Sermon LVIII. On the Spiritual Seasons and the Need of Constant Mortification

"Arise, make haste. My love, My dove. My beautiful one, and come: for winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have appeared in our land; the time of pruning is come."

"Arise, make haste, My love, My dove, My beautiful one, and come." Who is it, my brethren, that speaks thus? Doubtless it is the Bridegroom. But was it not also the Bridegroom who, a short time since, adjured the young maidens so earnestly not to awaken His beloved? Why therefore does He now command her not only to arise, but even to make haste? I have here suggested to my mind the thought of something similar, which is mentioned in the Gospel. On the night when the Lord was betrayed, He said to the disciples who were with Him and were worn out with their long watching, "Sleep ye now, and take your rest," and yet added immediately, "Rise, let us go: behold he is at hand that will betray Me." Here, in the same way. He forbids His Spouse to be awakened, and almost at the same moment awakens her Himself, saying, "Arise and come." What can be the meaning of this sudden change of will or of counsel? Shall we suppose that the Bridegroom is capricious in His purpose, and that what He enjoins at one moment He prohibits at the next? God forbid! But rather see illustrated in this apparent change of mind what, if you recollect, I have commended to your notice before, and indeed more than once, touching the alternation of necessary action and prayerful leisure; and also what I observed about the impossibility of enjoying uninterrupted contemplation and undisturbed rest in the present life, in which external offices and the ministrations of charity have the stronger claim upon us, as yielding more abundant fruit. The Bridegroom, therefore, is acting here in accordance with His wont. When He perceives that His Spouse has enjoyed a little repose on His Bosom, He does not hesitate to invite her forth again to the more fruitful occupations of the active life. Not that she is unwilling to leave her rest. For surely He would not do Himself what He has forbidden to be done, viz., "to make the beloved wake before she please." But the Bridegroom invites His Spouse when He gives her an attraction that draws her, an attraction to good works, a desire to bring forth fruit unto Him. For to her to live is her Bridegroom and to die gain.

So strong, my brethren, is this desire that it urges her not only to arise but even to arise in haste. And therefore we read, "Arise, make haste, and come." It is no small consolation for her to hear the word "come" rather than "go." For thereby she is given to understand that she is not so much sent to labour as led, and that she is to have the company of her Beloved. And what can she find difficult with such a companion? "Set me beside Thee," cried holy Job, "and let any man's hand fight against me." And the Psalmist, "Though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for Thou art with me." Therefore the Spouse is not awakened against her will, since the will to be awakened has first been excited in her. That is to say, the desire of gaining souls to God has been infused into her heart. Her zeal is also stimulated and her alacrity further enlivened by the Bridegroom's words concerning the seasonableness of the time. '"It is time to do/ O My Spouse," He says to her, "' for winter is now past,' that spiritual winter when no man could work. ' The rain ' also, which, by the floods and inundations it caused, covered the earth, impeded cultivation, and either prevented the sowing of crops or ruined what was sown, ' the rain,' too, I say, has disappeared, it ' is over and gone '; and ' the flowers have appeared in our land,' signifying that the genial spring-time has come, the time most suitable for field-labour, the seed-time of harvests and fruits." He then goes on to explain what is the work which should first engage her, reminding her that "the time of pruning is come." She is therefore called forth to the cultivation of the vineyards, which then only will reward the labour expended on them with more abundant fruit, when all sterile branches have been cut off, and all noxious growths cleared away, and whatever is superfluous pared down with the pruning-knife. Thus much for the literal sense.

Let us now consider, my brethren, what spiritual lessons or truths are intended to be conveyed to us by these words, which apparently are but a part of an ordinary human narrative. As regards the vineyards," I have already told you and you have heard "that they symbolise souls or churches, and there is no need to explain again what you understand sufficiently well. In this place, therefore, the more perfect soul hears herself invited to the work of watchingover and correcting and instructing and saving the more weak. provided, however, she has not, by ambitious intrigues, ** taken the honour (of the ministry) to herself, but is called to it by God, as Aaron was." And what is this invitation but the interior impulse of charity, piously urging us to be zealous for our brother's salvation, to be zealous for the "beauty of God's house," to be zealous for the advancement of the interests of His glory, and for the multiplication of y the fruits of His justice, and for the honour and praise of His name? As often, then, as he who is charged with the direction of souls, or with the work of preaching, feels himself moved in his interior man by such devout affections towards God, so often he may be perfectly sure that the Bridegroom is present and calling upon him to come forth to the vineyard. And wherefore is he summoned thither except "to root up, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to build, and to plant "?

But because for this work, as indeed for everything else under heaven, all seasons are not equally opportune and suitable, therefore He Who calls His Spouse forth to the vineyard tells her that "the time of pruning is come." The Apostle was well aware that this season had come when he said, "Behold now is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation, giving no offence to any man that our ministry be not blamed." He therefore warned his disciples that they should now prune and cut off whatever was vicious and superfluous, and everything that could be an obstacle or a hindrance to the fruit of salvation, because he knew that the time of pruning had arrived. Therefore also he exhorted the faithful vine-dresser, St. Timothy, to *' reprove, entreat, rebuke," for to reprove and to rebuke is to prune and cut away, whilst entreating and planting signify the same. Here the Bridegroom is admonishing us concerning the time for labour by the mouth of St. Paul. But listen to what He says by His own Mouth regarding the observation of the seasons, where, using other words and images. He thus addresses His newly-wed Bride, the Church of the apostles: "Do you not say that there are yet four months, and then the harvest cometh? Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and see the countries. For they are white already to harvest." And again, "The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He send forth labourers into His harvest." Therefore, just as in the Gospel the Bridegroom points out that the time is at hand for reaping the harvest of souls, so here in the Canticle He reminds His Spouse that the time is come for pruning the spiritual vines, viz., individual souls or particular churches. And perhaps the reason why He varies the simile is to give us to understand that by the harvests is meant the ordinary faithful, and by the vineyards communities of religious persons.

Furthermore, it appears to me that by the winter season, which is said to be past, we are to understand the time when the Lord Jesus would no longer walk openly among the Jews, because they were conspiring v/ against Him and wished to put Him to death. Hence, j to some of them He said, "My time is not yet come,! but your time is always ready," and, "Go you up to I this festival day, but I go not up to this festival day." ^But afterwards, "He went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret." It was winter from that

II. time until the coming of the Holy Ghost, when the frozen hearts of the faithful began again to grow warm, heated by the fire which the Lord cast down upon the earth. Do you doubt, my brethren, that it was then really winter when "Peter was standing and warming himself at a fire of coals," as chilled in heart as he was in body? The Evangelist expressly states that "it was cold." Truly a hard frost had congealed the heart of the faithless Apostle. Nor should we be surprised, since the Divine Fire had been taken from him. A short time before he manifested no little zeal, when he drew his sword and cut off the ear of the servant, because he was then close to the Fire and fought lest he should lose It. But the time of pruning had not yet come. Therefore it was said to him, "Put up thy sword into thy scabbard." For it was then "the hour qf the power of darkness," during which, if any of the disciples were to wield the sword — whether the material sword or the sword of the word — either he would himself "perish with the sword," without even the consolation of gaining any heart or producing any fruit; or certainly he would be driven to an act of apostasy and so again "perish with the sword" of fear, according to the word of the Lord which immediately follows, "all that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Who indeed amongst the other disciples would have fearlessly faced death's awful image, when Peter himself, their prince and leader, trembled and gave way,— Peter, who had been singularly fortified by the strengthening words of the Saviour, and fortified thus in order that he might confirm his brethren?

But neither Peter nor the others were as yet "endued with power from on high.'* Hence it was not safe for them to go out into the vineyards in order to cleanse the soil with the hoes of their tongues and with the sword of the Spirit to prune the vines and trim the branches, so that they might bring forth fruit m greater abundance. Even the Lord Himself held His peace during His Passion; and although interrogated concerning many things, "He answered never a word "In the words of the Psalmist, He "became as a man that heareth not, and that hath no reproofs in his mouth." But "He said to them: If I shall tell you you will not believe Me, and if I shall also ask you! you will not answer Me, nor let Me go." For He knew that the time of pruning had not yet come. He knew that His vineyard would not yet make any return for the labour of its cultivation, would yield no fruits of faith and good works. Why? Because it was still winter in the hearts of unbelievers; because the earth was stiU flooded by the wintry rains of malice, which were more likely to rot than to nourish any seed that might be sown in it, and to render useless all the care devoted to the culture of the vineyards.

What rain, my brethren, do you suppose me to be speaking of now? Is it the rain which we see pouring down upon the earth in a violent tempest, from the clouds that move across the face of the heavens? Surely not. But I refer to that which is thrown up from earth towards the sky by men of turbulent disposition, who "have set their mouth against heaven and their tongue hath passed through the earth" like a pestilential rain, rendering it muddy and sterile and as useless for plants as for seeds. I do not mean those visible plants and seeds, ordained for the satisfaction of our corporal necessities, of which plainly God hath no care, any more than he hath care of oxen, as the Apostle tells us. Which, then? I speak of the spiritual seeds and plants, which have been sown and planted, not by human hands, but by the Hand of God, which can germinate or take root m faith and charity, and bring forth the fruits of salvation, yet only on condition that they are watered with wholesome and seasonable rain. In fact they are the souls for which Christ died. Woe to the clouds that distil upon such plants and seeds the bad rains, more conducive to corruption than to germination! For just as there are good trees and evil trees, both yielding fruit according to their nature, the good tree producing good fruit, and the evil tree evil fruit; so, it seems to me, there are good clouds that distil good rain, and evil clouds distilling evil rain. And see if the Lord Himself does not insinuate to us this distinction of clouds and rams, when He says, speaking through His Prophet, Isaias, "I will command My clouds to rain no rain upon it." Why should He expressly say, "My clouds," if there were not evil clouds also which were not His? "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him"—here my brethren, you have evil clouds distilling the evil ram. O black and turbulent clouds! O tempestuous rain! O torrent of iniquity better qualified to sweep away than to nourish the seeds and plants! Not less bad and bitter, although poured with less violence, was that other shower which followed: "He saved others, Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will 1 believe Him." Neither can we regard as good rain (the windy words of philosophers, which brought to the, earth more barrenness than fertility. And with much ( less reason can the perverse doctrines of heretical teachers be called good rain, since instead of fruit they produce only "thorns and thistles." Evil rains, too, were the traditions of the Pharisees which the Lord denounced, just as the Pharisees themselves were evil] clouds. And if you do not think me unjust to Moses7| I will venture to say that, although he was certainly a good cloud, nevertheless not all the rain which he distilled was good rain. Indeed, were I to speaks otherwise, I should be contradicting Him Who has declared, "Therefore I also gave them statutes that""were not good, and judgments in which they shall not live." For it is manifest that these judgments and statutes were given through Moses. The Sabbatarian laws, for example, which, when literally observed, allowed no rest on the day of rest; the prescribed sacrificial ceremonial; the prohibition to use for food the flesh of swine and of some other animals reputed unclean by Moses,— what are all these ordinances but 50 many showers of rain descending from the Mosaic:loud? But God forbid that such rain should ever fall m my field or garden! It was wholesome in its proper reason. But I should not consider it good if it came low after its time. For even a gentle and lightly 'ailing rain is rather harmful than helpful, if its coming 1 )e inopportune. I

Therefore, whilst such pestilential rains were prevailing on the earth and submerging it beneath their vaters, the vineyards had not yet their season, nor vas the time come for summoning forth the Spouse o the work of pruning. But when these waters cleared way, and the dry land appeared, then appeared also the flowers, indicating that the time of pruning had at last arrived. Do you ask, my brethren, when this was? Surely it could only have been at the time when Christ's "Flesh flourished again" in His Resurrection. For He is the first and the most beautiful of the flowers which "have appeared in our land." "Christ, risen from the dead, is the first-fruits of them that sleep," says the Apostle. "The Flower of the field, and the Lily of the valleys," is, I say, "Jesus Himself (as it was supposed) the Son of Joseph" of Nazareth. He therefore appeared as the first Flower, yet appeared not alone. For with Him "many bodies of the saints that had slept arose," and they also as most brilliant "flowers appeared in our land." Hence the Evangelist says that "they came into the holy city and appeared to many." Flowers also were those of the people who were first to believe, the early spring-flowers of the saints. Their miracles too were flowers, because, like flowers, they were followed by the fruit of faith in the spectators. For when the rain of unbelief was "^ over and gone," altogether or in some degree, the "free rain which God hath set aside for His inheritance," immediately descended, and "the flowers appeared in our land." "The Lord gave goodness and our earth yielded her" flowers, in such profusion that in one day three thousand, in another five thousand, of the people professed the faith. So rapid was the increase in the number of the flowers, that is to say, in the multitude of believers.¹ And the frost of malice could neither blight the flowers as they made their appearance, nor prevent them, as it is wont to do, from bringing forth the fruit which they promised.

All who believed were "endued with power from on high," and there arose amongst them some who, "strong in faith," despised the threats of the wicked. They had to endure contradictions beyond counting. Still they yielded not, neither did they dissemble, but continued to perform and to proclaim the wonderful works of God. That is to say, they fulfilled in a spiritual manner what IS written in the psalm, "They sowed their seeds, and they planted vineyards, and they yielded fruit of birth." In course of time, the storm of persecution abated and peace was restored to the earth. Then the vineyards grew, and increased, and expanded, and "were multiplied beyond numbers." And at length the time came for inviting the Spouse forth, not to plant, but to prune what was already planted. Very seasonably was she summoned then, since the time of peace is the time for pruning. How indeed could such a work be done whilst the persecutions were raging against her? For to prune the vines is to "take the two-edged sword in hand, to execute vengeance upon the nations, chastisements among the people, to bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with manacles of iron, to execute upon them the judgment that is written." Even in times of peace these things can scarcely be done in peace. I have now said enough in connection with this matter.

The sermon also might have ended here, only that I have not yet admonished each one of you, according to my custom, of the careful attention due to his own particular vineyard. Which of us, my brethren, has so completely cut away from himself every superfluity. that he can now discover nothing whereon to use the pruning-knife? Take my word for it: vices, when pruned, will grow again; when driven out, will come back; when extinguished, will revive; when lulled to sleep, will reawaken. It is not enough to have once pruned your vineyards. You must often prune, aye, and be always pruning, if that is possible. For if you be honest with yourselves, you shall always find something which ought to be cut off. Whatever progress you may have made, so long as you abide in the flesh, you are mistaken if you suppose your passions to be dead and not merely dormant. Whether you will or no, they shall dwell within you, as the "Jebusite dwelt in Jerusalem with the sons of Benjamin." You may conquer, but you cannot exterminate them.² "I know," says the Apostle, "that there dwelleth not in me that which is good." But it is not enough to disclaim what is good without acknowledging besides the presence of evil. Therefore he continues, "For the good which I will, I do not; but the evil which I will not, that I do. Now if I do that which I will not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Thou, therefore, my brother, must either have the daring to prefer thyself to St. Paul, who makes this confession of himself, or else thou must avow that in thee also there are vices dwelling. Virtue itself holds the golden mean between the extremes of vice, and hence thou hast need, not only of constant pruning, but even of circumcision. Otherwise there is reason to fear lest thy virtues, surrounded as they are by contiguous and corrupting vices, should lose their vigour little by little, whilst thou art unaware, and at last be overgrown and suffocated. In such danger, thy only wisdom is to keep a close and constant watch; and as soon as ever the pruned passions begin again to sprout, to use the knife with prompt severity. It is impossible for virtue and vice to increase together. Therefore, if the former is to flourish, the latter must be held in check. Remove what is superfluous, and thou shaft see an increase of what is good and necessary. What thou subtractest from superfluity is added to utility. Let us therefore apply ourselves to the business of pruning. Let us cut away cupidity in order to strengthen virtue.

For us, my brethren, the time of pruning is always present, because there is always something in us which it is necessary to cut away. And I trust that for us the "winter is now past." Do you understand what I mean by winter? The winter I am speaking of now is that fear which consists not with charity, which is for all "the beginning of wisdom,*' but leads none to the consummation thereof, because charity supervenes; and "perfect charity casteth out fear," as summer excludes winter. For charity is the spiritual summer. If this summer has come, — rather let me say, because it has come (as I have reason to believe) to the souls of many amongst you, it must have dried up in you all the wintry rain, that is to say, all the anxious tears which the bitter memory of your sins and the fear of the judgment were formerly wont to texcite. As regards many of you, therefore, if not indeed for all, I have no hesitation in saying that this "rain is over and gone"; since the "flowers have appeared in our land," as the fruit of a more genial moisture. For summer has its rain also, but a more pleasant and prolific rain. What indeed can be more delightful than the tears of holy love? Charity weeps indeed, but weeps from the sweetness of love rather than from the bitterness of sorrow. It weeps from the desire of the Beloved. It weeps also "with themHhat weep." I have no doubt that your acts of obedience are irrigated abundantly with this rain. I am most happy to behold them, not blackened, so to speak, with murmuring, not discoloured with sadness, but brightened and blooming with spiritual joy.

Therefore if "the winter is now past," and "the rain over and gone," if "the flowers have appeared in our land," and if, finally, the vernal mildness (so to speak) of spiritual grace warns us that "the time of pruning has come," what remains but to devote all our energies henceforth to this work, so holy and so necessary? "Let us search our ways," as the Prophet Jeremias counsels. Let us search our affections as well. And let each of us consider that he has made progress, not when he finds nothing to be reprehended, but rather when he reprehends what he finds. Then only you have not examined yourselves in vain, when you have understood the need of yet another scrutiny. For you have not been deceived in your investigation, if it has left you persuaded of the necessity of repeating it. And if you are always willing to prune yourselves whenever you see the need of it, you shall certainly be always pruning. Therefore be ever mindful of your dependence on heaven's help and on the mercy of the Bridegroom of the Church, Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who is over all things, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Footnotes

1. Several of the Fathers, such as Origen, Theodoret. Gregon^ of Nysia and Gregory the Great, have gi-n a -milan explanation of the rains and the flowers.— (Translator.) ↩

2. "Gravissima passio est concupiscentia, quam ratio mollit et comprimit; emoUire enim potest, eradicare non potest" (St. Ambrose, De Jacob et Vita beata, lib. i. c. i). "Concupiscentia in hac vita potest minui, non potest consumi ' (St. Augustine, Contra Jul., cap. 7). "Quamdiu caro mortalis est non potest a concupiscentia penitus esse libera; mmui quidem quotidie possunt concupiscentiae, sed ex toto non possunt auferri quamdiu hie vivitur" (St. Anselm, Sup. Ep. ad Rom.). —(Translator.) ↩