Sermon 371
SERMO 371
ON THE BIRTH OF THE LORD
The two nativities of Christ.
Today a Savior is born to us; and therefore today the true sun has arisen for the entire world. God was made man, so that man might become God: and that a servant might be turned into a lord, the Lord took on the form of a servant. The inhabitant of the heavens lived on earth, so that the man who lives on earth might dwell in the heavens. Therefore, a Savior is born to us, having suffered the day of birth from a repudiated Law conceived: yet born from the Father always, from the mother once. Indeed, we have received two births of our Lord Jesus Christ: first the divine, then the human; but clearly both are marvelous: in that one, the duties of the mother ceased, in this one, those of the father: one eternal, to create temporals; the other temporal, to grant eternals. He therefore in the form of God is equal to the Father, he in the form of a servant is subject to the Father. He, the creator of times, was born in time: and became so small as to be suckled by a woman; but remained so great indeed that he was not separated from the Father. Therefore, these births of the Lord are testified by the two beginnings of the evangelists as well. For one speaks thus of the divine birth: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God: this was with God in the beginning. All things were made through him, and without him was made nothing. Of this human birth, another evangelist reports thus: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David. Therefore, this is the nativity of the Lord, this is the day of the second birth: let us exult and rejoice in it. Nor without reason, with the day now lengthened, does light increase today; since on this very day true light has come to mankind: so that rightly the day increases its sunlight path, by which he brought us Him, through whom we would be freed from the darkness of death. Therefore, the Prophets, announcing him, like lanterns, preceded the day of his rising, and published with the brightest proclamations the miracles he would perform in the flesh. For it was fitting that he be proclaimed as coming, lest when he came, he would be doubted. Therefore, this is our God, conversing as a man among men. For he appeared to those seeing as a man, to those understanding as God: offering to those beholding a man, preserving to those believing a God. Therefore, the sight of his infirmity saved the weak; the contemplation of his divinity seeks the strong.
Humanity willed to be born, so that we might be born in him.
I beseech you, beloved, consider how great this mystery of truth is. To save mankind, He had given the Law, sent the Prophets: and because these remedies had preceded for healing of illnesses, God willed to offer Himself to the salvation of men. Moreover, men could not see God Himself in His substance: but men ought not to place their hope only in man. What then should be done here? They ought not to follow man, man who was to be followed could not be seen: God who was to be followed could not be seen. Therefore, to be displayed to man, and to be seen by man and to be followed by man, God became man. Finally, when He was already among men, and having brought three apostles into secret, He stood shining brightly with the clarity of divine worship: which the apostles who were present could scarcely behold due to the weakness of human condition. He willed to be born humanly, so that we might be born in Him, and might establish the sacraments of renewed birth for His future worshippers: so that we who were held bound by that birth, accompanying the footsteps of our Savior, might attain with certain protection of a second birth; whereby being born in God and from God, we might break the chains of ancient death, when we received the Holy Spirit as the pledge of salvation. Therefore when God desired to appear to men, and also wished to teach in person those things which He had previously commanded, He moderated His divine power by assuming human nature, and made darkness His hiding place around Him, when He covered Himself with the tabernacle of flesh. By such a great and ineffable sacrament, Christ our God is considered both man and God; man through the mother, God through the Father. Thus it comes to be true, that which He said: "The Father is greater than I"; and: "I and the Father are one." For He is equal to the Father in divinity, subordinated to the Father in incarnation.
God and man could be mixed. The mingling of soul and body is more difficult.
Some, however, are accustomed to ask how man and God could be mixed. They seek the reason for this mystery, which happened once: since they cannot in any way provide a reason for what always happens, that is, how the soul is mixed with the body, so that man may exist. Therefore, just as a corporeal thing and an incorporeal thing are joined to make a man: so man was joined to God, and Christ was made. And yet, for Christ to be made, those two incorporeal things, that is, the soul and God, could more easily be joined and mixed, than one incorporeal thing with another corporeal thing, that is, the soul and the body, to constitute the person of a man. But if God, the creator of heaven and earth, when he was God, became man, and humbled Himself even to death, death on the cross, how much more should earth and ashes not be proud? See, brothers, how much God humbled Himself for the sake of men. How much the servant ought to humble himself, when the Lord has descended to such great humility? This humility, dearest ones, if fully possessed by men, will even advance to love. For while one considers another superior, love creates equality. Therefore, man should not despise himself, for whom indeed God deigned to undergo these things.
The dignity of man arises from God's condescension towards him.
And I indeed, brothers, for whom I desire to expend and be expended, although I have always held you great in my conscience; yet this matter somehow makes you greater, when I consider how great is the condescension of my Lord for man. You are indeed the price of the Lord's incarnation, you are the price of the Lord's blood, you are members of Christ, to you Christ is the head: for you he did not hesitate to be born, for you to suffer all things; he even bore the cross itself for this, that he might join you to himself in his family. You are called brothers of Christ, you are called heirs of Christ. Therefore, beloved, let each one consider himself worthy, before whom he should not sin; let him consider himself worthy, before whom if he thinks of sin, he should blush. For you were bought with a great price: glorify and bear God in your body. He was born for you, he was offered for you; he also, if you act worthily, dwells in you. Let us act, meditating on the law of the Lord day and night, so that we may deserve to comprehend him, to see him. Let us act, so that because God deigned to descend for men, man may be able to ascend to God.