have wanted to say; still, from the crumbs of your table I have managed to feed
SERMON 225 249 the virgin's womb, the Word through which all things were made, did not abandon the angels, did not abandon the Father. How could he be enclosed in that womb? He could be there, he could not be enclosed there. How could he even be there, you say, one so great in a place so small? So the womb held what the universe does not hold. Nor was he made less, in order to be in the womb. He was in the womb, and he was as great as ever.
"How great was he? Tell us how great he was, tell us what he was." And the Word was with God.
'Tell us what he was." And the Word was God.
And I know, I'm telling you, that not even I who am speaking to you, not even I understand.6 But thinking about these things makes us stretch ourselves, stretching ourselves expands us, expansion increases our capacity. Not even with increased capacity will we be able to understand the whole of it. But now let me deal with you about my word. Look; what I'm saying, what I'm going to say, listen to that, understand that, my word, that is, a human word. But if you can't even understand this one, just consider how far you must be from under¬ standing that one.
Certainly, we wonder how Christ could take flesh, be bom of the virgin, and not depart from the Father; but look, here am I, now speaking to you; before I came to you here, I gave some thought beforehand to what I was going to say to you. When I was thinking about what I was going to say to you, there was already a word in my mind. I mean, I wouldn't be saying it to you unless I had thought of it first. I found you were Latin speaking, so a Latin word had to be offered you; while if you had been Greek, I would have had to speak to you in Greek, and present you with a Greek word. That word in my mind is neither Latin nor Greek; what's in my mind altogether precedes these languages. I look for a sound for it, I look around, so to say, for a vehicle. I look for a means of its reaching you, when it doesn't depart from me. There you are, you've heard what's in my mind, now it's also in yours. It's in mine, and it's in yours; you, on the one hand, have begun to have it, while I, on the other, haven't lost it. Just as my word assumed sound, in order to be heard, so the Word of God assumed flesh, in order to be seen.
I've said my say, as best I could. And what have I said? Because who am I that have said it? A mere man, I have wished to speak about God. He is so great, so wonderful, that we have neither the ability to express him, nor the right to keep quiet about him.
Doni get drunk on wine; get drunk on the Holy Spirit instead
4. I give you thanks, Lord, because you know what I am saying, or what I have wanted to say; still, from the crumbs of your table I have managed to feed my fellow servants; feed them yourself as well, and nourish inwardly those whom you have brought to new birth.
Just look at this crowd; what was it? Darkness; but now light in the Lord. It