To the holy Peter, the first apostle, the Lord Jesus himself in the Gospel, which we just heard being read, foretold his own passion saying: "When you were younger, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." And the Evangelist subsequently explained to us what had been said: "This he said," he said, "signifying by what death he would glorify God." The Lord Christ himself foretold his passion and his cross to him, but now to one who loves, not denies. The physician preserved both times in him: he denied when he was sick, he loved when he was healthy. The Lord showed Peter to himself, showing Peter to Peter, when he had rashly promised with a certain confidence that he would die for Christ, when Christ had come to die for Peter. "Will you lay down your life for me?" he said. "Amen, I say to you; before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." I will heal you: but first you must recognize that you are sick. Therefore, in that foretold denial, the Lord showed Peter to Peter: but in that love, the Lord showed Christ to Peter. "Do you love me?" he said. "I do love you." "Feed my sheep." This was said once, twice, thrice. Three times love was confessed, three times fear was condemned. And because he loved, his passion was indicated to him. For to love up to the point of passion through the love of Christ was indeed to love.
Peter unwillingly to suffer. Death, the punishment for sin.
But what is that, brothers, which does not move you? Another, he said, will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go. Therefore, did Peter not willingly come to such grace of passion? Behold Paul: For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand; it appears in these words that he is almost rejoicing as if he is hurrying to the passion: but to this one: Another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go. Willing Paul and unwilling Peter? Rather if we understand, willing Paul and willing Peter, and unwilling Paul and unwilling Peter. While I explain this as best I can, I need your attention. Death cannot be loved, it can be endured. For if it is loved, those who accepted it for the sake of faith did nothing great. Would we say they were great men, strong men if we saw them rejoicing at feasts? If we saw them overflowing with pleasures, would we praise fortitude or patience in them? Why? Because they would be doing something opposite to sufferings, opposite to troubles, they would be in joys, in pleasures, in delights; thus would they be praised as great, as strong, as very patient? But we do not praise martyrs in this way. Great men, strong men, patient men. Do you want to know that it must be endured, not loved? Ask the name: it is called passion. By nature, therefore, not only humans, but all living beings whatsoever, avoid and dread death. Therefore, great martyrs, because they bravely accepted what is very hard for the kingdom of heaven, and bearing in mind the promises, they endured troubles. See the Lord saying: Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down one’s life for one’s friends. If this is not hard, what great thing does love do, because it loves delights for my sake? No. But because it endures death. For the words of your lips; it is the voice of martyrs; For the words of your lips, that is, for your admonitions and promises, I have kept hard ways. Therefore, as far as the condition of nature and the force of habit refuse death: but while what will be after death is loved, what we do not want is accepted, so that we may reach where we want to go. Behold where it comes from: Another will carry you where you do not wish to go. He expressed nature, not devotion. This nature of our weakness the Lord himself transformed in himself, when about to suffer, he said to the Father: Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. For I am already being poured out—it is the speech of one suffering, not of one delighting. Thus our death is from punishment, offered to us. We received this from the root, the spreading branches of the human race. Adam first earned this by sinning. From the woman came the beginning of sin, as Scripture speaks, and through her we all die. And: Through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin, death; and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Thus in our nature both guilt and punishment. God made nature without guilt, and if it persisted without guilt, certainly punishment would not follow. From there we come, from there we derive both, and from here we contract many things. Therefore, in our nature both guilt and punishment: in Jesus's flesh, punishment without guilt, so that both guilt might be healed and punishment. Another, he said, will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go. This is punishment: but through punishment one reaches the crown. Paul despised punishment: therefore, looking to the crown, he despised punishment, and he said, I am already being poured out, the crown of righteousness is due to me. The way to pass through is hard, but great is the destination. And Peter knew where he was heading: therefore he also accepted the passion with full devotion; but he endured the passion, did not love it. He endured the passion, loved what followed, and because he loved where he was going, he endured the way.
Paul also is shown to have been unwilling to die.
We have said that both were unwilling and both were willing; both, if it could be, were unwilling for punishment, yet both equally desired the crown. But let us demonstrate that Paul also was unwilling for punishment. For the Lord Himself was a witness to Peter: because He too transformed you into Himself when He said: Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Therefore, the Lord testified to Peter: but Paul himself testifies to himself. For he says in one place concerning this mortal body: We groan, being burdened. According to another Scripture: The corruptible body weighs down the soul, and the earthly habitation depresses the mind that muses upon many things. Therefore, he says, we groan, being burdened: clearly under the weight of this corruptible body. We groan, being burdened. If you groan, willingly lay down that burden. He surely stated that he groaned under this load, was burdened under the weight of this corruptible body: see whether he wants to be stripped of this burden under which he groans, under which he is burdened. This does not follow: but what does he say? In which we do not wish to be unclothed. O voice of nature, confession of pain! The body is heavy, the body is burdensome, the body is corruptible: it is groaned under it, and it is not willingly abandoned, and not willingly cast aside. We do not wish, he says, to be unclothed. Will you remain groaning thus? And if you groan, having been burdened, why do you not want to be stripped? No, he says. Consider what follows: We do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed over. I groan under this earthly tunic, I hasten to the heavenly garment: I want to receive that, I do not want to lay this aside. In which we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed over. Therefore, Paul, shall I understand you, what do you say? Will injustice be done to that heavenly garment, so that it comes to you over these rags of mortality and corruption, that this may be underneath, that above; this inside, that outside? By no means, he says: I do not say so. I do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed over. But not in a way that corruption might lie hidden under incorruption, but that mortal may be swallowed up by life. You have exclaimed well, who knows the Scriptures. But lest anyone ignorant of the Scriptures thinks my words follow, these are Paul's words, all these are apostolic words: We groan, being burdened, in which we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed over, so that mortal may be swallowed up by life. You hold well what you say elsewhere speaking of the resurrection of the body: This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Now when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Which in that place he says: so that mortal may be swallowed up by life; this in this place: Death is swallowed up in victory. Nowhere is death: not below, not above; not inside, not outside. For death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your contention? it will be said to death in the future resurrection of the body, and such a change, that death is swallowed up in victory. When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, it will be said to death: Where, O death, is your contention? That contention makes it so you are borne where you do not wish to be. Where, O death, is your contention? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin.
It is proven against the Pelagians that death is from sin.
Surely death is not from sin? For what other death was he speaking of, when he was talking about the resurrection of the body? This corruptible must put on incorruption: death will be swallowed up in victory. This is the resurrection of the body. There it will be said: Where is your struggle, death? To whom, except the death of the body? Because the discourse is about the resurrection of the body. Where is your struggle, death? Where is your sting, death? But the sting of death is sin. The sting of death is sin, by which sting death has been caused, not which sting death has made: just as the poison is the cup of death, because it causes death, not because it is made from death. Therefore, the Lord in resurrection ends this punishment: but even to the faithful and the saints he leaves death for struggle. Death is left to you for contest. For God could have taken away death from you having been justified, but he left it for the struggle, so that there might be something to despise for the sake of faith. For of those whom He wished, He acted. Enoch was translated, and Elijah was translated, and they live. Did their justice merit this? Or was it the grace of God and the benefit of God and a special privilege? So that the Creator might show His power in all things, He has entrusted us with what He can do.
The example of Enoch and Elijah does not support the error of the Pelagians, that death is of nature, not of sin.
Therefore, it is in vain for those who say that we do not die because of sin, as pertains to the death of the body, but that it is natural for us to die, and that Adam would have died even if he had not sinned, to oppose us with Enoch and Elijah. They speak very inconsiderately; and if they attend to it, they speak against themselves. For what do they say? If death is due to sin, why did Enoch and Elijah not die? Do you not see, you who say this, that you claim death is natural, denying that it is because of sin? You say it is natural; I say it is because of sin: it is indeed natural, but of a nature already corrupted, already condemned to this punishment. Accordingly, you say it is natural; I say it is because of sin that the body dies. And you ask me: If it is because of sin, why did Enoch and Elijah not die? And I reply: Rather, if it is natural, why did Enoch and Elijah not die? Enoch and Elijah live; they were translated, wherever they may be, they live. And if a certain conjecture of faith from the Scripture of God is not mistaken, they are to die. For the Apocalypse mentions certain two miraculous prophets, and the same are to die, and to rise again in the sight of men, and to ascend to the Lord: and they are understood to be Enoch and Elijah, although their names are not mentioned there. And if perhaps you, who are of such a mind, have not accepted this Scripture; or if you accept it, you scorn it and say, They are not mentioned by name: let them live, as you think, never to die. Still, tell me: If death is because of sin, why did they not die? I retort to you: If death is natural, why did they not die? I say, that they live because the sin was finished: you say, if you can, that nature is finished.
He orders that the increasing Pelagians be guarded against.
We spoke of one thing after another and by chance: but in a way that pertains to the stability of our faith, against some disputers who are wickedly growing numerous. But let them not overcome our patience: nor let them overthrow our faith. Let us be cautious and vigilant against new disputations, human indeed, not divine. Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Apostles, let us listen to the Apostle calling out: "Avoid profane novelties of words; for they greatly contribute to impiety." But we want you to be wise indeed in goodness, but innocent in evil. Adam has died, but that serpent has not yet died. He whispers, and does not cease to hiss. His ultimate punishment is reserved: but he seeks companions for his damnation. Let us listen to the friend of the bridegroom, zealous for the groom not for himself: "For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God; I have betrothed you to one husband, to present a chaste virgin to Christ. And I fear," he says, "lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." We have all heard the apostolic words, let us all observe them, let us all beware of the serpent's venom. For we cannot say, "We have not heard, we did not know," when we have just sung: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." The words running to the ends of the earth have come to us: we have received them, written them down, instructed readers. The reader is not silent, the disputant is in labor: why does the deceiver not cease?