Sermon 289

SERMO 289

On the Birth of John the Baptist

John was not born so wonderfully and so great without cause.

The reason for today's celebrated gathering of ours is the Nativity of John the Baptist, whose miraculous conception and birth we heard when the Gospel was read. A great mystery, my brothers: the mother of John was both barren and aged, the father old; in both, offspring were utterly despaired of. But because nothing is impossible for God, a son was promised to one who did not believe. The father's voice was taken away because he lacked faith: for it had already been written: I believed, therefore I spoke. He did not believe, and he did not speak. Meanwhile, also a virgin conceived, and this sublime miracle was far greater. The barren one conceives a herald, the virgin a judge. John from a man and woman, Christ from only a woman. Should John be compared to Christ? By no means. Nevertheless, not in vain did so great a one precede so great a one. For if, with power granted and bestowed by the very Lord our God attempting my effort, I am able to explain what I feel, neither will my meanness be deserted, nor will your expectation be disappointed. But if I am less able to explain what I feel, the Lord our God will supplement in your hearts what he has perhaps withheld from me because of my weakness. I stated this beforehand, because I know what I want to say, you do not; and I already sense the difficulty in explaining it. However, it was to be commended to you, so that in your intention you might be able to pray for us.

John, a man only, Christ, God and man.

Elizabeth conceived a man, Mary conceived a man: Elizabeth the mother of John, Mary the mother of Christ: but Elizabeth conceived only a man, Mary conceived both God and man. It is a wondrous thing, how a creature could conceive the Creator. What then is to be understood, my brothers, other than that He made for Himself flesh from a mother alone, He who made the first man without a father and mother? Our first fall happened when the woman through whom we died conceived in her heart the poison of the serpent. For the serpent persuaded sin, and the persuader was admitted. If our first fall happened when the woman conceived the poison of the serpent in her heart, it is no wonder that our salvation was accomplished when the woman conceived in her womb the flesh of the Almighty. Both sexes had fallen, both were to be restored. Through a woman we were sent into destruction, through a woman our salvation was restored to us.

John was such an excellent man, that he was thought to be Christ. John's testimony about himself and about Christ.

What does John signify, then? Why is he introduced? Why is he sent before? I will speak if I can. Our Lord Jesus Christ said of John: Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. If John is compared to men, he surpasses all other men; he only does not surpass the God-man. John was sent before the Lord. So great was his excellence, so great his grace, that he was even thought to be Christ. For the Jews expected Christ; because even in their Prophets, whom they themselves read, Christ was foretold. They awaited Him who was absent and killed Him who was present: when they thought it was not He, they themselves failed, and He remained. However, not all failed, and among the Jews, many believed. Therefore, because Christ was expected, see the glory of John: for when so great a grace was seen in him, when he baptized in repentance and prepared the way for the Lord as the one sent before, the Jews sent to him and asked: Who are you? Are you Elijah, or the prophet? or are you Christ? He said: I am not Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet. And they said, Who are you then? He replied: I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. John responded thus to the Jews who were asking who he was, and beginning to think that he himself was Christ: I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. You heard, if you were attentive, the prophetic reading which was read first. It was written: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become smooth ways; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Then the Lord said through the Prophet: Cry out; and I said: What shall I cry? And the Lord then with the Prophet: All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field: the grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. John said: I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord: this means to say, It was foretold by the Prophet that I would be the one crying out in the wilderness. It belongs to John, then, to say: All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field: the grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. The Word was conceived in the womb of the Virgin; the voice cries out in the wilderness the Word. A voice without a word is mere noise in the ears; indeed, it could not even be called that. Every word is a voice, not every voice is a word. If a man shouts with his mouth open as much as he can, it is a voice, but not a word. What then is the voice which is called a word? Where understanding is, a voice signifying a word is present. But behold, it does not yet sound; I want to say something, already the word is in my heart. The word is in the heart, and yet there is no voice in the mouth. Therefore, the word can be without a voice, and the voice can be without a word. Add voice to the word, the word proceeds into knowledge. What then is Christ to Mary? A hidden word. The voice is sent before to precede the Word. What is John? The voice of one crying out in the wilderness. What is Christ? In the beginning was the Word. What are you, a voice? What are you, a man? All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man is like the flower of the field: the grass withers, and the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. Hold fast to the Word; for the Word took up the grass on your behalf. The Word made flesh is Christ. But all flesh is grass, and all the honor of flesh is like the flower of the field: let us despise the present things, hope for the future. Every valley shall be filled, every humility shall be exalted: and every mountain and hill shall be made low, all pride shall be cast down. Bring down the mountains, fill the valleys, and the plain will be made even. Give me the rich and honored people from the flower of the field; let them hear: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Give me the poor, the desperate, those conscious of their weakness; let them not despair, let them believe in Him who came for all. Let the high be brought low, let the low be lifted up. When He comes, may He find a plain, not a stone to stumble upon. Therefore, John himself was saying: Prepare the way of the Lord; not for me, but for the Lord; by whom I am sent, not that I am He.

John avoids the presumptuous usurpation of the name of Christ.

But the Jews say: Are you the Christ? If he were not a valley to be filled but a mountain to be humbled, he would have found the occasion to deceive. For they wanted to hear from him what they would believe. They were so amazed by his grace that they would undoubtedly believe whatever he said. Behold, he had found the occasion to deceive the human race: if he said, I am the Christ, they would believe him. If he boasted of himself under another’s name, he would lose his own merit. If he boasted of himself as the Christ, would he not answer to himself, Why do you exalt yourself? All flesh is grass, and all its glory like the flower of the grass: the grass withers, the flower falls. Understand what remains forever: But the word of the Lord remains forever. He recognized himself: deservedly the Lord called him a lamp. The Lord said this about John: He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But what does the evangelist John say about him? There was a man sent from God, whose name was John: he came as a witness to bear witness about the light; he was not the light. Who? John the Baptist. Who says this? John the Evangelist: He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. You say: He was not the light: of whom does he say the light itself: He was a burning and shining lamp. But I know, he says, what kind of light I say; I know by whose light’s comparison the lamp is not light. Listen to what follows: He was the true light that enlightens every man coming into this world. John does not enlighten every man, Christ enlightens every man. And John recognized himself as a lamp, lest he be extinguished by the wind of pride. A lamp can both be lit and extinguished. The word of God cannot be extinguished, but a lamp always can.

John the greatest forerunner of man, so that Christ may be recognized as more than man.

He was sent then, the greatest man, to bear witness to Him who was more than a man. For when he, than whom no one greater has risen among those born of women, says: I am not the Christ, and humbles himself before Christ, something more than a man is to be understood. For if you seek the greatest man, John, Christ is more than a man; thus you understand the forerunner, that you may seek the judge; thus you listen to the herald, that you may fear the judge. He was sent, he predicted the coming one. And what kind of testimony does John bear to Christ? Hear what kind: Whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie. Did you understand, man, what you should do? Everyone who humbles himself will be exalted. What then of Christ? We have all received from His fullness. What does it mean: We all? Therefore, the Patriarchs, and Prophets, and holy Apostles, either sent before the incarnation or sent by the incarnate one, all of us have received from His fullness. We are the vessels, He is the fountain. Therefore, if we understand the mystery, my brothers, John is a man, Christ is God: let man be humbled, and let God be exalted. In order for man to be humbled, John was born on the day when the days begin to decrease. In order for God to be exalted, Christ was born on the day when the days begin to increase. A great sacrament. Therefore we celebrate the Nativity of John as that of Christ, since that very birth is full of mystery. What mystery? Of our height. Let us be diminished in man, let us grow in God. Let us be humbled in ourselves, that we may be exalted in Him. The sacrament of this great affair has been fulfilled in the sufferings of both. For man to be diminished, John lost his head; for God to be exalted, Christ was suspended on wood. John was sent for this, that we might imitate him, and hold on to the Word. However much human pride may boast itself, from any excellence of sanctity, who will be what John is? Whoever you are who think yourself great, you will not be what John is. Not yet born, he was already announcing the Lord to be born, exulting in the womb. What is more excellent than this holiness? Imitate: hear what he says about Christ. We have received from His fullness. A lamp in the night shows you the fountain, and drinks from it as well: For we, he says, have all received from His fullness. We all: He is the fountain, we are the vessels: He is the day, we are the lamps. Great is the weakness of men: by the lamp, the day is sought.

Not John alone, but also the Apostles are lamps. The lampstand is the lamp, the cross of Christ.

But even the Apostles, my brothers, are lamps of the day. Do not think that John alone is a lamp, and the Apostles are not. The Lord said to them: You are the light of the world. And lest they think that they are such a light as he who was said to be the light, of whom it is said: He was the true light which enlightens every man coming into this world; immediately he taught them what the true light itself is. When he said: You are the light of the world; he added, and said: No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel. What I said to you about being light, I said you are a lamp: do not exult in your pride, lest the flame be extinguished. I do not place you under a bushel: but so that you may shine, you will be on a lampstand. What is the lampstand for the lamp? Listen to the lampstand: be lamps, and you will have a lampstand. The cross of Christ is the great lampstand. Whoever wants to shine, let him not be ashamed of the wooden lampstand. Hear, so that you may understand that the lampstand is the cross of Christ. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, but upon a lampstand, so that it may shine to all who are in the house. Let your light thus shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify: not as you seek to be glorified, you seek to be extinguished: they glorify your Father who is in heaven. Through your good works, they glorify your Father. To be able to be lamps, you could not light yourselves, you could not place yourselves upon a lampstand: let Him be glorified, who granted this to you. So listen to Paul the Apostle, listen to the lamp exulting on the lampstand. But as for me, he says (those who know what follows shout): But as for me: what about you? God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. I glory in the lampstand: if the lampstand should withdraw, I fall. God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. You have praised, and you have favored. Let the world be crucified to you, and be crucified to the world. What does this mean? Do not seek happiness from the world: refrain from the happiness of the world. The world flatters, let the corrupter be avoided: the world threatens, let the assailant not be feared. If the good things of the world do not corrupt you, if the bad things of the world do not corrupt you, the world is crucified to you, and you to the world. Glory in the lampstand: as a lamp, always maintain humility on the lampstand, so that you may hold onto brightness: observe, lest you be extinguished by pride. Preserve what you have become, so that you may glorify the one who made you. What were you, man? Every man, consider what you were born as: even if you were born noble, you were born naked. What is nobility? The nakedness of the poor and the rich is equal at birth. Or perhaps because you were born noble, you live as long as you wish? When you did not know, you entered: when you do not wish, you leave. Finally, let the graves be examined, and the bones of the rich be recognized.