Homily 57, on Psalm 147
Latin source: Germanus Morin (ed.), Sancti Hieronymi Presbyteri Tractatus sive Homiliae in Psalmos , Anecdota Maredsolana III (Maredsoli, 1897) — public domain. Psalm numbering follows the Septuagint/Vulgate (Morin).
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. Just now we heard the holy presbyter preaching that, because of its transgression of the law, the Jewish people has been forsaken; and how is it that now it is said, Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion? Then what follows?
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. Is it, then, of this Jerusalem that he speaks? Of this Zion? Praise your God. Why? For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. There are no gates: and how, then, are the bars kept safe? He has blessed your children within you. How has he blessed, he who said, Your house shall be left to you desolate?
Who has set your borders as peace. Where has peace been set, which was overthrown by war? And he fills you with the fat of the wheat. Does wheat have fat? Answer, O Jew, does wheat have fat? If, then, wheat does not have fat, and you are compelled by necessity to understand it spiritually, then according to this verse the rest too must be understood. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem, "vision of peace." Praise your God, O Zion. Zion is interpreted "watchtower." You see, then, what he says: Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem. Wherever there is a vision of peace, wherever there is contemplation of God, there let there be praise of God. Praise the Lord, then, O Church, when you have begun to believe in him and to have peace, and have begun to see peace: this is Jerusalem, "vision of peace." You who were formerly of the idols have been made the servant of God: praise, then, your God. But when you have begun already to have knowledge, and to be a watchtower — this is Zion — praise the Lord: that is, you praise Jerusalem, you praise Zion, you soul of the Church, you Church. Let not the heretics praise, let not the synagogue praise, but you praise. Why? For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. The Lord loves the gates of Zion above all the tabernacles of Jacob. We said the gates of Zion are the prophets. Since, then, we know the gates of Zion are called the prophets, let us see what the bars of the gates are. For truly the prophets are the gates of the Church: we cannot enter the Church except through the prophets. Manichaeus wanted to enter without the gates, and did not enter. Marcion does not receive the Old Testament, and without the gates of the Old Testament he could not enter into the Gospel. We, then, receive the gates, the prophets, and through the gates we enter. But let us see what the bars of the gates are. Many robbers, many thieves long to enter through the gates. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. Oh, if only the Lord would grant to me too that I might be a bar of the gates of Zion! If any of the heretics wished to enter through them into the arrangement of the Gospel, I would stand in the gates, and I would keep him out. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. He has strengthened them. Give me some churchman learned in the heavenly Scriptures: let Eunomius come, let Arius come, wanting to take away something from the prophets against us — does he not stand like a bar, does he not conquer like a bar? For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. Beautifully he said, he has strengthened: so that when you see a churchman disputing, you should not think that it is he who disputes, but he who strengthens the churchman. And he fills you with the fat of the wheat. Unless, he says, the grain of wheat shall fall, it alone shall be saved; but if it itself shall fall, it makes many to be saved. Our Lord, the grain of wheat, fell into the earth, and multiplied us. But this grain of wheat is very rich; it has marrow, it has fat, it has richness. And he fills you with the fat of the wheat. Happy is he who understands the fat in this wheat. We read the holy Scriptures. I hold the Gospel to be the body of Jesus; the holy Scriptures I hold to be his teaching. And when he says, He who has not eaten my flesh and drunk my blood — although it can also be understood in the mystery, yet truly the body of Christ and his blood is the word of the Scriptures, is the divine teaching. If ever we go to the mystery — he who is faithful understands — if a little crumb falls, we are in peril. If ever we hear the word of God, and the word of God and the flesh of Christ and his blood is poured into our ears, and we are thinking of something else, into how great a peril do we run? And he fills you with the fat of the wheat. The divine word is very rich; it has in itself all delights. Whatever you wish is born from the divine word: just as the Jews hand down that the manna, when they ate it, tasted in the mouth according to each one's desire. For instance, he who ate the manna, if he desired apples, or a pear, or grapes, or bread, or meat — according to the kind and the desire of the one eating, so too was the taste in the manna. So too in the flesh of Christ, which is the word of teaching, that is, the interpretation of the holy Scriptures, as we wish, so also do we receive the food. If you are holy, you find refreshment; if you are a sinner, you find torment. And he fills you with the fat of the wheat. He leaves no remnants. He has blessed your children within you. As many as received him, he gave them power to become children of God. Who has set your borders as peace. In another psalm we read: And his place was made in peace. My peace I give to you, my peace I leave to you. My peace: not as the world has peace, since indeed the peace of the world is our war. My peace I give to you. Have war with the world, and you will have my peace. Who has set your borders as peace. He, then, who is not at peace with his brother, this man is not within the borders of Jerusalem. Let someone say: What am I to do? My brother does not want to be reconciled with me — am I then outside the borders of Jerusalem? As much as it lies in you, he says, having peace with all men. With those who hated peace, I was peaceable. You, keep the peace: if another is angry, he has war, and through his war peace is born for you. Do you want to know how there can be both war and peace? The wretched Judas was coming to the betrayal, and the Lord offers him peace by a kiss: he creates war out of the kiss.
Who sends forth his word to the earth. Answer, O Jew: if he was speaking of wheat, And he fills you with the fat of the wheat, how does he now say, Who sends forth his word to the earth? In the beginning was the Word. This Word is sent forth in the flesh. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. Who sends forth his word to the earth. At that time was fulfilled, The earth has given its fruit. Who sends forth his word to the earth. He is speaking of the preaching of the Gospel, of the teaching of the apostles. Then follows: Swiftly runs his word. For into all the earth his word was heard, and into the whole world the apostolic teaching. One poor man, already old, preached from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum, and swiftly runs his word. Since, then, it had come from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum, and his word had run swiftly, next it follows, and that very word which had said, From Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum, says: But I wish to go even to the Spains. This the apostle Paul speaks. See the swiftness of the word. He is not content with the east: he longs to run to the west.
Who gives snow like wool, who scatters mist like ashes. He sends his crystal like morsels. See how great is the difficulty, how obscure are the things that are said. Before the face of his cold, who shall stand? Whose? Nothing is said. Then it is said:
He shall send forth his word, and shall melt them. Of that one of whom he had said, He sends forth his word to the earth: He shall send forth his word. Who shall send it forth? God the Father. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. We have named the Father, we have named the Son: we cannot believe in a twofold number, unless the Trinity be completed. His spirit shall blow, and the waters shall flow. You see that where the Father and the Word of God are, at once the Holy Spirit is there too. Let us see, then, from the beginning what is said. And he fills you with the fat of the wheat: he sends forth his word to the earth, swiftly runs his word. Suddenly, what follows? Who gives snow like wool. The word of the Lord, which runs swiftly, is given as it were like snow, and that snow is as it were like wool. See the mercy of the Lord. The food of the Lord is turned for us into a garment. John had said of the Lord the Savior: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. And in another place Isaiah: Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter. Of this lamb, then, and of this sheep, this wool is as it were like snow. Isaiah says: If your sins be like scarlet, they shall be made white like snow. You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: you shall wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Who gives snow like wool. Take away, O Lord, my filth, take away whatever vice there is. Grant your snow and your purity to Christian minds. Unless you give us the snow of your cleansings, we cannot have your garment. Christ is our garment. If we wish to have the garment of Christ, let us be clean like snow. He scatters mist like ashes. The Latin translated badly, "mist": for what is called ὁμίχλη (homichlē, "mist") in Greek, in Hebrew has "hoarfrost." And so it follows thus: He scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He teaches us, and makes for us a garment like snow; and when he has clothed us with his garment, then he grants us nourishment. He scatters hoarfrost like ashes. See what he says, like ashes. Do you wish to be clean? Do penance. I ate my bread like ashes, and mingled my drink with weeping. Do you not see how he scatters his hoarfrost like ashes? A great change of things: out of ashes snow is made, out of penance one is made clean.
He sends his crystal like morsels. As his loaves are broken and become morsels, so too this crystal is broken and turned into morsels. Crystal has this nature: it forms whenever waters are frozen — what we call ice. Between crystal and water, then, there is the same difference as between water and ice: for water is poured out, as it were, very broadly, whereas crystal is, as it were, compacted into itself, and reduced into one form. Whenever water freezes, it makes crystal. Since, then, we cannot grasp the flesh with the whole word, it is broken, so that we may grasp it through those parts. The matters are obscure, and the difficulty of interpretation does not allow us to speak more broadly. Before the face of his cold, who shall stand? Whose? Some say the crystal's, but others say God's. To me, however, it seems that Before the face of his cold, who shall stand? is said of God. Of God I say it, Before the face of his cold, who shall stand? What torments are said in the holy Scriptures to be prepared for the sinner? Nothing is hotter than Gehenna, and yet it itself is cold. Gehenna is of fire: but if anyone has grown sufficiently cold, he is cast into the fire of Gehenna. It is written that in the last days the love of many shall grow cold. Whoever, then, has grown cold in this way, this man is cast into the fire. May the Lord grant to us that cold may never enter our hearts: we do not sin unless love has first grown cold. Then, what does the apostle also say? Fervent in spirit. Our God is a fire. If, then, God is fire, he is fire for this reason: to cast out the cold of the devil. The north wind, the coldest wind; but by name it is called "the right." Beautifully he said, is called: it has taken to itself a name, though it is on the left. If, then, anyone's soul has grown cold, like the north wind, the coldest wind — if ever the warmth of love grows cold in our heart, if it has sinned, if it has grown cold, if it has died... Attend diligently to what I say: if it has grown cold, if it has died. To grow cold belongs to the dead, to be warm to the living. If anyone, then, has grown cold and died, God will send his word, and will melt him. May the Lord grant that our cold too may be melted, that that crystal may be dissolved and become soft. He shall send forth his word, and shall melt them. Give me a sinner who does not look to God, who has no warmth, but is wholly cold, and dead: if at the word of God he is pierced with compunction, and begins to do penance, and the hardest things of his heart are softened, at that time is fulfilled, He shall send forth his word, and shall melt them. The Father sends forth, the Word is sent, the Holy Spirit is joined. His spirit shall blow. Fervent in spirit. The cold is not driven out except by the warmth of the Holy Spirit. Where are the Eunomians, the Arians, where are the Macedonians, who say: We do not number the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son? God the Father sends, the Word is sent: and yet there is no full healing, unless the Holy Spirit shall have blown. His spirit shall blow, and the waters shall flow. The waters. What before was hard shall become soft. He who before could give righteousness to no one, this man is now a disciple.
But since we have spoken at length, and the things that follow are plain, let us pray the Lord that our hardness too may soften, that our sins too may be purged, that we may be made as it were fire, that the cold of the devil, whatever there is of it in our hearts, may be driven out, that we may grow warm with the Holy Spirit. For there is also an evil warmth. All the adulterers, their hearts are like an oven. But that warmth is driven out by the warmth of the Holy Spirit. To whom be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.