Works › Sermons for the Seasons of the Year
Volume 13 · pp. 3–6
Sermon I. On the First Sunday of Advent
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Sermo I.
In Dominica I Adventus.
Ecce Rex tuus venit tibi mansuetus, sedens super asinam, et pullum filium subjugalis, etc. Matth. xxi, 5.
Quatuor sunt principaliter hic notanda:
I. Quis sit iste Rex, cujus adventus annuntiatur? II. Quae sit filia Sion, cui Regis adventus demonstratur? III. In quali equitatura equitator venire dicatur? IV. Propter quid adventurus esse adstruatur?
I.
De primo nota, quod Rex iste est Filius Dei, cui tradidit Deus pater regnum. De isto Rege dicitur Daniel vii, 13 et 14: Adspiciebam in visione noctis, et ecce cum nubibus caeli quasi filius hominis veniebat, et usque ad antiquum dierum pervenit: et in conspectu ejus obtulerunt eum. Et dedit ei potestatem, et honorem, et regnum: et omnes populi, tribus, et linguae ipsi servient: potestas ejus, potestas aeterna, quae non auferetur: et regnum ejus, quod non corrumpetur. Ecce Daniel, qui fuit multis annis antequam Christus nasceretur, praedicit ejus amabilem Incarnationem, necnon et gloriosam Ascensionem ejusdem.
1. Incarnationem praedicit, ubi ait: Adspiciebam in visione noctis, et ecce cum nubibus caeli quasi filius hominis veniebat. Unde dicit: Adspiciebam in visione noctis: quia omnes visiones Prophetarum, quas viderunt in via, erant quasi visiones noctis, respectu illarum quae erunt in patria. Licet enim hic limpide viderent Deum, ibi tamen multo limpidius videbitur.
2. Vidit ergo cum nubibus caeli Filium hominis venientem. Per nubes caeli charitas et veritas intelliguntur. Illae nempe distillant nobis rorem divinae misericordiae. Cum istis itaque nubibus Filius hominis venit, quia veritas et charitas Dei Filium efficaciter ad hoc induxerunt ut Filius Virginis fieri dignaretur. Promisit enim hoc per charitatem, et exsolvit per veritatem.
3. Nubes etiam fuit ipsa Virgo Maria, per quam Dominus venit in mundum. De hac nube dixerat Isa. xix, 1: Ecce Dominus ascendet super nubem levem, et ingredietur Aegyptum. Nubes igitur est Beata Virgo Maria, quae pluviam divinae gloriae pluit toti mundo. Haec levis fuit, quoniam creditur in utero matris fuisse sanctificata, propter quod numquam pondere alicujus peccati fuit aggravata.
4. Mane ergo Dominus ascendit per assumptionem nostrae carnis; et sic ingressus est in Aegyptum, per quam mundus iste figuratur. Aegyptus itaque tenebrae vel maeror interpretatur. Tunc enim tenebrae ignorantiae Dei fuerunt in impiis, et maeror magnus erat in justis, qui adventum Christi cum multis lacrymis exspectabant. Veniens autem Christus, et impiorum tenebras per semetipsum illustravit, et maerorem justorum pia consolatione placavit.
Sermon I.
On the First Sunday of Advent.
Behold, your King comes to you, meek, sitting upon a she-ass and upon a colt, the foal of one under the yoke, etc. Matthew 21:5.
Four things are principally to be noted here:
I. Who is that King whose coming is announced? II. What is the daughter of Zion, to whom the King's coming is shown? III. In what sort of mount the rider is said to come? IV. For what reason he is affirmed to be about to come?
I.
Concerning the first, note that this King is the Son of God, to whom God the Father handed over the kingdom. Concerning this King it is said in Daniel 7:13 and 14: I was looking in the vision of the night, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man was coming, and he came all the way to the Ancient of Days; and in his sight they offered him. And he gave to him power, and honor, and a kingdom; and all peoples, tribes, and tongues will serve him; his power is an eternal power, which will not be taken away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed. Behold, Daniel, who was many years before Christ was born, foretells his lovable Incarnation, and also the glorious Ascension of the same.
1. He foretells the Incarnation where he says: I was looking in the vision of the night, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man was coming. Hence he says: I was looking in the vision of the night, because all the visions of the prophets, which they saw on the way, were as visions of the night in comparison with those that will be in the fatherland. For although here they saw God clearly, there he will nevertheless be seen much more clearly.
2. Therefore he saw the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. By the clouds of heaven charity and truth are understood. For these distill for us the dew of divine mercy. Therefore with these clouds the Son of Man came, because the truth and charity of God effectively led the Son to this, that he deigned to become the Son of the Virgin. For he promised this by charity and paid it by truth.
3. The cloud was also the Virgin Mary herself, through whom the Lord came into the world. Of this cloud Isaiah 19:1 had said: Behold, the Lord will ascend upon a light cloud and will enter Egypt. Therefore the cloud is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who rained the rain of divine glory upon the whole world. This cloud was light, since she is believed to have been sanctified in her mother's womb, on account of which she was never weighed down by the weight of any sin.
4. Therefore in the morning the Lord ascended through the assumption of our flesh; and thus he entered Egypt, by which this world is signified. For Egypt is interpreted as darkness or sorrow. For then the darkness of ignorance of God was in the impious, and great sorrow was in the just, who were awaiting the coming of Christ with many tears. But Christ, coming, both illumined by himself the darkness of the impious and calmed the sorrow of the just by loving consolation.
5. Daniel etiam Ascensionem Filii Dei praedicit, ubi ait: Et usque ad antiquum dierum pervenit: et in conspectu ejus obtulerunt eum. Per antiquum dierum, Deus Pater intelligitur, ad quem Christus venit in Ascensione. Humilitas enim et obedientia ipsius Filii Dei, per quae subierat mortem, mortem autem crucis: obtulerunt eum cum gloria Deo Patri, qui dedit ei potestatem, et honorem, et regnum: potestas autem ejus non auferetur, et regnum ejus non corrumpetur. Det nobis Dominus, ut ad istum Regem transire mereamur.
II.
De secundo nota, quod per filiam Sion quaelibet fidelis anima designatur. Sion quippe interpretatur mandatum vel speculum. Debet igitur anima filia esse mandati et speculi. Tunc autem efficitur filia mandati, cum adimplet ea mandata quae Deus ipsi mandavit. Sicut enim filia obedit matri, ita et anima debet obedire mandatis. Unde dicit Ecclesiastes, xii, 13: Deum time, et mandata ejus observa: est enim omnis homo.
Et licet plurima sint mandata Domini quae ab omni homine sunt observanda, nos tamen ad praesens sex tangemus, quae Dominus jubet observari. Dicitur enim Matth. xix, 16 et seq., quod quidam adolescens accedens ad Jesum, ait illi: Magister bone, quid boni faciam ut habeam vitam aeternam? Respondit ei Jesus: Si vis ad vitam ingredi, serva mandata. Dicit illi: Quae? Jesus autem dixit: Non facies homicidium: Non adulterabis: Non furtum facies: Non falsum testimonium dices: Honora patrem tuum, et matrem tuam: et, Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum.
Et nota, quod in verbis praemissis Dominus quatuor inhibet, et duo jubet. 1. Inhibet corporalem laesionem, ibi, Non homicidium facies, id est, nullum hominem in corpore suo laedes. 2. Prohibet corporum coinquinationem, ibi, Non adulterabis, id est, neque tuum neque cujuslibet alterius viri sive feminae corpus per luxuriam coinquinabis. 3. Vetat rerum ablationem, ibi, Non furtum facies, id est, nulli homini res suas, vel per furtum, vel per rapinam, seu per usuram, seu alio quocumque modo injuste surripias. 4. Prohibet famae deteriorationem, ibi, Non falsum testimonium dices, id est, nulli bonam famam detractionibus tuis, et mendaciis minuas, vel corrodas.
Jubet etiam duo. 1. Ut honorem parentibus et majoribus nostris impendamus, ibi, Honora patrem tuum, et matrem tuam, id est, O tu adolescens, patri tuo et cuilibet seniori reverentiam exhibeas et honorem. Tu etiam, juvencula, matrem tuam, et aliam quamlibet bonam matronam honorare non omittas. 2. Ut de parentibus nostris, et de quibusdam proximis nostris egentibus curam habeamus, id est, Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum, id est, sicut in sustentatione et procuratione proprii corporis negligens non existis: ita etiam parentum tuorum, et aliorum pauperum non obliviscaris; sed necessitates eorum et inopias tuis sublevare eleemosynis non desistas.
5. Daniel also foretells the Ascension of the Son of God, where he says: And he came all the way to the Ancient of Days, and in his sight they offered him. By the Ancient of Days God the Father is understood, to whom Christ came in the Ascension. For the humility and obedience of the Son of God himself, by which he had undergone death, even the death of the cross, offered him with glory to God the Father, who gave him power and honor and a kingdom; but his power will not be taken away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed. May the Lord grant us that we may merit to pass over to that King.
II.
Concerning the second, note that by the daughter of Zion any faithful soul is designated. For Zion is interpreted as command or mirror. Therefore the soul ought to be a daughter of command and of the mirror. But then it is made a daughter of command when it fulfills those commands that God has commanded it. For as a daughter obeys her mother, so also the soul ought to obey the commands. Hence Ecclesiastes 12:13 says: Fear God and observe his commands, for this is every man.
And although there are very many commands of the Lord that must be observed by every human being, nevertheless for the present we will touch on six that the Lord commands to be observed. For it is said in Matthew 19:16 and following that a certain young man, approaching Jesus, said to him: Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? Jesus answered him: If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments. He says to him: Which? But Jesus said: You shall not commit homicide; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
And note that in the aforesaid words the Lord forbids four things and commands two. 1. He forbids bodily injury, there, You shall not commit homicide, that is, you shall injure no human being in his body. 2. He prohibits the defilement of bodies, there, You shall not commit adultery, that is, you shall defile by luxury neither your body nor the body of any other man or woman. 3. He forbids the taking away of things, there, You shall not steal, that is, you shall not unjustly steal away any person's possessions, whether by theft, or by robbery, or by usury, or in any other way. 4. He prohibits the deterioration of reputation, there, You shall not bear false witness, that is, you shall not diminish or gnaw away by your detractions and lies the good reputation of anyone.
He also commands two things. 1. That we bestow honor upon our parents and elders, there, Honor your father and your mother, that is, O you young man, you should show reverence and honor to your father and to anyone older. You also, young woman, should not fail to honor your mother and any other good matron. 2. That we have care for our parents and for certain of our neighbors who are in need, that is, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, that is, as you are not negligent in sustaining and caring for your own body, so also you should not forget your parents and other poor persons, but you should not cease to relieve their necessities and needs with your alms.
Igitur anima, quae haec sex mandata adimplevit fideliter, dicitur filia Sion, id est, filia mandatorum Dei. Nota. Erit etiam haec filia speculi, id est, Jesu Christi. Ipse enim est speculum sine macula, sicut dicitur Sap. vii, 26. Et in hoc speculum Angeli continuo desiderant prospicere, sicut dicitur I Pet. i, 13. Igitur filia Sion, hoc est, animae mandatorum Dei observatrici dicetur ab Angelis, cum transmigrabit a corpore: Ecce Rex tuus venit tibi mansuetus. Quasi dicatur ei: O anima, quia regis etiam observasti mandata, semper eum circa te senties mansuetum.
III.
De tertio nota, quod iste Rex, quando venit in mundum, venit in humili equitatura: videlicet in asina et filio ejus. Unde dicitur in Evangelio Matth. xxi, 5: Sedens super asinam, et pullum filium subjugalis.
1. Per asinam intelligitur laboriosa, et humilis, ac contemptibilis caro Christi. Sicut enim asina multos labores sustinet, ita et caro Christi plurimos propter nos est passa labores. Unde dicit Isa. liii, 4: Vere languores nostros ipse tulit, et dolores nostros ipse portavit. Sicut enim asina non habet differentiam inter onera, sive vilia sint, vel honesta, sed qualecumque onus sibi impositum fuerit, illud portat: ita etiam caro Christi non tantum honesta, sed et vilia onera toleravit. Unde dicit Isa. liii, 6: Posuit Dominus in eo iniquitatem omnium nostrum. Et certe nihil est vilius quam iniquitates, quas; id est, quarum poenam Dominus pro nobis in cruce pertulit.
2. Judaei quoque satis vilia onera imposuerunt huic asinae, id est, carni Christi: videlicet sputa sua. Christum siquidem conspuerunt, sicut testantur Marcus 1 et Lucas 2. Praeterea ut asina est animal contemptibile, sic etiam Christus, quia tam humilis fuit, propterea contemnebatur. Unde dicit Isa. liii, 4 et seq., quod Christus quasi leprosus esset, et omnium virorum novissimus, despectus, et pro nihilo reputatus.
IV.
De quarto nota, quod Rex, id est, Filius Dei venit ut salvaret. Unde dicitur in Evangelio: Venit tibi, id est, ad salutem tuam, mansuetus, id est, tractabilis atque benignus. Hinc etiam ipse Filius Dei dicit, Joan. iii, 17: Non misit Deus Filium suum in mundum, ut judicet mundum, sed ut salvetur mundus per ipsum. De hoc etiam dicit Zach. ix, 9: Exsulta satis filia Sion, jubila filia Jerusalem: Ecce Rex tuus veniet tibi justus, et salvator: ipse pauper, et ascendens super asinam, et super pullum filium asinae. Per Filiam Sion, ut supra expositum est, fidelis anima designatur: quae etiam per filiam Jerusalem figuratur. Jerusalem quippe timor perfectus interpretatur.
Therefore the soul that has faithfully fulfilled these six commands is called a daughter of Zion, that is, a daughter of the commands of God. Note. This daughter will also be a daughter of the mirror, that is, of Jesus Christ. For he is the mirror without stain, as is said in Wisdom 7:26. And into this mirror the Angels continually desire to look, as is said in 1 Peter 1:13. Therefore to the daughter of Zion, that is, to the soul observant of the commands of God, it will be said by the Angels when she passes from the body: Behold, your King comes to you meek. As if it were said to her: O soul, because you have also observed the commands concerning the king, you will always feel him meek around you.
III.
Concerning the third, note that this King, when he came into the world, came on a humble mount, namely on a she-ass and her foal. Hence it is said in the Gospel, Matthew 21:5: Sitting upon a she-ass and upon a colt, the foal of one under the yoke.
1. By the she-ass is understood the laborious and humble and contemptible flesh of Christ. For just as a she-ass sustains many labors, so also the flesh of Christ suffered very many labors for us. Hence Isaiah 53:4 says: Truly he himself bore our weaknesses, and he himself carried our pains. For just as a she-ass makes no distinction among burdens, whether they are base or honorable, but carries whatever burden has been placed upon it, so also the flesh of Christ tolerated not only honorable burdens but also base ones. Hence Isaiah 53:6 says: The Lord placed upon him the iniquity of us all. And certainly nothing is more base than iniquities, which, that is, whose penalty the Lord bore for us on the cross.
2. The Jews also placed sufficiently base burdens upon this she-ass, that is, upon the flesh of Christ, namely their spittle. For they spat upon Christ, as Mark 1 and Luke 2 testify. Moreover, as a she-ass is a contemptible animal, so also Christ was contemned because he was so humble. Hence Isaiah 53:4 and following says that Christ was as it were a leper, and the last of all men, despised and reputed as nothing.
IV.
Concerning the fourth, note that the King, that is, the Son of God, came in order to save. Hence it is said in the Gospel: He comes to you, that is, to your salvation, meek, that is, approachable and benign. Hence also the Son of God himself says, John 3:17: God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Concerning this also Zechariah 9:9 says: Exult greatly, daughter of Zion; shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem: behold your King will come to you, just and a savior; he is poor and ascending upon a she-ass and upon a colt, the foal of a she-ass. By the daughter of Zion, as was explained above, a faithful soul is designated; she is also figured by the daughter of Jerusalem. For Jerusalem is interpreted as perfect fear.
Debet igitur anima cujuslibet Christiani filia esse perfecti timoris: ut scilicet Deum timeat, non tantum propter hoc, ne in gehennae tormenta mittatur: sed potius ob hoc, ne dulcis ejus facies amittatur. Non solum enim anima debet Deum timere tamquam judicem saevissimum: sed etiam tamquam patrem charissimum, et sponsum dulcissimum. Huic ergo animae dicitur, ut exsultet, et jubilet, quia Rex suus, id est, Jesus, venit in mundum justus salvator, et ipse pauper. Notabiliter ista tria de Christo dicuntur: scilicet quod est justus, et salvator, et pauper. Justus enim vocatur, quia ad hoc venit, ut nulli injuriaretur. Primo, ut quilibet per eum salvaretur. Sed ne dicant pauperes: Ipse salvabit divites, nos non audemus appropiare ad ipsum; propterea adjungitur: Et ipse pauper: ne scilicet pauperes eum fugiant, sed fiducialiter ad eum confugiant. Similia quippe ad sibi similia congregantur. Unde dicitur Eccli. xiii, 19 et 20: Omne animal diligit simile sibi... Omnis caro ad similem sibi conjungetur, et omnis homo simili sui sociabitur. Voluit ergo Christus esse pauper, ut pauperes eum diligerent, et ad ipsum cum fiducia confugerent.
Suscipiamus igitur, charissimi, adventum Domini cum tota mentis devotione: quia sic Dominus olim venit in mundum, ut mundus salvaretur: ita adhuc annuntiat Dominus adventum suum nobis, et repraesentat, ut per hoc nobis innuat quod paratus est nos salvare ab omnibus iniquitatibus nostris: si tamen per veram paenitentiam ad ipsius clementiam convertamur. Rogate ergo Dominum, ut sic adventum sui Filii cum mansuetudine venientis veneremur, ut etiam in adventu illo, quando judicaturus veniet, ipsi collaetemur. Quod nobis praestare dignetur, qui sine fine vivit et regnat Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Therefore the soul of any Christian ought to be a daughter of perfect fear: namely, that it should fear God not only on account of this, lest it be sent into the torments of Gehenna, but rather on account of this, lest his sweet face be lost. For the soul ought to fear God not only as a most severe judge, but also as a most dear father and a most sweet bridegroom. Therefore to this soul it is said that it should exult and shout for joy, because its King, that is, Jesus, came into the world just, a savior, and himself poor. These three things are notably said about Christ: namely that he is just, and savior, and poor. For he is called just because he came for this, that he might injure no one. First, that anyone might be saved through him. But lest the poor say, He will save the rich; we do not dare to approach him, therefore it is added: And he is poor, that is, lest the poor flee from him, but confidently take refuge in him. For like things are gathered to things like themselves. Hence Ecclesiasticus 13:19 and 20 says: Every animal loves what is like itself... All flesh will be joined to what is like itself, and every human being will be associated with one like himself. Therefore Christ willed to be poor, so that the poor might love him and take refuge in him with confidence.
Therefore, dearly beloved, let us receive the coming of the Lord with the whole devotion of the mind, because as the Lord once came into the world so that the world might be saved, so still the Lord announces his coming to us and represents it, so that through this he may make known to us that he is ready to save us from all our iniquities, provided that through true repentance we are converted to his mercy. Therefore pray to the Lord that we may so venerate the coming of his Son who comes with meekness, that also in that coming, when he will come to judge, we may rejoice together with him. May he deign to grant this to us, who without end lives and reigns as God, through all ages of ages. Amen.
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