Sermon 372
SERMO 372
On the birth of the Lord
The birth of Christ is twofold.
Your faith knows, beloved, which has gathered this entire multitude, that a Savior is born to us today. He was born always of the Father, once of the mother: of the Father without sex, of the mother without common experience. With the Father, indeed, the womb of the conceiver was absent: with the mother, the embrace of the begetter was absent. The first birth from the Father preserved nature: the second birth from the mother sowed grace. The former held the majesty of the divine substance; the latter accepted the companionship of human mortality. And in this, He deigned to come so that He might become obedient unto death, and by dying, conquer death. Each birth is ineffable, each is wonderful. For what human heart can comprehend, or what tongue can explain, how Christ is always born from God, or how He was recently from the womb? Who can understand the coeternal Father with the Son, who can express the virgin mother? Him begetting without beginning, without end; her conceiving without lust, giving birth without corruption? Each birth is wondrous, because it is divine. Therefore, whether the human mind considers the one or the other, it rightly says: Who shall declare His generation? And what shall we do, brothers? Since we are not able to speak worthily, should we remain silent? Far be it from us, far be it that the tongue of the servant should remain silent when it is the Lord's Nativity. Therefore, let us say what we can, what we read.
The wedding feast of Christ.
Blessed David, speaking about Christ, says in the Psalms: He has placed his tabernacle in the sun, and he like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, rejoiced as a giant. For today he has come forth from the sacred chamber, that is, from the hidden and incorrupt secret of the womb of blessed virgins. He came forth thence as the son of a virgin, the bridegroom of a virgin: namely, the son of Mary, the bridegroom of the Church. For the Apostle was speaking to the whole Church when he said: I have betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Bridegroom and giant.
To such a marriage of Christ, the Father of the groom first invited the people of the Jews. But what does the Gospel say? Those who were invited were not worthy. Afterward, the multitude of all the Gentiles was invited; it filled the Church and received from the Lord's table not cheap meals or ignoble drinks, but it tasted the flesh and blood of the very Shepherd, the very Christ who was slain. The innocent lamb himself was slain for his wedding, slain for his wedding; and whomever he invited, he fed with his flesh. He prepared the feast by being slain: by rising, he celebrated the wedding. Slain, he endured voluntary suffering: by rising, he took his appointed bride. In the womb of the virgin, he received human flesh as a pledge: on the cross, he poured out his most precious dowry, his blood: in his resurrection and ascension, he strengthened the bonds of eternal marriage. For he ascended on high, led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. What gifts? The Holy Spirit, through whom love spread in human minds, the Church adhered inseparably to Christ as her husband. Therefore, today he proceeded as a bridegroom from his sacred chamber, and as the Psalm says: He rejoiced as a giant to run his course. He proceeded as a bridegroom, rejoiced as a giant. Beautiful and strong: beautiful, as a bridegroom; strong, as a giant. Beautiful, to be loved; strong, to be feared: beautiful, to be pleasing; strong, to conquer. Where is the beauty of this bridegroom found in the Holy Scriptures? Fairer in form than the children of men: grace is poured upon thy lips. Where is the strength of the giant found? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Both beauty and strength were seen and understood by Isaiah when he said: Who is this that comes from Edom, with garments dyed red from Bozrah, so splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? Therefore, this prophet, who called him both beautiful and strong, knew him as both bridegroom and giant.
The life of man is a river. Christ the savior.
Therefore, beloved, He rejoiced as a giant to run His course. What course, if not the mortal path which He deemed worthy to share with us? That is the path through which humankind passes. For they pass through it by being born and by dying. And this river of the human race flows perpetually from the hidden veins of nature from the beginning to the end. From this rapid and turbulent river Christ deigned to drink. You have just heard in the psalm: "He drinks from the torrent in the way." This torrent led us to birth, and led us to death. As from a hidden spring, Christ received the abyss of the sea. For us, He was both born and died. And because men, positioned in the middle of this river, often delight in the flatteries and allurements of the world, which are involved in the silt of this torrent, and they are submerged into the depths of hell, who, eagerly drinking the passing waves, are thus killed by trying to stand in the precipitous torrent and seeking firm steps in its republic: thus the Lord drank from the torrent in the way. What does it mean, "He drank in the way"? He drank while passing through. For He drank and passed through, He did not remain: nor did He stand in the way of sinners. Again, men fear death; because it is necessary for all to be hurled by the force of this torrent: but Christ could not fear the death He voluntarily accepted; thus it is said: "And He rejoiced as a giant to run His course." For He descended and ran: ascended and sat. You know this because you confess it frequently: after He rose again, He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. Blessed Ambrose very briefly and beautifully sang of our giant's journey in the hymn you sang a little earlier. Speaking of the Lord Christ, he thus said: "His going forth from the Father, His return to the Father: His journey down to the infernos, His return to the seat of God." If we ask why all these things were done, dearest ones, we will find they were done for us. For He descended, so that we might ascend; died, so that we might live; rose again, so that we might rise again; ascended into heaven, so that we might learn to despise worldly things and to lift our hearts upward. Finally, to raise our hope after Him, He first raised His flesh: and so that we might hope this would follow in us, what He received from us preceded in Him.