Sermon 40
SERMO 40
From the same place of Ecclesiasticus:
"Do not delay to turn to God."
"Do not put off from day to day."
Endure the Lord because you are sustained by Him.
Frequently, Brothers, we have sung with the Psalmist, Wait for the Lord, act manfully; and let thy heart take courage, and wait for the Lord. What does it mean: Wait for the Lord? So that you receive when He gives; do not demand then, when you want. The time of giving is not yet: He waited for you, wait for Him. What does it mean that I said: He waited for you, wait for Him? If you are already living righteously, if you have already turned to Him, if you are displeased with your past deeds, if you have now decided to choose a new good life; do not hasten to demand. He waited for you, so that you would change your bad life: wait for Him, so that He may crown your good life. For if He had not waited, there would be no one to whom He could give. Wait therefore, because you have been waited for.
But you, who do not wish to be corrected, o whosoever you are who still do not wish to be corrected; as if there were only one: rather I should say: Whoever you are here. You, however, who are here, who have not decided to be corrected: I will speak as if to one: Whoever does not wish to be corrected, what promise do you make to yourself? Do you perish by despairing, or by hoping? Whoever perishes by despairing, this you say in your mind: My iniquity is upon me, I am wasting away in my sins; what hope is there for my living? Hear the Prophet saying: I do not desire the death of the wicked; only let the wicked turn from his evil way and live. Whoever perishes by hoping, this you say in your mind: God is good, God is merciful, He forgives all, He does not repay evil for evil. Hear the Apostle saying: Do you not know that the patience of God leads you to repentance?
Most people perish by hoping badly.
What then remains? Since if we have achieved anything with you, if what I said has entered your heart, I see what you will answer me: It is true, nor do I despair, that by despairing I should perish; nor do I hope wrongly, that by hoping I should perish. I do not say to myself: "My iniquity is upon me, now I have no hope." Nor do I say to myself: "God is good, He recompenses evil to no one." Nor do I say this, nor do I say that: "The Prophet oppresses me, the Apostle oppresses me." And what do you say? Still, for a little while, I will live as I want. These are those who tire us: they are many, they are troublesome. Still, for a little while, I will live as I want, afterwards, when I correct myself, it is certainly true what the Prophet said: I do not want the death of the wicked; but let the wicked turn from his evil way, and live. When I have turned, He will blot out all my evils; why should I not add something to my pleasures, and live as much as I want, how I want, afterwards turning myself to God?
Why do you say this, brother? Why? Because God has promised forgiveness if I change myself. I see, I know, God has promised forgiveness; He promises this through the holy Prophet, and through me, His least servant, He promises it. It is true that He promises this, He promised this through His only Son. But why do you wish to add evil days to evil days? Sufficient for the day is its own evil. Yesterday was an evil day, today is evil too, and tomorrow will be evil. Do you think there are good days when you are indulging your desires, when you nourish your heart in luxuries, when you lie in wait for another’s chastity, when you distress your neighbor with deceit, when you deny what was entrusted to you, when you swear falsely for money? When you lay out a good meal for yourself, do you think you are having a good day because of it? How can it be possible for the day to be good, when man is evil? Do you wish to add evil days to evil days?
No one promised you would be alive tomorrow.
I ask, somewhat, he said, that it be granted to me. Why? Because God promised me pardon. But no one promised you that you will live tomorrow. Or read to me, how you read the Prophet, the Gospel, the Apostle, that when you are converted, God deletes all your iniquities: read to me where tomorrow is promised to you, and live wickedly tomorrow. However, my brother, I ought not to have said this to you. Perhaps your life will be long: if it will be long, let it be good. Why do you want to have a long and wicked life? Or if it will not be long; and that long life ought to delight you, one which has no end: or if it will be long; and what evil will there be, because you lived well for a long time? You want to live wickedly for a long time, not well? And yet no one promised you tomorrow. Correct yourself, listen to Scripture: Do not delay converting to God. These words are not mine: but they are mine. If I love, they are mine: love, and they are yours. The sermon I am now speaking is of Holy Scripture: if you despise it, it is your adversary. But hear the Lord saying: Be reconciled quickly with your adversary. Let all hear, I recite the words of divine Scripture. O wicked delayer, o wicked desirer of tomorrow, hear the Lord speaking, hear the Holy Scripture proclaiming. From this place I am a watchman. Do not delay converting to God, nor defer from day to day. See if He did not see them, see if He did not inspect them who say: Tomorrow I will live well, today I will live wickedly. And when tomorrow comes, you will say this. Do not delay converting to God, nor defer from day to day. For suddenly His wrath will come, and in the time of vengeance He will destroy you. Did I write this? Can I erase it? If I were to erase, I fear being erased. I can remain silent: I fear being silent. I am compelled to preach: afraid, I make afraid. Fear with me, so that you may rejoice with me. Do not delay converting to God. Lord, see that I speak: Lord, You know that You have terrified me, when Your Prophet was being read. Lord, You know my fear on that chair, when Your Prophet was being read. Behold, I say, Do not delay converting to God, nor defer from day to day. For suddenly His wrath will come, and in the time of vengeance He will destroy you. But I do not want you to be destroyed.
The Lord commands us to be watchful.
I do not want you to tell me: "I want to perish," because I do not want that. Therefore, my "I do not want" is better than your "I want." If your father were lethargic and sick in your hands, and you, a young man, were present with the sick old man, and the doctor said: "Your father is in danger; this sleep is a certain lethal sluggishness; watch him, do not allow him to sleep; if you see him sleeping, wake him; if waking is not enough, pinch him; if this is still not enough, prick him, so that your father does not die," you would be a young man burdensome to the old man. He, having relaxed into a sweet illness, would close his eyes pressed by that heaviness, and you would cry out against him to your father: "Do not sleep." But he would say: "Let me be, I want to sleep." And you would say: "But the doctor said: if he wants to sleep, do not let him." And he would say: "Please, let me be, I want to die." But I do not want that, says the son to the father. To whom? Certainly to the one wishing to die. And yet you intend to delay the death of your father and to live somewhat longer with your dying old father. The Lord calls to you: "Do not sleep, lest you sleep forever; wake up, so that you may live with me and have a father whom you will not bear out." You hear, and you are deaf.
Security granted by a steward is worth nothing.
What have I done as a watchman? I am free, I do not burden you. I know some will say: What did he want to tell us? He terrified us, he burdened us, he made us guilty. Indeed, I wanted to free you from guilt. It is vile, it is shameful: I do not want to say evil, I do not want to say dangerous, I do not want to say ruinous; it is shameful that I should deceive you if God does not deceive me. The Lord threatens death to the impious, the most wicked, the fraudsters, the criminals, the adulterers, the seekers of pleasures, the despisers of Him, the murmurers about the times and those not changing their ways: the Lord threatens them with death, with hells, with eternal destruction. What do they want, that I should promise what He does not promise? Behold, the steward offers you security: what good is it to you, if the master of the house does not accept it? I am a steward, I am a servant: do you want me to say to you: Live as you wish, the Lord will not destroy you? The steward gave you security: the security of the steward is worth nothing. Would that the Lord gave it to you, and I would make you concerned! For the Lord's security is valid, even if I am unwilling; indeed, mine is worth nothing, if He is unwilling. But what is security, Brothers, either mine or yours, except that we attentively and diligently listen to the Lord's commands, and faithfully await the promises? In these, we weary ourselves, for we are humans: let us implore His help, let us groan to Him. Let our prayers not be for passing, transient, and vanishing worldly matters: but let our prayers be for fulfilling righteousness itself, and sanctification for God's name: not for defeating a neighbor, but for conquering lust: not for healing the flesh, but for restraining greed. Let our prayers be for this: let them aid us in struggling within, so that they may crown us as victors.