Sermon

It is as Augustine says to Optatus: nobody is freed from the damnation that came through Adam but through faith in Jesus Christ. (Augustine, Epistle 190, ch. 1, para. 3 (Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum [CSEL], vol. 57, pp. 139–40; Patrologia Latina [PL], vol. 33, p. 858).) This is sufficiently proven by the Apostle in Hebrews 11:6, where he shows that no one has ever been able to please God without faith. From this it follows that at all times after a lapse faith has been a necessity for recovery, for there is no other medicine for the weakness of original or actual sin. (Cf. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae I-II, q. 109, a. 7; 113.4; 114.7, where Thomas underlines that this is not a matter of merit; faith is a gracious gift from God.) And therefore all the saints always, from the beginning of the world, longed for and desired the coming of the Savior. (Hence, Thomas employs a Christological reading of the Old Testament: Moses, the prophets, and the psalmist speak already of the Christ, and he speaks through them.)

And this is shown well and plainly in the saying mentioned in which the prophet shows three things, in this order:

first, he shows God’s Son himself who is coming down from the heavens: he will come;

second, he shows the one who mercifully fulfills the desires of the fathers [patriarchs]: who is desired by all the nations together;

third, he shows the one who freely bestows his pleasing benefit [upon us]: and he will fill this house with glory.

In the first part the lowliness of the coming one or of the coming is shown in view of the way; in the second the necessity of the coming in view of the human race; in the third the utility of the coming in view of the gift offered.

The first brings to the fore that we should prepare a warm welcome for him; the second, that we should focus our desire on him; the third, that we should receive the benefit offered.

1. So, first, he shows that the Son of God comes down humbly from the heavens when he says: he will come.

I interpret he will come as: insofar as it is absolutely necessary for us. Well, the coming of the Savior was necessary, for three reasons:

first, because the world was imperfect in many ways;

second, because man was cast down from his rightful honor in a foul way;

and third, because God was offended by man in a wondrous way.

Therefore, he came (1.1) in order to grant to the whole world the highest grade of dignity, (1.2) in order to lead man back to his proper human state, and (1.3) in order to take away the offense of man against God. (Thomas’s order reflects the focus of his approach: the salvation of mankind. We see the same thing in the Summa Theologiae, especially in how he approaches the Incarnation (ST III.1.1–6, from the very beginning; cf. III.1.1, s.c.) and the Passion (ST III.46.1–4); see also his introduction to the Tertia Pars.)

1.1. Now the grade of perfection in the world fell short in three respects:

(1.1.2) one way of generation is more sublime than the others;

(1.1.1) one grade of union is more wonderful (Thomas uses the same word here as for the offense against God: mirabilis. There it has the connotation of “mysterious” (for how can a temporal being hurt the Eternal One? ST I.9.1, esp. ad 3), whereas here the meaning tends more towards “perfect,” “excellent,” and therefore “evoking awe.”) than the others;

(1.1.3) one way of perfection is more excellent than the others.

Yet, when Christ came into this world, he accomplished a new union, he took on a new generation, and he brought along a new perfection.

1.1.1. So in the world one grade of union was lacking, the one more wonderful than the others. For in our world there are four kinds of union: the first is the union of something corruptible with something corruptible, as in natural things. The second is the union of something corruptible with something incorruptible, as in human beings. (In people, the corruptible body and the incorruptible soul are united: ST I.75.4 and 6.) The third is the union of something incorruptible with something incorruptible, as in spiritual things: a union of essence and power. (As in angels, for instance: ST I.50.)

The fourth, however, was lacking: the union of something temporal with something eternal. Well, this union was made when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, as it says in John 1:14; when he emptied himself and took on the form of a slave; made in the likeness of human beings he was, through his way of life, found a man, as Philippians 2:7 reads; that is when the king of Israel disguised himself, as it is said in 1 Kings 22:30; and Isaiah 43:19 reads: behold, I make all things new. (Actually Thomas is quoting Revelation 21:5: ecce nova facio omnia; Isaiah 43:19 reads: ecce ego facio nova (“behold, I make new things”).)

1.1.2. Also, the one way of generation was lacking that is more wonderful than the others. For there are four kinds of generation in the broad sense of the word: (Thomas’s order is as we come across the different generations in salvation history, which is preceded, so to speak, by the eternal forthcomings.) the first is from the Father without a mother, the generation that occurs eternally. (ST I.27.2, where he explains Psalm 2:7: you are my son; this day I have begotten you.) The second is without a father and without a mother, in the beginning, as with the first parents. (In Genesis, Adam and Eve have no human parents, no father and mother in time. They come forth from the triune God—not only from the Father; the name Creator is appropriated to the Father (ST I.32.1 and 39.7–8). Since Adam and Eve came forth from God, who created them (ST I.44 and also 65.4), he is their father, yet in an analogical way. God’s fatherhood for people is similar but not quite the same as the fatherhood of human beings (ST I.13.5), or rather the other way round: the human fatherhood is similar to God’s: Ephesians 3:15; cf. ST I.13.6, 33.2.4, 45.5.1.) The third is from a father and a mother, the generation that occurs all around us.

The fourth did not exist before, namely, the generation from a mother without a father in time. Well, this generation was made when the Virgin conceived, when, as we read in Isaiah 10, the stone is hewn from the mountain without hands, which, according to Daniel 10 became a great mountain and it filled the whole earth. (The first part is a quotation from Daniel 2:45, the second part from Daniel 2:35. For the first part, cf. Isaiah 7:14.) The stone hewn from the mountain [without hands] is Christ, born from the Virgin without a human action. Indeed, then the Lord made a new thing upon the earth: the woman will encompass the man, as Jeremiah 21 (Jer 31:22) puts it.

1.1.3. Also lacking was the one grade of perfection that is more excellent than the others, although anything that is connected with its end is perfect. (ST I.6.3, and the other way round in III.44.3, ad 3.) Hence, a creature is most perfect when it is united with its Creator. (ST I.6.1, ad 2; cf. texts like Hebrews 2:10 and 1 Corinthians 8:6.)

Well, with a triple connection a creature is conjoined with its Creator: the first is a union in respect of strength, by reason of a dependency that is in all things. Hence all things would fall into nothingness, unless they were kept by the hand of the Almighty, according to Gregory. (Gregory the Great, Morals on the Book of Job, bk. 16, ch. 37, para. 45 (Corpus Christianorum Series Latina [CCSL], vol. 143A, p. 825; PL 75:1143C); cf. ST I.8.1, and in Scripture: Wisdom 11:25.) The second is in respect of the [human] species: through the grace that is in just people, since according to Dionysius love is a unifying force. (Pseudo-Dionysius, The Divine Names, ch. 4, para. 15 (PG 3:713A). Specialis: it is special or concerns a species, namely, the human species. Through God’s gracious gift of love we are united with him. Cf. John 14:23 and 15:9–10; ST I.20.1, ad 3 and Thomas’s Commentary on the Book On the Divine Names of Dionysius (De divinis nominibus), ch. 4.) The third union concerns the thing itself, by essence. This did not exist before, but it came into being when the human nature was taken on by the Son of God in unity of supposit or person. (It is unio realis; it concerns the very essence of the res, of the thing itself. So although there were two natures in Christ, the divine and the human, he was one individual, one rational individual. For Thomas’s exposition on the unity of Christ: ST III.2.) In taking on the human nature in a certain way the whole world was taken on, because, according to Gregory, in a way every creature is a human being. (Gregory the Great, Homilies on the Gospels, bk. 2, homily 29, para. 2 (CCSL 141:245–46; PL 76:1214AB); Thomas’s terms in section 1.1.3 are: virtualis (concerning virtus, “strength”), specialis (“special” or “concerning a species,” i.e., the human species) and realis (“belonging to the res,” the thing itself). Through the Incarnation the whole of creation became more valuable, since the Eternal One had entered it in a new way; cf. Wisdom 19:6, Romans 8:19–22. See also texts on God as causa exemplaris, esp. ST I.44.3; cf. In III Sent., d. 2, q. 1, a. 1, qa. 3.)

1.2. Second, he came to gather the scattered and to lead them back to the proper state of man or to the practice of the one religion (cf. John 4:20–23, Eph 1:10).

For the people were (1.2.1) subjected to different kings,

(1.2.2) adopted different laws,

and (1.2.3) were corrupted by different errors.

We read in Judges 11: in those days there was no king in Israel (It is in fact Judges 17:6; cf. 18:1, 21:25.) and in Hosea 10: many days the children of Israel sat down, without a king or a ruler, as well as without sacrifice or altar, as without priestly garb or house gods. (It is in fact Hosea 3:4. In section 1.2, Thomas follows the order of this verse.)

1.2.1. And therefore Christ came, in order to be the one reigning king of the whole world himself, whose dominion would be universal, whose empire universal, and whose reign eternal. And this is shown clearly in his birth, because then he manifested himself as the king of the people when kings adored him (Matt 2:11); as the king of the angels playing on their stringed instruments as they rejoiced (Luke 2:13–14); as king of the [Jews] awaiting him because the shepherds listened (Luke 2:15–16); as king of the heavenly bodies because the stars knew him (Ps 148:3). Thus it is said in Zechariah 9:9: behold, your king comes unto you, the just one and the Savior himself.

This king has conjoined the scattered and made them one when he called Jews and gentiles to the faith. Ezekiel 37:22 reads: there will be one reigning king for all and there will be two nations no more; and in the same chapter: they will be my people and I will be their God, and my servant David will be king over them and shepherd of all (Ezek 37:23–24).

1.2.2. Furthermore, he came so that there would be one law moving the people of the whole world forward. For the law of Moses was specifically given to some since it did not oblige all people; its promises concerned the flesh since it promised things of the flesh; it was penal in its provisions since it inflicted punishments (cf. Rom 4:15): a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, (Thomas has changed the order of these two sayings, which are found in Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21. They are taken up by Jesus in Matthew 5:38. Thomas discusses these texts in ST I-II.105.2, obj. 10 (on the application of the precepts of the Old Testament), II-II.61.4 and 65.1 (on justice).) et cetera.

Therefore, because there was an imperfect law, another legislator had to come whose task would be to give a general law for all, as we read in the last chapter of Mark (16:15): go into the whole world, preach the Gospel to every creature, et cetera.

Moreover, a spiritual law is written in the hearts [of the people], as it says in Jeremiah 13: I will put my law within them and I will write it in their hearts. (It is in fact Jeremiah 31:33.)

Even more, the law of love which speaks of heavenly things: do penance; the Kingdom of heaven has drawn near, as Matthew 3:2 reads, and Isaiah 33:22: the Lord, our king, the Lord, our lawgiver. And the psalmist says: establish, O Lord, a legislator over them, so that they may know that they are mere human beings (Ps 9:19–20). (Item venit . . . ut sciant, etc.: cf. ST I-II.107.1, ad 2.)

1.2.3. Furthermore, he came so that there would be one judge administering justice, who would have full authority, so that he could exercise every judgment. (ST III.56.1, ad 3 and III.58.) He was such a judge, since the Father has given every judgment to the Son (John 5:22). Who would be so profound that he could know all things? Indeed, this one is, whence Jeremiah 29:23 reads: I am the judge and the witness, says the Lord. Who would be so powerful that no one could resist him? James 4:12 says: there is one legislator and judge, who can spare and set free. For in that judgment all hidden things will be made manifest, according to 1 Corinthians 3: do not judge before time. (It is in fact 1 Corinthians 4:5. It seems quite probable that Thomas quoted the whole verse, which continues: until the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things hidden in the dark, and he will manifest the plans of the hearts, and then there will be praise for everyone from God.) Also, all things will be scrutinized. In the last chapter of Ecclesiastes it reads: God will lead to judgment all the things that happen, et cetera. (Ecclesiastes 12:14; cf. Ecclesiastes 11:9.) Moreover, all things will be requited, as we read in Matthew 25:46: these will enter into punishment, yet the just into eternal life. 1 Samuel 8:20 says: our king will judge us and will go before us and will fight our wars for us.

1.3. Third, he came to take away the offense and establish peace between us and God. Since man had trespassed, he offended God and had to die. (Romans 5:2; cf. ST I-II.94.5, ad 2; III.14.1; III.52.5.) Thus a certain case, so to speak, was set in motion from the beginning of the world for the coming of the Lord. For truth required that man would die, because (Every truth is from God (ST I.16.5), and his word is truth (John 17:17). So the law which YHWH gave to Moses is truth.) it is written in Numbers 15:30: a soul that sins through pride will be cut off from his people. But mercy required that man would be set free. The psalmist says: will God reject in eternity, so that he would not remember that he was more favorable until now, or will he until the end abandon his grace? (Ps 77:8–9).

Justice, however, requires in the end that he be condemned, because Genesis 1 reads: on whatever day you will eat from it, you will die (Gen 2:17). (Cf. ST III.50.1.) And Deuteronomy 18: a person who will be so proud as to disobey an order of the wise one will die by decree of the judge. (It is Deuteronomy 17:12, but Thomas left out a few words; the whole verse reads: a person who will be so proud as to disobey an order of the priest who serves the Lord your God in that time, and the decree of the judge, that person will die.) But peace requires that a settlement be arranged and the disposition be changed. The psalmist says: will you be angry with us in eternity or do you extend your wrath from generation to generation? (Ps 85:6).

And therefore Isaiah asked: send out the lamb, Lord, the ruler of the earth (Isa 16:1 [Vg]). And Moses: I beseech you, Lord, send the one whom you will send (Exod 4:13). But since God is good and merciful (cf. 2 Macc 1:24), he could not deny himself (2 Tim 2:13), but he answers through Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:20: my inner parts are stirred up because of him; I will show him great mercy. And Hosea 11:8: my heart is turned within me; my penance has turned likewise.

Thus the Lord has sent someone to settle: not a human being, not an angel, but God’s Son, who satisfied through mercy so that it did not fall short of justice in anything. And so it happened that there was in the same [man] justice to the full and infinite mercy, (As it is in God: ST I.21.1–2 and 21.3–4.) and so mercy and truth have met one another; justice and peace have kissed one another (Ps 85:10). It was justice to the full in this respect, that he punished very harshly, (See how Thomas explains in which respects Christ’s Passion was the greatest suffering, in ST III.46.6.) but infinite mercy because he bore the punishment in himself, as we read in Isaiah 53:4: truly, our infirmities he took away himself and our pains he bore himself. (Unde quasi . . . sustinuit: cf. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons, “In Annuntiatione Dominica,” sermon 1, paras. 9–14 (PL 183:387B–390B).)

Thus he came to make peace between mankind and God (cf. Eph 2:14–16). And for this he is the appropriate arbiter, since he is himself our peace which makes both one, as we read in Ephesians 2:14. He came to battle against the devil, like a strong soldier, as it says in Joshua 5:14: I am the leader of the army of the Lord. He came to take away the contamination of sin, like a doctor. Matthew 8:7 reads: I will come and cure him. He came to be in our company, like a friend; it says in Baruch 5: from the holy one my joy comes. (It is in fact Baruch 4:22. This verse continues: over the mercy that will come to you from our eternal salvation. In Summa Contra Gentiles, bk. 4, ch. 54 Thomas mentions God’s friendship with us as a motive for the Incarnation. Also: ST III.1.5, ad 1.)

Thus he received our way of life, he who had given his first. (1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:15–16, 3:4, 2 Timothy 1:9, 1 John 3:16, 5:11–12.) He paid our debts who had not contracted any (cf. Ps 69:5; cf. Sir 4:8). He redeemed the lost one whom he had created before (cf. Col 1:16). Proverbs 13:12 says: the wood of life is the desire that comes. (Or: the desired one that comes; the desire is going to be fulfilled; cf. Haggai 2:7.)

2. Second, the prophet shows that he is the one who fulfills the desire of the fathers in a merciful way, as he says: who is desired by all the nations together.

For man was (2.1) weak through an incurable wound,

(2.2) oppressed by an unbearable tyrant,

and (2.3) thirsty with an unquenchable thirst.

And just as the weak desired the remedy of salvation, the oppressed desired a pleasing dominion, and the thirsty the basin of a fountain. In this way the human race desired the coming of the Savior.

2.1. For man was weak through an incurable wound, since it had corrupted the whole human nature. (ST III.1.2, esp. ad 2.) Isaiah 1:6: from the foot-sole till the top of his head there is no health in him. Jeremiah 3 reads: why is my pain made everlasting and why does my hopeless wound refuse to be cured? (Jer 15:18). And therefore he had a strong desire for the remedy of salvation. Isaiah 53:2–3 reads: we have seen him, and it continues: we have desired him, a despised man, the last of men, a sorrowful man who knew weakness.

2.2. Furthermore, he was oppressed by an unbearable tyrant, (ST III.1.1, s.c.) for just like an unjust person he was handed over to enemies. We read in Hosea 8:3: Israel has thrown away the good; the enemy pursues him. And in Isaiah 14:3: when you will be freed from hard slavery in which you served before. And therefore they desired a pleasing dominion, as we read in Song of Songs 5:15–16: his face is like Lebanon and his neck is sweet and the whole of him is desirable. And in the last chapter of Micah (7:17): they will desire the Lord your God and fear you.

2.3. Furthermore, he was thirsty with an unquenchable thirst, because he had withered by reason of the lack of sacramental grace. Job reads: can rushes live without moisture, or can grass grow without water? (Job 8:11). This signifies the people who had no water in the desert. And therefore they desired the basin of a fountain, as the psalmist says: like the deer that longs for fountains of water, so my soul thirsts for you, O God (Ps 42:1).

So, they desired him; deep sighs show this. (“Deep sighs”: cf. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, homily 24, para. 4 (PL 183:896B); homily 49, para. 7 (PL 183:1019C); The Life of Saint Malachy, ch. 16, para. 39 (PL 182:1095C); On Consideration, bk. 5, ch. 4, para. 15 (PL 182:783C).) The psalmist says: Lord, bend down the heavens and come down (Ps 144:5). Isaiah 64 says: O may you rend your heavens and come down (Isa 64:1), and he also says in chapter 28: my soul desired you in the night (Isa 26:9).

Moreover, they asked for him, which the frequency of the prayers shows; the psalmist says: evoke your power and come (Ps 80:2).

They also awaited him, which the striking signs of the divine revelation show. Isaiah 26:8 reads: on the path of your judgments we have awaited you; the memory of you is in the desire of our soul, and he also says: I will expect God my savior (Mic 7:7).

Even more, they loved him, which the excellence of their praise shows, in Micah 2: and you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, you are certainly not the least among the rulers of Judah, for from you a leader will come forth who will reign over my people Israel. (Thomas cites Matthew 2:6 here, which is based on Micah 5:2.)

3. Third, the prophet shows [to us] the one who in a wondrous way bestows gracious gifts [upon us]: he will fill this house with glory.

3.1. The unique house is the Virgin Mary, which the providence of the Father has built, as we read in Proverbs 8: wisdom has built a house for herself. (It is Proverbs 9:1. Thomas explains this verse in ST III.32.1, obj. 3.) The wisdom of the Son dwells in it; Kings 7 says: I dwell in a house of cedar (1 Chr 17:1). The grace of the Holy Spirit has prepared it, as we read in 1 Chronicles 29:1: this great work is not built as a dwelling-place for man, but for God.

3.2. The special house is the Church militant. Christ has built this house from living stones (cf. 1 Pet 2:5). It is said in 2 Chronicles 2:5: the house that I wish to build is large. He has consecrated it with the gifts of grace. (Here Thomas refers to the gifts of the Holy Spirit (ST I-II.109–114; II-II.45.5, 171, intr., 172.2.2), as will be clear further on in the text, under “ad 3.2.”) Isaiah 56 reads: my house will be called a house of prayer. (Thomas seems to quote from Matthew 21:13 where the last words of the verse are missing: cunctis populis, “for all the peoples together” (or he may be quoting from Mark 11:17 where it says: omnis gentibus). Cf. Isaiah 56:7.) It says in Zechariah 12:10: I will pour out over the house of David a spirit of grace; he has established it at his own expense; we read in Zechariah 4:9: the hands of Zerubbabel have established this house. (This verse continues: and his hands will finish it; then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.)

3.3. The general house is the heavenly homeland. As for love, (In his writings Thomas uses four terms from Scripture which we usually translate as “love.” He interprets them as follows: (1) Amor: the collective term. (2) Dilectio: love as the result of a well-considered choice; it is etymologically connected with eligere and electio: “choosing carefully.” The object of dilectio is consciously willed. God’s love, therefore, is always dilectio. (3) Caritas: love for someone or something of great value; it is etymologically connected with carus: “precious,” “dear” (cf. Italian caro; French cher). In Scripture and in the Christian tradition this term is used for perfect love (cf. 1 Cor 12:31–13:13), in particular, love between two Christians as well as love of and for God. (4) Amicitia: mutual love, friendship (see also Thomas’s commentary on Dionysius’s On the Divine Names, ch. 4, lectio 9, and ST I-II.26.3).) this house is the greatest, as we read in Baruch 4: O Israel, how great is the house of God (Bar 3:24). As for preciousness, it is the most noble, since glory and riches are in his house, it says in the Psalm (Ps 112:3). As for its eternity, it is the strongest; 2 Corinthians 5:1 reads: for we know that when of this dwelling-place our earthly house is demolished, we have a building from God, a house not made by hand but eternal in heaven.

Ad 3.1. He filled the first house with the glory of divinity in the Incarnation, as we read in Haggai 2:9: great is the glory of this newest house, more than of the first; and Ezekiel 10:4 reads: the house is filled with a cloud (In Exodus 16:10 and elsewhere, the cloud refers to God’s hidden presence; cf. SCG III.49 (where Thomas cites Exod 20:21) and III.50 (where he cites Sir 24:7 [Vg] = Sir 24:4).) and the atrium is filled with splendor through the glory of the Lord.

Ad 3.2. The second house was full of joy in the mission of the Holy Spirit, because of the grace of languages (Acts 2:4), gracious gifts (Gal 5.22), and works of miracles (Acts 2:43). Isaiah 33:5: he has filled Zion with justice and right judgment.

Ad 3.3. The third house was full of the grace of happiness in the Ascension. For then the splendor of brightness appeared by reason of the shining of Christ’s body, the praise of the divine goodness by reason of the clear manifestation of this work, and the taste of an intimate alliance by reason of the double joyfulness. We read in 2 Chronicles 6:4: he has fulfilled in deed what he had said to David, my father. (This should probably be: 2 Chronicles 5:14: for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.) In 1 Kings 8:11 it says: he filled the house of the Lord with the glory of the Lord. Ezekiel 43:5 reads: the house was full of the glory of the Lord. And Zechariah 9: glory has entered the temple of the Lord (Ezek 43:4).