1. The reign of God is similar to a person who sowed good
Tue SUNDAY SERMONS OF ST. BONAVENTURE
SERMON 11: FifTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
1. The reign of God is similar to a person who sowed good seed in his field. Matthew 13:24
[Protheme] The prophet Elijah stood up like a burning fire, and his word burned like a torch. Sirach 48:1. This passage that is read from Sirach 48 concerns the prophet
Elijah, who fiercely asserts the evil actions of sinners and likewise proposes the word of truth; from this one understands that the preacher should be removed from carnality, so he may delight the angelic hosts above; and this is noted when it says: Elijah stood up; inflamed by charity, so he might burn interiorly for the salvation of all, which is indicated when it adds: like a burning fire; illumined with holiness of life, so he might illuminate exteriorly the minds of those nearby, which is noted when it introduces: and his word burned like a torch. Dearest friends, since
I am not entirely removed from carnality, inflamed with the ardor of love or even illuminated by a holy life, let us, therefore, before anything else, implore the clemency of divine piety, so with his accustomed piety, he might separate us from carnal pleasure, inflame us with the ardor of love, and illuminate us by holiness. Removed then from carnal love, inflamed with the ardor of love, and illuminated with the splendor of holiness, we might contribute something worthwhile that would be to the glory of God and the salvation of our souls.
[Sermon] 2. The reign of God.is similar to the one who sowed good seed in his field. Because, according to
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Blessed Dionysius: "It is impossible for the divine rays to enlighten us in any way, unless shrouded by a variety of sacred veils,"!"> our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing what would be more useful for blinded humanity, explains the miraculous work of creation in the proposed word through the most appropriate metaphor of the person sowing good seed in his field, when it says: The kingdom of heaven is similar, etc. Now the Lord sowed good seed in his field, when he made humanity according to his image and similitude'" in the field of the world's design.
With this most noble metaphor the creation of humanity is explained with regard to the operative principle in the metaphoric similitude of humanity, the receptive subject in the designation of the term for the field, and the intermediate act of sowing the good seed. First, the creation of humanity is explained with regard to the operative principle, when it says: The kingdom of heaven is similar to the person; this person, metaphorically speaking, is God.
Second, the creation of humanity is explained with regard to the receptive subject, when it adds: in his field; the field is the design of the world.' Third, the creation of humanity is explained with regard to the intermediate act, when it adds: he sowed good seed when he created humanity according to his image and similitude.
3. It says, therefore: The kingdom of heaven is similar, where the creation of humanity is explained with regard to the operative principle in the metaphor and similitude of humanity. Anything is known well, and as completely as 178 See c. 1, 1 of Pseudo-Dionysius, De caelestibus hierarchibus in
PG.3:121B.
176 See Gen 1:26: "And God said: Let us make a human being in our image and likeness...."
; 177 See Peter Comestor, Historia scholastica, Historia Libri Genesis, c. 2 in PL 198:1056B: "... it is the design of the world that up to now was useless, without fruit and empty in its adornment."
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possible, when its principle, medium, and end are known; therefore, if we wish to possess a perfect knowledge of humanity's creation, according to the possibility afforded our understanding, we must recognize the principle, middle, and end of humanity, in which the perfect knowledge of the matter is found. The creative principle of not only humanity, but even of the entire universe, is the creative power working supernaturally; the medium is the wise governance gently arranging; but the end is the consummate mercy and justice rewarding all according to merit.
First, therefore, in the creation of humanity the creative power is equated with the operative principle and associated with the man who sows good seed in his field.'
Second, the wise governance is equated with the directive medium and associated with the master of the estate who directs the workers in his field.' But the third, consummate mercy and justice are, however, equated with the ultimate end and associated with the king who settles accounts with his servants.'*° 4. First, the creation of humanity, which reveals a power equated with the operative principle, is associated with the man who sows good seed in his field. Whence
Matthew 13:24-25 says: The reign of God is similar to the person who sowed good seed in his field. However, while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds.
The Lord sowed good seed in the field, that is, into the design of the world, when he made humanity according to his image and similitude; but the enemy that is the devil, while people were sleeping, that is when Adam and Eve neglected following the commands of God, sowed weeds,
178 See Matt 13:24.
179 See Matt 20:1.
180 See Matt 18:23.
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that is vice and sins, from which children of wrath'®! are born. And this explanation comes from the words of the Lord. Whence it immediately follows: His disciples came to him saying: Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field. Answering them he said: He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, the good seed, the children of the king; the weeds are wicked children; the enemy who sowed them is the devil.'®"
5. Second, the governance of the wise ruler, which is equated with the directive medium, is associated with the master of the estate who directs the workers in his field. Whence Matthew 20:1 says: The kingdom of God is similar to the master of the estate who went out early in the morning to call the workers into his vineyard, etc.
This parable encompasses the reign of God from the beginning to the end. Whence, it states that he leads the workers five times into his vineyard, that is, early in the morning, at the third hour, sixth hour, ninth hour, and eleventh hour. First, he sent workers early in the morning when he gave the natural law; the third hour, when he gave the written scriptures; the sixth hour, when he sent the prophets to teach the people; the ninth hour, when he gave the new law to the apostles to preach it to every creature;'®* the eleventh hour, when after the apostles, he sent preachers and doctors, and he does not cease to send them until the end.'** 181 See Eph 2:3: "Indeed, in the company of these, even we, all of us, once led our lives in the desires of our flesh, doing the promptings of our flesh and of our thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest."
182 See Matt 13:36-37.
183 See Mark 16:15.
184 Cf Homily 19 n. 1 of GGHG in CCSL cxli, 143-44.
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6. Third, consummation of mercy and justice, which is equated with the ultimate end, is associated with the king who settles accounts with his servants. Whence
Matthew 18:23 says: The kingdom of heaven is likened to the king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
In this parable the work of divine mercy in the remission of debt and the work of divine justice in the damnation of the evil servant is commended. Although all the ways of the Lord are merciful and true,'* it is most probable that mercy shines forth in the retribution of the good and justice in the punishment of the evil. And this is why the prophet David says: Two things I have heard, that is mercy and justice, because you render to each one according to his works.'** For he will render the reward of glory to the good ones, who possess the merit of grace, while divine justice will render the torment of Gehenna to the evil ones, who possess the demerit of blame.
7. In his field follows, where the creation of humanity is explained with regard to the receptive subject designated with the term for field. Whence according to the word of the Lord, field in this passage is understood as the world in which humanity was formed from mud' in regard to the body, and created from nothing in regard to the soul. We find, however, in Sacred Scripture that three things are taken into consideration with the word field: clearly the design of the world, the conscience of the mind, and the celestial home. There is, thus, the field of the world's design, of inner conscience, and of the celestial home. The field of the world's design should be condemned as an occasion for error and deviation; the field of inner conscience must be cultivated in order to receive the 185 See Ps 24:10.
186 See Ps 61:13.
187 See Gen 2:7.
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seeds of God; but the field of the celestial home should be desired for the fragrance and beauty of the divine flora.
8. First, the field of the world's design should be condemned as an occasion for error and deviation. Whence
Job 40:15 says: To this one, that is, Behemoth, the mountains bring forth grass; all the beasts of the field will play there. Since sinners despise God due to an evil attachment to that earthly field, their hearts thus produce thorny plants of vice which feed and delight Behemoth, that is, the devil. All the beasts of the field, that is, the demons hiding in this world, play there and rejoice; drawing the minds of humanity, made in the image of God, to terrestrial concerns by the deviation of error; pulling them away from the love of penance with vain thoughts in error from the beginning: and enticing them to the sweetness of mundane pleasure. Whence Genesis 37:15 says of Joseph: A man found him wandering in the field.
Joseph wandering in the field, who is interpreted as attachment,'** can signify in this passage the person whose heart is attached to the changing delights of the earthly field. Alienated by love of them, the person wanders away from the road leading to the kingdom of God, even though it is gratuitous, free, and open to all. The avaricious heart wanders, because it wishes to turn what is gratuitous into the servile, what is free in something up for sale, and appropriate for itself what is open to all. This design of the world should be condemned because of such errors and deviation, even if it must be used to satisfy our needs.
9. Second, the field of inner conscience must be cultivated in order to receive the seeds of God. Whence Proverbs
24:27 says: Diligently till your field, lest it become sterile 188 See CCSL Ixxii, 136: "Joseph means he has attached or is attaching."
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with thorny vices. The Wise Man thus says the same in 24:30-32: I passed through the field of a lazy person and through the vineyard of a foolish person. And behold, they were filled with nettles, thorns had covered them and the stonewall was destroyed. From what I had seen, from the example, I learned discipline. Field designates the body, and vineyard the soul, which are filled with thorny vices and nettles of prickly desires unless they are cultivated by holy discipline and good works. But the stone wall is destroyed, when the rampart of virtues is abandoned; a person learns from the examples one has seen. Consequently, this person drives thorny vices from the field of inner conscience and the entire body with the practice of good or virtuous works, and the nettles of prickly desires with the discipline of continual mortification, so that the passage of Zechariah 10:1 may be fulfilled: The Lord will give the grass of the field in every year.
10. Third, the field of the celestial home should be desired for the perfumed beauty of the divine flora. Whence
Psalm 49:11 says: I have known all the birds of heaven and the beauty of the field is with me. This beauty of the celestial glory, which is in God the Father, is nothing other than the beauty of the sensible and insensible, rational and irrational, the humanity of Christ and the one and triune God, which is displayed in contemplation to the glorified spirits designated as the birds of heaven, who rise on the winds of contemplation to the contuition of the celestial Trinity. The fragrance from this beautiful field is so sweetly scented that it penetrates the most interior places, inebriating the entire heavenly court. The saintly
Isaac sensed this fragrance in Jacob when, in a prophetic spirit, he said: Behold the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a bountiful field.'®° Christ was truly the field
189 See Gen 27:27.
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filled with the virtuous flowers, that is, with the roses of the gifts and the lilies of the charisms from the Holy
Spirit, and with the fruits of sweet consolations, whose fragrance the contemplative soul senses, declaring in the Song of Songs 7:11: Come, my beloved, let us go out into the field.
11. Third, the creation of humanity is explained with regard to the intermediate act in the sowing of the good seeds, when it states: he sowed good seed. Properly speaking, the creative power first sowed spiritual and corporal substances into the field of the world's design by giving the substratum of nature. Second, the governing wisdom sowed celestial influences into the field of interior conscience by giving the perfection of grace. Third, the consummate goodness sowed eternal splendors into the field of the celestial home by giving the fulfillment of glory.
12. First, the creative power first sowed spiritual and corporal substances into the field of the world's design by giving the substratum of nature. Whence Jeremiah 2:21 states: I have planted you as my chosen vineyard, all true seed. This vineyard planted by almighty God is the world, and his true seed is humanity, who, as the image and similitude of God, has been placed like seed to sprout, thanks to the raindrops of celestial influence, with the strength of grace and grow into a harvest of glory. But the enemy, that is, the devil, at times plants the false seed, that is, vice and sin to suffocate the true seed, lest it break forth with the sprout of grace. And this is what
Matthew 13:27 says: Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? Why then does it have weeds? And he said to them: An enemy did this.
13. Second, the governing wisdom sowed celestial influences into the field of interior conscience by giving the
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perfection of grace. Whence Hosea 2:23 says: I will sow her for myself in the earth, and I will have mercy on her who was without mercy. God has mercy on the soul of the sinner when, removing all the thorny vices from the soul,
God sows within it, as in choice land, the seed of God's word which bursts forth with a sprout of grace and grows into the harvest of glory. This is why the Lord says in Matthew 13:23: Truly, the seed sown in the good earth is the one who hears the word of God and understands; this person bears fruit. The word of God is sown in good earth when it is heard with réverence and understood when put into practice, since the devout soul like the well-sown earth, offers the fruit of grace, when what is understood is implemented in action.
14. Third, the consummate goodness sowed eternal splendors into the field of the celestial home by giving the fulfillment of glory. Whence Isaiah 61:9-10 says: These are the seeds, which God has blessed. I will rejoice heartily in the Lord, and my soul will find joy in my God, because
God has clothed me with the garment of salvation. These are the seeds, that is, the eternal splendors shining forth from the countenance of the visible God; the Lord has blessed them with the beatitude of glory. From that immediate vision of God's countenance the glorified soul is so enraptured by loving desire that it rejoices, finding great joy exteriorly beholding the human aspect of Christ, and exults in God interiorly beholding the divine aspect. And because of this it is certainly clothed with the garment of salvation. That God might deign to grant to us, etc.