SERMO 128
OF THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (5, 31-35):
"If I bear witness concerning myself," etc.
CONCERNING THE WORDS OF THE APOSTLE (GAL 5, 14-17):
"Walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfil the desires of the flesh."
"For the flesh desires," etc.
The testimony of Christ, even about himself, how true it is.
We have heard the words of the Holy Gospel: and this may move someone, what the Lord Jesus says: If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. How then is the witness of truth not true? Is he not the one who said: I am the way, and the truth, and the life? Who then should be believed, if truth is not to be believed? Surely, he does not wish to believe anything but falsehood, who does not choose to believe in the truth. Therefore, this was said according to them, so that you may understand it this way, and from these words derive this sense: If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true, that is, as you think. For he knew that his witness about himself was true; but on account of the weak, on account of the unbelievers, on account of those who do not understand, the sun was seeking lamps. For the frailness of their eyesight could not bear the brightness of the sun.
Why was the testimony of John sought?
Therefore, John was sought, who might bear witness to the truth; and you heard what he said: You came to John. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you wished to rejoice for a while in his light. This lamp was prepared for their confusion, because it was said long ago in the Psalms: I have prepared a lamp for my Christ. Why a lamp for the sun? I will clothe his enemies with confusion: but upon him my sanctification will flourish. Indeed, they are confounded in some place by John himself, when the Jews said to the Lord: By what authority do you do these things? Tell us. To whom he answered: Tell me also: Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? They heard, and were silent. For they quickly thought among themselves: If we say: From men, the people will stone us; because they regard John as a prophet. If we say: From heaven, he will say to us: Why then did you not believe him? Because John bore witness to Christ. Confined in their hearts by their own questions, and entangled in their own snares, they answered: We do not know. What other voice could there be of darkness? It is indeed proper for a man, when he does not know, to say: I do not know. But when he knows, and says: I do not know, he is a witness against himself. Surely they knew John's excellence, and that his baptism was from heaven; but they did not want to yield to the one to whom John bore witness. But when they said: We do not know, Jesus responded to them: Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. And they were confounded, and it was fulfilled: I have prepared a lamp for my Christ; I will clothe his enemies with confusion.
In the martyrs Christ himself bears witness to himself.
Are not the martyrs witnesses of Christ and do they not bear testimony to the truth? But if we think more diligently, when those martyrs bear testimony, He Himself bears testimony to Himself. For He dwells in the martyrs, so that they may bear testimony to the truth. Hear one of the martyrs, the apostle Paul himself: Do you wish to receive proof of Christ, who speaks in me? Therefore, when John bears testimony, Christ bears testimony to Himself, who dwells in John. Let Peter bear testimony, let Paul bear testimony, let the other Apostles bear testimony, let Stephen bear testimony; He Himself bears testimony to Himself, who dwells in all. For He is God without them, what are they without Him?
Love from the Holy Spirit.
It is said of him: He ascended on high, he led captivity captive, he gave gifts to men. What does it mean: he led captivity captive? He conquered death. What does it mean: he led captivity captive? The devil orchestrated death, and the devil himself is captivated by the death of Christ. He ascended on high. What higher than heaven do we know? Clearly and in the sight of his disciples, he ascended into heaven. This we know, this we believe, this we confess. He gave gifts to men. What gifts? The Holy Spirit. What kind of gift does he give, who is like himself? For the mercy of God is great; he gives a gift equal to himself, since his gift is the Holy Spirit, and the whole Trinity is one God: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. What has the Holy Spirit bestowed upon us? Listen to the Apostle: The love of God, he says, has been poured into our hearts. Whence to you, O beggar, is the love of God poured into your heart? How, or in whom, is the love of God poured into the human heart? We have, he says, this treasure in earthen vessels. Why in earthen vessels? So that the excellence of power may be of God. Finally, when he said: The love of God has been poured into our hearts, lest anyone think that what he loves God with is from himself, he immediately added: through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Therefore, so that you may love God, may God dwell in you, and love himself through you; that is, may he move you to his love, kindle you, enlighten you, and stir you up.
Struggle of the soul and flesh. The soul must be subjected to God, the flesh to the soul.
For there is a struggle in this body: as long as we live, we fight; as long as we fight, we are in danger; but in all these things we conquer, through Him who loved us. You have heard of our struggle, as the Apostle was just read: "The whole Law is fulfilled in one statement, in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." This love is from the Holy Spirit. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. First, see if you already know how to love yourself; and I commend to you your neighbor, whom you should love as yourself. But if you do not yet know how to love yourself; I fear that you might deceive your neighbor as yourself. For if you love iniquity, you do not love yourself. The Psalm bears witness: "But whoever loves iniquity, hates his own soul." But if you hate your soul, what good is it that you love your flesh? If you hate your soul, and love your flesh, your flesh will rise; but so that your soul may be tormented. Therefore the soul must first be loved, which must be subjected to God, so that this service keeps its order: the soul to God, the flesh to the soul. Do you want your flesh to serve your soul? Let your soul serve God. You must be ruled, in order to be able to rule. For this struggle is so dangerous, that if the ruler abandons it, a fall will follow.
The Apostle on the struggle between flesh and spirit.
What struggle? But if you bite and devour each other, beware lest you be consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit. I speak the words of the Apostle, which were just read from his Epistle: But I say, walk by the Spirit and do not fulfill the desires of the flesh. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and the desires of the flesh; he did not say: Do not have them; nor did he say: Do not do them; but: do not fulfill them. What this means, assisted by the Lord, I will say as I can; be present, that you may understand, if you walk by the Spirit. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Let it follow: lest by any chance something, so that what is obscure here, can be more easily understood in his following words. For I said, it was not in vain that the Apostle avoided saying: Do not have the desires of the flesh; nor even wished to say: Do not do the desires of the flesh; but said: Do not fulfill the desires of the flesh. He proposed to us the very struggle. We are engaged in this conflict if we serve God. What then follows? For the flesh desires against the spirit, but the spirit against the flesh. For these If this is not understood, it is most dangerously heard. Therefore, being anxious that people should not perish through misunderstanding, I have undertaken to explain these words of the Apostle, with the Lord helping, to your Charity. We have free time, we began in the morning, the hour of lunch does not press; on this day, that is the Sabbath, those who hunger for the Word of God are especially accustomed to gather. Listen and attend; I will speak as carefully as I can.
The apostle poorly understood. It is the duty of the shepherd to explain the difficult passages of Scripture.
What then is this that I said: It is dangerously heard if it is not understood? Many, overcome by carnal and damnable desires, commit various crimes and scandals, and wallow in such wicked impurities, which are shameful even to speak of; and they say to themselves these words of the Apostle. See what the Apostle said: So that you do not do the things that you want. I do not want to do it, I am forced, compelled, conquered, I do the things I do not want, just as the Apostle says: Because the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, so that you do not do the things that you want. You see how dangerously it is heard if it is not understood. You see how it pertains to the duty of the shepherd, to open covered springs and to provide pure, harmless water to the thirsty sheep.
The inner battle must be waged in such a way that the spirit is not conquered by the flesh.
Therefore, do not be overcome when you fight. See what kind of war he proposed, what kind of battle, what kind of strife, within, within yourself. The flesh lusts against the spirit. If the spirit does not lust against the flesh, commit adultery. But if the spirit lusts against the flesh, I see a struggle, I do not see a victor, it is a fight. The flesh lusts against the spirit: adultery delights. I confess that it delights. But the spirit lusts against the flesh: chastity also delights. Therefore, let the spirit conquer the flesh: or at least not be conquered by the flesh. Adultery seeks darkness, chastity desires light. Live as you wish to be known; just as you wish to be known by men, live even beyond the eyes of men; because he who made you, also sees you in darkness. Why is chastity praised publicly by men? Why do they not praise adultery, not even adulterers? Therefore, he who seeks the truth comes to the light.
But adultery is pleasing. Let it be opposed, resisted, combated. For you indeed have the means by which to fight. Your God is within you, a good Spirit has been given to you. And yet the flesh itself is allowed to desire against the spirit, with perverse suggestions and genuine delights. Let what the Apostle says be done: Let not sin reign in your mortal body. He did not say: Let it not be. It is already there. Because it is called sin, it has happened by the merit of sin. For in paradise the flesh did not desire against the spirit, and there was no such struggle where there was only peace; but transgression having been committed, after man did not want to serve God, and was given over to himself; neither thus given over to himself that he could at least possess himself; but possessed by him who deceived him; the flesh began to desire against the spirit. And this too desires against the spirit in good people: for in wicked people it has no one against whom to desire. For there it desires against the spirit, where the spirit is.
To fight against the concupiscences of the flesh is the task of the Holy Spirit in us. He acts well who is led by the Spirit of God.
For what he says, "The flesh desires against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh," do not think it only refers to the human spirit. It is the Spirit of God who fights within you against yourself, against that which is within you opposing you. For you did not wish to remain with the Lord; you fell, you were broken; like a vessel when it falls from a man's hand to the ground, you were broken. And because you are broken, therefore you are against yourself, therefore you are opposed to yourself. Let there be nothing within you that is against you, and you will stand whole.