to translate.
36 SAINT A UG USTINE - SERMONS not a good question. He was bom, and he has no time; he was bom eternal, from the eternal, coetemal. Why be astonished? He's God. Take divinity into consid¬ eration, and any reason for astonishment disappears.
And when we say he was bom of a virgin, it's a great thing, you're astonished. He's God, don't be astonished; let astonishment give way to thanksgiving and praise. Let faith be present; believe that it happened. If you don't believe, it still happened, but you remain unbelieving. He agreed to become man; what more do you want? Hasn't God humbled himself enough for you? The one who was God has become man. The inn was crowded and cramped, so he was wrapped in rags, laid in a manger; you heard it when the gospel was read.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Who wo be astonished? The one who filled the universe could find no room in a lodg¬ ing-house; laid in a feeding trough, he became our food.
Let the two animals approach the manger, the two peoples.11 The ox, you see, recognizes its owner, and the donkey its master's manger (Is 1:3). Be in atten¬ dance at the manger; don't be ashamed of being the Lord's donkey. You will be carrying Christ, you won't go astray, walking along the way; the way is sitting on you. Do you remember that young donkey that was brought to the Lord? Don't any of you feel ashamed—that's what we are. Let the Lord sit upon us, and take us wherever he wants. We're his mount, we're going to Jerusalem. With him seated on us we aren't weighed down, but lifted up; with him guiding us, we can't go wrong. We are going to him, we are going by him, we are not going off the rails.12
NOTES
1. This is the date suggested by Kunzelmann in 1931 and Fischer in 1963. I have my doubts about it; again, the style seems to me to point to a date more likely to be some time after that year. And the theme of grace in section 2 also suggests a later date. None of these considerations, of course, are decisive one way or the other. Again, Hippo Regius seems to be the most likely place for the sermon. See note 10 for reason to suppose it was preached at the midnight Mass.
2. Bene nuntiate diem de die. Elsewhere, as in Expositions of the Psalms 95, 3, he reads de die in diem, from day to day. The literal translation he follows here in fact probably meant the same thing. But he chooses to take it in the most literal possible sense, for excellent theological and homiletic reasons; he would never claim it was the only possible interpretation.
3. See Acts 15:9. 4. See Jn 14:6.
5. This indignatio is contrasted with dignatio in the first exclamation; an impossible word, really, to translate.
6. These things are all signs of the divine indignation. 7. See Jn 1:1.
8. A little nudge to all the unbaptized present that they should put their names down for baptism right away, and not prolong their catechumen status indefinitely.
9. The damnosa hereditas of original sin.
10. The gospel for the midnight Mass; see Lk 2:6-7.