Second Sermon for Palm Sunday: On the Four Classes of Christians Who Walk in the Saviour’s Procession

“ And they brought the ass and the colt and laid their garments upon them, and made Him sit thereon . . . and the multitudes that went before and followed after cried, saying : Hosanna to the Son of David.” —Matt. xxi. 7-9.

To-day’s sermon must be briefer than usual because of the shortness of the time at our disposal. The procession which we are about to form furnishes me with a superabundance of matter, but at the same time it prevents me from discoursing at length. Soon, I say, we shall have a procession, and later on we shall listen to the passion. Now what is the purpose of so novel a combination, or what had our fathers in view when to the procession they added the recital of the passion ? This is indeed the proper day for commemorating the Lord’s triumphal entrance into the holy city, because this is the anniversary of the day on which that event took place: but wherefore do we to-day commemorate also the passion which was enacted, as you know, on the Friday following? Nevertheless, there is a special fittingness in this combination of the passion and the procession, for it teaches us not to rest with security upon any pleasure in this world, by showing us how “ mourning taketh hold of the end of joy ” (Prov. xiv. 13). Therefore, my dearest brethren, let us not be like fools who are destroyed by their prosperity (Prov. i. 32), but “in

`

THE FOUR CLASSES OF CHRISTIANS _ 11g the day of good things ” let us “ be not unmindful of evils” or “in the day of evils unmindful of good things ” (Ecclus. xi. 27). For the present life consists of an alternation of good and evil, as well in the case of spiritual as of worldly persons. Thus we see the men of this world sometimes elated by good fortune, and sometimes cast down by adversity; and pious souls, likewise, are neither always in gladness nor always in gloom, but experience a succession of bright days and dark, according to what is written, ‘‘ There was evening and morning one day ”’ (Gen. i. 5), and again, “‘ Thou visitest him early in the morning and Thou provest Him suddenly ” (Job vii. 18). But this condition of things shall last only so long as time endures, or rather so long as the stream of time continues to flow. :

This present world of time shall be succeeded by two other worlds, widely diverse and remote from each other. For in the one there shall be nothing save “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. viii. 12), and nothing in the other but “ thanksgiving and the voice of praise ” (Is. li. 3): for there “ God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall beany more, for the former things are passed away ” (Apoc. xxi. 4). In this life, however, neither the lovers of the world are allowed to live without suffering many adversities, nor even with the servants of God does everything fall out in accordance with their wishes. “ Tn the day of evils,” consequently, the just are “ mindful of good things,” lest otherwise they should become pusillanimous and impatient, and like unto him of whom it is said in the psalm, “ He will praise Thee when Thou shalt do well to him” (Ps. xlviii. 19) ; and they are also mindful of evils in the day of good things, lest they should grow proud and begin to say “in their abundance: I shall never be moved” (Ps. xxix. 7). For just as his worldly prosperity destroys the worldly fool (Prov. i. 32), so too may his spiritual abundance and prosperity destroy the spiritual person who is lacking in knowledge, and therefore not truly spiritual at all. For the truly “ spiritual man judgeth all things ” (x Cor. ii. 15). But how is it that prosperity ruins the fool and not also the wise man ? We find the answer in Ecclesiastes, where it is written, “The heart of the wise is where there is mourning, and the heart of fools where there is mirth ” (Eccles. vii. 5). Truly, then, does the same inspired author say, “It is better to go into the house of mourning, than into the house of feasting” (ibid. 3). For although adversity breaks the spirit of many, much more numerous are they whom prosperity spoils by filling their hearts with pride. Hence it is written, “ A thousand shall fall at thy side,” that is, at thy left side, by which we are to understand adversity, “and ten thousand at thy right hand ” (Ps. xc. 7), which signifies prosperity. Moreover, that there is danger on either side we may gather from the words of the Wise Man, where he prays to the Lord, saying, “ Give me neither beggary nor riches ”’ (Prov. xxx. 8). For he feared lest riches should lift him up in pride and lest poverty should cast him down into the sin of impatience.

Here also we have the reason why the Lord willed to give us an example of humility in his procession as well as of patience in His passion. In the passion He was “‘led as a sheep to the slaughter, and was dumb

¥

THE FOUR CLASSES OF CHRISTIANS 121 as a lamb before his shearer, and He opened not His mouth ” (Is. liii. 7), “ when He suffered He threatened not ” (xr Peter ii. 23), but rather prayed for His enemies, saying, “ Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke xxiii. 34). But what lesson does He teach us in the procession? The people were preparing to go forth to meet Him, nor was He ignorant of their purpose “for He knew what was in man” (John i. 25). Therefore He too made His preparations, and presented Himself to them, not with horses and chariots, not with silver-mounted bridles and gilded caparisons, but seated on the back of an ass’s colt whereon the apostles had laid their garments, which I do not suppose were of the most costly material used in that country.

But why, it may be asked, did He will to have this triumphal procession, knowing, as He surely did, that His passion was now at hand? Perhaps it was in order that the passion might be made more bitter still by following so close upon the procession. For by the same people, in the same place, and at the same time— only a few days intervening—He was first welcomed with a triumph and afterwards nailed to the cross. Oh, how great a difference between the cries: “ Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him, crucify Him ” (John xix. 15); and: “ Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest ’’ (Matt. xxi. 9)! How great a difference between the welcoming shout: ‘‘ Hosanna, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel” (John xii. 13), and the cry of repudiation, “ We have no king but Caesar ” (John xix. 15)! How great a difference between the green palm-branches and the cross!

between the flowers and the thorns! Only a while ago they spread their garments under His feet, and behold ! they now strip Him of His own garments and cast lots to decide to whom they shall belong. Woe to you, most bitter sins of ours, for the expiation of which the Son of God had to endure such bitter torments ! Coming now to the procession, it seems to me that I can discern therein four distinct orders of participants, all of which perhaps we shall find represented in our own procession to-day. There were some who went on ahead and made ready the road. They are the persons who prepare the way of the Lord to your hearts, who govern you, and “direct your feet in the way of peace ” (Luke i. 79). There were others who walked behind. In them we have a type of those who, conscious of their own ignorance, are fervent in following and faithful in adhering to the footsteps of their guides. Then, there were the disciples, who, as being more intimate with the Saviour, kept close to His side. These represent such as have “ chosen the best part ”’ (Luke x. 42), such, namely, as live to God alone in the seclusion of the cloister, always cleaving to God, and always intent upon His good pleasure. There was finally the beast of burden whereupon He sat. This animal typifies the hard-hearted and those whose minds are in some sense brutish. You will notice that this species of animal was not very numerously represented in the Saviour’s procession, nor ought it to have been. For asses are wont to be employed rather for carrying burdens than for show; and their presence adds nothing to the dignity and grandeur of a triumphal procession, because they cannot contribute anything even to the music, being capable of nothing better than an

THE FOUR CLASSES OF CHRISTIANS 123 unmelodious bray (rugitus male sonorus). Therefore the assin the procession is representative of ungenerous souls who are always in need of the whip and the spur. Nevertheless, not even such as these will the Lord abandon provided they are willing to submit to discipline. For it is to them the Psalmist addresses the words, “Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way ” (Ps. ii. 12). But should the ass refuse to bear the yoke of discipline, what else has it to expect but that the Lord in His anger will drive it away? And then, wandering from the right way, it will entangle itself in those thorns and briers which choke the word of God, and which are nothing else but the riches of this world and the pleasures of the flesh (Matt. xiii. 7-22).

If there beany here amongst ourselves on whom the rule presses heavily and who find every duty a burden, so that the whip and spur have frequently to be employed to urge them on: I beg of them to make an effort to change themselves—if at all possible—from beasts of burden into men, and to take their place in some of the other three classes which constitute the procession, either with those who precede the Saviour, or with those who walk close to His side, or with those who follow after Him. But if they cannot do this, I implore of them to remain at least in the place where they are, and to submit with patience to a yoke which, if not very sweet, is nevertheless very wholesome, until it shall please the Lord to have regard to their humility (Luke i. 48) and to call them to a higher estate. But would you like me to offer some consolation to those poor asses of ours? We know that they are unable to sing ; for they are not of the number of those who can say with the Psalmist, “ Thy justifications were the subject of my song in the place of my pilgrimage ”’ (cxviii. 54). There is, however, one respect in which the ass is to be envied, in that, namely, to none other of the participants in the procession is the Lord Jesus so close. For not even the disciples who walk on either side of Him have Him so near to them as the beast upon which He is mounted. And listen to the Prophet proclaiming the same fact, “The Lord,” sings holy David, “is nigh to them that are of a contrite heart ” (Ps. xxxiii. 19). So will a mother cherish more fondly and more frequently embrace the child whom she perceives to be ailing. Therefore, let no one feel anger or contempt for them who wish to be Christ’s beasts of burden. For whosoever shall “ scandalise one of those little ones’’ (Luke xvii. 2), shall gravely offend the Lord, Who, like a mother, tenderly fosters them on the lap of His mercy, until they are strong enough to walk. Hence also our holy father, St. Benedict, admonishes us to bear with all patience each other’s infirmities, moral as well as physical.*

There are, then, four classes of people in the procession of the Lord. Those who precede the Saviour and those who follow Him represent respectively the wise and pious and the simple and pious. I couple piety with both wisdom and simplicity, because the wise who are not also pious are impious, according to what is written, “ They are wise to do evils ” (Jer. iv. 22); and the simple if they are not pious are no better than fools. But in the Lord’s procession there is no place either for the impious or for the fool. They that cleave to the sides of the Saviour are the contem-

THE FOUR CLASSES OF CHRISTIANS r platives, whilst the hard-hearted and indevout are they that bear Him and are burdened with His weight. But observe that although they are all in the procession of Christ, not one of them can see His face. For those who precede Him are occupied in preparing the way, and solicitous about the sins and temptations of others. Those who follow are obviously unable to look upon His face, but, like Moses, must be content with seeing His “ back parts’”’ (Exod. xxxiii. 23). As for the poor beast upon which He is mounted, its eyes are never lifted up to contemplate its Master’s face, but are always kept bent upon the ground. They who walk at His side do indeed get a momentary glimpse of His face from time to time, yet they cannot behold it fully or continually so long as the procession is in motion. Nevertheless, in comparison with the others, these can be said to see Him face to face, according to what is also written of Moses, that whereas to the other prophets God spoke in dreams and visions, He conversed with Moses face to face (Exod. xxxiii. I). But not even Moses was able, whilst he lived in this world, to obtain his request to behold the face of God in a full and unclouded vision, because, as the Lord Himself declared, ‘‘ Man shall not see Me and live ” (ibid. 20). “I cannot beseen,” He seems to say, “in this present life: no man shall see My face in this journey, in this procession.” May He therefore grant us in His loving-kindness so to persevere in this procession whilst we live, that in that other great procession in which He and all His members shall be received by the Father, ‘‘ when He shall deliver up the kingdom to God and the Father ” (x Cor. xv. 24), we also may be found worthy to enter the holy city with Him Who liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. Amen.