HOMIL. 1 Rom. 8, 32. 684 The Holy Communion to be honoured For He that hath given the greater, that is, hath set Himself before thee, much more will He not think scorn to distribute unto thee of His Body. Let us hear therefore, both priests and subjects, what we have had vouchsafed to us; let us hear and tremble. Of His own holy Flesh He hath granted us our fill; He hath set before us Himself sacrificed. What excuse shall we have then, when feeding on such food, we commit such sins? when eating a Lamb, we become wolves? when feeding on a Sheep, we spoil by violence like the lions? For this Mystery He directs to be always clear, not from violence only, but even from bare enmity. Yea, for this Mystery is a mystery of peace; it allows us not to cling to wealth. For if He spared not Himself for us, what must we deserve, sparing our wealth, and being lavish of a soul, in behalf of which He spared not Himself? Now upon the Jews God every year bound in their feasts a memorial of His peculiar favours to them: but for thee, every day, as I may say, through these Mysteries. Be not therefore ashamed of the Cross: for these are our venerable things, these our Mysteries; with this Gift do we adorn ourselves, with this we are beautified. And if I say, He stretched out the heaven, He spread out the earth and the sea, He sent Prophets and Angels, I say nothing in comparison. For the sum of His benefits is this, that He spared not His own Son', in order to save His alienated servants. [4.] Let no Judas then approach this Table, no Simon; nay, for both these perished through covetousness. Let us flee then from this gulf; neither let us account it enough for our salvation, if after we have stripped widows and orphans, we offer for this Table a gold and jewelled cup. Nay, if thou desire to honour the Sacrifice, offer thy soul, for which also It was slain; cause that to become golden; but if that remain worse than lead or potter's clay, while the vessel is of gold, what is the profit? Let not this therefore be our aim, to offer golden vessels only, but to do so from honest earnings likewise. For these are of the sort that is more precious even than gold, these with a pure soul, not costly offerings. 685 XIV. that are without injuriousness. For the Church is not a gold MATT. foundry nor a workshop for silver, but an assembly of 34-36. Angels. Wherefore it is souls which we require, since in fact God accepts these for the souls' sake. That Table at that time was not of silver, nor that Cup of gold, out of which Christ gave His disciples His own blood; but precious was every thing there, and awful, for that they were full of the Spirit'. 1cf. Eph. 5, 18. Wouldest thou do honour to Christ's Body? Neglect Him not when naked; do not, while here thou honourest Him with silken garments, neglect Him perishing without of cold and nakedness. For He that said, This is My Body, and by His word confirmed the fact, This Same said, Ye saw Me an hungered, and fed Me not; and, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me2. For2 Matt. This indeed needs not coverings, but a pure soul; but that requires much attention. Let us learn therefore to be Christ as He Himself desires. strict in life, and to honour For to Him who is honoured that honour is most pleasing, which it is His own will to have, not that which we account best. Since Peter too thought to honour Him by forbidding Him to wash his feet, but his doing so was not an honour, but the contrary. Even so do thou honour Him with this honour, which He ordained, spending thy wealth on poor people. Since God hath no need at all of golden vessels, but of golden souls. And these things I say, not forbidding such offerings to be provided; but requiring you, together with them, and before them, to give alms. For He accepts indeed the former, but much more the latter. For in the one the offerer alone is profited, but in the other the receiver also. Here the act seems to be a ground even of ostentation; but there all is mercifulness, and love to man. For what is the profit, when His table indeed is full of golden cups, but He perishes with hunger? First fill Him, being an hungered, and then abundantly deck out His table also. Dost thou make Him a cup of gold, while thou givest Him not a cup of cold water? And what is the profit? Dost thou furnish His Table with cloths bespangled with gold, while to Himself thou affordest not even the necessary 25, 42. 45. L. 4, 5. 686 On the promise to Mary of Bethany. HOMIL. Covering? And what good comes of it? For tell me, should you see one at a loss for necessary food, and omit appeasing his hunger, while you first overlaid his table with silver; would he indeed thank thee, and not rather be indignant? What, again, if seeing one wrapped in rags, and stiff with cold, thou shouldest neglect giving him a garment, and build golden columns, saying, " thou wert doing it to his honour," would he not say that thou wert mocking, and account it an insult, and that the most extreme ? Let this then be thy thought with regard to Christ also, when He is going about a wanderer, and a stranger, needing a roof to cover Him; and thou, neglecting to receive Him, deckest out a pavement, and walls, and capitals of columns, and hangest up silver chains by means of lamps, but Himself bound in prison thou wilt not even look upon. [5.] And these things I say, not forbidding munificence in these matters, but admonishing you to do those other works together with these, or rather even before these. Because for not having done these no one was ever blamed, but for those, hell is threatened, and unquenchable fire, and the punishment with evil spirits. Do not therefore while adorning His house overlook thy brother in distress, for he is more properly a temple than the other. And whereas these thy stores will be subject to alienation, both by unbelieving kings, and tyrants, and robbers; whatever thou mayest do for thy brother, being hungry, and a stranger, and naked, not even the Devil will be able to despoil, but it will be laid up in an inviolable treasure. Why then doth He Himself say, The poor always ye have 1 Matt. with you, but Me ye have not always1? Why, for this reason 26, 11. most of all should we give alms, that we have Him not always John 12, 8. an hungered, but in the present life only. But if thou art desirous to learn also the whole meaning of the saying, understand that this was said not with a view to His disciples, although it seem so, but to the woman's weakness. That is, a S. Jerome (ad Eustoch. Ep. 108. §. 30.) says, 'Let others boast of their money, and coin cast into the treasury of God, Funalibusque aureis dona pendentia, "and of their gifts hanging upon golden sconces," or perhaps brackets for lamps, on which the Anathemata, or votive offerings, were suspended.' See Bingh. 8. 8. 1. The Virtue of Alms after Death. 687 1 XIV. her disposition being still rather imperfect, and they doubting MATT. about her; to revive her He said these things. For in 34-36. proof that for her comfort He said it, He added, Why trouble ye the woman1? And with regard to our having Matt. Him really always with us, He saith, Lo, I am with you 26, 10. alway, even unto the end of the world. From all which 2 Matt. it is evident, that for no other object was this said, but that the rebuke of the disciples might not wither the faith of the woman, just then budding. For 28, 28. 3 Let us not then bring forward these things now, which were uttered because of some economy, but let us read all the laws, those in the New and those in the Old Testament, that are set down about almsgiving, and let us be very earnest about this matter. For this cleanses from sin. give alms, and all things will be clean unto you. This is a Luke greater thing than sacrifice. For I will have mercy, and not sacrifice1. This opens the heavens. For thy prayers and Hosea thine alms are come up for a memorial before God5. This is Matt. 9, more indispensable than virginity: for thus were virgins cast out of the bridechamber; thus were the brought in. 11, 41. 6, 6. 5 Acts those 18. others 10, 4. All which things let us consider, and sow liberally, that we may reap in more ample abundance, and attain unto the good things to come, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory for ever. Amen. HOMILY LI. MATT. XV. 1—6. Then came to Jesus Scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. THEN; When? when He had wrought His countless miracles; when He had healed the infirm by the touch of the hem of His garment. For even with this intent doth the Evangelist mark the time, that He might signify their unspeakable wickedness, by nothing repressed. But what means, The Scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem? In every one of the tribes were they scattered abroad, and divided into twelve parts; but they who occupied the chief city were worse than the others, as both enjoying more honour, and having contracted much haughti ness. |