The Sunday Sermons of St. Bonaventure

Sermon 6: Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity

The Sunday SermonS of ST. BonavenTure 108 sermon 6: sunday wiThin The oCTave of The naTiviTy 1. This one has been placed as the ruin and resurrection of many in Israel and as a sign of contradiction. Luke 2:34. [Protheme] The prophet Elijah arose like a blazing fire. Sirach 48:1. The passage proposed from Sirach brilliantly expresses the qualities proper to one who preaches the divine word. First, he must be withdrawn or removed from worldly concerns. Second, he must be illuminated by evangelical truth. Third, he must be inflamed by charity toward God and neighbor. Withdrawal from worldly concerns is noted, when it says: Elijah arose; illumination of evangelical truth is noted, when it adds: prophet; and the inflammation of fraternal charity is noted, when it brings in: like a blazing fire. Dearly beloved, let us at the beginning of our sermon before anything else, humbly implore the source and principle of mercy that is the paternal light, that through his gracious condescension, he might separate us from the love of worldly prosperity, illuminate us with splendor or knowledge of evangelical truth, and inflame us with the fervor of fraternal charity; so that withdrawn from love of the world, illuminated by the splendor of the gospel, and inflamed with love of God and neighbor, we might then offer something worthwhile to the praise and glory of God’s blessed name and for the well-being and consolation of our souls. Amen [Sermon] 2. This one has been placed as the ruin and resurrection of many in Israel and as a sign of contra- SundayS In chrISTmaS and epIphany 109 diction. Luke 2:34. The appearance of the material sun saddens some and delights others according to the disposition of those looking at it; so Saint Simeon, illuminated by the gift of prophecy, offered the above mentioned words concerning Christ, This one has been placed as the ruin, etc., because he saw many would be shaken because of the blindness of evil and fall headlong into sin while others would be rectified and raised up to the light of grace by the truthful words, honest examples, and lucid works proceeding from the sun of justice,91 Christ. In these words the perversity of presumption in the display of good works is certainly noted first, when it says: This one has been placed as the ruin; second, the kindness of the pious assistance which lifts up the prostrate person is noted, when it adds: and resurrection of many; third, the guiding example to be imitated in the regulation of good actions is noted, when it adds: as a sign; and fourth, the evil and perverse resistance of those who oppose the kind doctor is certainly noted, with the addition: of contradiction . 3. It says: This one as been placed as the ruin, where, first of all, the perversity of presumption in the display of good works is noted. What a great perversity it is to turn the good of another into something evil for oneself. There is nothing under heaven more evil or stupid than this. But the reason why these perverse people receive ruin and death from good works is this: by nature whatever is placed into a mold takes on the form and figure of the mold in the manner of the recipient and not the received. Since their hearts were perverse and evil, whatever good works of Christ they took into their hearts was made perverse by rash judgment alone. For this reason 91 See Mal 4:2: “But unto you who fear my name, the sun of justice will arise.” The Sunday SermonS of ST. BonavenTure 110 they brought upon themselves ruin and death through such perverse evil, even if they had presumed to possess the good works of Christ. For first, Christ, as virtue, has been placed as the ruin of the proud by accepting infirmity with benign humility. Second, as truth, this one has been placed as the ruin of the malicious by rebuking human iniquity. Third, as salvation, this one has been placed as the ruin of the impious by the voluntarily acceptance of the imposed death. 4. First, as virtue Christ accepted infirmity with benign humility and became a medicinal tonic for expelling the vice of pride. The proud abuse this medicine through vice alone, and consequently they change what was the cause of their salvation into deadly ruin...