Sermon 301A

SERMON 301/A

On the Solemnity of the Holy Maccabees

[INHABITED IN THE ROYAL BULL]

The Gospel, like a mirror, flatters no one. It is better that Christ speaks in the Gospel while absent than if he were present and silent.

The Gospel and the living word of God, penetrating the marrow of the soul and searching the core of the heart, is beneficially offered to all of us and spares no one unless a man spares himself. Behold, it is set before us like a mirror, in which we all observe ourselves, and if perhaps something on our face appears blemished in our view, we should diligently cleanse it, lest we blush again when the mirror is inspected. For the crowd was following the Lord, as we heard when the Gospel was read, and He turned and spoke to those who were following Him. For if the things He said were spoken only to those twelve Apostles, each one of us could say: He spoke to them, not to us. It seems that one thing pertains to shepherds, another to flocks. He spoke to the crowds who followed: therefore He spoke to all of us and to all of you. We should not think that it was not said to us simply because we were not yet there; for we also believe in Him whom they saw; we hold Him by faith whom they beheld with their eyes. For indeed, it was no great thing to see Christ with the carnal eyes; if that had been great, the Jewish people would have been the first to find salvation. Certainly, they also saw Him, and yet they despised, and yet saw Him and despised Him and even killed Him; we indeed have not seen Him, and yet we believe, and yet we have received with our hearts the one whom we have not seen with our eyes. Hence He said to one of His own, who was then among the twelve: "Because you have seen, you have believed: blessed are those who do not see, and yet believe." For if our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ were present in the flesh now and stood silently, what good would it do us? But if benefit comes from His speaking, He speaks even now, when the Gospel is recited. Nevertheless, His presence affords many things, as God. But where is there not God, or when is God absent? Do not be absent from God, and God is with you; especially since He Himself promised, and we hold His promise as a kind of written guaranty: "Behold, I am with you until the end of the world." But He foresaw us, He promised for us.

All Christians are disciples of Christ. Christian simplicity. Great is he who has abandoned all, who has conquered all desires.

Let us return, therefore, and hear what he said, and as I have said, let us examine ourselves, and whatever we find lacking in us, let us cultivate with all diligence to the form of beauty that pleases his eyes. And, because we are not sufficient, let us invoke him for aid. Let him who formed us reform us, let him who created us recreate us, so that he who founded us may perfect us. He said this, therefore: Who is the man who wants to build a tower and does not first sit down to compute the cost, if he has the means to finish it? Lest perhaps, after he has begun building, and does not complete it, all who pass by will begin to mock him, saying: This man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to war against another king, does not first sit down and consult whether he is able, with ten thousand, to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Otherwise, while the other is still a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks for terms of peace. And to these two examples, he concluded thus: So likewise, whosoever does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. If only those disciples were called, it would not have been said to us; for truly, as the Scripture testifies, all Christians are disciples of Christ - For one is your Master, even Christ - let him alone deny that he is a disciple of Christ, who denies Christ as his Master. For even though we speak to you from this higher place, we are not therefore your masters: he is the Master of all, whose throne is above all the heavens; under him, we gather in one school, both you and us, and we are fellow disciples; but we admonish you, as elders of the school are wont. The tower and the cost, faith and patience; the tower is faith, the cost is patience. If anyone is impatient to endure the evils of this world, he lacks the cost. The bad king with twenty thousand is the devil; the king with ten thousand is the Christian. The simple against the double, the truth against falsehood, because simplicity is against duplicity. Be of a simple heart: do not be a hypocrite, showing one thing and hiding another; and you will overcome the double one, who transforms himself as an angel of light. Whence those costs? Where is that perfect simplicity, fully stable, and persevering most unwaveringly? In that, which follows, which seems hard. This is what I said, that the word of God does not flatter anyone. So, he says, whosoever does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. Many have done this, and have examined themselves before the time of persecution urged them, and have forsaken all the things of the world, and followed Christ. Hence there were the Apostles, who said: Behold, we have left all, and followed you. Nor did they leave anything valuable, for they were all poor; but they are judged to have left behind great riches, who have conquered all desires.

Not all good things make people good.

Finally, the disciples then said this to the Lord, when that rich man departed sorrowful, having heard from the most truthful Master the counsel of eternal life, as he had asked. For indeed a certain rich young man came to the Lord, and said to Him: "Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" I believe that amidst the most abundant delicacies of his riches, he was pained by the sting of impending death and was wasting away; and because he knew that he could carry none of his possessions with him to the underworld, and amidst great abundance of flesh, his soul was grieving in poverty. He might have been saying to himself, surrounded by the affluence of his riches: "They are good, beautiful, delightful, sweet; but that one final hour when it comes, all must be left behind. None of these can be taken away from here. What remains is life and only conscience; what remains after the body is the life of the soul and only conscience. If it will not be life then, but rather another death, it must be called worse: for there is nothing worse than that death, where death does not die." Because he thought this amid his delights, having such great goods he came to the Lord. For he said to himself: "After these great goods, if I also have eternal life, what could be happier for me?" Therefore, being anxious, he asked, and said: "Good Master, what shall I do that I may have eternal life?" The Lord first responded to him: "Why do you ask me about what is good? No one is good except God alone." This means to say: "Nothing makes you blessed except God alone. The things that the rich possess are good indeed, but those good things do not make people good. For if those good things made people good, then someone would be better the more abundantly he had them. But when we see that many are worse the more they have, without a doubt other goods are to be sought, which make people good. For they are the ones which cannot be possessed by the wicked: justice, piety, temperance, religion, charity, worship of God, and finally God Himself. We ought to run to that good; that one, we will not attain unless these things are despised."

He who left the whole world behind, left nothing behind for himself. Many have done this, even senators and very distinguished women.

I should flatter you when the Gospel does not flatter you nor us? Therefore I exhort your charity, brethren, as the Apostle says: The time is short. It remains, he says, that those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who weep as though they wept not, and those who rejoice as though they rejoiced not, and those who buy as though they possessed not, and those who use this world as though they used it not. Therefore the Apostles then left those things which they had, and hence Peter said: Behold, we have left all. What did you leave, Peter? One small boat, and one net? He would reply to me: I left the whole world, who had nothing I left. The poverty of all, that is, the poor man of all has small resources, but great desires. God does not regard what one has, but what one wishes; the will is judged, which He who is not seen searches invisibly. Therefore they left all things, and truly left the whole world, since they cut off whatever they hoped for in this world, and followed Him by whom the world was made, they believed his promises; and many did this afterwards. And it is a wonder, my brethren, who did this? Those themselves did this, who killed the Lord. There in Jerusalem, when the Lord had ascended into heaven, and after ten days having sent the Holy Spirit, He fulfilled the promise, filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples spoke in the tongues of all nations. Then many Jews who were in Jerusalem, hearing and being astonished at the gift of the grace of the Savior, while they marveled and stood in wonder among themselves as to whence it was, received the answer from the Apostles, that He performed this by His Spirit, whom they themselves killed, and they sought a plan of salvation. For they despaired, and did not think that such a crime could be pardoned them, who killed the Lord of the whole creation; and they received consolation from the Apostles. Promised pardon, promised impunity, they believed; and selling all they had, they placed the prices of their goods at the feet of the Apostles, the more terrified, the better they became. Greater fear extorted delight. Those who killed the Lord did this; many did this afterwards, and many do this. We recognize, we see examples, we are consoled by many, we are delighted by many, because the word of God does not fail in those who listen faithfully. But some did not, and were tested when persecution came, because they were using the world as though not using it. Not only the commoners, not just any workmen, not the poor, not the needy, not the mediocre, but many also great wealthy men, senators, even most noble women renounced all their possessions when the persecution came, so that they could complete the tower, and with the simplicity of strength and piety they might conquer the deceitful and double-faced devil.

To be held is evil, not to hold. He denies Christ, who acts against the truth. He is his own worse enemy, who loses his heart.

Therefore, when exhorting all to martyrdom, the Lord Christ said: Thus, whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. I ask you, therefore, O Christian soul. If I tell you what was said to the rich man: Go, sell all you have, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Christ, perhaps you too will leave sorrowful? For the young man also left sorrowful: yet these words can only be heard by a Christian. Can you, when the Gospel was read, close your ears against your own salvation? You heard: Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Think to yourself: you have become a believer, you have been baptized, you have believed, but you did not relinquish your possessions. But I ask your faith: how did you believe? Behold, the peril of faith comes; it is said to you: If you persist, I will take what you have. I ask your mind. If you say in your mind: Let him take what I have, I do not let go of my faith; you both hold on and have renounced. Because you hold on, you are not held. For it is not evil to hold on: being held is evil. But persecution is absent, and there is no way to test what you promised the Lord. Daily affairs test men. What if sometimes someone calls you to false testimony, and he is powerful and might be feared for a time, and if he threatens, he can harm for a time, and he persuades you to give false testimony? He does not say to you: Deny Christ; for this you were prepared. That deceitful one sneaks in another way, to what you were not meditating, what you were not proposing to yourself. He says, give false testimony: If you do not say it, I will do this and that. He threatens proscription, he threatens death. There you must test yourself, there you must attend to yourself. Do you give false testimony? You left Christ, for he said: I am the truth. You gave false testimony, you acted against the truth: therefore, you left Christ. And what was he going to do to you by threatening proscription, making you poor? What would be lacking to you when God was with you? But he was threatening more. What is more? He was threatening to kill your body. But not your soul? Do you consider what he threatens: do you not consider what you do? He threatens to kill your body: But the lying mouth kills the soul. You are two, the enemy and you; yet both remain human, both being corruptible in the flesh, both immortal in soul, both passing for a time, and as guests and pilgrims on this earth. He threatens death, not knowing whether he will die before he fulfills what he threatens; but let us suppose that he indeed fulfills what he threatens; I scrutinize you both, let us see who is worse, him or you. He brings forth a sword to kill your body; you bring out a lying tongue to slay your soul. Who struck more grievously? Who killed worse? Who penetrated more deeply? He as far as the bones, he as far as the entrails; you as far as the heart. You left nothing intact when you lost your heart: the lying mouth slays, he said, not the body, but the soul.

God prepares not His promises, but Himself for us.

Such are the daily trials of men. When it comes to iniquity, whether you commit iniquity or suffer what God wishes you to suffer for a time, there, indeed, notice that double aspect, there, indeed, observe the cost of that tower. But while contemplating, you falter: call upon Him who commanded. He will assist His commands in you and will fulfill His promises in you. For what does God promise us? My brothers, what shall I say, so that we desire it? What shall I say? Is it gold? Is it silver? Is it estates? Is it honors? Is it what we know on earth? It is worthless. What eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him. In brief, I say, not His promises, but Himself. He is greater than all who made all; more beautiful than all who formed all: more powerful than all who gave power to all. Therefore whatever we love on earth, in comparison to God, is nothing. It is trivial: It is nothing that we love; and we ourselves are nothing. The lover himself, in comparison to the thing which is to be loved, ought to see that he is despicable to himself. This is the love that is commanded from the whole heart, the whole soul, and the whole mind. But He added and said: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets; so that, when you have loved the Lord, you know that you love yourself if you love the Lord. But if you do not love God, you also do not love yourself. Therefore, when you have learned to love yourself by loving God, enrapture your neighbor to God, so that you may delight together in the good, and in such a great good, which is God.

The battle of the Maccabees is set against the delights of the theaters. The bubble of the mime and the harlots are held, at Hippo they have almost perished. The bishop, the steward of the word and sacrament. Christians must not enter theaters.

We have just witnessed the great contest of the seven brothers and their mother. What a contest, my brothers, if our minds know how to behold it! Compare the pleasures and delights of the theaters to this holy spectacle. There, the eyes are defiled, here the hearts are cleansed; here, the spectator is praiseworthy if he is an imitator; but there, both the spectator and the imitator are infamous. Finally, I love the martyrs, I behold the martyrs: when the passions of the martyrs are read, I behold them. Tell me: Be like this, and you have praised. Look at a mime, look at a pantomime; I will tell you: Be like this, and do not be angry. However, if I tell you: Be like this, and you become angry, it is not my words but your anger that condemns you. By becoming angry, you judge yourself: behold what you love, what you fear to become. It seemed fitting to remind your Charity of the spectacle of the holy Maccabees, whose victories we celebrate today, and of the theatrical spectacles. O brothers of Bulla, almost in all the neighboring cities around you, the defilement of impiety has ceased. Are you not ashamed that only venal filth remains among you? Or does it please you to buy and sell filth among grain, wine, oil, animals, cattle, and whatever is sold in Roman markets? And perhaps strangers come here for such commerce, and it is said: What are you looking for? Mimes, prostitutes? You have them at Bulla. Do you consider it glory? I do not know if there is a greater disgrace. Indeed, my brothers, I say this out of pain, the proximity of other cities condemns you in the sight of men and in the judgment of God. Whoever wishes to imitate evil refers to you. To our Hippo, where such persons have almost disappeared, these foul individuals are brought from your city. But perhaps you say: We are like Carthage. Just as there are holy and religious people in Carthage, so there is such a crowd in the great city that everyone excuses themselves with others. Pagans do it, Jews do it, it can be said in Carthage; here, whoever does it, Christians do it. We say this to you with great sorrow: May the wound of our heart be healed by your correction! We say to your Charity: We know in the name of God your city and your neighbors, how great a multitude, how great a population there is; can you not all be known by him who is appointed your steward of word and sacrament? Who excuses themselves from this disgrace? Behold, there are games: let Christians not attend, and let us see if there will not be such solitude that the disgrace itself will be ashamed. Let us see if the foul persons themselves will not either convert to the Lord and be freed, or if they remain in their own filth, they will leave this city. Do this for yourself, Christians: do not enter the theaters.

Catechumens distinct from the faithful.

But I see few of you. Behold, the day of Christ's passion will come, behold, Pascha will come, and these spaces will not contain your multitude. Therefore, will those who have now filled the theaters fill these places? Or will you prepare the places, and strike your chests? You might perhaps say: You abstain well from these things, who are clerics, who are bishops, but not us laypeople. Does this indeed seem to you a just voice? For what are we, more than you? One thing is what we are for ourselves; another thing is what we are for you. We are Christians for ourselves, clerics and bishops only for you. The Apostle was not speaking to clerics, not to bishops and presbyters, when he said: But you are the members of Christ. He was speaking to the laity, speaking to the faithful, speaking to Christians: But you are the members of Christ. Be attentive to which body you are members, be attentive under which head you live in the unity of one body; see the one Spirit which you have received from Him. I echo the words of the Apostle: Taking away the members of Christ, shall I make them members of a harlot? And do our Christians not only love but even educate harlots? They not only love those who were harlots, but educate those who were not; as if they too do not have souls, as if for them too the blood of Christ was not shed, as if it had not been said: Harlots and publicans precede you into the kingdom of heaven. When we ought to win them over, instead we choose to perish with them. And this is done by Christians; I do not wish to say: and by the faithful. Perhaps a catechumen despises himself. "I am a catechumen," he says. Are you a catechumen? A catechumen. One forehead of yours received the sign of Christ, and do you take another to the theater? Do you want to go? Change your forehead, and go. Therefore, the forehead which you cannot change, do not lose. The name of God is invoked over you, Christ is invoked over you, God is invoked over you, the sign of Christ's cross is depicted and fixed on your forehead. I exhort all, I address all; you will see how much more honorable you will be in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

An example to be imitated by the neighboring city of Cologne of Simittu. The praises of the listeners burden Augustine, they do not honor him.

I dare to say: Imitate your neighboring city, imitate the neighboring city of Simittu. I say nothing else to you. I speak more openly to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ; no one enters the theater there, no one of debauchery remains there. A magistrate wanted to conduct such debaucheries there; no principal, no commoner entered, no Jew entered. Are they not honorable themselves? Is that not a city? Is that colony not much more honorable by being emptier of these things? We would not be saying these things to you if we heard good things about you; but if we remain silent, I fear we will be judged equally. Therefore God willed, my brothers, that I would pass by here. My brother held me, commanded, requested, compelled me to speak a word to you. From where else could I speak, if not from where I fear more? From where else could I speak, if not from where I grieve more? Do you not know that I and all of us must give a very grave account to God of your praises? Do you think that these praises honor us? They burden, they do not honor. A very heavy account must be given from those praises; I greatly fear that Christ will say to us in his judgment: Wicked servants, you gladly received the praises of my people, and you kept silent about their death. However, the Lord our God will grant that from now on we hear good things about you, and in His mercy, we will be consoled by your correction: for as great as the sorrow is now, so much the greater will the joy be.