Sermon VII
Sermon VII
PAUL, A STANDARD-BEARER OF CHRIST
He earned the cross to teach others—His greatness came partly from God's grace and partly from his cooperation with grace and his imitation of Christ. His divine call to the teaching office—His courage, gentleness, and zeal in the face of every adversity.
Paul, A Standard-bearer of Christ 105 The whole population usually turns out when the royal standards are carried in procession, pre ceded by the resounding trumpet, and escorted by legions of soldiers into the cities. They like to hear the sound of the trumpet, to see the stand ard carried aloft, and to notice the strength of the standard-bearer. Today at Paul's entry, not into the city but into the world, let us all turn out to watch. For he carries the standard of no mere earthly king, but the cross of Christ, Lord of Heaven. His escort is formed not by mere men, but by angels to honor what he carries and to act as bodyguards for the carrier. If angels are as signed by the God of the universe to those who act in a private capacity without becoming involved in the common welfare, as it is written: the angel who has protected me ever since my youth,1 much more have they guardian angels who are entrusted with handling the cares of the world and carrying such a load of gifts and such an honor.
Those in die army who are decorated with these honors are dressed in elaborate uniforms, wear golden chains around their necks, and are resplendent in their general appearance. But Paul wears chains instead of golden necklaces, carries a cross, and is hounded, flogged, and starved.
Do not be grieved on that score, dearly beloved, for his decoration is better, and more illustrious,
106 Sermon VII and dearer to God. That is why carrying the cross is no burden.
This is the wonder of it, that he is more re splendent in chains, and lashes, and wounds, than if he were dressed in purple and wore a crown.
His garments show that he is indeed more re splendent, and that these words are not just empty rhetoric.
Apply to a man smitten with a fever a thou sand diadems and purple garments and you can not make him a whit less feverish. But Paul's rags of garments placed on the bodies of the sick caused their whole illness to vanish, which is on ly fitting. For if robbers see the standard of the emperor they do not dare to attack but make an about face and take to flight; much more do dis eases and devils flee when they see the standard of the cross.
Paul carried this cross not just for himself, but to teach all to do likewise. Therefore he said:
Be imitators of me, after the pattern you have in us (Phil. 3:17). And again: What you have seen and heard in me, these things practice (Phil. 4:9), and again: For you have been given the favor, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him
(Phil. 1:29). Human honors usually seem great est when they meet in the one man. In spiritual
Paul, A Standard-bearer of Christ 107 matters, on the contrary, honors are more resplen dent when many share in them, when they axe not narrowly restricted to a single individual, but when many share in enjoying them.
You see, then, that all are standard-bearers of Christ, and that each carries His name before nations and kings. But Paul carried it in the face of hell and everlasting punishment. He did not demand this from others, for they could not en dure that much. You see how much virtue human nature is capable of, and that it is man's most precious possession in this life. Can you name me a greater possession? Or an equal one? How many angels and archangels is he not worth who uttered this word? While he was in this mortal and corruptible body, he gave up everything with in his power for Christ, and even what was not within his power. For he gave up things present, and things to come, and height and depth, and every other created thing. If this man were in an incorporeal nature, what would he not say? What would he not do?
We marvel at angels because they deserve this honor but not simply because they are incor poreal. Satan is incorporeal and invisible, but no one is more unhappy than he since he offended
God who created him. So, too, we call men unhap py, not when we see them in a mortal body but
108 Sermon VII when they fail to use it as they should. For Paul also had a mortal body.
What, then, was the source of his greatness?
It was two-fold: partly from God and partly from himself, and what he got from God came because of what he was himself, for God is not a respecter of persons.3 If you were to say how is it possible to imitate such people, hear what he says: Be imi tators of me as I am of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). He imitated Christ. Will you not imitate your fellow slave? He emulated his Master. Will you not emulate your fellow servant? What excuse can you make for yourself?
How did he imitate Him, you ask? Consider his progress from the beginning, from his initia tion. As soon as he came from the waters of Bap tism, he was so fired with zeal that he did not wait for any teacher. He did not await Peter; he did not come to James, or anyone else, but, direc ted by his own zeal, he so inflamed the city as to start a violent war against himself. When he was still a Jew he did more than was expected of him, binding, arresting, killing. Likewise Moses, with out being ordained for the purpose, assumed the role of defender of his own people against the foreigner.
This is a proof of nobility of soul and gener osity of spirit, to refuse to stand by and watch the
Paul, A Standard-bearer of Christ 109 afflictions of others, even if one has no mandate to relieve them. God showed by ordaining Moses later that he was right to assume leadership. He did this also in the case of Paul. God showed, by quickly introducing him into the dignity of the teaching office, that he was right to assume the role of teaching and preaching at the outset.
If they had assumed the roles merely for the sake of honor and primacy, they could rightly be censured. However, since they loved dangers and courted death in order to save others, who would be so foolish as to censure such zeal?
God's verdict showed that their actions were prompted by a love to save others, as did the des truction of those who loved personal gain. For others assumed rule and leadership, but they were all put to death—some consumed by fire from heaven, others swallowed by the earth.4 For they acted not in the people's interests but for their own glory. Ozias assumed power but he was con demned and became a leper. ' Simon Magus *' as sumed power but he was reprobated, and risked being killed. Paul assumed power, but he was crowned not with the priesthood and honors, but with the ministry, and labors, and hazards. Be cause he started with a great deal of zeal and en thusiasm he was an illustrious preacher from the beginning.
110 Sermon VII Just as one regularly appointed from the start deserves greater punishments if he does not fulfill his duty properly, so the one who without ap pointment assumes the office—I do not say of priesthood but of caring for the multitude—and fulfills it worthily, is worthy of every honor. Ac cordingly, this man, more ardent than fire, did not remain idle for a day, but as soon as he rose from the waters of the baptismal font, kindled a grea,t fire in himself. He did not give a thought to dan gers, or the jeers and taunts of his enemies, or their rejection of his message, or any such consideration.
He assumed different eyes—I mean those of char ity—and another mind, and surged forth with a mighty impetus like a mountain torrent, catching up in his swell the arguments of his adversaries, and showing them Christ through the Scriptures.
Yet he had not at that time many charisms of grace, or an abundance of the Spirit. Nonethe less he was aflame and did everything in a spirit of mortification, as if making satisfaction for his past life. All his deeds were calculated to fortify himself for the battle ahead, filled with dangers and fears.
Although so full of daring and impulsiveness and fire, he always was gentle and amenable to his teachers, and never disobeyed them in the heat of his zeal. For they came and told him
Paul, A Standard-bearer of Christ 111 in the heat of his zeal, or I should say frenzy, that he should go to Tarsus and Caesarea, and he did not refuse. They said that he should be let down from the wall in a basket, and he agreed. They advised him to shave his head and he did not ob ject. They told him not to enter the theatre and he agreed. His one aim was to undertake everything to help the faithful, and to act in the interests of peace and harmony. He was always prepared to preach the Gospel.
When you hear that he sent his nephew to the tribune,7 wishing to extricate himself from dangers, that he appealed to Caesar,8 and that he hastened to Rome, do not think that these are manifestations of cowardice. Would not he who groaned at having to continue in the life here be low gladly choose to be with Christ? How could he desire the present when he despised even the heavens and the angels for the sake of Christ?
Why, then, did he act as he did? To continue in his preaching, and to leave this world with many followers, all having won their crowns. His fear was that he would leave life the poorer if he was deprived of the salvation of the multitude.
That prompted him to say: To stay on in the flesh is necessary for your sake (Phil. 1:24).
Accordingly, when he saw his trial going in his favor, and Festus had said: "This man might
112 Sermon VII have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed to Caesar" (Acts 26:32), though he was taken bound with more chains than those who had com mitted a host of crimes, he was not ashamed to be chained in such company. Concerned about the salvation of all those who were sailing with him, he was unconcerned about his own safety since he knew that he would be all right. Taken bound on such a vast sea, he was as delighted as if he were being escorted to a mighty empire.
For, in fact, it was no small reward that pre sented itself to him—the conversion of the city of Rome. This did not make him overlook a single soul in the boat. He calmed them, telling them that he had seen a vision, and assured them that all who were sailing with him were to be saved.9
He did this, not to boast himself, but to make them receptive toward the Faith. So God allowed the sea to be moved, that the grace of Paul might come through what was heard and what was not heard. For when he gave counsel that they should not sail they refused to hear him and they en countered extreme dangers. He did not put on airs because of this, but took every precaution, like a father caring for his children, lest any of them should be lost.
When he got to Rome, 10 see how gently he spoke there, and with what courage he silenced
Paul, A Standard-bearer of Christ the criticisms of the infidels. He did not lemain there, but continued his course to Spain.11 He in creased in courage in the face of mounting dangers, and became even more daring, not merely himself but also his disciples, because of his example, as, doubtless, they would have been dejected if they saw him yielding and cowering.
But when they saw him become increasingly courageous, taking the initiative, and joining is sue, they, too, proclaimed the Gospel with con fidence. He tells us this in the words: The greater number of the brethren, gaining courage from my chains, have dared to speak the word of God more freely and without fear (Phil. 1:14).
If a general is brave, not only when he is slaughtering and laying low, but also when he is wounded, he increases the courage of his sub jects, even more so when wounded himself than when inflicting wounds. When those fighting under such a leader see him covered with blood and wounds, but refusing to yield, standing firm, brandishing his spear, shooting at the enemy, and not giving in to his pains, you can be sure that they obey such a leader with all the greater eager ness. This happened in Paul's case. When they saw him bound in chains, preaching even in pri son and overcoming with his words those who had scourged him, they gained greater confi8. Praise of St. Paul
114 Sermon VII dence. So he does not simply say 'they have dared,' but They have dared to speak the word more freely and without fear; preaching more courageously, he means, than when I was free of chains. At that time he also gained more confi dence himself. He was more keen-witted against his enemies, and increasing his punishments only served to increase his confidence.
In prison he was so overpowering that the foundations shuddered and the doors flew open, and the jailer became converted.12 Even the judge almost believed, as he himself admitted: "In a short while thou wouldst persuade me to become a Christian" (Acts 26:28).
Again when he was stoned he entered the city that stoned him and converted it. 13 They sum moned him to trial, at one time his enemies, at another the Athenians, and his would-be judges became disciples and his adversaries, subjects.
Just as a fire grows as it catches on to dif ferent materials and gains increase from what it comes in contact with, so the words of Paul con verted to himself everybody that encountered them, and, captivated by these words, those who warred on him quickly became fuel to this fire of the Holy Spirit, so that through them the word spiead further and reached others. Accordingly
Paul, A Standard-bearer of Christ 115 he said: I suffer in bonds, but the word of God is not bound (2 Tim. 2:9).
They frequently put him to flight; they looked like pursuers, but in fact they were pro spective followers. The enemy did the work of friends and confederates, never allowing him to remain in one place hut keeping the doctor in circulation because of their threats and pursuit, with the result that all heard his words.
They bound him again, but this only sharp ened his determination. In driving out his disciples they merely sent them to people who had hitherto no teacher. They led him before a superior tribunal and thus conferred a blessing on a capital city. This made his enemies, peeved with the apostles, say: "What shall we do with these men?" (Acts 4:16), meaning our weapons of suppression are their instruments of growth.
They committed him to the jailer to keep him in strict confinement. But the jailer was taken into stricter confinement by Paul. They sent him bound with other prisoners so that he would not escape. But he catechized the prisoners. They sent him by sea, in order to speed a reluctant voyage.
But a chance shipwreck made the instruction of his fellow voyagers possible. They heaped up countless punishments on him to extinguish the fire of his preaching. But it continued to spiead.
116 Sermon VII And just as they said of our Lord: Let us kill him, lest the Romans come and destroy our city and our nation,14 and the very opposite hap pened—because they killed Him the Romans took away their race and their city and what they planned as obstacles actually helped to spread the Gospel—so also in the preaching of Paul.
What his enemies calculated to impede the spread of his word only served for its expansion and increased his prestige.
For all these reasons let us give thanks to God Who devises everything for the best. Let us give glory to Paul who made these things possible, and let us pray that we may gain the same bless ings, through the grace and loving mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom and with Whom be glory to the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever, Amen.