Sermon 248
SERMO 248
IN THE DAYS OF EASTER
In the two fishings the whole Church is symbolized.
And today the reading was recited about the events that happened after the resurrection of the Lord according to the evangelist John. Your Charity has heard with us, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias; and he who had already made them fishers of men found them still fishers of fish. All night, they caught nothing: but seeing the Lord, and at his command casting the nets, they caught as many as you heard. The Lord would never have commanded this unless he intended to signify something which it is expedient for us to know. What then could greatly matter to Jesus Christ, whether fish were caught or not caught? But that fishing was a sign for us. Let us therefore recall with you those two fishings of the disciples done at the command of the Lord Jesus Christ, one before the passion, the other after the resurrection. In these two fishings, therefore, the entire Church is prefigured, both as it is now and as it will be in the resurrection of the dead. For now, it has many without number, both good and bad: but after the resurrection, it will have a fixed number of only the good.
The first fishing is described in Luke 5:4 and following.
Remember therefore the first fishing, where we may see what the Church is like in this time. The Lord Jesus found his disciples fishing, when he first called them to follow him. Then, all night they caught nothing. But when he appeared, they heard from him: Cast the nets. Lord, they said, we have caught nothing all night; but at your word, we will cast the net. They cast it, at the command of the Almighty. What else could happen, except what he wished? Yet by that very act, he deigned, as I said, to signify something to us that it is profitable to know. The nets were cast. The Lord had not yet suffered, had not yet risen. The nets were cast: they caught such a number of fish that two boats were filled, and the same nets were torn by the multitude of fish. Then he said to them: Come and I will make you fishers of men. They took from him the nets of the word of God, they cast them into the world as into a deep sea: they caught as great a multitude of Christians as we see and wonder at. However, those two boats signified two peoples, the Jews and the Gentiles, the Synagogue and the Church, the circumcision and the foreskin. For of those two boats, as of two walls coming from different sides, Christ is the cornerstone. But what did we hear? There the boats were weighed down by the multitude. So it is now: many Christians who live badly, weigh down the Church. It is little that they weigh it down and tear the nets. For if the nets were not torn, there would be no schisms.
The second fishing about which John 21 speaks signifies the heavenly Church.
Let us pass then from that fishing which we endure, and come to that fishing which we ardently desire and faithfully long for. Behold, the Lord has died, but he has risen: he appeared at the sea to his disciples, he commands them to cast the nets, not just anywhere. Pay attention. For in the first fishing, he did not say to them: Cast the nets on the right, or on the left. Because if he had said, On the left; only the evil would be signified: if he had said, On the right; only the good would be symbolized. Therefore he did not say either, On the right, or, On the left, because the good were to be caught mixed with the evil. Now, after the resurrection, what the Church will be like, listen, discern, rejoice, hope, understand. Cast, he says, the nets on the right side. Now the right ones are caught: let no evil ones be feared. For you know that he said he would separate the sheep from the goats; the sheep he would place on the right, the goats on the left: to the left he would say: Go into the eternal fire; to the right he would say: Receive the kingdom. Behold from where: Cast the nets on the right side. They cast, they caught: the number is certain; no one is there beyond the number. Now, however, how many beyond the number approach the altar, they are seen among the people of God, and are not written in the book of life. There then the number is certain. Aspire to be among those fish; not just by listening and praising, but by understanding and living well. Therefore the nets are cast, great fish are caught. For who then is small, when they will be equal to the Angels of God? Great fish are caught, one hundred and fifty-three. Someone might say to me, And will there be only so many saints? Far be it from us to suspect such a small number of saints and of those who will be in that kingdom even from this one Church alone. The number will be certain: but thousands of thousands will be from the Israelite people. Holy John in the Apocalypse says there will be twelve times twelve thousand from the Israelite people alone, who have not defiled themselves with women; for they remained virgins. But from other nations he says that such a multitude of people will come with white robes, that no one can count them.
On the mystery of the number.
Therefore, this number signifies something, and I should commemorate it for you with an annual sermon, which you are accustomed to hearing every year. One hundred fifty-three fish is a number signifying thousands upon thousands of the holy and the faithful. But why did the Lord deign to signify with this number so many thousands, which will be in the kingdom of heaven? Listen to why. You know that the Law was given through Moses to the people of God, and in that Law, the chief precept mentioned is the Decalogue, that is, the ten commandments of the Law. Of which one commandment is concerning the worship of one God; the second commandment: Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; the third commandment about the observance of the Sabbath, which Christians observe spiritually and Jews violate carnally. These three commandments pertain to God, the remaining seven to humans: because of those two principal commandments: 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. On these two commandments hang the entire Law and the Prophets. Since there are thus two commandments, in that Decalogue three pertain to the love of God, and seven to the love of neighbor. What are the seven pertaining to humans? Honor your father and your mother, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
No one accomplishes these ten commandments by their own strength, unless assisted by the grace of God. If therefore no one fulfills the law by their own strength, unless God aids with His Spirit; now recall how the Holy Spirit is commended in the sevenfold number, just as the holy prophet says, that the man be filled with the Spirit of God, of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and fortitude, of knowledge and piety, the Spirit of the fear of God. These seven operations commend the Holy Spirit in the sevenfold number, who, as if descending to us, begins with wisdom and ends with fear. But we, ascending, begin with fear and are perfected in wisdom. For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Therefore, if the Spirit is needed to fulfill the law, let the seven join the ten to make the number seventeen. If you count from one up to seventeen, you get one hundred and fifty-three. There is no need to count everything now, count among yourselves: thus reckon, one and two and three and four make ten. Just as ten is one and two and three and four, so add the other numbers up to seventeen: and you find the sacred number of the faithful and saints who will be with the Lord in heaven.