The Sunday Sermons of St. Bonaventure

Sermon 13: Second Sunday before Lent

The Sunday SermonS of ST. BonavenTure 174 sermon 13: seCond sunday before lenT 1. But that on good ground are those who, hearing the word with a right and good heart, retain it and bear fruit in patience. Luke 8:15. [Protheme] Give an occasion to the wise, and he will become even wiser. Proverbs 9:9. In the words proposed from Proverbs, three things are described that are necessary for whoever wishes to propose the word of God. And the first is liberality of soul, the second is brevity of speech, and the third is the promise of usefulness. Liberality of soul is noted, therefore, when it says: Give, that is, do not sell for a price or barter, for according to the Lord: Freely you have received, freely give.205 Brevity in speech is noted, when occasion is added, since a specific opportunity is given to those listening when they announce “vices and virtues with few with brief words, because the Lord used few words on earth;”206 and the promise of usefulness is noted when it includes: and he will become even wiser. Dearly beloved, let us ask the Lord then, at the beginning of our sermon, to give us liberality of soul and brevity in speech, so that we may obtain the promised usefulness. Amen. [Sermon] 2. But that on good ground are those who, hearing the word with a right and good heart, retain it and bear fruit in patience. Since according to blessed 205 See Matt 10:8. 206 See Rule of the Friars Minor, chapter 9 in FA:ED, vol. 1, 105. pre-LenT and LenT 175 Gregory in Book Twenty-Five of his Moralia, “Humility opens while pride hides the light of understanding;”207 our Lord Jesus Christ, who knew what was pleasing before God the Father,208 announced the kingdom of God in parables to proud and vain people in order to reprimand their proud intellects for listening without understanding ; however, he opened the parable in today’s Gospel to his humble disciples who were given to understand the mysteries of God’s kingdom,209 when he said in the proposed words which are the concluding explanation of the stated parable: But that on good ground are those who, hearing the word with a right and good heart, retain it and bear fruit in patience, etc. In this passage he certainly proceeds in an orderly manner for, just as we see, the material ground brings forth fruit only after it is prepared and seeded. Only then can fruits be harvested from it: thus in the proposed passage the preparation required for our hearts is noted first, second the firm acceptance of the divine seed, and then third the fruit that matures in due time from the seed. First, then, the necessary preparation of our hearts is noted, when it says: But that on good ground; this good ground is nothing other than a good preparation of our hearts. Second, the firm acceptance of the divine seed is noted when it says: those who, hearing the word with a right and good heart, retain it. Third, the timely maturation of the fruit is noted, when it adds: and bear fruit in patience, since they patiently suffer persecution and all manner of interior and exterior evil for the sake of God’s word. 207 See Book XXV, c. 12 n. 30 of Gregory’s Moralia in Iob in CCSL cxliiib, 1256. The citation is verbatim. 208 See Matt 11:26. 209 See Mark 4:11. The Sunday SermonS of ST. BonavenTure 176 3. First, in the proposed passage the required preparation of our hearts is noted, when it says: But that on good ground. We must prepare our hearts, which Christ describes metaphorically as good ground, like material ground. That material ground is then well prepared to bring forth fruit when, first, the harmful roots are extracted ; second, when irrigated with rainwaters, third, when exposed to the heat of the sun, so that warmed by the life-giving heat of the sun, the sown seed may germinate . If we want our heart to be well prepared in this manner and disposed for the fruit of good works, it must be rid of the thorns of every sin, second, irrigated with the waters of tearful compunction, third, inflamed with the fire of divine desires, so that enlivened by their heat, it may...