HOMILY II.
Let no one perhaps reproach me in silent thought because I presume to discuss such profound mysteries of the prophet Ezekiel, unattempted by great expositors; let them recognize with what mind I do this. For I undertake this not with rashness but with humility. For I know that very often many things in sacred Scripture which I was unable to understand alone, I understood when placed before my brethren. From which understanding I have also studied to understand this as well, so that I might know by whose merit understanding was given to me. For it is clear that this is given to me on account of those in whose presence it is given to me. From this matter, by God's generosity, it happens that both understanding grows and pride decreases, since I learn for your sake what I teach among you, because (I confess truly) very often I hear with you what I say. Whatever therefore I shall understand less in this prophet is due to my blindness; if indeed I shall be able to understand anything fittingly, it is from the divine gift of your veneration. Often however through the grace of the almighty Lord certain things in His Scripture are understood better when the word of God is read more privately, and the soul, conscious of its faults, when it recognizes what it has heard, strikes itself with the dart of grief and pierces itself through with the sword of compunction, so that nothing pleases it except to weep, and to wash away stains with flowing tears. Among which things sometimes it is also snatched up to contemplate higher things, and is tortured with sweet weeping in desire for them. The soul grieves to be here, where it still lies prostrate through weakness, and to not yet be there where, illuminated, it might vigorously flourish, and no longer bring back the eye of the mind to the darkness of mortality. Hence therefore, hence ardor is born in the mind, grief arises from ardor. And because it is not yet able to cling to heavenly things, wearied by its fervor it rests in tears. But it is one thing when the matter concerns the progress of one person, another when it concerns the edification of many. Therefore those things are to be brought forth in the discourse of teaching, by God's generosity, which compose the life and conduct of the hearers. Now therefore let us pursue, as we have begun, whatever edifies us toward the zeal of good works in the words of the prophet. Son of man, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears.
Brought to the testimony of spiritual things, what is it that when it is said: "See with eyes," "your" is added, and when it is subjoined "Hear with ears," "your" is added? But it should be known that the eyes and ears of the body are present even to carnal men, and are in use for them for things that are seen corporeally. But the eyes and ears of the heart belong only to spiritual men, who see invisible things through the intellect, and hear the praise of God without sound. The almighty Lord was seeking these ears when He said: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." For who in that people could there have been then who did not have ears of the body? But when it is said: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear," it is openly shown that He was seeking those ears which not all could have. Let it be said therefore: "Son of man, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears." Now in the earlier part of our expositions we have already said why the prophet, as often as he is led to see spiritual things, is called son of man. But lest this should slip from mind, I briefly repeat that by this appellation he is always reminded what he is from weakness, lest he be lifted up by the greatness of contemplation. And it should be noted that it is distinctive that he is told, "See with your eyes, hear with your ears," and yet is called son of man. But through these words what else is openly said to him, except: behold spiritual things spiritually, and yet remember your carnal weaknesses?
Hence it is also that often one who is more caught up in contemplation happens to be more wearied in temptation; as is wont to happen frequently to certain ones who are making good progress, whose mind, while either compunction affects it or contemplation carries it above itself, temptation also immediately follows, lest it be exalted on account of those things to which it was carried. For by compunction or contemplation it is raised up to God, but by the weight of its temptation it is beaten back to itself, so that temptation may burden it lest contemplation puff it up; and likewise contemplation may elevate it lest temptation plunge it down. For if contemplation were to lift it up in such a way that temptation were utterly absent, the soul would fall into pride. And if temptation were to press down in such a way that contemplation did not elevate, it would slide fully into fault. But by a wondrous dispensation, the soul is balanced in a certain middle state, so that it neither grows proud in good things nor falls in evil things. Whence also it is said of the Lord through blessed Job: "And he weighs out the waters by measure." For to weigh out the waters by measure for God is to guard the perception of souls in humility between prosperity and adversity, between gifts and temptations, between the highest and lowest things. Thus Elijah had brought down fire from heaven, had bound up the waters from heaven, and yet terrified by the fear of one woman, he was fleeing through the wilderness. An angel appears to him as he flees, offers him food, foretells that a long journey remains, and yet does not shake the fear from his heart, because in the prophet's mind that weakness of fear was a great guardian of fortitude. There follows: "Set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you have been brought here so that they might be shown to you. Announce all that you see to the house of Israel."
Set your heart upon it. As if it were said: Consider. Because you have been brought here that these things may be shown to you, and declare all that you see. That is, you have been brought here in order to see, and you see in order to declare, because whoever advances by seeing spiritual things, must also offer them to others by speaking. Indeed, he sees in order to declare, who in that wherein he himself advances also takes care to preach for the advancement of his neighbor. Hence it is also written elsewhere: Let him who hears say: Come. For he in whose heart the voice of God calling has already become effective, must necessarily break forth in voice to his neighbors through the office of preaching; and therefore he calls another, because he himself has already been called. Hence also the bridegroom speaks in the Song of Songs, saying: You who dwell in the gardens, friends are listening, make me hear your voice. For the holy Church dwells in gardens, each soul dwells in gardens, which is already filled with the greenness of hope and the charity of good works. Indeed, the hope of this world is dry, because all things that are loved here wither with haste; and the apostle Peter urges us to hasten, saying: To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, unfading. She therefore who already dwells in the gardens must make her bridegroom hear her voice, that is, send forth the song of good preaching, in which he whom she desires may delight, because friends are listening, namely all the elect, who, that they may be revived to the heavenly homeland, desire to hear the words of life. But now let the prophet open to us the things he sees. There follows: And behold a wall outside round about the house on every side.
Generally in sacred Scripture the incarnate Lord Himself is accustomed to be called a wall from the protection of His defense, just as it is said of holy Church through the prophet: "A wall and a rampart shall be set in her." For He Himself is a wall to us, who surrounds us by guarding us on every side. But the rampart of our wall were all the prophets, who before the Lord appeared in the flesh were sent to build up faith by prophesying. In holy Church, therefore, the Lord is set as a wall to us and His prophets as a rampart, because to us whom He Himself perfectly protects, the words of the prophets also came for the building up of faith. Whence also the wall is rightly placed first, and the rampart afterward, because we who were called from the Gentiles would by no means have received the sayings of His prophets unless we had first come to know the Lord. And it should be noted that this wall of the spiritual building is said to be on the outside. For a wall that is built for the fortification of a building is customarily placed not on the inside but on the outside. What need was there, then, to say "on the outside," since a wall is never customarily placed on the inside? Because it is necessary that being placed on the outside it defend those things which are within. But in this word what is openly demonstrated except the Lord's incarnation itself? For God is a wall to us within, but God made man is a wall to us without. Whence it is said to Him through a certain prophet: "You went forth for the salvation of Your people, to save Your anointed ones." For this incarnate wall, namely the Lord, would not be a wall to us if He had not been on the outside, because He would not protect us within if He did not appear outwardly. But neither should this be carelessly passed over, that this same wall is said to be placed around the house on every side. For the house of God is not only the holy angels, of whom the Psalmist says: "Lord, I have loved the beauty of Your house, and the place of the tabernacle of Your glory," but we also are His house, whose minds He deigns to inhabit. And this wall is on every side around the house, because the Only-begotten of the Father, who is the strength of the angels above, He Himself became below the redemption of men. To them He is strength lest they fall, to us He is help that we may rise after the fall.
But if by the house of God in this place only the multitude of redeemed men is signified, the Lord is our wall on every side and all around, because, in order to guard us perfectly, He demonstrated all things that He taught, as it is written: "What Jesus began to do and to teach." For since He came to call us to the heavenly fatherland, He surely taught us to despise transitory goods and not to fear temporal evils. Hence He did not disdain reproaches, He endured injuries, He did not fear death, He did not flee from the gibbet of the cross; and when they wished to seize Him and make Him king, He immediately fled; what else was He indicating to us by these examples, except that we ought not to fear the adversities of this world, and to avoid its prosperities? Because its goods usually occupy the mind more than its evils disturb it. Indeed, before His passion He heard insults, yet did not return insults; He silently endured His betrayer for a long time, and did not refuse to give a kiss to him who greeted Him deceitfully; He accepted death, so that we would not fear to die; He showed forth the resurrection, so that we might believe that we can rise again. After His passion also, He called to the grace of faith those who had crucified Him, He returned a gift for iniquity. Therefore He who instructed us by His own example concerning all things has become a wall for us all around and on every side. There follows: "And in the man's hand was a measuring reed of six cubits and a handbreadth."
In the previous reading we already said that Sacred Scripture is signified by the reed. This reed is said to be for measuring, because in it we measure every action of our life, so that we may see either how much we are progressing, or how far distant we are from progress. For often when doing something, we believe ourselves to be of a certain merit; but when we return to the words of God, we hear the lofty precepts, and there we recognize how far short we fall of perfection. Therefore the reed is for measuring, because through the hands of those who write, the life of those who hear is measured. This reed is said to be in the hand of the man, either because sacred eloquence is in the power of the Mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, or certainly because what He willed to be written He fulfilled by His working. Moreover this same reed is described as being six cubits and a handbreadth. For there are two lives in which almighty God instructs us through sacred eloquence, namely the active and the contemplative. And by the six cubits what else is expressed but the active life? Because on the sixth day God completed all His works. But the handbreadth, which is said to be beyond the six cubits, is already of the seventh, yet is not a cubit. Therefore the active life is signified by the six cubits, the contemplative by the handbreadth, because we complete the former by work, but of the latter even when we strive, we are scarcely able to attain some small part.
The active life is to give bread to the hungry, to teach the word of wisdom to the ignorant, to correct the erring, to recall a proud neighbor to the path of humility, to care for the sick, to dispense what is expedient for each individual, and to provide for those entrusted to us how they may subsist. But the contemplative life is to retain the love of God and neighbor with the whole mind, yet to rest from outward action, to cling only to the desire of the Creator, so that nothing is now pleasing to do, but, with all cares trampled underfoot, the soul burns to see the face of its Creator; so that it now knows how to bear the weight of corruptible flesh with sorrow, and with all desires longs to be present among those hymn-singing choirs of angels, to be mingled with the heavenly citizens, to rejoice in eternal incorruption in the sight of God. In the palm, therefore, the hand and fingers are extended. But only a small part of the cubit's measure is touched by the palm, because however great the love with which the soul burns, however great the strength with which it stretches itself toward God in thought, it does not yet perfectly see what it loves, but still only begins to see what it loves, because as the most mighty preacher says: We see now through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face. And, Now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I am known. From the seventh cubit, therefore, we touch only a palm, because while placed in this life we taste only the beginnings of intimate contemplation. For since the active life can be held perfectly, and man was created on the sixth day, who ought to do good works, the measuring rod has six cubits.
These two women have aptly signified both lives, namely Martha and Mary: one of whom was busy about frequent service, while the other sat at the Lord's feet and listened to the words from his mouth. And when Martha complained against her sister that she neglected to help her, the Lord answered, saying: Martha, you are occupied and busy about many things; but one thing is necessary. Mary, however, has chosen the best part, which shall not be taken from her. Behold, Martha's part is not reproved, but Mary's is praised. For he does not say that Mary chose a good part, but the best, so that Martha's part also might be indicated as good. And why Mary's part is best is added when it is said: Which shall not be taken from her. For the active life fails with the body. For who in the eternal homeland will offer bread to the hungry, where no one hungers? Who will give drink to the thirsty, where no one thirsts? Who will bury the dead, where no one dies? Therefore, with the present age the active life is taken away, but the contemplative begins here to be perfected in the heavenly homeland, because the fire of love which begins to burn here, when it sees him whom it loves, will blaze more greatly in love of him. The contemplative life, therefore, is by no means taken away, because when the light of the present age is withdrawn, it is perfected.
These two lives, as has also been said before us, the two wives of blessed Jacob signified, namely Leah and Rachel. For Leah is interpreted as "laborious," but Rachel as "sheep" or "the beginning of vision." The active life indeed is laborious, because it sweats in work; but the contemplative life, simple, yearns only to see the beginning, namely Him who says: "I am the beginning, wherefore I also speak to you." Now blessed Jacob had desired Rachel, but in the night he received Leah, because indeed everyone who is converted to the Lord desires the contemplative life, longs for the rest of the eternal homeland; but first it is necessary that in the night of the present life he work the good things he can, that he sweat in labor, that is, that he receive Leah, so that afterward he may rest in the embraces of Rachel to see the beginning. Now Rachel was seeing, but barren; but Leah was blear-eyed, yet fruitful; Rachel was beautiful and unfruitful, because the contemplative life is beautiful in the soul, but while it desires to rest in silence, it does not beget children through preaching. It sees and does not give birth, because while it loves the pursuit of its own quiet, it kindles itself less in the gathering of others; and however much it perceives inwardly, it does not suffice to open this to others by preaching. But Leah is blear-eyed and fruitful, because the active life, while it is occupied in work, sees less, but while it kindles neighbors to imitation of itself now through word, now through example, it begets many children in good work. And if it cannot stretch the mind in contemplation, yet from what it does outwardly, it is able to beget followers. Rightly therefore in the measure of the rod six cubits are said first, and afterward a handbreadth, because the active life is carried out first, so that one may come afterward to the contemplative.
But it must be known that just as the good order of living is to advance from the active life to the contemplative, so very often the mind is usefully turned back from the contemplative to the active, so that through what the contemplative life has kindled in the mind, the active life may be held more perfectly. Therefore the active life ought to transfer us to the contemplative, and yet sometimes the contemplative life ought to call us back better to the active from what we have beheld inwardly with the mind. Hence the same Jacob, after the embraces of Rachel, returned to Leah, because even after seeing the Beginning, the laborious life of good work must not be utterly abandoned.
There is, moreover, in the contemplative life a great straining of the mind, when it raises itself toward heavenly things, when it directs its attention to spiritual realities, when it strives to transcend everything that is seen corporally, when it narrows itself in order to be enlarged. And indeed sometimes it prevails, and overcomes the resisting darkness of its own blindness, so that it touches something of the uncircumscribed light, furtively and faintly; but nevertheless, immediately repelled, it returns to itself, and from that light to which it passed over by breathing in, it returns by sighing to the darkness of its blindness. Sacred history designates this well, which narrates that blessed Jacob wrestled with an angel. For when he was returning to his own parents, he found an angel on the way, with whom he had a great contest in wrestling. For he who contends in wrestling sometimes finds himself superior, but sometimes finds the one with whom he has contended inferior. The angel therefore designates the Lord, and Jacob who contended with the angel expresses the soul of any perfect man established in contemplation. Which soul indeed, when it strives to contemplate God, as if placed in a certain contest, now as it were prevails, because by understanding and perceiving it tastes something of the uncircumscribed light; but now it yields, because even in tasting it fails again. The angel is therefore as it were conquered when God is apprehended by the innermost understanding.
But it should be noted that the same angel, being conquered, touched the sinew of Jacob's thigh and immediately made it wither, and from that time Jacob limped on one foot, because indeed when almighty God is now known through desire and understanding, He dries up all fleshly pleasure in us. And we who before seemed to seek God and hold onto the world, as if leaning on two feet, after the knowledge of God's sweetness one foot in us remains sound and the other limps, because it is necessary that, with love of the world weakened, the love of God alone may grow strong in us. If therefore we hold the angel, we limp on one foot, because while the strength of inward love grows in us, the strength of the flesh is without doubt weakened. For everyone who limps on one foot leans only on that foot which he has sound, because whoever has had earthly desire already dried up sustains himself with all his strength on the sole foot of the love of God. And he stands on that one, because the foot of worldly love which he was accustomed to place on the earth, he now carries suspended from the earth. And therefore if we return to our own parents, that is, to our spiritual fathers, let us hold the angel on the way, that we may apprehend God with inward sweetness. For the lovable sweetness of the contemplative life is very great, which snatches the soul above itself, opens heavenly things, shows that earthly things ought to be despised, and reveals spiritual things to the eyes of the mind while hiding corporeal things. Whence the Church well says in the Song of Songs: I sleep, and my heart watches. For she sleeps with a watching heart, because through that which she advances inwardly by contemplating, she rests from restless outward work.
But amid these things it must be known that as long as one lives in this mortal flesh, no one advances so far in the power of contemplation that he may fix the eyes of his mind upon that very uncircumscribed ray of light. For Almighty God is not yet beheld in His brightness, but the soul gazes upon something beneath it, whereby being refreshed it may advance, and afterward attain to the glory of beholding Him. For thus Isaiah, when he confessed that he had seen the Lord, saying: "In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up," immediately added: "And the things that were under Him filled the temple." When king Uzziah, proud and presumptuous, dies, the Lord is seen, because when the exaltation of this world is slain from the desire of the mind, then the mind itself contemplates the glory of God. And it should be noted that the Lord sits upon a throne high and lifted up. For what is His throne, except the angelic or human creature, over which He presides through the understanding He gave? Which throne indeed is called high and lifted up, because both human nature advances, being raised to heavenly glory, and the angelic creature, since when many spirits were falling it was already made firm in heaven lest it fall, was lifted up from the same source whence it was also confirmed. But His temple is the same as His throne, because the eternal King dwells where He sits. We therefore are His temple, in whose minds He deigns to dwell. But the things that were under Him filled the temple, because whatever is now beheld of Him is not yet Himself, but is beneath Him. Thus Jacob saw an angel, and confesses that he saw the Lord, because when we behold His ministers, it is already much that we are raised above ourselves. But it should be noted that it says: "They filled the temple," since even if an angel appears, he satisfies the desire of a weak mind, so that if it cannot yet see something greater, it may nevertheless already wonder at the lesser thing it sees. Therefore the things that are under Him fill the temple, because, as has been said, even when the mind has advanced in contemplation, it does not yet contemplate what He Himself is, but that which is beneath Him. In which contemplation indeed a taste of inner rest is touched. Because this is as it were a certain part, and cannot now be perfect, it is rightly written in the Apocalypse: "There was silence in heaven, as it were for half an hour." For heaven is the soul of the just, as the Lord says through the prophet: "Heaven is My throne." And, "The heavens declare the glory of God." Therefore when the rest of the contemplative life is carried on in the mind, there is silence in heaven, because the tumult of earthly activities is quieted from thought, so that the mind may apply its ear to the innermost secret. But because this rest of the mind cannot be perfect in this life, the silence made in heaven is by no means said to be a full hour, but as it were half an hour, so that not even that half hour itself is fully perceived, since "as it were" is put before it, because as soon as the mind has begun to raise itself up, and to be suffused with the light of innermost rest, when the tumult of thoughts returns more quickly, it is confounded from within itself, and being confounded is blinded. Therefore the contemplative life which is there called as it were half an hour, is called by the prophet Ezekiel not a cubit, but a handbreadth. Behold, dearest brethren, while we desired to express the conditions of each life, we have spoken a little more extensively in digression. But to good minds, to whom both of these same lives are lovely to pursue, it should not be burdensome to hear. There follows: "And he measured the breadth of the building, one reed, and the height also one reed."
Almighty God, who is neither stretched in great things nor confined in the smallest, speaks of the whole Church at once as if He speaks of one soul. And often what is said by Him of one soul presents no obstacle if it is understood of the whole Church at once. The breadth of the building, therefore, pertains to charity, of which the Psalmist says: "Your commandment is exceedingly broad." For nothing is broader than to receive all in the embrace of love and to endure no narrow straits of hatred. Indeed, charity is so broad that in the amplitude of its love it can embrace even enemies. Hence it is also commanded: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." We must also consider that breadth extends in equality, while height extends in sublimity. Breadth, therefore, pertains to love of neighbor; height to the understanding of the Creator. But the breadth and height of the building are measured by one reed, because indeed each soul, however broad it may be in love of neighbor, will be equally high in knowledge of God. For while it expands itself alongside through love, it exalts itself above through knowledge; and it becomes as lofty above itself as it extends itself alongside itself in love of neighbor. And because the building that God inhabits is completed from both angelic and human nature together, through the fact that the angelic creature is above and the human still below, both of these creatures can be signified by the breadth and height of the building, because the latter still dwells in the depths while the former remains in the heights. But both are measured by one reed, because the humility of humans is at some point brought to equality with the angels. Hence it is written: "They shall neither marry nor be given in marriage, but shall be as the angels of God in heaven." And hence it is said through John: "The measure of a man, which is of an angel." Because man is brought to that height of glory in which the angels rejoice that they are established. The breadth of the building, therefore, is as great as its height, because all the elect who now labor in the depths will at some point not be unequal to those most blessed spirits. But let us amid these things return to our mind, and love God and neighbor with all the marrow of our heart. Let us be expanded in the affection of charity, that we may be exalted in the glory of loftiness. Let us suffer with our neighbor through love, that we may be joined to God through knowledge. Let us condescend to the least of our brothers on earth, that we may be made equal to the angels in heaven, because the man who signifies the Redeemer by his image measured the breadth of the building with one reed, and the height also with one reed. Now therefore He measures conduct, weighs works, considers thoughts, so that afterward He may render recompense without end—Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten of the Father, who lives and reigns with Him in the unity of the Holy Spirit, through all ages of ages. Amen.