14. But no one escapes wickedness, except the one who loves fairness; and for this reason he says: But I have loved your law. In the law there is fairness, if you understand it in a spiritual sense, if you rise with Christ, and there consider that most sacred heavenly altar, not the earthly altar that was destroyed by hostile plundering. If you look at that Jerusalem, which is in heaven, not the one that was frequented by the people of the Jews on earth, which, triumphed over by the Roman army due to the treachery of its inhabitants, was consumed by a raging fire. If you consider the high priest, of whom it is written: Having therefore a great high priest that hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God: let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who cannot have compassion on our infirmities: but one tempted in all things like as we are, without sin. Let us go therefore with confidence to the throne of grace: that we may obtain mercy and find grace in seasonable aid. Therefore, that prince alone is the priest, to whom the pious priests stand nearby, having deservedly entered that highest sanctuary of the heavenly by their own blood. Therefore, that law should be cherished, in which the true Hebrew book is free from all the bondage of vices, in which there is a great Sabbath and undisturbed rest of the dead, in which the seed of the dead people is revived not by mixing, but by fraternal redemption. According to this law, the holy one hates injustice, not the unjust one who can often be converted: and he curses and rejects not the remains of the dead, but the dead iniquity.
Verse 15. (Verse 164.) The fourth verse follows: Seven times in a day I have praised you, for the judgments of your justice. And indeed, the number expresses the zeal of holy devotion: but I think it signifies more that the affection is pure, quiet, and free from every burden of sins; so that the prayer may be offered without any fiery anger or shameful desire; let us ask for nothing that harms others; let us ask for nothing that tarnishes us with worldly requests. Let us praise in hymns and songs, always true and just, those things which we sing in divine praises, confessing. Let there be no uncertain and doubtful opinion: let not the intention of the mind be swayed by matters occupied with material concerns, straying from the execution of the intended spiritual purpose. Let the justice of God always be justified with a calm soul, not with idle leisure.
16. (Verse 165.) The fifth verse follows: Peace is abundant for those who love Your name, and they are not offended. Above (Verse 162) we said that charity excludes fear; now we say that it excludes all disturbance. Indeed, one who loves God has a deep tranquility in their confirmed mind. Water, it is said, cannot exclude charity, and rivers will not overwhelm it (Song of Songs 8:7). There is much water of various passions, and rivers stirred up by worldly desires and bodily movements, which nevertheless cannot overthrow the wall of charity. Therefore, founded in charity, he says: 'Our soul has passed through the torrent.' (Psalm 123:5) Could the water of the sea exclude the charity of Moses? And to support the series of the Psalms according to the literal sense, namely, the one who loves God believed that the journey through the seas was safe for him. But those who did not love God, they suffered a worthy end drowned in the waves because of their sacrileges. Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan on foot (2 Kings 2:8); and this was the great reward and grace of charity. Therefore, in order to cross the waters of the Jordan River, the flows of our mind's passions were previously crossed by the footstep. Concerning this water, the Lord says: If you pass through the water, I am with you; and the rivers will not overflow you (Isaiah 43:2). He is always present with His righteous ones when they are worn down by some adversities; however, they should cross with a steady mind, without doubting; neither should they be troubled by uncertain faith.
17. Therefore, pass on with a loyal inclination of your spirit, if you believe divine power to be present with you: if not only peace, but also abundant peace should be in your mind, let no battles of conflicting desires assail you, let neither anger sting you, nor lust; and if there is a struggle, let it be external, not within. Fight against those who pursue you, though often yielding to them in silence, just because you conquer them. Their power is your victory. Then, finally, they triumph when they believe themselves to have won. Therefore, let not covetousness attack you, let not desire disturb you, let not sadness bring you down, let not lust inflame you, let not pride overthrow you, let not ambition bend you, let not fear dismay you. May abundant peace be with you, which surpasses all understanding, according to the words of the Apostle (Phil. IV, 7): than which nothing more beautiful could be said. For the ultimate end of wisdom is to have a tranquil mind, unmoved by the false tales of poets. The ultimate end is justice, so that wickedness cannot disturb the mind of the just. This is the goal of all virtue, and of physical strength itself; to restore peace after the war is over. Therefore, even the strength to fight often serves peace: therefore, let no one disturb a peaceful state of mind.
18. Many things are generated to disturb man: and the wife, often deceived by the stratagems of the serpent, tries to agitate the mind of the man; and the father frequently ridicules the faith of the son; and the husband tests the mind of his wife with insults. But in all these things, the righteous person prevails and says: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution (Rom. 8:35)? How often are good deeds given as a crime? How often is virtue led to shame? How often is gratitude itself ungrateful? The righteous sold their possessions, gave to the poor, left nothing for themselves; they are often despised in the Church itself; because they ceased to be rich, as it is written: If a man shall give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing (Cant. VIII, 7). Therefore, let us not be moved; for he sought not the reward of this world, nor gratitude, but the eternal life. Let us not be offended, because men consider money more than good works. For if he is rewarded in this world for a good work, and receives the fruit of his study here, it is said of him: He has received his reward (Matthew 6:2). He indeed has a good work, and grace here; but it is a small portion of the salvation to be earned. Preserve your reward for future times; and judge the increase of your reward's reproach in this world. Always consider that Apostolic saying, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come (Romans 8:18). Therefore, let the just person not be broken by injuries, not be moved by dangers, not be tested by storms; whether death approaches, or life, or the angels of heaven. Neither let them be thrown down by adversity, nor lifted up by prosperity. Let their emotions not be weak anywhere. And death tests, and life tests; beware of stumbling.
19. The one who possesses peace, which overcomes every mind, is great; he is not among the weak. Therefore, he should not suffer scandal, for it is the weakness of the weak to be stirred by scandal. Hence, the Lord says: Whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble (Matt. XVIII, 6). He not only said little ones, but also the smallest ones, who are disturbed by scandals; and therefore he is liable to severe punishment, as you have read, whoever disturbs the innocence of a weak mind. For just as someone is deserving of a more severe punishment who has persuaded a crime to an infant and has caused their young age to be reckless, so too is someone deserving of blame who has deceived a weak, foolish, and imprudent person through the persuasion of error or through the agitation of their affectionate heart. Do you want to know how weak the person is who is scandalized? They say, 'I will not eat meat...so as not to scandalize my brother' (1 Corinthians 8:13). What great weakness and a certain infancy of the soul, that it disturbs even the food of a brother! Where can a man not have a precipice, when there is even danger here?
And what is worse, this kind of weakness creeps into many. You see a poor righteous person, you are tempted: you see a wealthy unjust person, you are tempted: you see a childless holy person, you are tempted: you see an unjust person who is rich in children, honors, and secular praises, you are tempted. How many pits, how many snares, and what is more serious, they strangle the majority! In the city of Sodom, hardly one Lot was found who was not tempted, yet his wife could not escape the snares of temptation. The people of the Hebrews crossed the sea, but they were unable to cross the trials. Everyone was tested except for Jesus and Caleb, who deserved to enter the promised land because they had been spared from temptation. Neither Aaron nor Mary entered, for they too were tested. Moses also did not enter, for he was the leader of the people who were being tested. He was a symbol of the Law, which could not exclude trials and could not lead to the land of resurrection, for that was owed to the grace of the Gospel. The law could not give peace; therefore Moses, as long as he lived, was always at war: always the people of the Law are in the midst of wars: but Jesus, the leader of the people, brought their minds to peace; for the one who is under the Law is troubled by uncertainties: but the one under the Gospel hears the one saying: I leave you peace: my peace I give to you (John 14:27). Therefore, there is no stumbling block for those who love.
21. Take it another way: the cross of the Lord is a scandal to the Jews, foolishness to the Greeks. It is a scandal to the faithless; for the Jew says: So this is God, who appeared as a man, who fasted, who was beaten, who was crucified, who could not descend from the cross and save himself? Finally, they said this at the time of the Lord's passion: Let him come down from the cross, and we will believe in him. Let him trust in God now, let God deliver him if he desires (Matthew 27:42-43). Do not let those things tempt you, do not let those things disturb you, do not let thoughts like these intrude into your mind. Where there is peace, there is abundant peace: there the cross of Christ is not a disgrace, but salvation. The cross of Christ was not a disgrace to Peter, it only brought him glory; so much so that he honored Christ by being crucified with his feet turned upwards, fearing that if he were crucified in the same way as the Lord, it might seem that he was seeking the glory of the Lord. Therefore, the cross is a disgrace to the dishonest: but to the faithful it is grace, redemption, and resurrection; because the Lord suffered for us; because he redeemed us with his blood, and called us back to paradise by his resurrection. Whoever believes these things, how can they be disturbed, to whom the hope of the heavenly kingdom rises?
Verse 22 (Version 166): The sixth verse follows: I awaited your salvation, Lord, and I have kept your commandments. He who waits, hopes. Therefore, hope precedes charity, salvation follows, therefore hope leads to fulfillment; thus, he who has awaited salvation from the Lord has kept the commandments of the Lord. Hence, the Lord calls friends in the Gospel (John 15:14-15), not servants, who have kept his commandments. For he who loves, acts, and he who acts is deservedly rewarded with the recompense of love.
23. (Verse 167.) The seventh verse follows: My soul has kept your testimonies, and has loved them exceedingly. It is more to love than to keep, and we have said above (verse 159, number 55) that keeping is sometimes out of necessity or fear, but loving is out of charity. Therefore, when he said here 'I have kept', he added 'I have loved', so that it may be the keeping of one who loves, not one who fears. He who loves excessively, keeps excessively.
24. (Verse 168.) The eighth verse follows: I have kept your commandments and testimonies, for all my ways are before you, O Lord. Blessed is he who can say: All my ways are before you; who does not want to hide all his thoughts, all his actions: Adam hid his way, Eve hid after the fault, Cain hid the murder of his brother. In affection we have the desire to hide, not in effect. The perfidy of the one hiding is complete, although there is no hiding place before God. Therefore the Church in the Canticles reveals its secrets to Him, saying: I will take you and bring you into the house of my mother, and into the secret of her who conceived me (Song of Songs 8:2). For although God sees all the hidden things of the heart, it is still good for each person to open up and expose their soul to Him, and to encounter Him like light or heat. And the Church rightly boasts, saying: I was in His eyes like one who finds peace (Ibid., 10); for she did not fear to expose her ways. Therefore, this statement is just: For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous (Psalm 33:16). And so, it is rightly said by those who desire to conform to that true way in faith, morals, and action to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the way and the truth: All my ways are before you, O Lord. For no way can be good unless you judge it worthy of your enlightening visitation: to whom be honor, glory, praise, perpetuity from age to age, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
Sermon 22. Tau.
The letter Tau begins, which in Latin interpretation signifies, 'He erred': it has another interpretation, 'He finished.' What does 'erred' mean? It is the twenty-second letter, which among the Hebrews is the last. But by this psalm, that is, the one hundred eighth, we said (Sup. in the prologue of this psalm) is signified the progress of man, who, educated by the teachings of moral doctrine, would set aside all the infancy of an unpracticed mind, but would assume the knowledge of veteran counsel and the sagacity of senile wisdom. But when there is an error, blame is assigned. Therefore, progress is also the end of blame. But see what he means. He says, he has made a mistake; he is not making a mistake, but he made a mistake. To have made a mistake is of the past; to make a mistake is of the present. He who has made a mistake has ceased to make a mistake, and condemns his previous error. For it is said of him, he has made a mistake, who is no longer in error; for the one who still remains in error is not said to have made a mistake, but to be making a mistake, since making a mistake is the characteristic of someone who persists in vice: to have made a mistake is a slip of the one who corrects.
Finally, the corrector of manners says: We were indeed once foolish, disobedient, led astray by our desires, and pleasures (Titus 3:3). He would not have said: We were once foolish, unless he had later attained the discipline of wisdom. Nor would he have said: We were led astray, unless he had abandoned the former error. Finally, in order to teach that the fall has been abolished and no trace of offense remains, he says: But when the kindness and love of our Savior God appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Ibid., 4 and 5). Therefore, with the old error having been set aside, and being renewed by the Holy Spirit and every improvement of morals, he says: For we were once erring. Therefore, you see that he renounced error not as a fault, but as progress.
Finally, let the Lord Jesus himself teach you, if you do not think that you should trust in human plans or opinions. For in his Gospel he himself affirmed that a shepherd left ninety-nine sheep and sought for the one that had strayed (Luke 15:4). The one hundredth sheep is the one that he says went astray: let the perfection and fullness of the number instruct and guide you. It is rightly placed above the others, because it is more significant to have turned away from fault than to have almost not known the faults themselves. Indeed, it is both the accomplishment of perfect virtue and also heavenly grace to have cleansed minds imbued with vices from the reins of desires and to have improved them. For to improve future human attention is human, while to condemn past actions is divine power. Finally, the shepherd placed the found sheep on his shoulders (Ibid., 5). Surely you recognize the mystery of how the weary sheep is restored; for human condition cannot be restored in any other way than by the sacrament of the Lord's passion and the blood of Jesus Christ, whose dominion is upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6); for on that cross He carried our weaknesses, so that He might cleanse the sins of all there. The angels rejoice rightly; because he who has wandered, now no longer wanders, now has forgotten his error.
4. Therefore, it is not an error, but a completion that one interpretation teaches. And completion is the perfection of discipline. Hence, even Jeremiah in his Lamentations under this letter says: Your wickedness has come to an end, O daughter of Zion; he will not exile you again. He has visited your iniquities, O daughter of Edom; he has revealed your sins. (Lam. 4:21). Take notice that wickedness cannot cease without God's visitation, nor can correction be complete without the grace of the Lord and Savior. But how shall iniquity perish? Hear the Church saying: I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? (Song of Solomon 5:3). Therefore, the old man's garment woven with the vices of error, deposited in the regeneration of the font, knows not how it can be put on; for through the zeal of correction it had grown forgetful of its sins. So great is the power of perfect amendment, that it brings back a certain spiritual childhood, which is ignorant of the paths of error, and, even if it wished, cannot commit sin; because it has unlearned the practice of sinning. And now, I believe enough has been said about the interpretation of this letter. Let us now discover from the subjects what the opinion of the accomplished man is.
5. (Verse 169.) Therefore he says: Let my prayer come before your presence, O Lord: give understanding to me according to your word. Goodness makes prayer fly, and gives spiritual wings to prayers, by which the prayer of the saints is elevated to God. But the spirit with which we pray, lifts up the prayer of the righteous; especially if a compassionate heart, mourning with a contrite heart, commends it. However, this is the confidence of the perfected men. Finally, David himself in the preceding part of this psalm sought a lamp for his feet, so that he would not be able to wander in this earthly journey. But now, as if already at the end and conclusion, having completed the task of eating, he rises up completely. And he directs his prayer to the heavens: he sends it into the sight of the Lord and Savior, giving Him the breath of righteousness, the winds of wisdom, the oars of devotion and faith, and the supports of innocence and purity; for prayer is burdened by sin, and it becomes distant from God. However, it is burdened even more so, the more improbable the life of the one praying. But the prayer of the innocent and the groaning of one who sympathizes ascend, if they hate the Egyptian mud and decline to engage in earthly work. Finally, you have read thus (Exod. II, 23), that the Hebrews who could not bear the harsh rule of the Egyptians; and just as they refused to endure heavy and muddy tasks unworthy of their noble lineage, their groaning and voice ascended to the Lord our God. For the prayer ascends; because even though they were working, they were working unwillingly. Therefore, the mercy of God descended upon them, because their devotion ascended to God.
So he ascended not corporeally; for indeed such a great prophet did not seek to approach God corporeally in his prayer, for he who thinks in this way certainly concludes that God is in a certain place and seat, and that he considers the place in which God is to be more spacious; whereas, in fact, the invisible, ineffable, and incomprehensible God fills all things, and the fullness of divinity dwells in him. It is written that Moses approached God (Exod. XXIV, 18) when he received the Law, but with customary modesty, David requests not that he himself, but that his prayer, approach God, so that it may appear that there is a certain order, namely, that those who are more perfect themselves approach God, while those of the following order have enough if their prayer approaches him.
7. But let us consider the use of our speech, what it means to approach. Imagine a teacher and a student: if the student diligently absorbs the teacher's genius or strives to follow their instruction, so much so that they seem to come closest to the likeness of their work and teaching, do we not often say that they have approached the teacher? Therefore, if you present yourself as an imitator of Christ, as he who says, 'Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ' (1 Corinthians 4:16), if you are unfamiliar with deceit, despise lying, follow truth, do not shun justice, love chastity, then you have approached Christ, and through Christ, to God. For he himself is the way by which one reaches the Father, who is always with the Father.
8. We have learned what it means to approach prayer, that is, to lift up our actions. If you lift up your actions, you have lifted up your prayer. Whoever knows how to lift up their hands directs their prayer in the presence of God, as you have read below: Let my prayer be directed like incense in your sight. The lifting up of my hands is an evening sacrifice (Psalm 140:2). This prayer leads to life, while another prayer leads to sin: Let his prayer be turned into sin (Psalm 109:7). And even if you seek secular things, if you demand shameful things, your prayer is not directed towards God, but towards sin. Therefore, understand what you ask for.
9. Secondly, he says, give me understanding according to your word. Notice what he asks for. He did not say understanding in general, but understanding according to the word of God; for there is understanding towards death, just as there is prudence towards destruction: The children of this age are wiser than the children of light in this generation (Luke 16:8). But this prudence that belongs to the world does not contribute to eternal life. It is concerned with honors, with petty things, with accumulating questions, not with comparing merits. Finally, concerning the elements of the world, it is more adorned with superficial knowledge than true wisdom; just like all philosophy that seeks what is foreign, while not knowing its own: it scrutinizes the regions of the sky, explores the spaces of the world, which can bring it no benefit: it is ignorant of God, whom it should be the only one to inquire about.
Therefore, the true wise person says: If anyone seems to be wise among you in this age, let them become foolish, so that they may be wise; for the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God (I Cor., III, 18 and 19). Therefore, we must strive to be fools in this age, having nothing to do with philosophy; lest anyone deceive our faith through the elements of this world; lest anyone plunder our assertion through philosophy. For we have seen that the Arians fell into perfidy, thinking that the generation of Christ could be deduced from the customs of this age. They have abandoned the Apostle, they follow Aristotle. They have abandoned the wisdom that is with God: they have chosen the snares of disputation, and the allurements of words according to the discipline of dialectic, even though the Apostle cries out: Let no one plunder you through philosophy and empty seduction, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of this world, and not according to Christ (Coloss., II, 8).
11. I wish I could imitate that foolishness by which I am wise: that man who possesses great wealth but neglects its fruits, who devotes himself to God, and rejects even the honors bestowed upon him, who does not seek the teachings of philosophy; even if he knew them before, he pretends to be ignorant, not asking to learn. He does not seek what is his own, but rather gives to others, acquiring for himself eternal things. This man can say: Give me understanding according to your word, that is, not according to the philosophers, not according to the lawyers, not according to the merchants of this world, not according to the builders of houses, but according to your word, which is the foundation of true wisdom and good works; so that he may build upon it the gold of his heart, the silver of his speech, and the precious stones of his deeds; so that his work may not falter or perish.
12. (Verse 170.) The second verse follows: Let my plea come before you: according to your word, set me free. See the order. First, he said: Let my prayer draw near: then he asked for understanding, according to your word. Thirdly, he said, Let my plea come before you. Does not the Lord invite us by his example, and deign to receive us with affection? When you desire to meet someone of high status, do you not first approach their home: then seek to be informed and instructed, in order to understand the mind of the head of the household? Then, before entering their home, do you not implore, so that no one rejects or excludes you? So, strike and open that heavenly kingdom: strike not with the hand of the body, but with the certain power of your prayer. It is not only the hand of the body that strikes: the voice also strikes; for it is written: The voice of my brother strikes at the door (Song of Songs 5:2). We also strike with our finger. Finally, even Thomas deserved to open the door of resurrection with his finger. And Jesus says to you: Bring your finger here... and put your hands into my side: and do not be unbelieving, but faithful (John 20:27). Press with your finger, if you cannot with your whole hand. Press the door. Christ is the door, who says: If anyone enters through me, he will be saved (John 10:9).
13. So when you have knocked on this door, see how you enter; lest perhaps, having already entered, you find yourself outside the sight of the king. Many enter the palace, and do not immediately see that earthly king: but they often observe; so that at some point they may deserve to see. They do not presume to have the opportunity to see: but when summoned, they are presented, and they offer a prayer; so that they may be received with kindness. The first step in their conversation is to avoid stumbling, to avoid offending. How much more should God be asked that the door of His mercy may be entered by our prayer! Finally, even Paul asks that the door of the word be opened to him to speak the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:3).