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St. Gregory the Pope
What signifieth it that God, the Maker of all, in this healing of the man, did put his fingers into the ears of the afflicted one, and did spit, and touch his tongue with the spittle?
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![]() At that time: Jesus, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. St. Gregory the Pope What signifieth it that God, the Maker of all, in this healing of the man, did put his fingers into the ears of the afflicted one, and did spit, and touch his tongue with the spittle? ![]() At that time: Jesus spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the Temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican. Sermon from St Augustine "The Pharisee might at least have said, I am not as many men are. But what meaneth these words: As other men are? All other men except himself. I, said he, am righteous; others are sinners. I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers. And then he took occasion, from the neighbourhood of the Publican, to plume himself: Or even, quoth he, as this Publican. I am the only one of my kind, thought he; that Publican is one of the others. Mine own righteousness maketh a gulf between me and all such wicked folk as he. ![]() At that time: When Jesus came near to Jerusalem, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying: If you hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!―but now they are hid from thine eyes. Sermon from St. Gregory, Pope. No man that hath read the history of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman princes, Vespasian and Titus, can be ignorant that it was of that destruction that the Lord spoke when he wept over the ruin of the city. Hence it is these Roman princes that are pointed at where it is said: For the days shall come upon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee. The truth of what followeth: They shall not leave in thee one stone upon another: is even now fulfilled in the change of site of the city, which hath been rebuilt round about that place outside the gates, where the Lord was crucified, while the ancient city hath been, as I am told, rooted up from the very foundation. ![]() What the sin of Jerusalem was, which same brought upon her the punishment of this destruction, we find written thus: Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. The Maker of men, through the mystery of his incarnation, was pleased to visit her, but she remembered not to fear and to love him. Hence also the Prophet Jeremiah, rebuking the hardness of man's heart, calleth the birds of the air to testify against it, saying: The stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed time; and the turtle-dove and the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the ordinance of the Lord. The Saviour wept over the ruin of the unfaithful city, while she herself as yet knew not that it was coming. If thou hadst known, said he, even thou. And we may understand him to have meant: If thou hadst known, thou wouldst thyself have wept, in place of making merry as now thou dost, knowing not what hangeth over thee. And hence he addeth: At least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace. While she was yet giving herself up to fleshly pleasures, and casting no look ahead upon coming sorrows, she had still for a day in her power the things which might have brought her unto peace. ![]() A Sermon by St. Jerome the Priest At that time: Jesus spake this parable unto his disciples: There was a certain rich man which had a steward; and the same was acccused unto him that he had wasted his goods. The lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely though wickedly. The lord, although himself defrauded by it, could not but praise the shrewdness of his dishonest servant, because he had cheated him with profit to himself. How much more will our Master Christ, who is above any defrauding by us, and is himself the great Forgiver of debts, praise us if we deal indulgently with those who are to believe in him? After he had spoken this parable the Lord saith: Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness. This word: Mammon: is not Hebrew but Syriac, and is to be interpreted in the sense of our phrase: Filthy lucre. If then filthy lucre (as we call it) can be so used by them that have it as to bring about the profit of righteousness, shew much more can they who, like the Apostles, have stewardship of the mysteries of God (which are true and clean riches) profit themselves, even everlastingly, by their right use of such things? Hence it followeth, as the Lord saith: He that is faithful in that which is least, (that is, in matters pertaining to the body,) is faithful also in much, (that is, in spiritual things,) and he that is unjust in the least, (that is, by not sharing with his needy brother those things which God hath created for the use of all,) is unjust also in much, (that is, he will deal out spiritual things unfairly, not according to need but with respect of persons.) Thus it is as though the Lord saith: If ye have not been faithful in the use of earthly riches which pass away, who will commit to your charge the true and everlasting riches of the Word of God? ![]() At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. St. Hilary the Bishop The Lord warneth us that we must rate the worth of flattering words and seeming meekness, by the fruits which they that manifest such things bring forth in their works; in other words, that we should look, in order to see what a man is, not at his professions, but at his deeds. For there are many whose sheep's clothing is but a disguise of wolfish ravening. And so the Lord asketh: Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. In which words the Lord teacheth us that men are a like case; evil men bring not forth good fruits, and hereby are we to know them. Lip-service alone winneth not the kingdom of heaven, nor is everyone that saith unto Christ, Lord, Lord, an heir thereof. What use is there in thus calling the Lord by his title Lord? Would he not be Lord of all the same, whether or not we called him so? What holiness is there in this ascription of a name, when the true way to enter into the kingdom of heaven is to do the will of our Father, who is in heaven? Saith the Lord Christ: Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy Name? Already here doth the Lord rebuke the deceit of the false prophets, and the feigning of the hypocrites, who take glory to themselves because of the power of their words, or their prophesying in teaching, or their casting out of devils, or such-like mighty works. Because of all these things they promise unto themselves the kingdom of heaven, as though in their words and works any good thing were their own and not rather the mighty working of that God upon whom they call; for it is reading that bringeth knowledge of doctrine, and the Name of Christ that driveth out devils. That which is needed on our part to win that blessed eternity, that of our own which we must give, is to will to do right, to turn away from all evil. to obey with our whole heart the commandments laid on us from heaven, and so to become the friends of God. It should be ours, rather to do God's will, than to boast of God's power. And we must put off from us, and thrust away, such as are by their wicked works already estranged from his friendship. ![]() At that time: The multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them: I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat. A Sermon by St. Ambrose the Bishop After the woman (who may be taken as a type of the Church) had been healed of the issue of blood, and the disciples had been appointed to preach the kingdom of God, then was given the food of heavenly grace. But mark who they were unto whom he gave it. He gave it not unto such as dwell at ease, not unto men in cities, not unto such as sit in places of worldly splendour, but unto men seeking Christ in a desert place. It is such as are not given to niceties that Christ receiveth; and unto them the Word of God speaketh, not of earthly things, but of the kingdom of God. And furthermore, if any bear in them the running sores of fleshly passion, he freely bestoweth his medicine of healing. And then it cometh to pass that, after healing those in the need thereof, he next relieveth their hunger with spiritual nourishment. Thus it is that no man taketh Christ's meat unless he be first healed, and therefore, they that are bidden to the supper must first be cured by the very invitation itself. The same must receive the power to walk, that they they may be able to come; the blind, since they cannot see the door of the house of the Lord, must be given light. Thus in all these teachings is shewn forth the order of the Sacraments. The sinful soul is first healed by the remission of sins, and afterward is filled at the Table of the Lord. However, the multitude described in this Lesson are such as do not as yet feed on those strong meats, nor pasture their spirits upon the Body and Blood of Christ, as do they of a more solid faith which had not yet come. To use the words of Paul: I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. The few little loaves are here, as it were milk; the stronger meat will be the Body of Christ; the more generous cup, the Blood of the Lord. ![]() Sermon on 'Our Lord on the Mount' by St. Augustine The precept: Thou shalt not kill: is of the righteousness of the Pharisees; the counsel: Thou shalt not be angry with thy brother without a cause: is of the righteousness of them which shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. The least therefore is: Thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall break this commandment, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do it, and not kill, he is not therefore great, and meet for the kingdom of heaven; nevertheless, he hath risen a step; but he will have gotten farther, if he be not angry with his brother without a cause, the which, if he do, he will be the farther off from manslaughter. Wherefore, he that teacheth us that we are not to be angry without a cause, destroyeth not the law, Thou shalt not kill, but rather fulfilleth and increaseth it, making us not only to be free of the sin of outward killing, but also clean of anger within. In sins of this kind there are divers steps. The first is this, that when the swelling emotion of anger appeareth in a man's heart, he keepeth it. Next, the inward disturbance wringeth forth words of indignation, not themselves meaning aught, but shewing the vexation of him who is provoked. And this is something worse than anger kept covered under silence. Next, this audible outburst of indignation may contain direct and open reviling of him who hath roused it. And it cannot be doubted that this is something worse than an empty cry of anger. Behold here the three degrees of guilt open respectively to the judgment, to the council, and to hell-fire. As long as it is a matter of the judgment, there is still place for defence. In the council, albeit this also is in a sense a judgment, the sentence is pronounced, (so we may suppose,) not as the result of a trial whereat the accused is present, but as the result of a consultation among the judges, as to what punishment he is to receive because of his already established guilt. When we get to hell-fire, there remaineth no longer any doubt about condemnation as in the judgment, and no longer any doubt about sentence, as in the council. In hell-fire, the condemnation and the pain of him that is condemned are alike certain. ![]() The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gospel according to Luke Chap. 5, 1-11 In illo témpore: Cum turbæ irrúerent in Jesum, ut audírent verbum Dei, et ipse stabat secus stagnum Genésareth. Et réliqua. At that time: As the people pressed upon Jesus, to hear the Word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret. Homilía sancti Ambrósii Epíscopi A Sermon of St. Ambrose the Bishop When the Lord wrought so many works of healing, neither time nor place could restrain the people from seeking health. Evening came, and they still followed him; he went down to the lake, and they still pressed upon him; for which reason he entered into Peter's ship. This is that ship, which spiritually up to this very hour, according to the expression of Matthew, is buffeted by tempests; but still, according to Luke, is filled with fishes. By all this is signified that for a while things are troubles for the Church, but afterwards fruitful. And the fishes are those Christians which are as yet in the troubled waters of human life. In this ship also spiritually doth Christ, for the sake of his disciples, still sleep, and still command, for he sleepeth for the lukewarm, and watcheth for the perfect. No fear, then, for the ship where wisdom steereth, where false teaching is not known, where faith swelleth the sails. How shall she be troubled, whose Lord is himself the Church's sure Foundation? It is where faith is weak that there is fear; where love is perfect, there is safety. To many it is commanded to loose their nets, but to Peter also is said: Launch out into the deep: which may be interpreted as the depths of doctrine. What indeed is there so deep, as to gaze upon the depth of all riches, to recognize the Son of God, and to take up the confession of his divine generation? This is a thing which the mind is not able to grasp by the searchings of man's reason, but which is embraced by a hearty faith. For, albeit, it is not given unto me to know how the Son of God was born, yet of the fact that he was begotten, I may not be ignorant. What the order of his generation was, I know not, but the Source of his generation, I do acknowledge. None hath beheld the Begetting of the Son of God by the Father, but the Church hath stood by to hear the Father testify that this is his beloved Son. If we believe not God, whom shall we believe? For whatsoever we believe cometh either by sight or hearing; sight is oftentimes deceived, but faith cometh by hearing. |
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