Sermon 307

SERMO 307

On the Beheading of Blessed John the Baptist

The killing of John the Baptist, on what occasion it happened.

When the holy Gospel was being read, a cruel spectacle was set before our eyes: the head of Saint John on a platter, a harbinger sent by cruelty because of hatred for the truth. The girl dances, and the mother rages: and amid the pleasures and lust of the feasters, an oath is rashly sworn, and impiously what is sworn is fulfilled. What John had foretold happened. For he had said of the Lord Jesus Christ: "He must increase, but I must decrease." He was diminished in head, He increased on the cross. Truth bore hatred. It could not be endured with an even mind that the holy man of God admonished: who surely sought the salvation of those whom he so admonished. They repaid him evil for good. For what could he say except what he was full of? And what could they respond except what they were full of? He sowed wheat, but found thorns. He said to the king: "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." For lust overpowered the king: he kept with him the prohibited wife of his brother. But he still enjoyed him, so as not to rage. He honored him from whom he heard the truth. But the detestable woman conceived hatred, which she would bring forth given time. When she was laboring, she bore a daughter, a dancing daughter. And that king who had the holy man John, who feared him for the Lord's sake, even if he did not obey him, when the head of John was requested on a platter, he was saddened. But because of the oath and because of those reclining with him, he sent a soldier and fulfilled what he had sworn.

Every oath is forbidden because of the danger of false swearing.

This passage, beloved, admonishes us to discuss with you something about oaths concerning your life and manners. False swearing is not a light sin: indeed, it is such a great sin to swear falsely that, because of the guilt of false swearing, the Lord has prohibited all swearing. For He says: It was said, You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord; but I say to you, do not swear at all, neither by heaven, because it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, because it is His footstool; nor by any other oath; nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no. Anything more than this comes from evil.

An oath employed by God.

We find in the holy Scriptures that the Lord swore, when Abraham obeyed Him even to the sacrifice of his beloved son. The angel spoke to him from heaven, saying: By myself I swear, says the Lord, because you have obeyed my voice and have not spared your beloved son for my sake, blessing I will bless you, and I will multiply your seed like the stars of heaven and like the sand of the sea; and in your seed all the nations shall be blessed. This you see being fulfilled by the whole world filled with Christians, the truthful oath of God is shown. Likewise, it was prophesied in the Psalms concerning the Lord Jesus Christ: The Lord has sworn and will not repent: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Those who know the Scriptures know what Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God, brought forth when he blessed Abraham. It is not necessary for us to recall this on account of the catechumens. The faithful, however, recognize how it was prophesied beforehand, which we now see being fulfilled. And how is this? Because the Lord has sworn. And the Lord has sworn and He will not repent: not as Herod repented because he had sworn.

"However, it was justly forbidden to us."

Therefore, when the Lord has sworn, why did the Lord Christ prohibit His own from swearing? I will say why. It is not a sin to swear truthfully. But since it is a great sin to swear falsely, someone who never swears at all is far from the sin of false swearing: someone who even swears truthfully is closer to false swearing. Therefore, the Lord, who prohibited swearing, did not want you to walk on the edge, lest your foot slip in the narrow path and you fall. But the Lord swore, you say. He swears securely who does not know how to lie. Do not be moved because the Lord swore; for perhaps only God should swear. For when you swear, what do you do? You call upon God as a witness. You call upon Him, He calls upon Himself. But you, a man, since you are mistaken in many things, often call upon the truth as a witness to your falsehood. Sometimes, even unwillingly, a man perjures himself, thinking that what he swears is true. It is not as great a sin indeed as that of someone who knows it is false and still swears. How much better, and far from this severe sin, is the one who listens to the Lord Christ and does not swear?

The custom of swearing overcome by Augustine.

I know it is difficult for your custom; but it was also difficult for our custom. By fearing God, we have taken the oath from our mouth. Behold, we live with you: who has ever heard us swearing? Did I not use to swear every day? But when I read, and feared, I struggled against my custom, in that very struggle I invoked the Lord as a helper. The Lord provided me with the help of not swearing. Nothing is easier for me than not to swear. I have admonished your Charity for this reason, so that you do not say, Who can? Oh, if God is feared! Oh, if the perjured tremble! the tongue is restrained, the truth is held, the oath is removed.