Sermon 283

SERMO 283

ON THE BIRTHDAY OF THE MARTYRS OF MARSEILLES

The grace of God must be proclaimed on the feasts of the martyrs. Pleasure and pain, two incitements to sin.

Let us so admire the fortitude of the holy martyrs in their suffering, as to proclaim the grace of the Lord. For they did not want to be praised in themselves, but in Him of whom it is said: "In the Lord my soul shall be praised." Those who understand this do not become proud: they ask with trembling, they receive with joy: they persevere, they no longer lose. Because they are not proud, they are meek. And therefore, after he said: "In the Lord my soul shall be praised," he added: "The meek shall hear and be glad." For what would weak flesh, what a worm and decay be, unless what we sang were true: "My soul shall be subject to God, for my patience is from Him"? Indeed, so that the martyrs could endure all evils for the sake of faith, their virtue is called patience. There are two things that either entice or drive people into sins; pleasure or pain: pleasure entices, pain drives. Against pleasures, continence is necessary; against pains, patience. For thus it is suggested to the human mind to sin: sometimes it is said, "Do this, and you will have this"; sometimes, "Do this, lest you suffer this." Promise precedes pleasure, threat precedes pain. Therefore, in order for people to have pleasure, or not suffer pain, they sin. That is why God, against these two things, one of which is in a pleasant promise, the other in a terrible threat, has both condescended to promise and to terrify; to promise the kingdom of heaven, to terrify with the punishments of hell.

Pleasure is sweet, but God is sweeter. Temporal pain is bad, but eternal fire is worse. You have something to love in place of worldly loves, indeed in place of impure loves. You have something to fear, in place of worldly terrors.

Patience and self-control are gifts of God. Knowledge of God's grace and gratitude.

"But it is little to be admonished unless you obtain help. Therefore, the present psalm which we have sung has taught us that our patience against sufferings is indeed from God. From where do we find that even our continence, which is necessary against pleasures, comes from Him? You have very clear testimony: 'And when I knew,' he said, 'that no one can be continent unless God gives it; and this itself was wisdom, to know whose gift this was.' Therefore, if you have something from God and do not know from whom you have it, you will not be rewarded, because you remain ungrateful. If you do not know from whom you have it, you do not give thanks: by not giving thanks, you lose even what you have. For to him who has, it will be given. What does it mean to have fully? To know from whom you have it. But to the one who does not have, that is, does not know from whom he has it, even what he has will be taken away from him. Finally, as he himself said: 'This itself was wisdom, to know whose gift this was.' Likewise, the apostle Paul says when commending to us the grace of God in the Holy Spirit."

But we have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit which is from God.

And as if it were said to him, "From where do you discern?" he added, "That we may know the things that are freely given to us by God." Therefore, the Spirit of God is a spirit of charity; the spirit of this world is a spirit of pride. Those who have the spirit of this world are proud, they are ungrateful to God. Many have his gifts, but do not honor him from whom they have them: therefore, they are unhappy. Sometimes one has greater gifts, another has lesser: for example, understanding, memory. They are gifts of God. You sometimes find a very sharp-minded man, with a memory beyond incredible admiration; another you find with small intellect, not possessing a tenacious memory, but endowed with both sparingly: however, one is proud, the other humble; the latter giving thanks to God for small things, the former attributing greater things to himself.

It is incomparably better to give thanks to God for a little than to boast about a lot. For the one who gives thanks for a little, God admits to the great; but the one who does not give thanks for great things, loses even what he has. For whoever has will be given more; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. How does he not have, if he has? He who does not know from whom he has it, has it without truly having it. For his possession is taken from him by God, and his iniquity remains with him. Therefore no one is self-sufficient except by God's gift. You have a gift against pleasures: "For this itself," he says, "was wisdom, to know whose gift it was: no one is self-sufficient except by God's gift." You have a gift against pains: "For from him," he says, "is my patience." Therefore, hope in him, all the assembly of the people. Hope in him, do not trust in your own strength. Confess your misdeeds to him, expect your good from him. Without his help, you will be nothing, no matter how proud you are. Therefore, to be able to be humble, pour out your hearts before him. And so that you do not remain in evil within yourselves, say what follows: "God is our helper."

True and False Patience. Against the Donatists.

This helper, so that he might overcome, the blessed Martyr had, whom we wonder at, whose solemnity we celebrate today. Without him, he would not conquer. And if he conquered the pains, he would not conquer the devil. For sometimes, those conquered by the devil overcome pains; not having patience, but hardness. Therefore, that helper was present, so that he might grant him true faith, make for him a good cause, and for the good cause grant patience. For then there is patience when a good cause precedes. For it is not another but God who grants even faith itself. Briefly, the Apostle commended both, the cause for which we suffer, and the patience by which we endure evils, are from God to us. For exhorting the martyrs he said: Because it has been granted to you for Christ’s sake. Behold the good cause, because it is for Christ: not for sacrilege against Christ, for heresy and schism against Christ. For Christ said: He who is not with me scatters. Therefore: He said, it has been granted to you for Christ, not only that you believe in him, but also that you suffer for him. This is true patience. Therefore, let us love this patience, let us hold on to this: and if we do not yet have it, let us seek it; and rightly we sing: My soul will be subjected to God, for from him is my patience.