Sermon 358

SERMO 358

Concerning Peace and Charity

Difficult peace must be approached. The conquered conquerors.

Our concern for you, and for our enemies and yours, for the salvation of all, for peace, for common unity, which the Lord commanded, the Lord loves, may the prayers of your holiness aid, so that we may speak to you of it repeatedly, and rejoice with you. Indeed, to speak of peace and charity, if we always love, we always ought; much more therefore at this time, when peace is so loved, that those, being constituted in the danger of loving and holding it, to whom we do not return evil for evil, and with whom, as it is written, we are peaceful with those who hate peace, and because we speak to them, they want to conquer us gratuitously: therefore those who are such, are endangered between the love of peace and the confusion of shame, nor do they do that, when they do not want to be conquered, so that they may be unconquered. For those who do not wish to be conquered by the truth, are conquered by error. Oh, if love rather than animosity would overcome them! Thence they would become victors, whence they would be defeated. We for the Catholic Church, to whose peace and reconciliation we invite its enemies, not by human opinions, but by divine testimonies, love, hold, defend. What shall I do with him, who cries for a part, and disputes against the whole? Is it not good for him to be conquered, because if he shall be conquered, he will hold the whole; if he shall conquer, he will remain in part? Indeed, if he shall seem to himself to conquer, for he does not conquer unless by truth: the victory of truth is charity.

Regarding unity, what does Holy Scripture advise?

What then, brothers, should I commend to you with many words, and with my own, about the Catholic Church, which is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world? We have the words of the Lord for it and for ourselves. The Lord said to me: You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession. Why then, brothers, do we dispute about possession, and do not rather recite the holy scriptures? Let them think we have come before a judge. There is a dispute about possession: and this dispute is not of strife, but of love. After all, a litigator of earthly possession litigates to exclude his adversary: we to bring him in. The litigator of earthly possession, when he hears his adversary saying: "I want to possess," responds: "I do not permit it." But I say to my brother: "I want you to possess with me;" and he says in disputing: "I do not want it." Therefore, I do not fear lest the Lord should despise me and rebuke me, as he did those brothers, or that brother, who appealed to him among the people, and said: "Lord, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." Immediately the Lord rebuking him, because he hated division, said: "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?" I say to you, beware of all covetousness. I do not fear this rebuke. For I appeal to my Lord: I confess, I appeal. Yet I do not say: "Lord, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me;" but I say: "Lord, tell my brother to keep unity with me." Behold, I recite the document of this possession, not so that I may possess alone, but to convince my brother who is unwilling to possess with me. Behold the document, brother: "Ask of me," he says, "and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession." It was said to Christ. Therefore, it was said to us, because we are members of Christ. Why do you run to a part? Or remain in a part? Behold, take all that is in the scriptures. Do you seek who and who may possess, as is customary to seek possessors by documents, among whom they may be relatives? The one who gave you all the ends, left no relatives behind.

Another testimony.

Hear another testimony of the holy scriptures. Of the Lord Christ it is said in the figure of Solomon: He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. The Ethiopians shall fall before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and the islands shall offer gifts: the kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring presents. And all the kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him. When it was said, it was believed: when it is fulfilled, it is denied. Therefore hold with me the inheritance from sea to sea, and from the river, namely the Jordan, where the teaching of Christ began, to the ends of the earth. Why do you not want it? Why are you an enemy to this promise and inheritance, your riches? Why do you not want it? Because of Donatus? Because of Caecilianus? Who was Donatus? Who was Caecilianus? Certainly men. If good, to their own good, not mine: so also if evil, to their own evil, not mine. You take Christ, and attend to his Apostle zealous for Christ: Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? To say this, see what he shuddered at: Each of you says, I indeed am of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of Cephas, I am of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? If not in the name of Paul, much less in the name of Caecilianus; much more, and much less in the name of Donatus. And yet still after the apostolic words, after the declaration of the Church and its spread throughout the world, it will be said to me: I do not leave Donatus, I do not leave I don’t know which Gaius, Lucius, Parmenianus. A thousand names, a thousand divisions. By following man, you will deprive yourself of such a great inheritance, which you have just heard: From sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth. Why do you not hold it? Because you love a man. What is man but a rational animal made of earth? Therefore you are an enemy, because you lick the earth. Instead, despise this. Do not lick the earth, so that you may place your hope in him who made heaven and earth. This is our hope, these testimonies: The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Do not remain on the earth, but go where the earth has been called.

The magnitude of charity.

And who can recite all the testimonies of this possession from the holy records? Why then do they not turn to the Church, except because it is the voice of the Church itself: "Turn to me who fear you, and know your testimonies"? The Church saw this, which it said in the Psalm. You have just heard, recent words are in your ears and hearts: "I have seen the end of all perfection." What is: "I have seen the end of all perfection"? Of perfection, not consumption; and the end, of perfection not abolition. "I have seen the end of all perfection: your commandment is exceedingly broad." "I have seen the end of all perfection." What is this end? Your commandment is exceedingly broad. For the end of the commandment is, now you say with me. You all said, what you have always heard not in vain. The end of the commandment is charity from a pure heart. The end by which we are perfected, not by which we are consumed. This end is broad, because it is the commandment of God and to whom it is said: "Your commandment is exceedingly broad." "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another." See the breadth of this commandment. Where is it broad? Surely not in the flesh? Rather in the heart. For if it were also broad in the flesh, diligent listeners, you would not suffer narrowness. It is broad in the heart. Where it is broad, see if you have the means to see, and hear the Apostle from here, how broad is the commandment of charity: "The love of God is poured into our hearts." He did not say, enclosed, but poured. For the word enclosed seems to sound narrowness; the word poured suggests breadth. Therefore, your commandment is exceedingly broad. Lord our God, approve that because of this breadth we invite our brothers to the possession of peace. Do you want to be bishops? Be with us. Does the people not want two bishops? Be brothers with us in the inheritance. Let us not obstruct the peace of Christ for the sake of our honors. What honor are we to receive in heavenly peace if we defend our honor now in earthly strife? Let the wall of error be removed, and let us be together. Recognize me as a brother: I recognize you as a brother: but except for schism, except for error, except for dissension. Let this be corrected, and you are mine. Do you not want to be mine? I, if you correct yourself, want to be yours. Therefore, with the error removed from the midst, as with the wall of the fence of contradiction and division, be my brother, and I be your brother, so that we may both be of Him, who is Lord and mine and yours.

Let the reason be discussed.

We say these things out of love for peace, not out of distrust in the truth. For we have written this, you have read this purpose: because we do not avoid presenting our case, rather we urge that it be presented; so that when I have demonstrated possession, I may share the inheritance with him. Let him come without fear, let him come confidently, let him come learned: I do not wish to prejudge by authority. Let us open our eyes to Him who cannot err: let Him teach us what the Church is. You have heard His testimonies. Human sins do not contaminate it, which human justice does not redeem. And yet, though the cause of the Church is one thing, the cause of men is another, and they are entirely distinct, we do not fear the cause of men, whom they have accused but could not convict. We know they are purified, we read they are purified. If they were not purified, I would not establish the Church in their cause, nor build on sand, and cast down from the rock: because upon this rock, He says, I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not overpower it. The rock, however, was Christ. Was Paul crucified for you? Hold to these things, love these things, say these things brotherly and peacefully.

Admonition to the brothers.

Do not rush to the place of assembly, my brothers. Absolutely, if possible, avoid even passing through that place, lest by chance any entrance to contention and strife be found, or some opportunity be offered, and those who seek an opportunity find it, especially since those who fear God little, or disdain our admonition, or because they love present things, ought at least to fear the severity of earthly power. You have read the edict of the illustrious man publicly posted: indeed, it was not posted for you who fear God and do not disdain the admonition of your bishops; but so that no one may neglect or disdain these matters. Therefore, let those who are such see: lest by chance what the Apostle said might happen to them: For he who resists authority resists the ordinance of God. For rulers are not a terror to good work, but to evil. Let us avoid all sedition, all situations of sedition. Perhaps you will say: we are intent on what we shall do. There is something we must enjoin on you: perhaps fertile parts of piety. We dispute on your behalf: you pray on ours. Also, as we have already forewarned, assist your prayers with fasts and alms. Add wings to them, by which they may fly to God. Acting in this manner, perhaps you will be more useful to us than we to you. For none of us presumes anything about himself in this dispute: all hope is in God. Nor are we better than the Apostle, who says: Pray for us. He says, Pray for me, that a word may be given to me. Therefore, ask Him for us, in whom we have placed our hope, so that you may rejoice over our dispute. Hold on to these things, brothers, we beseech you, by the name of the Lord himself, the author of peace, the founder of peace, the planter of peace, we pray to you that you may peacefully pray to Him, peacefully beseech Him; and remember that you are His children, of whom it is said: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.