Sermon 265C

Sermon 265/C

On the Forty Days of the Ascension of the Lord

Each one lifts up what they hold precious.

We celebrate today the ascension of the Lord into heaven in the flesh in which the Lord rose; the anniversary festival does not recall the event, but renews the memory. Let us ascend in the meantime with Him in heart, certain that we also follow in flesh. We have not heard in vain, "Lift up your hearts"; nor does the Apostle exhort us without cause, saying: "If you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God; set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Lift yourselves up from the earth: the body cannot do so, but the soul will. Lift yourselves up from the earth: endure labors on earth, think of rest in heaven; do well here, to remain there forever. The heart does not have a place on earth, where it preserves its integrity; if it remains on earth, it is corrupted. Whatever each one has that is precious, he lifts it up; many men, indeed all men, when they hear that some dangers of wars are threatening on earth, seek where to keep everything dear. Is it not so? Can anyone in the human race be otherwise than I say? He has silver, he has gold, he has gems, he has precious necklaces, he has costly garments; he seeks where to keep them, indeed so as not to lose what he has. It is better to place what he has better above, place it above. What does he have better than his heart? Earthly things are possessed by the heart. Indeed little children, because they do not yet have sense and understanding in usage - they have it set aside, what has been created in them has not yet awakened - do they possess anything? An heir of all things is born, and although all things are already rightfully his, he does not yet possess them, because he does not yet have the means to possess. Therefore, the Apostle said: "As long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a servant." Therefore, whatever we possess on earth, it is through heart, intellect, sense, talent, reason, thought, counsel. How much have I said, and what have I said? Who indeed comprehends himself? How much less Him, who made himself? Let us commit what we have dear there. Look around at all your things, my brothers, and find what you hold dearer. I also advise the greedy: how much easier it is for the not-greedy to hear me! I convince the greedy: O you greedy, acquisitive man, gathering profits from wherever, whether honestly or shamefully, you heap up much dirt for yourself; you collect dirt, and do you not fear to be stuck there, earthly things are dear to you. You are a man, you have a body, you have a soul; in your own body, I first seek what you hold dearer. I think, you find nothing dearer in your body than your eyes. Indeed, those who love a person much say: I love you as my eyes. Let us make steps to the point that I wish to demonstrate. In your limbs, nothing is dearer to you than your eye. Now consider your treasures, consider what you keep. If someone were to say to you: Either give me what you keep on earth, or now I will take your eyes; would you not give everything for your eyes? You would give everything so as not to remain blind in your riches; for you would not possess what you could not see. And indeed your greed possesses gold, some extreme and small part of earth; with your eyes you possess heaven, with your eyes you look at the sun, with your eyes you consider the stars, through your eyes you are the possessor of the world. And why say much? Ask yourself, your soul will answer for your body: Give all, protect my windows. Your soul says this to you: I have two windows in your face, through them I see this light: give gold, lest my windows be closed. Therefore, you give all for your eyes.

The mind itself is dearer than the eyes.

Certainly you have nothing dearer than your eyes: indeed nothing, but in the body. For I show you something dearer that you have than your eyes: now you will confess, to whom I speak, there is something dearer in you than your eyes. To whom I speak, I say, not through what I speak; through the ear I come to the mind, through the ear I excite the mind, through sound I speak to the mind, I exhort the mind, I build up the mind. I inquire of that very mind, and about that mind, and I question man in this way. Already I used to say, if anyone wished to take treasures or eyes from you, one of two, you would choose the eyes: although grieving, you would lose treasures, lest you lose eyes. Now I ask about the very eyes. If it is allowed to hold both, it is happiness, eyes and mind. If it is not allowed to hold both, and one of them is proposed: Choose what is better, to lose the eyes of the body, or the mind. If you lose the mind, you will be a brute; if you lose the eyes, you will have the mind, you will be a man. Say, choose what you wish. What do you want to be, a blind man, or a seeing brute? You have cried out, you have chosen; what you have chosen, from where have you seen? what have I shown, that you cried out? Some beautiful colors, some very lovely shapes, gold, silver did I show? Did I display some gems for you to look at? None of these: yet you have cried out, and by crying out you showed that you have chosen. From where did you see what you chose, it is the very mind, to which I speak. From where you chose what you heard through my word, believe this in the Word of God. This you hear and do, when it is said: Lift up your heart. Think of Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father; think of Him coming to judge the living and the dead. Let faith think: faith is in the mind, faith is in the foundation of the heart. See who died for you; consider His ascent, love His patience; consider His ascent, and hold Him dying. For such a great promise you have a pledge, what Christ promised you: what He did today, His ascension, is a promise to you. We ought to hope that we will rise, and ascend to the kingdom of God, and there we will always be with God, living without end, rejoicing without any sadness, remaining without trouble. There it will not be said to you: Beware of evil; but: Hold on to good. Great is what is promised; when would timid and weak mortality dare promise this to itself? When would this decay dare promise itself these things, considering what it was, when it promised itself these things? God promised these things. To believe, He says, that you will ascend to me, first I descend to you; and to believe that you will live from me, first I die for you.