Sermon 260B

Sermon 260/B

SERMON GIVEN ON THE DAYS OF THE OCTAVE OF EASTER
In which he particularly addresses infants.

All these things happened to them as an example.

The discourse certainly pertains to all, by which a good life is prescribed and commended, so that eternal life may be obtained and received; nevertheless, we particularly address you, young shoots of holiness, regenerated from water and Spirit, planted and nurtured through our ministry in the field of God, who gives the increase. Thus you should regard yourselves as having been liberated from Egypt from harsh servitude, in which iniquity ruled over you; and also as having passed through the Red Sea, namely through baptism marked by the blood of Christ's cross. Consider the enemies who pursued you from behind, as past sins: for, just as the Egyptians perished when the people of God crossed, so they have been wiped out for you who are baptized. Now therefore seek the heavenly kingdom, to which you have been called, as the promised land; and while traveling through this earthly life, as through a wilderness, resist temptations vigilantly. For you receive your manna from the participation of the holy altar, and you drink from the rock. The apostle Paul, reminding and preaching all this in his teaching, says: I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ. Certainly, by these apostolic words, you clearly recognize that we have not suggested this from our own conjecture, but from what we have been taught by the holy Scripture and conveyed to your ears and minds.

Let the Apostle admonishing be listened to.

But as I have admonished saying, resist temptations vigilantly, observe what the same Apostle consequently and terribly says: But with most of them, God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the desert. Now these things were made as examples for us, so that we should not desire evil things, as they also desired; nor serve idols, as some of them did, as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day twenty-three thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted Him, and perished by the serpents. Neither murmur, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer. All these things happened to them as examples: and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.

Cleave to the Redeemer so that you may reach the Kingdom.

Therefore, dearest ones, avoiding the preceding evil examples, imitate those who pleased God, not those who perished by offending God. For what benefit was it to escape from the Egyptians through the Red Sea and perish in the desert by serpents? Thus it is with those who, baptized and freed from past sins, neglect so great a grace and, intercepted by the venomous bites of deadly seductions, cannot reach the promised life. Fleeing the examples of these, adhere with persevering obedience to Him who redeemed you, so that you might reach the kingdom; not as it was given to the first people in the shadow of the future, but where with Christ there will be no end, you will live in eternal happiness.