Sermon 199

SERMO 199

ON THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

Christ unites Jews and Gentiles in himself.

Recently, we celebrated the day on which the Lord was born of the Jews: today we celebrate, on which he was adored by the Gentiles. For salvation is from the Jews: but this salvation is unto the ends of the earth. For on that day the shepherds adored, today the Magi. To those, the Angels announced, to these, however, the star. Both learned from heaven, seeing the King of heaven on earth, so that there might be glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. For He is indeed our peace, who made both one. Already from hence, having been born and announced as an infant, he is shown to be that cornerstone, already appeared at the very beginning of his nativity. He began to unite two diverse walls in himself, bringing together the shepherds from Judea and the Magi from the East: so that he might create in himself one new man, making peace; peace to those who are far off, and peace to those who are near. Therefore, those approaching on the very day from nearby, and these coming today from afar, marked two days to be celebrated by future generations, yet both saw one light of the world.

The faith of the Magi and the unbelief of the Jews.

But today we must speak of those who were led to Christ by faith from distant lands. For they came and sought him, saying: Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him. They announce and inquire, they believe and seek; as if signifying those who walk by faith, and desire the vision. Were not other kings of the Jews already born so many times in Judea? What is it, that this one is recognized in the heavens by foreigners, sought on earth; he shines on high, but lies hidden in a lowly place? In the East the Magi see the star, and in Judea they understand that the king is born. Who is this king so small, so great; not yet speaking on earth, already issuing decrees in heaven? Nevertheless, for our sake, to whom he wished to make himself known from his sacred Scriptures, he also desired that even the Magi, to whom he had given such a clear sign in the sky and revealed himself to their hearts as born in Judea, would believe in him through his Prophets. For in seeking the city where he was born, whom they desired to see and worship, they had to ask the leaders of the Jews; so that they might answer the faithful from their holy Scripture, which they carried in their mouths, not in their hearts, unfaithful to the faithful concerning the grace of faith, lying from them, truthful against them. For how great it would have been if, upon hearing that they had come desiring to worship him, when they had heard from them that they had seen his star and were coming to worship him; they would have accompanied them to Bethlehem of Judea, which they had indicated from the divine Books, and together they would have seen, understood, and worshipped? Now indeed, after showing others the fountain of life, they themselves are dead in dryness. They have become like milestone markers for them: they showed something to the travelers walking, but they themselves remained foolish and immobile. The Magi sought to find: Herod sought to destroy: the Jews were reading the city of the birth, but did not understand the time of the coming. Between the pious love of the Magi, and the cruel fear of Herod, those demonstrating Bethlehem vanished: but Christ, who was born there, sought not then, but seen later would be denied, not then as an infant, but later as a speaker would be killed. Blessed rather is the ignorance of the infants, whom Herod pursued in fear, than the knowledge of those he consulted in his distress. They could suffer for Christ, whom they could not yet confess: these did not follow the truth of the teacher, whose birth city they could know.

The mistake concerning the starry fates.

The star indeed guided the Magi precisely to the place where the Word of God, as a child, was. Here, let the sacrilegious foolishness be ashamed, and a certain, so to speak, uneducated doctrine, which thinks that Christ was born under the decree of the stars, because it is written in the Gospel that the Magi saw his star in the East when He was born. This would not be true, even if men were born under such a decree, because they are not born by their own will, but by the condition of mortal nature, as the Son of God was. However, it is far from the truth that Christ was born under a starry fate, that anyone who rightly believes in Christ would believe no human is born in such a way. But let vain men talk foolishly about human births, deny the will by which they sin, fabricate necessity to defend their sins; try to stamp on the heavens the wicked ways by which they are detested on earth by men, and lie that they originate from the stars: yet let each one see how he does not think of governing his life, but his household with whatever power; since by thinking these things, he is not allowed to beat his servants sinning in the house unless he is first forced to blaspheme his gods shining in the sky. However, these cannot believe that Christ was born under the decree of the stars, even according to their most vain speculations and not truly prophetic but plainly deceptive books, because the Magi saw his star in the East when He was born. For here, Christ rather appeared not under its dominion, but as its Lord: because it did not hold starry paths in the heaven, but showed the way to men seeking Christ all the way to the place where He was born. Hence, it was not the star that made Christ live marvelously, but Christ made the star appear marvelously: nor did the star decree Christ's miracles, but Christ showed it among His miracles. For He, born of His mother, showed a new star to the earth from heaven, who, born of the Father, formed heaven and earth. At His birth, a new light was revealed in the star, at His death the old light was veiled in the sun. At His birth the heavens shone with new honor, at His death the underworld trembled with new fear; at His resurrection the disciples burned with new love, at His ascension the heavens opened with new obedience. Let us therefore celebrate with devoted solemnity this day when the Magi from the Gentiles worshiped Christ known to them; just as we celebrated the day when the shepherds from Judea saw Christ born. For the same Lord our God chose Apostles from Judea as shepherds, through whom He would also gather sinners to be saved from the Gentiles.