From an old codex of the library of St Emmeram, this sermon now comes to light for the first time. The venerable festivity of blessed John the Baptist, most dear brethren, is today celebrated by the faithful throughout the whole world; he who deserved this by prophetic dignity, that the posterity of the faithful should not be silent concerning his praises, whose very nativity was consecrated by God. So greatly, moreover, did a special election shine forth in him, that, born of most righteous parents, he deserved to announce beforehand that the Lord, the Saviour of this world, was to come, even before he had the beginning of being born.
Then Elizabeth, a holy and aged woman, when, because of her barrenness, having despaired of a son by a husband now old, she conceived at the angel's foretelling, being visited by the most chaste virgin Mary, who also had conceived the Saviour in her womb by the Holy Spirit at the angel's word, said at the very meeting of their salutation: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb: for behold, as soon as the voice of your salutation reached my ears, the infant leaped for joy in my womb (Luke 1). O how worthy and happy the meeting of holy women! O how holy a greeting, when the mother of the Lord and Saviour visits the mother of the Forerunner!
O most blessed mothers, most holy nurses of most blessed little ones! O glorious office of the herald, who, while still enclosed within his mother's bowels, was already revealing by the prophetic spirit the Saviour of the world to come, whom as yet he could not reveal by speech; for mortal nature could not, under the old law, keep its own order, when through the new grace of the Godhead a new mystery was being prepared for the salvation of men. For this is John, who was called by the prophet Isaiah, The voice of one crying in the wilderness (Isaiah 40), who is rightly called a voice, because at the thundering of his proclamation mortality, long since deaf to every good hearing, began to hear the sacraments of human redemption.
Let us therefore, most dear ones, hear what the Saviour's herald preached for the profit of us all: Prepare, he says, the way of the Lord, make straight his paths (Luke 3). Truly worthy was blessed John, who might direct the crookedness of those living ill into straight paths: for what is it to prepare the way of the Lord, but to make ready for the Lord a dwelling of a simple heart, when the breast has been cleansed from vices through confession and penance, for the Judge coming from heaven? What is it to make straight the paths of our God, but that we should fortify for ourselves ways from the deeds of our conduct, along which the gracious Lord, coming to us, may delight to walk?
He prepares the way for his Lord who, spurning the desires of his wanton flesh, cleaving with the sole effort of his mind to the Lord's commandments, girds himself with the vigour of chastity and continence. He prepares the best way for God who, resisting malignant thoughts, ever strives to walk before God with a pure heart and a chaste body. We therefore, brethren, so long as we cling to the desires of the flesh and to earthly cupidities, do not prepare the way of the Lord according to the prophetic admonitions. Wherefore, returning to the baptismal precepts of John, let us prepare the Lord's way within us by worthy penance, and by a most truthful confession of the evils which
we have committed, and by almsgiving, and by the solicitous care of the poor, and by the other works of justice and piety; so that the Lord, seeing in us the ways of a good will, may deign to bring his little sheep, now wearied by many labours and tribulations, along with himself from the toilsome life of this world to eternal joys; so that, just as today we rejoice in the nativity of the Lord's Forerunner, so we may be glad concerning our reconciliation with God our Father, this being wrought and bestowed by our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the coeternal Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns as God unto all ages of ages. Amen.