Homily 33

to amass for himself, and never cease to hasten, and to prepare to do battle in the face of dangers on behalf of the truth, and to accumulate spiritual merchandise for himself, and never to stand still? ^A What apology could we possibly have, we who are not only destitute of all righteous deeds, but are also subject to so many failings, even one of which—were it present in us—is sufficient to drag us down into the very abyss of destruction, and yet we make no effort to correct even these, let alone to apply ourselves to the works of virtue? Was that blessed man not of the same nature as we are? I am kindled with affection for the man, and for this reason I do not cease to turn the subject over in my discourse; and as if looking at an archetypal image, gazing upon his soul, I reflect on his disregard for passions, his excess of courage, the burning intensity of his love for God; and I am struck with wonder, how a single man, having the will to do so, attained the full collection of all virtues, whereas each of us is unwilling to attain even the slightest. ^B Who, then, shall deliver us from that inescapable punishment, when Paul, who shared our same nature, who was subject to the same passions, who lived in such a time of difficulty, and who, so to speak, was daily being dragged, torn to pieces, and dragged about in public by those who fought against his preaching, exhibited such a great height of virtue? And so that you might not hear from our tongue the righteous deeds and the courage which he displayed daily on behalf of the proclamation of piety, it is necessary to hear him saying, *In that wherein anyone dares, I speak in foolishness, I dare also* (2 Cor. 11:21). Observe a soul that loves God. He calls the matter not only daring, but also foolishness, educating us not to parade abroad in simplicity, without necessity, when no one is compelling us, the things done by us, even if some among us were to be found to have done some good thing. *Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I* (Ibid. v. 22). On these things, he says, do they pride themselves? Let them not think that we are left behind; for we too share in the same. Then he added, *Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool, I am more* (Ibid. v. 23). Behold for me here the virtue of this blessed man’s soul. Since he called his action both daring and foolishness, even though he had been placed in such great necessity, he was not even then content with what had been said; but when he was about to show himself far exceeding them in measure, so that no one might think he was speaking these things from vainglory, he again calls what he says foolishness; as if to say, "Do I not know that I am doing a thing that appears strange to many and is not becoming to me? But the great necessity that pushed me to this drives me; therefore, forgive me," he says, "for speaking words of foolishness." If only we would imitate even the shadow of this man, we who have so many loads of sins lying upon us, and who often accomplish some small thing, and do not even suffer that to be kept in the storehouses of the mind, but because we hunt for glory from men, we ^C parade it abroad, and place it in the midst, and through this untimely chatter we deprive ourselves of the reward from God. But this blessed man suffered no such thing, but once he said, *I am more*, he proceeds to enumerate the deeds of his courage, and says, *In labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness, beside the things that are without* (2 Cor. 11:27-28). See again another sea of temptations opening up for us; for by saying, *besides the things that are without*, he hinted that those things omitted were likely greater than the things mentioned. And he did not stop even at this, but again teaches us the pressing crowds and the distresses which he endured, by saying, *My daily pressure, the care of all the Churches* (Ibid. v. 28). Behold, this too is a sufficient righteous deed, if it stands alone, leading him up to that very summit of virtue. *The care*, he says, *of all the Churches*: not of one and two and three, but of all the Churches throughout the inhabited earth which the sun traverses, casting its own rays; such great care and concern did this blessed man have. Do you see the breadth of his soul? Do you see the magnitude of his mind? And the statement that follows again, one might say, overshadows all that has been said: *For who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am not burned?* (Ibid. v. 29). Bravo! How great was the affection of this man! How great his watchfulness! How great his concern! What mother is so torn in her bowels, when her child is feverish and lying on his bed, as this blessed man was more distressed for those who were weak in every place, and was burned for those who were being scandalized? For observe for me the emphasis of the expression. He did not say, "Who is scandalized, and I am not grieved," but, *Who is scandalized, and I am not burned?* he says; declaring to us the intensity of his pain, and all but showing himself to be set on fire and consumed within on behalf of those enduring the causes of scandal. I know that I have extended my speech to a great length, but I do not know how, having fallen upon the wealth of the righteous deeds of this saint, I was dragged along by my tongue, just as by a rush of most violent waters. Therefore, having stopped my speech here, I exhort your love to keep this continuously in your mind, and to consider this constantly: that since he shared our same nature, and was subject to the same passions, and had a lowly and despised trade—dressing skins and standing in a workshop—once he willed and desired to surrender himself to the labors of virtue, and to make himself worthy of the reception of the Holy Spirit, he enjoyed more abundant favor from above. May we all obtain this, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY XXXIII

might receive honor, but was offering him service; not as if he were present to a man, but as to God. The ointment ^A indeed, for this reason she poured out, and wiped it with the hairs of her head; things which were not for one who held such an opinion of him as the many did. But Judas rebuked her, under the pretext, of course, of piety. What, then, does Christ say? “Let her alone... against the day of my burying hath she kept this” (John 12:7).

Why, however, did he not rebuke the disciple because of the woman, and why did he not say this same thing which the evangelist says, that he rebuked the woman for the sake of making theft? It was because, out of his great longsuffering, he wished to shame him. For although he knew that he was a traitor, he had already rebuked him before, saying ^B often: “Do not all believe?” and, “One of you is a devil” (John 6:65, 71). He had made it clear, therefore, that he knew he was a traitor; yet he did not rebuke him openly, but restrained himself, wishing to recall him. How, then, does another say that all the disciples said the same thing? Both he and they [said it], but the others not from the same intent.

If any one, however, should examine why, when he was a thief, he entrusted the purse of the poor to him, and made him, who was a lover of money, the steward; we would say that Jesus knew that secret. If, however, we must also speak out of our own estimation, it was in order to cut off every occasion [for him to fall]. For he could not say that he had acted in such a way ^C because of a love of money; for he had sufficient relief for his desire from the purse; but rather out of a great wickedness, which, if he had wished to restrain, he would not have betrayed his benefactor.

But Christ, having used much accommodation toward him, bore with him patiently. And therefore he did not rebuke him as he was stealing, thus restraining his evil desire, so as to take away every excuse from him: wherefore he said, “Let her alone; against the day of my burying hath she kept this.” Again he brought to mind the burial for the traitor. But this rebuke did not prick him, nor did this saying soften him, although it could have stirred him to pity: as if he were saying, “I am troubled and burdened; but wait a little, and I will depart.” ^D For this very thing he indicated when he said, “Me you will not have always” (John 12:8). But none of these things softened that savage and frenzied man; even though he himself said much more, and on that same night washed his feet, and received him at the table.

Now a great crowd of the Jews knew that Jesus was in Bethany; and they came, not for his sake only, but also that they might see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead (Ibid. v. 9). And here, having seen the miracle, many believed. The rulers, however, not content with their own evils, attempted to kill Lazarus also. For the chief priests consulted that they might kill Lazarus also, because many on his account were going away from the Jews, and believing in Jesus (Ibid. v. 10–11).

Let it be that they wanted to kill Christ, because he was breaking the sabbath, because he was making himself equal to the Father, and because of the Romans, as they were saying, lest they take away both their place and nation: what accusation could they bring against Lazarus that they might attempt to kill him, unless perhaps that they might rightfully be called into a charge? Do you see their bloody mind? Although he had performed many signs, yet nothing so enraged them—not the paralytic, not the blind man. For this was more wonderful than even nature, and it was done after many other [signs]; and it was a thing of amazement to see a four-day dead man walking and speaking.

O the folly of the chief priests! For it was a noble work of the feast-day to mingle the celebration with slaughter. Otherwise, however, there they seemed to be accusing him about the sabbath, and to be leading the crowd astray by this error; here, however, since they had no place to falsely accuse, they turn their attempt against the one who had been healed. Here, indeed, they could not say that he was opposing the Father: for their very prayer stopped their mouths. Because, therefore, this constant cause for accusation had been removed, and the sign was brilliant, they prepared themselves for slaughter. And so they would have done the same thing regarding the blind man, had they not had a place to accuse him concerning the sabbath. Otherwise, however, that man was obscure, and they had cast him out of the temple; but this man was more notable, as is plain from the fact that many were coming for the consolation of his sisters: and to all who were seeing it, the miracle had been published, and in a very stupendous way: therefore all were running to the spectacle. This, therefore, was gnawing at them, that the festival being left, all were coming to Bethany. They attempted, therefore, to kill him, and did not think they were undertaking an evil thing; such were they, bloodthirsty. Therefore the law starts from this, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exod. 20:15), it says. And the prophet accuses them regarding this matter with these words: “Their hands are full of blood” (Isa. 1:15).

On the next day a great crowd, which had come to the feast-day, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and were crying out, “Hosanna, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel” (John 12:12–13)! How, therefore, when he was not walking openly in Judea, and was withdrawing to the desert, does he again enter with confidence? Because through his withdrawal he had extinguished their frenzy, now that they were calmed he approaches; and besides, the multitude which was preceding and following was enough to cast them into fear. For no sign had so drawn the crowd as that of Lazarus. But another evangelist says, “They spread their garments beneath his feet,” and, “The whole city was stirred”: with such honor he entered.

Jesus, having found a young ass, sat upon it, as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt” (Luke 19:56; Matth. 21:10; John 12:14–15). But he was doing this fulfilling one prophecy, and figuring another; and this was the end of the one, but the beginning of the other. For that [saying], “Fear not, daughter of Sion: be glad that thy King cometh unto thee meek” (Matth. 21:5), was a prophecy then fulfilled; but that he sat upon an ass, presignified a future thing, that he would have the impure race of the Gentiles subject to him. How, however, do the evangelists say that he sent the disciples, and said, “Loose the ass and the colt” (Mark 11:2); here, however, he says nothing similar, but that “an ass having been found, he sat upon it”? Because both was to happen; and after the ass was loosed, the disciples coming and finding the young ass, he sat upon it. But they were casting branches of palms and olives, and garments beneath, so as to show that they [were...