The Sunday Sermons of St. Bonaventure

Sermon 22: Sunday in the Octave of Easter

eaSTer 269 sermon 22: sunday in The oCTave of easTer [Sermon] 1. The disciples rejoiced on seeing the Lord. John 20:20. As the absence of a person brings great desolation , so also the return of the person brings great comfort ; hence here the apostles suffered the absence of the bodily presence of the Son of God, whom they loved more than themselves and above all things, and when they discerned with their bodily vision he had risen from the dead, they were filled with great joy. But since a person, who does not have the fear of filial reverence first, and then the splendor of celestial understanding, is unable to experience the joy and sweetness of spiritual happiness; therefore, so that the literal sense be interpreted in the right order, the submission of reverence and humility is noted first; second, the contemplation of divine majesty; third, the pleasure of interior enjoyment. The submission of reverence and humility is noted, when it says: disciples, not teachers, not lords, and not companions; the contemplation of divine majesty is noted, when it adds: on seeing the Lord; and the pleasure of interior enjoyment, when it inserts: they rejoiced. 2. First, the submission of reverence and humility is noted in the proposed passage, when it says: disciples. Those disciples are reverential and subject to Christ, who regulate and live a holy life according to the example of his life and doctrine.The life and doctrine of the good teacher, Jesus Christ, teaches each what is needed: first, the humility of faithful obedience with respect to contempt for the world; second, the union of charity and benevolence The Sunday SermonS of ST. BonavenTure 270 with respect to love of neighbor; third, the endurance of final perseverance with respect to the continuance of the good already initiated. And these three things are necessary for the salvation of every adult. 3. First, in the disciple of Christ there must be the humility of faithful obedience with respect to contempt for the world. Luke 14:33 says: If one does not renounce all that he possesses,he cannot become my disciple.Christ,the wisest of teachers, gives to every Christian the doctrine necessary for salvation, when he says: Unless someone renounces all that he possesses, he cannot be my disciple. And although we are not held to relinquish everything or disburse it to the poor or beg from door to door according to the example of Christ or serve God in a monastery unless we are among the perfect who are bound by the vow of poverty;396 nevertheless, we are held to relinquish affection for all we possess according to Psalm 61:11: If riches abound, do not set your heart on them; so that with cupidity, which is the root of all evil,397 eradicated from the heart, poverty, which is the foundation of all virtues, is planted. 4. Second, in the disciple of Christ there must be the union of charity and benevolence with respect to love of neighbor. And John 13:34-35 speaks of this: A new commandment I give you that you love one another: that as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. The command of love, although it may be old as to its ancient proclamation, is spoken of as new 396 There is a parallel to these thoughts in Sermon 225 n. 3 of Ps.Augustine in PL39:2161: “A person can say: I cannot give all my goods to the poor and serve God in a monastery. But can a person ever say: I cannot love?” 397 See 1 Tim 6:10. eaSTer 271 because of its firm obligation; whence, lest one believe it might be dispensable given its antiquity, the Lord adds the newness of obligation when it says: A new commandment I give you that you love one another: that as I have loved you; because he was unable to give a greater sign of love to us than laying down his soul for us.398 But since the sign of the true disciple who imitates Christ is the unity of mutual love, it even adds: By this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. The Lord established the new command or precept such...