Sermon 58

SERMO 58

In this manner, therefore, you shall pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
On the Lord's Prayer, to the Competent.

The Creed and the Lord's Prayer.

You have recited the Creed, in which the faith is briefly comprehended. I have also previously told you what the apostle Paul said: How will they call on him in whom they have not believed? Therefore, since you have received, held, and recited how to believe in God: receive today how God is to be invoked. The Son himself, as you have heard, when the Gospel was read, taught his disciples and his faithful this Prayer. We have hope of obtaining our cause, when such a legal expert has dictated our prayers to us. The Assessor of the Father, as you have confessed, who sits at the right hand of the Father: he is our advocate, who will be our judge. For from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. Therefore also hold this Prayer, which you will recite in eight days. But whoever among you has not well recited the Creed, have time, hold it: because on the Sabbath you will recite it in the hearing of all who are present, on the last Sabbath, on which day you will be baptized. And in eight days from today you will recite this Prayer, which you have received today.

The one father of all.

Whose beginning is: Our Father, who art in heaven. We find the Father in heaven: let us take heed to how we live on earth. For so must he live, who has found such a Father, that he may be worthy to come to his inheritance. However, we commonly say: Our Father. What condescension! The emperor says this, the beggar says this; the servant says this, his master says this. Together they say: Our Father, who art in heaven. Therefore, they understand that they are brothers, when they have one Father. But let not the master disdain to have a servant as his brother, whom the Lord Christ chose to have as his brother.

Hallowed be thy name, we say: Thy kingdom come. The sanctification of the name of God is that by which we are made holy. For His name is always holy. We also wish for His kingdom to come: it will come, even if we do not wish it; but to wish and pray for His kingdom to come is nothing other than to wish from Him that He may make us worthy of His kingdom, lest, heaven forbid, it comes, and it does not come to us. For it will not come to many, though it will indeed come. For it will come to those to whom it will be said: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. It will not come to those to whom it will be said. Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire. Therefore when we say: Thy kingdom come, we pray that it may come to us. What does it mean for it to come to us? It means that it may find us good. Therefore we pray for this, that it may make us good: for then His kingdom will come to us.

Threefold interpretation of this petition.

We add: Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth. The angels serve you in heaven, let us serve you on earth. The angels do not offend you in heaven, let us not offend you on earth. As they do your will, so let us also do. And here, what do we pray for, except to be good? For when we do the will of God (for undoubtedly He does His own), then His will is done in us. And we also understand well in another way: Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth. We receive the command of God, and it pleases us, it pleases our mind. For we delight in the law of God according to the inner man. Then His will is done in heaven. For our spirit is compared to heaven, but our flesh to the earth. What then is: Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth? That as your command pleases our mind, so let our flesh consent to it; and let that strife be taken away from the midst, which is described by the Apostle: For the flesh lusts against the spirit, but the spirit against the flesh. When the spirit lusts against the flesh, then His will is done in heaven: when the flesh does not lust against the spirit, then His will is done on earth. There will be full concord when He wills it: let there be strife in the world, so that there can be victory. It can also be well understood in this way: Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth: that we regard the Church as heaven, because it bears God; but unbelievers as the earth, to whom it was said: You are earth, and to earth you shall go. Therefore, when we pray for our enemies, the enemies of the Church, the enemies of the Christian name, we pray this, that his will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth, that is, as in your faithful ones, so also in your blasphemers; so that all may become heaven.

What is daily bread.

It follows: Give us this day our daily bread. This can simply be understood as us praying for daily sustenance, so that it may abound for us; and if it does not abound, it may not be lacking for us. He said "daily" as long as it is called today. Daily we live, daily we rise, daily we are filled, daily we hunger. Give us our daily bread. Why did he not say "and covering"? For our sustenance is in food and drink, covering in clothing and shelter. Man should desire nothing more. Since the Apostle says: We brought nothing into this world, nor can we take anything out; having food and covering, with these we shall be content. Let avarice perish, and nature is rich. Therefore, if it pertains to daily sustenance, because it is also well understood, that we say: Give us this day our daily bread; let us not be surprised, if other necessary things are understood by the mentioned bread. Just as when Joseph invited his brothers: Those men, he said, will dine with me on bread today. Why were they to eat bread alone? But by bread alone other things were understood. Thus, when we ask for daily bread, we ask for whatever is necessary for our flesh in this world. But what did the Lord Jesus say? Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. This is also very well understood: Give us this day our daily bread, Your Eucharist, the daily food. For the faithful know what they receive, and it is good for them to receive the daily bread necessary for this time. They pray for themselves, that they may become good, that they may persevere in goodness and faith and good life. This they wish, this they pray for: because if they do not persevere in a good life, they will be separated from that bread. Therefore: Give us this day our daily bread, what does it mean? Let us live in such a way that we are not separated from Your altar. And the Word of God that is daily opened to you, and in a certain way broken, is daily bread. And just as their stomachs hunger for that bread, so do minds hunger for this one. And so, we simply ask for it, and whatever is necessary for our soul and our flesh in this life is concluded in daily bread.

Forgiveness of debts.

Forgive us our debts, we say, and let us say it; because we speak the truth. For who lives here in the flesh, and does not have debts? Who is the man living in such a way that this Prayer is not necessary for him? He can inflate himself, he cannot justify himself. It is good for him to imitate the Publican and not swell with pride like the Pharisee, who went up to the temple and boasted of his merits, hid his wounds. But that one knew why he had gone up, who said: Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. This the Lord Jesus: consider, my brothers: this the Lord Jesus taught his disciples to pray, those great first Apostles of his, our rams. If therefore the rams pray for the forgiveness of their sins, what ought the lambs to do, of whom it is said: Offer the sons of the rams to the Lord? Therefore you know that you have given back in the Creed because among other things you have named the remission of sins. There is one remission of sins, which is given once; another, which is given daily. There is one remission of sins, which is given once in holy Baptism; another, which is given as long as we live here, in the Lord’s Prayer. Therefore, we say: Forgive us our debts.

There we leave off, where God sees.

And God made a covenant and agreement with us, a firm document, so that we might say: "As we also forgive our debtors." Whoever wants to say effectively, "Forgive us our debts"; let them say truthfully, "As we also forgive our debtors." If they do not say what follows, or say it falsely; they say the preceding sentence in vain. We especially tell you, forgive everything from your hearts, those of you who approach holy Baptism. And you, faithful ones, who hear this Prayer and our exposition because of this occasion, forgive entirely whatever you have against anyone from your hearts: forgive there, where God sees. For sometimes a person forgives with their mouth, and holds onto it in their heart: they forgive with their mouth for the sake of people, and hold onto it in their heart, not fearing the eyes of God. Absolutely forgive; whatever it is that you have held onto until these days, at least in these days forgive it. The sun should not set on your anger, and many suns have passed. Let your anger pass at some point, we now celebrate the day of the great sun: of that sun of which the Scripture says: "The sun of righteousness will rise for you, with healing in its wings." What does it mean, "in its wings?" In its protection. Hence, it is said in the Psalm: "Protect me under the shadow of your wings." But others, who in the day of future judgment will be late to repent and regretting fruitlessly, foretold by Wisdom, what will they then say while repenting and groaning from spiritual distress? "What did our pride benefit us? And what did the boasting of wealth bring us?" All these things passed like a shadow. And among other things: "Therefore, we have strayed from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness did not shine on us, and the sun did not rise upon us." That sun rises for the just: but God makes this visible sun rise every day over the good and the evil. The just belong to that sun to see it: now in our hearts this sun dwells through faith. Therefore, if you are angry; let this sun not set in your heart on your anger: Do not let the sun set on your anger; lest you be angry, and the sun of righteousness sets for you, and you remain in darkness.

Against anger and hatred.

Do not think, however, that anger is nothing. The prophet says, "My eye has been troubled by anger." Certainly, he whose eye is troubled cannot see the sun: and if he attempts to see it, it is a punishment for him, not a pleasure. What is anger? A desire for vengeance. A man desires to be avenged; and Christ has not yet been avenged, the holy martyrs have not yet been avenged! God's patience still awaits that Christ's enemies, the enemies of the martyrs, might be converted: who are we, then, to seek vengeance? If God sought vengeance upon us, where would we remain? He who has done us no harm does not wish to avenge himself upon us: and we seek to be avenged, we who offend God almost daily! Therefore, forgive: forgive from the heart. If you are angry, do not sin: "Be angry, and do not sin." Be angry as men, if you are overcome; and do not sin by keeping anger in your heart (for if you keep it, you keep it against yourself), lest you fall into that light. Therefore, forgive. What is anger? A desire for vengeance. What is hatred? Anger that has grown old. If anger has become old, it is now called hatred. This seems to be admitted by the one who said, "My eye has been troubled by anger"; and added, "I have grown old among all my enemies." What was anger when it was new has become hatred; because it has turned into oldness. Anger is a speck; hatred is a beam. Sometimes we reprove someone who is angry, and we hold hatred in our hearts; and Christ says to us: "You see the speck in your brother's eye, and you do not see the beam in your own eye." Whence did the speck grow to make a beam? Because it was not immediately plucked out. Because you allowed the sun to go down and rise upon your anger so many times, you made it old; you drew in evil suspicions, and watering, you nourished it, and by nourishing, you made it a beam. Be frightened, even when it is said: "He who hates his brother is a murderer." You did not draw a sword, did not inflict a wound on the flesh, did not butcher a body with any blow: the mere thought of hatred in your heart makes you a murderer; you are guilty before the eyes of God. He lives, and you have killed him. As far as you are concerned, you have killed the one you hated. Amend yourself, correct yourself. If there were scorpions or asps in your houses, how hard would you labor to cleanse your houses so you could live securely? You are angry, and angers grow old in your hearts, becoming so many hatreds, so many beams, so many scorpions, so many serpents; and you do not wish to cleanse the house of God, your heart? Therefore, do what is said: "As we also forgive our debtors": and securely say, "Forgive us our debts." For you cannot live on this earth without debts. But there are those great crimes that it is good for you to be released from in Baptism, and from which you should always remain separate: there are also daily sins, without which man cannot live here, for which daily prayer is necessary, with its condition, with its plea: that just as it is said cheerfully, "Forgive us our debts," so it may be said truthfully, "As we also forgive our debtors." Then we have said these things about past sins, what next?

One must resist desires.

Do not lead us into temptation: forgive what we have done, and grant that we do not commit other sins. For whoever is overcome by temptation commits sin himself. For indeed, the apostle James says: No one, when tempted, should say that he is tempted by God. For God is not a tempter of evils: but he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted, drawn away and enticed by his own desire. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin: and when sin is fully formed, it brings forth death. Therefore, do not be led away by desire: do not consent to your desire. There is no source from which it can conceive except from you. If you have consented, it is as if you have lain with it in your heart. Desire has arisen: deny yourself to it, do not follow it. It is illicit, it is wanton, it is shameful, it alienates you from God. Do not give the embrace of consent, lest you grieve the outcome: because if you consent, that is, if you have embraced it, it conceives. When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. Are you not yet afraid? Sin brings forth death: at least fear death. If you do not fear sin, fear where sin leads. Sin is sweet: but death is bitter. This is the misfortune of men: because of what they sin, dying they leave it here, and they carry those very sins with them. You sin for money, it must be left here: you sin for a house, it must be left here: you sin for a woman, she must be left here: and whatever it is for which you sin, when you close your eyes in death, you leave it here, and you carry the very sin you commit with you.

Small sins should not be despised.

Forgive sins: forgive the past, cease the future. But you cannot live here without them: let them be lesser or smaller, or let them be light. But do not despise those light and small ones. Rivers are filled with tiny drops. Do not despise even the smaller ones. Through narrow cracks, water sweats into the ship; the bilge is filled, and if the bilge is neglected, the ship sinks. But sailors are not idle, their hands are at work: they work so that the bilge is drained daily. So let your hands work, so that you may drain the bilge daily. What does it mean for the hands to work? Give, do good works, let your hands work. Break your bread for the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, clothe them. Do as much as you can, do it where you can, do it cheerfully, and confidently send up your prayer. It will have two wings, twin alms. What are twin alms? Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. One alms is done from the heart when you forgive your brother’s sin. The other alms is done from your substance when you extend bread to the poor. Do both, so that your prayer does not remain without one wing.

Deliverance from evil.

Therefore, when we have said, "Lead us not into temptation," it follows, "but deliver us from evil." He who wishes to be delivered from evil testifies that he is in evil. This is why the Apostle says, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." But who is there who wishes for life and loves to see good days? When every man in this flesh has only evil days, who would not wish for it? Do what follows: "Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit; turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." And you will be free from evil days, and it will be fulfilled what you prayed for: "Deliver us from evil."

The distinction of petitions of the Lord's Prayer which is said daily at the altar.

Therefore, the first three petitions—Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven—are eternal. The following four, however, pertain to this life. Give us this day our daily bread: shall we ask for daily bread every day when we have reached that satiety? Forgive us our debts: shall we say this when we have no debts in that kingdom? Lead us not into temptation: shall we be able to say this when there is no temptation? Deliver us from evil: shall we say this when there is nothing from which we need to be delivered? Therefore, these four are necessary for our daily life, but those three are for eternity. Yet let us ask for all, so that we may reach the eternal; and let us here pray that we may not be separated from it. The prayer is to be said daily by you when you have been baptized. For in the church, at the altar of God, this Lord's prayer is said every day, and the faithful hear it. Therefore, we do not fear that you might hold it less diligently: because even if one of you should not be able to hold it perfectly, by hearing it daily, he will hold it.

A symbol to be kept in memory.

Therefore, on the day of the Sabbath, when we are to watch in God's mercy, you will recite, not the Prayer, but the Creed. For if you do not hold fast to the Creed, you do not hear the Creed in the church, among the people daily. But when you hold fast to it, so that you do not forget it, recite it daily; when you rise, when you prepare yourselves for sleep, recite your Creed, recite it to the Lord, remember yourselves, do not be reluctant to repeat it. For repetition is good, lest forgetfulness creep in. Do not say: I said it yesterday, I said it today, I say it daily, I know it well. Recall your faith, examine yourself: let your Creed be as a mirror to you. See yourself there, if you believe all that you profess to believe, and rejoice daily in your faith. Let these be your wealth, let these be as your daily garments of your mind in some way. Do you not, when you rise, clothe yourself? Thus, by recalling your Creed, clothe your soul, lest forgetfulness strip it, and you remain naked, and what the Apostle says happens to you, may it not happen: If indeed we are found unclothed, not naked. For we will be clothed with our faith; and this faith is both a tunic and a breastplate: a tunic, against shame; a breastplate, against adversity. But when we come to that place where we will reign, it is not necessary to recite the Creed: we will see God, God Himself will be our vision; the vision of God will be the reward of this faith.