Homilies on Acts, Homily 23

“Then he invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day Peter left with them, and some brothers from Joppa accompanied him. The following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them and had gathered his relatives and close friends.” “He invited them in and gave them lodging.” It was good that he first welcomed the men warmly after their tiring journey and made them feel at home with him; “and the next day,” he set out with them. Some others accompanied him too: Providence arranged this as well, so that they could later serve as witnesses when Peter needed to defend himself. “And Cornelius was waiting for them and had gathered his relatives and close friends.” This is what a friend does, what a devout man does: when such blessings are at stake, he takes care that his close friends share in them all. Naturally, these were (his “near” friends), people he had always trusted completely; with so much at stake, he was afraid to entrust the matter to others. In my opinion, Cornelius himself had brought both his friends and his relatives to a better way of thinking. “As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.” (v. 25.) He did this both to teach the others and to give thanks to God and show his own humility. In this way he made it clear that, although he had been commanded to do this, he himself was deeply devout. What did Peter do then? “But Peter lifted him up, saying, Stand up; I too am a man.” (v. 26.) Do you notice how, before anything else, (the Apostles) teach them this lesson: not to think too highly of them? “As he talked with him, he went in and found many people gathered together. And he said to them, You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit someone of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone common or unclean.” (v. 27, 28.) Notice how he immediately speaks of God's mercy and points out the great grace God has shown them. Notice also how, even while saying great things, he speaks modestly. He does not say, We, who consider it beneath us to associate with any (such), have come to you. What does he say instead? “You know”—God commanded this—“that it is against the law to associate with or visit someone of another nation.” Then he goes on to say, “And God has shown me”—he says this so that no one will think the thanks belong to him—“that I should call no one”—so that it will not look as though he is flattering Cornelius, he says “no human being”—“common or unclean.” (v. 29.) “That is also why”—so that they will not think he is breaking the law, or (Cornelius) suppose that he complied because Cornelius held a position of command, but will attribute everything to God—“that is also why I came without objection as soon as I was sent for,” (though) not only associating with him, but even visiting (him), was forbidden. “So I ask why you sent for me.” Peter had already heard the whole story from the soldiers too, but he wants them to acknowledge it first and to make them receptive to the Faith. What does Cornelius do then? He does not say, Why, didn't the soldiers tell you? Notice again how humbly he speaks. He says, “Since the fourth day I had been fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and look, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms have come up as a memorial before God. And at the ninth hour,” he says, “I was praying.” (v. 30, 31.) It seems to me that this man had also set aside regular times for a more disciplined life, on certain days. That is why he says, “Since the fourth day.” See how great a thing prayer is! When he advanced in piety, the Angel appeared to him. “Since the fourth day”: i.e. of the week, not “four days ago.” For “the next day Peter left with them, and the following day they entered Caesarea”: that is one day; and the day on which the messengers arrived (to Joppa), one day; and on the third day (the Angel) appeared. So there are two days after the day on which (Cornelius) had been praying. “And look, a man stood before me in bright clothing”: he does not say an Angel, so modest is he. “And he said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms have been remembered in God's sight. So send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, come here. He is staying in the house of a certain Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you. So I sent for you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now we are all here before God, to hear everything God has commanded you.” (v. 31–33.) (b) See his faith, his piety! He knew that Peter was speaking no human word when he said, “God has shown me.” Then the man says, “We are here to hear everything the Lord has commanded you.” (a) That is why Peter asked, “Why have you sent for me?” He meant to draw these very words from him. (d) “Then Peter opened his mouth and said, I truly understand that God shows no favoritism, but in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.” (v. 34, 35.) That is, whether he is uncircumcised or circumcised. (c) Paul declares this too when he says, “For there is no favoritism with God.” (Rom. ii. 11.) (e) What then? (someone may ask) Is that man over in Persia acceptable to Him? If he is worthy, he is acceptable in this respect: that he should be granted the privilege of being brought to faith (τᾥ καταξιωθἥναι τῆς πίστεως). He did not overlook the Eunuch from Ethiopia. “What, then, are we to say about religious men who have been overlooked?” No one (such) has ever been overlooked. What he means is that God rejects no one. “In every nation, whoever fears God and works righteousness”: (by righteousness) he means every virtue. Notice how he suppresses every proud thought in Cornelius. So that (the Jews) will not seem to have been cast off, (he adds), “The word He sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all” (v. 36). He also says this for the sake of those present (of the Jews), to persuade them too; this is why he presses Cornelius to speak. “He,” he says, “is Lord of all.” But notice his opening words: “The word,” he says, “He sent to the children of Israel.” He gives them first place. Then he calls on (these Gentiles) themselves as witnesses: “You know,” he says, “what happened throughout all Judea, beginning in Galilee”—then he confirms it by this too—“after the baptism John preached” (v. 37)—“namely, Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power.” (v. 38.) He does not mean, You know Jesus, for they did not know Him; he is speaking of the things He did. “Who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil”: by this he shows that many cases of lost senses or paralyzed limbs are the devil's work, a violent wrenching of the body by him, as Christ also said. “For God was with Him.” Again, humble language. “And we are witnesses of everything He did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem” (v. 39): both “we,” he says, and you. Then he speaks of the Passion and the reason they do not believe: “Whom they also killed and hung on a tree. God raised Him on the third day and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen beforehand by God, to us, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.” (v. 40, 41.) This is proof of the Resurrection. “And He commanded us to preach to the people and testify that He is the one appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead.” (v. 42.) This is a great statement. Then he brings forward the testimony of the Prophets: “All the prophets testify to Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.” (v. 43.) This is proof of what was about to happen; that is why he cites the Prophets here. But let us look again at what concerns Cornelius. (Recapitulation.) He sent to Joppa, it says, to fetch Peter. “He was waiting for him,” etc.; see how firmly he believed that Peter would certainly come. (b) “And he fell at his feet and worshiped him.” (v. 24, 25.) (a) Notice how his worthiness is shown from every side! (So) the Eunuch asked Philip to come up and sit in the chariot (ch. viii. 31), although he did not know who Philip was and had no other introduction (ἐπαγγελίας) than the one the Prophet provided. But here Cornelius fell at his feet. (c) “Stand up; I too am a man.” (v. 26.) Notice how free his speech is from flattery on every occasion, and how full of humility. “And talking with him, he went in.” (a) (v. 27.) Talking about what? I suppose he was saying these words: “I too am a man.” (e) Do you notice (Peter's) modest spirit? He too shows that his coming is God's doing: “You know that it is unlawful for a Jew,” etc. (v. 28.) And why did he not speak of the linen sheet? Notice Peter's freedom from all vanity. He does mention that God sent him, but for now he says nothing about how he was sent; when the need has arisen, having said, “You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit someone of another nation,” he simply adds, “but God has shown me,” etc. There is no vanity here. “All of you,” he says, “know.” He appeals to their own knowledge to vouch for him. But Cornelius says, “We are here before God to hear everything the Lord has commanded you” (v. 33): not Before man, but “Before God.” This is how we should listen to God's servants. Do you see his alert mind? Do you see how worthy he was of all these things? “And Peter,” it says, “opened his mouth and said, I truly understand that God shows no favoritism.” (v. 34.) He also said this to justify himself before the Jews who were present. Since he was about to entrust the Word to these (Gentiles), he first offers this defense. What then? Did He show “favoritism” before? God forbid! It was just the same before: “Everyone,” as he says, “who fears Him and works righteousness would be acceptable to Him.” As Paul says, “For when the Gentiles who do not have the Law do by nature the things of the Law.” (Rom. ii. 14.) “Who fears God and works righteousness”: he assumes both doctrine and way of life. Such a person “is accepted by Him”; for if He did not overlook the Magi, the Ethiopian, the thief, or the prostitute, He will certainly not overlook those who work righteousness and are willing. “What do you say, then, about the fact that there are decent people (ἐπιεικεἵς), men of gentle disposition, who still will not believe?” (Above, p. 149, note 2.) There, you yourself have named the cause: they will not. Besides, the decent person he speaks of here is not this sort of man, but the man “who works righteousness”: that is, someone who is virtuous and beyond reproach in every respect, having the fear of God as he should. But God alone knows whether a person is like that. See how this man was acceptable: see how he was persuaded as soon as he heard. “Yes, and now too,” you say, “everyone would be persuaded, whoever he might be.” But the signs we have now are much greater and more wonderful than those.—Then Peter begins his teaching and reserves for the Jews the privilege of their birth. “The word,” he says, “He sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace” (v. 36), not bringing judgment. He is sent to the Jews too; yet even so, He did not spare them. “Preaching peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all.” First he speaks of His being Lord, in very exalted terms, since he was dealing with an unusually noble soul that eagerly took everything in. Then he proves that He was Lord of all from what He accomplished “throughout all Judea. For you know,” he says, “what happened throughout all Judea,” and, what makes it remarkable, “beginning in Galilee, after the baptism John preached.” (v. 37.) First he speaks of His success, and then again he calls Him “Jesus of Nazareth.” What a stumbling block that birthplace was! “How God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power.” (v. 38.) Then again comes the proof—how is this evident?—from the good He did. “Who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil”; and from the greatness of the power shown when He overcomes the devil; and the cause: “Because God was with Him.” That is also why the Jews said, “We know that You are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these miracles unless God is with Him.” (John iii. 2.) Then, after showing that He was sent from God, he speaks next of His being killed, so that you will not imagine anything absurd. Do you see how far they are from hiding the Cross from view? Along with the other circumstances, they even state the manner of His death. “Whom,” it says, “they also killed by hanging Him on a tree. And He allowed Him,” it adds, “to be revealed, not to all the people, but to witnesses appointed beforehand by God, to us.” Yet it was (Christ) Himself who chose them; but Peter attributes this too to God. “To those appointed beforehand,” he says, “to us, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.” (v. 39, 41.) See where he gets his assurance of the resurrection. Why did He perform no sign after rising, but only eat and drink? Because the Resurrection itself was a great sign, and nothing was so clear a sign of it as eating and drinking. “To testify,” he says—in a way meant to frighten them—so that they cannot fall back on ignorance as an excuse. And he does not say “that He is the Son of God,” but what would frighten them most: “that He is the one appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead.” (v. 42.) “All the Prophets testify to him,” etc. (v. 43.) After stirring them with fear, he introduces pardon, spoken by the Prophets rather than by himself. The frightening message comes from him; the gentle message comes from the Prophets. All of you who have received this forgiveness, all of you who have been granted the privilege of coming to faith, learn, I beg you, how great the Gift is, and take care not to insult your Benefactor. We obtained forgiveness so that we would become far better and more excellent, not worse. Let no one say that God is the cause of our evil deeds because He did not punish us or take vengeance. If (as people say) a ruler arrests a murderer and lets him go, tell me, is he (not) held responsible for the murders committed afterward? See, then, how we expose God to the tongues of the wicked. What don't they say? What do they leave unsaid? “(God) Himself,” they say, “allowed them to do it. He should have punished them as they deserved, instead of honoring them, crowning them, or admitting them to the highest privileges. He should have punished them and taken vengeance. But by honoring them instead, he has made them what they are.” Please, I beg and implore you, do not let anyone say such things because of us. Better to be buried ten thousand times than for God to be spoken of this way because of us! The Jews, we read, said to (Christ) Himself, “You who destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, come down from the Cross” (Matt. xxvii. 40); and again, “If You are the Son of God.” But these reproaches are more serious than those: that because of us He should be called a teacher of wickedness! Let us cause the very opposite to be said by living in a way worthy of Him who calls us and (worthily) approaching the baptism of adoption. The power of baptism (φωτίσματου) is very great: it makes those who share in the gift entirely different people from what they were; it does not let them remain merely human. Make the Gentile (τὸν ῞Ελληνα) believe that the Spirit's power is great, that it has reshaped you, that it has made you anew. Why do you wait for your last breath, like a runaway slave, like a criminal, as though you had no duty to live for God? Why do you feel toward Him as though He were a ruthless, cruel Master? What could be more coldhearted (ψυχρότερον), more miserable, than those who choose that moment to receive baptism? God made you a friend and granted you all His good things so that you could act as a friend. Suppose you had done someone the greatest wrongs, insulted him, and heaped endless disgrace on him. Suppose you fell into the hands of the person you had wronged, and in return for all this he honored you, gave you a share in everything he had, and, in the gathering of his friends, the very people before whom he had been insulted, crowned you and declared that he would regard you as his own begotten son. Then suppose he died immediately afterward. Tell me, wouldn't you mourn him? Wouldn't you consider his death a calamity? Wouldn't you say, If only he were alive, so that I could repay him as he deserves, so that I could return his kindness, so that I could show that I was not ungrateful to my benefactor? That, then, is how you would act toward a mere human being; but when it is God, are you eager to leave so that you will not have to repay your benefactor for such great gifts? Instead, choose a time to come to Him that will allow you to repay Him in kind. True, you say, but I cannot keep (the gift). Has God commanded the impossible? This is why everything is turned upside down, why everything throughout the world is spoiled: no one makes it his aim to live as God directs. Those who are still Catechumens, because they make this their goal (how they may defer baptism to the last,), give no thought to living uprightly. And those who have been baptized (φωτισθεντες) also fail to take it seriously, whether because they received it as children or because, having received it during an illness and afterward recovered (ἀνενεγκόντες), they had no heartfelt desire to go on living (to the glory of God). Even those who received it in good health have little enough to show of any good effect: although enthusiastic for a time, they too soon let the fire go out. Why do you run away? Why do you tremble? What are you afraid of? Surely you do not mean that you are forbidden to carry on your business? I do not separate you from your wife! No, I bar you from sexual immorality. Do I forbid you to enjoy your wealth? No, only greed and plunder. Do I require you to empty all your treasuries? No, only to give a little, according to your means, to those in need, giving your surplus to meet their need—and even this brings a reward. Do we urge you to fast? We only forbid you to dull your senses with drunkenness and gluttony. The only things we would cut away are the very things that disgrace you, things that even here, before the fire of hell, you yourselves admit should be shunned and hated. Do we forbid you to be glad and rejoice? No, just do not celebrate in disgraceful, improper ways. What do you dread? Why are you afraid? Why do you tremble? Where there is marriage, enjoyment of wealth, and food in moderation, what sin is there in these things? Yet those outside the Church demand the opposite, and people obey them. They do not ask you to give according to your means; they say, You must give this much. And if you plead poverty, they pay no attention. Christ does not act this way. Give, He says, from what you have, and I will enroll you in the first rank. Again, they say, If you want to distinguish yourself, leave father, mother, relatives, and friends, and attend constantly at the Palace, laboring, toiling, slaving, distracted, suffering countless miseries. Christ does not act this way. Stay at home, He says, with your wife and children; and reshape and regulate your daily occupations with the aim of leading a peaceful life, free from cares and dangers. True, you say, but the other promises wealth. Yes, but Christ promises a kingdom, and more than that, He promises wealth along with it. For He says, “Seek the kingdom of Heaven, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. vi. 33), offering as an added gift what the other holds out as the main prize. And the Psalmist says that he has “never seen the righteous abandoned, or his descendants begging for bread.” (Ps. xxxvii. 25.) Let us set about practicing virtue; let us make a beginning. Let us just take hold of it, and you will see what good comes of it. Surely you do not succeed in these (worldly) pursuits without effort, so why should you be so fainthearted about these (higher) pursuits, saying, Those can be gained without effort, but these only with toil? No—why should I need to tell you the truth of the matter?—those require even greater effort. Please, let us not shrink from the Divine Mysteries. Do not focus on someone baptized before you who has turned out badly and fallen away from his hope. Among soldiers too, we see some failing in their duty and others distinguishing themselves; we do not look only at the idle ones, but strive to imitate these successful men. Besides, consider how many, after baptism, have gone from being men to being angels! Fear the uncertainty of the future. Death comes “like a thief in the night”; and it does not merely come like a thief, but attacks us while we sleep and carries us off while we are idle. God has made the future uncertain for this very reason: so that uncertainty about what to expect may lead us to spend our time practicing virtue. But He is merciful, you say. How long must we hear this senseless, ridiculous talk? I affirm not only that God is merciful, but that no one could be more merciful than He, and that He arranges everything that concerns us for our good. How many people do you see afflicted all their lives with the worst form of leprosy! (ἐν ἐλέφαντι διάγοντας, “Elephantiasis,”) How many are blind from earliest youth to old age! Others have lost their eyesight; others live in poverty; others are in chains; others are in the mines; others are buried (καταχωσθέντας) together; others are (slaughtered) in wars! These things, you say, do not look like mercy. Tell me, couldn't He have prevented them if He had wished, and yet He allows them? True, you say. Tell me, why are some people blind from infancy? I will not tell you until you promise me to receive baptism and, once baptized, to live rightly. It is not right to give you the answers to these questions. Preaching is not meant merely for amusement. Even if I answer this question, another follows on its heels; such questions are a bottomless ocean. So do not get into the habit of expecting answers to them, or we will never stop asking questions. Look: if I answer this one, I only open the way to question after question, as countless as snowflakes. So what we learn is how to raise more questions, rather than how to answer those already raised. Even when we answer them, we have not answered them completely, but (only) as far as human reasoning can go. The proper answer to such questions is faith: knowing that God does everything justly, mercifully, and for the best, and that understanding His reasons is impossible. This is the one answer, and no better one exists. Tell me, what is the benefit of having a question answered? That we no longer need to question what has been answered. And if you come to believe that everything is governed by the Providence of God, Who, for reasons known to Himself, allows some things and actively brings about others, you are freed from the need to question and have gained the benefit of an answer. But let us return to our subject. Don't you see so many people suffering punishments? God (you say) allows these things to happen. Make proper use of bodily health for the health of your soul. But you will say, What good are labor and toil to me when I can be rid of all (my sins) without effort? First of all, that is not certain. Someone may not only fail to be rid of his sins without effort, but may leave this life with all his sins still upon him. Yet even if it were certain, your argument would still be unacceptable. He has summoned you to the contests; the golden weapons lie ready. When you ought to take them up and wield them, you want to be saved without glory and do no good work! Tell me, suppose war broke out and the Emperor was here. You saw some men charging into the midst of the enemy's battle lines, cutting them down and dealing thousands of wounds; others thrusting (with the sword's point); others springing (now here, now there); others charging on horseback. They were praised by the Emperor, admired, applauded, and crowned. Others, by contrast, thought themselves fortunate if they escaped injury, stayed in the rear ranks, and sat there idle. Then, after the war ended, the first group were summoned, honored with the greatest gifts, and had their names proclaimed by heralds, while the others did not even become known by name, and their only reward from the victory was their own safety. Which group would you want to belong to? Even if you were made of stone, even if you were more stupid than things without sense or life, wouldn't you ten thousand times rather belong to the first group? Yes, I beg and implore you. Even if you had to fall in battle, shouldn't you eagerly choose this? Don't you see how illustrious, how glorious those who have fallen in war are? Yet they die a death after which they can receive no honor from the emperor. In that other war, nothing like this happens: you will certainly be brought forward with your scars. May all of us be granted such scars to show, even without persecutions, through Jesus Christ our Lord, with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Spirit together, be glory, dominion, and honor, now and always, forever and ever. Amen.