Sermon 223J

Sermon 223/J "Let all the world be silent before the face of the Lord; at his coming, the whole earth shall tremble, and every knee shall bow, both in heaven and on earth and under the earth. For that very great and terrible day of the Lord is near, in which the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Be ready, brothers, and watch night and day with all prayer and supplication, that when the sudden and unforeseen hour comes, we may be found worthy to escape all these things which are to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

ON THE VIGIL OF EASTER

Let us watch in the flesh and pray so that we may come to the place where we may watch in the flesh without end.

The blessed Apostle, when he exhorted us about praying, at the same time also exhorted us about watching: "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same." Unclean love, brothers, compels those it possesses to watch. The shameless one watches to corrupt; the wicked one, to harm; the drunkard, to drink; the robber, to kill; the extravagant one, to squander; the greedy one, to collect; the thief, to steal; the plunderer, to seize. How much more, therefore, should love in the holy and innocent watch, if iniquity extorts watches from the flagitious and criminal? But they are pressed by the deep sleep of the heart, so they are compelled to watch by the flesh. Against this sleep it is cried: "Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light." But in us, this voice has broken the sleep of this world if we have listened and arisen from the dead, of whom it has been said: "Let the dead bury their dead." Meanwhile, let us render the watchfulness of the flesh to celebration; but let us hold perpetual watchfulness of the heart with Christ illuminating. Let us watch with the flesh as much as we can, so that we may pray; and let us pray, so we may come to where we also watch without end with the flesh. For the angels do not sleep, whose equality is promised to us on the day of resurrection, if now love watches in us.