Sermon XXIV. On Detraction and the Necessity of Uniting Faith with Good Works

"The righteous love thee."

At length, my brethren, and for the third time, I have come back to you from Rome. And this my last return has been attended with more auspicious omens, and more manifest indications of heaven's good- will. For the Lion has ceased to rage, the power of evil has passed away, and peace has been restored to the Church. "In her sight is brought to nothing the malignant," who, for nearly eight years, kept her in a state of turmoil and confusion with his fearful schism. But shall it be to no purpose that I am brought back to you from such great dangers? No, my brethren, since I have been restored to your desires, I am willing and ready to help you along in your spiritual advancement. As I owe my life to the merit of your prr.yers, so I wish to live only for your interests and your salvation. Since, therefore, it is your desire that I should resume my lectures on the Canticle, begun so long ago, I willingly consent. But I judge it better to repeat and complete the last sermon,¹ which I was forced to break off, than to enter upon something altogether new. Yet ] am afraid that my mind, so long distracted and preoccupied with cares, as unworthy as they were various, is not in a condition to handle this subject in a manner befitting its dignity. "But what I have I give you." And to my faithful service God will be able to add that which I have not, in order that I may transmit it to you. In case He should not, then, let my intelligence be censured, not my good- will.

We have to begin, I think, with the words, "The righteous love thee." But before proceeding to explain what they mean I must consider to whom they belong, that is, who is the speaker. For the commentator is jj expected to supply what the inspired author has passed over in silence. Perhaps, then, I had better assign these words to the "young maidens," and regard them ps a continuation of the foregoing. For after saying, no doubt, to their mother, the Spouse, "We will be [glad and rejoice in thee, remembering thy breasts more than wine," they went on and added this also, "The righteous love thee." As I suppose, they did so on account of some of their own number, who, whilst seeming to run with the others, yet entertained far different sentiments, seeking the things that were their own, not walking with simplicity or sincerity, but envying theirmother's incommunicable glory, and taking occasion to murmur against her from the fact that she alone had been brought into the storehouses. What is this but the same which the Apostle refers to as "perils from false brethren"? These are the persons whose reproaches presently oblige the Spouse to justify herself, when she answers them thus, "I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem." It is, therefore, because of those who censure and calumniate her, that the good, the simple, the humble, and the meek "young maidens" sav to their mother, in order to console her, J he righteous love thee."" Pay no heed,"they tell her,"to the wicked reprehensions of these censorious ones, because the righteous love thee."There is certainly a sweet consolation in the consciousness that we possess the love of the virtuous, when, whilst doing good, we are maligned by the wicked. The esteem of the good, combined with the testimony of our own conscience, is sufficient to" stop the mouth of them that speak wicked things."" In the Lord shall my soul be praised; let the meek hear and rejoice."" Let the meek rejoice says the Spouse. "Let me but please the meek, and patiently will I endure whatever reproaches the envy of the reprobate may hurl against me."

It is in this sense, as it seems to me, that the young maidens "spoke the words, "the righteous love thee. Such an interpretation, at least in my judgment, has the merit of being very reasonable and natural. For almost in every company of "young maidens some individuals are to be found who curiously examine the, conduct of the Spouse, but rather to discover matter for criticism than models for imitation. The virtues of their seniors are a source of bitter grief to sue* whereas they are eager to feed their minds on their failings. You may notice them going apart, meeting and sitting together, and then relaxing their insolent tongues to indulge in the detestable sin of murmuring. They are closely conjoined one with another, and they all but forget to breathe, in the ardour of their desire to hear and to speak detraction. They contract a friendship with a view to calumny; they live in harmony for the propagation of discord; they form an alliance to wage war against fraternal charity; and with an equal affection of concordant malignity they celebrate together the symposium of hate. It was thus Pilate and Herod acted of old, concerning whom the Evangelist narrates that they "were made friends on that same day," namely, on the day of the Lord's Passion. "When (they) come together, therefore, into one place, it is not now to eat the Lord's Supper," but rather to drink themselves and to give others to drink of the "chalice of devils." And whilst the tongues of some communicate the poison which brings souls to a state of perdition, the minds of others welcome the spiritual death that enters through their ears. Thus, according to Jeremias, "death is come up through our windows," whilst with itching ears and restless tongues, we are busy in ministering to each other the deadly cup of detraction. Oh, let not my soul have part in the council of slanderers, since they are objects of hatred to God, as the Apostle bears witness, saying that detractors are "hateful to God." And hear how the Lord Himself, speaking in the Psalms, confirms this: "The man," He says, "that in private detracted his neighbour, him did I persecute."

This, my brethren, should not surprise us, since detraction is recognised to be more particularly and more directly opposed and irreconcilably antagonistic to charity, which is God, than any of the other vices, as you yourselves may take notice. For whoever commits a sin of detraction proves in the first place that he is himself void of charity. What other motive can such an offender have except to bring him whom he slanders into hatred and contempt with his hearers? The detracting tongue, moreover, wounds charity in all who listen to it, and, as far as depends on it, utterly destroys and extinguishes that virtue. And not alone on those present has it this effect, but on the absent also, as many as the flying word may happen to reach through the agency of the listeners, who repeat what they have heard. Behold how easily and how speedily a countless number of souls can be infected with the deadly virus of this moral plague by the slanderous word that "runneth swiftly." Therefore, the Prophet says of detractors, "Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, their feet are swift to shed blood," as swift, that is to say, as the "word" that "runneth swiftly." There is, perhaps, but one speaker, and he speaks but one word. And yet, that word, insinuating the poison through the ears, murders in a single moment the souls of a multitude of hearers. For the heart that is filled with the bitter venom of envy, can only send forth the bitterness of malice through the instrument of the tongue, according to the testimony of Christ, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."

There are different species of detractors. Some without shame or concealment spit forth the poison of this pestilence, according as it rises from the heart to the mouth. Others attempt to cover the malignity conceived in their minds and which they cannot keep in, under the mask of a pretended embarrassment. You may observe them beginning by heaving deep sighs. Then, slowly and solemnly, with melancholy countenance, with downcast looks and whining voice, they give free rein to their detracting tongues, and their slanders are received by the listener only the more unsuspectingly, the more evidently they appear to be spoken with reluctance and to proceed from compassion rather than from malice. "It grieves me much," says one, "because of my great love for him, that I have never been able to persuade so-and-so to give up such and such a fault." "One thing," says another, "is absolutely certain, namely, that nothing could ever have induced me to be the first to open my lips about this matter. But now that it has been made known by another, I cannot deny the fact. I am very sorry to have to admit that the report is true." And he adds, "It is a great pity. For in other respects he is an excellent man, but herein, I candidly confess, there is no excuse for him."

Having said so much against this most malignant vice, I will now return to the order of my exposition, and I will try to explain whom, in this place, we are to understand by the "righteous." I do not suppose any sensible person will here understand this word in its original meaning, as signifying straight ness in material things, as if they who love the Spouse were the upright in body. Hence I have to understand and explain it of spiritual righteousness, that is, of the uprightness or rectitude of the heart and the mind. For it is the Spirit Who speaks, "comparing spiritual things with spiritual." It was, therefore, according to the soul, not according to the body, composed of the slime of earthy matter, that God made man upright, when "He created him to His own image and likeness." For "the Lord our God is righteous, and there is no iniquity in Him." Therefore, the righteous God made man righteous, like unto Himself. That is to say, He made man without iniquity, just as "there is no iniquity in Him." Moreover, iniquity is a vice, not of the flesh, but of the spirit. By this you may know that it is in your spiritual nature, not in your gross and material part, that the image of God has to be preserved or restored. For "God is a Spirit," and they who wish to retain or to recover their likeness to Him, must enter into their own hearts and apply themselves in spirit to that spiritual work. There "beholding the glory of the Lord with open face," they shall "be transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Yet God also has given man the uprightness that characterises his bodily frame. And perhaps the reason of this was in order that such physical erectness of our exterior and baser element, might admonish our interior, spiritual man, who is made to God's image, of the necessity of preserving spiritual uprightness, and that the beauty of the body might stand in reproachful contrast with the deformity of the soul. For what can be so incongruous as to bear about a crooked mind in a straight body? It is surely a shame and a monstrosity that, whilst this "earthy vessel," this material envelope, keeps its eyes lifted up from the earth, directs its looks to the heavens, and contemplates with delight the luminaries of the firmament, the rational soul, on the contrary, that spiritual and celestial creature, should bend her gaze to the ground, that is, should lower her internal faculties and affections to the level of material things, and, whereas she ought to be "brought up in purple," should attach herself to unworthy objects and "embrace the dung" as the filth-loving swine. Be ashamed, O my soul, of having thus exchanged the divine image for the brutish. Be ashamed of wallowing in filth, thou who art of heavenly origin. "O my soul," exclaims the body, "compare thyself with me and be confounded! Created righteous, like to thy Creator, thou hast obtained in me also a helper like to thyself, according to the analogy of corporeal uprightness. Whithersoever thou mayest turn thy gaze, whether to God above thee or to me below, ' for no man ever hated his own flesh,' on all sides thou dost behold various reflections of thine own beauty, everywhere in accordance with the dignity of thy position, thou art receiving friendly admonitions from the Spirit of wisdom. But whilst I have retained and preserved the prerogative of uprightness bestowed upon me on thy account, what confusion ought to overwhelm thee for having lost thine? Why must the Creator behold His own divine image effaced from thee, the while He contemplates thine preserved and constantly reproduced and exhibited in me? Now thou hast turned to thine own confusion whatever help was due to thee from me. Changed from a rational to a brutal and bestial spirit, thou art unworthy any longer to inhabit a human body, and dost but abuse my service."

Such deformed souls cannot love the Spouse, since, being of the world, they are not friends of the Bridegroom. "Whosoever," says St. James, "will be a friend of this world becometh an enemy of God." Therefore, it is deformity or curvature of soul to seek after and to relish "the things that are upon earth"; whilst, on the contrary, spiritual uprightness consists in meditating and desiring "the things that are above." But, in order that this uprightness be perfect, it must be found not alone in the thoughts and the feelings of the mind, but also in external conduct harmonising therewith. So, I would call him perfectly upright whose mind is imbued with sound doctrine, and whose practice is in keeping with his principles. Let faith and conduct reveal to you the condition of the invisible soul. That soul you may consider as righteous which professes the Catholic faith and performs the works of justice. But if either faith or works be lacking, you need have no hesitation in pronouncing her to be deformed. For thus we read, "If thou rightly offerest and dost not rightly divide, thou hast sinned." We indeed "rightly offer" each of these two, faith and good works; but we do not "rightly divide" one from the other. Do not, my brethren, be righteous offerers and unrighteous dividers. Why would you separate works from faith? Such a separation is sinful and destroys the life of your faith, since "faith without good works is dead." And would you offer to the Lord a victim that is already dead? For if charity be, so to speak, the soul of faith, what is that faith which "worketh" not "by charity" but a lifeless corpse? Are you, then, doing well in honouring God with such a putrescent victim? Are you doing well in trying to propitiate Him by offering Him the faith you have murdered? How can that be a peace- offering which is immolated with so much dreadful; discord? It is not surprising that Cain, after murder- ing his faith, should rise up also against his brother. Why, O Cain, dost thou wonder that the Lord Who despises thyself has not regard to thy offerings? Nor is it anything strange if He refuses to look upon thee, who art so divided in thyself. Why dost thou deliver up thy soul to envy, whilst thy hand is employed in the work of piety? Thou canst not make peace with (rod so long as thou remainest at variance with thyself. Thou dost but further provoke instead of appeasing His anger, and if not yet indeed by impiously striking, at least by not rightly dividing. For thou art already a fideicide, viz., a slayer of thy faith, although not as yet a fratricide. Not even now canst thou be righteous when thy hand is extended to God, whilst at the same time envy and hatred of thy brother keep thy heart bent down to the earth. How can righteousness have place in thee, whose faith is dead, whose work is death, whose devotion is extinguished, whose bitterness is exceeding great? The offerer, I allow, has faith, but his faith contains no vivifying love. The oblation is right, but cruel the division.

The death of faith, my brethren, is its separation from charity. You believe in Christ. Then do the works of Christ, that your faith may live. Let your faith be animated by love, and its sincerity proved by virtuous actions. Do not stoop to the earth by worldly conduct, you whom a heavenly faith holds erect. You say that you abide in Christ. Therefore you "also ought to walk even as He walked." But if you seek your own glory, if you are jealous of the prosperity of others, if you speak evil of the absent, or retaliate injuries, in this you are not imitating Christ. To such false Christians I say: You proclaim by your words that you know God, and yet you deny Him by your deeds. Surely you have not acted well but wickedly in giving your tongues to Christ, and your hearts to the devil. Hear, therefore, what the Almighty says of such: "With their lips they glorify Me, but their heart is far from Me." No, you cannot be righteous, since you make so unrighteous a division. You are unable to lift up your heads, pressed down as they are by the yoke of Satan. Neither have you the power to draw yourselves erect, being "dominated by iniquity." For your "iniquities are gone over" your "head, and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon" you. For "Wickedness is seated upon the talent of lead,"² according to the Prophet Zachary. You now understand that even right faith cannot make a man righteous unless it "worketh by charity." And he who is without charity has not wherewith to love the Spouse. But neither are works, however right, sufficient to render the heart righteous, without right faith. For who would call him righteous that is not pleasing to God? But "without faith it is impossible to please God." He who is not pleasing to God cannot be pleased with God, since no one that is pleased with God can be displeasing to Him. Moreover, whoever is displeased with God, shall also be displeased with His Spouse. In what way, then, can he be righteous, who loves neither God nor the Church of God? For it is to the Church the "young maidens" say, "The righteous love thee." Since, therefore, neither faith without works, nor works without faith are sufficient³ for righteousness of soul, let us, my brethren, who have right faith in Christ, endeavour to make our ways and our wills also right. Let us lift up both our hearts and our hands to God that we may be found completely righteous, proving the rectitude of our faith by the righteousness of our actions. So shall we be lovers of the Bride, and the friends of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who is over all things, God blessed for evermore. Amen.

Footnotes

1. This sermon, as it is given here, was preached in the year 1 1 38, after the Saint's return from Italy. We learn from the introduction that it had been interrupted during a previous delivery, the Preacher, apparently, having cut short his discourse to obey an urgent summons from his ecclesiastical superiors. This accounts for the fact that some editions give 87 sermons on the Canticles, the interrupted and the repeated discourses being reckoned as two. But even where these are given as one, there is a great diversity in the readings. The reason of this is that St. Bernard preached the sermon with different exordiums on the two occasions, and hence Editors who wished to combine them, had ample room for discrepancies. The "Lion" is, of course, the antipope, Anacletus II, Peter di;Leone, whose schism against Innocent II the Saint was mainly instrumental in bringing to a close. — (Translator.) ↩

2. The reference is to Zachary v. 7, 8. "And behold a talent of lead was carried, and behold a woman sitting in the midst of the vessel. And he said: This is wickedness. And he cast her into the midst of the vessel, and cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof." Either the Saint had a different reading, or else he is quoting freely. — (Translator.) ↩

3. This powerful vindication of Catholic doctrine was called for by the errors of Abelard, who not only denied the necessity of good works, to which he would allow no supernatural value, but also, by his deification of reason, made faith itself a supernumerary. Thus he was at once the precursor of the sixteenth century "Reformers," whose motto was "faith alone," and of our modern Indifferentists, who say to us, "do what you think right and don't worry about creeds." Cf. the Saint's "Tractatus de Erroribus Abaelardi," or Epistle 19°, addressed to Pope Innocent II. — (Translator.) ↩