Sermon 257

SERMO 257

IN THE DAYS OF EASTER

TREATISE ON THE LORD'S DAY WHICH HE SAID AT THE MEMORY OF THE SAINTS

What is said in the Hebrew language as Alleluia, in Latin is: Praise the Lord. Let us therefore praise the Lord our God, not only with our voice but also with our heart, because he who praises with the heart, praises with the voice of the inner man. Voice to men is sound, voice to God is feeling.

I am better a liar than that Scripture should lie.

A certain man said in his ecstasy, as you have read, as you have heard: Every man is a liar. Therefore, there was one who did not believe unless he touched the body of the Lord. It seemed to him a lie that his fellow disciples were speaking the truth. And it was not enough for him to hear the truth, he also wanted to touch. However, the Lord granted him this in what follows in the Gospel to be recited later. But whoever hears: Every man is a liar, ought not to fix himself in the lie and refuse to rise from it, as if reasoning to himself in vain, as a lying man, and saying to himself: When will I not be a man? But as long as I am a man here, I will be a liar; it is better that I be a liar than that Scripture lies which says: Every man is a liar. For if I am truthful, Scripture will be a lie; but since Scripture cannot be a lie, I will be a liar. Speaking thus to himself, he seems to rest securely as if in the harbor of lying where he suffers shipwreck. You wished to rest well in such a harbor; hear the rock upon which you will crash: You will destroy all who speak falsehood. And this is the Scripture of God which says: You will destroy all who speak falsehood. Therefore, He will destroy all because every man is a liar. But what has been told to us? What have we been admonished? That we are liars from our own selves. But if we wish to be truthful, let us flee to the Lord. From Him we are truthful, from our own selves we are liars.

Peter stood as an example so that we may not trust in ourselves.

Hear this with one short and great example; short because it is quickly said, great because it is wisely weighed. Peter alone showed this which I wish to say. When he said to the Lord Christ: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, what did He respond? Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. You spoke the truth, but it was not your own. How then? My Father who is in heaven revealed it to you. Therefore blessed because from God, not wretched except from your own. After this, when the Lord said to him: Blessed are you because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven, after these words the Lord Christ began to foretell his passion and death. Then immediately Peter: Far be it from you, Lord! Every man is a liar. Behold, shortly before Peter was truthful, behold now Peter is a liar. But how was Peter truthful? Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. How was Peter a liar? Get behind me, Satan, you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men. Every man is a liar. Therefore it was said to us: Every man is a liar, that we might flee from ourselves and run to God who alone is truthful.