Sermon 290
SERMO 290
ON THE BIRTHDAY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
Testimony of John about Christ, and of Christ about John.
Saint John, not the Evangelist, but the Baptist, was sent before the face of Christ to prepare His ways. Christ's testimony about John is: Among those born of women there has not arisen a greater one than John the Baptist. John's testimony about Christ is: He who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loosen. Let us consider both testimonies, what the Lord attested to the servant, and what the servant attested to the Lord. What is the testimony of the Lord about the servant? Among those born of women, there has not arisen a greater one than John the Baptist. What is the testimony of the servant about the Lord? He who comes after me is mightier than I. If therefore among those born of women there has not arisen a greater one than John the Baptist, who is greater than him, what is he? John is a great man, but a man: Christ is greater than John because He is both God and man. Both were born miraculously, the herald and the Judge, the lamp and the day, the voice and the Word, the servant and the Lord. From a barren woman, a servant; from a virgin, the Lord. The Lord Himself made the servant in a barren womb, from an aged father and an old mother: and the same Lord made Himself flesh in the womb of a virgin, without a human father, who made the first man without father and mother. No one of those born of women has arisen greater than John the Baptist. John appeared so great that some even thought he was the Christ. Yet in his humility, he did not follow the error of others, nor did he dare to say, I am what you think: but, what was good for him, he recognized himself, to be humbled at the feet of the Lord, and as a servant to the sandal strap, lest the lamp be extinguished by the wind of pride.
The birth of Christ and John, why it is celebrated, not of others.
Finally, because John was born in a great sacrament, the Church celebrates the birthday of John alone as a just man. The Nativity of the Lord is also celebrated, but as of the Lord. Give me another servant besides John among the Patriarchs, among the Prophets, among the Apostles, whose birthday the Church of Christ celebrates. We celebrate the day of the passions for many servants: the day of birth for no one, except John. You have heard, when the Gospel was read, what the order was of the births of both, the precursor and the Master, and what I said a little earlier, the herald and the Judge, the voice and the Word. The angel Gabriel announces John, the same angel Gabriel announces the Lord Jesus Christ. He precedes, He follows: he precedes by serving, He follows by ruling. For He follows by being born, He precedes by ruling: because Christ created even John himself, after whom Christ was created, both creator and created; creator before the mother, creator of the mother, created in the mother. And what shall I say, creator before the mother? Before Abraham, I am, He Himself said: the Gospel speaks: hear, or read. But it is hardly sufficient, before Abraham creator: before Adam creator, creator before heaven and earth, before all Angels and the whole spiritual creation, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, and Powers, before all things creator. Because in the beginning, the Word was not made, but was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God: this was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him. If all things, visible and invisible, heaven and earth, and virgin Mary: because even the virgin Mary from the earth, and Christ the maker of the earth was made from the earth, because truth has sprung from the earth.
John is such a great man, that in humbling himself before Christ, he shows that He is more than a man.
Therefore, I briefly commend to your Charity a great sacrament. Since there would be many who would think that Christ was nothing but a man, nothing more than a man: therefore, the great man, greater than whom among men there was not, John gave testimony to Him, submissive, bowed, humiliated. To what extent would he have rendered himself humble, if he had said he was worthy to untie the strap of His sandal? Consider the strap of the sandal in the great sacrament. How humble would he have existed, even if John had said he was worthy? What did he achieve by saying he was unworthy? Therefore, the day of his nativity is noted and commended to the celebration of the Church.
The words of Zechariah and Mary are almost the same, but the unbelief is not the same.
There is a great difference, not only in their mothers, because that one woman was a virgin, the other barren; that one bearing the Son of God our Lord by the Holy Spirit, the other bearing the forerunner of the Lord by her old husband. And consider this. Zacharias did not believe. How did he not believe? He asked the angel by what he could know what was promised, since he was old and his wife was advanced in her days. And the angel said to him: Behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time. The same angel came to Mary, announcing that Christ would be born of her in the flesh, and Mary says something similar. For he had said: By what means shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife is advanced in her days. And it is said to him: Behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things are fulfilled, because you did not believe my words. And he subjected to the punishment of silence, deservedly for his lack of faith. What did the prophet say about John? The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Zacharias is silent while generating the voice. Because he did not believe, he was silent: deservedly he was rendered mute until the voice was born. For if it was rightly said, indeed because it was rightly said in the holy psalm: I believed, therefore have I spoken: because he did not believe, deservedly he did not speak. But I beg you, O Lord, together with those listening to me, we ask, open to us, explain to us what this question means. Zacharias seeks reasons from the angel by what means he could know what was announced to him, since he was old and his wife advanced in her days: it is said to him: Because you did not believe, you will be silent. Christ is announced to the virgin Mary, and she seeks a reason, and says to the angel: How shall this be, since I do not know a man? And he: By what means shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife is advanced in her days. And she: How shall this be, since I do not know a man? He is told, You will be silent, because you do not believe: to her, however, the reason is explained, silence is not imposed. How shall this be, since I do not know a man? And the angel: The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. Behold how what you ask will come to pass, behold how you do not know a man and will give birth, behold how: because the Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. Do not fear the heat of lust, under such a great cover of holiness. Why is this? If we attend to the words, either both believed or both doubted, Zacharias and Mary. But we can hear the words: God can also examine the heart.
Zacharias questions in despair, Mary questions inquiringly. The grace of God is greatest in the incarnation of the Word.
We understand, beloved, that Zacharias when he said, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years," spoke in despair, not in inquiry: But Mary, when she said in contrast, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" spoke in inquiry, not in despair. While she asked, she did not doubt the promise. O truly full of grace! For thus she was greeted by the angel: "Hail, full of grace." Who can explain this grace? Who can suffice in giving thanks for this grace? Man is made, and by free will man perishes, and he who made man is made so that he might not lose what he made. In the beginning was the Word, God with God, through whom all things were made, and the Word was made flesh: The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Flesh becomes the Word, but flesh approaches the Word, the Word does not perish in flesh. O grace! What were we worthy of to have this?
The rich, that is the proud, must be emptied; and the hungry, that is the humble, must be filled. The Pharisee, rich; the Publican, poor.
But see what holy Mary herself says, full of faith, full of grace, the future mother, the virgin who will remain. What does she say among other things, of which it would be very much to speak individually? What does she say? He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. Who are the hungry? The humble, the needy. Who are the rich? The proud and inflated. I do not send you far: I show you now in one temple a rich man among those who are sent away empty and a poor man among those who are filled with good things. Two men went up into the temple to pray; one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee said. What did he say? Pay attention to the rich man belching confusion, exhaling the drunkenness of arrogance, not righteousness: God, he said, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess. Did you come to pray, or to praise yourself? You said you have everything: you asked for nothing as if in need. How then did you come to pray? I thank you, Lord. He does not say: Lord, give me grace. Because I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers. So, you alone are righteous? Because I am not like this tax collector. You insult, not exult. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess. O rich man to be emptied! Come, come, poor man, hungry tax collector: rather, stay where you are. For the tax collector stood at a distance. But the Lord was approaching the humble. Nor was he daring to lift his eyes to heaven. Where he did not lift his eyes, there he had his heart. But he struck his breast, saying: Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. O hungry man to be filled with good things!
The Lord's judgment about the Pharisee and the Publican. He reproves the Pelagians, who are more arrogant than the Pharisee himself.
You have heard, Lord, the controversy; pronounce the judgment. Hear the judgment pronounced between the parties. The defeated does not appeal, because there is no one to whom he might appeal. For he does not appeal from the Son to the Father. For God the Father judges no one; but He has given all judgment to the Son. Therefore, let Truth pronounce judgment between the parties. Amen, He says, I tell you, that this one went down to his house justified rather than the Pharisee. Why is this, I ask you? By what justice? Do you wish to hear? Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; and he who humbles himself will be exalted. By whom will this one be exalted, and he who exalts himself will be humbled. Because He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. Go now, and blow away your riches: throw yourself, and say, I am rich. How rich? If I will, I am righteous; if I do not will, I am not righteous. I have the power to be righteous, and to not be righteous. Do you not hear in the Psalm: Those who trust in their own strength? Therefore God has given you flesh, God has given you sense, God has given you a soul, God has given you a mind, God has given you intelligence: do you give yourself righteousness? What is flesh, what are senses, what is a soul, what is a mind, what is intelligence without righteousness? Are not all these things, if they lack righteousness, grounds for punishment? Therefore are you so rich that, when God has given you lesser things, you give yourself greater things? Poorly rich, you who must be emptied out, if indeed you have what you said you have: What do you have that you have not received? Nor have you even learned from that proud and rich Pharisee to give thanks to the Lord for what you said you have.