First Sermon for Lent: On What is Meant by Anointing the Head and Washing the Face

“ And when you fast, do not, as the hypocrites, make yourselves appear sad.* For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face.”—Matt. vi. 16, 17.

To-day, dearest brethren, we enter upon the holy season of Lent, upon the season of special warfare for the Christian. This Lenten observance is not confined to ourselves: it is common to all who are united to us by the profession of the one true faith. Why should not all Christians participate in the fast of Christ? Why should not the members follow their Head? ‘If we have received good things” from our Divine Head, “why should we not receive evil ” (Job ii. 10)? Is it that we want to share in His joys and to have no part in His sorrows? If that be the case, we prove ourselves unworthy to be His members. For all that He suffers, He suffers for our sake. But if we are unwilling to co-operate with Him in the work of our own salvation, how, I ask, shall we show ourselves His coadjutors (1 Cor. iii. 9)? Surely it is no great thing for him to fast with Christ, who is destined to sit with Christ at His Father’s table. Surely it is nothing great that the member should suffer with the Head when it is also to be glorified with the Head.

hypocritae, tristes.’’—(Translator.) 68

Fates

ON ANOINTING THE HEAD 69

Happy the member that in all things adheres faithfully to this Head and follows Him “‘ whithersoever He goeth” (Apoc. xiv. 4)! But if ever it should -= chance to becut off and separated from the Head, it shall also be deprived, immediately and of necessity, of the spirit of life. For how can either sensibility or life belong to any part of the body which is not in union with its Head? Nor shall there be wanting one who will claim for his own the repudiated member, so that even then it shall be subject to a head. For the “root of bitterness ” (Heb. xii. 15) shall germinate again; it shall again put forth that venomous head, that head, I say, which was crushed long ago under the heel of the strong woman, that is, of Mother Church (Gen. iii. 15): I refer to the time when she, the spiritual mother, regenerated unto the hope of life him whom his mother according to the flesh brought forth by nature a child of wrath.

Now, therefore, if there beany person who has “ the eyes of his heart enlightened ” (Ephes. i. 18), and knows how to examine things spiritually (x Cor. ii. 14), to him such a one must appear as a most horrible monster, having the body of a man and the head of a demon. But this is not all. For that viperine head which had before been cut off, is now not only back again, but has brought ‘‘ seven others more wicked than itself,” so that “the last state of that man is made worse than the first ” (Matt. xii. 45). My brethren, who does not tremble at the very sound of these words? “Shall I then take the member of Christ and make it a member of ” the devil (x Cor. vi. 15)? Shall I cut myself off from the body of Christ in order to be miserably incorporated in Satan? Far be it from us ever to contemplate so detestable an exchange! Verily “it is good for me to adhere to ” Thee (Ps. lxxii. 28), O Divine Head, glorious and blessed for ever, ‘‘on Whom the angels desire to look” (1 Peter i. 12). I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest (Matt. viii. 19). Even shouldst Thou pass through fire, I will not be separated from Thee; and “ I will fear no evils, for Thou art with me”’ (Ps. xxii. 4). Thou dost carry my sorrows (Is. lii. 4) and art grieving for me. Thou goest first through the strait way of the passion in order to render the passage easier for Thy members following after Thee. “ Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom. viii. 35). For this love it is by which “ the whole body, being compacted and fitly joined together, maketh increase unto the edifying of itself ” (Ephes. iv. 16). This, my brethren, is that good solder of which the Prophet Isaias speaks (Is. xli. 7). It is this that makes it so “ good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity”’ (Ps. cxxxii. 1). The same is the “precious ointment ” that from the Head “ runs down upon the beard,” yea, and descends from the Head even to the “ skirt of the garment ” (ibid. 2), so that not even the very least fringe may be deprived of its share of the unction. For the Head contains the fulness of graces of which “‘ fulness we have all received ”’ (John i. 16) ; in the Head is the inexhaustible fountain of divine mercy; in the Head is all the abounding treasure of spiritual ointment, according to the words of the Psalmist, “God, thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows” (Ps. xliv, 8). Nevertheless, the same Head that the Father had so plentifully anointed was also fearlessly anointed by Mary. The disciples indeed complained, but Truth

ON ANOINTING THE HEAD JI answered in her defence that she had wrought a good work upon Him (Matt. xxvi. 7-10).

But, my brethren, what is enjoined on us by the Gospel of to-day? ‘‘ Thou, when thou fastest,” says the Saviour, “ anoint thy Head.” Wonderful condescension! ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Him, because the Lord hath anointed Him ” (Is. lxi. 1): and nevertheless, when preaching the Gospel to the poor (Luke iv. 18), He says to them, “anoint thy Head ” ! The Father is well pleased in His Son, and whilst the Paternal voice is sounding in the air, the Holy Spirit comes down in the form of a dove. Think you, my brethren, that chrism was wanting at the baptism of Christ? The Spirit of the Lord remained upon Him, according to the testimony of the Baptist (John i. 32) : who then can doubt that he was anointed by the Lord ? “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased ” (Matt. iii. 17): have we not here the very fragrance of the spiritual ointment? The Father “hath anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows ” (Ps. xlix. 8) Him in Whom He is well pleased beyond all others. For the Father loveth the Son (John iii. 35) with an affection all divine and incommunicable to any creature. The Father, I say, hath anointed the Son above His fellows, by pouring out upon Him without reserve all the graces of benignity, gentleness, and sweetness, and filling Him most abundantly with the bowels of mercy and compassion. After so anointing Him, He sent Him to us, and caused us to see Him full of tenderness and grace. Thus was our Head anointed by the Father, and nevertheless He demands to be anointed also by us. ‘‘ But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy Head ’’—so He charges each one of us. Is it thus the unfailing Fountain begs water of the poor rivulet ? Aye, even thus: or rather It demands back that which It has Itself bestowed. For “ unto the place from whence the rivers come they return to flow again ? (Eccles. i. 7).

It is not, however, because there is anything wanting to Christ that He requires back what He has given us, but only in order that nothing may be lost to us by our willingly referring all to Him. For just as the water of a river becomes corrupted when it begins to stagnate, and, forming a lake, prevents the free flow of what follows: in the same manner the current of grace ceases whenever, it is not directed back to its source ; and not only does the ingrate receive nothing more, but even that which has been given him is turned to his ruin. On the other hand, he who is faithful in returning due thanks for that which is less, shall be accounted worthy of greater benefits. Therefore, “anoint thy Head,” by referring to Him Who is above thee whatever thou hast of devotion, whatever of spiritual delight, whatever of the affection of charity. “ Anoint thy Head,” by attributing to Him every gift of grace of which thou mayest find thyself possessed, and by seeking His glory rather than thine own. For he who “in every place is the good odour of Christ unto God” (2 Cor. ii. 14, 15) may be said to anoint Christ. But remember that before bidding thee anoint thy Head, He uttered these other words against hypocrites, “ Do not, as the hypocrites, make yourselves sad.” He does not thereby interdict every kind of sadness, but only that sadness which appears in the face and to the eyes of men. For, according to the Wise Man, “the heart of the wise is where there

ON ANOINTING THE HEAD TE is mourning ” (Eccles. vii. 5). And St. Paul declared that he did not repent of having made his disciples sorrowful, because such sorrow was unto salvation for them (11 Cor. vii. 8). Very different from this is the sorrow of the hypocrites, which dwells, not in the heart, but in the face. For it is added, “ They disfigure their faces.”

Observe, then, my brethren, that the Lord did not say, “ Be not, as the hypocrites, sad,” but, “ Do not, as the hypocrites, make yourselves appear sad,” that is, do not pretend to be sad. Thus we often hear it said in this sense, ‘“‘ such or such a one makes himself appear sad” ; “ such and such a one makes himself appear great’’; and in the same sense the Prophet said, “ They that bless, that is, pretend to bless, this people shall cause them to err (Is. ix. 16): these and all such like expressions are significant, not of truth, but of simulation. ‘But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy Head and wash thy face.” The hypocrites disfigure their faces : thou art told to wash thy face. Now by the face we are to understand here the external conduct, which the faithful follower of Christ washes clean so that there may be nothing in it to offend the eyes of the beholder, and which the hypocrite disfigures by affecting what is singular and extraordinary. Neither does the hypocrite anoint his Head, since his heart is far removed from the love of Christ, and he finds all his happiness in the vain applause of men. He rather anoints himself in order to spread abroad the fragrance of his self-conceit. Or, since it is manifest that Christ is not the head of the hypocrite, perhaps it would be more proper to say that such a one cannot even anoint his own head of whatever kind it may be, inasmuch as his soul is soothed, not by the testimony of a good conscience, but by the oil of flattery.* So we read that “ the foolish virgins said to the wise: Give us of your oil ” (Matt. xxv. 8). Why this request? Because they had no oil in their own vessels. But it is not the custom of the prudent to give away oil of this kind. For how could they do to others what they would not wish to have done to themselves ? But listen to the Prophet to whom God had revealed “the uncertain and hidden things ” of His wisdom (Ps. 1. 8): “ Let not the oil of the sinner, “he says, “ fatten my head”’ (Ps. cxl. 5). This is the oil which the hypocrites purchase for themselves, and, as the Lord declares, “ they have received their reward.” ‘For they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast.” Take notice, my brethren, how in this short sentence He at the same time animadverts upon the singularity of hypocrites and condemns their vanity. Observe also how briefly He counsels us to ‘‘ provide good things not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of all men ” (Rom. xii. 17), when He adds, “ anoint thy head and wash thy face ’’—that is, let thy external conduct be irreproachable, but at the same time let it be the intention of thy heart to secure for thyself the divine favour : do what is right in the eyes of men, not however as seeking thine own glory, but the glory of God (Matt. v. 16).

It is also possible to understand the washed face as signifying a pure intention; and the anointed head can be taken to mean a devout soul. If this inter-

ON ANOINTING THE HEAD 75 pretation commends itself to you, you will likewise agree that the injunctions to wash the face and to anoint the head are given as remedies against the two vices to which persons who fast are wont to be especially tempted. Thus there is one who fasts from a motive of vanity, and to him it is said, “ Wash thy face”; another in his fast yields to impatience and bitterness, and such as he has need to anoint his head. According to this interpretation, the head signifies the interior of the mind, which we may say is then anointed in its fasting, when fasting has become for it a source of spiritual joy. Does it seem strange to you, my brethren, that I speak of the head as anointed by fasting? But I will say what is more: the head is even fattened in fasting. Have you not read what is written, ‘‘ The eyes of the Lord are on them that fear Him, and on them that hope in His mercy, to deliver their souls from death and to feed them in famine ” (Ps. xxxii. 18, 19)? Therefore the fast of the flesh is the head’s anointing, and the hunger of the body is the soul’s refection; yea, I might even call it the soul’s anointing, since it serves to heal my spiritual wounds and to soothe my troubled conscience. Let the hypocrite, then, buy with his fast the oil of the sinner: as for me, I refuse to sell my fast, but I will use it as oil wherewith to anoint myself. “ Anoint thy head,” says the Lord, lest any discontent or impatience shouid find admission to thy soul. But this is not enough. Thou oughtest even to glory in tribulation, as the Apostle recommends (Rom. v. 3). Thou cughtest to glory, I say, yet without any desire of vainglory, so that thy face also may be free from the defilement of the oil of the sinner.