HOMILY 39. Delivered to the people in the basilica of blessed John, which is called the Constantiniana.
READING OF THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. At that time, when Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: If you had known, even you, and indeed in this your day, the things that are for your peace; but now they are hidden from your eyes. For days shall come upon you, and your enemies shall surround you with a rampart; and they shall encircle you, and press you in on every side, and cast you to the ground, and your children who are in you; and they shall not leave in you a stone upon a stone, because you did not know the time of your visitation. And entering the temple, he began to cast out those selling in it and those buying, saying to them: It is written that my house is a house of prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves. And he was teaching daily in the temple.
I wish to run through the brief reading of the holy Gospel with a brief discourse, if I can, so that a more extended consideration may be given to it by those who know how to think much from little. That the overthrow of Jerusalem which was accomplished by Vespasian and Titus, the Roman princes, is described while the Lord weeps, no one who has read the history of that destruction is unaware. For the Roman princes are indicated when it is said: "Because the days will come upon you, and your enemies will surround you with a rampart; and they will encircle you, and hem you in on every side, and cast you to the ground, and your children who are in you." This also which is added: "They will not leave in you a stone upon a stone," even the very relocation of that city now testifies, because while it is now built in the place where the Lord had been crucified outside the gate, that former Jerusalem, as it is said, was utterly destroyed. From what fault the punishment of its destruction was inflicted upon it is added: "Because you did not know the time of your visitation." For the Creator of all things deigned to visit it through the mystery of his incarnation, but it did not remember the fear and love of him. Whence also through prophecy, in rebuke of the human heart, the birds of heaven are brought forward as testimony, when it is said: "The kite in the sky has known its time; the turtledove and the swallow and the stork have kept the time of their coming, but my people has not known the judgment of the Lord." But first we must ask what it means that is said: "Seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: If you had known, even you." For the Redeemer first wept over the ruin of the faithless city, which the city itself did not know was coming upon it. To which the weeping Lord rightly says: "If you had known, even you"—understand: you would weep—you who now, because you do not know what threatens, rejoice. Whence it is also added: "And indeed in this your day, the things that are for your peace." For when it gave itself to the pleasures of the flesh and did not foresee the evils to come, it had in its day those things which could be for its peace. But why it had present goods for peace is made clear when it is said: "But now they are hidden from your eyes." For if the evils which threatened had not been hidden from the eyes of its heart, it would not have been joyful in present prosperity. Its punishment also, which was threatening from the Roman princes, as I said before, was soon added.
Having described this, what the Lord did is added: because, entering the temple, he began to cast out those selling and buying in it, saying to them: It is written that my house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. For he who foretold the evils to come and immediately entered the temple to cast out from it those selling and buying, clearly made known that the ruin of the people came chiefly from the fault of the priests. Indeed, in describing the destruction but striking at those selling and buying in the temple, he showed by the very effect of his work whence the root of perdition sprang. Moreover, as we have learned from another evangelist as witness, doves were being sold in the temple. And what is received through doves except the gift of the Holy Spirit? But he expels the sellers and buyers from the temple, because he condemns either those who grant the imposition of hands for a gift, or those who strive to buy the gift of the Spirit. About this temple it is soon added: My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. For those who sat in the temple to receive gifts, it was certainly not doubtful that they would seek to harm those who gave nothing. Therefore the house of prayer had been made a den of thieves, because they knew how to stand in the temple for this purpose: either to eagerly pursue bodily those not giving gifts, or to kill spiritually those who did give. But because our Redeemer does not withhold the words of preaching even from the unworthy and ungrateful, after he maintained the vigor of discipline by casting out the perverse, he soon showed the gift of grace. For it is added: And he was teaching daily in the temple. We have run through these things briefly, treating them according to the historical sense.
But since we know that Jerusalem has now been destroyed and through its destruction has been changed for the better, since we know that the robbers were driven from the temple and that the temple itself has now been demolished, we ought to draw some likeness inwardly from external things and fear the ruin of morals from the ruined buildings of walls. For seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: If you had known, even you. This he did once, when he announced that the city would perish. This our Redeemer never ceases to do daily through his elect, when he considers that certain people have passed from a good life to wicked ways. For he mourns those who do not know why they are mourned, because, according to the words of Solomon: They rejoice when they have done evil and exult in the worst things. If they had recognized their damnation which hangs over them, they themselves would mourn with the tears of the elect. The sentence which follows fittingly applies to the soul about to perish: And indeed in this your day, the things that are for your peace, but now they are hidden from your eyes. Here the perverse soul has its own day, which rejoices in transitory time. For such a soul the things present are for peace, because while it rejoices in temporal things, while it is exalted by honors, while it dissolves in carnal pleasure, while it is terrified by no fear of future punishment, it has peace in its day, which will have the grave scandal of its damnation in another's day. For there it will be afflicted, where the just will rejoice; and all the things which now are for its peace will then be turned into the bitterness of strife, because it will begin to quarrel with itself as to why it did not dread the damnation it suffers, why it closed the eyes of its mind from foreseeing the evils to follow. Hence it is told: But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the perverse soul, devoted to present things, dissolved in earthly pleasures, hides from itself the evils to follow, because it refuses to foresee future things which would disturb its present joy; and while it abandons itself to the delights of the present life, what else does it do but go to the fire with closed eyes? Hence it is well written: In the day of good things, do not be forgetful of evil things. And therefore it is said through Paul: Let those who rejoice be as though not rejoicing, because even if there is any joy of the present time, it is to be experienced in such a way that the bitterness of the following judgment never departs from memory, so that while the fearful mind is pierced through by fear of final vengeance, as much as present joy now prevails, so much will the wrath that follows afterward be tempered. For hence it is written: Blessed is the man who is always fearful; but he who is hard of mind will fall into evil. For the wrath of the following judgment will then be borne all the more severely, the less it is feared now even amid sins.
There follows: Because the days shall come upon thee, and thine enemies shall surround thee with a rampart. Who are ever greater enemies of the human soul than the malignant spirits, who besiege it as it departs from the body, whom they nourished with deceitful pleasures while it was placed in love of the flesh? They surround it with a rampart, because by bringing back before the eyes of its mind the iniquities which it perpetrated, they constrict it, dragging it to the fellowship of their damnation, so that caught now in the very extremity of life, it may see both by what enemies it is surrounded, and yet be unable to find a way of escape, because it is no longer permitted to perform the good works which, when it was permitted to do them, it despised. Concerning these, what follows can also be aptly understood: They shall surround thee and press thee in on every side. For malignant spirits press in upon the soul on every side, when they bring back to it the iniquities not only of deed, but also of speech and moreover of thought, so that she who formerly spread herself abroad through many crimes may at the end be pressed in on all sides in retribution. There follows: And they shall cast thee to the ground, and thy children who are in thee. Then the soul is cast to the ground through the knowledge of its guilt, when the flesh which it believed to be its life is compelled to return to dust. Then her children fall into death, when the illicit thoughts which now proceed from her are scattered in the final punishment of life, as it is written: In that day all their thoughts shall perish. These harsh thoughts can also be understood through the signification of stones. For there follows: And they shall not leave in thee stone upon stone. For when a perverse mind adds a yet more perverse thought to a perverse thought, what else does it do but place stone upon stone? But in the destroyed city stone is not left upon stone, because when the soul is led to its punishment, the whole structure of its thoughts is scattered.
Why it suffers this is added: "Because you did not know the time of your visitation." Almighty God is accustomed to visit every wicked soul in many ways. For He visits it continually through His commandment, sometimes through affliction, and sometimes through a miracle, so that it may hear the truths it did not know, and yet if still proud and contemptuous, it may return pricked by pain, or overcome by benefits may blush at the evil it has done. But because it does not recognize the time of its visitation, it is handed over at the end of life to those enemies with whom it will be bound in the fellowship of perpetual damnation at the eternal judgment, as it is written: "When you go with your adversary to the magistrate on the way, make an effort to be freed from him, lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer cast you into prison." For our adversary on the way is the word of God, contrary to our carnal desires in the present life. He is freed from it who humbly submits to His commandments. Otherwise the adversary will hand him over to the judge, and the judge will hand him over to the officer, because from the contempt of the Lord's word the guilty sinner will be held liable at the examination of the judge. The judge hands him over to the officer, because He permits the malignant spirit to drag him away for punishment, so that he himself may exact the soul driven from the body for punishment, the soul that willingly consented to him for sin. The officer casts him into prison, because through the malignant spirit he is thrust back into hell until the day of judgment comes, from which point he himself also will be tormented together in the fires of hell.
After the destruction of the city is completed, which we have applied to the likeness of a perishing soul, it is immediately added: "And entering the temple, he began to cast out those selling and buying in it." Just as the temple of God is in the city, so also is the life of religious persons among the faithful people. And often some take up the habit of religion, and when they receive a place in the sacred orders, they turn the office of holy religion into a commerce of earthly business. Those selling in the temple are they who bestow for a reward what rightly belongs to certain persons. For to sell justice is to maintain it in exchange for receiving a reward. Those buying in the temple are they who, while refusing to render to their neighbor what is just, and while disdaining to do what is rightly owed, give a reward to patrons and buy sin. To them it is rightly said: "My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves," because when perverse men sometimes hold a place of religion, there they slay with the swords of their malice where they ought to have given life to their neighbors through the intercession of their prayer.
The temple and house of God is also the very mind and conscience of the faithful. If at any time it brings forth perverse thoughts in injury to a neighbor, it is as though robbers are dwelling in a cave and killing those who walk by in simplicity, when they thrust swords of injury into those who are guilty of nothing. For the mind of the faithful is no longer a house of prayer but a den of thieves when, having abandoned the innocence and simplicity of holiness, it strives to do that by which it might harm its neighbors. But because against all these perverse things we are ceaselessly instructed by the words of our Redeemer through the sacred pages, what is reported to have been done is still being done now, when it says: "And he was teaching daily in the temple." For when he subtly instructs the mind of the faithful to guard against evils, Truth teaches daily in the temple. But we must know that we are truly instructed by the words of truth if we look upon our final evils with fear and without ceasing, according to what is said by a certain wise man: "In all your works remember your last end, and you will never sin." Indeed, we ought to consider daily what we have heard from the voice of our same Redeemer: "If only on this day of yours you knew the things that are for your peace; but now they are hidden from your eyes." For while the strict Judge waits and does not yet extend his hand in striking, while there seems to be a certain security of time before the retribution of final vengeance, we ought to consider the evil that follows, and considering it, groan; groaning, avoid it; and look upon the sins we have committed without ceasing; looking upon them, weep; and weeping, wipe them away. Let no joy of passing prosperity dissolve us, nor let transitory things obstruct the eyes of our mind, nor lead us blind to the fire. For if it be considered strictly, from the mouth of Truth it is known how weighty is the reproach, when it is said to the negligent one who does not look ahead to future things: "If only on this day of yours you knew the things that are for your peace; but now they are hidden from your eyes."
For we must consider deeply how terrible for us will be the hour of our death, what fear of mind, how great then the memory of all our evils, what forgetfulness of past happiness, what dread and consideration of the Judge. What, therefore, ought the present things be to us for delight, when, as all things pass away together, that which threatens cannot pass away? When that which is loved is utterly ended, and that begins where pain never ends? Then malign spirits seek their own works in the departing soul; then they recount the evils they persuaded, that they may drag the soul as their companion to torments. But why do we say this only of the perverse soul, when they come also to the elect as they depart, and seek something of their own in them, if they might prevail? Yet One among men existed, who before His passion says with free voice: "I will no longer speak much with you; for the prince of this world comes, and in me he has nothing." For since he saw Him as a mortal man, the prince of the world believed he could find something of his own in Him. But He departed from the corruption of the world without any sin, who came into the world without sin. This Peter did not presume to say of himself against the prince of the world, Peter who deserved to hear: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This Paul did not presume to say, who before he paid the debt of death reached the secrets of the third heaven. This John did not dare to say, who for his special love reclined on the breast of his Redeemer at supper. For since the Prophet says: "Behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me," he could not be without fault in the world who came into the world with fault. Hence the same Prophet says: "No living person shall be justified in your sight." Hence Solomon says: "There is no just man on earth who does good and does not sin." Hence John says: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Hence James says: "For in many things we all offend." For it is established that all who were conceived from the pleasure of the flesh—without doubt in their action, or speech, or thought—the prince of this world had something of his own in them. But therefore he could not seize them afterward or hold them before, because He snatched them from their debts who paid the debt of death for us without being in debt, so that our debts do not hold us under the right of our enemy, because the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, freely rendered for us what He did not owe. For He who rendered for us the unowed death of the flesh freed us from the owed death of the soul. He says therefore: "For the prince of this world comes, and in me he has nothing." Hence we must take care, and consider daily with great weeping, how ravenous, how terrible the prince of this world may come seeking his own works in us on the day of our departure, if he came even to God dying in the flesh, and sought something in Him in whom he could find nothing.
What then shall we wretches say, what shall we do, we who have committed innumerable evils? What shall we say to the adversary who searches us and finds much of his own in us, except only this which is our certain refuge and solid hope: that we have been made one with him in whom the prince of this world sought something of his own and could find nothing at all? For he alone is free among the dead. And we are now released from the bondage of sin with true liberty, because we are united to him who is truly free. For it is established, and we cannot deny it, but we truthfully confess that the prince of this world has much in us; yet at the time of our death he cannot seize us, because we have become members of him in whom he has nothing. But what does it profit that we are joined to our Redeemer through faith, if we are separated from him by our conduct? For he himself says: Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore right works must be joined to right faith. Let us wash away the evils we have done through daily laments; let right works arising from love of God and neighbor overcome our past wickedness; let us refuse no good that we can bestow upon our brothers. For we do not otherwise become members of our Redeemer unless by clinging to God and showing compassion to our neighbor.
But because examples rather than words more often stir the hearts of listeners to the love of God and neighbor, I am eager to relate to your charity what my son Epiphanius the deacon, who is present here, born in the province of Isauria, is accustomed to tell as a miracle that occurred in the neighboring land of Lycaonia. For he says that there was a certain monk named Martyrius, a man of very venerable life, who was traveling from his own monastery to visit another monastery over which a spiritual father presided. And so as he went on his way, he found a leper whom the elephantine disease had disfigured throughout his limbs with dense wounds, wanting to return to his lodging but unable to do so because of weariness. And this man said that he had his lodging on that very road where the same monk Martyrius was hastening to go. But the man of God, having pity on the weariness of this leper, immediately threw down and spread out on the ground the cloak with which he was clothed, and placed the leper upon it, and lifting him up wrapped all around in his cloak upon his shoulder, he carried him back with him. And when he was now approaching the doors of the monastery, the spiritual father of that monastery began to cry out with a loud voice: Run, open the doors of the monastery quickly, because brother Martyrius is coming carrying the Lord. But immediately when Martyrius reached the entrance of the monastery, he who was thought to be a leper leaped from his neck, and appearing in that form in which the Redeemer of the human race is accustomed to be recognized by men, God and man Christ Jesus, he returned to heaven while Martyrius watched, and ascending he said to him: Martyrius, you were not ashamed of me on earth; I will not be ashamed of you in heaven. And when this holy man had just entered the monastery, the father of the monastery said to him: Brother Martyrius, where is he whom you were carrying? To which he replied, saying: If I had known who he was, I would have held his feet. Then the same Martyrius related that when he had carried him, he had not felt his weight at all. Nor is this surprising; for how could he feel weight, when he who was being carried was himself carrying the one who bore him? In this matter we must consider how much fraternal compassion avails, how much the bowels of mercy join us to almighty God. For we draw near to him who is above all things precisely when we lower ourselves even beneath ourselves through compassion for our neighbor. In bodily matters, no one touches high things unless he stretches upward; but in spiritual matters it is certain that the more we are drawn down through compassion, the more truly we approach the heights. But behold, for our edification it is not enough for the Redeemer of the human race that he declared he would say at the last judgment: Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me, unless he also showed in himself before the judgment what he had said; so that he might demonstrate that whoever now renders good works to the needy renders them especially to him for whose love he renders them. And the more anyone receives a greater reward, the more he does not despise even him who seems most deserving of contempt. For what in human flesh is more sublime than the flesh of Christ, which is exalted above the angels? And what in human flesh is more abject than the flesh of a leper, which is torn apart by swelling wounds and filled with exhaling stenches? But behold, he appeared in the form of a leper; and he who is to be revered above all things did not disdain to be seen as despised below all things. Why this, except to admonish us who are slower of understanding, that whoever hastens to stand before him who is in heaven should not refuse to be humbled on earth and to suffer with even the abject and despicable brethren? I had resolved to speak to your charity briefly; but because the way of man is not in himself, the flowing speech cannot be restrained, which he himself of whom we speak disposes, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, through all ages of ages. Amen.