Sermon 354
SERMO 354
To the Continents: In which he first strengthens them against detractors and envious people, then further commands them to avoid pride.
The members of Christ must incur the hatred of the world.
The Lord admonished this when the Gospel was read, because whoever believes in Him, believes in Him who sent Him. The faith holds most truly that the Savior of the world was sent to us: because Christ Himself preaches Christ, that is, the body of Christ spread throughout the entire world. For He was in heaven, and said to the persecutor raging on earth: "Why do you persecute me?" Here the Lord thus expressed Himself being in us. Thus He grows whole: because just as He is here in us, so also we are there in Him. This is made by the bond of love. He who is our head, is the Savior of His body. Therefore, Christ preaches Christ, the body preaches its head, and the head protects its body. And that's why the world hates us, as we have heard from the Lord Himself. He was not saying this to the few apostles; that the world would hate them; and that they ought to rejoice when men reviled them and said all evil against them, because for these reasons their reward would be greater in heaven; the Lord did not say this to them only when He said these things: but He said it to His entire body, to all His members. Whoever in His body also wishes to be His member, let him not be surprised that the world hates him.
Enemies are also to be considered those who, although they seem to be members of Christ, love the world.
Many receive the sacrament of His body; but not all who receive the sacrament will have a place with Him promised to His members. Indeed, nearly all call the sacrament His body, since all graze together in His pastures; but the one who will come to divide will place some on the right, and others on the left. And each party will say: Lord, Lord, when did we see You and minister to You? or: Lord, when did we see You and not minister to You? Each party will say this: yet to one He will say: Come, blessed of My Father, receive the kingdom; and to the other: Depart into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
Therefore, dearest ones, we should not consider only those our enemies who openly are outside, but also those who are within. For many are much worse who seem to be inside, but are outside. They love the world; and therefore they are evil. Indeed, they think of us the things that they themselves love and envy us for the apparent prosperity of this world in which we groan. They consider us happy where we are in danger. However, they do not know our internal happiness; because they have not tasted it. Because whatever the world temporarily appears to us as a pleasure is more a danger than our adornment, they do not know; because they do not know how to distinguish these joys.
The continent, because they have a higher place in the body of Christ, are bitten by the malevolent.
Hence, we exhort your Charity, especially because we see you gathered more frequently, who have a higher purpose, that is, you hold a more excellent place in the very body of Christ by His gift, not by your merits, having a conscience that is given by God. For this very thing has come to the suspicion of our wicked and envious adversaries. Nevertheless, it is bitten so that it may be tested. For if we seek the praises of men in the profession of continence itself, we fail due to the reproaches of men. When you are a chaste servant of God, behold, the world perhaps suspects you of being unchaste, and it bites, and reproaches, and gladly dwells on your slanders; for to malevolent souls, it indeed sweetly tastes what it wickedly suspects; but if you wished to embrace continence for the sake of human praises, you failed due to human reproaches and lost everything you had proposed to yourself.
Moreover, if you know how to say with the Apostle: "This is our glory, the testimony of our conscience"; not only does it not diminish your reward before reproaches, but it also makes it greater. Yet you should pray for him, lest he perish at the cost of your reward. For herein also are we tested, beloved, in that if we had no enemies, there would be none for whom we might pray according to the command of our Lord who says: "Love your enemies, and pray for those who hate you." How then can we test ourselves, how can we probe our hearts, to see whether we can do this, if we never encounter any enemy, any critic, any detractor, any blasphemer? You see, therefore, that even the wicked are necessary for the good. We are in the goldsmith's furnace, that is to say, in this world. If you are not gold, you will burn altogether. If you are gold, the wicked is your straw. If you are also straw, you will become smoke together.
A comparison between those who are continent and those who are married.
Nevertheless, first know this, beloved, that in the body of Christ, the more excellent members are not alone. For the conjugal life is praiseworthy and has its place in the body of Christ, just as in our body, not only those parts that are more excellently situated have a place, such as the senses that occupy the upper part of the body in the face; but if the feet did not carry us, whatever is lofty would lie on the ground. Hence the Apostle says: "And those parts of our body which we consider less honorable, we treat with greater honor." God has so arranged the body, that there should be no division in the body. We know, however, that the members of Christ who lead a conjugal life, if they are members of Christ, that is, if they are faithful, if they hope for or expect the future age, if they know why they bear the sign of Christ, just as we know that they show honor to you; we know that they judge you to be better than themselves. But as much as they honor you, so much should you render mutual honor to them. For if there is holiness in you, fear lest you lose it. From what? Through pride. Holiness of the chaste is lost in one way if there is adultery; it is lost in another way if there be pride. And I dare to say, those leading a conjugal life, if they hold onto humility, are better than the proud chaste. For let your Charity consider what I say: observe the devil, does God in His judgment charge him with adultery or fornication? He does none of these things, who does not have flesh. It is solely pride and envy which send him into eternal fire.
Exhortation to Humility.
Therefore, for the servant of God who has been caught by pride, envy immediately follows. It is impossible to be proud and not envious. Envy is the daughter of pride: but this mother does not know how to be barren; wherever she is, she immediately gives birth. However, in order that it not be among you, consider this: in the time of persecution, not only the virgin Agnes was crowned, but also the woman Crispina: and certainly, it is beyond doubt, some of the continent faltered then, and many among the married fought and conquered. Therefore, the Apostle does not say in vain to all the members of Christ: “In humility, value others above yourselves, and honor one another.” For if you consider these things, you will not regard yourselves as great. Rather, you should think more about what you lack than about what you have. Beware not to lose what you have; pray to obtain what you do not yet have. You should think about in how many things you are lesser, not in how many things you are greater. For if you think about how much you have surpassed another, fear arrogance. But if you think about how much still remains for you, you will groan; and when you groan, you will be healed, you will be humble, you will walk more safely, you will not fall headlong, you will not be inflated.
Love must be pursued so that the swelling of pride may be avoided.
And if only all could think with one love. For it alone both conquers all things, without which all things are worth nothing, and which, wherever it may be, draws all things to itself. It is that which does not envy. Do you ask the reason? Pay attention to what follows: It is not puffed up. Pride is the first among vices, as I began to say, then envy follows. For envy does not produce pride, but pride produces envy. For no one envies unless impelled by the love of excellence. The love of excellence is called pride. Therefore, since pride comes first in order, and envy follows: The Apostle, in his praises of charity, did not want to say first: It is not puffed up, and then: It does not envy; but first said: It does not envy; And then: It is not puffed up. Why this? Because when he said: It does not envy, it seemed as if you would ask the reason why it does not envy; he added: It is not puffed up. Therefore, if it does not envy because it is not puffed up; if it were puffed up, it would envy. Let this grow in you, and the soul is strengthened, because it is not puffed up. Knowledge, says the Apostle, puffs up. What then? Should you flee knowledge, and choose to know nothing rather than to be puffed up? Why do we speak to you, if ignorance is better than knowledge? Why do we dispute with you? Why do we distinguish these things? Why do we remind you of what you know, and bring forth what you do not know, if knowledge is to be avoided, lest it puff up? Therefore love knowledge, but put charity before it. If knowledge is alone, it puffs up. But because charity builds up, it does not allow knowledge to puff up. Therefore, knowledge puffs up where charity does not build up: But where it builds up, it strengthens. There is no inflation where the rock is the foundation.
How God hears our prayers.
How much does swelling, that is, pride, tempt us, so that for this vice even that great Apostle would say a thorn in the flesh had been given to him, a messenger of Satan, to buffet him? One who is buffeted has his head struck, so that he does not become arrogant: for there, the danger from knowledge was the fear of swelling, that is, pride. For he says: "Lest I should be exalted by the abundance of revelations." Therefore, pride was to be feared where there was a revelation of great matters: "Lest I should be exalted by the abundance of revelations, a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me, was given to me. For this cause I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me: and he said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." The sick person asks that what the physician applies for health may be removed whenever the sick person wishes. The physician says: "No; it stings, but it heals." You say: "Remove what stings." The physician says: "I do not remove it, because it heals." Why then did you come to the physician? To be healed, or not to endure discomfort? Therefore the Lord did not hear Paul according to his will, because he heard him according to his health. For it is no great thing to be heard by God according to your will; it is no great thing. Do not think it a great thing, whenever anyone prays, if he is heard for a great matter, just because he is heard. Ask what he prays for, ask what he is heard in. Therefore, do not think it a great thing to be heard according to your will: consider it a great thing to be heard according to your benefit. Even the demons were heard according to their will, and were allowed to go into the swine which they requested. Also, their prince, the devil, was heard according to his will; Job was asked to be tempted and was not refused, so that he might be tested, and he (the devil) might be confounded. The Israelites were also heard according to their will, and while food was still in their mouths, you know what followed. Therefore, do not consider it a great thing to be heard according to your will. Sometimes God in His anger gives what you ask, and God in His mercy denies what you ask. But when you ask from Him what God praises, what God commands, what God promises in the future world, ask confidently, and apply yourselves as much as you can to prayers, so that you may receive it. Those things are granted by God when He is pleased: those things are bestowed by His mercy, not by His wrath. But when you ask for temporal things, when you ask for them, ask with fear: commit it to Him, so that if they benefit, He may give it; if He knows they will harm, He may not give it. However, what is harmful, what is beneficial, the physician knows, not the sick person.
Against the haughty abstainers.
There are therefore humble continent persons, and there are proud ones. Let not the proud promise themselves the kingdom of God. There is a higher place which continence leads to; but he who exalts himself shall be humbled. Why seek a higher place by the desire for loftiness, which you can attain by the retention of humility? If you exalt yourself, God brings you down; if you humble yourself, God lifts you up. It is the Lord's judgment: nothing can be added, nothing can be taken away. So much so, however, do continent men often become proud, that they are ungrateful not only to any people, but even to their parents, and they exalt themselves against their parents. Why? Because the latter begot children, while the former despised marriages. Whence would those who despised marriages be ungrateful if the latter had not begotten them? But a son is better than his married father, because he did not take a wife: and a daughter is better than her married mother, because she did not seek a husband. If more proud, by no means better; if better, without doubt humbler. If you want to find yourself better, ask your soul if you see pride there. Where there is pride, there is vanity. The devil where he finds emptiness, tries to make a nest.
The proud celibate or even worse, the married, will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Finally, my brothers, I dare to say, it is better for the proud continent to fall, so that in the very thing in which they exalt themselves they may be humbled. For what advantage is continence to someone if pride rules? He despised where man was born from, and he desires where the devil fell from. You have despised marriage, you have done well; you have chosen something better: but do not be proud. From marriage man was born, from pride angels fell. If I consider each of your goods, you are better than your father, because you have despised marriage; and you are better than your mother, who has despised marriage. For even virginal sanctity is better than conjugal chastity. If we compare these two together, one is better than the other: who doubts? But adding two other things, pride and humility; in these two I ask you, and from these answer me: What is better, pride or humility? You answer: Humility. Join that to virginal sanctity. Let pride not only not be in your virginity, but let it not remain in your mother either. For if you have held pride, and your mother humility, the mother will be better than the daughter. Again, I will compare you. Previously, when I focused on the individual, I found you better; now, focusing on the dual, I do not doubt to prefer the humble woman over the proud virgin. And how to prefer? See how I prefer her, whom I now compare. Conjugal chastity is good, virginal integrity is better. I was comparing two goods, not bad and good; but distinguishing good and better. Next, when I set those two, pride and humility, can we say: Pride is good, but humility is better? But what do we say? Pride is evil, humility is good: and pride is a great evil, humility a great good. Therefore, if one of these two is evil and the other good: the evil is joined to your greater good, and everything becomes evil: the good is joined to your mother's lesser good, and it becomes a great good. The mother will have a lesser place in the kingdom of heaven because she was married than the daughter, because she is a virgin. For the virgin daughter will have a greater place, the married mother a lesser place, yet both will be there: as a bright star, as a dim star, both still in the sky. But if your mother is humble, you proud: she will have at least some place, but you none. And who finds another place who has no place there, except with him who fell from there, casting down one standing? The devil fell from where he cast down the standing man. He cast him down standing: but Christ descending raised him lying down. Where your Lord raised you from, consider. He raised with humility, made obedient unto death, humbled himself. Your humble prince, and you proud? Humble head, and proud member? God forbid. He who loves pride does not wish to be from the body of the humble head. If not, let him see where he will be. I do not want to say, lest I seem to have scared too much. Rather, I wish I have scared, and done something. I wish that who and she who had been as such, may not be further. I wish I have infused these words and not poured them out. Everything is to be hoped for from God's mercy: because who terrifies, saddens; who saddens, consoles; but if who is saddened is amended.