Sermon 247

SERMO 247

ON THE PASCHAL DAYS

All the evangelists wrote about the resurrection.

The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the truth of the four Evangelists seems to have been completed yesterday. For on the first day the resurrection was read according to Matthew, on another day according to Luke, on the third day according to Mark, on the fourth, that is, yesterday according to John. But since John and Luke wrote much about the resurrection itself and what happened after the resurrection, which cannot be recited in one reading; and we heard something according to John yesterday, and today, and other readings still remain. Therefore today, what did we hear? That on the very day He rose, that is on the Lord’s day, when it was evening, and the disciples were in one place, and the doors were closed for fear of the Jews, the Lord appeared in their midst. Therefore, on that very day, as the evangelist John testifies, He appeared to His disciples twice, in the morning and in the evening. From what was read that He appeared in the morning, it was also recited: but that He appeared again on the same day in the evening, we just heard when it was recited. There was no need for these things to be recalled by me, but that they be noticed by you: however, because of some people's lesser understanding or greater negligence, it was necessary to recall, so that you may know not only what you heard, but also from which Scripture what you heard is read to you.

Do you not know that nothing is impossible for God?

Let us see, then, what is proposed for us to speak about from today's reading. The reading itself indeed admonishes us, and in a certain way speaks to us, so that we may say something, just as the Lord who rose again in the solidity of his body, not only appeared to his disciples but was also touched. He was able to appear to them while the doors were shut. For some are so troubled by this matter that they are almost put in danger, bringing against divine miracles the judgments of their own reasonings. For they argue thus: If it was a body, if it was flesh and bones, if what rose from the tomb was the same that hung on the cross, how could it enter through closed doors? If it could not, they say: It was not done. If it could, how could it? If you understand the manner, it is not a miracle: and if it does not seem like a miracle to you, you are close to denying that he also rose from the tomb. Consider from the start the miracles of your Lord and give me a reason for each. No man approached, and a virgin conceived. Give a reason how a virgin could conceive without a man. Where reason fails, there is the building of faith. Behold, you have one miracle in the conception of the Lord: hear also about the birth. The virgin gave birth, and the virgin remained a virgin. Already then, the Lord was born through closed doors before he rose again. You ask of me and say: If he entered through closed doors, where is the manner of the body? And I respond: If he walked on the sea, where is the weight of the body? But the Lord did it as Lord. Therefore, when he rose, did he cease to be Lord? And what of the fact that Peter also walked on the sea? What divinity was able to do in him, faith accomplished in him. Christ, because he was able; Peter, because Christ helped him. If you begin to discuss the reason for miracles with human sense, I fear that you will lose faith. Do you not know that for God nothing is impossible? Therefore, whoever says to you, If he entered through closed doors, it was not a body: you respond to him contrary, On the contrary, if he was touched, it was a body; if he ate, it was a body: and he did it by miracle, not by nature. Is not the very daily course of nature itself to be admired? All things are full of miracles, but they have become cheap through familiarity. Give me a reason: I ask about common and usual things: give me a reason why the seed of a fig tree, so large, is so small that it can hardly be seen, and the seed of a lowly gourd produces such a large seed. Yet in that tiny seed, scarcely visible as it is, if you consider it with the mind, not the eyes; in that smallness, in those confines, the root is hidden, the strength is placed, and the future leaves are bound, and the fruit which will appear on the tree is already included in the seed. There is no need to run through many things: no one gives a reason for daily things, and you demand from me a reason for miracles. Therefore, read the Gospel, and believe the miraculous deeds that are done. God has done more, and you do not marvel at what exceeds all works: there was nothing, and now there is the world.

Of a camel entering through the eye of a needle.

But you say, the mass of the body could not pass through the doors, which were closed. How large was that mass, I ask you? Certainly as large as it is in all: was it as large as that of a camel? Not at all so large. Read the Gospel, hear it yourself: when he wanted to show the difficulty of a rich man entering the kingdom of heaven, he said: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Hearing this, the disciples, considering that it was in no way possible for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, were saddened within themselves, saying: If this is so, who then can save himself? If it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven; and by no means can a camel pass through the eye of a needle; then none of the rich can be saved. The Lord responded: What is impossible for men is easy for God. God can both lead a camel through the eye of a needle and bring a rich man into the kingdom of heaven. Why do you criticize me about closed doors? Closed doors have at least a crack: compare the crack of doors to the eye of a needle, compare the mass of human flesh to the size of camels; and do not criticize the divinity of miracles.