Sermon 148

SERMO 148

OF THE WORDS OF THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 5, 4:
"Was it not remaining yours while it remained?"
On the Lord's Day of the Octave of Easter Addressed to the Twenty Holy Martyrs

The correction of Ananias and Sapphira not harsher, temporal death.

When the reading was being read from the book entitled Acts of the Apostles, you noticed what happened to those who, having sold a property, withheld part of the price of the property and placed it at the apostles' feet as if it were the entire price. Immediately, both the man and his wife, seized, expired. Some consider this correction too severe, that people died because of money withheld from their own property. The Holy Spirit did not do this out of avarice, but the Holy Spirit punished the lie so. For you heard the words of the most blessed Peter, saying: Was it not remaining to you while it remained, and after it was sold, was it not in your power? If you did not wish to sell it, who would compel you? If you wished to offer half, who would demand the whole? For if half was to be offered, half was to be declared. For half as the whole, this is the lie to be punished. Nonetheless, brothers, do not consider this correction of temporal death severe. And may it be desired that punishment proceeded thus far. For what grave thing happens to mortals who will die at some point? But through their temporal punishment, God wished discipline to be known. It is to be believed that after this life, God spared them; for his mercy is great. Concerning deaths that occur from retribution, the apostle Paul said in one place, correcting those who misused the body and blood of Christ and saying: Therefore, many among you are weak and sick, and many sleep sufficiently; that is, as much as suffices for imposing discipline. Many among you sleep, that is, die. For they were corrected by the Lord's scourge; they became sick and died. And he added after these words, and said: For if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged by the Lord. However, when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we are not condemned with the world. What if, therefore, something like this happened to this man and his wife? They were corrected by the scourge of death, so that they might not be punished by eternal torment.

Vows are to be rendered to God.

Let your Charity attend to this: if it displeased God that people took away from the money which they had vowed to God, and surely that money was necessary for the uses of men; how much more does God become angry when chastity is vowed and not fulfilled, when virginity is vowed and not kept? For it is vowed for the uses of God, and not for the uses of men. What does it mean that I say: For the uses of God? Because God makes for Himself a house from the saints, He makes for Himself a temple, in which He deigns to dwell; and surely He wants His temple to remain holy. So it can be said to the consecrated virgin who marries what Peter said about the money: Was not your virginity remaining yours, and before you vowed it, was it not in your power? Whoever has done these things, vowed such, and not fulfilled; let them not think they are punished by temporal deaths, but condemned by eternal fire.