a doubt, you will prove with healthy taste buds of the heart what is served to you from the Lord's cellar. The Lord Jesus knew from where the human soul, that is, the rational mind made in the image of God, could be satisfied, as if it were satisfied by that very thing. He knew this, and he knew that it still lacked that fullness. He knew that he appeared, he knew that he was hidden. He knew what was shown in him, what was hidden. He knew this. How great, says the Psalm, is the abundance of your sweetness, Lord, which you have hidden for those who fear you, but you have perfected for those who hope in you. Your sweetness, both great and abundant, you have hidden for those who fear you. If you hide it for those who fear you, to whom do you reveal it? You have perfected it for those who hope in you. A twin question has arisen, but each one is solved by the other. If anyone inquires, what is this: You have hidden it for those who fear you, you have perfected it for those who hope in you? Do some fear, and others hope? Are not the same ones fearing God, hoping in God? Who hopes in him, who does not fear him? Who fears him piously, and does not have hope in him? Therefore, let this first be solved. I want to say something about those who hope and those who fear.

Fear under the law, hope under grace.

The law has fear, grace has hope. But what is the difference between the law and grace, since there is one giver of both the law and grace? The law terrifies one who presumes on oneself, grace assists one who hopes in God. The law, I say, terrifies; do not dismiss it because it is brief; weigh it, and it is great. See what I have said, take what we give, test from where we take. The law terrifies one who presumes on oneself, grace assists one who hopes in God. What does the law say? Many things, and who can enumerate them? I recall one small and modest commandment from it, which the Apostle recalled, very small; let us see who can bear it. You shall not covet. What is this, brothers? We have heard the law; if grace is not present, you have heard your punishment. Why do you boast to me, whoever you are, hearing this and presuming on yourself, why do you boast to me of innocence? Why do you flatter yourself about it? You can say: I have not stolen others' things; I hear, I believe, perhaps I also see; you do not steal others' things, You shall not covet. You have heard. I do not approach another's wife; and this I hear, I believe, I see. You shall not covet. You have heard. Why do you look around outwardly, and do not look inwardly? Look inwardly, and you will see another law in your members. Look inwardly, why do you bypass yourself? Descend into yourself. You will see another law in your members warring against the law of your mind, and dragging you captive to the law of sin which is in your members. Justly is the sweetness of God hidden from you. The law placed in your members captivates you, warring against the law of your mind. Of that sweetness which is hidden from you, the holy Angels drink; you cannot endure and taste the sweetness while a captive. You would not have known covetousness, unless the law said: You shall not covet. You heard, you feared; you tried to fight, but you could not overcome. For sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, worked death in me. Certainly you recognize, these are the words of the Apostle: Sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, worked in me all covetousness. Why did you boast proudly? Behold, the enemy conquered you with your own weapons. You indeed sought the commandment for admonition; behold, through the commandment the enemy found an opportunity to enter. For sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. What did I say: The enemy conquered you with your own weapons? Hear the same Apostle continuing and saying; Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. Now respond to the reproachers of the law; respond with the authority of the Apostle: The commandment is holy, the law is holy, the commandment is just and good. Therefore, did that which is good become death to me? By no means; but sin, that it might be shown to be sin, worked death in me through what is good. Why this, unless because receiving the commandment you feared, you did not love? You feared punishment, you did not love righteousness. He who fears punishment wishes, if it were possible, to do what he pleases and not have what he fears. God forbids adultery; you coveted another's wife, you do not approach, you do not do, opportunity is given, you have time, the place is open, a witness is absent, yet you do not do it; why? Because you fear punishment. But no one will know. Would not God also know? Indeed, since God knows what you are about to do, you do not do it; but you tremble at threatening God, and do not love commanding God. Why do you not do it? Because if you do, you will be cast into hell. You fear fire. Oh, if you loved chastity, you would not do it, even if you were to be totally unpunished. If God said to you: Behold, do it, I will not condemn you; I will not cast you into hell, but I will withhold my face from you. If for this threat you would not do it, you would not do it from the love of God, not from the fear of judgment. But perhaps you would do it; for it is not mine to judge. Grace helps, which makes saints, if you do not do it because you shudder at the defilement of adultery, because you love the preceptor, so that you demand the promisor, not because you fear the condemner; now it is grace, do not assume this for yourself, do not attribute it to your own strength. You do it out of delight, well; you do it out of charity, well; I approve, I consent. Charity works through you when you do willingly. Now you taste the sweetness, if you hope in the Lord.

Charity is not from us, but from God.

But whence do you have this charity? If indeed it is; for I fear that you still do not do this by fearing, and you appear great to yourself. Now if you do not do it by charity, truly you are great. Do you have charity? I have it, you say. Whence? From myself. You are far from sweetness, if you have it from yourself. You will love yourself; because you will love from where you have it. But I prove that you do not have it. For because you think you have such a thing from yourself, for that reason I do not believe you have it. For if you had it, you would know from where you had it. Do you have charity from yourself, as if it were something light, something brief? If you were to speak with the tongues of men and angels, but did not have charity, you would be a sounding brass and a clanging cymbal. If you knew all mysteries and had all knowledge, all prophecy and all faith, so as to move mountains, but did not have charity, those things could not benefit you. If you were to distribute all your goods to the poor, and give your body to be burned, but did not have charity, you would be nothing. How great is this charity, which if it is lacking, all things are of no benefit? Compare it, not with your faith, not with your knowledge, not with your tongue; compare charity with lesser things, with the eye of your body, the hand, the foot, the belly, some extreme member; can any of these smallest things be compared with charity in any part? Therefore you have the eye and nose from God, and charity from yourself? If you gave yourself charity, which surpasses all things, you have made God vile to yourself. What more can God give you? Whatever He gives is less. Charity conquers all, which you gave to yourself. But if you have it, you did not give it to yourself. For what do you have that you did not receive? Who gave it to me, who gave it to you? God. Recognize the giver, lest you feel the condemner. By believing from the Scriptures, God gave you charity, a great good, charity surpassing all things. God gave it to you: because the charity of God is poured into our hearts; perhaps from yourself? God forbid; through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The presumption of man is removed by the law, captivity by grace.

Return with me to that captive, return with me to my proposition. The law frightens one who presumes upon himself, grace helps one who hopes in God. For see that captive. He sees another law in his members warring against the law of his mind and leading him captive in the law of sin which is in his members. Behold, he is overcome, behold, he is drawn, behold, he is taken captive, behold, he is subjugated. What did it profit him, "You shall not covet?" He heard, "You shall not covet," to know the enemy, not to conquer him. For he did not know desire, that is, his enemy, unless the law said: "You shall not covet." Now you have seen the enemy; fight, free yourself, assert yourself into liberty; pleasant suggestion must be suppressed, unlawful delight must be killed. Arm yourself, you have the law; proceed, conquer, if you can. For what is it that already from some grace of God you delight in the law of God according to the inner man? But you see another law in your members warring against the law of your mind; not warring and achieving nothing, but leading you captive in the law of sin. Behold from where that multitude of sweetness is hidden to you who fear; it is hidden to the one who fears, how is it fulfilled to the one who hopes? Cry under the enemy, for you have an assailant, you also have a helper who awaits you fighting, lifts you up laboring; but if he finds you hoping; for he hates one who is proud. Under the enemy, then, what do you cry? Wretched man that I am. You see now, since you have cried out. Let this be your cry when perhaps you labor under the enemy, say, in the innermost recesses of your heart say, with sound faith say: Wretched man that I am. Wretched I am, therefore wretched because I am. Wretched man that I am, both because I am I, and because I am a man. For in vain is he troubled. For although man walks in an image; Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death? Will you? Where are your strengths, where is your presumption? Certainly you are somewhat silent; you are silent, but silent from exalting yourself, not from invoking God. Be silent and cry out. For God himself is silent and cries out; silent from judgment, not silent from command; so you, too, be silent from elation, do not be silent from invocation; lest God say to you: I was silent, will I always be silent? Therefore cry out: Wretched man that I am. Recognize yourself defeated, confound your strengths, and say: Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death? What had I said? The law frightens one who presumes upon himself. Behold, man presumed upon himself, tried to fight, could not overcome; he was defeated, prostrated, subjugated, taken captive. He learned to presume upon God, and whom the law frightened while presuming upon himself, it remains that grace helps the one who hopes in God. Confident in this, he says: Who will deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now see the sweetness, taste it, let it savor to you; hear the Psalm: Taste and see that the Lord is sweet. He has become sweet to you because he delivered you. You were bitter to yourself when you presumed upon yourself. Drink the sweetness, receive the pledge of such a treasure.

Disciples under the law are not yet free from desires. Asking temporal things from God, they ask for nothing.

The disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ were still under the law of the world, still to be nurtured, still to be corrected, still to be guided. For they still desired; though the law says: "You shall not desire." With all respect to those holy leaders, rams of the flock; with all respect I say, for I speak the truth; the Gospel speaks: they were disputing as to which of them was the greatest, and while the Lord was still on earth, the leadership among them was in discord. How was this otherwise than from the old leaven? How was this otherwise than from the law in the members, warring against the law of the mind? They sought preeminence. They indeed desired; they thought about who would be the greatest; hence their pride was confounded by a child. Jesus called a child to Him to quell their swelling ambition. Therefore, rightly, when they returned and said: "Lord, behold, even the demons are subject to us in Your name," (They rejoiced over nothing; how trivial was this compared to what God promised them?). The Lord, the Good Teacher, calming their fear and building up their stability, said to them: "Do not rejoice in this, that the demons are subject to you." Why this? Because: "Many will come in My name saying: 'Behold, in Your name we cast out demons;' and I will say to them: 'I never knew you.'" Do not rejoice in this, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. You cannot yet be there, and yet you are already written there. Rejoice therefore. And that: "Until now, you have asked nothing in My name." For what you have asked, which I wish to give, is nothing. What have you asked in My name? That the demons might be subject to you? Do not rejoice in this; this is nothing; if it were something, He would command rejoicing. Therefore, it was not exactly nothing, but it was small compared to the greatness of God's rewards. For truly the Apostle Paul was not nothing; yet in comparison to God, he who plants is nothing, nor he who waters. And we say to you, and we say to ourselves, when we ask for these temporal things in Christ's name. Surely you have asked. For who does not ask? One asks for health if he is sick; another asks for deliverance if he is imprisoned; another requests a port if he is troubled at sea; another seeks victory if he is fighting an enemy; and he asks all in the name of Christ, and it is nothing he asks. What then should be asked? "Ask in My name." And He did not specify what, but from the words, we understand what we ought to ask. "Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." Ask, and you shall receive, in My name. But what? Not nothing; but what? That your joy may be full, that is, ask for what will suffice for you. For when you ask for nothing; whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. He lowers into the well the bucket of desire, raises it to drink, that he may thirst again. Ask that your joy may be full; that is, that you may be satisfied, not delighted for a time. Ask for what will suffice for you; say the words of Philip: "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." The Lord says to you: "Have I been with you so long, and you have not known Me? Philip, he who has seen Me has seen the Father." Therefore, give thanks to Christ, for He is ready to quench your thirsty soul with His divinity. Turn to the Lord, etc.