HOMILY XV. ON THE PURIFICATION OF BLESSED MARY.
LUKE II. At that time, after the days of Mary's purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought Jesus, etc.
The solemnity of today's celebration, which we venerate on the fortieth day of the Lord's nativity with due offices, is especially significant in its dedication to the humility of the same Lord our Savior and His undefiled mother, as pointed out by the sacred reading of the Gospel. It explains that those who were not indebted to the law submitted themselves in all things to fulfill the legal decrees. For as we heard when the Gospel was read, "When the days of her purification were fulfilled (that is, of His mother) according to the law of Moses, they took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord, that every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord." The law commanded that a woman who had received seed and given birth to a son would be unclean for seven days, and on the eighth day should circumcise the boy and give him a name. After that, she should abstain from the temple and from her husband's bed for thirty-three more days, until on the fortieth day of the nativity she would bring her son to the Temple of the Lord with offerings. Every firstborn male was to be called holy to the Lord, and thus all pure things should be offered to God, while impure ones should be exchanged for or killed in place of the pure, and every firstborn human must be redeemed with five shekels of silver. If a woman gave birth to a female, she was commanded to be unclean for fourteen days, and for sixty-six more days to stay away from the temple, until on the eightieth day of the nativity, which was called the day of her purification, she would come to sanctify herself and her offspring with offerings, and thus finally return to her husband’s bed free. Let us, dearest brothers, ponder more diligently the words of the law that we have proposed, and we will see very clearly how the most blessed Mother of God and perpetual Virgin Mary, together with the Son she bore, were entirely free from all subjection to the law. For when the law states that a woman who has conceived seed and given birth is declared unclean, and for long periods must be cleansed with the progeny she bore through offerings of sacrifices, it indeed shows clearly that the one who bore as a virgin without receiving male seed, together with the Son who was born to her, is neither declared unclean nor taught to be cleansed through the saving sacrifices. But just as our Lord and Savior, who gave the law of divinity, appearing as a man, chose to be under the law so that He might redeem those who were under the law and that we might receive adoption as sons; so too, His blessed Mother, who by singular privilege was above the law, did not shun to submit to the legal institutions, to show an example of humility, according to the wise man’s saying: "The greater you are, the more humble yourself in all things" (Eccli. III).
"And to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. This was the offering of the poor. For the Lord indeed commanded in the law that whoever could afford it, should offer a lamb for a son or daughter, along with a turtledove or a pigeon; but whoever could not afford a lamb, should offer two turtledoves or two young pigeons. Therefore the Lord, ever mindful of our salvation, not only became man, though he was God, but also, though he was rich, he deigned to become poor for us, so that through his poverty and humanity, he might make us partakers of his wealth and divinity. But it is fitting to consider briefly why these particular birds are commanded to be offered as a sacrifice to the Lord. For it is read that even the patriarch Abraham, long before the time of the law, offered these birds in a holocaust to the Lord, and in several ceremonies of the law, he who was to be cleansed was commanded to be purified through these birds. Hence, the dove signifies simplicity, and the turtledove indicates chastity; for the dove is a lover of simplicity, and the turtledove of chastity, to such an extent that if it accidentally loses its mate, it does not care to seek another. Therefore in the praises of the Church the Lord says: 'Thy cheeks are comely as a turtledove’s' (Cant. I). And again: 'Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair, thine eyes are as doves.' (Cant. IV). One has cheeks like those of a turtledove, who keeps himself pure and free from every stain of unchastity; and has eyes like those of doves, who, desiring to harm no one, regards even his enemies with simple love. But both mentioned birds, because they are accustomed to produce a cooing sound for their song, designate the weeping of the saints in this world, of which the Lord remembers, saying: 'Amen, amen, I say to you, that you shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.' (John XVI). And again: 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.' (Matthew V). Thus deservedly are the turtledove and the dove offered to the Lord as a sacrifice: because the simple and chaste conduct of the faithful is indeed a pleasing sacrifice of righteousness to Him; for he who toils in his groaning, who washes his couch with tears every night, indeed sacrifices the most acceptable victim to God. Moreover, since both these birds, on account of their habit of mourning, represent the present laments and heavenly desires of the saints, yet they differ in that the turtledove is accustomed to mourn solitary, while the dove mourns in flocks; and therefore the former indicates private tears of prayer, the latter public assemblies of the Church. And rightly was the boy Jesus circumcised first, and then after some days brought to Jerusalem with a sacrifice; for He, now a young man, first overcame every corruption of the flesh by dying and rising again, and then after some days ascended to the joys of the heavenly city with the same now immortal flesh which He had offered as a sacrifice to God for our salvation. And each one of us is first washed of all sins in the true circumcision of baptism, and thus with the advancing grace of the new light, enters the holy altar to be consecrated by the life-giving sacrifice of the Lord’s body and blood. For even the singularly simple and chaste humanity of our Savior, offered to God the Father for us, can be fittingly expressed figura-tively by the sacrifice of a dove or turtle-dove. At the end of the world, the whole Church too, after the common resurrection, will cast off all the dross of earthly mortality and corruption, and thenceforth, commended to the Lord by the sacrifices of good works, will be transferred into the kingdom of the heavenly Jerusalem. Now, that Simeon and Anna, that venerable man and woman of advanced age, received the Lord with devout acts of confession, recognizing Him as small in body but great in divinity, surely symbolizes the synagogue of the Jewish people; which, having been long fatigued by the expectation of His incarnation, promptly received Him as He came, exalting and magnifying Him with pious actions and sincere voices, crying out to Him saying: 'Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation, and I have waited for you all day long.' (Psalm XXV). But this too must be said, that rightly both sexes rejoiced at His coming, who appeared as the Redeemer of both. Indeed, my brothers, the words with which the same Simeon prophesies to the Lord and speaks to His mother must be listened to with great fear:"
Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. And a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. For it is much desired to be heard, that the Lord is set for the resurrection of many, because as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive; for he also says: I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die (John XI). But it sounds no less terrifying what is said before, Behold, this child is set for the fall. For it is quite unfortunate, who after recognizing the glory of the resurrection falls more grievously, who after seeing the light of truth is blinded by heavier clouds of sins. Therefore, it must be our utmost concern to always remember to practice in our deeds what we know to be right, lest it be said of us that which was said by the apostle Peter: For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
And for a sign, he adds, which shall be spoken against. Many of the Jews often oppose the sign of the cross outwardly, many of the Gentiles contradict it; many, which is more serious, false brethren follow this inwardly under the pretense of profession, but through the truth of perverse actions deeply persecute it, saying that they know God, but denying Him by their deeds.
And a sword shall pierce through your own soul also. He calls the sword the effect of the Lord’s passion and death on the cross, which pierced Mary’s soul: for she could not see her crucified and dying son without bitter grief, though she never doubted that he would rise again as God, yet she grieved, fearing his death as if he were born from her flesh.
So that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Before the Lord's incarnation, the thoughts of many were veiled, nor was it widely apparent who burned with love for the eternal, who preferred temporal goods in mind over heavenly: but with the birth of the King of heaven on earth, each pious person immediately rejoiced, but Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. While preaching and performing miracles, all the crowds both feared and glorified the God of Israel: but the Pharisees and the Scribes rabidly attacked his saving words and deeds. When he suffered on the cross, the impious were filled with foolish joy, the pious with just sadness; but upon rising from the dead and ascending into heaven, the joy of these was turned from mourning, and the sadness of those was changed to eternal joy: and thus, according to the prophecy of blessed Simeon, with the Lord appearing in the flesh, the thoughts of many hearts were revealed. This revelation of different thoughts was not only carried out then in Judea, but even now it is believed to occur among us. Even now, with the appearance of the Lord, the thoughts of many hearts are revealed, as when the word of salvation is read or preached, some of the listeners gladly listen, rejoicing to complete in action what they learned by hearing; others, disdaining what they hear, strive not to carry it out but rather to insult and counter it. Therefore, it is fitting, brothers, that whenever we feel that some contrary thing suffers from hard [our] listeners, we imitate the sadness of heart of those who held the word of God in the flesh with worthy pain of compassion: and whenever we see the same word rise in the minds of faithful listeners through love, and advance to the glory of our Creator through good works, let us rejoice with those who happily saw Christ rise from the dead and ascend into heaven. Indeed, as we have known that chaste, simple, and lamenting birds were accustomed to be offered to the Lord, which signifies our sobriety, simplicity, and heart compunction always to be offered to our Author, one must look more diligently: for it is not by chance that two turtledoves or two young pigeons, with one from these to be offered for a sin, and the other as a burnt offering, are commanded. There are indeed two kinds of compunctions, with which the faithful sacrifice themselves to the Lord on the altar of the heart: for surely, as we have received from the sayings of the Fathers, the soul thirsting for God is first pierced with fear, then with love. First, it afflicts itself with tears, because when it recalls its evils, it greatly fears to suffer eternal punishments, which is to offer one turtledove or young pigeon for sins; but when the prolonged anxiety of sorrow has consumed the fear, a certain security from the assurance of pardon is born, and the mind is inflamed with the love of heavenly joys. And he who wept first lest he be led to punishment begins afterward to weep most bitterly because he is delayed from the kingdom, which is to make a burnt offering from the other turtledove or young pigeon: for burnt offering is called entirely burnt. And he makes himself a burnt offering to the Lord, who, having despised all earthly things, finds it sweet to seek this alone through mourning and tears, to burn with the desire alone for supernal beatitude. For the mind contemplates what those choirs of angels are, what that society of blessed spirits is, what majesty of the eternal vision of God is, and weeps more because it lacks the eternal good things than it wept before when it feared eternal evils. May he deign to accept both of our compunction offerings gratefully, who both mercifully forgives errors to those who mourn and are afflicted for sin, and refreshes with the light of his eternal vision those fervently intent for the entry into heavenly life, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.