Sermon 340A

SERMON 340/A

On the Ordination of a Bishop

The bishop ought to be the servant of many.

Today, beloved brethren, since God has deemed to bring us to you, the third sermon is rendered; but in the past two days you heard what is most pertinent to you; for today, by the grace and mercy of God, a bishop is ordained among you; therefore, it is fitting for us to speak in such a way as to exhort ourselves, inform him, and instruct you. Indeed, the one who presides over the people ought first to understand that he is a servant of many. And let him not disdain this: I say, let him not disdain being a servant of many, for the Lord of lords did not disdain to serve us. For a certain desire for preeminence had crept in among the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Apostles, from the baseness of the flesh, and the smoke of pride had begun to rise in their eyes. For, as we read written in the Gospel: A controversy arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But the Lord, the present healer, repressed their swelling. When he saw the vice to which this contention had come, he said to them, and setting before them little children: Unless one becomes like this little child, he shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. In the child, he commended humility. For he did not wish to have such minds as children have, since the Apostle says elsewhere: Do not be children in your minds. And he added: But in malice be infants, so that in your senses you may be perfect. Now pride is great malice, the first malice, the beginning and origin, the cause of all sins; it cast down the angel, and made him the devil. Even the pure man standing drank from the cup of pride: he raised up to pride him who was made in the image of God; already unworthy, because proud. He envied and persuaded him to despise the law of God, and to enjoy his own power. And how did he persuade? If you eat, he said, you shall be like gods. See therefore, if he did not persuade through pride. Man was made; he wished to be God: he took what he was not, and lost what he was; not that he lost human nature, but he lost both present and future blessedness. He lost what he was to be lifted by, deceived by him who had been cast down from there.

The first letter to Timothy, chapter 3, had been read.

Therefore, when the apostle Paul, among other episcopal virtues, reminded us in that reading, as it was being read just now, he also added this: Not a neophyte, as one newly converted in faith, lest being elevated in pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. What is this: fall into the condemnation of the devil? Not to be judged by the devil, but to be condemned with the devil; for the devil will not be our judge; but because he himself fell through pride, and because of pride became wicked and will be condemned to eternal fire. He says, observe, the one who is given a high place in the Church, lest being lifted up in pride he fall into the judgment into which the devil fell. Therefore, the Lord, speaking to the Apostles and confirming them in holy humility, after setting forth the example of the child, said to them: Whoever wishes to be greater among you will be your servant. Behold, because I did not do wrong to my brother, your future bishop, because I desired and advised him to be your servant. For if I did it to him, I first did it to myself; for not just anyone speaks about the bishop, but I, a bishop, am speaking; and what I advise, I myself fear, and I recall the saying of the holy Apostle himself: I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air; but I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

The bishop presides, but if he benefits. Christ served by giving His soul for us. The same is demanded of Peter.

Therefore, to hear briefly, we are your servants: your servants, but also your fellow servants; we are your servants, but we all have one Lord; we are your servants, but in Jesus, as the Apostle says: "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." By Him we are servants, by whom we are also free; for He says to those who believe in Him: "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Shall I hesitate, therefore, to become a servant through Him, through whom, unless I became free, I would remain in perverse servitude? We are set over you, and we are your servants; we are your superiors, but only if we are helping. In what respect, therefore, is a bishop who is set over you a servant? See also in what respect the Lord Himself is. For when He said to His Apostles: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant," so that human pride might not be indignant at the name of a servant, He immediately comforted them, and, by presenting Himself as an example, encouraged them to what He commanded. "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." But see in what manner: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." Let us inquire what He served. If we attend to His bodily ministrations, we see the disciples ministered to Him; but He sent them to buy food, to prepare food. Finally, it is written in the Gospel, when the day of His passion was approaching, His disciples said to Him: "Lord, where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?" And He orders where it is prepared: and they go, and prepare, and minister. What, therefore, does it mean when He says: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve"? Hear what follows: "He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." See how the Lord ministered: see what kind of servants He commanded us to be. He gave His life as a ransom for many: He redeemed us. Which of us is able to redeem anyone? By His blood, by His death we were redeemed from death, by His humility we were lifted up from lying low; but we too must contribute our own small portions to His members, because we have become His members: He is the head, we are the body. Finally, the Apostle John exhorts us in his letter by the example of the Lord, who said: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant," just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many; thus exhorting us to likeness, he says: "Christ laid down His life for us: so we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." The Lord Himself also speaks after the resurrection: "Peter, do you love me?" He responds: "I love you." He said this three times, and Peter responded three times; and the Lord repeated all three times: "Tend my sheep." Where do you show me that you love me, unless by tending my sheep? What benefit will you give me by loving me, when you expect everything from me? What then shall you do by loving me, you have: Tend my sheep. This once, and again, and a third time. "Do you love me?" "I love you." "Tend my sheep." Three times he had denied out of fear: three times he confessed out of love. Then when the Lord had entrusted His sheep to him for the third time, to one who responded and confessed love, and condemned and erased the fear, immediately He added: "When you were younger, you used to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, another will gird you, and carry you where you do not want to go." He said this to signify by what kind of death he was to glorify God. He thus foretold to him his cross, predicted his passion. Therefore, going on, the Lord said: "Tend my sheep; suffer for my sheep."

Let him be called a bishop. Bishops and the faithful are fellow students in the school of Christ.

Such must a good bishop be; if he is not such, he will not be a bishop. What profit is there to a wretched man if he is called Happy? If you see some miserable beggar who is called Happy, and you say to him: "Come here Happy, go Happy, rise Happy, sit Happy," and he is always unhappy among all these names; something similar is this, when one is called a bishop and is not. What does the honor of the name confer on him but the burden of guilt? But who is the bishop who is called and is not? He who rejoices in the honor more than the wellbeing of God's flock, who in this exalted ministry seeks his own, not the things of Jesus Christ; he is called a bishop, but he is not a bishop, the name is void for him. And you see men speaking of nothing else. Did you see the bishop? Did you greet the bishop? Where did you come from? From the bishop. Where are you going? To the bishop. Therefore, to be what he is called, let him listen, not to me, but with me; let us listen together, let us as fellow students in one school learn from one Master Christ, whose chair is in heaven because his cross was first on earth. He taught the way of humility: descending to ascend, visiting those who lay low, and lifting up those who wished to cling to him.

Christ, teacher of humility by word and example. Let us approach the cup of the Lord's humility.

Finally, perceive it most evidently with hearing. Two of his disciples, brothers, sons of Zebedee, John and James, desired his exaltation above others, and through their mother, because they were ashamed, they told her to convey their wishes: "Lord," she said, "let one of my sons sit at your right hand in your kingdom, and the other at your left." And the Lord answered them, not her: "You do not know what you are asking." And he added: "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" What cup, except the one of which he says nearing his passion: "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me." "Can you," he said, "drink the cup that I am going to drink?" And they immediately, eager for exaltation, forgetting frailty, said: "We can." And he said: "You will indeed drink my cup; but to sit at my right or left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." Prepared for whom, if not for the disciples? Who will sit there, if not the Apostles? Prepared for others, not for you; for others, not for the proud. And well he himself showed humility, when he said: "For whom it has been prepared by my Father"; Although he himself prepared it, he said it was prepared by his Father; so that he would not seem arrogant, and not to build up to humility, for which he spoke all these things. For neither does the Father prepare what the Son does not prepare, nor does the Son prepare what the Father does not prepare, since he himself says: "I and the Father are one"; he also says: "Whatever the Father does, these same things the Son does likewise." Teacher of humility in word and deed: for since the beginning of creation he never ceased by angels, by prophets, to teach man humility; he deigned even to teach by his own example. Our Creator came humble, born among us: he who made us, he who was made for us: God before times, man in time, to free man from time. The great physician came to heal our pride. From the East to the West, the human race lay as a great sick one, and sought a great physician; this physician first sent his servants, and later he himself came, when he was despaired of by some. Just as the physician when he sends his servants, as if for something easy to do; but when it is a great danger, he comes himself; so the human race labored with great danger, ensnared in all vices, especially flowing from the source of pride: and therefore he came to heal pride itself by his own example. Feel shame to still be proud, man, for whose sake God was humbled. God would have greatly humbled himself, if he had only been born for you; he even deigned to die for you. Therefore he was on the cross as a man, when the persecuting Jews wagged their heads before the cross and said: "If he is the Son of God, let him come down from the cross, and we will believe in him." But he kept his humility, therefore he did not come down; he did not lose his power, but showed his patience. Consider his effect and virtue, and see how easily he could have come down from the cross, who could rise from the tomb. But humility for you, patience for you, if it was not to be demonstrated, it was not to be commanded; but if it was to be commanded by word, it was to be demonstrated and commended by example. Therefore, let us attend to this in the Lord: let us see his humility, drink his cup of humility, cling to him, meditate on him. It is easy to think of exaltations, easy to rejoice in honors, it is easy to lend ears to flatterers and sycophants. To bear reproach, to listen patiently to insult, to pray for the abusive, this is the Lord's cup, this is the Lord's banquet. Have you been invited by a greater? Consider that you ought to prepare such things.

Against those seeking the name of bishop, not the reality.

The Apostle, describing a bishop, first set forth this: He who desires the office of bishop desires a good work. What does this mean? It is as if he has inflamed everyone to desire the office of bishop, and it will be better to be ambitious than modest, and better to arrogate even unjustly what one does not deserve, than to avoid even justly through fear? Far from it, that is not so; he did not teach that we should aspire to attain the office of bishop. But what did he say? Pay attention, if I can explain what I feel. The Apostle's meaning is clear to those who understand, but obscure and dark to the proud and ambitious. Therefore, the Apostle says: He who desires the office of bishop desires a good work. It is not to desire the episcopate, to desire the episcopate: it is to desire a good work. But does he want to be bishop who does not do a good work, but his own work? He does not desire the episcopate. This is what I was saying just before: he seeks the title, not the reality. "I want to be a bishop": oh if only I were a bishop! Would that you were! Do you seek the title or the reality? If you seek the reality, you desire a good work; if you seek the title, you can have it even in evil work, but with worse punishment. What then shall we say? Are there bad bishops? Far from it, there are not: I boldly say, there are no bad bishops; for if they are bad, they are not bishops. You again bring me back to the title, and say: He is a bishop, for he sits on the chair. There is also a hay-keeper in the vineyard.

Much better if the bishop has neither a single wife nor carnal children.

He said among other things: "The husband of one wife; but how much better of none? How far should it be pursued to not more than one; but much better, if not even one. Having obedient children: that if he has them, he should have them obedient; not that he should strive to have them if he does not have them. For he commended discipline in children for the sake of managing the household: For if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God? These are the words of the Apostle himself. And how will he be a bishop without children, if he will be a good bishop? Indeed your bishop in the name of Christ, aided by the grace of Christ, did not want to have carnal children, so that he may have spiritual ones. It pertains to you to attend him worthily, obey worthily, serve with worthy service; and he will have obedient children, in place of few, so many, in place of earthly, heavenly, in place of heirs, co-heirs."

Augustine fears flatterers more than slanderers. Christ is the bishop of bishops.

We have spoken of good bishops and bad bishops; we have said what we ought to be and what we ought to avoid being. But what about you, O people of God? There is something for you too. For we wish you to be built upon the rock, to rise as a temple to God, to become suitable for receiving God, to have your hope not fluctuate in uncertainty, but be firmly placed. Whatever we are, you must be secure. Indeed, it is good for us to be bishops who are good leaders, not just to be called as such, this is good for us; for great reward is promised to such as these. But if we are not thus, but bad, which far be it, and we have sought our honors for our own sakes, neglected the commandments of God, held your salvation as nothing, greater punishments await us than the rewards that are promised. But far be it from us, and pray for us; for the higher the place, the greater the danger we are in. For we think about the account we must give for the obedience of men, rather than the reproaches of men. Many obey us, many slander us and curse us. Those who obey us make us more endangered than those who curse us; for the obedience of men tickles our pride, the curses of men exercise our patience: elsewhere I fear a fall, elsewhere I secure a foundation. For: "Do not fear the reproaches of men," a certain servant of God said to me. And the Lord Jesus Christ says: "Blessed shall you be when men revile you, and speak all evil against you falsely, for my sake." For if those who slander speak the truth, they do not speak badly, because they speak the truth; but they speak badly who speak falsely. But what did the Lord promise us? "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven." My slanderer increases my reward: my flatterer seeks to diminish my reward. But what shall I say, brothers? Should we wish that you be slanderers so that our reward increases? We do not wish our reward to increase from your evil. Be blessed, be obedient; let us be in danger, and let you not be diminished. What then, if the people encounter a bad bishop? The Lord and the bishop of bishops has made it secure, that your hope be not in man. Behold in the name of the Lord, I speak to you as bishop; what sort of person I am, I do not know: how much less do you know? For what I am at this moment, I can somewhat sense: what I shall be at some time to come, how do I know? How did Peter presume, and it was shown to Peter; sick he did not know himself, but he did not deceive the physician. He spoke, he presumed, he dared to promise: "With you until death." "I will lay down my life for you." And that physician looking upon the vein of the heart said: "You will lay down your life for me?" "Amen I say to you, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times."

The people should heed the bishop's teaching, not his bad habits.

May the Lord therefore grant, with the help of your prayers, that we both be this and persevere to the end in being what you want us to be, to all who wish us well and to what He who called and commanded us wants us to be; may He help us fulfill what He commanded. But whatever we may be, let your hope not be in us. I say this as a bishop; I wish to rejoice in you, not to be puffed up. Whomever I find placing hope in me, I do not congratulate him; he needs to be amended, not strengthened; changed, not stabilized. If I cannot admonish him, I grieve; but if I can admonish him, then I do not grieve. As I now speak in the name of Christ to the people of God, I speak in the Church of God, I speak as whatever servant of God: let your hope not be in us, let your hope not be in men. We are good, we are ministers; we are bad, we are ministers. But good, faithful ministers, truly ministers. Attend to what we minister; if you are hungry and do not wish to be ungrateful, notice from whose storehouse it is brought forth. It does not concern you in what kind of vessel it is placed that you eagerly desire to eat. In the great house of the householder, there are not only golden and silver vessels but also earthen ones. There is a silver vessel, there is a golden vessel, there is an earthen vessel; you see what kind of bread it has, and from whom this bread is, by whose gift it is ministered. Notice him about whom I am speaking, by whose gift this bread is ministered. He Himself is the bread: I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Therefore we minister Christ to you for Christ, himself under himself; so that he himself may reach you, he himself may be the judge of our ministry. For if the bishop is a thief, he will never say to you from this chair: Steal; but he will not say to you except: Do not steal. For he receives this from the storehouse of the Lord. If he wishes to say anything else, you reject him and say: This is not from the Lord's storehouse, you are speaking to me of your own. He who speaks a lie speaks of his own. Therefore let him say to you according to God: Do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not kill; let him say to you according to God, so that you may fear, so that you may not be exalted, so that you may turn away from the love of the world, so that you may place your hope in the Lord. Let him say these things to you according to God. If he does not do them himself, what is that to you? The Lord your God is Christ, He has made you secure. The scribes and Pharisees seated themselves on the chair of Moses in the image of the rulers; do what they say, but do not do what they do; for they say and do not do. What will you say to this? How will you excuse yourself in the judgment of Christ? Will you say: I did wrong because I saw my bishop not living well. It will be answered to you: You chose for yourself, with whom you would be condemned, not with whom you would be freed. You imitated him who lived badly; why did you imitate him rather than hear me through him? For I had not said to you in my Gospel, when you see bad rulers, to do what they say but not what they do? You would hear me through them and not perish by them.

The grape must be gathered, although it is surrounded by thorns.

Therefore, if even the wicked can say good things, now let us respond to Christ and say, for the sake of learning, not to despise or abuse: Lord, if the wicked can say good things—wherefore did you warn and commanded saying: Do what they say, but do not do what they do—if therefore the wicked can say good things, how do you say in another place: Hypocrites, you cannot speak good things, for you are wicked? Pay attention to the matter bound, until you discern it loosed by his help. I propose the question again. Christ says: Do what they say: but do not do what they do; for they say, and do not do. What then, if not because they say good things, but do evil things? Therefore, what they say, we should do; what they do, we should not do. In another place: Do they gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Every tree is known by its fruit. What then, how will we obey? How will we understand? Behold, they are briars, they are thorns. Do it. You command me to gather grapes from thorns; elsewhere you command, elsewhere you forbid: how will I obey? Listen, understand. When I say: What they say, do; but do not do what they do, pay attention first to what I say: They have sat upon the chair of Moses, I said. When they say good things, they do not say them themselves, but the Chair of Moses. He has placed the chair for doctrine: not because the chair speaks, but the doctrine of Moses; it is in their memory, but not in their deeds. But when they say themselves, when they speak themselves, that is, when they speak of their own, what do they hear? How can you speak good things, for you are wicked? For attend to another similarity. Do not gather grapes from thorns: for a grape can never be born from thorns. But did you not notice a vine shoot growing into a hedge, and winding around the thorns, and presenting fruit among the thorns, offering a cluster? You are hungry, and you pass by, and you see a cluster hanging among the thorns; do not do it, do not pick it. You are hungry, and you want to pick it; pick it, extend your hand carefully and cautiously; beware of the thorns, pick the fruit. So, even when the worst or wicked man speaks to you the doctrine of Christ, listen, receive, do not despise it. If the man is wicked, those are his thorns; if he says good things, that cluster is hanging among the thorns, it is not born from the thorns. Therefore, if you are hungry, pick it, but watch out for the thorns. For if you begin to imitate his deeds, while you willingly listen to him, you extended your hand incautiously; first you hit the thorns, before you reached the fruit; you come out wounded, you come out torn; now the fruit from the grape does not benefit you, but the thorns from their own root harm you. For, so that you may not be deceived, attend to whence you picked the fruit: the branch is there. Direct your eyes to the branch, and see it belongs to the vine, comes from the vine, proceeds from the vine, but encounters the thorns. Should the vine then contract its branches? Thus, the doctrine of Christ, growing and proceeding, has inserted itself in good trees, has inserted itself in evil thorns; it is spoken by the good, it is spoken by the evil. You see, whence the fruit is, whence is born that which feeds you, and whence is born that which pricks you; they are mixed in public face, but separated in root.

The sharper pain of Augustine concerning the torn unity of the Church. Question between the Donatists and the Catholics. John 10:11 onwards had been read. The accusation of the Donatists about the burned books of the Gospels.

But take heed to this, my brothers, so that we may also speak of our sharper pain, take heed to this, our brothers, why they have separated themselves from us. Let them tell us, why? The bishops were evil. They sat in their chairs, they sat in the chairs of Christ, they were in the unity of Christ: they ought not to have been separated from the unity. They themselves were evil: you would do what the Lord commanded: Do what they say, but do not do what they do. Why did you separate yourself from the chair of Christ? If a pestilential person sat there, you would listen through him, not imitate him. And yet you can prove it, when you say: A pestilential person sat there? But I can prove you to be pestilential, who left the chair of Christ. What you say is hidden; what I say, I prove. Your separation punishes you, your schism punishes you. We were bought together, we were acquired with one price; the records of our price are read, the sacred instrument of our purchase is the Gospel. I open, I read. What do I open? what do I read? Where we were bought, where we are brothers and fellow servants, where we are established in unity. For Christ did not remain silent about what He bought, lest anyone take His possession from Him and substitute another; He assuredly did not remain silent about what He bought. Open the records, read; instruments were drawn up, He did not buy without a scripture, He foresaw future calumniators; He assuredly did what is objected to calumniators. What is read, is believed; what is read, see who wrote it, see who spoke it, by whom it was received. He spoke, the Apostles received it: they left it written for us. Let us read the instrument, brothers: why do we argue? What if the records of our Lord, our purchaser, take away the quarrel from us? You say the Church of Christ is among the Africans and in Africa; I say the Church of Christ is spread through all nations. Behold where the question lies, behold whence the quarrel among brothers. You argue for a part: you argue to remain in a part. I contradict you, so that you may possess the whole. Understand the harmonious dispute, understand the dispute of love. I do not say to you: You are conquered, depart. For from the beginning, dividers of inheritance displeased our Lord Jesus Christ. For to the one preaching truth among the people, one from the crowd said: Lord, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. And the Lord, who did not want to confirm division, who came to create unity— for we heard also earlier in the Gospel about this very unity: I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, so there shall be one flock, one shepherd—the Lord, therefore, who loved unity, hated division, said to that man: Tell me, man, who made me a divider of inheritance among you? I say to you: Beware of all greed. He did not wish to be the divider of inheritance: He came to gather unity, to give one inheritance across the lands. Let the instruments of His inheritance be read; let them be read, as I began to say. He rose from the dead, He showed Himself to His disciples, not only to be seen, but also to be touched and handled. Touch, He said, and see, because a spirit does not have bones and flesh as you see I have. For they had thought Him to be a spirit, not a body; a phantom, not the truth. And while they still marveled for joy, He said to them: Did you not know that, while I was still with you, I said these things to you, that all things written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled? What is this? what is written about Him in the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms? Hear: That the Christ must suffer. I believe, he said. By merit, brothers: heed the rest. I read the Lord's records, I read the instrument or rather the testament of our inheritance; let us read, let us understand: why do we argue? Behold, I read, listen to the rest: The Christ must suffer. Do you believe with me? I believe, he said. And to rise from the dead on the third day. Do you believe with me? I believe indeed. Believe also in the rest, and the discord is ended. What is that in the rest? And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Behold what I read, this is the Church of Christ: Through all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Hold it with me, and you will end discord. If you are not in it, you are in a part. You conquer to your detriment, you are conquered for your gain. Recognize you are defeated, and you will hold it with me spread through all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. The Lord's records are read, the Lord's Gospel speaks; why do you slander me, because I burned these records? Who should be believed to have burned them: he who obeyed them, or he who despised them? Whoever burned them, wherever they came from, let us read, let us hear, let us do, let us agree; let us leave the past to the past; let us leave the transitory things to those who have passed.

The deeds of the Carthaginian conference in the year 411. Charity is expanded more by a numerous possessor.

Their advocate, their defender in the midst of the proceedings of our debate, cried out in distress: "Neither the cause of the cause, nor the person of the person prejudices." Did Caecilian sin? Rather, Caecilian did not sin, but suppose Caecilian did sin; certainly listen to your defender. "Neither the cause of the cause, nor the person of the person." One person would not prejudice another person: and will it prejudice the ends of the earth? Will it prejudice the inheritance of Christ going through all nations, beginning from Jerusalem? Did Caecilian sin: will Christ therefore lie? And yet Caecilian did not sin; but you do not want to be a good Christian. Why speak to me about a man? I spoke this to you, I was building you up to this. My hope is not in Caecilian, I did not place my hope in a man. If Caecilian was good, I will congratulate a good brother; if he was bad, I am not a judge of a brother's hidden matters. Therefore, setting aside Caecilian's honor and memory for a moment, I appeal to my Lord, I appeal to Christ against my brother. Not as that man; I do not say to Him, "Lord, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me"; but I say: "Lord, tell my brother to hold the inheritance with me." Therefore, by appealing to the Lord against my brother, it is not against my brother, but for my brother; I do not want him disinherited, I do not want to possess alone; for I know that what I possess will not be narrow if many possess with me. What I possess is called charity, which, the more numerous its possessors, the more it is expanded.