Sermon 291
SERMO 291
ON THE BIRTHDAY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
The birth of John is marvelous on account of Christ.
What day we celebrate today I do not need to tell you, because all of you, when the Gospel was read, heard it. Today we received Saint John, the forerunner of the Lord, announcing the son of a virgin from a barren woman, yet a servant announcing the Lord. For since God was about to come as man through a virgin, a wonderful man from a barren woman preceded him: so that when this wonderful man says he is unworthy to unloose the strap of his sandal, God as man may be recognized. Marvel at John as much as you can: it benefits Christ for you to marvel. It benefits, I say, Christ, not because you bestow anything upon Christ, but so that you may profit in Christ. Therefore, marvel at John as much as you can. You heard what to marvel at. It is announced by an angel to a priest father: the angel takes the voice from the unbelieving father; he remains mute, awaiting the tongue at the birth of his son. The barren one conceived, and the old woman conceived: a double sterility, barrenness, and age. The angel says what he will be like: it is fulfilled in him as it is said; and what is most to be marveled at, he is filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. Then, as holy Mary comes, he leaps in the womb; and whom he could not greet with words, he salutes with movements. He is born, gives voice to his father; the father, speaking, gives a name to the son: all marvel at such grace. For what else is it but grace? For where did this John merit God? Where did he merit God, before he was the one who would merit? O grace given freely!
From the greatness of John, the majesty of Christ is to be understood.
All marvel, they are astonished, and with movement of their hearts say, for it to be written to us what was read: What, do you think, will this boy be? For the hand of the Lord is with him. What, do you think, will this boy be? He exceeds the bounds of human nature. We know boys: but what, do you think, will this boy be? Why do you say: What, do you think, will this boy be? For the hand of the Lord is with him. Because the hand of the Lord is with him, we already know; but what he will be, we do not know. Surely he will be very great, who started so great. What will he be, who is so great while so little? What will he be: Human weakness grows dull, the hearts of all who consider tremble: What, do you think, will this boy be? He will be great: but what will he be who will be greater than him? This one will be very great: but what will he be who will be greater than this great one? If he who has now begun to be, will be so great, what will he be who existed before? But what did I say, who existed? He was before John and Zacharias, much more before John and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob they existed. Certainly before John the heaven and earth existed. What will he be who was in the beginning? For in the beginning, which is before John, and before every man, God made heaven and earth. But by what did he make, you ask? In the beginning God did not make the Word, but the Word was there: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was, not any kind of word, but the Word was God. All things were made through him. And in the last time he who was, was made, so that what he made would not perish. What, do you think, will this boy be? For the hand of the Lord is with him. If the boy will be so great, because the hand of the Lord is with him; what about that very hand of the Lord? For Christ is the hand of the Lord, the Son of God is the hand of God, the Word of God is the hand of God. For what is the hand of God, if not that through which all things were made? What, do you think, will this boy be? For the hand of the Lord is with him. O human weakness, what will you do in the judge, who thus hesitate in the herald? But even here, what did I say? I return to the consideration of human custom. And what did I say? I said herald, I said judge and herald: a man, and the judge a man. What appeared I said, what lay hidden who will say? The Word was made flesh: yet the Word was not turned into flesh. The Word was made flesh, by taking what it was not; not losing what it was. Behold, we have admired the birth of his herald, which we celebrate today, but let us see for whom it was made.
The angel was sent to Zechariah and to Mary. How Zechariah's prayer was heard.
The angel Gabriel came to Zacharias, not to Elizabeth his wife, the mother of John: the angel Gabriel came, I say, to Zacharias, not to Elizabeth. Why? Because John was to come through Zacharias in Elizabeth. Thus, the angel announcing the coming of John by birth did not come to the vessel of the womb but to the source of the seed. He announced the future son of both, but he announced it to the father. For John was to come from the union of a male and female. Behold, the same Gabriel came again to Mary, not to Joseph: from where that flesh was to begin, from where it was to have its origin, the angel came to her. But how did the angel announce the future son to Zacharias the priest? “Do not fear,” he said, “Zacharias, your prayer has been heard.” For what, my brothers, had that priest entered the Holy of Holies for, if not to pray to the Lord for children? God forbid. Someone may say: How do you prove this? For Zacharias did not indicate what he had prayed for. I say this briefly: If he had asked for a son, he would have believed the announcement. The angel said that a son would be born to him, and he did not believe? Wouldn't he have certainly prayed for this? Who prays without hope? Or who does not believe in hope? If you do not hope, why do you pray? If you hope, why do you not believe? What then? He says, “Your prayer has been heard: for behold, Elizabeth will conceive and bear you a son.” Why? Because your prayer has been heard. If Zacharias had said, "Why? Did I ask for this?" Surely the angel would neither be deceived nor deceive when he said, "Your prayer has been heard: for behold, your wife will bear a son.” But why was this said? Because he was sacrificing for the people: the priest was sacrificing for the people, the people were expecting Christ; John was announcing Christ.
Mary among women blessed.
The same angel then said to the virgin Mary: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you: already with you is He who will be in you. Blessed are you among women. The property of the Hebrew language is that all females are usually called "women" as the Holy Scripture attests: lest perhaps they who are not accustomed to hear the Scriptures be amazed or scandalized. The Lord openly says in a certain place of the Scriptures: Separate the women who have not known a man. Finally, remember our very origin: when Eve was made from the side of the man, what does Scripture say? He took a rib from him and made it into a woman. Already she is called "woman," indeed taken from man, but not yet joined to man. Therefore, when you hear from the angel: Blessed are you among women; understand it as if it were said in our manner: Blessed are you among females.
The questioning of Zechariah and Mary is similar, the intention different. The resolve of virginity.
A son is promised to Zacharias, a son is also promised to holy Mary, and she says nearly the same words that Zacharias had said. For what had Zacharias said? "How shall this be to me? For I am an old man, and my wife is barren, and advanced in her days." What also did holy Mary say? "How shall this be?" Similar voice, different heart. Let us hear the similar voice with the ear, but discern the different heart by the pronouncement of the angel. David sinned, and when corrected by the prophet, he said: "I have sinned;" immediately it was said to him: "Your sin is forgiven." Saul sinned, and when corrected by the prophet, he said: "I have sinned;" but his sin was not forgiven, and the wrath of God remained upon him. What does this show, except that the voice was similar, but the heart different? For man is the listener of the voice, but God is the inspector of the heart. In the words of Zacharias, the angel saw not faith but doubt and despair, indicating this by taking away his voice and condemning faithlessness. However, holy Mary: "How shall this be, since I know not a man?" Recognize the purpose of the virgin. When would she say, "I shall engage with a man: How shall this be?" If it were to happen as in the case of all other children, she would not have said, "How shall it be?" But she, mindful of her resolve and conscious of her holy vow, knowing what she had vowed; by saying, "How shall this be, since I know not a man?" as she had not known it to happen that children are born except to those married and engaging with their husbands, which she proposed to be ignorant of by saying, "How shall this be?" sought the manner, not doubting the omnipotence of God. "How shall this be?" What manner is there by which this will happen? You announce to me a son, you have my prepared mind, tell me the manner. For the holy virgin could have feared, or certainly been ignorant of God's plan, in what manner He wished her to have a son, as though He disapproved of the virgin's vow. What if it were said to her, "Marry, join with a man?" God did not say this, having accepted the vow of the virgin, for He indeed accepted that which He Himself gave. So say to me, messenger of God: "How shall this be?" See the angel knowing, she inquiring, not distrusting. Because he saw her inquiring, not mistrusting, he did not refuse to instruct her. Hear how: your virginity will remain, you just believe the truth, preserve your virginity, receive integrity. Since your faith is intact, your integrity will also remain untouched. Finally, hear how this will be: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." Such overshadowing knows not the heat of lust. Therefore, because "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you," because you will conceive by faith, because by believing, not by engaging, you will have in the womb: hence the Holy one to be born of you shall be called the Son of God.
Mary by grace mother of the Son of God.
What are you, who will later give birth? How did you deserve this? How did you receive this? How will He who made you come about within you? From where, I say, did you receive this great good? You are a virgin, you are holy, you have vowed a vow; but what you earned is great, indeed what you have received is great. For how did you deserve this? He who made you is made within you, He through whom you were made is made within you: indeed He through whom heaven and earth were made, through whom all things were made, the Word of God is made flesh in you, by taking flesh, not by losing divinity. And the Word is joined to the flesh, and the Word is coupled with the flesh; and the chamber of this great union is your womb; and of this, I say, this great union, that is the chamber of the Word and the flesh is your womb: from where the bridegroom himself proceeds from his chamber. He found you a virgin when conceived, He leaves you a virgin when born. He grants fertility, He does not take away integrity. From where did you receive this? Boldly I seem to question the virgin, and as if impertinently, I disturb her modest ears with my voice. But I see the modest virgin, yet responding, and reminding me: Do you ask me from where this came to me? I am ashamed to respond to you about my good, but listen to the angel’s greeting, and recognize your salvation in me. Believe in whom I believed. Do you ask from where this came to me? Let the angel respond. Tell me, angel, from where this came to Mary? I already said when I greeted: Hail, full of grace.