1. If then by the finger of God I cast out demons, then truly
THE SUNDAY SERMONS OF ST. BONAVENTURE
SERMON 17: THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT
1. If then by the finger of God I cast out demons, then truly the kingdom of God has come among you. Luke 11:20.
[Protheme] The lips of the priest will keep knowledge; they will seek the law from his mouth, because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts. Malachi 2:7. In the second proposed passage taken from Malachi, three things necessary to whomsoever wishes to present the word of God are expressed. The first is directive knowledge, the second is eloquent expression, and the third, a life that confirms both. To propose the word of God without directive knowledge is dangerous, without eloquent expression is worthless, and without a life becoming to both is ignominious.
Directive knowledge is noted then, when it says: The lips of the priest will keep knowledge; these lips are the intellect and affection, which must watch over and conserve the treasure of knowledge. Eloquent expression is noted, when it adds: they will seek the law from his mouth. A life truly becoming to both is noted, when it adds: because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts; for a preacher is spoken of as angel due to sanctity and purity. Therefore dearly beloved, since these three things are lacking in me, by necessity I have to hasten to God, Father of lights*°? and the God of all consolation,®™" so that through his grace he might deign to direct me with his knowledge and adorn me with sanctity of life, so I might be able to express, as 303 See James 1:17.
304 See 2 Cor 1:3.
Pre-LENT AND LENT
worthily as possible, those things that are to the praise and glory of his glorious name and the consolation of our souls. Amen.
[Sermon] 2. If then by the finger of God I cast out demons, then truly the kingdom of God has come among you.
Since truth naturally directs toward the good, Our Lord Jesus Christ, seeing with the eye of his wisdom the rash thoughts of the Jews who were saying that in him Beelzebub cast out demons,** concluded, after their respective thoughts had been effectively refuted with indissoluble reasons, by directing the proposed word of truth to them:
If then by the finger of God, etc. Certainly three things are noted in this: that is, the malignity of diabolical iniquity, the immensity of divine power, and the utility of the mercy obtained. First, the malignity of diabolical iniquity is noted, when it says: If then demons; second, the immensity of divine power, when it adds: the finger of God; third, the utility of the mercy obtained, when it inserts: then truly the kingdom of God has come upon you.
3. It says, therefore: If then etc., where the malignity of diabolical iniquity is noted. In fact, the malignity on the part of the devil is great, because he destroys such a beautiful creature, that is, the soul made after the image and similitude of God and in accord with his powers turns it away from God and perverts it. For he blinds reason with errors based on lies and malice, deforms concupiscence with the stench of carnality and luxury, and disturbs the irascible power with the tumor of vanity and pride.
4. First, the malignity of the devil blinds reason with errors based on lies and malice. Whence Matthew 12:22
305 See Luke 11:18.
222,
THE SUNDAY SERMONS OF ST. BONAVENTURE
says: Then there was brought to him one, blind and mute, who had a demon, and he cured him so that he spoke and saw. Behold a demon, who dwells within the person by dominion, and makes one blind from the error of sightlessness and mute from the shame of confessing the crucified; but when one is offered to Christ, by believing in him with a captive intellect,° the person is cured from the demons of dire malignity by the infusion of divine majesty. In fact the devil and God cannot bear each other in the same dwelling, for the devil is coarse and inflated by elative pride, and God is great and surpassing in immensity of being. Sight is restored by acknowledging the first truth in the heart, and speech returns by expressing credible truth with the mouth, for belief in the heart is onto justice and confession of the mouth to salvation.*
5. Second, the malignity of the devil deforms concupiscence with the stench of carnality and lasciviousness.
Whence Tobit 6:17 states: For those who undertake matrimony in such a manner, as to shut out God from themselves and from their minds, and give themselves to lust like the horse and mule, in which there is no understanding: the demon has power over them. Those who, namely, receive matrimony with libidinal love, shut out God from themselves, by the stench of fornication, and from their minds, by immoderate delight. Indeed a lascivious person is so absorbed by carnal delight, that one is given over to inordinate desire like the horse and mule, in which there is no understanding due to the subversion of reason; the demon has such power over this one that he can bring about a fall from sin to sin until the person collapses into the depths of the inferno, like a pot that is spun around and around until it falls into a well.
306 See 2 Cor 10:5.
307 See Rom 10:10.
PreE-LENT AND LENT
6. Third, the malignity disturbs the irascible power with the tumor of vanity and pride. Whence Matthew
8:28 says: There were two men possessing demons coming out from the tombs to meet him, so fierce, that no one could pass by that way. People possessing demons, of elation and pride, although they may be raised above all others on earth in appearance due to elative pride in the heart and a boastful display in works; nevertheless they are completely brought down and humbled in truth according to the infallible rule of divine justice, which is: The one who exalts oneself will be humbled and one who humbles oneself will be exalted,** so that now the living are buried and dwell with demons among the tombs of the inferno.
For this reason, it says: There were two men possessing demons coming out from the tombs to meet him, so fierce, from furious anger; that no one could pass by that way, due to spiteful envy.
7. It follows: by the finger of God I cast out, where the immensity of divine power is noted. This immensity of divine power is apparent moreover, in that he casts out the demon of error and malice by illuminating reason to see the first truth. He casts out the demon of stench and lasciviousness by adorning concupiscence in the embrace of purity and chastity. And he casts out the demon of swollen arrogance and pride by ordering the irascible power in the lowliness of subjection and humility.
8. First, the immensity of divine power is apparent, in that he casts out the demon of error and malice by illuminating reason to see the first truth. Whence Matthew 9:32 says: They brought a mute man who possessed a demon. He cast out the demon, and the mute man spoke.
One who possesses the demon of blindness and dejection 308 See Luke 14:11.
THE SuNDAY SERMONS OF ST. BONAVENTURE
is rendered mute because the person is ashamed to confess the crucified; but when one is offered to Christ, by believing in him with a captive intelleet,°" the demon of blindness and malignity is cast out through the infusion of illuminating wisdom and speech is restored by expressing credible truth. Something similar to this is stated in Luke 11:14: When he cast out the demon, the mute spoke.
9. Second, the immensity of divine power casts out the demon of stench and.lasciviousness by adorning the concupiscence in the embrace of purity and chastity.
Whence Matthew 17:17: The demon came out of him and he was cured, and it follows: This type is not cast out unless through fasting and prayer.*'° The demon of carnality and lasciviousness came out of him; and he was cured, by the embrace of chastity and purity. The Lord teaches how to cure and cast out this demon, when it adds: This type is not cast out unless through the fasting of mortification whereby one exteriorly restrains the lust of licentious flesh, and the prayer of devotion whereby one interiorly' restrains the ardor of immoderate delight.
Whence Jerome states: "The plague of the flesh is healed by fasting and the plague of the mind by prayer";?" and the purer and more fervent the prayer, the more efficacious it is in expelling the vice of lasciviousness. Whence
Chrysostom says: "Who. has not conquered in prayer? The more prayer is purely and fervently celebrated, so much the more swiftly does it bring about vindication from the enemy."?!"
9° See 2 Cor 10:5. On Bonaventure's understanding of the captive intellect, see De donis, col. 7, n. 5 (V, 494b-495a).
310 See Matt 17:20.
51 See Pseudo-Jerome, Commentarius in Evangelium secundum Marcum in PL 30:616C. The citation is almost verbatim.
* The critical edition refers to Pseudo-Chrysostom in PLS 4:685.
PRE-LENT AND LENT
10. Third, the immensity of divine power casts out the demon of swollen arrogance and pride by ordering the irascible power in the lowliness of subjection and humility. Whence John 12:31 says: Now is the judgment of the world; now will the prince of this world be cast out. And if I am lifted up from the world, I will draw all things to myself. Now the true judgment of the world is that one man die for the people,** because of the malleable rigor of divine justice; and thus all the people do not perish, because of the immutable decree of promised mercy. In order to destroy the pride of the first person who wished to be equal to the Lord, Christ deigned, therefore, to humble himself as much as and even more than Adam had prided himself, when he became human. This is because the damage cannot be corrected unless something much greater is given in return. Yet so that he might draw to himself with the one bond of love, all, that is some people from every people and nation, inasmuch as the part is understood for the whole; he wished to be lifted up from the world, by a disgraceful death on the cross; and because the devil laid hands on a servant of another, namely Christ, who was not his, by suggesting to his members that he be crucified; therefore, it was just that he lose his own servant, namely, captive humanity. Whence the law says: "The person, who unjustly occupies the possession of another, must lose one's own."* And so the prince of pride, having lost power over his human servant, because he unjustly laid hands on Christ, was cast outside in reproof.
11. Third, the utility of the mercy obtained on the part of the human race is noted, when it says: the kingdom
313 See John 11:50.
314 The critical edition refers to Digesta, VI, tit. 1, 68. Corpus Iuris civilis, edited by Th. Mommsen (Berlin: 1908), 124b.
Tue SUNDAY SERMONS OF St. BONAVENTURE
of God has come among you, through baptismal grace in regard to removing evil, through penitential grace in regard to undertaking what is difficult, and through final or persevering grace in regard to fulfilling the good.
12. First, the kingdom of God draws near through baptismal grace by removing evil. Whence John 3:5-6 says:
No one is able to enter the kingdom of God, unless born again of water and the Holy Spirit. That born of the flesh is flesh and that born of the spirit is spirit. Since all who are born children of wrath" and carnal due to the filth of original sin are, therefore, justly deprived of that inheritance of the celestial kingdom. We are unable to come to it except through baptismal grace, which makes us most pure and spiritual, and as true heirs of God and coheirs with Christ?!* we are brought into the kingdom of his beloved Son,*"" because flesh and blood will not possess the kingdom of God, nor the corruptible, the incorruptible.*®
13. Second, the kingdom of God draws near through penitential grace. by undertaking what is difficult. Matthew 3:2 speaks of this: Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven has come. They do penance who produce fruits worthy of penance,*!* by exercising virtuous works as they chastise their own bodies, by building up their neighbor with good examples, and by honoring God with continual praise. Whence whoever wishes that the reign of God draw near to himself, must produce fruits worthy of penance, by eradicating from himself every type of vice, because the proud and the haughty person is unworthy to enter since his head might hit the humble and lowly
315 See Eph 2:3.
316 See Rom 8:17.
317 See Col 1:13.
318 See 1 Cor 15:50.
319 See Luke 3:8.
PrE-LENT AND LENT
door, which is Christ;*2° nor the envious because one will share in the same thing;*?! not the angry nor the boastful, because there is the highest peace, which surpasses all comprehension; nor the avaricious because a narrow opening does not allow a camel**' with a load to pass; nor the gluttonous, because the kingdom of God does not consist in food and drink;*** nor the lascivious, because there they neither will marry or be given in marriage.*®
Similarly flesh and blood will not possess the kingdom of God, as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:30.
14. Third, the kingdom of God draws near through final or persevering grace by fulfilling the good. Whence
Acts 14:21 says: We must enter the kingdom of God through many tribulations. The reason is, because God does not receive anyone into the kingdom unless a friend; no one is a friend, unless tested through patience and tribulation until the end. In order to enter that kingdom which is great due to the length of interminable eternity, the breadth of irreducible capacity, and the loftiness of incomprehensible sublimity, one must always keep in mind the eternity of good will, the inalterability of gracious truth, and confidently bear the punishment of human misery. Let us ask, etc.
320 See John 10:7-9.
321 See Pg 121:3 which Douay translates by context: "Jerusalem, which is built as a city, which is compact together."
322 See Phil 4:7.
323 See Matt 19:24.
324 See Rom 14:17.
325 See Matt 22:30.