Sermon 285
SERMO 285
ON THE BIRTHDAY OF THE MARTYRS CASTUS AND AEMILIUS
The feasts of the martyrs are to be celebrated in such a way that it delights to imitate them.
The virtue of the holy martyrs, which is not only great but also pious (for it is useful virtue itself, indeed it is the true and only virtue that ought to be called virtue, which does not serve pride, but God), admonishes us to speak to your Charity, and to admonish it, to celebrate the feasts of the martyrs in such a way that it delights to imitate them by following the footsteps of the martyrs. For they themselves did not possess the strength they showed of their own. That fountain did not flow only to them. He who gave to them is able to give also to us: for one price has been given for all of us.
The punishment does not make the martyr, but the cause. The faith of the thief on the cross changed the cause of the sufferer. Three crosses. The cross of Christ, the tribunal of the judge.
Therefore, you must be especially warned, as you must always be warned and must always think, that it is not punishment but cause that makes one a martyr of God. For God delights in our righteousness, not in our torments; nor is it considered in the judgment of the Almighty and the true God what one suffers, but why one suffers. For as we mark ourselves with the sign of the Lord's cross, it was not the punishment of the Lord that did this, but the cause. For if punishment had done this, the similar punishment of the thieves would have also had value. There was one place for three who were crucified, the Lord in the middle, who was counted among the wicked. The two thieves were put on either side: but they did not have the same cause. They were joined at the sides of the one hanging, but were far apart. Their crimes crucified them, but ours crucified him. And yet it was readily apparent in one of them how much it was worth, not by the suffering of the one hanging, but by the piety of the one confessing. The thief acquired in pain what Peter had lost in fear: he committed a crime, ascended the cross; he changed his cause, and gained paradise. He certainly deserved to change his cause, who did not despise in Christ the likeness of punishment. The Jews despised him doing miracles, the thief believed in him hanging. He recognized the Lord as a companion of the cross, and through belief seized the kingdom of heaven. Then the thief believed in Christ when the apostolic faith trembled. Rightly he deserved to hear: Today you will be with me in paradise. Indeed, he did not promise this to himself: he commended himself to great mercy, but he also considered his merits. Lord, he said, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Until the Lord would come into his kingdom, he hoped to be in pain and at least begged to be treated with mercy at His coming. Therefore, considering his merits, the thief deferred; but the Lord offered to the thief what he had despaired of; as if saying, You ask me to remember you when I come into my kingdom: Truly, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Recognize to whom you commend yourself; He whom you believe is coming, before I come, I am everywhere. Therefore, although I am about to descend to the underworld, I have you today in paradise; not commended to another, but with me. For my humility descends to mortal men and even to the dead, but my divinity never departs from paradise. Thus, three crosses were made, three causes. One of the thieves insulted Christ, the other, having confessed his wrongs, commended himself to Christ's mercy. Christ's cross in the middle was not punishment, but a tribunal: indeed, from the cross he condemned the one insulting, he liberated the one believing. Fear the insulters, rejoice believers: he will do in glory what he did in humility.
The gifts of grace are given from the profound judgment of God. The presumptuous Peter is deserted for a little while, so that it may be shown to him. God hates the presumptuous.
Divine gifts come from the profound judgment of God: we can marvel at them, but we cannot investigate them. For who has known the mind of the Lord? And: How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out! Peter, following the footsteps of Christ in all things, is disturbed and denies; he is looked at, and he weeps; the tears wipe away what fear had stained. That was not Peter's abandonment, but his instruction. Indeed, asked if he loved the Lord, he had presumed in his heart that he would even die for Him. He had attributed this to his own strength; unless he were deserted by the Ruler for a short time, it would not be shown to him. He dared to say: "I will lay down my life for you." The presumptuous one was boasting that he would lay down his life for Christ, for whom the Redeemer had not yet laid it down. Hence, disturbed with fear as the Lord had predicted, he denies Him three times, for whom he had promised to die. As it is written: The Lord looked at him. And he wept bitterly. Bitter was the remembrance of the denial, so that sweet might be the grace of redemption. Unless deserted, he would not have denied; unless looked at, he would not have wept. God hates those who presume on their own strength, and He, as a doctor, cuts away this swelling pride in those He loves. By cutting, indeed, He inflicts pain; but afterward, He establishes health. Therefore, when the Lord rises, He commends His sheep to Peter, the denier; but to the denier, because presumptuous; later, to the shepherd, because loving. For why does He ask the lover three times if not to pierce the threefold denier? Thus afterward Peter accomplished by the grace of God what he could not do at first by his own confidence. For after the Lord commended the sheep to him, not as Peter's but His own, so that he would feed them not for himself but for the Lord, He announced to him the future passion which he had earlier missed; because he had hastily rushed. When you shall become old, He said, another shall gird you, and lead you where you do not wish. This He said, signifying by what death he was to glorify God. It happened; Peter reached the passion for which he had washed away his denial with tears. What the Savior had promised him, the tempter could not take away.
Castus and Aemilius in torments, from which they were first overcome, from which they were later victors.
I think something similar occurred even in these holy martyrs Castus and Aemilius, whose day we celebrate today. Perhaps they too previously presumed upon their own strengths, and therefore they failed. He showed them who they themselves were, who He Himself was. He restrained those presuming, and called those believing: He helped those fighting, crowned those conquering. Hence, the enemy already rejoiced at their defeat in the first struggle, when they yielded to pains, counting them in his own ranks; he already exulted, already claimed them as his own: but as much as it was permitted to them, the Lord taking pity; other martyrs defeated the devil attacking, these even triumphing. Therefore, my brothers, let us remember whose celebration we are observing today: neither let us desire to imitate where they were defeated, but rather where they were victorious. Therefore, the falls of the great were not hidden, so that those who presumed upon themselves might fear. Humility of the good master everywhere is most diligently commended to us. Our salvation in Christ, indeed, is the humility of Christ. For there would be no salvation for us unless Christ, humbling Himself for us, had been willing to become humble. Let us remember we should not trust in ourselves. Let us entrust to God what we have: let us implore from Him what we lack.
The martyrs are our advocates, and yet our one advocate is Christ.
The perfect righteousness of the martyrs is because they were made perfect in their very suffering. Therefore, they are not prayed for in the Church. Prayers are offered for other faithful deceased, but not for the martyrs: for they departed so perfect that they are not merely our intercessors, but our advocates. Not in themselves, but in Him to whose body these perfect members are joined. For He is indeed the one true advocate, who intercedes for us, sitting at the right hand of the Father: but there is one advocate, just as there is one shepherd. For, He says, I must bring those other sheep, which are not of this fold. Is Christ the shepherd, and Peter not the shepherd? Rather, both Peter is a shepherd, and others like him without any doubt are shepherds. For if he were not a shepherd, how is it said to him: Feed my sheep? But nonetheless, the true shepherd, who feeds his own sheep. To Peter it was said, not, Feed your sheep, but, mine. Therefore, Peter is a shepherd not in his own right, but in the body of the shepherd. For if he fed his own sheep, they would immediately become the goats that he fed.
Outside the Church, not the sheep of Christ, but goats are fed by schismatics. The voice of the Donatists.
For against this, which is said to Peter: Feed my sheep; it is said in the Song of Songs: Unless you know yourself, O beautiful among women. To whom it is said, we certainly recognize, and we also hear in her. The Church indeed hears this from Christ, the bride hears from the bridegroom: Unless you know yourself, O beautiful among women, go out. What an evil voice: Go out. They went out from us, he says, but they were not of us. To this sad voice, which is: Go out, the contrary is in the good that jubilant voice: Enter into the joy of your Lord. Therefore: Unless you know yourself, O beautiful among women, O Catholic beautiful among heresies: unless you know yourself, O beautiful among women, go out; for I do not cast you out, but go you out. For they went out from us, who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. For it is not said, They were cast out; but: They went out. Divine justice observed this even in the first sinners. As if already prone by their own weight, he let them go from paradise, he did not shut them out. Therefore, unless you know yourself, O beautiful among women, go out: I do not cast you out, go out. I want you to be healed in my body, you seek for your putridity to be cut off. This was told to them who were foreseen to go out, that they might be able to recognize themselves and beware who remain. For why did they go out, if not because they did not recognize themselves? For if they recognized, they would see there that it is not theirs, but God's that they give. I give: it is mine which I give; and therefore it is holy, because I give it. You did not recognize yourself, worthily you went out. For you did not want to hear the one saying: Unless you know yourself, O beautiful among women. For you were once beautiful, when you clung to the members of your bridegroom. Therefore you did not want to hear and consider what it means: Unless you know yourself: because surely he found you foul, because he made you beautiful from foul, because he made you white from black. For what do you have that you did not receive? Therefore you did not heed how it was said: Unless you know yourself, go out. And you thought you should feed your sheep, not as it was said to Peter: Feed my sheep. But see what he added to you, what foresaw this to you: Go out in the footsteps of the flocks; not of the flock, but of the flocks. For there the sheep of Christ are fed, where there is one flock and one shepherd. Therefore go out in the footsteps of the flocks, divisible, divided, torn apart; go out in the footsteps of the flocks: and feed your kids; not like Peter, my sheep, but your kids: in the tents of the shepherds, not in the tent of the shepherd. Peter enters by love, you go out by animosity: because Peter recognized himself, therefore he wept for presuming upon himself, and merited to find the one helping: therefore go out. He my sheep, you your kids. He in the tent of the shepherd, you in the tents of the shepherds. Why then do you boast of your bad punishment, you who do not have a good cause?
Martyrs are to be honored in the unity of the Church.
Therefore, let us honor the martyrs within the tabernacle of the shepherd, in the members of the shepherd, having grace, not audacity; piety, not rashness; constancy, not obstinacy; unity, not division. Therefore, if you wish to imitate true martyrs, choose a cause for yourselves, so that you may say to the Lord: "Judge me, O Lord, and distinguish my cause from an ungodly nation." Distinguish, not my punishment; for even the ungodly nation has this; but my cause, which only the godly nation has. Therefore choose a cause for yourselves, hold fast to a good and just cause, and with the Lord's help, fear no punishment. Turned to the Lord, etc.