SERMO 299
ON THE BIRTHDAY OF THE APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL
(In which it is disputed against the heresy of the Pelagians)
Peter, first of the Apostles; Paul, the last.
To preaching to preachers, and such great preachers, of whom we have heard and sung, that their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world, without a doubt, no words of ours suffice. We owe devotion, we do not fulfill your expectation. For you expect of us today to preach the apostles Peter and Paul, whose solemn day this is. I acknowledge what you expect; and where I acknowledge, I succumb. For I see what is expected, and from whom. But because their God deigns to be praised by all of us, let not his servants disdain to be preached in some measure by those who serve you.
The same argument is discussed.
As you know, all who know the holy Scriptures, the apostle Peter was chosen first among the disciples, whom the Lord, present in the flesh, elected: but Paul was not among them, not with them; but long afterward, not inferior to them. Therefore Peter, the first of the Apostles, Paul, the last: but God, whose servants they are, whose heralds they are, whose preachers they are, is the first and the last. Peter is the first among the Apostles, Paul is the last among the Apostles: God is both the first and the last, before whom nothing exists and after whom nothing exists. Therefore God, who commended Himself as the first and the last in eternity, Himself joined the first and the last Apostles by their passion. The passion of both is united in solemnity, the life of both resonates in love. Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Where they were chosen, where they preached, where they also suffered, we all know. But how do we know them, except because their sound has gone out to all the earth?
The words of the apostles about their imminent passion. By God's grace, we are made debtors and redeemers. The strength of the martyrs comes from God. Paul confirmed by revelation about his future passion and victory.
We heard Paul predicting his own imminent and approaching passion, when his Epistle was read: "For I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing." From here, let us say something: the words of those who have gone out to the ends of the earth help us. First, see the holy devotion. He said he is being sacrificed, not dying: not because he does not die who is sacrificed; but not everyone who dies is sacrificed. Therefore, to be sacrificed is to die for God. For the word is derived from the sacrifice. Everything that is sacrificed is killed for God. For the Apostle understood to whom his blood in passion was owed: for he became a debtor for his blood, for which the blood of his Lord was shed. That one shed his blood, and he pledged all. As many as receive that faith, owe what they receive: and this because he deigned to make both debtors and payers. For who among us, in such poverty and weakness of infirmity, is capable of repaying such a creditor? But as it is written: "The Lord gave the word to those who proclaim it with great power": the word, by which they are made known; the power, by which they suffer. Therefore, he made himself victims, he consecrated sacrifices for himself, he filled the martyrs with the Spirit, he equipped the confessors with power. For he said to them: "For it is not you who speak." Therefore, although he was going to suffer, although he was about to shed his blood for the faith of Christ; yet he rightly says: "What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” And what comes to mind? "I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord." You were thinking of repayment, you were inquiring what you would return; and it occurred to you as if to the one who would repay: "I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord." Surely you were about to repay? Behold, you receive. Therefore, what you receive, because you received what you should, you accept from whom to repay; a debtor when you have received, a debtor when you repay. For what shall I repay, he says? "I will take the cup of salvation." Therefore, you also receive this, the cup of passion, the cup about which the Lord said: "Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" But behold, now the cup is in your hand, now the passion is imminent: what do you do so as not to tremble? what do you do so as not to waver? what do you do so that you may be able to drink what you now carry? What shall I do, he says? And there I will accept: I will be a debtor; because I will call on the name of the Lord. "For I," he says, "am already being poured out." It was confirmed to him by revelation: for human weakness would not dare to promise this to itself. His confidence was not from himself, but from him who gave everything, whom he understood when he said above: "For what do you have that you did not receive?" Therefore, he says, "I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight." Ask his conscience: it does not hesitate, because it glories in the Lord. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." With merit you finished the race, because you kept the faith. Furthermore, he says, a crown of righteousness is laid up for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day.
The crown of righteousness is promised not only to martyrs, but to all who keep the faith. The desire for the coming of Christ the future judge.
And lest he himself should appear to boast beyond measure, and claim the Lord for himself alone: "Not only," he says, "to me, but to all those who love His appearing." He could not have better or more briefly indicated what men ought to do to deserve that crown of righteousness. For we all do not have to expect the shedding of blood; few are martyrs, but many are faithful. Can you not be martyred like Paul? You can keep the faith: by keeping the faith you love His appearing. For if you fear the coming of the Lord, you do not love His appearing. The Lord Christ is now hidden; He will be manifested in His own time, as the just judge, who was unjustly accused under a judge. He will come: and how will He come? He will come to judge. For He will not be judged again, but He will indeed judge, as we know, as we believe, the living and the dead. I ask anyone paying attention to me to hear me; I ask; let them answer not to me, but to themselves: Do you want this judge to come? "I do," he says. See what you are saying: if you truthfully say, if you want Him to come, see in what condition He finds you. For the judge will come: humility has already been bestowed upon you; power will come. For He will not come in such a manner that He will be clothed in a body, born of a mother, suck milk, be swaddled in clothes, laid in a manger; finally, now grown, He will not be mocked by men, be held, be scourged, be hung, be silent when judged. Do not by any chance expect Him to come because you think He will come humbly again. He was silent when He was to be judged; He will not be silent when judging. He was hidden here so that He would not be recognized: "For if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory." Therefore, when He was already here, hidden in His power, silent under another's; what we expect to come will be the opposite of this concealment and this silence. For God will come manifest. He who first came hidden, will come manifest. Behold, you have the opposite of that concealment: see the opposite of that silence. "Our God will come and will not keep silence." He kept silence when hidden; "for as a sheep to be led to the slaughter." He kept silent when hidden; "for as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." He kept silent when hidden; for in His humility His judgment was taken away. He kept silent when hidden; for He was thought to be merely a man: but God will come manifest, our God and He will not keep silence. What then, you who were saying, "I want Him to come": do you not yet fear? "A fire shall go before Him." If you do not fear the judge, do you not fear the fire?
The crown is owed to those serving faithfully.
But if you keep the faith, you truly love its manifestation, you should confidently expect the crown of righteousness: for it is not given to such as a gift, but owed. For even the apostle Paul demands it as a debt: He says, "The Lord, the just judge, will grant it to me on that day." He will grant it, because He is just: He made Himself a debtor to me by promise. He commanded, I heard: He preached, I believed. I fought the good fight, I finished the course.
He owes for his gifts .......................................................
moral, which is good ...........................................................
You save, away you have. Qu.....................................................................
Did you receive? But these, I say.......................................................
his. Before such things giv..........................................................
beret?
Savior Christ Jesus. Paul the foremost sinner, because he was superior in cruelty to the other persecutors. For his deserved punishment, salvation was granted to him. Christ the healer proved the power of his skill in Paul's healing.
Behold the Apostle himself................................
and deserving of all acceptance...
into the world sinners
Of whom I am the first. Christ, he says: Jesus, that is, Christ the Savior. For this is the Latin for Jesus. And let grammarians not inquire how Latin it is, but Christians how true. For Salvation is a Latin name. To save and savior were not Latin before the Savior came: when He came to the Latins, He made these words Latin. Therefore, Christ Jesus, Christ the Savior, came into the world. And as if we were to ask, Why? He says: To save sinners. Therefore Jesus came. For we read the name itself also translated and explained in some way in the Gospel: They shall call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins. Therefore, the saying is worthy of all acceptance, worthy of belief: that is, because Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Not because he sinned earlier, but because he sinned more than others. Just as we say in the arts that a physician is first, though younger in age but superior in skill; a craftsman first, an architect first: we are accustomed to speak thus. So the Apostle called himself the first sinner. For no one persecuted the Church more severely. Therefore, if you inquire what was due to sinners, to whom Jesus came, you will not find anything due to sinners except punishment. If you seek what was due, it is punishment: if you seek what was given, it is salvation: instead of punishment, salvation. Punishment was due, salvation was given: punishment was owed, a crown was given. Nothing was owed to Paul, formerly Saul, the first sinner, surpassing others in cruelty, nothing was owed to him except punishment, and great punishment; and he is called from heaven: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? He is restrained, that he may spare, so that he may be spared. The wolf is turned into a sheep: it is not enough to say into a sheep, rather into a shepherd. By a heavenly voice, he is killed and made alive, struck and healed. The persecutor is cast down, the preacher is raised up. What grace is this, but grace? For what good merit preceded? It is called grace because it is given freely. He says: Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. But I obtained mercy for this reason. Could he then say: The Lord will render to me on that day a just judge? If the Lord were to render to the first sinner on that day a just judge, what would He render except what is due to the first sinner, great punishment, eternal punishment? This was previously due, but it was not given. Therefore, he says, I obtained mercy. I did not receive what was due: but I obtained mercy as the first sinner, so that in me Christ Jesus might display all longsuffering, for the instruction of those who are going to believe in Him for eternal life. What does it mean, for instruction? That any criminal, any person involved in crimes, should not despair of pardon, which Saul received. The great Physician, that is Jesus, the great Physician, coming to the region of the sick, where His medicine would be famous, chose such a one to cure, about whom there was much despair. Such then, now, who was once such, says: I am now about to be sacrificed, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Were you the one who rushed headlong, who dragged Christians to death, who, when Stephen was being stoned, served as the custodian of the garments so that all might stone him with their hands? Were you that one? I was, he says, but I am not now. Why were you, and are not now? Because I obtained mercy. So, Paul, you received what was not due to you. Now confidently say what is due to you, say now. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day. How confidently he demands the debt, to whom it was given not to owe the penalty. Say now to your Lord, say confidently, say assuredly, say with full confidence: I was formerly in my wickedness, I enjoyed your undeserved mercy; your gifts crown the debt. Let this suffice. Let us come to Peter; and let us render not worthy ability, but solemn devotion: from the last to the first; for we also strive from the last to the first.
Peter, now well, is foretold his suffering, to whom, when he was weak, had been foretold his denial.