[Sermon] 1. Leaving all things, they followed him. Luke
THE SUNDAY SERMONS OF ST. BONAVENTURE
SERMON 31: FourTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
[Sermon] 1. Leaving all things, they followed him. Luke 5:11. Since the doctrine of Christ assumed a beginning from the highest poverty, and the primary foundation of evangelical perfection is firmly established in the security of poverty, therefore the apostles of Christ, the teachers of the holy Gospel, upon whom the Lord was about to found his Church, are shown to have left all things in the proposed verse, when it says: Leaving all things, they followed him. Certainly two things necessary for the salvation of each one are noted: first, the desertion of restraining impediment; second, the attainment of fulfilling freedom. First, therefore, contempt for earthly things is noted in the proposed verse, when it says: Leaving all things. While not everyone is held to leave everything in regard to effect, except for the perfect who are obliged by the vow of poverty, nevertheless everyone is held to leave everything in regard to affect, lest overcome by love for them, they place their hearts over and against the flowing riches and, in perverse order, love the creature more than God. Second, the appetite for the eternal is noted, when it adds: they followed him.
2. It says, therefore: Leaving all things, where the desertion of the restraining impediment is noted. The apostles, in fact, as true legates, in order to be a similitude of Christ, who commands the removal of whatever is a restraining impediment, left all things: first, inasmuch as they are heavy burdens, so they might be quicker to hurry after Christ; second, inasmuch as they are hindrances, so
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they might be more secure in denouncing evil; third, inasmuch as they are entangling obstructions, so they might be more efficacious in promoting the good.
3. First, they left all things inasmuch as they are heavy burdens, so they might be quicker to hurry after Christ, who exults like a giant to run the course®"' of evangelical perfection, because he was not weighed down by anything earthly. For from the beginning of his birth he consecrated poverty in his body, lived poorly and associated with poor people, at the end was truly placed on the cross nude, and appeared in the guise of a pilgrim after the resurrection.*"* Whoever, therefore, wishes to be bound to Christ must himself walk as he walked.*"® On the other hand, the one who walks among the chariots and finely adorned horses,°**° with pomp and riches, is neither a successor nor legate of Christ, because he does not have in his life the seal of the poor Christ, which is the confirmed signet of legation. Attentive to this, Peter said to the Lord in Matthew 19:27-28: Behold we have left all and followed you: what then shall we have? And Jesus said to them: Amen
I say to you, that you who have followed me in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of his glory, shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. "Peter was a fisher and a poor man, who sought sustenance with the work of his hands, and nevertheless he confidently stated his case for merit, when it says: Behold we have left all and followed you, and he searches for a reward, when it adds: What then shall we
527 See Ps 18:6.
528 See Luke 24:16 in the story of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus.
529 See 1 John 2:6.
530 See Ps 19:8: "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will call upon the name of the Lord."
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have as a reward?"*! And this, because as Gregory says:
"As much was left by those who were following, as those who were not following would have desired." Therefore you did well, Peter and the other disciples by leaving all things, because through this you have received a great reward. Otherwise it is not certain that you would have obtained the primacy of the Christian faith, because the Lord was not about to found the Church on you, unless he had led you first to that foundation and strengthened you in it, nor would he have raised you up to a seat of judicial power; for "This is the sublime height of most exalted poverty, which has made you as apostles and kings of the heavenly kingdom, making you poor in things but raising you up in virtues.">* Certainly it is not extraordinary that the heights of poverty so remarkably enthroned and magnified them. For as we see in these material things, this ascent is higher to the degree that what ascends is lighter and purer; and so it is with spiritual things that the ascent freely goes higher, to the degree that what ascends away from earthly cupidity is purer and more abundant by virtue of grace.
4. Second, they left all things inasmuch as they are fettering hindrances, so they might be more secure in denouncing evil. For instance, the apostles restrained no one with the love of acquiring or fear of losing, like those who are held by such chains, nor were they silent about the truth; instead "They struck the great and the small alike
81 Bonaventure adapts Jerome's commentary on Matt 19:27. See Book III, c. 19 of S. Hieronymi Presbyteri Opera: Commentariorvm in Mathevm Libri IV, edited by D. Hurst and M. Adriaen. CCSL Ixxvii/I/7
(Turnhout: Brepols, 1969), 172.
532 See Homily 5 n. 2 in GGHG in CCSL cxli, 34. Bonaventure's quotation is virtually verbatim.
°83 See Rule of the Friars Minor, chapter 6 in FA:ED, vol. 1, 103.
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with javelins of truth."®** The fear of earthly power and the profit of worldly cupidity produce in people, who do not wish to relinquish these earthly things, the ambiguity of a simulated falseness, so they prefer to be zealous for adulation and cupidity, instead of attending to truth. And this is why Mathathias and his sons, so as not to consent to the commands of King Antiochus, who was leading the Jews to idolatry, after having firmly refuted his messenger and even killed him out of zeal for the law and truth, left everything in the city and took refugee in the security of poverty. Whence 1 Maccabees 2:27 says of this: And Mathathias cried out in the city with a loud voice saying:
Everyone who has zeal for the law, maintaining the testament, let him follow me. And so he and his sons fled into the mountains, and left all that they had in the city. These blessed men considered it more glorious to be killed with the truth than to be magnified with falsehood. Oh how glorious it is to die for the truth, which even if it does not convert the one who listens, nevertheless crowns the one who preaches! Oh God, would that there were today many like Mathathias, many like John the Baptist, and many like the Apostle Paul, who were not silent about the truth before princes, and especially before prelates!
In fact the life of no one else is more harmful than that of princes, and especially prelates. Whence Gregory exhorts:
"No one in the Church does more harm than the one who acting perversely, holds a title or even a rank of dignity or sanctity. For no one presumes to refute this delinquent, and the blame is extended even more, when the sinner is honored out of reverence for the title."°*°
584 See responsory 6 for Matins on the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua. See also Sermon 15 n. 5 above.
585 See Book I, c. 2 of Regula pastoralis liber in PL 77:16A. The citation is virtually verbatim.
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5. Third, they left all things inasmuch as they are entangling obstructions, so they might be more efficacious in promoting the good. Whence Matthew 4:19: Come after me, and I will make you fishers of humanity. And they immediately left all things, and followed after him. Behold that the apostles in order to be better fishers of humanity, left all earthly things, lest they be an obstacle or impediment to those whom they were going to fish. For as life persuades better that the tongue, and examples better than words,*** so contempt of the world and mortification of the flesh persuades more efficaciously, and the person who is poor and crucifies one's flesh with its vices and longings,**" more than the person who nurtures one's flesh and favors it with delights. Who, in fact, would have believed the apostles regarding the contempt of the world, if they would have seen that they love the things of the world? For if the apostles would have been seekers and accumulators of riches, all the world would have fled from them, or at least they would have been kept away from the love of God by their way of life. Now, however, the net of poverty has drawn to the love and praise of God, when through their example cupidity, which is the root of all evils,*?> was destroyed, and the poverty of Christ, which is the primary foundation of all good, was placed into the hearts of the faithful. For the apostles did not found the Church in any other way except through the spirit of poverty, because they did not convert the world with an army of horses or with the strength of riches. On the contrary, salvation is rendered useless with gold and its trappings. Yet lest strong commendation appear to result in the condemnation of the temporal goods of the Church, it is good for that reason to say that the temporal goods
536 See Sermon 15 n. 2 above.
537 See Gal 5:24.
538 See 1 Tim 6:10.
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of the Church must be tolerated and even in a certain manner sought after for multiple reasons, clearly for the honor of the Bridegroom, the decorum of the bride, the sustenance of pilgrims, the care of the poor, the consolation of the infirm, the devotion of the faithful, and the use of the community. And when they are tolerated for these reasons, they do not diminish perfection in prelates, indeed, if they are dispensed well, they augment merit and when not, they present an occasion of damnation.
6. Second, the attainment of fulfilling freedom is noted in the proposed verse, when it observes: they followed him.
The apostles followed Christ as the end and completion of every good in a threefold way: first, humbly without pride due to the splendor of internal knowledge, second, harmoniously without envy due to love of the heavenly manner of life, third, perseveringly with steadfastness due to the toleration of continual afflictions. And so the apostles, who follow Christ in these three things, were led back to the blessed Trinity; for through the splendor of internal knowledge directing the rational power, they were led back to the wisdom of the Son, for through the love of heavenly charity rectifying the concupiscent power, they were lead back to the benevolence of the Holy
Spirit, and through the vigor of the robust steadfastness stabilizing the irascible power, they were led back to the eternal power of the eternal Father. And these three, that is, the understanding of divine matters, harmony with neighbors, and tolerance of adversaries are necessary for everyone's salvation.
7. First, they followed Christ humbly, without pride due to the splendor of interior knowledge. For humility opens the splendor of understanding, and pride closes
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it, since "While it inflates, it obscures"*? and takes away the light of truth. And John 8:12 speaks of this: 1 am the light of the world, the one who follows.me does not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. I am the true light of the world, because I do not accept another source, indeed every other created light springs forth from the font of my wisdom, and thus the one who follows me, through humble subjection, does not walk in the darkness of errors and ignorance, but will have the light of life and grace that vivifies the affections and illuminates the understanding.
8. Second, they followed Christ harmoniously, without envy due to love of the heavenly manner of life. Whence 1
Peter 2:21 states: Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example that you may follow in his steps. Oh sweetest word, what truest word, worthy of all remembrance and praise!
For Christ suffered for us, who needed to be purged from all iniquity, leaving you an example, of charity and benevolence; so you may follow in his steps, leading to the highest perfection. If in fact the question is asked: What moved the Son of God to suffer for us, no other cause is to be found other than his benevolence and most merciful charity. Whence 1 John 3:16 says: In this we have known the charity of God that he laid down his life for us. But because this example of such benevolence is worthy of imitation, it therefore adds: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren; which is what the apostles rightly carried out, when setting aside all malevolence proper to envy, they laid down their lives more freely for the salvation of all the elect. And because of this anyone of them is able to recite Job 23:11: My feet have followed his steps.
My feet of affectionate love have followed his steps, I say, 589 See Book XXIII, c. 17 n. 31 of Gregory's Moralia in Iob in CCSL cxliiib, 1157. The citation is verbatim.
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of charity and benevolence, because it is a great glory to follow the Lord, in perfect charity.
9. Third, they followed Christ perseveringly with steadfastness due to the toleration of continual afflictions.
Whence Luke 9:23 reads: If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. If anyone wishes to come after me, humble and mortified, let him deny himself, through humble subjection, and takes up his cross of continual exhaustion, and follow me, persevering up to the entrance of the eternal palace. And it is good that the subjection of humility is put forward in this authority, which is understood through the abnegation of one's will; the bitterness of penance and mortification, which is understood under the heading of the cross, because the mortification of the body is sometimes lost through pride, and sometimes through the throat. And because of this, if we wish to lift the cross of mortification perfectly, we must be humble in heart and abstinent in the flesh.**! Let us ask, etc.
540 See Sir 23:38: "It is a great glory to follow the Lord...."
541 On Luke 5:11, see also Karris, Bonaventure's Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Chapters 1-8, WSB VIII/1, 379-400.