HOMILY 26. Delivered to the people in the basilica of blessed John, which is called the Constantiniana, on the octave of Easter.
READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. At that time, when it was late on that day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut where the disciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them: Peace be to you. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord. He said to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days, his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in their midst and said: Peace be to you. Then he said to Thomas: Put your finger here, and see my hands; and bring your hand, and put it into my side; and be not unbelieving, but faithful. Thomas answered and said to him: My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him: Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed: blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. Indeed Jesus performed many other signs in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
The first question of this Gospel reading strikes the mind: how was the Lord's body truly real after the resurrection, if it could enter to the disciples through closed doors? But we must understand that if divine operation is comprehended by reason, it is not wondrous; nor does faith have merit when human reason provides proof. But these very works of our Redeemer, which cannot at all be understood from themselves, must be weighed by another of his operations, so that more wondrous deeds may lend credence to wondrous things. For that body of the Lord entered to the disciples through closed doors—the same body which, at his birth, came forth to human eyes from the closed womb of the Virgin. What wonder is it then if, after his resurrection, he who will now live forever entered through closed doors, when he who came to die went forth from the Virgin's unopened womb? But because the faith of those looking on doubted that body which could be seen, he immediately showed them his hands and side; he offered his flesh to be touched, the same flesh he had brought in through closed doors. In this matter he showed two wondrous things, quite contrary to one another according to human reason: after his resurrection he demonstrated his body to be both incorruptible and yet tangible. For what is touched must necessarily be subject to corruption, and what is not subject to corruption cannot be touched. But in a wondrous and inestimable way our Redeemer presented his body after the resurrection as both incorruptible and tangible, so that by showing it incorruptible he might invite us to the reward, and by offering it as tangible he might strengthen us in faith. He demonstrated himself therefore both incorruptible and tangible, so that he might clearly show that his body after the resurrection was of the same nature and yet of a different glory.
He said to them: Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I also send you. That is, as God the Father sent me who am God, so I who am man send you who are men. The Father sent the Son, whom he appointed to become incarnate for the redemption of the human race. He willed him to come into the world unto suffering, yet nevertheless he loved the Son whom he sent unto suffering. The Lord sends his chosen apostles into the world not to worldly joys, but, just as he himself was sent, unto sufferings. Since therefore the Son is loved by the Father and yet is sent unto suffering, so also the disciples are loved by the Lord, who nevertheless are sent into the world unto suffering. And so it is said: As the Father has sent me, so I also send you, that is, I love you with that same love when I send you among the offenses of persecutors, with which love the Father loves me, whom he caused to come to endure sufferings. Although "sent" can also be understood according to his divine nature. For the Son is said to be sent by the Father by the very fact that he is begotten by the Father. For the Son declares that he himself sends the Holy Spirit also, who, though coequal with the Father and the Son, nevertheless was not incarnate, saying: When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father. For if "to be sent" ought to be understood only as "to become incarnate," the Holy Spirit would without doubt in no way be said to be sent, since he was in no way incarnate. But his being sent is that very procession by which he proceeds from the Father and the Son. Just as therefore the Spirit is said to be sent because he proceeds, so also the Son is not unfittingly said to be sent because he is begotten.
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit. We must ask why it is that our Lord gave the Holy Spirit once while standing on earth, and once while presiding from heaven? For in no other place is the giving of the Holy Spirit openly shown, except now when it is received through breathing, and afterward when, coming from heaven, it is demonstrated in various tongues. Why then is it first given to the disciples on earth, and afterward sent from heaven, unless because there are two precepts of charity, namely the love of God and the love of neighbor? The Spirit is given on earth so that the neighbor may be loved; the Spirit is given from heaven so that God may be loved. Therefore, just as there is one charity and two precepts, so there is one Spirit and two givings. First from the Lord standing on earth, afterward from heaven, because in the love of neighbor one learns how to arrive at the love of God. Hence the same John says: He who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see? And indeed the same Holy Spirit was previously in the minds of the disciples for faith, but nevertheless he was not given by manifest giving except after the resurrection. Hence it is also written: The Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Hence also it is said through Moses: They sucked honey from the rock, and oil from the solid rock. For nothing of this kind is read according to history, if the whole sequence of the Old Testament is reviewed. Nowhere did that people suck honey from the rock, nowhere oil. But because according to Paul's words: The rock was Christ, they sucked honey from the rock who saw the deeds and miracles of our same Redeemer. But they sucked oil from the solid rock, because by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit after his resurrection they deserved to be anointed. Therefore, as it were, the weak rock gave honey, when the Lord, still mortal, showed to his disciples the sweetness of his miracles. But the solid rock poured forth oil, because, after his resurrection now made impassible, through the breathing of the Spirit he sent forth the gift of holy anointing.
Of this oil it is said through the prophet: "The yoke shall decay because of the oil." For we were held under the yoke of demonic dominion, but we have been anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit. And because the grace of liberty has anointed us, the yoke of demonic dominion has rotted away, as Paul attests when he says: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." But it should be known that those who first received the Holy Spirit, so that they themselves might live innocently and benefit some through preaching, received Him openly after the Lord's resurrection so that they might benefit not a few but many. Hence in this very giving of the Spirit it is said: "Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." It is pleasing to observe to what height of glory those disciples were led, who were called to such great burdens of humility. Behold, not only do they become secure concerning themselves, but they also receive the power of releasing another's bond; and they obtain the principality of the heavenly judgment, so that in place of God they retain sins for some and release them for others. Thus, thus it was fitting that they be raised up by God, who had consented to be humbled so greatly for God's sake. Behold, those who fear the strict judgment of God become judges of souls; and they condemn or free others, who feared that they themselves would be condemned.
Of these, certainly, the bishops now hold the place in the Church. Those who obtain the rank of governance receive the authority of binding and loosing. Great is the honor, but heavy is the burden of this honor. For it is hard that one who does not know how to maintain the governance of his own life should become a judge of another's life. And it very often happens that one holds the place of judgment whose life does not at all accord with the place. And it often occurs that he either condemns the innocent, or, being himself bound, looses others. Often in loosing and binding his subjects he follows the impulse of his own will rather than the merits of the cases. Whence it happens that he deprives himself of this very power of binding and loosing who exercises it according to his own wishes rather than according to the conduct of his subjects. It often happens that a Pastor is moved by hatred or favor toward any neighbor; but those who follow their own hatreds or favor in the cases of their subjects cannot judge worthily concerning their subjects. Whence it is rightly said through the prophet: They were putting to death souls that do not die, and giving life to souls that do not live. For he puts to death one who is not dying who condemns the just. And he strives to give life to one who will not live who attempts to absolve the guilty from punishment.
Therefore the causes must be weighed, and then the power of binding and loosing must be exercised. It must be seen what fault preceded, or what repentance followed after the fault, so that those whom almighty God visits through the grace of compunction, the sentence of the pastor may absolve. For then the absolution of the one presiding is true, when it follows the judgment of the internal Judge. This is well signified by that resurrection of the man dead four days, which demonstrates that the Lord first called and gave life to the dead man, saying: "Lazarus, come forth"; and afterward he who had come forth alive was loosed by the disciples, as it is written: "And when he who had been bound with wrappings had come forth, then he said to the disciples: Loose him, and let him go." Behold, the disciples loose him now living, whom the Master had raised from the dead. For if the disciples had loosed Lazarus while dead, they would have shown forth a stench rather than power. From this consideration it must be observed that we ought to loose through pastoral authority those whom we recognize our Author vivifies through resurrecting grace. This vivification, indeed, before the work of righteousness is already recognized in the very confession of sin. Hence to this same dead Lazarus it is by no means said "Come back to life," but "Come forth." For every sinner, while he hides his fault within his conscience, lies hidden within, is concealed in his own inner chambers. But the dead man comes forth when the sinner voluntarily confesses his iniquities. Therefore it is said to Lazarus, "Come forth." As if it were openly said to anyone dead in fault: Why do you hide your guilt within your conscience? Come forth now through confession, you who lie hidden within yourself through denial. Let the dead man therefore come forth, that is, let the sinner confess his fault. And let the disciples loose him as he comes forth, so that the pastors of the Church may remove the punishment from him who deserved it, since he was not ashamed to confess what he did. These things I have said briefly concerning the order of loosing, so that the pastors of the Church may strive to loose or bind with great moderation. But whether the pastor binds justly or unjustly, nevertheless the sentence of the pastor is to be feared by the flock, lest he who is subject, even when he is perhaps bound unjustly, may deserve the very sentence of his binding from another fault. Therefore let the pastor fear to absolve or to bind indiscreetly. But let him who is under the hand of the pastor fear to be bound even unjustly; nor let him rashly criticize the judgment of his pastor, lest even if he was bound unjustly, through the very pride of arrogant criticism a fault that did not exist may come to be. But since we have said these things briefly by way of digression, let us return to the order of the exposition.
But Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. This one disciple was absent; when he returned he heard what had happened; having heard, he refused to believe. The Lord came again, and offered his side to the unbelieving disciple to touch, showed his hands, and by displaying the scar of his wounds, healed the wound of that man's unbelief. What, dearest brothers, what do you observe in these things? Do you think it happened by chance that this chosen disciple was absent then, but coming later heard, hearing doubted, doubting touched, touching believed? This did not happen by chance, but by divine dispensation. For heavenly mercy acted in a wondrous way so that the doubting disciple, while he touched the wounds of flesh in his master, might heal in us the wounds of unbelief. For the unbelief of Thomas profited us more for faith than the faith of the believing disciples, because while he is brought back to faith by touching, our mind, all doubt set aside, is strengthened in faith. For thus the Lord permitted his disciple to doubt after his resurrection, yet did not abandon him in his doubt, just as before his birth he willed Mary to have a spouse, who nevertheless did not attain to marriage with her. For thus the doubting and touching disciple became a witness of the true resurrection, just as the spouse had been the guardian of the mother's perfect virginity.
But he touched, and exclaimed: My Lord, and my God. Jesus says to him: Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed. Since the apostle Paul says: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not appearing, it is certainly clear that faith is the evidence of those things which cannot appear. For those things which appear no longer have faith, but recognition. Therefore when Thomas saw, when he touched, why is it said to him: Because you have seen me, you have believed? But he saw one thing, he believed another. For divinity could not be seen by a mortal man. Therefore he saw the man, and confessed God, saying: My Lord, and my God. Therefore by seeing he believed, who considering the true man, exclaimed that this was God, whom he could not see.
What greatly gladdens is what follows: "Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed." In this saying, we are indeed specially marked out, we who retain in our minds Him whom we have not seen in the flesh. We are marked out—but only if we follow our faith with works. For he truly believes who practices by his deeds what he believes. In contrast to these, concerning those who hold faith in name only, Paul says: "They profess that they know God, but in their deeds they deny Him." Hence James says: "Faith without works is dead." Hence the Lord says to blessed Job concerning the ancient enemy of the human race: "He will swallow up a river and not wonder, and he has confidence that the Jordan will flow into his mouth." For who is signified by the river except the flow of the human race? For this race flows from origin to end, and, as if in the manner of water, runs its course from the flux of the flesh until its appointed end. What is signified by the Jordan except the pattern of the baptized? For since the very Author of our redemption deigned to be baptized in the river Jordan, the multitude of those who are held within the sacrament of baptism is rightly expressed by the name Jordan. Therefore the ancient enemy of the human race swallowed up the river, because from the beginning of the world until the coming of the Redeemer, with scarcely a few elect escaping, he drew the human race into the belly of his malice. Of him it is rightly said: "He will swallow up a river and not wonder," because he does not consider it a great thing when he seizes unbelievers. But what is added is very grave: "And he has confidence that the Jordan will flow into his mouth," because after he seized all the unbelievers from the beginning of the world, he still presumes that he can receive even the faithful. For by the mouth of pestilent persuasion he daily devours those in whose case a wicked life is at variance with the confession of faith.
Therefore, most beloved brethren, fear this with your whole attention, ponder this in your minds with anxious care. Behold, we celebrate the Paschal solemnities; but we must so live that we may deserve to attain to the eternal feasts. All things that are celebrated as temporal festivals pass away. Take care, you who are present at these solemnities, that you be not separated from the eternal solemnity. What does it profit to be present at the feasts of men, if it happens that one is absent from the feasts of angels? The present solemnity is a shadow of the solemnity to come. Therefore we celebrate this one yearly, that we may be led to that one which is not yearly, but continuous. When this is observed at its appointed time, our memory is refreshed unto the desire of that one. Therefore, by the frequenting of temporal joy, let the mind grow warm and fervent for eternal joys, so that it may enjoy in truth in the homeland what it meditates upon as a shadow of joy on the way. Therefore, brethren, order your life and conduct. He who rose meek from death, foresee how strict He will come in judgment. Certainly on the day of the dreadful examination He will appear to His own, with angels, with archangels, with thrones, with dominations, with principalities and powers, while the heavens and earth burn, that is, with all the elements shaken in the terror of His service. Therefore set before your eyes this Judge of such great dread; fear Him who is to come, so that when He comes you may see Him not fearful, but secure. He is to be feared, then, lest He be feared. Let the terror of Him exercise us in the practice of good works, let fear of Him restrain our life from wickedness. Believe me, brethren, for we shall then be as secure in His presence as we now strive to be anxious about our guilt.
Certainly, if any of you were to be brought before my judgment tomorrow to plead a case against your adversary, you would perhaps spend the whole night sleepless, turning over in your anxious and troubled mind what might be said to you, how you would respond to objections, greatly fearing lest you find me harsh, dreading lest you appear guilty before me. And who am I? Or what am I? Surely one who will not long after become a worm after being a man, and after being a worm, dust. If, therefore, the judgment of dust is feared with such great concern, with what attention must the judgment of such great majesty be considered, with what dread must it be foreseen?
But because there are some who are uncertain about the resurrection of the flesh, and we teach this more rightly when we also address the hidden questions of your hearts: a few things must be said by us about this faith in the resurrection. For many doubt the resurrection, just as we ourselves once did, who when they see flesh reduced to decay and bones to dust in tombs, lose confidence that flesh and bones can be restored from dust, and thus say to themselves as if reasoning: When is man brought back from dust? When is it accomplished that ashes are given life? To these we briefly respond that it is far less for God to restore what was than to have created what was not. Or what is remarkable if He who created all things at once from nothing refashions man from dust? For it is more marvelous to have founded heaven and earth from things that did not exist than to restore man himself from earth. But the ash is considered, and it is despaired that it can return to flesh, and the power of divine operation is sought to be comprehended as if by reason. They say these things in their thoughts precisely because God's daily miracles have become worthless to them through their constancy. For behold, in one grain of the tiniest seed lies hidden the entire mass of the tree that will be born. For let us place before our eyes the wondrous size of any tree; let us think about where it began by arising, which arrived at such great mass by growing. We find without doubt its origin, a very small seed. Let us now consider where in that small grain of seed lies hidden the strength of the wood, the roughness of the bark, the magnitude of flavor and fragrance, the abundance of fruits, the greenness of leaves. For the grain of seed when handled is not hard; from where then did the hardness of wood proceed? It is not rough; from where did the roughness of bark burst forth? It has no flavor; from where came the flavor in the fruits? When smelled it gives off no scent; from where does fragrance emanate in the fruits? It shows nothing green in itself; from where did the greenness of leaves come forth? All things therefore lie hidden in the seed at once, which nevertheless do not come forth from the seed at once. For from the seed the root is produced, from the root the shoot comes forth, from the shoot the fruit arises, and in the fruit the seed is also produced. Let us add therefore that the seed also lies hidden in the seed. What then is remarkable if He who daily restores wood, fruits, and leaves in the great mass of a tree from a small seed brings back bones, sinews, flesh, and hair from dust? Therefore when a doubting mind seeks reason about the power of the resurrection, questions about those things should be brought before it which both happen unceasingly and yet can in no way be comprehended by reason, so that while one is unable from the sight of the thing to penetrate what one sees, one may believe from the promise of divine power what one hears. Therefore, dearest brothers, think upon those promised things with you which remain; but those things which pass away with time, despise as already dismissed. Hasten with your whole intention to this glory of resurrection which the Truth showed in Himself. Flee earthly desires which separate from the Creator, because you reach the sight of Almighty God the more highly as you love the Mediator of God and men the more singularly. Who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, through all ages of ages. Amen.