講道集 第 250 章

Two Casinensian codices, 106 and H, and the Neapolitan codex of Monte Oliveto present this sermon adorned first with the name of St. Maximus, under the title: 'On the first Sunday of Advent.' I think that certain things from the first homily of St. Maximus before the Lord's Nativity have been inserted into this sermon; whence the rest was taken, I do not know: they were, I judge, from the writings of Maximus; for the style of the whole discourse does not seem to me to be uniform. By the favour of the Divinity, most beloved brethren, the day is now already approaching on which we ought to celebrate with joy the Nativity of the Lord our Saviour.

And therefore I ask and admonish that, as much as we can with God's help, we labour so that on that day, with a sincere and pure conscience, a clean heart, and a chaste body, we may be able to approach the altar of the Lord, and may be counted worthy to receive his body and blood, not unto judgment, but rather unto the remedy of our soul. For in the body of Christ our life consists. So too the Lord himself said: 'Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you' (John 6). Let him therefore change his life who wishes to have life. For if he does not change his life, he will receive life unto judgment, and is rather corrupted by it than healed, and rather slain than made alive. The Apostle says thus:

'Whoever eats the body of the Lord and drinks his blood unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself' (1 Cor. 11). And although it befits us to be adorned and resplendent with good works at all times, yet especially on the day of the Lord's Nativity, as he himself said in the Gospel, ought our works to shine before men. Consider, I pray, brethren, when some powerful or noble man desires to celebrate either his own birthday or that of his son, with how great zeal, many days beforehand, he orders whatever he sees unclean in his house to be cleansed, casts out whatever is unseemly and unfitting, and commands whatever is useful and necessary to be provided.

The house too, if it is dark, is whitewashed, the pavements are cleaned with brooms, and being strewn with various flowers are adorned, and whatever pertains to gladness of mind and delights of the body is provided with all solicitude. To what end are these things, dearest brethren, unless that the birthday of a man who is going to die may be celebrated with joy? If then you prepare so much for your own birthday, or your son's, how much and of what kind ought you to prepare when about to receive the birthday of your Lord? If you prepare such things for one who is to die, what sort should you prepare for the Eternal One? Whatever therefore you do not wish to find in your house, labour as much as you can that God may not find it in your soul.

Surely if an earthly king, or any householder, were to invite you to his birthday feast, with what sort of garments would you strive to go adorned? With how new, or how bright, or how splendid ones, whose age or cheapness or any foulness would not offend the eyes of the one inviting? With such zeal therefore, as far as you prevail, with Christ helping, strive, that your soul, arrayed with the various ornaments of the virtues, adorned with the gems of simplicity and the flowers of sobriety, may proceed with untroubled conscience to the solemnity of the eternal King, that is, to the Nativity of the Lord our Saviour, bright with chastity, resplendent with charity, gleaming white with almsgiving.

For Christ the Lord, if he beholds you thus arrayed celebrating his birthday, will himself deign to come and not only to visit your soul, but even to rest and to dwell in it forever. As it is written: 'And I will dwell in them, and walk among them' (Lev. 26). And again: 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone shall rise and open to me, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me' (Rev. 3). How blessed is that soul which has striven so to govern its life, with God's help, that it is counted worthy to receive Christ as guest and inhabitant!

As, on the contrary, how unhappy is that conscience — and to be bewailed with a whole fount of tears — which has so bloodied itself with evil works, that in it not Christ may rest, but the devil begins to hold dominion! For such a soul, if it does not quickly come to its aid with the medicine of penitence, is abandoned by the light, seized by darkness, emptied of sweetness, filled with bitterness, invaded by death, rejected by life. Yet let not such a one distrust the Lord's mercy, nor be broken by deadly despair, but rather let him quickly flee to penitence. And while the wounds of his sins are still fresh and warm, let him so apply to himself salutary medicines, for our Physician is almighty.

He is so accustomed to heal our wounds, that not even the traces of scars remain after his medicines. Therefore you ought also to abstain from every defilement for many days before his Nativity. As often as you set out to celebrate the Lord's Nativity or the other solemnities, flee drunkenness before all things, fight against wrath as against a most cruel beast, drive out hatred like a deadly poison from your heart, and let there be in us all so great a charity that it may reach not only to friends, but even to enemies themselves, that we may be able safely to say in the Lord's Prayer: 'Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors' (Matt. 6).

For whoever knows that he holds even one man in hatred, I know not whether he can safely approach the altar of the Lord, since especially the blessed John the evangelist cries out terribly and says: 'He who hates his brother is a murderer' (1 John 3). For it is yours to judge whether a murderer, before he does penance, ought to presume to receive the Eucharist. St. John still adds further and cries out, saying: 'He who hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness; and he knows not where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes' (ibid. 2). And again: 'If anyone shall say that I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who loves not his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see?' (ibid. 4).

Whoever keeps hatred or wrath in his heart, and under such a thunder is neither terrified nor awakened, must be believed to be not sleeping, but dead. Considering these things therefore daily, dearest brethren, let those who are good strive, with God's grace, to persevere in good works: 'For not he who has begun, but he who shall persevere unto the end, this one shall be saved' (Matt. 10). But those who recognize themselves to be slow to almsgiving and prompt to wrath, and headlong to the practice of any wickedness whatsoever, let them, with the Lord helping, hasten to rescue themselves from evils, that they may be counted worthy to fulfil the things that are good;

so that when the day of Judgment comes, they may not be punished with the impious and sinners, but with the just and merciful may be counted worthy to come to the eternal rewards.