Sermon 332
SERMO 332
ON THE BIRTHDAY OF THE MARTYRS
Martyrs, therefore, friends of Christ. We are commanded to love one another for the sake of the kingdom of God.
When we honor the martyrs, we honor the friends of Christ. Do you ask what made them friends of Christ? Christ himself showed: for he said: This is my commandment, that you love one another. They love each other who watch actors together, they love each other who get drunk together in taverns, they love each other joined together with a bad conscience. Therefore, when Christ said: This is my commandment, that you love one another, he had to distinguish the kind of love. He certainly did: listen. For when he said: This is my commandment, that you love one another, he immediately added as I have loved you. Love one another in this way, for the sake of the kingdom of God, for the sake of eternal life. Love together, but love me. You would love one another if you loved the actor together: love one another more by loving together him who cannot displease, the Savior.
How much we are commanded to love one another.
The Lord came further and taught further: as if we said to Him, "And how have you loved us, so that we also may know how we ought to love?" Hear: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Thus love one another, so that each one may lay down his life for others. For this is what the martyrs did, which John the Evangelist also says in his Epistle: "As Christ laid down his life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." You approach the table of the powerful: you know, faithful ones, to which table you approach: recall the Scripture saying: "When you sit at the table of the powerful, know that you must prepare such things." To which table of the powerful do you approach? He offers Himself to you, not a table prepared by the art of cooks: Christ offers you His table, that is, Himself. Approach this table, and be filled. Be poor, and you will be satisfied. "The poor will eat and be satisfied." Know that you must prepare such things. To understand, pay attention to John the expositor. For perhaps you did not know what it means: "When you sit at the table of the powerful, know that you must prepare such things." Hear the expositor: "As Christ laid down His life for us, so we ought to prepare such things." What does it mean to prepare such things? To lay down our lives for the brothers.
The love of God is a gift.
You approached as a poor man to be satiated: how will you prepare such things? Ask from Him who invited you, so that you have from where you may feed Him. Unless He Himself gives to you, you will have nothing. But do you already have some charity? Do not credit this to yourself: for what do you have that you have not received? Do you already have some charity? Ask that it may increase, ask that it may be perfected, until you reach that table, than which there is none greater in this life. No one has greater love than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You approached a poor man, you depart rich: rather, you do not depart, but by staying you will be rich. The martyrs received from Him what they suffered for Him: believe; they received from Him. The Father of the household gave to them from where they might feed Him. We have Him, let us ask from Him. And if we are less worthy to receive, let us ask through His friends, who have fed Him from His gift. Let them pray for us, that He may grant to us also. And in order that we may have more, we receive from heaven. Hear John the forerunner of Him: A man cannot receive anything, unless it be given him from heaven. Therefore, what we have, we received from heaven; and in order that we may have more, we receive from heaven.
Fornicators will not enter the heavenly city.
This is the city that descends from heaven: let us be such that we may enter it. For you have heard who shall enter, and who shall not enter. Do not be such as you have heard will not enter: especially fornicators. For when the Scripture mentioned those who will not enter, it also named murderers: you were not terrified. It named fornicators: I heard because you struck your breasts. I heard, I heard, I saw: and what I did not see in your chambers, I saw in the sound, I saw in your breasts, when you struck your breasts. Cast out sin from there: for to strike the breasts and do the same things, is nothing else but paving sins. My brothers, my sons, be chaste, love chastity, embrace chastity, cherish purity: because God, the author of purity, seeks it in His temple, which you are; He expels the impure from the temple. Your wives are enough for you, because you want to be enough for your wives. You do not want anything from her beyond you: do nothing beyond her. You are the lord, she is the handmaid: God made both. Sarah, Scripture says, obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. It is true; the bishop subscribed to these tables: your wives are your handmaids, you are the lords of your wives. But when it comes to that business, where sex is distinguished and each sex is mixed with the other; The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. You rejoiced, you stood up, you boasted. The Apostle spoke well, the chosen vessel spoke excellently: The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. Because I am the lord. You praised: listen to what follows, listen to what you do not want, I ask you to be willing. What is this? Listen: Likewise also the husband; the lord; likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife. Listen to this gladly. Your vice is removed, not your dominion: your adulteries are prohibited, not your wives lifted above. You are a man, show it: for man is from virtue, or virtue from man. Do you then have virtue? Conquer lust. The head of the woman, he says, is the man. If you are the head, lead, and let her follow: but see where you lead her. You are the head, lead where she should follow: but do not go where you do not wish her to follow. See that you walk in a straight path, lest you fall into a pit. Thus prepare yourselves to enter that new bride, that beautiful one, adorned for her husband, not with jewels, but with virtues. For if you enter chaste, and holy, and good, you will be members of that new bride, the blessed and glorious heavenly Jerusalem.