Homilies on the Statues, Homily 9

1. It was only recently that I spoke to you, as I am speaking to you again now! And oh, if only I could always be with you—or rather, I am always with you, even if not in bodily presence, still through the power of love! For I have no life apart from you and my concern for your salvation. Just as the farmer’s only concern is his seeds and harvests, and the pilot’s is the waves and harbors, so the preacher is concerned about his listeners and their progress, as I am right now! So I carry you all in my thoughts, not only here but also at home. For even if the crowd is large and my heart has little room, love has plenty of room, and “you are not cramped within us.” I will not add what follows, because neither are we cramped within you. How is this clear? Because I have met many who have said, “We have carried out the command by making rules for one another, setting penalties for those who swear, and enforcing punishment on those who break this law.” This punishment truly suits you and is a sign of the greatest love. For I am not ashamed to involve myself in these matters, since this desire to intervene comes from tender concern, not idle curiosity. For if it is no disgrace for a physician to ask about a patient, neither is it any fault in us to keep asking about your salvation. By learning what has been accomplished and what remains undone, we will have the knowledge we need to apply further remedies. We have learned these things by asking, and we thank God that we have not sown our seed on rocks or dropped it among thorns, and that we have not needed much time or a long delay before reaping the harvest. This is why I keep you constantly in my heart. This is why I do not feel the labor of teaching: the benefit to the listener eases the burden. This reward is indeed enough to renew our strength, give us wings, lift us up, and persuade us to undertake the greatest toil for your sake. 2. Since you have shown such generosity of spirit, let us repay the further debt we promised the other day, although I do not see everyone here who was present when I made that promise. What, I ask, can be the reason for this? What has driven them away from our table? Someone who has eaten a bodily meal seems to have thought it beneath him to come and hear the divine oracles after receiving material food. But they are wrong to think this way. For if this were improper, Christ would not have given His extensive, lengthy discourses after that mystical supper. And if this had been unsuitable, He would not have spoken to the multitude after feeding them in the wilderness. For (if I must say something startling on this point), hearing the divine oracles is especially beneficial at that time. For once you have decided that after eating and drinking you must also go to the assembly, you will certainly take care to remain sober, even if reluctantly, and you will never be carried away into excessive drinking or gluttony. For the thought and expectation of entering the church trains you to eat and drink with proper restraint, so that after you enter and join your brothers and sisters, you will not make yourself ridiculous to everyone there by smelling of wine and belching rudely. I say these things now to those who are absent, not to you who are here, so that they may learn them through you. For eating does not keep someone from listening; indifference does. But while you consider it grounds for condemnation that you have not fasted, you then add another fault, far greater and more serious, by not sharing in this sacred food. After nourishing your body, you starve your soul. Yet what excuse do you have for doing this? When it comes to fasting, perhaps you can plead bodily weakness, but what can you say about listening? Surely bodily weakness does not prevent you from sharing in the divine oracles! If I had said, “Let no one who has eaten breakfast join us,” or “Let no one who has eaten come to listen,” you would have had some excuse. But now, when we long to drag you in, entice you, and beg you to come, what excuse can you have for turning away from us? The unfit listener is not the person who has eaten and drunk, but the one who pays no attention to what is said, who yawns and listens carelessly, whose body is here while his mind wanders elsewhere. Such a person gains nothing from listening, even if he is fasting. On the other hand, the person who is earnest, alert, and attentive will be our most suitable listener of all, even if he has eaten and drunk. This rule does indeed quite properly apply to secular courts and councils. Because they do not know how to exercise spiritual wisdom, they eat until they burst, instead of eating for nourishment, and they often drink to excess. Since they make themselves unfit to manage their affairs, they close their courtrooms and council chambers in the evening and at midday. But there is nothing like that here—God forbid! Here the person who has eaten will rival the person who fasts in sobriety of soul. For he eats and drinks in a way that restores his body’s weakened strength, rather than swelling his stomach or clouding his reason. 3. But enough of this warning. It is time to address our subject, although my mind holds back and shrinks from giving this instruction because of those who have not come. Just as a loving mother grieves and mourns when she is about to set the table and not all her children are there, so I too suffer now. When I think of our absent brothers and sisters, I am reluctant to repay my debt. But you have the power to free me from this hesitation. For if you promise to give them an exact account of everything I say, I will gladly pay you the whole amount. The instruction you lovingly provide will then make up for their absence, and you will listen to me more attentively, knowing that you must give others an account of these things. So, to make our subject clearer, let us take it up again from the beginning. The other day we were asking why the Scriptures were given after so many years. For this Book was given neither in Adam’s time, nor in Noah’s, nor in Abraham’s, but in Moses’ time. And I hear many people saying that if the Book was beneficial, it should have been given from the very beginning; but if it was useless, it should not have been given afterward. But this is a worn-out argument. For it is not entirely true that anything beneficial should have been given from the beginning, nor is it absolutely necessary that anything given from the beginning should continue afterward. For example, milk is useful, yet it is not always given; it is given to us only when we are children. Solid food is useful, but no one gives it to us at the beginning of our lives, only after we have grown beyond childhood. Again, summer is useful, but it is not always here; and winter is beneficial, yet it too makes room for other seasons. What then? Do they say the Scriptures are not useful? I answer that they are extremely useful and necessary. “And if they are so useful,” they ask, “why were they not given to us from the beginning?” Because God wanted to teach human beings through things, rather than through writing. But what does “through things” mean? Through Creation itself. 4. Notice, then, how the Apostle answers when he takes up this same subject and addresses those very Greeks who said that they had not learned the knowledge of God from the Scriptures from the beginning. After saying, “The anger of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who hold the truth in unrighteousness,” he saw the objection he faced: many would still ask how the Gentiles knew the truth of God. So he goes on to add, “Because what can be known of God is evident in them.” But how is it evident in them? How were they able to know God, and who showed them? Tell us this. “God,” he says, “has shown it to them.” How? By sending what prophet? What evangelist? What teacher, if the holy Scriptures had not yet been given? “The invisible things of Him,” he says, “since the creation of the world are clearly seen, understood through the things that have been made, even His eternal Power and Godhead.” He means simply this: He has placed His Creation in plain view, before everyone’s eyes, so that they may infer the Creator from His works. Another writer also referred to this: “For from the greatness and beauty of created things, their Maker is perceived by analogy.” Do you see their greatness? Marvel at the power of Him who made them! Do you see their beauty? Be astonished at the wisdom that adorned them! This is what the prophet meant when he said, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Tell me, then, how do they declare it? They have no voice, no mouth, no tongue! How, then, do they declare it? Through the sight itself. For when you see their beauty, breadth, height, position, form, and stability over so long a time, it is as though you hear a voice. Taught by the sight, you worship Him who created so beautiful and extraordinary a body! The heavens may be silent, but the sight of them sends out a voice louder than a trumpet, teaching us through our eyes instead of our ears. For sight is a surer and clearer sense than hearing. 5. For if God had taught through books and writing, a person who could read would have learned what was written, but someone who could not read would have gone away without any benefit from this source, unless someone else had introduced him to it. A wealthy person would have bought the Bible, but a poor person would not have been able to obtain it. Again, someone who knew the language in which it was written could have understood its contents, but the Scythian, the Barbarian, the Indian, the Egyptian, and everyone unfamiliar with that language would have gone away without any instruction. This, however, cannot be said of the heavens. The Scythian, the Barbarian, the Indian, the Egyptian, and every person who walks the earth will hear this voice, for it reaches our understanding through sight, not through our ears. Visible things are perceived in the same way by everyone; there are no differences like those between languages. The uneducated and the wise alike can look at this volume, the poor as well as the rich. Wherever anyone happens to go, he can look up at the heavens and learn enough from the sight of them. The prophet himself suggested and pointed out that creation makes this voice intelligible to barbarians, Greeks, and all humanity without exception when he said, “There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” He means that there is no nation or tongue unable to understand this language; their speech is such that all humanity can hear it. And this applies not only to the heavens, but also to day and night. But how does it apply to day and night? The heavens astonish the viewer by their beauty, their vastness, and everything else, carrying him into admiration of the Creator. But what can day and night show us of the same kind? Certainly nothing of the same kind, but other things no less impressive: for example, the harmony and order they observe so precisely. For when you consider how they distribute the whole year between them and divide its entire length as though with a balance beam and scales, you will be astonished at Him who ordered them! Just like sisters dividing their father’s inheritance with great affection, without wronging one another in the slightest, day and night divide the year into equal shares with the greatest precision. They keep within their own boundaries and never push one another aside. Never has the day been long in winter, nor the night long in summer, though so many generations have passed away. Through so vast a stretch of time, neither has cheated the other in the slightest—not by half an hour, no, not even by the blink of an eye! 6. So the Psalmist, astonished at the equality of this division, exclaimed, “Night to night reveals knowledge.” If you know how to reflect wisely on these matters, you will admire the Being who fixed these unchanging boundaries from the beginning. Let the greedy hear this, and those who covet other people’s wealth, and let them imitate the equality of day and night. Let the proud and arrogant hear it too, and those unwilling to let others have the places of honor! The day gives way to the night and does not invade another’s territory! But you, who always enjoy honor—can you not bear to share it with your brothers and sisters? Consider with me also the wisdom of the Lawgiver. In winter He has ordered the night to be long, when the young shoots are tender, need more coolness, and cannot bear the sun’s hotter rays. But when they have grown somewhat, the day grows longer along with them, reaching its greatest length when the fruit has ripened. This arrangement benefits our bodies as well as seeds. For in winter the sailor, pilot, traveler, soldier, and farmer mostly stay at home, held there by the frost, and the season is one of inactivity. God has therefore assigned most of this time to the night, so that daylight would not be needlessly long when people could do nothing. Who can describe the perfect order of the seasons, how they follow one another in the loveliest harmony, like virgins dancing in a circle, and how the seasons in between keep making a gradual, quiet transition to the opposite ones? So summer does not overtake us immediately after winter, nor winter immediately after summer. Spring comes between them, so that as we move gently and gradually from one season to another, our bodies can become conditioned to face the summer heat without discomfort. For since sudden changes between opposite extremes cause the worst injuries and diseases, God has arranged for spring to follow winter, summer to follow spring, and autumn to follow summer, bringing us in this way to winter. With the help of the seasons in between, these changes between opposite seasons come upon us gradually and without harm. Who, then, is so miserable and pitiable that, seeing the heavens, the sea, the land, this precise adjustment of the seasons, and the unfailing order of day and night, he can think these things happen on their own, instead of worshiping Him who arranged them all with wisdom equal to the task! 7. But I still have more to say on this subject. For not only the greatness and beauty of creation, but also the very way it is made, reveals God as the craftsman of the universe. We were not present at the beginning while He was forming and creating all things. Even if we had been there, we could not have known how they came into being, since the power that arranged them is invisible. So He has made the way this creation is constructed our best teacher, combining everything in a way that goes beyond the course of nature. Perhaps what I have said is not clear enough, so I must say it again more clearly. Everyone must admit that in the course of nature water rests on the earth, rather than the earth on the waters. For the earth, being a dense, hard, unyielding, solid substance, can easily support water. But water, which is fluid, thin, soft, spreading, and yielding to everything it meets, cannot support any solid body, even the lightest. Indeed, often when a small pebble falls on it, the water yields, makes way, and sends it to the bottom. So when you see the whole earth, rather than a small pebble, resting on the waters without sinking, admire the power of Him who accomplished these marvelous things in a supernatural way! And how do we know that the earth rests on the waters? The prophet declares it when he says, “He has founded it on the seas and established it on the floods.” And again, “To Him who has founded the earth on the waters.” What are you saying? Water cannot support a small pebble on its surface, yet it holds up the earth, vast as it is, with mountains, hills, cities, plants, people, and animals, and it does not sink! What am I saying—does not sink? How is it that, after the water has been in close contact with it underneath for so long, it has not dissolved and all turned to mud? For wood rots and dissolves after soaking in water for only a little while. And why speak of wood? What could be harder than iron? Yet even iron often softens after remaining in water for a long time, and understandably so, since its substance comes from the earth. That is why many runaway servants, escaping with their shackles and chains dragging behind them, go to streams and put their shackled feet into the water. After softening the iron this way, they easily break it by striking it with a stone. Iron indeed softens, wood rots, and stones wear away through the action of water, yet a mass as great as the earth has remained lying on the waters for so long without sinking, dissolving, or being destroyed! 8. Who could fail to be astonished and amazed at these things, and confidently declare that they are the works of Providence above nature, rather than of nature? So one writer says, “Who hangs the earth on nothing.” Another observes, “In His hands are the corners of the earth.” And again, “He has laid its foundation on the seas.” Although these declarations seem to contradict one another, they agree completely. For the one who said, “He has laid its foundation on the seas,” meant the same thing as the one who declared, “He has hung it on nothing.” For resting on the waters is just the same as hanging on nothing. Where, then, is it suspended and placed? Listen to the same writer saying, “In His hands are the corners of the earth.” This does not mean that God has hands; it teaches you that His power, providing for everything, holds together and supports the body of the earth! But if you do not believe what I say, believe what you see! For this wonderful craftsmanship can be found in another element too. Fire naturally tends upward and is always rising. However much you force or constrain it, it cannot be made to direct its course downward. For often, when we carry a lighted torch, even if we tilt its head downward, we cannot force the flame toward the ground. It still turns upward and passes from below to what is above. But God has made the sun do just the opposite. He has turned its beams toward the earth and directed its light downward, all but saying to it through the very shape (of the heavens), “Look down. Shine on human beings, for you were made for them!” A candle’s light cannot be made to do this, but this star, great and marvelous as it is, bends down and looks toward the earth, contrary to the nature of fire, through the power of Him who commanded it. Would you like me to speak of another thing like this? Waters surround the outer surface of the visible heaven on every side, yet they neither flow down nor move out of place, although water does not naturally behave this way. For it readily collects in a hollow, but when a body is convex, water slips away on all sides, and not even a small amount can remain on such a shape. Yet look! This wonder exists in the heavens, and the prophet again points to this very fact when he says, “Praise the Lord, you waters above the heavens.” Besides, the water has not quenched the sun, nor has the sun, traveling beneath it for so long, dried up the water above. 9. Would you like us to lead you back down to the earth and point out its marvel? Do you not see this sea, full of waves and fierce winds? Yet this sea, vast, wide, and furious as it is, is walled in by weak sand! Notice God’s wisdom too. He did not allow it to be still or calm, so that you would not suppose its good order to be merely a natural arrangement. Instead, while staying within its limits, it raises its voice, churns, roars aloud, and lifts its waves to an enormous height. But when it reaches the shores and sees the sand, it breaks and turns back into itself. Through both these things it teaches you that its remaining within its boundaries is the work of Him whose power restrains it, rather than the work of nature! This is why He made the wall weak and did not surround these shores with wood, stone, or mountains, so that you would not attribute the regulation of the elements to such things. So God Himself, reproaching the Jews on this very point, said, “Do you not fear Me, who have placed the sand as the boundary of the sea, which it cannot cross?” But the wonder is not only that He has made a great and marvelous world and fitted it together in a way beyond the usual course of nature. He has also made it out of opposites: hot and cold, dry and moist, fire and water, earth and air. These opposing elements, which make up the whole universe, are continually at war with one another, yet do not consume one another. Fire has not spread everywhere and burned everything up; water has not overflowed and drowned the whole earth. In our bodies, however, these effects really do occur. An increase in bile produces fever, and the whole living body is harmed; an excess of phlegm produces many diseases that destroy the living creature. But nothing like this happens in the universe. Each thing is held as though by a bridle and a bond, keeping within its own boundaries by the Creator’s will, and their conflict becomes a source of peace for the whole. Are these things not evident even to a blind person? Can even the simple not easily understand that they were made and are sustained by some Providence? For who is so foolish and senseless that, seeing such a mass of substances, such beauty, such a combination, the continual conflict of such vast elements, their opposition and yet their endurance, he would not reason with himself and say, “If there were no Providence to sustain this mass of bodies and keep the universe from falling apart, it could not remain; it could not have lasted. The order of the seasons is so perfect, the harmony of day and night so great, and the kinds of animals, plants, seeds, and herbs that maintain their course so numerous, and yet, to this day, none has ever fallen into decay or suddenly disintegrated.” 10. We could go on speaking about these things and many others still more profound, and could draw moral lessons from Creation itself. But let us save those subjects for tomorrow and make every effort to remember what has been said and pass it on to the others. I know that the difficulty of these reflections has made them sound unfamiliar to you. But if we pay a little attention and grow accustomed to them, we will easily be able to teach others. Meanwhile, I must also say this to you, my beloved. Just as God has given us glory through this great creation, let us also glorify Him by living pure lives! “The heavens declare the glory of God” simply by being seen. So we too should declare God’s glory both by speaking and by remaining silent, astonishing everyone with the brightness of our lives. For He says, “Let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” For when an unbeliever sees you, a believer, self-controlled, modest, and well-behaved, he will marvel and say, “The God of the Christians is truly great! What kind of people has He formed? What has He made them into, and what were they before? Has He turned them from human beings into angels? If anyone treats them with contempt, they do not insult him! If anyone beats them, they do not become enraged! If anyone wrongs them, they pray for the person who hurt them! They have no enemy! They know nothing of holding grudges! They are innocent of empty chatter! They have not learned to tell a lie! They cannot tolerate a false oath—or rather, they do not swear at all, but would rather have their tongue cut out than let an oath leave their mouth!” These are the things we should give them reason to say about us. We should wipe out our evil habit of swearing and show God at least as much honor as we show our more valuable clothes. For how absurd it is that, when we have one garment better than the rest, we do not let ourselves wear it all the time, yet everywhere we drag God’s name through the dirt without concern or respect! Let us not—I earnestly pray and beg you—let us not treat our own salvation with such contempt. Let us maintain to the end the care we have taken with this command from the beginning. For I keep urging you about oaths because I have seen that you have largely reformed, not because I condemn you for indifference. I press you and urge you on so that the whole work may be completed and brought to perfection. Spectators at public games do the same: they cheer those who are close to the prize all the more vigorously. So let us by no means grow tired. We have nearly completed this reform, and the difficulty was at the beginning. Now that most of the evil habit has been cut away and less remains to correct, no toil is needed, only a moderate amount of watchfulness and diligence for a short time. Then, having reformed ourselves, we can also become teachers of others, approach the Holy Passover with great confidence, and gladly reap twice or three times the festival’s usual joy. For being freed from the toil and fatigue of fasting does not delight us as much as meeting that holy season with a glorious, well-earned crown—a crown that will never fade! 11. But to bring about this reform more quickly, do what I tell you. Inscribe that “flying sickle” on the wall of your house and on the wall of your heart. Think of it flying out because of the curse, and keep it constantly in mind. If you see someone else swearing, restrain him, forbid him, and take care of him; take care of your own household servants too. For if we make it our concern to correct ourselves and also bring others to the same point, we will quickly reach the goal ourselves. As we undertake to teach others, we will feel ashamed and blush if we seem to leave undone in our own lives what we tell them to do. There is no need to say more, for much has already been said on these matters, and these things are being said now only as a reminder. But may God, who is more concerned to spare our souls than we are, make us perfect in this and every good work, so that, having brought the whole fruit of righteousness to maturity, we may be found worthy of the kingdom of heaven, through the grace and loving kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom, and with Whom, to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory forever and ever. Amen.