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008 - Homily 19 Part 2 - MT 69-15 On the Lord's Prayer · Sermon on the Mount - Commentary

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Speaker 1: Homily nineteen, Part two, Saint John Chrysostom Homilie's on the
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Speaker 1: Gospel of Saint Matthew, translated by the Reverend Sir George
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Speaker 1: Previst m A. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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Speaker 1: Homily nineteen, Part two, Matthew six nine through fifteen. After
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Speaker 1: this manner, therefore, pray, ye saith he our Father, which
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Speaker 1: art in heaven. See how he straightway stirred up the
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Speaker 1: hearer and reminded him of all God's bounty in the beginning.
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Speaker 1: For he who calls God Father by him, both remission
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Speaker 1: of sins and taking away of punishment, and righteousness and
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Speaker 1: sanctification and redemption, and adoption and inheritance and brotherhood with
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Speaker 1: the only begotten and the supply of the Spirit, are
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Speaker 1: acknowledged in this single title. For one cannot call Godfather
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Speaker 1: without having attained to all those blessings. Doubly, therefore doth
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Speaker 1: He awaken their spirit, both by the dignity of Him
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Speaker 1: who is called on and by the greatness of the
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Speaker 1: benefits which they have enjoyed. But when he saith in heaven,
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Speaker 1: he speaks not this as shutting up God there, but
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Speaker 1: as withdrawing him who is praying from earth, and fixing
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Speaker 1: him in the high places and in the dwellings above.
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Speaker 1: He teaches moreover to make our prayer common in behalf
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Speaker 1: of our brethren. Also, for he sayeth not my father,
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Speaker 1: which art in heaven, but our father, offering up his
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Speaker 1: supplications for the body in common, and nowhere looking to
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Speaker 1: his own, but everywhere to his neighbor's good. And by
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Speaker 1: this he at once takes away hatred and quells pride,
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Speaker 1: and casts out envy, and brings in the mother of
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Speaker 1: all good things, even charity, and exterminates the inequality of
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Speaker 1: human things, and shows how far the equality reaches between
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Speaker 1: the king and the poor man. If at least in
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Speaker 1: those things which are greatest and most indispensable, We are
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Speaker 1: all of us fellows, For what harm comes of our
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Speaker 1: kindred below? When in that which is on high we
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Speaker 1: are all of us knit together, And no one hath
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Speaker 1: ought more than another, neither the rich more than the poor,
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Speaker 1: nor the man faster than the servant, neither the ruler
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Speaker 1: than the subject, nor the king than the common soldier,
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Speaker 1: nor the philosopher than the barbarian, nor the skillful than
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Speaker 1: the unlearned. For to all hath he given one nobility,
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Speaker 1: having vouchsafed to be called the father of all alike,
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Speaker 1: When therefore he hath reminded us of this nobility, and
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Speaker 1: of the gift from above, and of our equality with
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Speaker 1: our brethren, and of charity, and when he hath removed
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Speaker 1: us from earth and fixed us in heaven. Let us
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Speaker 1: see what he commands us to ask after this Not
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Speaker 1: but in the first place, even that saying alone is
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Speaker 1: sufficient to implant instruction in all virtue. For he who
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Speaker 1: hath called god Father and a common father, would be
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Speaker 1: justly bound to show forth such a conversation as not
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Speaker 1: to appear unworthy of this nobility, and to exhibit a
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Speaker 1: diligence proportionate to the gift. Yet is he not satisfied
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Speaker 1: with this, but adds also another clause. Thus saying, hallowed
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Speaker 1: be thy name. Worthy of him who calls God Father,
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Speaker 1: is the prayer to ask nothing before the glory of
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Speaker 1: his father, but to account all things secondary to the
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Speaker 1: work of praising him, for hallowd is glorified. For his
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Speaker 1: own glory. He hath complete in ever continuing the same.
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Speaker 1: But he commands him who prays to seek that he
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Speaker 1: may be glorified also by our life, which very thing
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Speaker 1: he had said before. Likewise, let your light so shine
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Speaker 1: before men, that they may see your good works and
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Speaker 1: glorify your Father, which is in heaven. Yea. And the
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Speaker 1: Seraphim too, giving glory, said on this wise, holy, holy, Holy,
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Speaker 1: so that hallowed means this namely glorified, that is vouchsafe.
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Speaker 1: Saith he that we may live so purely that through
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Speaker 1: us all may glorify thee. Which thing again appertains unto
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Speaker 1: perfect self control, to present to all a life so irreprehensible,
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Speaker 1: that every one of the beholders may offer to the
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Speaker 1: Lord the praise due to him for this thy kingdom come.
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Speaker 1: And this again is the language of a right minded child,
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Speaker 1: not to be riveted to things that are seen, either
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Speaker 1: to account things present some great matter, but to hasten
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Speaker 1: unto our Father, and to long for the things to come.
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Speaker 1: And this brings out of a good conscience and a
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Speaker 1: soul set free from things that are on earth. This,
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Speaker 1: for instance, Paul himself was longing after every day. Wherefore
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Speaker 1: he also said that even we ourselves, who have the
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Speaker 1: first fruits of the spirit grown, waiting for an adoption,
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Speaker 1: the redemption of our body. For he who hath this
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Speaker 1: fondness can neither be puffed up by the good things
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Speaker 1: of this life, nor abashed by its sorrows. But as
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Speaker 1: though dwelling in the very heavens, is freed from each
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Speaker 1: sort of irregularity, Thy will be done in earth as
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Speaker 1: it is in heaven. Behold a most excellent train of thought.
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Speaker 1: And that he bade us indeed long for the things
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Speaker 1: to come, and hasten towards that sojourn and till that
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Speaker 1: may be, even while we abide here, so long to
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Speaker 1: be earnest in showing forth the same conversation as those above.
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Speaker 1: For ye must long saith he for heaven and the
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Speaker 1: things in heaven. However, even before Heaven he hath bidden
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Speaker 1: us make the earth a heaven, and do and say
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Speaker 1: all things, even while we are continuing in it, as
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Speaker 1: having our conversation there, insomuch that these two should be
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Speaker 1: objects of our prayer to the Lord. For there is
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Speaker 1: nothing to hinder our reaching the perfection of the powers above,
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Speaker 1: because we inhabit the earth. But it is possible, even
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Speaker 1: while abiding here, to do all as though already placed
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Speaker 1: on high. What He sayth there for is this as
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Speaker 1: there all things are done without hindrance, and the angels
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Speaker 1: are not partly obedient and partly disobedient, but in all
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Speaker 1: things yield and obey. For he saith mighty in strength,
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Speaker 1: performing his word. So vouchsay that we men may not
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Speaker 1: do Thy will by halves, but perform all things as
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Speaker 1: thou willest. Seeest thou. How he hath taught us also
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Speaker 1: to be modest, by making it clear that virtue is
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Speaker 1: not of our endeavors only, but also of the grace
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Speaker 1: from above. And again he hath enjoined each one of
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Speaker 1: us who pray to take upon himself the care of
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Speaker 1: the whole world. For he did not at all say
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Speaker 1: thy will be done in me or in uns, but
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Speaker 1: everywhere on the earth, so that error may be destroyed
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Speaker 1: and truth implanted, and all wickedness cast out, and virtue return,
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Speaker 1: And no difference in this respect be henceforth between heaven
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Speaker 1: and earth. For if this come to pass, saith He,
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Speaker 1: there will be no difference between things below and above,
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Speaker 1: separated as they are in nature. The earth exhibiting to
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Speaker 1: us another set of angels, give us this day our
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Speaker 1: daily bread. What is daily bread? That for one day?
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Speaker 1: For because he had said thus, thy will be done
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Speaker 1: in earth as it is in heaven. But was discoursing
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Speaker 1: to men encompassed with flesh in subject to the necessities
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Speaker 1: of nature, and incapable of the same impassibility with the angels.
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Speaker 1: While he enjoins the commands to be practiced by us,
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Speaker 1: also even as they perform them, he condescends likewise in
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Speaker 1: what follows, to the infirmity of our nature. Thus perfection
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Speaker 1: of conduct saith he I require is great, not, however,
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Speaker 1: freedom from passions, no, for the tyranny of nature permits it,
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Speaker 1: not for it requires necessary food. But mark I pray theee.
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Speaker 1: How even in things that are bodily, that which is
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Speaker 1: spiritual abounds. For it is neither for riches, nor for
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Speaker 1: delicate living, nor for costly raiment, nor for any other
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Speaker 1: such thing, but for bread. Only that he hath commanded
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Speaker 1: us to make our prayer and for daily bread, so
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Speaker 1: as not to take thought for the morrow. Because of
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Speaker 1: this he added daily bread, that is bread for one day.
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Speaker 1: And not even with this expression is he satisfied, but
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Speaker 1: adds another too, afterward, saying, give us this day, so
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Speaker 1: that we may not beyond this wear ourselves out with
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Speaker 1: the care of the following day, for that day, the
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Speaker 1: interval before which thou knowest not whether thou shalt see.
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Speaker 1: Wherefore dost thou submit to its cares. This as he proceeded,
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Speaker 1: he enjoined also more fully, saying, take no thought for
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Speaker 1: the morrow. He would have us be on every hand
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Speaker 1: unencumbered and winged for flight, yielding just so much to
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Speaker 1: nature as the compulsion of necessity requires of us. Then,
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Speaker 1: for as much as it comes to pass us that
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Speaker 1: we sin, even after the washing of regeneration, He, showing
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Speaker 1: his love to man to be great even in this case,
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Speaker 1: commands us for the remission of our sins, to come
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Speaker 1: unto God who loves man, and thus to say, forgive
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Speaker 1: us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Seest
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Speaker 1: thou surpassing mercy, after taking away so great evils, and
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Speaker 1: after the unspeakable greatness of His gift. If men sin again,
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Speaker 1: he counts them such as may be forgiven. For that
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Speaker 1: this prayer belongs to believers is taught us both by
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Speaker 1: the laws of the Church and by the beginning of
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Speaker 1: the prayer, For the uninitiated could not call God Father.
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Speaker 1: If then the prayer belongs to believers, and they pray
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Speaker 1: and treating that sins may be forgiven them. It is
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Speaker 1: clear that not even after the labor is the profit
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Speaker 1: of repentance taken away, since had he not meant to
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Speaker 1: signify this, he would not have made a law that
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Speaker 1: we should so pray. Now, he who both brings sins
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Speaker 1: to remembrance and bids us ask forgiveness, and teaches how
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Speaker 1: we may obtain remission, and so makes the way easy,
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Speaker 1: it is perfectly clear that he introduced this rule of
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Speaker 1: supplication as knowing and signifying that it is possible, even
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Speaker 1: after the font, to wash ourselves from our offenses, by
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Speaker 1: reminding us of our sins, persuading us to be modest
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Speaker 1: by the command to forgive others, setting us free from
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Speaker 1: all revengeful passion, while by promise sing in return for
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Speaker 1: this to pardon us. Also he holds out good hopes
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Speaker 1: and instructs us to have high views concerning the unspeakable
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Speaker 1: mercy of God toward man. But what we should most
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Speaker 1: observe is this that, whereas in each of the clauses
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Speaker 1: he had made mention of the whole of virtue, and
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Speaker 1: in this way had included also the forgetfulness of injuries,
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Speaker 1: for so that his name be hollowed is the exactness
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Speaker 1: of a perfect conversation, and that his will be done
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Speaker 1: declares the same thing. And to be able to call
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Speaker 1: God Father is the profession of a blameless life in
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Speaker 1: all which things had been comprehended. Also the duty of
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Speaker 1: remitting our anger against them that have transgressed. Still, he
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Speaker 1: was not satisfied with these, but meaning to signify how
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Speaker 1: earnest he is in the matter, he sets it down
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Speaker 1: all so in particular, And after the prayer he makes
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Speaker 1: mention of no other commandment than this, saying thus, for
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Speaker 1: if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also
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Speaker 1: will forgive you. So that the beginning is of us,
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Speaker 1: and we ourselves have control over the judgment that is
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Speaker 1: to be passed upon us. For in order that no one,
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Speaker 1: even of the senseless, might have any complaint to make,
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Speaker 1: either great or small, when brought to judgment on thee
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Speaker 1: who art to give account, he causes the sentence to
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Speaker 1: depend and in what way soever thou hast judged for
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Speaker 1: thyself in the same saith he do I also judge thee.
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Speaker 1: And if thou forgive thy fellow servant, thou shalt obtain
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Speaker 1: the same favor from me, though indeed the one be
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Speaker 1: not equal to the other. For Thou forgivest in thy need,
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Speaker 1: but God having need of none, Thou thy fellow slave,
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Speaker 1: God his slave, Thou liable to unnumbered charges, God being
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Speaker 1: without sin. But yet even thus doth He show forth
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Speaker 1: his loving kindness towards man, Since He might, indeed, even
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Speaker 1: without this, forgive THEE all thine offenses. But he wills
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Speaker 1: THEE here by also to receive a benefit, affording THEE
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Speaker 1: on all sides innumerable occasions of gentleness and love to man,
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Speaker 1: casting out what is brutish in THEE, and quenching wrath,
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Speaker 1: and in all ways cementing THEE to him who is
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Speaker 1: thine own member. For what canst thou have to say
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Speaker 1: that thou hast wrongfully endured some ill of thy neighbor,
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Speaker 1: For these only are trespasses, since if it be done
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Speaker 1: with justice, the act is not a trespass. But thou too,
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Speaker 1: art drawing near to receive forgiveness for such things, and
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Speaker 1: for much greater, and even before the forgiveness, thou hast
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Speaker 1: received no small gift in being taught to have a
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Speaker 1: human soul, and in being trained to all gentleness, and
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Speaker 1: herewith a great reward shall also be laid up for
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Speaker 1: thee elsewhere even to be called to account for none
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Speaker 1: of thine offenses. What sort of punishment, then, do we
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Speaker 1: not deserve, when, after having received the privilege, we betray
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Speaker 1: our salvation. And how shall we claim to be heard
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Speaker 1: in the rest of our matters if we will not
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Speaker 1: in those which depend on us. Spare our own selves
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Speaker 1: and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
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Speaker 1: the evil one. For thine is the kingdom, and the
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Speaker 1: power and the glory forever Amen. Here he teaches us
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Speaker 1: plainly our own vileness and quells our pride, instructing us
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Speaker 1: to deprecate all conflicts instead of rushing upon them, for
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Speaker 1: so both our victory will be more glorious, and the
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Speaker 1: devils overthrow more to be derided. I mean that, as
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Speaker 1: when we are dragged forth we must stand nobly, so
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Speaker 1: when we are not summoned, we should be quiet and
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Speaker 1: wait for the time of conflict, that we may show
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Speaker 1: freedom from vainglory and nobleness of spirit. And here he
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Speaker 1: calls the devil the wicked one, commanding us to wage
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Speaker 1: against him a war that knows no truce, and implying
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Speaker 1: that he is not such by nature. For wickedness is
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Speaker 1: not of those things that are from nature, but of
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Speaker 1: them that are added by our own choice. And he
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Speaker 1: is so called pre eminently by reason of the excess
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Speaker 1: of his wickedness, and because he in no respect injured
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Speaker 1: by us, wages against us implacable war. Wherefore, neither said
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Speaker 1: he deliver us from the wicked ones, but from the
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Speaker 1: wicked one, instructing us in no case to entertain displeasure
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Speaker 1: against our neighbors, for what wrongsoever we may suffer at
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Speaker 1: their hands, but to transfer our enmity from these to him,
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Speaker 1: as being himself the cause of all our wrongs. Having
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Speaker 1: then made us anxious as before conflict, by putting us
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Speaker 1: in mind of the enemy, and having cut away from
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Speaker 1: us all our remissness, he again encourages and raises our
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Speaker 1: spirits by bringing to our remembrance the king under whom
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Speaker 1: we are arrayed, in signifying him to be more powerful
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Speaker 1: than all, for thine saith, he is the kingdom, and
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Speaker 1: the power and the glory. Doth it not then follow
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Speaker 1: that if his be the kingdom, we should fear no one,
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Speaker 1: since there can be none to withstand and divide the
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Speaker 1: empire with him. For when he saith, thine is the
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Speaker 1: kingdom he sets before us. Even him who was warring
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Speaker 1: against us brought into subjection, though he seemed to oppose
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Speaker 1: God for a while, permitting it, For in truth, he
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Speaker 1: too is among God's servants, though of the degraded class,
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Speaker 1: in those guilty of offense. And he would not dare
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Speaker 1: set upon any of his fellow servants had he not
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Speaker 1: first received license from above. And why say I his
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Speaker 1: fellow servants. Not even against swine did he venture any
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Speaker 1: outrage until he himself allowed him, nor against flocks nor herds,
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Speaker 1: until he had received permission from above. And the power
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Speaker 1: saith He therefore manifold as thy weakness may be, thou
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Speaker 1: mayst of right be confident, having such a one to
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Speaker 1: reign over THEE, who is able fully to accomplish all,
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Speaker 1: and that with ease, even by THEE and the glory
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Speaker 1: forever amen. Thus he not only frees THEE from the
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Speaker 1: dangers that are approaching THEE, but can make THEE all
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Speaker 1: so glorious and illustrious. For as his power is great,
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Speaker 1: so also is his glory unspeakable. And they are all
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Speaker 1: boundless and no end to them. Seest thou, how he
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Speaker 1: hath by every means anointed his champion, and hath framed
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Speaker 1: him to be full of confidence. Then, as I said before,
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Speaker 1: meaning to signify that of all things, he most loaths
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Speaker 1: and hates bearing malice, and most of all accepts the
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Speaker 1: virtue which is opposite to that vice, he Hath after
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Speaker 1: the prayer, also again put us in mind of the
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Speaker 1: same point of goodness, both by the punishment set and
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Speaker 1: by the reward appointed, urging the hearer to obey this command.
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Speaker 1: For if ye forgive men, saith, he your heavenly father
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Speaker 1: will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not, neither
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Speaker 1: will he forgive you. With this view, he Hath again
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Speaker 1: mentioned Heaven also and their father, to abash the hearer
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Speaker 1: by this topic. Likewise, that he of all people, being
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Speaker 1: of such a father, should be made a wild beast
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Speaker 1: of and summoned as he is to Heaven, should cherish
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Speaker 1: an earthly and ordinary sort of mind, since not by
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Speaker 1: grace only you see ought we to become His children,
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Speaker 1: but also by our works, and nothing makes us so
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Speaker 1: like God is being ready to forgive the wicked and
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Speaker 1: wrong doers, even as indeed he had taught before when
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Speaker 1: he spake of his making the sun to shine on
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Speaker 1: the evil and on the good. For this same cause, again,
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Speaker 1: in every one of the clauses, he commands us to
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Speaker 1: make our prayers common, saying, our Father, and thy will
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Speaker 1: be done in earth as it is in heaven, and
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Speaker 1: give us the bread, and forgive us our debts, and
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Speaker 1: lead us not into temptation, and deliver us everywhere, commanding
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Speaker 1: us to use this plural word, that we may not
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Speaker 1: retain so much as a vestige of anger against our neighbor.
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Speaker 1: How great punishment then must they deserve, who, after all this,
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Speaker 1: so far from themselves forgiving, do even entreat God for
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Speaker 1: vengeance on their enemies. And diametrically, as it were, transgressed
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Speaker 1: this law. And this while he is doing and contriving
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Speaker 1: all to hinder our being at variance one with another.
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Speaker 1: For since love is the root of all that is good,
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Speaker 1: he removing from all sides whatever mars. It brings us
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Speaker 1: together and cements us to each other. For there is
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Speaker 1: not there is not one, be he father or mother,
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Speaker 1: or friend, or what you will, who so loved us
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Speaker 1: is the God who created us. And this above all
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Speaker 1: things both his daily benefits and his precepts make manifest.
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Speaker 1: But if thou tell me of the pains, and of
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Speaker 1: the sorrows, and of the evils of life, consider in
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Speaker 1: how many things thou offendest him every day, and thou
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Speaker 1: wilt no longer marvel, though more than these evils should
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Speaker 1: come upon thee. But if thou shouldst enjoy any good,
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Speaker 1: then thou wilt marvel and be amazed. But as it is,
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Speaker 1: we look upon the calamities that come upon us, but
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Speaker 1: the offenses whereby we offend daily we consider not. Therefore
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Speaker 1: we are perplexed, since if we did but reckon up
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Speaker 1: with strictness our sins of one day, only in that
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Speaker 1: case we should know well how great evils we must
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Speaker 1: be liable to and to let pass the other misdoings
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Speaker 1: of which we have been guilty, each one for himself,
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Speaker 1: and to speak of what have been committed this day,
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Speaker 1: Although of course I know not in what each of
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Speaker 1: us may have sinned. Yet such is the abundance of
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Speaker 1: our misdoings that not even he who knew all exactly
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Speaker 1: would be able to choose from among these, only which
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Speaker 1: of us, for instance, hath not been careless in his prayers,
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Speaker 1: which hath not been insolent or vainglorious, who has not
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Speaker 1: spoken evil of his brother, hath not admitted a wicked desire,
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Speaker 1: hath not looked with unchaste eyes, hath not remembered things
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Speaker 1: with hostile feeling, even till he made his heart swell.
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Speaker 1: And if while we are in church, and in a
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Speaker 1: short time we have become guilty of so great evils,
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Speaker 1: what shall we be when we are gone out from hence?
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Speaker 1: If in the harbor the waves are so high, when
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Speaker 1: we are gone forth into the channel of wickedness the forum,
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Speaker 1: I mean, and to public business and our cares at home,
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Speaker 1: shall we end indeed be able so much as to
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Speaker 1: know ourselves again? But yet from ours so great in
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Speaker 1: so many sins, God hath given us a short and
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Speaker 1: easy way of deliverance, in one that is free from
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Speaker 1: all toil. For what sort of toil is it to
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Speaker 1: forgive him that hath grieved us? Nay, it is a
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Speaker 1: toil not to forgive, but to keep up our enmity,
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Speaker 1: even as to be delivered from the anger. Both works
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Speaker 1: in us a great refreshment, and is very easy to
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Speaker 1: him that is willing, For there is no sea to
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Speaker 1: be crossed, nor long journey to be traveled, nor summits
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Speaker 1: of mountains to be passed over, nor money to be spent.
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Speaker 1: No need to torment thy body, but it suffices to
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Speaker 1: be willing only, and all our sins are done away.
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Speaker 1: But if so far from forgiving him thyself thou makest
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Speaker 1: intercession to God against him, what hope of salvation wilt
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Speaker 1: thou then have? If at the very time when thou
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Speaker 1: oughtest rather to appease God, even then thou provokest him,
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Speaker 1: putting on the garb of a suppliant, but uttering the
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Speaker 1: cries of a wild beast, and darting out against thyself
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Speaker 1: those shafts of the wicked one. Wherefore, Paul, also making
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Speaker 1: mention of prayer, require nothing so much as the observance
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Speaker 1: of this commandment, for he saith lifting up holy hands
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Speaker 1: without wrath and doubting. And if when thou hast need
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Speaker 1: of mercy, not even then wilt thou let go thine anger,
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Speaker 1: but art rather exceedingly mindful of it. And that although
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Speaker 1: thou knowest thou art thrusting the sword into thyself, when
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Speaker 1: will it be possible for thee to become merciful and
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Speaker 1: to spew out the evil venom of this wickedness. But
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Speaker 1: if thou hast not yet seen this outrageousness in its
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Speaker 1: full extent, suppose it happening among men, and then thou
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Speaker 1: wilt perceive the excess of the insolence. As thus should
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Speaker 1: one approach THEE, who are a man seeking to obtain mercy,
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Speaker 1: and then, in the midst of his lying on the ground,
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Speaker 1: should see an enemy, and, leaving off to supplicate THEE,
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Speaker 1: begin to beat him. Wouldst thou not make thyself more
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Speaker 1: angry with him? This do thou consider is taking place
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Speaker 1: with regard to God. Also, for so thou likewise making
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Speaker 1: supplication unto God, leavest thy supplication in the midst, and
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Speaker 1: smitest thine enemy with thy words, and insultest the laws
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Speaker 1: of God, him who made a law to dismiss all anger.
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Speaker 1: Thou art summoning against those that have vexed THEE and
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Speaker 1: requiring him to do things contrary to his own commandments?
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Speaker 1: Is it not enough for THEE in the way of revenge,
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Speaker 1: that thou thyself transgressest the law of God, but entreatest
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Speaker 1: thou him likewise to do so? What hath he forgotten
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Speaker 1: what he commanded. What is he a man who spake
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Speaker 1: these things? It is God who knowest all things, and
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Speaker 1: whose will is that his own laws be kept with
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Speaker 1: the utmost exactness. And who, so far from doing these
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Speaker 1: things which thou art requiring of him, doth even regard
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Speaker 1: THEE who sayest these things, merely because thou sayest them
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Speaker 1: with aversion and hatred, and exacts of THEE the most
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Speaker 1: extreme penalty. How then, seekest thou to obtain of him
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Speaker 1: things from which he very seriously bids THEE refrain? Yet
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Speaker 1: some there are who have come to such a point
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Speaker 1: of brutishness, is not only to make intercession against their enemies,
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Speaker 1: but even to curse their children, and to taste, if
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Speaker 1: only it might be of their very flesh, or rather
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Speaker 1: they are even tasting thereof. For tell me not this
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Speaker 1: that thou hast not fixed thy teeth in the body
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Speaker 1: of him that vexed THEE. Since thou hast done at
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Speaker 1: least as far as concerned THEE. What is much more
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Speaker 1: grievous in claiming that wrath from above should fall upon him,
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Speaker 1: and that he should be delivered over to undying punishment
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Speaker 1: and be overthrown with his whole house. Why what sort
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Speaker 1: of bites are as ferocious as this? What kind of
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Speaker 1: weapons is bitter? Not so did Christ instruct thee? Not
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Speaker 1: so did he command thee to stain thy mouth with blood? Nay,
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Speaker 1: mouths made bloody with human flesh are not so shocking
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Speaker 1: as tongues like these. How then, wilt thou salute thy brother?
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Speaker 1: How wilt thou touch the sacrifice? How taste the Lord's
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Speaker 1: blood when thou hast so much venom upon thy mind?
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Speaker 1: Since when thou sayest rend him in pieces and overthrow
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Speaker 1: his house and destroy all, when thou art imprecating on
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Speaker 1: him ten thousand deaths, thou art in nothing different from
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Speaker 1: a murderer, or rather from a wild beast that devours men.
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Speaker 1: Let us cease, then, from this disease and madness and
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Speaker 1: that kindliness which he commanded. Let us show forth towards
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Speaker 1: them that have vexed us, that we may become like
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Speaker 1: our father, which is in heaven. And we shall cease
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Speaker 1: therefrom if we call to mind our own sins, if
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Speaker 1: we strictly search out all our misdeeds at home, abroad,
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Speaker 1: and in the market and in church. For if we're
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Speaker 1: nothing else, surely for our disrespectfulness here we are worthy
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Speaker 1: to undergo the utmost punishment. For when prophets are chanting
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Speaker 1: and apostle singing hymns in God is discoursing, we wander
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Speaker 1: without and bring in upon us a turmoil of worldly business.
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Speaker 1: And we do not afford to the laws of God.
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Speaker 1: So great stillness, even as the spectators in the theaters
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Speaker 1: to the Emperor's letters, keeping silence for them. For there,
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Speaker 1: when these letters are being read, deputies at once, and
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Speaker 1: governors and senate and people stand all upright with quietness,
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Speaker 1: hearkening to the words. And if amid that most profound silence,
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Speaker 1: any one should suddenly leap up and cry out, he
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Speaker 1: suffers the utmost punishment as having been insolent to the Emperor.
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Speaker 1: But here, when the letters from Heaven are being read,
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Speaker 1: great is the confusion on all sides. And yet both
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Speaker 1: he who sent the letters is much greater than this
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Speaker 1: our king, and the assembly more venerable, for not men only,
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Speaker 1: but angels too are in it. And these triumphs of
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Speaker 1: which the letters bear us the good tidings, are much
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Speaker 1: more awesome than those on earth. Wherefore, not men only,
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Speaker 1: but angels also, and archangels. Both the nations of heaven
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Speaker 1: and all we on the earth are commanded to give
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Speaker 1: praise for bless the Lord. It is said all his
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Speaker 1: works yea, for his are no small achievements. Rather they
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Speaker 1: surpass all speech and thought and understanding of man. And
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Speaker 1: these things the prophets proclaim every day, each of them
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Speaker 1: in a different way, publishing this glorious triumph. For one saith,
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Speaker 1: thou hast gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive,
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Speaker 1: and hast received gifts amongst men and the Lord strong
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Speaker 1: and mighty in battle. And another saith, he shall divide
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Speaker 1: the spoils of the strong. For indeed, to this purpose
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Speaker 1: he came, that he might preach deliverance to captives and
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Speaker 1: recovery of sight to the blind. And raising aloud the
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Speaker 1: cry of victory over death, he said, where o death
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Speaker 1: is thy victory, where o grave is thy sting. And another,
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Speaker 1: again declaring glad tidings of the most profound peace, said
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Speaker 1: they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears
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Speaker 1: into pruning hawks. And while one calls on Jerusalem saying,
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Speaker 1: rejoice greatly, o daughter of Sion, for lo thy king
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Speaker 1: cometh to thee meek, riding upon an ass and a
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Speaker 1: young colt. Another proclaims his second coming, also saying, on
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Speaker 1: this wise the Lord whom you seek will come, and
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Speaker 1: who will abide the day of his coming leap ye
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Speaker 1: is calves set free from bonds. And another, again, amazed
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Speaker 1: at such things, said, this is our God. There shall
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Speaker 1: none other be accounted of in comparison of him. Yet, nevertheless,
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Speaker 1: while both these, and many more sayings than these, are
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Speaker 1: being uttered, while we ought to tremble, and not so
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Speaker 1: much as account ourselves to be on the earth, still
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Speaker 1: as though in the midst of a forum, we make
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Speaker 1: an uproar and disturbance, and spend the whole time of
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Speaker 1: our solemn assembly in discoursing of things which are nothing
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Speaker 1: to us, When therefore, both in little things and in
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Speaker 1: great both in hearing and in doing, both abroad and
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Speaker 1: at home in the church, we are so negligent, And
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Speaker 1: together with all this pray also against our enemies. Whence
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Speaker 1: are we to have any hope of salvation, adding to
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Speaker 1: so great sins yet another grievous enhancement, and equivalent to
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Speaker 1: them all, even this unlawful prayer have we then, hereafter
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Speaker 1: any right to marvel if aught befall us of the
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Speaker 1: things which are unexpected and painful, whereas we ought to
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Speaker 1: marvel when no such thing befalls us. For the former
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Speaker 1: is in the natural order of things, But the latter
39:28
Speaker 1: were beyond all reason and expectation. For surely it is
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Speaker 1: beyond reason that they who are become enemies of God
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Speaker 1: and are provoking him to anger, should enjoy sunshine and showers,
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Speaker 1: and all the rest who, being men, surpass the barbarity
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Speaker 1: of wild beasts setting themselves one against another, and by
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Speaker 1: the biting of their neighbors, staining their own tongues with blood.
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Speaker 1: After the spiritual table and his so great benefits and
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Speaker 1: his innumerable injunctions. Therefore, considering these things, let us cast
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Speaker 1: up that venom. Let us put an end to our enmities,
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Speaker 1: and let us make the prayers that become such as
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Speaker 1: we are. Instead of the brutality of devils. Let us
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Speaker 1: take upon us the mildness of angels, and in whatsoever
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Speaker 1: things we may have been injured. Let us, considering our
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Speaker 1: own case and the reward appointed us for this commandment,
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Speaker 1: soften our anger. Let us assuage the billows that we
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Speaker 1: may both pass through the present life calmly, and when
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Speaker 1: we have departed, thither may find our Lord, such as
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Speaker 1: we have been towards our fellow servants. And if this
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Speaker 1: be a heavy and fearful thing, let us make it
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Speaker 1: light and desirable, and let us open the glorious gates
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Speaker 1: of confidence towards Him. And what we had not strength
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Speaker 1: to effect by abstaining from sin, that let us accomplish
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Speaker 1: by becoming gentle to them who have sinned against us.
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Speaker 1: For this surely is not grievous nor burdensome. And let us,
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Speaker 1: by doing kindnesses to our enemies, lay up beforehand much
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Speaker 1: mercy for ourselves. For so both during this present life
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Speaker 1: all will love us, and above all others, God will
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Speaker 1: both be friend and crown us, and will count us
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Speaker 1: worthy of all the good things to come, unto which
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Speaker 1: may we all attain by the grace and love towards
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Speaker 1: men of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory
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Speaker 1: and might forever and ever Amen. End of Homily nineteen