Third Sermon for the Feast of All Saints: How the Souls of the Saints Are Free from Spot But Not as Yet Without Wrinkle

“ That He might present to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot oy wrinkle or any such thing ’’— Ephes. v. 27.

You have observed, as I think, dearest brethren, from what has been said in the preceding discourse, that there are three states of existence for the souls of the saints: the first in this corruptible body, the second apart from the body, and the third in the glorified body; the first in warfare, the second in peace, the third in perfect beatitude; the first in the tabernacles, the second in the courts, the third in the house of the Lord. ~ How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts !” exclaims the Psalmist (Ps. Ixxxiii. 1). But far more desirable are His courts ; hence it is added, “ My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord” (ibid.). And since, as you have heard, even in the courts there is something wanting to the happiness of the saints, the Prophet again cries out: “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, O Lord ” (ibid. 5). Most dearly beloved, greatly in truth have “ I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: we shall go into the house of the Lord ” (Ps. cxxi. I), And if you desire to know how I can feel so confident, it is because of the multitude of our race who already stand within the courts, awaiting the day when their bodies shall be restored to them and the number of their brethren shall be filled up. For into that most blissful house they shall not enter except in company with us and with their own bodies, that is, neither the saints without the ordinary faithful nor the spirit without the flesh. It would appear incongruous if man were endowed with complete happiness whilst his nature remained as yet incomplete, or the Church, whilst still imperfect, with the perfection of glory. Wherefore, when they, viz., the souls of the saints, solicited the resurrection of their bodies, as I mentioned in my last discourse, they received the answer from God “ that they should rest for a little time till their fellow-servants and their brethren should be filled up ” (Apoc. vi. 11). They have been given, however, each of them a single robe (ibid.), but they shall not be “ clothed with double garments ” (Prov. xxxi. 21) until we also are clothed: according to what the Apostle says, speaking of the patriarchs and prophets, ‘‘ All these, being approved by the testimony of faith, received not the promise, God providing some better thing for us that they should not be perfected without us” (Heb. xi. 40). By the first robe we are to understand the beatitude and repose which the blessed already enjoy and of which I have spoken already; the second robe signifies the glory and immortality reserved for their bodies. Hence _ their prayer to God: “ Revenge, O Lord, the blood of Thy servants which hath been shed ” (Ps. lxxviii. ro, Apoc. vi. 10): is not inspired by vindictive feeling or by a longing for vengeance on their persecutors, but only by the desire for the resurrection and glorification of their bodies which, as they know, shall not be until the day of judgment.

But whence is this to thee, O miserable flesh? O foul and fetid flesh, whence is this to thee ? Not surely - from thine own merits, but from the fact that the _ holy souls, which God has impressed and adorned with His own image, desire thy company, that the souls redeemed with His precious Blood await thee, that without thee neither their joy can be full nor their glory perfect nor their happiness complete; and so strong is this natural desire in them that their affection cannot wholly and freely tend to God, but suffers a kind of contortion and makes a “ wrinkle” (Ephes. v. 27) so long as they are distracted by the longing for thee. Hence the blessed Apostle John, who has revealed so much by the Spirit concerning that state in which the souls of the saints are blissfully reposing, tells us that “ they are without spot before the throne of God” (Apoc. xiv. 5). “ Without spot,” yes, but not without “ wrinkle,” until the time comes when Christ shall “present them to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing ” (Ephes. v. 27). In those of her members who have still to wage war the Church is not even free from stain: for “ no one is without stain, not even the infant that has lived a single day on the earth,” where, as the same holy Job bears witness, “ the life of man is a warfare ” (Job vii. 1). She is without stain in those who are now resting under the altar of the Lord (Apoc. vi. 9), according to what is said in the psalm, ‘ Lord, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle? or who shall rest in Thy holy hill ? He that walketh without blemish ” (Ps. xiv. 1). Therefore he alone “ who walketh without blemish ” shall rest on the mountain of the Lord. But whosoever shall be found free from both wrinkle and stain shall be exalted above the mountain. Now if you desire to know when the souls of the saints shall be without wrinkle, when the spiritual heavens shall be “stretched out like pavilions” (Ps. ciii. 2)* which are extended in such a manner that not the least fold or pucker appears in them: that shall be only then when they “ follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth ” (Apoc. xiv. 4). For the souls that would follow the Lamb must indeed be stretched out and extended. For whither goeth Her “He reacheth from end to end mightily and ordereth all things sweetly ’ (Wisdom viii. 1).

Perhaps you would like me to explain more fully whither the Lamb goeth and what is the necessity for the souls of the saints to follow Him? Listen to what He has said Himself by the mouth of the Wise Man, “ In all things I have sought rest” (Ecclus. xxiv. rr). This manifestly is the rest of the Lord: not an interrupted rest, not a rest confined within any definite limits: for in all things He rejoices, He takes delight in all things, in all things He seeks and finds repose. He is pleased with all that is good for its own sake, but finds pleasure too in the good disposition of things that are in themselves evil. “ He loveth mercy and judgment ” (Ps. xxxii. 5); and He looks with complacency not alone upon the glory of the good but also upon the sufferings (as being justly inflicted) of the wickedt. What shall I say, brethren’? ' Shall I suppose it possible for a human soul to enter into this joy of the Lord (Matt. xxv. 21), to participate in this rest of His, so that she too shall rejoice in all things and be no longer puckered into wrinkles by private affection but elevated to an affection that is all-embracing and divine? Yes, that is undoubtedly possible, provided she is faithful over the few things (ibid) entrusted to her stewardship during the time of her warfare, I mean her bodily members, her senses, and her appetites which she was given charge of, so that she might prove her fidelity to the Lord by her administration of them.

Therefore, the servant of Christ “should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour ” (I Thes. iv. 4) and to “ glorify and bear God in his body” (r Cor. vi. 20) and then, beyond a doubt, the Lord, Who is as generous as He is wealthy, “ will place over many things”’ the servant whom He has found faithful over a few (Matt. xxv. 23). “ Over many things,” indeed, because He will “ make him master of His house and ruler of all His possession ” (Ps. civ. 21). Let not this appear incredible to you or as something ce spoken from myself, for it is the promise given by `

Truth itself, Whose word it would be impious to doubt.

“Blessed is that servant,” said the Saviour, “whom ` when his Lord shall come He shall find so doing: Amen, I say to you, He shall place him over all His goods ” (Matt. xxiv. 46,). Then shall the faithful servant be placed over all the goods of his Lord when he shall be found worthy to enter into the joy of his Lord, and with Him to rejoice evermore in all things, to find satisfaction in all things, to take delight in all things. For, as the Apostle says, ‘‘ He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” with Him (r Cor. vi. 17); and his will, absolutely conformed to the divine will, is made one therewith, so that there is l l |

P AR a Bl eh A! OP a ean nothing now to oppose it in the whole universality of creatures, but all things fall out or rather all things immutably abide in accordance with its good pleasure.

This, then, is that “ blessed hope” for which the souls of the saints are looking (Tit. ii. 13). And although they render never-ceasing thanks for the happiness and repose they already enjoy, they pray nevertheless and cry out to the Lord for the consummation which is still withheld from their desires. Hence, just as I have pronounced them free from the stains of past sin, yet not free from the wrinkles of present distraction: so can they be said to have already attained to the “voice of thanksgiving ” but not yet to the “voice of praise” (Is. li. 3) ; for it is fitting that the perfect alone should praise the All-Perfect, so that He may be “praised with His inheritance’ (Ps. cv. 5) when now, not only shall they give praise to Him, but every one of them also “shall have praise from God” (xr Cor. iv. 5). Hence the Prophet, as if with deliberate purpose, speaks in the future tense where he says, “ Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, O Lord, they shall praise Thee forever and ever” (Ps. lxxxiii. 5). And it is significant that St. John tells us in his Apocalypse that he heard, not the voice of praise, but the voice of supplication. For so we read: “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held, and they cried with a loud voice.” What did they cry? “ How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ? ” (Apoc. vi. 91,). This surely is the voice of prayer, not of praise. But, brethren, how long shall

III 25 we “ surround the altar” (Ps. xxv. 6) at a distance and fear to approach? Your charity, unless I mistake, longs to hear the secret of this altar and to know this sacred and most profound mystery. But who am I that I should lightly presume as a rash inquirer, to invade the sanctuary of the saints? Have I not read that “ the searcher of majesty shall be overwhelmed by glory ”?” (Prov. xxv. 27)? However, let us pause here for to-day, and let us knock in prayer at the door of the mystery of this altar: perchance the holy souls dwelling there will vouchsafe to open unto us, not for our sakes, but for the sake of Him “ Who hath loved us and washed us from our sins in His own Blood” (Apoc.i..), acknowledging us also as among the “ fellow-citizens of the saints and the domestics of God” (Ephes. ii. 19), and not regarding us as “strangers and foreigners”’ (ibid.) and as such deserving to be excluded from that hidden but happy home.