Homily 4

“ And the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father : and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever,

« And of His Kingdom there shall be no end.

« And Mary said to the Angel : How shall this be done, because I know not man ?

« And the Angel answering said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall becalled the Son of God.

“And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren ;

“ Because no word shall be impossible with God.

« And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.’ —Luke i. 32-38.

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It is clear that the praise which we offer to the Mother redounds to the honour of the Son, and, conversely, when we glorify the Son we are at the same time honouring the Mother. For if, according to Solomon, “ A wise son is the glory of his father,” how much more glorious is it to be made the Mother of Him Who is Wisdom Itself! But what shall I say in commendation of her whose glories have been foretold by the prophets, announced by the Angel, recorded by the Evangelist? I shall not, therefore, because I dare not, attempt a eulogy of my own : I shall only repeat with devout affection that which the Evangelist has already proclaimed under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Continuing, then, we read, “ And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of David His father.” These also are the words of the Angel to the Virgin concerning the promised Son, assuring her that He is destined to obtain the kingdom of David. There is no doubt that the Lord Jesus truly belongs to the lineage of the Prophet King. But I ask, how did God give Him the throne of His father David, seeing that He never reigned in Jerusalem, aye, and even when the multitude on one occasion wished to make Him king, He would not consent? Indeed, He distinctly affirmed before the face of Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world. Besides, it is surely nothing great to predict of Him Who “ sitteth upon the Cherubims,” Whom the Prophet Isaias saw “ sitting upon a throne, high and elevated,” that He should sit upon the throne of David, His father. But we know of another Jerusalem, typified by that earthly Jerusalem wherein David ruled, and far surpassing it in nobility and wealth. I think, therefore, that it is of this there is here question, according to the figure of speech so often met with in the Sacred Writings, by which the type is put for the thing typified. It was then, manifestly, that the Lord gave Him the throne of His father David, when, as the Psalmist tells us, He (Christ) was “appointed King by Him over Sion, His holy mountain.” And this Prophet seems to explain clearly to what kingdom he is referring by the fact that he does not say “in Sion” but “over (super) Sion.” For the reason why he uses the expression “ over Sion ” instead of “in Sion ” seems to be this, that whereas David reigned im Sion, over Sion is the kingdom of Him of Whom God said to’David, “ Of the fruit of thy womb I will set over thy throne,” and of Whom it was predicted by another prophet, ‘‘ He shall sit over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” Do you not notice how the word “ over ” (super) is everywhere occurring ?

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We have “over Sion,’ and “ over thy throne,” and “ over his kingdom.’’* Therefore, “ the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father,” not the typical throne but the true, not the temporal but the eternal, not the earthly but the heavenly. And this is said to be the throne of David, because, as I have already remarked, it was prefigured by that temporal throne on which David sat in Sion.

“ And He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.” Here again, if the Angel be understood as referring to the temporal house of Jacob, it may well be asked how shall He reign for ever in a house which is not eternal ? We have consequently to seek for an eternal house of Jacob, in which He shall reign for ever, of Whose “kingdom there shall be no end.” For was He not impiously denied and foolishly rejected by that earthly and provoking house, before the face of Pilate, to whose question, “ Shall I crucify your King? ” they all, with one accord, cried out in answer, “ We have no king but Cæsar ” ? Inquire, therefore, of the Apostle, and he will distinguish for thee between the Jew “ that is so outwardly ” and the Jew “ that is one inwardly,” between the circumcision ‘‘ which is outward in the flesh ” and the circumcision which is “in the spirit,” between the spiritual Israel and the carnal, between the sons of Abraham’s faith and the children of his flesh. “ For,” he declares, ‘‘ all are not Israelites that a promise that the Messias should occupy the throne of David, but a throne above it in heaven.—(Translator.)

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ENEAS, aig r~ si ka at Sheet oe e AA rer BES are of Israel; neither are all they that are the seed of Abraham, children.” Continue, then, according to this, and say, “similarly not all who are of Jacob are to be reputed of the house of Jacob.” For Jacob and Israel are one and the same. Therefore consider none to belong to the house of Jacob except such as are found to be perfect in the faith of Jacob; or rather recognise these as the spiritual and eternal house of Jacob, in which the Lord Jesus shall reign for ever. Where is the man amongst us who, according to the signification of the name Jacob, supplants the devil in his heart and struggles against his vices and concupiscences, so that sin may not reign in his mortal body, but that, instead, Jesus may reign in him, here by grace and hereafter by glory? Oh, how blessed

• is he in whom Jesus shall reign for ever, because he also shall reign with Jesus, “‘ and of his kingdom there shall be no end”! Oh, how glorious is that kingdom in which “‘ the kings of the earth shall assemble themselves and gather together ” in order to praise and magnify Him Who is above all, “ King of kings and Lord of lords,’ from the contemplation of Whose divine splendour “‘ the just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father”?! Oh, if only the Lord Jesus would remember sinful me “in the favour of His people ” when He comes into His kingdom! Oh, if on that day when He is to “ deliver up the kingdom to God and the Father,” He would condescend to “visit (me) with His salvation, that (I) may see the good of His chosen, that (I) may rejoice in the joy of His nation, that He may bepraised with His inheritance ” even by me! Meantime, “ come, Lord Jesus,” and remove all scandals from Thy kingdom, which is my poor soul, so that Thou Who art her rightful King, mayest reign in her. For avarice has entered and claims me for its own : vainglory desires to rule over me; pride wishes to be my king ; sensuality says, “ I will reign ” ; ambition, envy, jealousy, and anger contend in me concerning myself, as to which of them shall have the greatest power over me. I resist them as well as I can : I struggle against them according as I am assisted by grace, I proclaim that the Lord Jesus is my only King. For Him I defend myself, because I acknowledge myself to be His subject. I adhere to Him as my Lord and my God, and I declare that I have no king but the Lord Jesus. Come, then, O Lord, and “ scatter them by Thy power,” that so Thou alone mayest reign in me, because “‘ Thou ait Thyself my King and my God, Who commandest the saving of Jacob.”

“ And Mary said to the Angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? ” At first she prudently held her peace, whilst, still in doubt, she “thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be” ; for, being humble, she chose rather to answer nothing at all than rashly to say what she knew not. But now she has pondered the matter well and has been comforted, the Angel reassuring her exteriorly and God encouraging her interiorly—for He too is present to her, as the Angel has testified, saying, “ The Lord is with thee.” Therefore, being thus fortified, and having conquered fear by faith, and maidenly reserve by gladness, she asks the Angel, “ How shall this be done, because I know not man ? ” It is not that she doubts the fact : she only inquires concerning the means and the manner. For she does not ask “whether shall this be done? ” but, “ How shall this be done?” As if she should say, “ Since my Lord, Who is the witness of my conscience, knows that His handmaid has vowed to preserve her virginity, by what means and in what manner is He pleased that this be done ? Should it be necessary to set aside my vow, in order to become the Mother of so great a Son, I shall rejoice indeed because of the Son, but I shall grieve at having to sacrifice my virginity: however, may His will be done. But if I am to conceive as a virgin and to bring forth as a virgin,—which, if He so please, is certainly within His power to accomplish— then I shall know in truth that ‘He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid.’ ” *

“ How shall this be done, because I know not man ? And the Angel answering said to her : The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.” Already she has been declared full of grace; and now it is said to her, “ The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.” But how can she be full of grace without having the Holy Ghost, since He is the Giver of all graces? And if the Holy Ghost is already within her, what means this promise of Him, as if He is to come upon heranew? Perhaps we have the explanation of this difficulty in the fact that the Angel does not simply say, “ the Holy Ghost shall come into thee ” (veniet in te), but, “the Holy Ghost shall ‘supervene’ upon thee ” (superveniet in te) ;

= because He has come to her before with an abundance of grace, and now it is announced that He shall “ supervene,” on account of the fulness and superabundance of grace which He is prepared to pour down upon her. But again, if she is already full of grace, how is she capable of receiving more? And if she has this capacity for further grace, how can she be said to be already full? Shall we suppose that the first fulness has filled her soul whilst the second is intended to fill her womb, so that the plenitude of the Divinity which even now dwells in her spiritually, as it has dwelt in many other holy persons, shall begin to dwell in her corporally also, a privilege accorded to no other saint ?

The Angel therefore says, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.’’ What does he mean by the words, “‘ And the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee” ? Let him who can, comprehend them. But is there any creature—except perhaps her who alone merited to have in herself this most blessed experience—is there, I ask, any creature capable of comprehending with his intellect or of discerning by his reason how the inaccessible Splendour of the Godhead poured Itself into the Virgin’s womb, and how of that small portion of her body which It animated and united hypostatically to Itself, It made a shadow, as it were, for her whole being, in order that she might be able to endure the approach and the presence of such intolerable brightness? And possibly for this reason in particular it was said to her, “ The power of the Most High shall overshadow thee,” because, namely, the matter was thus shadowed in mystery, and because the knowledge of what the Blessed Trinity was pleased to accomplish, of Itself alone and directly, in and with the Virgin alone, was to be communicated to

SS a a a LL TEE LE CO eee none except her to whom alone was to be granted the experience. In this sense, then, (as I suppose), the Angel said to her, “ The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee ’—in order by His presence to make thee fruitful, “and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee,” that is, “ the manner in which thou shalt conceive by the Holy Ghost shall be so veiled and covered and overshadowed in His most secret counsel by Christ, the Wisdom and Power of God, that none shall have knowledge of it save Him and thee.” It was as if Gabriel had answered the Virgin thus: ‘‘ Wherefore askest thou me concerning that which thou art soon to experience in thyself? Thou shalt know, thou shalt know, I say, and the knowledge shall fill thee with happiness: but none can instruct thee in this mystery except Him Who is its Author. My mission is not to effect but only to announce to thee thy virginal conception. And how this is to be accomplished, as it cannot be made known except by Him Who shall accomplish it, so neither can it be learned except by her in whom it shall be accomplished. And therefore also the Holy Which shall be born of thee shall becalled the Son of God. That is to say, since it is not by man thou shalt conceive, but by the Holy Ghost, and since thou shalt conceive the Son of God, Who is the Power of the Most High, therefore also the Holy Which shall be born of thee shall becalled the Son of God. I mean by this, that not only He Who (as being the. Power of God) shall come from the Father’s Bosom into thy womb and overshadow thee, but also whatever He shall unite to Himself of thy substance shall becalled the Son of God : just as, on the other hand, He Who is born of the Father before all ages shall be reputed henceforth thy Son also. But in such a way shall the Son Who is born of the Father be thy Son, and the Son born of thee be the Son of the Father, that nevertheless there shall not be two Sons but one. And although there is an infinite difference between the Flesh Which this Son obtains from thee and the Divinity Which He derives from the Father, He shall not be only in part thy Son, and in part the Father’s, but wholly and entirely the same Son of both thee and the Father.” *

“ And therefore also the Holy Which shall be born of thee shall becalled the Son of God.” Notice with what reverence the Angel said, ‘‘ the Holy Which shall be born of thee.” For wherefore did he speak of “ the Holy ” thus simply and without addition ? The reason is, as I believe, because he had no proper and suitable name for that most excellent, most magnificent, most venerable Something Which was to be taken from the Virgin’s spotless flesh, and (with Its Soul) to be united to the Only-Begotten of the Father. Had he called It “the holy Flesh,” or “the Sacred Humanity,” or ‘the holy Infant,” he would have seemed to himself

“She (Mary) is not merely the Mother of Our Lord’s manhood, or of Our Lord’s Body, but she is also to be considered the Mother of the Word Himself, the Word incarnate. God in the Person of the Word, the Second Person of the All-glorious Trinity, humbled Himself to become her Son. ‘ Non horruisti Virginis uterum,’ as the Church sings, ‘ Thou didst not shrink from the Virgin’s womb.’ He took the substance of His Human Flesh from her, and clothed in It lay within her, and He bore It about with Him after birth as a sort of badge and witness that He, though God, was hers.’ —Newman, Discourses to Mixed Congregations, p. 383.

Cf. St. Thomas, Sum Theol., III. q. xxxv. a. 4-5.—(Translator.)

to bespeaking of It unworthily. He therefore referred to It indefinitely as “the Holy,” because whatever That might be which was to be born of the Virgin, It was certainly Something holy and singularly holy, by the sanctification of the Spirit and by Its personal union with the Word.

‘“ And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age.” Why was it necessary to announce to the Virgin that her hitherto sterile cousin had also conceived? Is it that she was still perhaps doubtful, still hesitating to assent to the heavenly oracle, and therefore the Angel desired to convince her by the evidence of this other wonder ? God forbid! We read of how Zachary’s incredulity was punished by this same Angel, but nowhere do we find him reproving Mary for anything: rather we hear Elizabeth in the spirit of prophecy commending her faith and saying, “ Blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.” No, the true reason why her cousin’s pregnancy was announced to the Virgin was in order that her joy might be multiplied by hearing of such a succession of prodigies. For it was necessary that she, who was destined soon in the joy of the Holy Ghost to conceive the Son of the Father’s charity, should be prevented and flooded with an unprecedented inundation of gladness and love ; because it was only the most loving and the most joyous of hearts that could contain Him Who is the infinite Treasure of divine love and sweetness. Or perhaps for this reason was Elizabeth’s pregnancy made known to Mary, because it was manifestly fitting that the Virgin should hear from the Angel before learning from men a fact which was soon to be everywhere published. Otherwise it would have been thought that the Mother of God was excluded from the counsels of her Son, if she were kept in ignorance of what was taking place so near her on the earth. Or again, Mary may have been informed of her cousin’s condition, to the end that, being notified now of the Saviour’s, and now of the Precursor’s coming, she might the better remember the time and order of the events, and so be better able to make known the truth afterwards to the apostles and evangelists, as one who had been fully and supernaturally enlightened concerning all these mysteries from the beginning. Or, finally, the purpose of telling the Virgin that Elizabeth had conceived may have been this: that the news of the elder cousin’s condition might remind the younger of the claims of charity; so that the Virgin’s hasty journey to the hill country to visit her kinswoman might afford the unborn Prophet an opportunity of rendering the first-fruits of his service to His still younger Lord ; and that, whilst the meeting of mothers and infants excited the joyous devotion of all, wonders should be followed by wonders more astonishing.

But, O Virgin, do not entertain the hope that these magnificent promises which thou hast heard from the Angel are to be fulfilled by him. And if thou wouldst know by whom, then, they shall be accomplished, attend to what the Angel adds, ‘‘ Because no word shall be impossible with God.” As if he should say, “ For the fulfilment of the promises which I have faithfully made to thee, I presume not on my own strength, but on the power of Him Who has sent me; because no word shall be impossible with God.” For what word can be impossible to Him Who has made all things by His Word? Nevertheless I should like to know why the Angel did not say, “ because no deed”’ shall be impossible with God, instead of, “‘ because no word.” But perhaps he preferred the latter expression, because as easily as men can say what they will, even when they lack the power of accomplishment, with the same ease, nay, with incomparably greater ease, God is able to fulfil in act whatever can be expressed in speech. Let me put it more plainly. If it were as easy for men to accomplish as to say what they will, then for us also in the same way no deed would be impossible. As the case is, however, the familiar adage holds true, namely, that there is a wide difference between doing and saying, yet only for men, and not also for God. For God alone it is the same thing to do as to say, and the same thing to say as to will. Consequently, “ no word shall be impossible with God.” To take an example. The prophets were able to foresee and to foretell that the Virgin and her barren cousin would conceive and bring forth: yet surely they had not the power to bring to pass what they were capable of announcing. But God Who gave His prophets the gift of foresight, with the same ease with which He could predict what He pleased through them, could afterwards, when He chose, accomplish by Himself whatever He had promised. For with God there can be no discord between intention and promise, because He.is Truth ; nor between promise and accomplishment, because He is Power ; nor between accomplishment and mode, because He is Wisdom. And consequently, “ no word shail be impossible with God.”

O happy Virgin! Thou hast heard what is to be accomplished in thee, and what is to be the mode of accomplishment. Each is a matter for wonder, yet also and equally an occasion of joy. Therefore, “ rejoice greatly, shout for joy, O Daughter of Jerusalem.” And since “to thy hearing has been given joy and gladness,” let us also hear from thee the reply of gladness which we so eagerly long for ; and then “‘ the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.” Thou hast heard, I say, what is to be accomplished in thee, and thou hast believed ; believe also what has been explained to thee concerning the mode of accomplishment. Thou hast been told that thou shalt conceive and bear a Son: thou hast heard that this shall be not by man but by the operation of the Holy Spirit. Behold the Angel now awaits thy answer: “it is time that he should return to the Lord Who sent him.” We also, O Lady, await from thy lips the sentence of mercy and compassion, we who are so miserably groaning under the sentence of condemnation. For lo! the price of our salvation is now offered to thee: if thou wilt only consent, we shall at once beset at liberty. We have been created by the eternal Word of God, and behold we die: by thy momentary word we must be renewed and restored to life. O Virgin most loving, Adam, now exiled from Paradise with all his miserable offspring, implores this favour of thee. For this does Abraham entreat thee, for this David, for this all the other holy fathers, thine own ancestors, who are now dwelling in the region of the shadow of death. See, the whole world, prostrate at thy feet, awaits thy answer. And not without cause. For on thy word depend the consolation of the miserable, the redemption of the captives, the pardon of the condemned, the salvation of all the children of Adam, of the entire human race. O Virgin, delay not to answer. Speak the word, O Lady, speak the word which all on earth, and all in limbo, yea, and even all in Paradise are waiting to hear. Christ Himself, the King and Lord of all, longs for thy answer with a longing equal to the ardour wherewith He “hath desired thy beauty,” because it is by means of thy consent that He has decreed to save the world. Hitherto thou hast pleased Him by thy silence, but now thy speech shall give Him more pleasure. For behold He calls to thee from heaven, saying, “O fairest among women, let thy voice sound in My ears.” Therefore if thou wilt give Him to hear thy voice, He will give thee to see our salvation. And is it not for this thou hast been supplicating, and sighing, and pouring out prayers with tears by day and by night ? What then? Art thou she to whom this hath been promised “or look we for another ? ?” Nay, thou thyself art she, and there is none other. Thou, I say, art she who has been promised, who has been expected, who has been yearned for, through whom the holy Patriarch Jacob hoped to receive eternal life, when, being now about to die, he exclaimed, ‘‘I will look for Thy salvation, O Lord.” Thou art she in whom and by whom “God our King before the ages hath decreed to work salvation in the midst of the earth.” Wherefore dost thou expect from another what is now offered to thyself? Why hopest thou to receive through another that which through thee shall be soon given to the world, provided only thou wilt consent and say the word? Make haste, therefore, to answer the Angel, or rather to answer the Lord through the Angel. Say the word and receive the Word. Utter thy human word and conceive the Divine Word. Pronounce the transitory word and embrace the Word everlasting. Why dost thou hesitate? Wherefore dost thou fear ? Believe, consent, and receive into thy womb the Word of the Father. Let thy humility take courage, let thy modesty be confident. It is in nowise expedient now that thy virginal simplicity should be forgetful of prudence. O Virgin most prudent, in this matter alone thou mayest put aside all fear of presumption, because although modesty pleases by its silence, yet more necessary for us now is the charity of speech. O happy Virgin, open thy heart to faith, open thy lips to consent, open thy bosom to thy Creator. Behold the Desired of all nations is standing outside and knocking at thy door. Oh, if He should pass on whilst thou delayest to open, and thou shouldst have to begin once more to seek with sorrow “ Him Whom thy soul loveth”! Arise, therefore, and make haste to open to Him. Arise by faith, make haste by devotion, open by consent. “And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” Divine grace is always found in intimate union with the virtue of humility, because “ God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.” The Virgin therefore replies with humility, in order that the seat of grace may be prepared in her. ‘“‘ Behold,” she says, “ the handmaid of the Lord.” Oh, how sublime is the humility here manifested, which knows not how to yield to honour or to be elated with glory! She is chosen to be the Mother of God, and she calls herself His handmaid! Assuredly it is a sign of a more than common humility not to forget humility in the presence of such glory. To be humble in abjection is nothing very great ; but it is great virtue indeed, and as rare as great, to be humble in the midst of honours. For instance, were the Church, deceived by my hypocrisy, to advance such a miserable wretch as I to some post of honour, even though not very exalted, God per-mitting this either on account of my own sins or because of the sins of those under me: should I not immediately forget what I really am and begin to suppose myself such as I am reputed by men, who cannot see the heart? Undoubtedly: I should give credit to public opinion, and turn a deaf ear to the voice of conscience. And estimating virtue by honour, not honour by virtue, I should account myself the more holy in proportion as I should find myself elevated above others. You may see very many now in the Church, who, after being raised from a mean condition to honourable rank, and from penury to affluence, have become suddenly inflated with pride and forgetful of their former abjection, so much so indeed that they are ashamed of their kindred, yea, even disdain to acknowledge their humble parents. You may also see some wealthy persons aspiring to all kinds of ecclesiastical honours ; and then, having changed their dress without changing their morals, they congratulate themselves on their sanctity. They deem themselves worthy of the positions which they have obtained by intrigue, and attribute to merit the honours which (if I may venture to affirm it) they have purchased for money. However, I will say nothing more about such as these, who are blinded by ambition, and to whom honourable positions furnish occasions for pride.

But there are others to beseen, who (I grieve to say it), after despising the glory of earthly pomp, appear to have learned pride in the very school of humility, and in the cloister itself, under the wings of the meekest and humblest of masters, to have become more arrogant and impatient than ever they were in the world. And what carries perversity further still, many are unable to put up with the least contempt in religion, who, whilst living in the world, could make themselves appear nothing better than contemptible. Their motive for entering the cloister would seem to be this, that since there was no chance of honours for them where honours were sought for by others, there at least they might hope for some honours where such things were avoided by all but themselves. Yet others I see— and the sight is an afflicting one—who, after entering the army of Christ, entangle themselves again in worldly affairs, again give themselves up to earthly solicitudes. You may behold them displaying much zeal in the building of houses, whilst they neglect the care of their conscience. Under the pretext of the common good, they sell their words to the wealthy and their greetings to matrons ; aye, and contrary to the edict of their Divine Emperor, they covet the goods of others, and contentiously strive to recover their own, not attending to the Apostle, who announces in the name of his Sovereign ; “ Already indeed there is plainly a fault among you, that you have lawsuits one with another. Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? ” Is it thus they have crucified the world to themselves and themselves to the world, who, whereas they were once scarcely known in their own hamlet or village, now passing from province to province and from court to court, are reckoned amongst the acquaintance of kings and the familiars of princes ? What shall I say of the religious habit itself, which they no longer esteem for its worth even as a comfortable covering, but only for its value as a graceful ornament? And they pay more attention to the material habit which clothes their bodies than to the moral habits of their minds. It is a shocking thing to say: the vain woman is now outdone in her own special art by the religious who looks more to costliness in matters of dress than to use or necessity. Even the outward form of religion is discarded by these soldiers of Christ, who value its livery not as a protection for their souls but as a becoming decoration for their bodies,—who, when they ought to prepare themselves for battle and to advance against the “ powers of the air” beneath the banner of poverty (which the adversary so greatly fears) prefer in their soft garments to exhibit the sign of peace, and thus voluntarily, and without striking a blow, place themselves helpless in the hands of their enemies. The cause of such dreadful evils is to be found in the fact that the humility through which we abandoned the world has itself been abandoned by us, with the consequence that we are compelled once more to pursue the vain objects of worldly ambition, becoming as dogs that go back to the vomit.

Let us, therefore,—I mean all who recognise themselves as belonging to this class—let us listen, I say, to the answer of her who, even when she was chosen to be the Mother of God, did not lose sight of humility. ‘ Behold the handmaid of the Lord,” she replied, “ be it done to me according to thy word.” The words

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“ be it done to me ” are an expression not of doubt but of desire. Hence, when she says, “be it done to me according to thy word,” we must understand her as giving utterance to an ardent wish, and not as requiring proof after the manner of the incredulous. Nevertheless, it is also possible to regard these words as a prayer, since no one ever prays for anything unless because he has faith and hopes to receive it. And God wills that we should pray to Him even for what He has promised. Perhaps the reason why He first promises what He designs to bestow is in order that the promise may excite our devotion, and that thus what should otherwise be given gratuitously, may now be rendered as the reward of devout supplication. So does our loving Lord, Who desires that all men should be saved, endeavour to extort merits for us from ourselves ; and He prevents us by bestowing upon us gratuitously what He may reward, because otherwise the reward itself should be given gratuitously. The prudent Virgin was not ignorant of this when to the prevenient grace of gratuitous promise she joined the merit of fervent petition, praying, ‘‘ Be it done to me according to thy word.” As if she should say, “‘ Concerning the Word of the Father be it done to me according to thy word. According to thy word, let the Word Who was in the beginning with God be made flesh of my flesh. Let the Word, I pray, become to me not as a spoken word which passes away, but a Word conceived and abiding; a Word enclosed in a body of flesh, not a word expressed by the sound of the voice. Let Him become to me not an audible word which sounds in the ear, but a visible Word that my eyes may see Him, a tangible Word that my hands may hold Him, a portable Word that I may carry Him in my arms. And let Him not become for me a written and silent word, but a Word incarnate and living: that is to say, not a word inscribed in dumb characters upon dead parchment, but the Word _ of God in human form impressed upon the living page of. my chaste bosom, impressed, I say, not by the agency of mortal hand, but by the operation of the Holy Spirit. Let Him become to me what He has become to none before and shall become to none after me. God ‘at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets,’ and the Word of the Lord is said to have come to the mouth of some, to the ear of some others, and even to the hand of other some: but my prayer is that, according to thy word, He would vouchsafe tocome into my womb. I do not ask that He should be orally proclaimed to me, or that He should be symbolically represented, but that He be silently infused, personally incarnated, corporally enclosed. Therefore let the Word of God, Who in Himself has neither the need nor the power to be made, let Him, I pray, condescend to be made flesh in me and for me, according to thy word. According to thy word, let Him be made flesh for the whole world, but in a more particular manner for me,” *

enlightened men that the Incarnation was more for Mary’s sake than for all the world beside.— (Translator),

St. BERNARD’S APOLOGY FOR PRESUMING TO COMMENT UPON A PASSAGE OF SACRED SCRIPTURE ALREADY EXPOUNDED BY OTHER AUTHORS.

I have explained this passage of Holy Scripture as well as I could. I know that my remarks will not obtain universal approval; on the contrary, I feel that I have made myself a butt for the censure of many. Some will regard my attempt as superfluous, others will condemn it as presumptuous: they will be displeased with the modern author who has ventured to compose a new commentary on a text which the fathers have exhaustively treated. Nevertheless, it appears to me that if some one coming after the fathers has something to say which is not opposed to the fathers, neither the fathers nor anybody else has a right to complain. But with respect to what I have borrowed from the fathers, if whilst thus escaping the reproach of presumption, I do not lose at the same time the fruit of devotion, I shall patiently endure to re be considered superfluous. However, let me tell those who find fault with me for undertaking what they judge to be a needless and useless work, that it has - not been my purpose to expound the Gospel, but rather to take occasion from the words of the Gospel to discourse on themes which it is a delight for me to dwell upon. And if I have done wrong in composing these homilies for the purpose of exciting my own devotion, rather than for the sake of the common good, the loving-kind Virgin, to whom this little work is most affectionately dedicated, has influence enough with her merciful Son to obtain for me the pardon of this sin L also.

SERMONS ON PSALM XC.

ST. BERNARD’S PREFACE.

DEAREST brethren, when I think of your labours and sufferings, my heart overflows with compassion. I look about for something to console you, and earthly comforts suggest themselves. But then I reflect that these, instead of helping, would do you incalculable harm; For even a small subtraction from the seed means no small diminution of the harvest ; and the cruel kindness that would now relax your penitential labours would likewise, little by little, rob your crown of its gems. What, therefore, shall I do? where shall I find the meal of the Prophet ? * For without this seasoning, “ death is in the pot.” You are slain, dearest brethren, all the day long, “in labour and painfulness, in much watchings, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often . . . besides those things which are” within, namely, grief of heart and a throng of temptations. You are slain indeed, my brethren, but it is for the sake of Him Who was slain for you. And if the “ sufferings of Christ abound ” in you, “so also by Christ (shall your) comfort abound,” and your hearts, which refuse all other consolation, shall “delight in the Lord.” For even the very sufferings we endure for Him become through His love * Cf. 4 Kings iv. 38-41. 133 a source of consolation. Is it not certain that the burden of your tribulations is beyond what is customary for monks, beyond the power of nature, beyond human strength ? It is carried, therefore, not by you but by Another, by Him, doubtless, Who, according to the Apostle, “ upholdeth all things by the Word of His power.” And is not the enemy thus slain with his own sword, when the very weight of sorrow wherewith he is wont to tempt us, is made the means of conquering his temptations, by giving us infallible assurance of the presence of God? For what have we to fear whilst He is with us Who “ upholdeth all things”? “The Lord is the Protector of my life,” sings the Psalmist, “ of whom shall I be afraid? For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” What is it that sustains the whole mass of this ponderous earth ? On what does the entire universe rest for support? And if there be some one body which serves as a foundation for all the others, by what is that supported? By nothing else, assuredly, than the Word of power Who upholdeth all things. For “ by the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and all the power of them by the Spirit of His mouth.”

Wherefore, in order that you may have consolation in the words of the Lord, during these days especially, when your labours and privations (as is only right) are somewhat greater than usual, it will not be amiss to expound for you some part of Holy Scripture. Indeed, I have been requested to do this by more than one of yourselves. And it seems to me that I ought to select that particular psalm which Satan made use of to tempt the Lord, so that the very words which the malignant one attempted to turn to his advantage may become the means of destroying his power. Here I would remind you that he is manifestly an imitator of the enemy of souls, whosoever makes an unholy use of any part of Sacred Scripture, whosoever would “ detain the truth of God in injustice,” as some are frequently found to do. Beware of this, my dearest brethren, beware of this, I say, because it is the work of the devil, and all who participate in it prove themselves thereby to belong to him, wresting to their ruin what was written for their salvation. But I will not dwell any longer on this subject: it is enough, I think, to have touched upon it briefly. Let me now, with the help of the Lord, attempt a discussion and exposition of the psalm I have chosen.