Second Sermon for Christmas Eve: On the Spiritual Jews and the Spiritual Jerusalem

AND THE DESIRE WHICH ALL THE BLESSED FEEL FOR OUR SALVATION.

“Q Juda and Jerusalem, fear ye not and be ye not dismayed : to-morrow you shall go out and the Lord will bewith you.” PE Par XLA)

My brethren, I am here addressing the true Israelites, those who are Jews not according to the letter, but according to the spirit: the true seed of Abraham which we now behold multiplied in fulfilment of the promise we have read of in Genesis. For “ not they that are the children of the flesh, but they that are the children of the promise, are accounted for the seed.” And the Jerusalem to which I speak is not the Jerusalem that killed the prophets. For what consolation could I offer the city over which Christ wept and which has been given up to destruction? But as it is to the spiritual Jews, so also is it to the spiritual Jerusalem (which has come down new out of heaven) that I say,“ O Juda and Jerusalem, fear ye not.” Fear not, ye true confessors,* who confess to the Lord not alone with your mouths, but with all your members and faculties, and with your whole being, having “ put on confession ” as a garment; who glorify Him with all your vitals and all whose bones exclaim, ‘‘ Lord, who is like to Thee ? ?—very different from those who “ confess that that the word Juda signifies “ confession,” hence the true Jews are true contessors.—(Translator.)

they know God, but in their deeds deny Him.” Your confession, my brethren, is then true and perfect when all your works are the works of God and all contribute to His glory. But let your confession be twofold, in order that you may beclothed in “ double garments.” I mean to say, you ought to unite the confession of your sins with the confession of the divine praises. For then you shall be Jews indeed if your whole life is a confession that you are sinners, deserving of much greater chastisement than you have received, and that God is the sovereign Goodness, Who commutes to the trivial and transitory sufferings of this life the everlasting punishment you have deserved. But he who has not an eager desire for penance seems to say by his conduct either that he has no need of penance, and so he refuses to confess his sins, or that penance is for him of no avail, and so he does not confess the divine goodness. Be ye, however, true Jews, be ye also the true Jerusalem, that so you may have nothing to fear. For Jerusalem means “ the vision of peace,” the vision (not the possession) whose “ ends” (not whose beginning or whose middle) the Lord “hath disposed in peace.” If therefore you have not peace, rather because you cannot have perfect peace in this world, at least gaze upon it, contemplate it, think of it, long for it. Let the eyes of your heart and the intention of your mind be ever directed towards peace, so that all your actions may be performed from the desire of the peace ‘‘ which surpasseth all understanding.” Let this be your aim in everything you do, that, being reconciled, “you may have peace with God.”

It is to persons of such disposition I say, ‘‘ Fear ye not,” it is to these I offer consolation, not to those who “have not known the way of peace.” For were I to say to them, “ To-morrow you shall go out,” I should appear rather to threaten than to console. They alone who have the vision of peace and who

“ know if their earthly house of this habitation be dissolved, that they have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven,” they alone, I say, “ desire to be dissolved’ and are eager to “ go out,” not like those others who, as if afflicted with insanity, take pleasure in their bondage. For of the latter it would be more true to say that they go in when they die than that they “ go out,” because they go not out to light and liberty, but rather go in to darkness, to prison, and to hell. But to you, my brethren, I may truly say, “ Fear ye not and be ye not dismayed ; to-morrow you shall go out,” and there shall be no alarm in your confines. You have indeed many antagonists: the flesh, which is the most domestic of all enemies ; the present wicked world, by which you are surrounded; and the princes of darkness, who live in the air and lie in wait to surprise you. Nevertheless, “fear ye not and be ye not dismayed ; to-morrow you shall go out.” That is to say, you shall go out on the day after this, because to-morrow signifies next day. Thus the holy Patriarch Jacob said, “ My justice shali answer for me to-morrow.” There are, my brethren, three spiritual days, whereof it is written in the Prophet Osee, “‘ He will receive us after two days, and on the third day He will raise us up.” The first of these days is the day under Adam, the second the day in Christ, and the third the day with Christ. Hence the same Prophet continues, “ We shall know, and we shall follow on, that we may know the Lord ” : and here it is said, ‘‘ To-morrow you shall go out and the Lord will bewith you.” For these words are addressed to those who “have shortened (dimidiaverunt) their days,’’ for whom has perished the day in which they were born, which is the day. of Adam, the day of sin, the day cursed by Jeremias, who said, “ Cursed be the day wherein I was born.” We have all of us been born in that day. And God grant that it may perish for us also, that day of mists and clouds, that day of darkness and storm, the day which we owe to Adam, which we owe to the enemy, who seduced him with the promise that his eyes should be opened. But behold the new day of redemption has dawned upon us, the day of reparation of the ancient fall, the day of everlasting felicity. “‘ This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us beglad and rejoice therein,” because “ to-morrow (we) shall go out.” And whence shall we go out, except from the confinement of this world, from the prison of this body, from the fetters of corporal necessity, of curiosity, vanity, and pleasure, which, even in spite of us, hold fast the feet of our affection ? For what has our spirit in common with the creatures of earth? Why does it not desire spiritual things ? why not seek after spiritual things ? why not relish spiritual things? O spirit of man, whose home is on high, what hast thou to do with the things below? “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the Right Hand of God; mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth.” But alas! “the corruptible body is a load upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presseth down the mind that museth upon many things.” The numerous necessities of this wretched body hold us back. The fascination of evil desires and worldly pleasures is as bird-lime to our souls, preventing their flight to heaven, yea, and it quickly drags them down again, if ever they should chance to soar aloft. Yet, “‘ fear ye not and be ye not dismayed : to-morrow you shall go out,” “ out of the pit of misery and the mire of dregs.” For in order to draw you forth thence, Christ first allowed Himself to “stick fast in the mire of the deep.” Therefore, “ fear ye not and be ye not dismayed: to-morrow you shall go of “the body of this death ” and of all the corruption of sin. Spend this day in Christ, so that you also may walk even as He walked. For “he that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked.” “ Fear ye not,” therefore, “and be ye not dismayed; to-morrow you shall go out,” “and so shall (you) be always with the Lord.” But perhaps from the fact that it is said expressly : “and the Lord will bewith you,” we are to infer that, whilst we live here below, it is possible for us to bewith the Lord, viz., by being conformed to His will, although He may not bewith us so as to consent to our desires. For we should beglad to be now at liberty, we wish to be at once dissolved, we are impatient to “ go out ” ; but He, for some secret cause, still defers to gratify our longing. However, “ tomorrow we shall go out, and the Lord will bewith us,” in such a way that our pleasure shall be His pleasure, and there shall be no longer the least opposition, but the most petag harmony between His will and ours. Therefore I say, “ Juda and Jerusalem, fear ye not

x and be ye not dismayed ” if you have not yet attained to that degree of virtue which you desire. Let the humility of your confession make up for what is wanting to the perfection of your lives, because, as the Psalmist says of himself to God, “ Thy eyes have seen my imperfection.” For the reason why the Lord has commanded His ‘‘commandments to be kept most diligently” is in order that men, made sensible of their shortcomings, and realising their insufficiency to fulfil what is enjoined, may have recourse to the divine mercy, saying with holy David, “ Thy mercy is better than lives.” Thus, since they are unable to clothe themselves in the garments of justice and innocence, they should at least appear vested in the humility of confession. For ‘confession and beauty are before Him,” that is to say, find favour in His eyes, if yet (as I have already remarked) it be not the confession of the mouth only, but of the whole man, so that all our bones shall exclaim, ‘‘ Lord, who is like to Thee ? ” —and this with a view to peace alone, and from the sole desire of being reconciled to God. It is only to such are addressed the words, “‘O Juda and Jerusalem, fear ye not and be ye not dismayed: to-morrow you shall go out.” That is to say, as soon as the soul parts from the body, all the desires and affections by which she is now attached to earthly objects and drawn around the world, shall be entirely dissolved, so that, freed from this bondage, she “ shall go out and the Lord will bewith ” her. Such happiness may indeed seem excessive to you if you consider only yourselves, and look not to the “ expectation of the creature’ which “waiteth for the revelation of the sons of God.” Does not the whole universe look forward to this consummation? “For the creature was made subject to vanity” ; when, on the fall of man, whom the Lord had “ made master of His house and ruler of all His possession,’ his whole inheritance participated in his corruption. As a consequence, the air was deprived of its original temperateness; the earth was cursed in the works of man, and vanity was given power over all earthly creatures.

Nor shall the inheritance be renewed until the heir has been first restored. Hence, according to the testimony of the Apostle, “it groaneth and travaileth in pain even till now.” And “ we are made a spectacle,” not only “to the world”’ but also “to angels and to men.” Hence the Psalmist says to God, “ The just wait for me until Thou reward me.” And when the martyrs prayed for the day of judgment—not from any desire of vengeance, but because they long for the perfection of happiness which they shall then obtain*—they received the divine answer bidding them to “rest for a little time till their fellow-servants and their brethren, who are to be slain, even as they, shall be filled up.” They have already received each a single robe ; but they shall not beclothed in double garments until we also shall beclothed with them. We even hold as pledges and hostages their sacred bodies, without which they cannot be consummated, nor shall they be restored to them without us. Therefore the Apostle says of the patriarchs and prophets, “ All these, being approved by the testimony of faith, receive not the promise, God providing some better thing for us, that they should not be perfected without us.” - Oh, if we only knew with what eagerness they await, with what ardour they desire our coming! how earnestly they seek and how gladly they hear whatever conduces to our spiritual welfare !

But why do I speak of those who have learned compassion from the things which they suffered, since even the holy angels long for our advent ? Worms though we are and vilest dust, yet is it not with us as with living stones that the walls of the heavenly Jerusalem have to be repaired? And with what eagerness, think you, do these citizens of paradise yearn to see the integrity of their city restored? Oh, how anxiously do they await the arrival of the rational stones with which the fissures in their wall shall be built up ! How they speed to and fro between God and us, most faithfully representing our groans to Him, and most lovingly bearing back to us His graces! Assuredly they will not disdain to recognise us as their associates seeing that already they minister to us as our servants. For “are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation? ” Let us hasten, therefore, my dearest i

SECOND SERMON FOR CHRISTMAS EVE 325 .

brethren, let us hasten, I pray you. The whole multitude of the heavenly host are awaiting us. We made the angels rejoice when we were converted to penance ; let us go forward, let us make haste to perfect the joy which our happiness causes them. Woe to thee, whosoever thou art, that wouldst wallow again in the mire and go back to the vomit! Dost thou expect to have them propitious to thee at the judgment whom thou art now disposed to defraud of a joy so great and so ardently longedfor? They were filled with gladness when we gave ourselves up to penance ; they exulted over us, because they saw us returning, so to speak, from the very mouth of hell. What now shall be their feelings if they behold us turning away from the portals of paradise and going back, after placing one foot in heaven? For the heart may dwell in heaven even though the body abides on the earth.

Make haste, then, my brethren, make haste, I say, because not the angels only, but the Creator of the angels Himself is awaiting you. ‘‘ The marriage indeed is ready,” but the house is not yet full. There are others still awaited in order that “ the marriage may be filled with guests.” God the Father is looking out for you with yearning, not alone “for His exceeding charity wherewith He hath loved us,” as the Apostle bears witness (and “ the only-begotten Son, Who is in the Bosom of the Father, He likewise hath declared ” it, saying : ‘‘ The Father Himself loveth you ”’) but also for His own sake, as He tells us by His Prophet, “ It is not for your sake I will do this, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake.” For who can doubt the fulfilment of the promise which He (the

Father has made to His Son in the words, “‘ Ask of Me and I willgive Thee the gentiles for Thy inheritance” ? And elsewhere He says, “ Sit Thou at My Right Hand, until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool.” Now all Christ’s enemies have not been crushed so long as they continue their attacks upon us who are His members. Nor shall the promise be entirely fulfilled until death, the last of our enemies, has been utterly destroyed. And as concerns the Son, who does not know how much He desires “the fruit of (His) nativity,” the fruit of the whole life which He lived in the flesh, the fruit of His cross and of His death, the price of His most precious Blood? Is He not to deliver up the kingdom which He has acquired “ to God and the Father ” ? Is He not to restore to the Father those creatures of His for the sake of whom He was sent down to the earth? And the Holy Spirit also expects us. For He is the Charity and the Benignity of God, and it isin Him we have been predestined from everlasting. Surely then we cannot doubt that He desires to see that predestination accomplished.

Therefore, my brethren, since all the court of heaven desires and expects us, let us “run not as at an uncertainty.” Let us run by holy desires and by our progress in virtue. For to grow in sanctity is to hasten forward. Let each one of us repeat with the Psalmist, “ Look upon me and have mercy on me, according to the judgment of them that love Thy name.” That is to say, “ Show me mercy, not according to my deserts, but according to the good will of them that love Thee truly.” Let us also repeat with Judas Machabeus, “ As it shall be the will of God in heaven so be it done,” and with the Lord Himself, “ Thy

Baz will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” For we know that it is written, “ If God be for us, who is against us?” Also, “ who shall accuse against the elect of God? ” And “Isit not lawful for Me to do what I will?” Therefore, dearest brethren, let this be your consolation in the meantime until “ you shall go out and the Lord will bewith you.” To which happy going out may He in His great mercy lead us, and to that glorious to-morrow. And on this nearer to-morrow also may He vouchsafe to visit us and to remain with us, so that if any one amongst us happens to beheld captive by some temptation, he may “ go out?” therefrom to-morrow, through the grace of Him who cometh to “ preach a deliverance to them that are shut up,” and that with a holy gladness we may receive the crown of joy from the Hand of our new-born King, Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth one God for ever and ever. Amen.