1. In your midst stood one whom you did not know. John
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SERMON 4: THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
1. In your midst stood one whom you did not know. John 1:26.
[Protheme] While Peter was speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came upon those who were listening, etc.
Acts 10:44. These last words proposed here describe three noteworthy things pertaining to every preacher; first of which is the certitude of the one speaking mentioned in the premise: While Peter was speaking; he is interpreted as one who knows;® second, the swiftness of the one poured out mentioned when it adds: the Holy Spirit came; third, the multitude of people listening mentioned when it adds: upon all those who were listening to the words.
Given these three things, let us all devotedly implore the grace of divine piety, that it might fill the one speaking with certain words and establish the one listening among the multitude of the blessed. In this way, both the one speaking and the one listening might rejoice in the swift effusion of the Holy Spirit by whom I might say and you understand these matters to the praise and glory of our
Mediator and the health and consolation of our souls.
Amen.® 62 See CCSL Lxxii, 147: "Peter, knowing or destroying."
63 On Christ as Mediator, see: J. A. Wayne Hellmann, Divine and Created Order in Bonaventure's Theology, translated and edited, with appendix by Jay M. Hammond (St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute Publications, 2001), 62-77.
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[Sermon] 2. In your midst stood one whom you did not know. Although John the Baptist was of such great holiness that many considered him to be the Christ, when the Jews asked him if he might be the Christ he responded truthfully, because he was not Christ. In order for the Jews to have a response to their question about Christ, this faithful messenger and precursor of the truth added the proposed words, saying: In your midst stood, etc. The first certainly asserts the appropriate office of reconciliation. The second calls to mind the presence of the incarnate Word. The third proves the negligence of the Jewish people.™ The first asserts the appropriate office of reconciliation when it says: In your midst. The second calls to mind the presence of the incarnate Word when it adds: stood, that is, he is present among you. The third proves the negligence of the Jewish people, when it adds: whom you did not know.
3. It says then: In your midst, where the appropriate office of reconciliation is noted. It was appropriate, certainly, that he who held the middle of the throne, would hold the office of medium, and he who was the medium in way of creation, would be the medium in the way of recreation. Consequently, the world might be restored through the Word through whom it was made. Christ is the appropriate medium, first of all, in the miraculous way he draws together in the incarnation; second, in the regular discipline of conduct; third, in the powerful influence of the passion.
** On Bonaventure's view of the Jewish people, see Bonaventure's Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Chapters 9-16, introduction, translation, and notes Robert J. Karris. WSB VIII/2 (St. Bonaventure, NY:
Franciscan Institute Publications, 2003), xiii-lvi, esp. xlii-xlvi in regard to the Sunday Sermons.
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4. First, Christ is a miraculous, unifying medium in the incarnation because he joins together, in himself, two extremes, the first, divinity, and the last, humanity. He himself is our peace who made both one,® and for this reason it is more fitting for Christ, through whom the grace of reconciliation and the truth of the incarnation came, than Moses to say in Deuteronomy 5:5: J was the mediator and stood between you and God. In the humanity he assumed, he is like the morning star in the midst of a cloud spoken of in Sirach 50:6. Just as the morning star is between the day and night, and works to drive away the darkness, so Christ was the medium between the day of divinity and the night of humanity, by removing the darkness of sin.
5. Second, Christ was the appropriate medium in the regular discipline of conduct, never straying from the medium of truth when speaking nor from the medium of honesty in action, because he held the medium in every type of virtue and perfection. Therefore Psalm 45:5 says of him: The most High has sanctified his temple. God is in its midst It will not be moved. This is understandable, because he was so grounded in the virtue of humility that even though the most violent winds of pride were blowing, they were never able to reach the depths his humility. While he was the richest king, he associated with the poor and fishermen. Indeed, he served them. The wisest doctor, he listened to the doctors as if he was the simplest boy; the strongest prince, he allowed himself to be led to the yoke of the cross. Whence he says of himself in Luke
22:27: I am in your midst,as he who serves. In the midst he stands, condemning the corners of ambition in the exhibition of honors, the acceptable hiding places of those dispensing gifts, the inns of private consolation, and the 85 See Eph 2:14.
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assemblies of sordid, shared pleasures, as he who serves, not as one who dominates.
6. Third, Christ was the medium of powerful influence in the passion where he wrought salvation in the midst of the earth. Just as the heart, which is the medium of life-giving warmth in the senses, by means of mediating spirits, influences the life of the other members of the material body, so Christ, crucified in the midst of thieves, he who is the tree of life planted by God in the midst of paradise®' of the Church, by means of mediating sacraments, influences the life of the other members of the mystical body. This is what Revelation 22:1-2 says: He showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming forth from the throne of God and the Lamb, in the midst of the city street. River refers to the dispensation of the sacraments; in fact it is clear as crystal because of the clarity and beauty given to the souls cleansed in this water. It is called the river of the water of life because of the efficacious grace that enlivens souls; and it proceeds from the throne of God and the Lamb because it proceeds from God, as from an author and efficient cause, but from Christ, as from a mediator and one who merits. Therefore, all sacraments are said to receive their efficacy from the passion of Christ. Whence, according to Augustine: "The sacraments flowed from the side of the sleeping Christ."® The blood and water flowed into the midst of the city streets, that 6 See Ps 73:12: "God ... has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth."
87 See Gen 3:9.
** Bonaventure adapts Tractate 15 n. 8 on the Gospel of John. See CCSL xxxvi, 153 and FC 79, 82-83: "... for, from Christ, while he was sleeping on the cross, the Church was going to come into being — from his side, that is from his side while he was sleeping, because from the lance-pierced side of Christ hanging on the cross the sacraments of the Church flowed forth," (translation modified).
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is, into the Church which is the mystical body, so that it might be brought back to life through him.
7. Second the presence of the incarnate Word is noted when it adds: there stood one, this is, he was present among you. Christ stood among humanity first of all, as the most clement high priest who purifies those guilty of evil; second, as the wisest doctor who illuminates the ignorant with the words of doctrine; third, as the most powerful king who liberates the helpless from punishment and leads them into the goodness of glory. And so Christ, as the proper mediator and true angel of the New Testament, possessed three hierarchical actions in the ecclesial hierarchy, namely, to purify through the expiation of blame; to illuminate through the teaching of doctrine, and to perfect through the removal of penalty and the reception of glory.
8. First he stood as the most clement high priest to purify those guilty of evil. Whence Revelation 3:20 says: I stand at the door and knock. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door to me, I will come in and eat with him.
I, that is Christ, stand at the door of the heart closed by sinful pleasure; and knock with the call of internal inspiration by which I speak to each and every heart; If anyone listens to my voice by attentive hearing and accomplished deeds; and opens the door to me by confessing and abandoning sin; I will come in through the indwelling of justifying grace; and eat with him a meal of spiritual delights. Whence Augustine, in On the Literal Meaning of Genesis states: "The principle of every rational creature is the wisdom of God, which never ceases speaking the
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hidden language of inspiration to the creature formed by God in order to turn the creature back to the one who alone is the source of perfection.""
9. Second, he stood as the wisest doctor to illuminate the ignorant with the words of doctrine. Whence John
7:37: Now on the last, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying: If anyone thirsts, let that one come and drink.' Jesus stood as the true doctor, and cried out like a trumpet," raising his voice saying: If anyone thirsts for the fountain of salvific knowledge; let that one come, by humbly asking without contemptible obstinacy; and drink the sweet goblet of life I will offer you from the sea of wisdom.
10. Third, he stood as the most powerful king to liberate the helpless from punishment of sin. Whence Acts
7:55 says: I see the heavens opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, almighty."' The Lord Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God, that is, equal to the Father as God, and with the best qualities of a human being, not only agreed to provide an abundant outpouring of grace to the first martyr who, for the sake of his name, bore the blow of those who stoned him, and overcame the inhumanity of the Jews with benign prayer, but he even agreed to open the heavens and manifest himself to him as a sign that he was to be led into the goodness of such glory.
°° See Book I, n. 5 of Sancti Aureli Augustini, De Genesi ad literam .... Edited by Joseph Zycha. CSEL, xxviii/i, (Prague: F. Tempsky, 1894),
See Isa 58:1: "Cry, cease not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show my people their wicked deeds, and the house of Jacob their sins."
" Acts 7:55 says this of Stephen: "But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."
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11. The third follows: whom you did not know, where it proves the ignorance of the Jews, which arose from a threefold cause: first, the lack of supernatural illumination; second, the impediment of sophistic argumentation; third, the hatred of fraternal rivalry.
12. First, they did not recognize Christ due to a lack of supernatural illumination. Whence Psalm 81:5 says:
They did not know or understand: they walk on in darkness, because they did not understand the Word of truth was present to them in person; but absent from awareness due to the blindness of their evil, just as the sun is present to the blind person but is never apprehended by him." They did not know to flee, therefore, the evil of their sin or to do the good in justice, for no one is able to be led without the light of faith; indeed they walk in darkness, continually pursuing falsity of infidelity. And this is why Proverbs 4:19 says: The way of the wicked is dark: they know not where they fall.
13. Second, they did not recognize Christ due to the impediment of sophistic argumentation. Whence Baruch
3:23 says: The children of Hagar also, who search after prudence, which is of the earth, the merchants of Midian, and of Teman, and the fable tellers, and the seekers of prudence and understanding: but they have not known the way of wisdom. Although all knowledge is good because it comes from God, nevertheless since human knowledge presents an occasion of cupidity to those who use it perversely, it therefore says: The children of Hagar search after prudence which is of the earth. Hagar is interpreted
72 See Augustine Tractate 1 n. 19 in CCSL xxxvi, 11 and FC 78, 58:
« ., just as when a blind man is placed in the sun, the sun is present to him, but he is absent to the sun, so every slow-witted person, every evil person, every ungodly person is blind in his heart."
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as perversity and signifies the perverse users of worldly knowledge who stand with their eyes set toward the ground." The merchants of Teman refer to voluptuous delight. In fact Teman is interpreted as fig and signifies voluptuous delight by reason of its sweetness."* They are spoken of as fable tellers of knowledge because of their vanity and haughty nature; and so worldly knowledge, because it offers the opportunity for multiple errors to the weak and infirm, that is, to those who use it perversely, and are designated with the name children of Hagar, is termed earthly" by reason of those bent over by cupidity, bestial by reason of those misguided by voluptuous delight, and even diabolical by reason of those puffed up by pride. And because such people do not want to believe or acquiesce to the first truth as to a good mother, they believe instead the evil stepmother, that is, illusory reason.
And because of this it follows: but they have not known the way of wisdom, not recognizing their weakness, they did not attend to divine wisdom.
14. Third, they did not know Christ due to the hatred of fraternal rivalry. 1 John 2:11 states: But he who hates his brother walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. Because Jewish people resisted the good gift of supernatural grace when Christ spoke to them about truth and life, it says therefore they hate their brother Christ and remain in darkness. Indeed, what is worse is they
8 See Ps 16:11: "They have set their eyes bowing down to the ground."
™ The origin of Bonaventure's interpretation is unknown.
The reference to CCSL Ixxii, 123 in the critical edition reveals: "Teman means south." The critical edition refers to PL 23:831 but no meaning is offered there because PL 23:834 reads "Teman means south."
© See James 3:15: "This is not the wisdom that descends from above. It is earthly, sensual, devilish."
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said the good was bad and proposed darkness instead of light,'* by saying the miracles of Christ were not accomplished by the finger of God, but by Beelzebub, the prince of demons." Therefore they walk in darkness and do not know where to go" because the darkness of envy and lies has blinded their eyes, such that seeing, they do not perceive, and understanding, they do not comprehend." Let us pray, etc.
7 See Isa 5:20.
77 See Luke 11:20, 15.
78 See John 12:35.
79 See Luke 8:10.