Sermon for Passion Sunday
The Cultivation of God's Word ------------------
Sermon for Passion Sunday If someone keeps my word, he will not taste eternal death. [J n
8:52] Since it is the duty of a good gardener to uproot a tree that does not produce fruit and throw it out, so that it does not take up space in the garden to no avail, Our Lord Jesus Christ speaks the aforementioned words If someone, etc. In this regard he wishes, just like a good gardener, for each tree in his garden, namely, the Church on earth, to bear fruit, so that it would not be cut down by the axe of eternal damnation. Just as there is a certain order in cultivating a tree-first, the tree receives the influence of the sun's rays, then the tree produces a bountiful harvest of fruit, and, thereafter, great care must be taken to ensure that the tree does not perish-so, too, in the manner of its expression there is a certain order in the aforementioned saying of our Lord. First, the saying notes the emanation of the divine ray of goodness in the phrase my word; second, the saying notes the bountiful harvest of good work when it joins the former to the phrase If someone keeps; third, the saying notes the escape from eternal damnation when it concludes he will not taste eternal death.
The Influence of the Word of God on the Soul First, the emanation of the divine ray is expressed when Jesus says my word. Just as a physical tree is disposed through the sun's influence to bring forth good fruits, so too the spiritual tree, that is, the human soul, is disposed through the emanation of the divine and good speech to multiply works of justice and holiness in all of its various powers. Indeed, the divine speech first illuminates the rational power of the soul through the understanding of the truth of the faith, then enkindles the desiring power of the soul through the good will of Christ's
The Cultivatioll of God's Word ------love, and finally strengthens the spirited part of the soul through the persevering endurance of hope. When the soul has these three things, namely, faith, hope, and charity, then the soul is well disposed in all of its powers to acting well.
The divine speech first illuminates the rational power of the soul through the understanding of the truth of the faith. This is the reason for what is said in the Psalms: The expression of your speech brings enlightenment and gives understanding to the little ones.
I drew up my spirit and opened my mouth, because I was earnestry seeking to fulftll your commands [118: 130-131]. For if someone wishes to be enlightened by the ray of the divine speech, one must prepare and dispose oneself after the manner of David when he says: I have opened my mouth; that is, one should ready oneself, calling upon the divine name in prayer with the earnest desire to pay heed to the divine precepts. There is no better preparation for coming to know the truth than calling upon the divine name in prayer together with steadfast obedience to the divine precepts. And I drew up my spirit, says David, through gathering together and returning both the senses and exterior acts to inward things, since one who lessens his outward a tiJ1i~y ,,.,,ilI perceilll: tnw wiulmn. Then will the expression vf.your speech through its own words giving a 1 aT explanation of th ' divin c1oqu · nc wilhin, enligltt n allYOl e hearing lh ·s· words without. Th understanding of how to put into pm tic lhoro-ughly what is heard r spe tfully is given to the little ones, not to the proud since the swollen pride of the mind is a stumbling block to understanding the truth. "Pride may build up our spirit, but it also casts a shadow over our minds," as Gregory says in his Moral Lessons. John also speaks of the need for preparing the mind to receive the illumination of truth when he says: If you keep my word,you will trury be my diSCiples [8:31].
You will come to know the truth and the truth will set you free, that is to say, free from the shadows of ignorance and spiritual blindness. This is why John also says: Make yourselves hory in the truth since your speech is truth [1 7: 1 7].
Secondly, the divine speech enkindles the concupiscible appetite with the goodwill of Christ. Hence, it is said in Proverbs
The Cultivation of Cod's Word
that the speech of God is a fiery shield for all of those who hope in the dipine merry [30:5]. The divine speech is, accordingly, a fiery shield in the manner of fire, so that it may not grow lukewarm within us by the weakness of fear, and it shields the whole body after the manner of a shield and a breastplate, so that it may not be injured or attacked by any temptation of the deviL
Likewise, this same feature of the divine speech is discussed in Hebrews: Living is the speech of God and poweiful and more cutting than a two-headed sword, reaching, indeed, to the division of spirit and body [4: 12].
Thirdly, the divine speech strengthens the irascible appetite with persevering endurance of hope. It is said in the Gospel of Luke: I shall show you what every person is like who comes to me, hears nry words, and does what thry say. He is like a man building a house who dug deep into the ground and placed its foundation upon rock.
When a flood came, its waters rushed upon the house but could not move it at all; for the house had been founded upon rock [6:47-48].
Every person who comes to me through faith and hears my words with devout attention and does what thry say through the performance of good works is like a man, that is, Christ the Mediator, building a house, the Church. The interlinear explanation regards the next words who dug deep into the ground and places its foundation upon rock as referring to the basis of the Church not being the changeable character of earthly things but the everlastingness of eternal things. The "Gloss" on this text therefore states: "He dug deep into the ground indicates someone who, instructed by the precepts of humility, altogether uproots all earthly things from his heart, so that he may not serve God on account of any changing thing and have a lasting home merely in earthly things." When the flood came, that is, when persecution arose, its waters rushed, that is, the lust of the flesh, the delights of the world, and the attack of devils; upon that house, that is, "the building of the virtues" and could not move it, that is, destroy it. The cause of this failure to destroy the Church is that it was built upon a rock, that is, Christ:
"What falls away is not built upon Christ." A similar statement is made in the Second Book of Maccabees: He armed each
The Cultivation of God's Word --------------one of them not with the strength of shield and spear, but with his best words [15: 11].
The Harvest of Good Works There follows after this the words if someone keeps where we find some indication of the fruit of good works. To the extent that the soul is enlightened by the influence of the divine speech, enkindled by the charity of Christ, and strengthened by the persevering endurance of hope, it is very well disposed to heeding the divine word. It is from heeding this word that it produces fruit of good works in great abundance. For this reason the soul, acting in accordance with the aforementioned threefold disposition grounded in the influence of the divine word, ought to be fruitful or heed the divine speech, which is tantamount to being fruitful through good works. First, insofar as it is enlightened by the truth of the faith, the soul ought to keep the divine word in the purity of its conscience by scorning the world. Second, insofar as it is enkindled by the goodwill of Christ's charity, it ought to keep the divine speech with the full breadth of goodwill by loving God. Third, if it is strengthened by the persevering endurance of hope, it should keep the divine speech with the strength of patience byenduring evil.
Turning to the first of these points, we may say that the soul should, inasmuch as it is enlightened by the truth of the faith, keep the divine word with a pure conscience by despising the world. This is why we read in John: I declared your name to those persons whom you galle me from the world; thry were yours but you galle them to me and thry halle kept your word [1 7: 6]. This saying is in the person of Christ speaking to the Father: I declared your name to those persons, that is, to simple and humble ordinary men the truth that you hid from the wise and astute; whom you galle me from the world [Mt 11 :25] because of the need to keep them pure and clean, which cannot be accomplished in the world. Everything in the world is either the concupiscence of the flesh,
The Cultivation of God's Word
which makes people pleasure-seeking and licentious, or the concupiscence of the eyes, which makes them desirous and greedy, or the pride of life, which makes them powerful and seekers of power. They were yours through the grace of adoption but you gave them to me as my disciples to make them knowledgeable in the way of salvation. This is why God first adopts each person like a son and then hands him over to Christ, or to his representative, as his disciple so that he may learn to scorn earthly things and seek heavenly ones. This is also why the apostles, being cleansed and rendered faultless through their scorning of earthly things and their desire for divine things, kept the divine word in the purity of their consciences, which is needed to keep the divine word.
Second, the soul enkindled by the love of Christ ought to keep the divine word in its love of God with the breadth of good-will. It is said in John: If someone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him; and we shall come to him and make our dwelling in him [14:23]. Since the proof of divine love consists in the display of good works, the Lord says: If someone loves me, he will keep my word; as ifhe should say "my love is proved by good works" insofar as "the love of God does great things, if it is truly present; if someone's love refuses to perform great and good things, it is not really the love of God." Our Lord adds: and my Father will love him, on account of the keeping of his word; for the fruit of the human obedience or good works is the condescending bestowal of the divine love and tenderness.
And we shall come to him, this is through the sevenfold gift of divine grace, and we shall make our dwelling in him, that is, through the broadcasting and fulfillment of good works. This is why we read in the Book of Wisdom: Desire then my words and hold them dear, and you shall have diSCipline [6: 12], this is discipline of fatherly correction, not the sentence of eternal damnation.
Third, strengthened by the persevering endurance of hope, the soul ought to keep the divine speech in enduring evil with the firmness of long suffering. In Revelation it says: Because you have kept the word oj my long suffering, I shall preserve you from the hour oj temptation [3: 10]. Someone keeps the word of long suf-
. I
The Cultivation of God's Word fering who through the model of patience never ceases to heed the divine speech, no matter how many the enticements, condemnations, or insults encountered, which encourage to give up. To such a person, Christ says: I shall saveyoufrom the hour if temptation; and particularly in the case of death, wherein the devil always tries to tempt human beings in such a way that he may ultimately undermine their salvation. Wherefore Gregory writes in his Moral Lessons: "Unless our merciful Lord slightened the trials before us in such a way as to make them proportionate to human powers, no one would be able to avoid the snares of the evil ones."
Freedom From Eternal Death To return to the main text of John, let us follow closely the meaning of the final phrase he will not taste eternal death [8:52].
In this saying we see an indication that if we are faithful we shall experience an escape, or freedom, from eternal death. Yet because no one can be free from the death of the eternal calamity unless he is preserved or freed from the death of his own sinfulness, and likewise it is impossible for someone to be free from that same death unless he first is free from the death of original sin, each mature member of the Church heeding the divine speech undergoes a series of liberations throughout their lives. First, they are freed from the death of original sin through the grace of baptism. Next, they are freed or preserved from the death of their own sinfulness through the grace of penance. Finally, they are freed from the death of eternal punishment through glory which makes them like unto God.
First, then, a member of the Church is freed from the death of original sin through the grace of baptism. We read in Paul's
Letter to the Romans: For as by the Sinfulness if one man death entered into human life, all the more will those who receive the abundance if grace, gifts, and justice reign in the eternal life through the one Christ
Jesus [5: I 7]. For if by the Sinfulness of one man, our first parent, death has ruled in the lives of all others who have descended
The Cultivation cifGod's Word
from that source through the means oflust and sensual desire, all the more those who receive the abundance oj grace in the kindheartedness of adoption and gift in the fullness of the charisms of the Holy Spirit and justice in the promotion of good works will reign in the eternal life of grace through baptism as heirs and kings of the kingdom of heaven through the one Christ Jesus. Here the apostle argues by topical inferential rule" a minori," in that the grace of Christ is much more strong in its goodness than the fault of our first parent was in its evil. This is why, too, we read in the First Letter to the Corinthians: Just as all die inAdam by the demerit of his lie, so too all will live in Christ through the sacrament of baptism by the merit of his passion [15:22].
Second, a member of the Church is freed from the death of his own sinfulness through the grace of penance. We read in Ephesians: Those who sleep wake up and rise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you [5: 14]. Those who sleep should wake up through despising their own evildoing, rise through abandoning their sinful ways from the dead, that is, from the deadly deeds committed in mortal sin outside the bounds of charity.
Nothing done outside the bounds of charity is worthy of eternal reward. And Christ will enlighten you through the pouring forth of the illuminating grace through which we come to know the true difference and distance of good from evil. Our souls know they have wandered from the path of righteousness when they remain steadfast and delight in evil and have scorned the Unchanging Good. We read about this in the Psalms: Who is the man who will live and will not see death? How will he rescue his soulfrom the hand ojhell? [88:49]. The answer is:
The one who will live by the life of grace, and he will not see the death of his own failings who saves his soul from the hand of hell by practicing the works of penance.
Third, a member of the Church is freed from the death of eternal punishment through the glory which makes him like unto God. We read in the First Letter to the Corinthians: For it is necessary that this corruptible flesh put on incorruptibiliry and this mortal nature dons immortality. When moreover this mortal nature has donned immortaliry, then the saying will be fulfilled which states