Sermon 171
SERMO 171
On the Words of the Apostle (Phil 4:4-6):
"Rejoice in the Lord always," etc.
Let joy be in the Lord, not in the world. The Lord is near to us.
The Apostle commands us to rejoice, but in the Lord, not in the world. For whoever wishes to be a friend of this world, as Scripture says, will be considered an enemy of God. Just as a man cannot serve two masters, so no one can rejoice both in the world and in the Lord. These two joys differ greatly from each other and are wholly opposed. When one rejoices in the world, one does not rejoice in the Lord; when one rejoices in the Lord, one does not rejoice in the world. Let the joy in the Lord prevail until the joy in the world is ended. Let the joy in the Lord always increase; let the joy in the world always decrease until it is ended. These things are not said to suggest that we should not rejoice while we are in this world, but so that, even while we are in this world, we may already rejoice in the Lord. But someone might say: I am in the world; surely if I rejoice, I rejoice where I am. What then? Because you are in the world, are you not also in the Lord? Listen to the same Apostle speaking to the Athenians, and in the Acts of the Apostles saying about God and our Lord Creator: In Him we live and move and have our being. For He who is everywhere, where is He not? Wasn’t He exhorting us to this? The Lord is near, do not be anxious about anything. It is a great thing that He ascended above all heavens, and is near to those who dwell on earth. Who is this one who is both distant and near, if not He who made Himself near to us in mercy?
The Samaritan aiding the wounded man, Christ.
For the whole human race is that man who lay half-dead on the way, left by robbers, whom the passing priest and Levite scorned, but the passing Samaritan approached to take care of and help. But why did He narrate this, where did the reason descend from? He was admonishing a certain man, who was asking which are the best commandments and the greatest in the law, that there are two: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. But he said: And who is my neighbor? And the Lord narrated: A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He showed him as, in a way, an Israelite. And he fell among robbers. When they had stripped him and inflicted grievous wounds upon him, they left him half-dead on the way. A priest passed by, indeed a neighbor by birth, but he passed by the one lying down. A Levite passed by, likewise a neighbor by birth, also disdained the one lying down. A Samaritan passed by, distant by birth, but a neighbor in mercy, and did what you know. In this Samaritan, the Lord Jesus Christ wanted Himself to be understood. For "Samaritan" translates as "Guardian." Therefore, rising from the dead, He no longer dies, and death will have no dominion over Him; because: He who guards Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. At last, the Jews, so full of reproaches and blasphemies, said to Him: Do we not rightly say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? Therefore, when two reproachful words were thrown at the Lord and He was told: Do we not rightly say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? He could have responded: I am neither a Samaritan nor do I have a demon; but He responded: I do not have a demon. What He responded, He refuted; what He was silent on, He confirmed. He denied having a demon, He who knew Himself to be the expeller of demons; He did not deny being the guardian of the weak. Therefore, the Lord is near; because the Lord has made Himself near to us.
In the incarnation, God became close to man.
What is so distant, what is so remote, as God from men, immortal from mortals, just from sinners? Not distant in place, but in dissimilarity. For we are accustomed to speak this way even when talking about two men, when their customs are different: This one is far from that one. Even if they stand close together, even if they live near each other, even if they are bound by one chain; the pious is far from the impious, the innocent is far from the guilty, the just is far from the unjust. If this is said about two men, what about God and men? Therefore, when the immortal and just one was far from us, as from mortals and sinners, he descended to us so that the distant one would become near to us. And what did he do? When he had two goods, and we two evils; he had two goods: justice and immortality; we had two evils, iniquity and mortality: if he had taken up both of our evils, he would have become our equal and would have needed a liberator with us. So what did he do to be near us? Near, not as we are, but near to us. Consider two things: he is just, he is immortal. In your two evils, one is guilt, the other is punishment: guilt because you are unjust, punishment because you are mortal. To be near, he took on your punishment, not your guilt: and if he accepted it, he did so to erase it, not to commit it. Just and immortal, far from the unjust and mortals. You as a mortal sinner were far from the just immortal one. He did not become a sinner as you are; but he became mortal as you are. Remaining just, he became mortal. By accepting punishment and not guilt, he erased both guilt and punishment. Therefore, the Lord is near, be anxious about nothing. Even if he ascended above all the heavens in body, he did not depart in majesty. He is present everywhere, who made all things.
Joy in the world. Rejoice in the Lord always.
In the world, what is joy? To rejoice in iniquity, to rejoice in disgrace, to rejoice in dishonor, in deformity. The world rejoices in all these things. All these would not exist unless men willed it. There are things which men do, and things which they endure, even if unwillingly, they bear them. What then is this world, and what is the joy of the world? I say, brothers, briefly as much as I can, as much as God helps; hastily, I speak briefly. The joy of the world is unpunished wickedness. Men indulge in luxury, commit fornication, engage in trifling spectacles, immerse in drunkenness, become filthy with disgrace, suffer no evil: and behold the world's joy. These evils which I have mentioned are not chastised by famine, not by the fear of war, not by any fear, not by any disease, not by any adversities; but everything exists in abundance of things, in peace of the flesh, in the security of a bad mind: behold the world's joy. But God does not think as man thinks: the thought of God is different, the thought of man is different. It is of great mercy not to leave wickedness unpunished; and lest it be forced to condemn to the extreme of hell, now it deigns to chastise with the whip.
Impunity, the greatest vengeance of God. Severity.
For you wish to know, no punishment is as great as the punishment, not however for the just, but for the sinner, for whom there is a temporal punishment, lest an eternal one follows? Do you therefore wish to know, no punishment is as great as the punishment? Ask the Psalm: The sinner has provoked the Lord. He cried out vehemently, he attended, considered, cried out: The sinner has provoked the Lord. Why, I beg? What did you see? However, he who cried out this saw the sinner luxuriating without punishment, doing evil, abounding in goods, and cried out: The sinner has provoked the Lord. Why did you say this? What did you see? Due to the greatness of his wrath, he does not inquire. Understand, Christian brothers, the mercy of God. When he chastises the world, he does not want to condemn the world. Due to the greatness of his wrath, he does not inquire. Therefore, he does not inquire, because he is greatly angry. His wrath is great. By sparing, he rages, but he justly rages. For there is severity, as if truth were raging. Therefore, if at any time he rages by sparing, it is good for us that he assists by chastising. And yet, if we consider the deeds of the human race, what do we suffer? He has not dealt with us according to our sins. For we are sons. How do we prove this? The Only One died for us, lest one should remain alone. He did not want to be the only one, who died alone. For the only Son of God made many sons of God. He bought brothers for himself with his blood, proved by being disapproved, redeemed by being sold, honored by being injured, gave life by being killed. Do you doubt that he will give you his good things, who did not disdain to take on your bad things? Therefore, brothers, rejoice in the Lord, not in the world: that is, rejoice in the truth, not in iniquity; rejoice in the hope of eternity, not in the flower of vanity. Rejoice thus: and wherever, and however long you are here: The Lord is near, be anxious for nothing.