Homilies on Matthew, Homily 82

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; This is my body.” “And He took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, All of you, drink from it; This is my blood of the New Testament, Which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Ah! How blind the traitor was! Even after sharing in the mysteries, he remained the same; even after being admitted to the most holy table, he did not change. Luke shows this by saying that afterward Satan entered him, not because Satan despised the Lord’s body, but because from then on he laughed at the traitor’s shamelessness. Indeed, his sin became greater for both reasons: he came to the mysteries with such an attitude, and after approaching them he did not become better, whether through fear, through the benefit he received, or through the honor shown him. But Christ did not forbid him, although He knew everything, so that you might learn that He leaves nothing undone that could correct someone. So both before and after this, He continually warned and restrained him, through both deeds and words, both fear and kindness, both threats and honor. But none of these things drew him away from that terrible plague. So from then on He leaves him alone, and through the mysteries again reminds the disciples that He is to be killed. In the middle of the meal He speaks of the cross, continually repeating the prediction to make His passion easier to accept. For if they were troubled when so many things had been done and foretold, what would they not have felt if they had heard none of these things? “And as they were eating, He took bread and broke it.” Why did He establish this sacrament then, at the time of the Passover? So that you might learn from everything both that He is the lawgiver of the Old Testament and that the things in it foreshadowed these things. That is why, I say, He places the reality where the type is. But the evening is a clear sign of the fullness of time, and that things had now reached their very end. And He gives thanks to teach us how we should celebrate this sacrament, to show that He goes willingly to His passion, and to teach us to bear whatever we may suffer with thanksgiving, also giving us good hopes through this. For if the type brought deliverance from such slavery, how much more will the reality set the world free! And He will be handed over for the benefit of our race. That is also why, I would add, He did not establish the sacrament earlier, but only when the rites of the law were about to cease. And so He brings the greatest of the feasts to an end, leading them to another table that inspires the deepest awe, and He says, “Take, eat, This is my body, Which is broken for many.” And how were they not bewildered when they heard this? Because He had already told them many great things about it. So He no longer argues that point, since they had heard enough about it, but speaks of the reason for His passion: the taking away of sins. And He calls it the blood of a New Testament, that is, of the undertaking, the promise, the new law. For He also undertook this long ago, and this is what constitutes the Testament contained in the new law. And just as the Old Testament had sheep and bulls, this one has the Lord’s blood. In this way He also shows that He is soon to die, which is why He mentions a Testament. He also reminds them of the former Testament, for that too was inaugurated with blood. And again He tells them the reason for His death: “which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins”; and He says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Do you see how He turns them away and draws them away from Jewish customs? Just as you did that, He says, in remembrance of the miracles in Egypt, do this likewise in remembrance of me. That blood was shed to preserve the firstborn; this blood is shed for the forgiveness of the sins of the whole world. For “This,” He says, “is my blood, which is shed for the forgiveness of sins.” But He said this to show that His passion and His cross are a mystery, again comforting His disciples through this as well. And just as Moses says, “This shall be an everlasting memorial for you,” so He too says, “in remembrance of me,” until I come. That is also why He says, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover,” that is, to hand over the new rites to you and give you a Passover through which I will make you spiritual. And He Himself drank from it. For otherwise, on hearing this, they might have said, What then? Are we drinking blood and eating flesh? And they might then have been bewildered (for when He began to speak about these things, many took offense at the very words). So, to keep them from being troubled then as well, He first did this Himself, leading them to share peacefully in the mysteries. Therefore He Himself drank His own blood. What then? Must we also observe that other ancient rite? someone may ask. Certainly not. For He said, “Do this,” precisely to draw them away from the other. For if this brings forgiveness of sins, as it certainly does, the other is now unnecessary. So here, as in the case of the Jews, He has joined the memorial of the benefit to the mystery, again silencing heretics through this. For when they say, How is it clear that Christ was sacrificed? we silence them through the mysteries as well as through the other arguments. For if Jesus did not die, what do the rites symbolize? 2. Do you see how much care has been taken to keep us always mindful that He died for us? For since the Marcionists, Valentinians, and Manichaeans were going to arise and deny this saving work, He continually reminds us of the passion even through the mysteries (so that no one should be deceived), both saving and teaching us through that sacred table. For this is the greatest of the blessings, which is why Paul too emphasizes it in every way. Then, when He had handed it over to them, He says, “I will not drink of the fruit of this vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Because He had spoken with them about the passion and the cross, He again brings up His resurrection, mentioning a kingdom to them and giving that name to His own resurrection. And why did He drink after He had risen again? So that people who understood only in physical terms would not suppose the resurrection was an apparition. For ordinary people treated this as an infallible test of His having risen again. That is why the apostles, when persuading them about the resurrection, also say this: “We who ate and drank with Him.” So, to show that they would plainly see Him risen again, that He would be with them once more, and that they themselves would witness what took place, both by seeing and by taking part, He says, “Until I drink it new with you,” with you as witnesses. For you will see me risen again. But what does “new” mean? In a new, that is, an unfamiliar way: His body would no longer be subject to suffering, but would now be immortal and incorruptible, with no need for food. So He ate and drank after the resurrection not because He needed to, for His body no longer needed these things, but to give full assurance of His resurrection. And why did He drink wine after He had risen again, rather than water? To pull up another wicked heresy by the roots. For there are certain people who use water in the mysteries. To show that He gave wine when He handed over the mysteries and also used wine when, after He had risen, He set an ordinary meal before them without mysteries, He says, “of the fruit of the vine.” But a vine produces wine, not water. “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Let everyone hear this who, like pigs eating whatever they find, rudely dishonors the ordinary table and gets up drunk, when they should give thanks and finish with a hymn. Hear this, all of you who do not stay for the final prayer of the mysteries, for this is a symbol of that. He gave thanks before He gave it to His disciples, so that we too may give thanks. He gave thanks and sang a hymn after giving it, so that we too may do exactly the same. But why does He go out to the mountain? He makes Himself visible so that He may be arrested, so as not to seem to be hiding Himself. For He hurried to the place that Judas also knew. Then “He says to them, All of you will fall away because of me.” After this He also mentions a prophecy: “For it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” In this way He urges them always to pay attention to what is written, while also making it clear that He was crucified according to God’s purpose. And through everything He shows that He is no stranger to the old covenant or to the God proclaimed in it, but that what happens follows a divine plan, and that all the prophets from the beginning proclaimed beforehand everything involved in it, so that they may also be fully confident about the better things. And He teaches us to recognize what the disciples were like before the crucifixion and what they were like afterward. For those who, when He was crucified, could not even stand their ground became mighty after His death, stronger than diamond. And this very thing proves His death—I mean the fright and cowardice of His disciples. For if, even when so many things have been done and said, some are still shameless enough to say that He was not crucified, how far would their wickedness have gone if none of these things had happened? So for this reason He confirms the account of His death through what happened to the disciples, as well as through His own sufferings and through the mysteries, refuting in every way those infected with Marcion’s plague. That is why He even allows the chief apostle to deny Him. But if He was not bound or crucified, where did Peter’s fear and that of the other apostles come from? Yet He does not leave them expecting only sorrow. What does He say? “But after I have risen again, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” For He does not appear straight from Heaven, nor will He leave for some distant country. Instead, He will appear in the same nation where He was crucified, almost in the same place, so that through this He may again assure them that the One who was crucified is the very same One who rose again, and in this way give them still greater comfort in their sorrow. That is also why He said “in Galilee,” so that, free from their fears of the Jews, they might believe His words. Indeed, that is why He appeared there. “But Peter answered, Even if everyone falls away because of You, I will never fall away.” 3. What are you saying, Peter? The prophet said, “The sheep will be scattered”; Christ has confirmed the statement, and you say, No? Was what happened before not enough, when you said, “May that never happen to You,” and were silenced? This, then, is why He allows him to fall, teaching him through it to believe Christ in everything and to consider His declaration more trustworthy than one’s own conscience. The others too gained a great deal from his denial, learning human weakness and God’s truth. For when He foretells something, we must stop finding clever objections or exalting ourselves above ordinary people. For it says, “You will have your reason for rejoicing in yourself, and not in someone else.” For where he should have prayed and said, Help us, so that we are not cut off, he trusts in himself and says, “Even if everyone falls away because of You, I never will”; even if everyone goes through this, I will not. This led him little by little into self-confidence. So Christ, wanting to bring this down, permitted his denial. For he submitted neither to Him nor to the prophet (and yet He brought in the prophet as well precisely so that they would not contradict Him). Since he still would not submit to His words, he is taught through events. To prove that He permitted it for this purpose, to correct this fault in him, listen to what He says: “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.” He said this to rebuke him sharply and show that his fall was more serious than the others’ and needed more help. For there were two things to blame: he contradicted Him, and he put himself ahead of the others; or rather, there was a third as well: he credited everything to himself. To cure these things, then, He allowed the fall to happen. This is also why He leaves the others aside and speaks earnestly to him. For “Simon,” He says, “Simon, look, Satan has asked to have you all, so that he may sift you like wheat”; that is, so that he may trouble, confuse, and tempt you. But “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.” And why, if Satan asked for them all, did He not say about them all, I have prayed for you? Is it not perfectly clear that the reason is what I mentioned before: He directs His words to him to rebuke him and show that his fall was more serious than the others’? And why did He not say, But I did not allow it, instead of, “I have prayed”? From this point on, as He approaches His passion, He speaks in humble terms to show His humanity. For He built His church on Peter’s confession and fortified it so well that ten thousand dangers and deaths will not overcome it. He gave him the keys of Heaven and put so much authority in his hands, without needing any prayer at all for these purposes (for He did not say, I have prayed, but said on His own authority, “I will build my church, and I will give you the keys of Heaven”). How, then, could He need to pray to strengthen the shaken soul of a single man? Why, then, did He speak this way? For the reason I mentioned, and because of their weakness, since they did not yet have a proper understanding of Him. How, then, did he come to deny Him? He did not say, That you may not deny me, but, That your faith may not fail, so that you may not perish completely. For this came from His care. Indeed, fear had driven everything else out, for it was overwhelming. And it became overwhelming because God had withdrawn His help from him to an extreme degree. He withdrew it to such a degree because Peter’s passion for self-will and contradiction was extreme. So, to pull it up by the roots, He allowed the terror to overtake him. To prove that this passion was strong in him, he was not content with his earlier words, contradicting both the prophet and Christ. Even afterward, when Christ had said to him, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times,” he replies, “Even if I die with You, I will never deny You.” And Luke indicates, moreover, that the more Christ warned him, the more fiercely Peter opposed Him. What does this mean, Peter? When He was saying, “One of you will betray me,” you were afraid you might be the traitor and pressed the disciple to ask, although you knew of no such intention in yourself. But now, when He plainly declares, “Everyone will fall away,” do you contradict Him, not just once, but twice and repeatedly? For this is what Luke says. Where, then, did this come from in him? From great love, from great joy. I mean that after he was delivered from that distressing fear about the betrayal and knew who the traitor was, he then spoke confidently and exalted himself above the others, saying, “Even if everyone falls away, I will not fall away.” To some degree his conduct also sprang from jealousy, for at supper they argued about “which of them is the greatest,” so deeply did this passion trouble them. So He restrained him, without forcing him to deny Him—God forbid!—but by leaving him without His help and exposing the weakness of human nature. See, at any rate, how subdued he was afterward. For after the resurrection, when he had said, “And what will this man do?” and was silenced, he no longer ventured to contradict Him as he did here, but kept quiet. Again, near the Ascension, when he heard, “It is not for you to know times or seasons,” he again kept quiet and did not contradict Him. After this, on the housetop, in the incident with the sheet, when he heard a voice saying to him, “What God has cleansed, do not call common,” he remained quiet and did not argue, even though he did not yet know what the saying could mean. 4. That fall brought about all these things. Before it, he credited everything to himself, saying, “Even if everyone falls away, I will not fall away,” and, “If I die, I will not deny You” (when he should have said, If I receive help from You). But afterward he says the exact opposite: “Why do you look at us as though we had made him walk by our own power or holiness?” From this we learn an important teaching: a person’s willingness is not enough without receiving help from above; and, in turn, we gain nothing from help from above without willingness. Judas and Peter show both these things. The one, though he had received much help, gained nothing because he was unwilling and did not do his part. The other, though willing in mind, fell because he received no assistance. For the fabric of virtue is woven from these two things. So I beg you neither to fall asleep yourselves after entrusting everything to God, nor, when working earnestly, to think you can accomplish everything through your own efforts. For God does not want us to be idle, so He does not do everything Himself; nor does He want us to boast, so He did not leave everything to us. Instead, He removed what was harmful in each approach and left what is useful to us. That is why He allowed even the chief apostle to fall, both making him humbler in mind and training him from then on to love more. For it says, “The one who is forgiven more loves more.” So let us believe God in everything and contradict Him in nothing, even if what He says seems contrary to our thoughts and senses. Let His word have greater authority than both our reasoning and our sight. Let us act this way in the mysteries too, keeping His sayings in mind instead of looking at the things set before us. For His word cannot deceive, but our senses are easily deceived. His word has never failed, but our senses go wrong in most things. Since, then, the word says, “This is my body,” let us be convinced and believe, and look at it with the eyes of the mind. For Christ has given us nothing that is merely perceptible to the senses; rather, even through things perceptible to the senses, all His gifts are to be perceived by the mind. So too in baptism, the gift is given through something perceptible to the senses, that is, water; but what takes place is perceived by the mind—I mean the birth and the renewal. For if you had been incorporeal, He would have given you the incorporeal gifts on their own. But because the soul has been locked inside a body, He gives you what the mind perceives through things perceptible to the senses. How many people now say, I wish I could see His form, His appearance, His clothes, His shoes. Look! You see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. You desire to see His clothes, but He gives Himself to you, not only to see, but also to touch and eat and receive within you. So let no one approach with indifference or faintheartedness, but everyone with burning hearts, everyone fervent, everyone fully awake. For if the Jews ate in haste, standing with their shoes on and their staffs in their hands, how much more should you be watchful! For they were about to leave for Palestine, which is why they were dressed as travelers, but you are about to move to Heaven. 5. So we need to be vigilant in every way, for a severe punishment is appointed for those who partake unworthily. Consider how indignant you are with the traitor, with those who crucified Him. Take care, then, that you yourself do not also become guilty of the body and blood of Christ. They slaughtered the all-holy body, but you receive it into a filthy soul after such great benefits. For it was not enough for Him to become man, to be struck and slaughtered; He also mingles Himself with us, and makes us His body, not only through faith but also in actual fact. How far, then, should someone who benefits from this sacrifice surpass everything in purity? What sunbeam should not be outshone in purity by the hand that is to divide this flesh, the mouth that is filled with spiritual fire, the tongue that is reddened by that blood that inspires the deepest awe? Consider what honor you have been given, what kind of table you are sharing in. When angels see this, they tremble and do not dare even to look up at it without awe because of the brightness that comes from it. Yet this is what feeds us, this is what we are mingled with, and we are made one body and one flesh with Christ. “Who will declare the mighty works of the Lord and make all His praises heard?” What shepherd feeds his sheep with his own limbs? And why do I say shepherd? Often mothers, after the labor of childbirth, send their children to other women to nurse them. But He will not bear to do this. Instead, He Himself feeds us with His own blood and entwines us with Himself in every way. Notice this: He was born of our substance. But, you say, this has nothing to do with everyone—even though it does concern everyone. For if He came into our nature, it is perfectly clear that He came to everyone; and if to everyone, then to each individual. And how was it, you ask, that not everyone benefited from this? This was not His doing, since He chose to do this on behalf of everyone; the fault lay with those who were unwilling. He mingles Himself with each of the faithful in the mysteries, and those He has begotten He nourishes with Himself, without sending them to someone else. Through this too He again assures you that He has taken your flesh. So let us not be careless, having been considered worthy of so much love and honor. Do you not see how eagerly infants take hold of the breast, how intensely they fasten their lips on the nipple? Let us approach this table and the nipple of the spiritual cup with the same desire. Or rather, let us draw out the grace of the spirit with far greater eagerness, like infants at the breast. Let our one sorrow be that we do not partake of this food. The works set before us are beyond human power. The One who did these things then at that supper is the very same One who does them now. We serve as attendants. The One who sanctifies and changes them is the same. So let no Judas be present, no greedy person. If anyone is not a disciple, let him withdraw; the table does not receive such people. For “I keep the Passover,” He says, “with my disciples.” This table is the same as that one and has nothing less. For it is not the case that Christ performed that and a human being performs this; He performs this too. This is that upper room where they were then, and from here they went out to the Mount of Olives. Let us also go out to the hands of the poor, for this place is the Mount of Olives. For the multitude of the poor are olive trees planted in the house of God, dripping the oil that benefits us there, the oil the five virgins had, while the others who had not received it perished for that reason. Having received this, let us enter so that we may meet the bridegroom with bright lamps; having received this, let us go out from here. Let no inhumane person be present, no one cruel and merciless, no one at all who is unclean. 6. I say these things both to you who receive and to you who minister. For I must address you too, so that you may distribute the gifts there with great care. A severe punishment awaits you if, knowing of wickedness in anyone, you allow him to partake of this table. “His blood will be required at your hands.” Even if he is a general, even if he is a governor, even if he is the very man who wears the crown, if he comes unworthily, forbid him; your authority is greater than his. If you were entrusted with keeping a spring of water clean for a flock and then saw a sheep with a great deal of mud on its mouth, you would not allow it to bend down to the spring and foul the water. But now you are entrusted with a spring of blood and spirit rather than water. If you see people coming to it bearing sin, which is more serious than dirt and mud, are you not indignant? Do you not drive them away? And what excuse can you have? God has honored you in this way so that you may discern these things. This is your duty, this your safety, this your whole crown: not walking around dressed in a bright white vestment. And how am I to know, you may ask, about this person or that person? I am speaking of those whose sins are notorious, not those whose sins are unknown. Shall I say something more frightening? It is not as serious for those possessed by demons to be inside as for people like these, who Paul says trample Christ underfoot and “regard the blood of the covenant as unclean, and insult the grace of the Spirit.” For someone who has fallen into sin and approaches is worse than someone possessed by a devil. For those who are possessed are not punished for being possessed, but those who approach unworthily are handed over to undying punishment. So let us drive away not only these people, but everyone without exception whom we see coming unworthily. Let no one receive communion who is not one of the disciples. Let no Judas receive, or he may suffer Judas’s fate. This multitude too is Christ’s body. So take care, you who minister at the mysteries, that you do not provoke the Lord by failing to cleanse this body. Do not give a sword instead of food. Indeed, even if he comes to receive communion out of ignorance, forbid him; do not be afraid. Fear God, not man. If you fear man, even he will laugh at you; but if you fear God, even people will respect you. But if you do not dare to do it yourself, bring him to me; I will not allow anyone to dare to do these things. I would give up my life rather than share the Lord’s blood with the unworthy, and I will shed my own blood rather than share that blood that inspires such awe in a way that is improper. But if someone has not recognized the wicked person, even after much inquiry, he is not to blame. For these things have been said about open sinners. For if we correct them, God will quickly reveal to us those who are unknown as well. But if we leave these alone, why should He then reveal those who are hidden? But I say these things so that we may correct them and bring them back and care for them, not merely turn them away or cut them off. For in this way we will both have God’s favor and find many who receive worthily; and we will receive a great reward for our own diligence and our care for others. May God grant that we all attain it through the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.