Moralia in Job 1241

From God the holy preachers go forth and return to Him, attributing to Him alone the miracles by which they flash. For lightnings go forth from the clouds, just as wondrous works are shown forth from the holy preachers. Who, as we have often said, are for that reason wont to be called clouds, because they both flash with miracles and rain with words. And because human hearts, after they have not been softened by preaching, are troubled by these lightnings of miracles, we have learned by the testimony of the Prophet, who says: 'Thou shalt multiply lightnings, and shalt trouble them' (Ps. 17:15). As if he said: While they do not hear the words of thy preaching, they are troubled by the miracles of those who preach. Whence it is written elsewhere:

'Thy darts shall go forth in light, in the splendor of the lightning of thy arms' (Hab. 3:11). For the darts of God to go in light is for His words to resound with open truth. But because men often despise the words of life even when understood, miracles too are added. Whence He subjoined there: 'In the splendor of the lightning of thy arms.' For the splendor of arms is the brightness of miracles. For with arms we protect ourselves, with darts we destroy adversities. Arms therefore with darts are miracles with preachings. For the holy preachers strike their adversaries with their words as with certain darts;

But by their arms, that is, by miracles, they defend themselves, so that both by the hurling of their darts they may make known how greatly they are to be heard, and by the arms of their miracles they may shine forth as to how greatly they are to be revered. Therefore it is said to blessed Job: 'Wilt thou send forth lightnings, and will they go, and returning will they say to thee, Here we are?' — understanding, 'to me.' For the lightnings go forth when preachers flash with miracles and pierce the hearts of their hearers with heavenly reverence. But returning they say, 'Here we are,' when they attribute not to themselves but to the powers of God whatever they know themselves to have done mightily. What, then, is it to say to God, 'Here we are'? For a certain submission is declared in this word.

Therefore for the returning holy preachers to say 'Here we are' is to render praise to that grace from which they perceive they have received the victory of the battle, lest they should attribute to themselves what they accomplish. And indeed the lightnings can go forth by working, but they cannot return by growing proud. This Peter afforded. Let us therefore behold the lightning going forth: Peter says to a certain lame man, 'Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, that I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.' And taking him by the right hand he lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle-bones were made strong, and leaping up he stood, and walked. But when the crowd of the Jews had been stirred by this deed, let us now behold the lightning returning, which says:

'Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers hath glorified his Son Jesus.' And a little after: 'Whereof we are witnesses; and his name, through faith in his name, hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know; and the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.' The lightning went forth, then, when Peter wrought the miracle; it returned when he attributed what he had done not to himself but to its Author. The lightnings go forth when holy preachers display wondrous works, but in returning they say 'Here we are,' when in what they do they run back to the power of their Author.

Preachers sent forth to the public work of action should take care to return to the secret of contemplation. — Yet this can also be understood otherwise. For the lightnings, as was said above, are the holy men who are sent forth and go when they pass out from the secret of contemplation to the public work of action. They are sent and go when they are poured out from the hidden depth of inmost contemplation into the breadth of the active life. But returning they say to God, 'Here we are,' because after the outward works which they perform they ever run back to the bosom of contemplation, that there they may rekindle the flame of their ardour, and as though from the touch of heavenly brightness catch fire.

For amidst even those good outward works they would quickly grow cold, unless with anxious intent they returned unceasingly to the fire of contemplation. Whence it is well said by Solomon: 'Unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return, that they may flow again.' For the very ones who are here called lightnings are there called rivers. Because they water the hearts of their hearers, they are called rivers; but because they kindle them, they are recorded as lightnings. Concerning whom it is written elsewhere: 'The rivers have lifted up, O Lord; the rivers have lifted up their voices.' And again: 'His lightnings enlightened the world.'

Therefore 'unto the place from whence the rivers come they return,' because holy men, although for our sake they come forth from the sight of their Creator (whose brightness they strive to behold in their mind) for the ministry of the active life, nevertheless run back unceasingly to the holy zeal of contemplation; and if in their preaching they pour themselves outwardly upon our ears through bodily words, yet with silent mind they ever return to contemplate the very Fountain of light itself. Concerning whom it is also well said: 'That they may flow again.' For unless with anxious mind they ever ran back to the contemplation of God, without doubt an inward dryness would dry up even the outward words of their preaching.

But while they thirst unceasingly to see God, then, as it were, rivers about to run outward ever rise up within, so that there by loving they may take up whence they may flow down to us by preaching. Rightly therefore may it be said: 'Wilt thou send forth lightnings, and will they go, and returning will they say to thee, Here we are?' — understanding, 'as I do, who dispose my preachers, when I will, after the grace of contemplation, to the ministry of the active life; whom nevertheless I ever recall from outward goods to the inward summit of contemplation, so that now, being bidden, they go forth to perform works, and now, being recalled, they live more intimately with me in the zeal of contemplation.'

So, returning, they say 'Here we are,' because although through their outward acts they seem to fall a little short of contemplation, yet through the ardour of desire, which they continually kindle in their mind, they show forth their presence in obedience to God. For to say 'Here we are' is to show oneself present by loving. There follows: