Sermon 69

SERMO 69

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL MT 11:28-30:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened," and so on.

Whence this labor.

We heard in the Gospel that the Lord, rejoicing in spirit, said to God the Father: I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. We labor in crying out, you labor in hearing. Let us therefore listen to him who follows and says: Come to me, all who labor. For why do we all labor, if not because we are mortal men, fragile, infirm, carrying earthen vessels which cause mutual distress? But if the vessels of the flesh are strained, let the bounds of charity expand. What then does he say: Come to me, all who labor, except that you may not labor? Finally, his promise is at hand: because he called those who labor, perhaps they would seek by what reward they were called: And I will give you rest, he says.

Humility is the foundation of the spiritual edifice.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me: not to create the world, not to create all visible and invisible things, not to perform miracles in the world, and to raise the dead; but because I am meek and humble of heart. Do you wish to be great? Begin from the least. You think of constructing a great edifice of loftiness, first think of the foundation of humility. And as much as anyone wishes and plans to construct a massive building, the greater the building will be, the deeper he digs the foundation. And indeed, while the structure is being built, it rises upward: but the one who digs the foundation, digs downward. Therefore, even the structure is humbled before it becomes lofty, and the summit is erected after the humbling.

To see God and to be seen by God.

What is the pinnacle of the construction we are striving to build? To what height will the summit of the building ascend? I quickly say, up to the sight of God. You see how lofty it is, how great a matter it is, to behold God. Whoever desires this understands both what I say and what they hear. The sight of God is promised to us, of the true God, the highest God. For it is a good thing to see Him who sees. For those who worship false gods easily see them: but they see those who have eyes and do not see. But to us, the vision of the living and seeing God is promised, so that we may long to see that God of whom Scripture says: He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? Therefore, does He who made the ear by which you hear not hear? And does He who created the eye by which you see not see? In that Psalm it appropriately prefaces and says: Understand therefore, you senseless among the people; and you fools, be wise at last. For many commit evil because they think they are not seen by God. It is indeed difficult to believe that He cannot see: but they think He does not want to. Few are found of such great impiety, that what is written is fulfilled in them: The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. This madness is of a few. For as great piety belongs to a few, so does great impiety likewise belong to a few. But what I am saying, the crowd says: Does God now think about it, to know what I do in my house, and does God care what I intend to do in my bed? Who says this? Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools, be wise at last. You, being a man, because you labor to know all things in your house and to concern yourself with all the words and deeds of your servants, do you think that God labors in this way to attend to you, who did not labor to create you? Does He who made your eye not gaze upon you? When you did not exist, He created you so that you might be; does He not care for you now that you exist, who calls things that are not as though they are? Therefore, do not promise this to yourself. Whether you wish it or not, He sees you; and there is nowhere you can hide from His eyes. For if you ascend to heaven, He is there; if you descend to hell, He is there. You labor, unwilling to refrain from evil deeds, and wish not to be seen by God. Great labor. Do you want to do evil daily, suspecting you are not seen? Hear what Scripture says: He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? Where do you hide your evil deeds from the eyes of God? If you do not wish to part from them, you labor much.

The sinner must flee to God.

Hear the one saying: Come to me, all you who labor. Do not end your toil by fleeing. From whom do you choose to flee, not to him? Find where, and flee. But if you cannot flee from him because he is present everywhere, flee to God who is near to you, where you stand. Flee. Behold, by fleeing you have gone beyond the heavens, he is there: you have descended to the depths, he is there: wherever you choose in the solitudes of the lands, he who said: I fill heaven and earth, is there. Therefore, if he himself fills heaven and earth, and there is nowhere you can flee from him; do not labor: flee to the one who is present, lest you sense the coming one. Assume that by living well you will see him, by whom you are seen, even if living badly. For by living badly you can be seen, but you cannot see: however, by living well you are both seen and you see. For how much more intimately will he see you who crowns the worthy, who mercifully saw to call the unworthy? Nathanael said to the Lord, whom he did not yet know: Whence do you know me? The Lord said to him: While you were under the fig tree, I saw you. Christ sees you in your shadow: will he not see you in his light? For what does it mean: While you were under the fig tree, I saw you? What does that signify? Recall the original sin of Adam, in which we all die. When he first sinned, he made for himself girdles from fig leaves, signifying in those leaves the itch of lust, whereby he came to sin. From there we are born, we are thus born, in the flesh of sin we are born, which only the likeness of the flesh of sin heals. Therefore, God sent his son in the likeness of the flesh of sin. He came from there, but not so. For a virgin conceived him not by lust, but by faith. He came into the virgin who was before the virgin. He chose her whom he created, he created her whom he would choose. He brought fruitfulness to the virgin, he did not take away integrity. Therefore, he who came to you without the itch of fig leaves, when you were under the fig tree, saw you. Prepare to see loftily, by whom you were seen mercifully. But since it is a great height, think of the foundation. Which foundation, you ask? Learn from him, for he is gentle and humble in heart. Dig this foundation of humility in yourself, and you will reach the height of charity. Turned to the Lord, etc.