[Sermon] 1. A certain man made a great supper and
PENTECOST AND THE SUNDAYS AFTER
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SERMON 29: SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
[Sermon] 1. A certain man made a great supper and invited many. Luke 14:16. Under the veil of these words is mystically signified and enfolded the celestial glory, which the Lord will offer to his elect at the end of the world. Thus this meal, which is at the end of the day, is called supper. Our Lord, moreover, commends three things in the proposed verse, which render any supper complete and perfect: first, the excellence of the singular dignity; second, the affluence of abundant bounty; third, the benevolence of welcoming cordiality. First, therefore, a singular excellence and dignity are commended, when it says: A certain man; the certain man said to be singular is Christ due to incomparable and excellent dignity. Second, a liberality of affluence and bounty is commended, when it adds: made a great supper. Third, benevolent cordiality and charity are commended, when it introduces: and invited many. The benign and merciful God did not wish to be alone at the supper of glory. On the contrary, by reason of his cordiality he invited many.
2. In fact it says: A certain man, where Christ is commended due to the excellence of singular dignity. The excellence of this singular dignity can be manifested for a threefold reason: first, by reason of his purity and innocence in the avoidance of all sins; second, by reason of profound wisdom in the revelation of divine mysteries; third, by reason of forceful power in the working of many miracles.
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3. First, Christ is said to be a singular and excellent man due to the purity of original innocence in the avoidance of all sins. Whence Luke 23:14 says: I found no cause in this man of those things of which he was accused. Literally no sinful occasion of those things of which the Jews were accusing him was found in Christ. For he was not as they were saying, completely born in sin, for he was not conceived by virile semen, but by the Holy Spirit,*° and therefore he did not contract original sin nor commit an actual sin; because on the part of the mind there was complete purity and on the part of the flesh there was no rebellion. That most holy flesh was always following that most blessed spirit, and at no time did it draw it to sin, and the spirit condescended to the necessities of the flesh, lest it might succumb. And an admirable harmony and concord of spirit with flesh resulted from this; and on account of that Luke 23:47 was true: Truly this was a Just man.
4. Second, Christ is said to be an excellent and singular man due the perspicuity of truthful intelligence in the revelation of divine mysteries. Whence in John 7:46 the servants offer the priests and Pharisees the reason why they did not seize Jesus, because never has a man spoken, like this man speaks. Indeed he was not speaking like certain people with curious words that blind the rational power, or with superfluous and onerous words that suffocate the concupiscent power, or with contentious words that disturb the irascible power, or with pernicious words that pervert the entire person, but rather with humble words to destroy pride and useful words to augment glory. In fact he was speaking so as to mock the proud with profundity, feed the great with truth, and nurture the little ones with affability. He admonishes exteriorly, teach489 See Luke 1:35.
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es interiorly, and changes those listening for the better, and therefore we have not dared to take hold of him. It is no wonder that he was speaking in this way, because he himself is the illuminating light of all prophetic visions due to the advent in the mind, the confirming Word of all prophetic discourse due to advent in the flesh, and even instructive of all apostolic discourse. Whence it is he who reveals the hidden divine mysteries, because with him is the light of divine wisdom, without which no one is able to penetrate the sacraments of faith. And because of this, no one is able to arrive at the certain revelation of faith, except through his advent in the mind and in the flesh.
5. Third, Christ is said to be an excellent man on account of forceful power in the working of many miracles.
Whence John 11:47 states: The Pharisees were saying:
What are we to do since this man does many signs? For he has raised the dead, healed lepers, given sight to the blind, straightened the lame and handicapped, liberated the oppressed from demons and cured every illness.*"
And nevertheless on account of these good works, you most wicked Jews seek to kill him who worked these things among you. "O maximum insanity and perversity!
You are enraged with the one who heals, you who are not enraged with the one who wounds!"* 6. Second, our Lord Jesus Christ is commended for the affluent abundance or overflowing bounty, when it says: made a great supper. Truly this is a great and immense supper. If one morsel of this supper can hardly be stated, even less will it be possible to explain the breadth of 490 See Matt 11:5.
491 Bonaventure adapts Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon 42 n. 3 on The Song of Songs. See SBOp 2.34. Bonaventure also cited this adapted passage in Sermon 6 n. 5 above.
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the entire supper by another. Granted that we stammer about the affluence of this overflowing, bounteous supper, we are able to say three things that will be in this supper, which when diligently considered, provoke every soul to long for it. And the first is the pleasure of exultant happiness due to the reflection of divine clarity. The second is the bounty of satiating refreshment due to the overflowing of immense goodness. The third is the eternity of continual duration due to the lack of all defects; and so the soul, according to all of its powers in this interior dance, is pleased first by the clarity of splendor with regard to the rational power, second it is satiated by the bounty of refreshment with regard to the concupiscent power, third it is secured by the eternity of duration with regard to the irascible power. This is in accord with the threefold dowry of glory, namely of unobstructed vision, quiet enjoyment, and firm security.
7. First, in this supper there will be the pleasure of exultant happiness due to the reflection of divine clarity. And Revelation 19:17 speaks of this: J saw an angel standing in the sun calling out with a great voice, saying to all the birds, which fly through the midst of heaven, gather yourselves together to the great supper of God.
With the name birds that fly the blessed, those who dwell in the empyreum heaven are designated, those who with the wings of contemplation are raised to the contuition of the deity. So it is said to these contemplatives: gather yourselves together, through concordant affection, to the great supper of God, which is not constituted from material things like milk and honey such as the Saracens expect, since there will be no gathering of flies there,*% but rather of what pertains to wisdom, for there will be
*? The critical edition cites "Guill. De Alvernia, Summa de univ., Il, ¢. 347
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as many servings as there are reasons for all things that shine forth in the divine wisdom. In fact these reasons for the sensible and insensible, rational and irrational, as in the delectable meal of the humanity Christ and God, one and three, will be placed before the spirits in glory as in a mirror of multiform beauty. And for this reason this supper should not be sought in exterior things, but in interior things because they are spiritual, nor in created things, but in the causal reasons, because it is perpetual and incorruptible.
8. Second, in this supper there will be a bounty of satiating refreshment due to the overflowing of immense goodness. Whence 3 Esdra 3:1-2 states: King Darius gave a great supper for all the dignitaries**? who were under him. Darius is interpreted to mean fruitful* and can signify Christ, the king of kings who, by reason of his divinity and humanity, is the food that perfectly satiates the twofold taste of the soul, that is, interior and exterior; for human food satiates the exterior taste of the soul, but divine food satiates the interior. This food, although it satiates, nevertheless does not generate distaste, rather continual desire, because by reason of its simplicity and appropriateness, having reached the intimate center of the soul, it perfectly delights, as "delight is the union of the suitable with the suitable," and the soul has a greater suitability with nothing more than with that, to whose image and similitude it was made.*"* By reason in fact of its perfection and suitability it satiates and fills everywhere; yet by reason of its infinity and abundance, it
493 See Vulgate, 1914-15.
494 The meaning of Darius does not occur in CCSL Ixxii.
495 See Book VIII, c. 7 of Avicennae Metaphysica, 269: "There is no delight unless there is apprehension of the suitable, according to what is suitable."
496 See Gen 2:7.
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exceeds and quiets the soul. For the appetite of the soul is not quieted in any finite good, because the affections and knowledge or estimation are equally ambitious. Because the estimation and knowledge of the soul are naturally constituted to extend toward the infinite, so in a similar manner its affections extend themselves toward the infinite. Therefore, after any good has been obtained, the appetite may rise up toward another, and as much as a created good might be multiplied, it will never find quiet or beatitude in that thing. Whence Anselm observes: "He will enter into the joy of the Lord."*"' But if it were to seize something completely and not be overcome or absorbed, the appetite may yet arise to seize something more.
9. Third, in this supper there will be an eternity of continual duration due to the lack of all defects. In this supper there will never be a lack of servings, nor will the table ever be removed, because the blessed will be in continual praise and glory, for whatever goods they will receive will be made available in him alone, who is able to fully glorify and satiate them. And just as it is impossible for anyone there to die, so too is it impossible for someone to hunger. And on account of this Revelation 19:9 says:
Blessed are they who are called to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Blessed is that one who perpetually possesses all that is desirable without the fear of losing it.
Now since beatitude is a habit in action, it is impossible that the blessed soul exist and not have the actual consideration of those things which are the essence of glory because there is no variability, no temporal succession in beatitude. And because of this, this supper, by reason of its eternity, is not sought after among inferior things, but in superior things, because it will not be measured
"97 See Proslogion, c. 26 in Schmitt I, 120-22.
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in time, which is the "principle of corruption,"4%* but in eternity, which is altogether a perpetual and invariable measure.
10. Third and last, Christ is commended by the benevolence of welcoming charity or cordiality, when it includes: and invited many. Our Lord, by reason of his cordiality and benevolence, did not wish to be alone at the supper, but instead called many from various nations.
For first, he urgently calls without ceasing by instructing through teachings and examples; second, freely without recompense by attracting through benefits and promises; third, generally without exception by threatening through eternal punishments.
11. First, Christ urgently calls to this supper without ceasing by instructing through teachings and examples.
Whence Proverbs 1:24 says: I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand, and there was no one who was attentive, you have despised all my counsel. God the Father said: I called you to this supper, by continually instructing through my servants, saints, and prophets, and you refused to come; furthermore, I stretched out my hand, that is, my Son to you, sent from on high by taking on flesh, in whom shines the doctrines of every truth and examples of all honesty and holiness, with which I called to that first supper; and there was no one who was attentive, to the doctrine by listening or to the life by imitating the actions; on the contrary, you have despised all my counsel, inventing excuses for yourselves. For the first of the called said, I bought a farm, and I have to go out and see it. Another said: I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go
498 See Book IV of Aristotle, Physica in WAE, vol. 2, 221b: "For time is by its nature the cause rather of decay, since it is the number of change, and change removes what is."
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to try them. The third responded: I have taken a wife, and therefore I cannot come.*" This is what is being said: one due to the pride of commanding; the other due to the avarice of accumulation, for five yoke of oxen is understood as the superfluity of the five senses that are occupied in earthly matters; and the third, due to the licentiousness of dissolute living. Behold this is the greatest folly, because the worst is chosen and the best is refused. For the farm is chosen, and the kingdom is refused; dominion over the little farm is chosen, and the kingdom of heaven is refused; the little lamb of a wife is chosen, and divine union is refused. And thus God is just in judgment: no one of those called will taste this supper,° because this supper will be transferred from the proud and powerful to the weak and humble, from the rich to the poor, from the dissolute to the blind and lame, that is, to those who have mastered and restrained their eyes, lest by looking they might long for the vanity of the world, and turned the feet totally away from inordinate affection.** And that is why it says in today's gospel: Bring in the poor and the weak, the blind 'and the lame, in place of those who did not want to come.
12. Second, he calls freely to this supper without recompense by attracting through benefits and promises.
Whence 2 Peter 1:3-4 says: He has called us by his own glory and power through which he has granted us the very great and precious promises, that is, grace in the present and glory in the future, so that those who do not want to come to this supper through prayer may be more easily drawn with presents. Whence Gregory on Job 19:16 states:
499 See Luke 14:18-20.
500 See Luke 14:24.
°°! See Matt 18:8-9: "And if your hand or your foot ... or your eye is an occasion of sin to you, pluck it out...."
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I call my servant and he does not respond to me."God calls us when he comes first with presents; we truly respond to his call when we make use of the presents in a worthy manner in accord with the commandments. The Lord therefore called the servant, and since the presents had been accepted as if the callings were heard, he hoped to lead him back to himself. But he did not respond, because he disdained rendering works worthy of his gift."5°
13. Third, the Lord called to this supper, generally, without exception, by threatening through eternal punishments. Whence Psalm 49:1 says: The God of gods, the Lord has spoken, and he has called the earth, from the rising to the setting of the sun. The God of gods has spoken, by threatening through eternal punishments, so with this he may compel them to enter®™ into this supper with scourges and threats, who do not wish to be led in with prayers and promises. Otherwise divine mercy will be transformed into justice, and those who do not wish to rejoice in the divine palace nor have supper with angels, will be tormented in the perpetual inferno and burn with demons. With these threats therefore, the Lord calls the earth, that is, the worldly and the sinners; from the rising to the setting of the sun, because with him there is no distinction of person." To the contrary, every race, every people, every condition and every age is pleasing to him. Whence Gregory on Job 5:10 says: He who irrigates all things with water: "The grace of the Holy Spirit calls every type of human being to his congregation; for when he subjects the rich to him, he does not repel the poor, when he humbles the strong; he does not refuse that the 502 Bonaventure has adapted Book XIV, c. 42 n. 50 of Gregory's
Homilia in Iob. See CCSL cxliiia, 728.
503 See Luke 14:23.
504 See Acts 10:34: "But Peter began and said: Now I really understand that God is not a respecter of persons."
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weak come to him, when he gathers nobles, he draws the ignoble at the same time, when he receives the wise, he does not despise the foolishness of the ignorant." Let us ask, etc.
"605 Bonaventure has adaped Book VI, c. 16 n. 21 of Gre Aare lia in Tob. See CCSL exliii, 298. gaye Mere