SERMO 37
SERMON GIVEN ON THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF SCILLITUM
IN THE BASILICA OF THE NEW
WHERE HE SAYS:
"A virtuous woman, who can find?"
The Church is the mother of martyrs.
He who commended this day among his saints will grant us that the weakness of our voice may suffice for your intent. I mentioned this so that you might deign to assist me with your silence. For the spirit is willing towards you, but the flesh is weak. And this very spirit, whatever joys it may have conceived from the Scripture of God, labors and seeks to deliver in your ears and minds. Provide a nest within yourselves for the word. For even in Scripture the turtledove is commended, seeking a nest where it may place its young. And this text we hold in our hands, namely the Scripture you see, commends to us the search for and praise of a certain woman about whom you heard a little while ago when it was read, who has a great man, that man who adorned her when she was lost and adorned her when she was found. About her, according to the tenor of the reading you see me bearing, I will say a few things as the Lord suggests. For it is the day of the martyrs, and therefore the mother of the martyrs is more to be praised. By now you have understood who this woman is as I spoke. See also if you recognize her as I read. Every listener now, as appears evident from your affection, says in his heart: "It must be the Church." I confirm this thought. For who else could be the mother of the martyrs? Thus it is. What you have understood is true. The woman about whom we wish to speak is the Church. For it would not be fitting for us to speak of any other woman. Although we also heard in the reading of the passion of the martyrs of certain women about whom it is proper to speak, we do not neglect them when we praise their mother.
Christ redeemed the Church.
Pay attention to whose members you are; observe whose children you are. Who can find a strong woman? It is fitting to speak of the strength of martyrs as that of a woman. For if she were not strong, those her members would have faltered in suffering. Who can find a strong woman? It is difficult to find her, rather it is difficult not to know her. Is she not the city on a hill, which cannot be hidden? Then why is it said: Who can find her? when it should have been said: Who cannot find her? But you see the city set on a hill. However, that she might be set on the hill, she was found who had been lost. When illuminated, who does not see her? When she was hiding, who would find her? For she is indeed the city and is also the one lost sheep that the shepherd sought and, having found, joyfully carried back on his shoulders. The shepherd himself is the hill; but the sheep on his shoulders is the city on the hill. It is easy for you to see her placed on the hill. When would you find her, when she hid in the brambles, surely in the thorns of her sins? For there it is great to have sought her; there it is marvelous to have found her. This difficulty in finding her is commended when it is said: Who can find a strong woman? For who, because he is one, not because he is none. Just as it is said of her husband himself, the lion of the tribe of Judah, of whom prophecy previously foretold: You have ascended reclining, surely on the cross. Ascended, it is the cross; reclining, it is death. What is: You have ascended, except that which is written: And they crucified him? For he said: Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. What is: reclining? And bowing his head, he gave up his spirit. Therefore, when it was said: You have ascended reclining, the following is: You have slept like a lion. You slept like a lion, you did not flee like a fox. What is: You slept like a lion? By power, not by necessity. But when it was said: You slept like a lion, the following is: Who roused him? Who roused him? For it is not no one, but who of men? For none but God, who raised him from the dead and granted him the name which is above every name. He raised himself too. For he said: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. And now when you heard: Who can find a strong woman? do not think it is said of the Church that is hidden, but of that Church which has been found by one so that no one may not see her. Therefore, she should be described, praised, commended, to be loved by all of us as a mother, for she is the wife of one. Who can find a strong woman? Who does not see this woman so strong? But now found, now eminent, now conspicuous, now glorious, now adorned, now bright, now to quickly explain, spread throughout the whole world.
The Church is found to be more precious than any stones.
It is more precious than precious stones, which is of such a kind. What is so great, because this woman is more precious than precious stones? If you consider human avarice, if precious stones are received for their own sake, what is so great that the Church is found to be more precious than any stones? There is no such comparison. But there are precious stones in her. These stones are so precious that they are called living. Therefore, precious stones adorn her, but she herself is more precious. I wish to commend something to your Charity, as much as I understand, as much as you understand, as much as I fear, as much as you ought to fear, about these precious stones. There are precious stones in the Church, and they always were, learned, abundant in knowledge and eloquence and all instruction of the law. Clearly, these stones are precious. But some from their number have strayed from the adornment of this woman. For as far as doctrine and eloquence from which it shines are concerned, the precious stone - for the doctrine of the Lord shines - Cyprian was a precious stone, but he remained in her adornment. Donatus was a precious stone, but he recoiled from the structure of the adornment. The one who remained wanted to be loved in her. The one who was shaken off from her sought a name for himself apart from her. The one remaining with her collected to her. The one recoiling desired not to gather, but to scatter. Evil children, why do you follow a precious stone shaken off from the adornment of this woman? You answer me: "What then? Do you understand as he did? Or do you speak as he did? Or are you as learned as he was?" Let him be understanding - A good understanding belongs to those who do it - let him be learned, let him be educated in the liberal disciplines and mysteries of the law, he is a precious stone. Return from him to her: She is more precious than precious stones. A precious stone, if it is not in the adornment of this woman, lies in darkness. Wherever a precious stone may lie, if it is not in the adornment of this woman, it lies in darkness. It was necessary for it to remain in the adornment of this woman, to be in the structure of her adornment. But I will confidently say. Precious stones are so called because they are worth much. Now he is vile, he has lost his worth, who does not have charity. Let him boast of his doctrine, let him boast of his tongue, let him hear the appraiser of the true stones of this matron. Let him hear, I say, a certain artist, an inspector of adornments. Why does he boast of tongues, not living precious, but vile stones? If I speak in the tongues of men, he says, and of angels, but do not have charity, I have become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Where is that stone? It no longer shines, but it tinkles. Therefore, learn to evaluate stones, traders of the kingdom of heaven. No stone should please you, besides the adornment of this woman. She who is more precious than precious stones, she herself is the worth of her adornment.
The heart of her husband trusts in the Church.
The heart of her husband trusts in her. Clearly, he trusts, and he has taught us to trust. For he has commended the Church to the ends of the earth, among all nations, from sea to sea. If she did not persevere until the end, the heart of her husband would not trust in her. The heart of her husband trusts in her. He trusts with foreknowledge, he who trusts cannot be deceived. It is not said: The heart of her children trusts in her. For her little children could be deceived. His heart trusts in her, whose heart no lie can deceive. Therefore, it is true that he trusts. She, such as she is, will not need spoils. Not because she does not seek spoils, thus she will not need, but because she will abound in many. She, such as she is, will not need spoils. Since she despoils the world, diffused everywhere; she seizes trophies from the devil from everywhere. For this her husband has promised as well, to whom she says in another psalm: I exult in your words, as one who finds many spoils. How does she, who seizes from everywhere, pulls from everywhere, acquires from everywhere, need spoils?
For she works good and not evil for her husband, at all times. Hence it is that this woman plunders nations, by working good and not evil for her husband. At all times she works good and not evil. Not for herself, but for her husband, so that he who lives, may no longer live for himself, but for him who died and rose again for all. Therefore, she works good for her husband, she works good before God. She serves him, she is devoted to him, she loves him, she always strives to please him. She does not adorn herself, neither for her own eyes, nor for the eyes of others. She is not one of those who please themselves, she is not one of those who seek their own: For she works for her husband. But those who work for themselves, all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.
God is to be worshipped not only in private conscience but openly.
Finding wool and flax, she made it useful with her hands. Holy Scripture describes this woman as both a wool-worker and a flax-worker. But it is asked of us what wool is, and what flax is. I believe wool is something carnal, flax something spiritual. I dare to conjecture this from the order of our clothing. For linen garments are inner, woolen garments are outer. Whatever we do with flesh is apparent; whatever with spirit is secret. To work with flesh but not to work with spirit, although it may seem good, is not useful. To work with spirit but not to work with flesh is slothful. You find a man giving alms to the poor with his hand, but not thinking of God there, rather wanting to please men. A woolen garment might be seen, but it does not have an inner linen. You find another saying to you: "It suffices for me to worship God in my conscience, to adore God. Why do I need to either go to church or visibly mix with Christians?" He wants to have linen without the tunic. This woman does not know or commend such works. Spiritual things indeed must be said and taught without the carnal ones, but those who receive ought to hold onto the spiritual and not work carnally on the carnal. This woman found wool and flax and made it useful with her hands. These wools and this flax are in the Holy Scriptures. Many find them but are unwilling to make anything useful with their hands. She found and made. When you listen, you find; when you live well, you make. Finding wool and flax, she made it useful with her hands. Look at her to whom it is said: Extend to the right and to the left; for your offspring will inherit the nations; do not withhold, extend your cords farther. Look at her here: She has become like a ship, which trades from afar and gathers wealth for herself. The wealth of this woman is the praises of her husband. See how she gathers wealth from afar: From the rising of the sun to its setting, praise the name of the Lord.
The Church is the diligent servant of the Lord.
She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and tasks for her servant girls. She rises while it is still night. What do the nights mean? They do not burden her, they do not force her to lie in darkness. And she rises while it is still night. Nights are tribulations. But who rises even during these nights and makes progress even in tribulations? And she provides food for her household: she made herself an example during the nights. Doing, she taught what needed to be done, and then gave food to her household during the nights. Who eats at night? Certainly, she still provided food then. For those to whom she gave food are always hungry. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. At night my spirit watches for you, O God. At midnight I rise to give thanks to you. These nightly provisions are abundant in this woman’s house. No one there suffers from hunger. Nor does one grope to find something to eat: the lamp of prophecy burns brightly. But is there only eating and idle time? For she who provided food for her household also provided tasks for her servant girls. Are these servant girls hers or her husband’s? Or because they are her husband’s, are they hers too? Or is she herself many servant girls? For although she is the lady of the house, she does not disdain to be a servant. Let her heed her value, let her love her Lord. Let her acknowledge, I say, that she is a servant and not fear her condition. For he does not disdain to make his wife whom he bought at great price. And every good wife calls her husband lord. Indeed, she not only calls him lord, but she also thinks this, expresses this, carries this in her heart, professes this with her mouth, and considers the marriage certificates as evidence of her purchase. She is therefore a servant, assigning tasks to the servant girls. She is a servant: for her son is the one who says, "I am your servant and the son of your maidservant."
You were wondering what those works are doing even at night. Listen to what it is doing: It considers a field and buys it. Considering not the present but the future, it buys that field, considering it with faith and hope. Hence, it also rises in the night. For if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. In all tribulation being patient, it considers the field which it buys. Therefore, it is called a strong woman. What are those nights compared to that field? For our present, slight tribulation - when we rise in the nights - in an incredible way works an eternal weight of glory in us, with our heart towards that field - not looking at what is seen, but at what is not seen. For what is seen is temporary; but what is not seen is eternal. What kind of field is that? What is its beauty? Let us burn with desire to possess it. Do we think it is not the one regarding which God said, "And the beauty of the field is with me"?
Procure for yourself a heavenly field.
She considers a field and buys it. When she buys it, she has a field there. Where is the field? Where did she buy it from? Where she also placed her treasure, that she might become: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." She considers a field and buys it. Where did she buy it from? Lest you perhaps hope and sigh and do nothing, this field does not love a sluggish lover. Certainly there, when you come to it, perhaps you will rest, nor will there be a need for you to labor. For that field is not like this one where Adam eats his bread in the sweat of his face. However, now that you might reach the appearance of that field, obtain for yourself that from which you might obtain it. Act accordingly. What? Gather the price. For this is what this woman does. See if it is silent. When it was said: "She considers a field and buys it," as if you were to say: "Where does she buy it from?", from the fruits of her hands she plants a possession. These were indeed the works which she gave to her maidservants, so that from the fruits of her hands she might plant a possession forever. For she referred to that possession which is to come. This she implies by the word she says: "Considers."
She has girded her loins with strength and has strengthened her arms. Truly strong. See if she is not a servant. How devotedly she serves, how diligently. Lest the loose folds of carnal desires hinder her from working, she girds her loins, so that she may step on nothing superfluous while hastening in her work. Here indeed is the chastity of this woman, tightly fastened with the belt of command, and always ready for every good work. She has girded her loins with strength and has strengthened her arms, not growing weak. Whence does this come? She has tasted that it is good to work. Where is the palate by which this is tasted? Men flee labor as if it were bitter. Fearing to taste it, they do not know what to love. A good work is made by a good conscience. And what is sweeter, Brothers, than a good conscience? If it is not present, and the bad pricks it, everything is bitter. Taste then, taste, and you will see how it tastes, how it will delight you, how afterward you will not stop until you consume it all. She has tasted that it is good to work.
Our hope is our lamp.
Her lamp is not extinguished all night. No one lights a lamp and places it under a bushel. You will light my lamp, O Lord. Her lamp, her hope. Every man works for it, whatever good he does is for hope. And in the night this lamp burns. For if we hope for what we do not see, therefore it is night. But if we neither see nor hope, it is both night and the lamp does not burn. What is more unfortunate than such darkness? But so that we do not falter in the darkness and wait patiently for what we hope but do not see, our lamp must burn all night. For he who speaks to us daily pours oil as it were, lest the lamp be extinguished.
He extends his hands to useful things. How far does he extend these hands? From sea to sea, and from the river, where it begins, to the ends of the earth, where it reaches. Hence it is not in vain that it was said: Extend to the right and to the left. He extends his hands, but to useful things.