On this passage of the Gospel there is a homily whose beginning is: 'If you have diligently heard the evangelical lesson,' etc., which we published as number 85, column 283 of this volume, and in that same place we showed Saint Maximus to be its author. Therefore this sermon too is to be attributed to him; because it follows the homily with the inscription 'Likewise on the above' in the praised Casanatense codex there, and is composed in a similar manner of writing. The disciples, still not knowing how great is the glory of humility, were contending over the precedence of their own merit or honor, saying to the Lord: 'Who, thinkest Thou, is the greater in the kingdom of heaven?' (Matt. 18).
The disciples had a contention as to who was the greater in the kingdom of heaven, whereas without doubt with God he is held the greater who has been the humbler, as He Himself says: 'He that shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted' (Matt. 23). Whence not without reason, to cut off this unnecessary contention of His disciples, 'Jesus,' it says, 'called a child, and set him in the midst of them, and said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted and become as children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven' (Matt. 18).
With the child set in the midst as an example, the Lord exhorts His disciples, showing that unless each one has been made as a child, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. But not for that reason did the Lord bring forward the example of children, nor does He therefore bid us be made as children, that we should imitate children in age—since an already older age cannot return again to being an infant—but that we should imitate the infancy and innocence of children. The blessed Apostle knew in what manner we are bidden by the Lord to be children when he says: 'Do not become children in sense, but in malice be little ones, that in sense you may be perfect' (1 Cor. 14).
For a child or little one does not know the malice of the world, knows not how to commit sin, works no evil to his neighbor, holds no anger, hates no one, seeks not riches, admires not the glory of this very world, always follows his father, does not depart from his mother. For this reason therefore the Lord wills us to be made as children, that by a like example we may live in the present world without malice and without guile. Let us flee sin, let us work no evil to our neighbor; let us hold no anger, let us seek neither riches nor the glory of the world. Let us always follow our Father, that is, God, whose sons by adoption we have already begun to be; let us not depart from our mother, that is, from the Church, through whom we have been spiritually born to God.
In the bosom of this mother, like little ones properly placed in a father's embrace, let us rest. By her wholesome doctrine let us daily be nourished, that we may grow in the faith and grace of baptism; according to what Peter in his Epistle testified, saying: 'As infants, love milk, that in it you may grow' (1 Pet. 2). Saint John too shows us in his Epistle in what manner we ought to be children, when he says: 'I write to you, children, because you have known the Father' (1 John 2). In this therefore we are commanded to be children, that we may acknowledge the Father; that we may live innocent and simple as doves in this world. The Lord therefore, willing there to be in us this kind of likeness of children, not without reason says in the present passage:
'Unless you be converted and become as children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven.' The Lord therefore evidently makes clear that whosoever has imitated the humility and innocence of a child will be the greater in the kingdom of heaven. Finally the Lord Himself, that He might show us from Himself perfectly the example of humility, even He, having assumed flesh, deigned to be made a child, according to what we read written of Him: 'For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is made upon His shoulders' (Isa. 9). For thence also the holy patriarchs and apostles were called children by the Lord, according to what we read written of them:
'Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me' (Isa. 8), because like children they remained without guile, without malice. Let us therefore imitate this kind of example of children, that is, of all the saints, that we may deserve to enter into the kingdom of heaven with them. Let us imitate the humility of the Lord Himself, who for the sake of our salvation deigned to be a child, that we may be able to reign with Him. And rightly He added: 'And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me'; showing that whoever has received a servant faithfully believing in Christ and living according to the innocence of a child, receives Himself. For this reason the Lord said that in receiving such a one He is received, lest we should hold in contempt any such servant of God living humbly.
Therefore He added, saying: 'Whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones who believe in Me, it were expedient for him that a millstone worked by an ass be hung about his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.' It was necessary that after the reward of devout faith, condemnation should follow unbelief. For just as punishment is due to faithful men who cause scandal, and how grave a sin it is to cause scandal, we recognize from this very thing, since the Lord says it is expedient for such a man that a millstone be hung about his neck and he be drowned in the depth of the sea, rather than that he should scandalize one of the little ones believing in Christ.
So that, this kind of scandal of sin being forestalled, if it can be done, by this sentence, we may rather choose to live in the present life without scandal, than with scandal to incur the eternal punishment of that death. If therefore the Lord speaks this of him who scandalizes one of the little ones, what punishment do we think heretics will have, who through perverse and treacherous doctrine cause scandal not to one, but to the whole Church? And although this saying of the Lord about the ass's millstone can also be understood simply, nevertheless according to the mystical reason something more can be understood in the signification of the ass's millstone. The animals which are wont to be joined to the mill are accustomed to have their eyes closed. Whence by the signification of the millstone the toil of the present life is shown.
But in the ass the gentile man is shown, who without the knowledge of God and the light of faith lives, like a blind animal, in the toil of the world. But the depth of the sea [shows] the profound error of the world. And therefore He well said it is expedient for such a one who causes scandal that an ass's millstone be hung about his neck and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. In which He seems especially to signify the Jew, who is known to suffer scandal from the cross of Christ and from the preaching of His name. For such a one, then, it would be expedient rather to be, as it were, drowned in the depth of the sea, immersed in the blindness of gentile error, than that, under the preaching of the Law—through which the Jew supposes himself to acknowledge the light of truth—he should suffer scandal concerning Christ or His apostles, whom He calls little ones;
because it is easier for a gentile without the Law not to believe in Christ, than for a Jew living under the Law to deny the Lord of that very Law. But we can also recognize in the ass's millstone the two Testaments signified, by which everyone causing scandal, bound by a just sentence, is drowned into the destruction of death. Which sentence of the ass's millstone we recognize as fulfilled especially in the people of the Jews: who, since they often stirred up scandal against the Lord and against His apostles, by the hearing of those same two Testaments, as though for a certain remedy of salvation, having lost their own kingdom, were drowned in the depth of the sea, that is, scattered into the congregation of divers nations;
who dwell in the error of this world as in the depth of the sea, ignorant of the Creator of heaven, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom is salvation and glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.