Sermon 72
SERMO 72
On the Words of the Gospel of Matthew 12:33:
"EITHER MAKE THE TREE GOOD AND ITS FRUIT GOOD"
A bad man cannot have good works.
Our Lord Jesus Christ admonished us to be good trees so that we might bear good fruits. For He says: Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad. For a tree is known by its fruit. When He says: Make the tree good, and its fruit good, this is certainly not an admonition, but a wholesome commandment, to which obedience is necessary. But when He says: Make the tree bad, and its fruit bad, it is not a commandment to do so, but a warning to avoid it. For He spoke against those who thought that while being evil, they could speak good things or have good works. This, the Lord Jesus says, is impossible. For the man must first be changed, so that his works may be changed. For if a man remains in his evil state, he cannot have good works; if he remains in his good state, he cannot have bad works.
Evil has found us all.
Who then was found good by the Lord when Christ died for the ungodly? Therefore, He found all evil trees, but He gave the power to become sons of God to those who believe in His name. Therefore, whoever today is a good man, that is, a good tree, was found evil and made good. And if, when He found them, He had wished to uproot the evil trees, what would remain that would not be worthy of being uprooted? But He came to extend mercy, so that afterward He might exercise judgment, to whom it is said: "I will sing of mercy and judgment to you, O Lord." Therefore, He gave forgiveness of sins to the believers, not wanting to reckon with them concerning their past actions. He gave the forgiveness of sins: He made good trees. He postponed the axe: He gave security.
The patience of God towards us.
John speaks of this axe, saying: The axe is already laid at the root of the trees. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. The householder also threatens this axe in the Gospel, saying: Behold, for three years I have come to this tree and found no fruit in it. Now I should clear the ground: therefore let it be cut down. And the vinedresser intercedes: Lord, leave it alone this year also; I will dig around it and put manure on it; if it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down. Just as for three years the Lord visited the human race, that is, in three certain times. The first time, before the law; the second, in the law; the third is now, which is the time of grace. For if He did not visit the human race before the law, whence Abel? whence Enoch? whence Noah? whence Abraham? whence Isaac? whence Jacob? of whom He willed to call Himself the Lord, and of whom all nations were, as if He were the God of three men, saying: I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And if He did not visit in the law, He would not have given the law itself. After the law, the householder himself came: He suffered, died, and rose again, gave the Holy Spirit, and caused the Gospel to be preached throughout the whole world. And still some tree remains unfruitful. There is still some part of the human race: it still does not correct itself. The vinedresser intercedes: the Apostle prayed for the people: I bow my knees before the Father, that being rooted and grounded in love, you may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. By bowing his knees, he intercedes for us before the householder, lest we be uprooted. Therefore, because it is necessary that He comes, let us act so that He may find us fruitful. The digging around the tree is the humility of the penitent: for every digging is lowly. The basket of manure, the filth of repentance; for what is filthier than manure? and yet, if well used, what is more productive?
Two roots: charity and greed.
Let each one be a good tree. Do not think that you have good fruits if you remain a bad tree. There will not be good fruit unless it is from a good tree. Change your heart, and your work will change. Uproot desire, plant charity. For as the root of all evil is desire, so the root of all good is charity. Why then do men murmur or argue among themselves, saying, "What is good?" O if you only knew what is good! What you wish to have is not truly good. What you do not wish to be, this is good! You wish to have bodily health: it is good; but do not think it is a great good, for even the wicked have it. You wish to have gold and silver; behold, I also say this: it is good; but only if you use it well; you will not use it well if you are wicked. Thus, gold and silver are bad for the wicked, good for the good; not because gold and silver make them good, but because, finding them good, it is converted to good use. You wish to have honor: it is good; but only if you use it well. For how many has honor been the occasion of destruction! For how many has honor been the minister of good works!
A man desires all good things except himself.
Let us discern these goods, if we can: because we speak of good trees. And here there is nothing that anyone should think, except to turn his eyes to himself, to learn in himself, to examine himself, to inspect himself, to seek himself, and to find himself; and to destroy what displeases; to adapt and plant what pleases. For when a man finds himself devoid of better goods, why is he greedy for external goods? Behold, what does a chest full of goods profit if the conscience is empty? You wish to have goods, and you do not wish to be good yourself! Do you not see that you should be ashamed of your goods if your house is full of goods and it has you as a bad person? What is it that you wish to have as bad? Tell me. Nothing at all: not a wife, not a son, not a daughter, not a servant, not a maidservant, not an estate, not a tunic, lastly not even a shoe; and yet you wish to have a bad life! I beseech you, put your life before your shoe. All things which lie around, elegant and beautiful to your eyes, are dear to you; and you yourself are vile and foul to yourself? If the goods in which your house is filled, which you desired to have, which you feared to lose, could answer you, would they not cry out to you: "As you wish to have us as goods, so we also wish to have a good lord"? With silent voice they intercede against you to your Lord: "Behold, you have given him so many goods, and he himself is bad! What does it profit him to have what he has, when he does not have the One who gave all things?"
The true good is what.
Therefore someone asks, admonished by these my words, and perhaps pricked in conscience, he asks what is the good, what kind of good, and whence comes the good. You have understood well that you ought to ask this. I will answer the one asking, and I will say: "This is the good, which you cannot lose against your will. For you can lose gold, unwillingly; you can lose a house, you can lose honors, you can even lose the health of the flesh: but the good by which you are truly good, you neither unwillingly receive nor unwillingly lose." Therefore, I ask what kind of good this is. The Psalm indeed reminds us of a great matter, perhaps the very thing we are seeking. For it says: Sons of men, how long will you be heavy-hearted? How long will that tree in the third year? Sons of men, how long will you be heavy-hearted? What does "heavy-hearted" mean? Why do you love vanity and seek after lies? And behind it says what must be sought: Know that the Lord has made holy his holy one. Now Christ has come, now he has been made magnificent, now he has risen and ascended into heaven, now his name is preached throughout the whole world: how long will you be heavy-hearted? Let the past times suffice; now that holy one has been made magnificent, how long will you be heavy-hearted? After three years, what remains but the axe? How long will you be heavy-hearted? Why do you love vanity and seek after lies? Still vain, still useless, still showy and fleeting, thus, with the holy Christ made magnificent, still these things are sought! Now truth cries out, and still vanity is sought! How long will you be heavy-hearted?
Why is the world scourged so harshly?
Justly is this world strongly scourged: for the world has already known the words of the Lord. And the servant, he says, who does not know the will of his lord, and does things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few. Why? So that he might seek the will of his lord. Therefore the servant not knowing the will: this was the world, before the Lord magnified His Holy One; the servant was not knowing the will of his lord; and therefore he was beaten with few. But the servant now knowing the will of his lord, this is now, from the time the Deity magnified His Holy One; and not doing His will, will be beaten with many. What wonder then if the world is beaten much? The servant knows the will of his lord, and does things worthy of stripes. Therefore let him not refuse to be beaten with many: for, if he does not want to hear the teacher unjustly, he will rightly suffer the avenger; or let him not murmur against the chastiser, when he sees himself worthy of stripes, that he may merit mercy.