Augustine, Sermones 289-292 (Classis III, de Sanctis)

to be glorified, you seek to be extinguished: let them glorify our Father Who is in heaven (Matt. 5:14–16). Through your good works let them glorify your Father. That you might be lamps, you could not light yourselves, you could not set yourselves upon the lampstand: let Him be glorified Who has granted you this. Hear, then, the Apostle Paul, hear a lamp exulting on the lampstand. But to me, he says (those who know what follows cry it out), But to me: and what then to you? Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. On the lampstand I glory: if the lampstand withdraws itself, I fall. Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14). You have praised and applauded. Let the world be crucified to you, be crucified to the world. What is this? Do not seek happiness from the world: keep yourselves away from the happiness of the world. The world flatters: let the corrupter be guarded against; the world threatens: let the assailant not be feared. If the good things of the world have not corrupted you, if the evil things of the world have not corrupted you, the world is crucified to you, you are crucified to the world. Glory on the lampstand: keep, O lamp, humility always on the lampstand, that you may keep your brightness; take care that you are not extinguished by pride. Preserve what you have been made, that you may glory in the Maker. For what were you, O man? Every man, consider what you were born: even if you were born noble, you were born naked. What is nobility? The birth of the poor man and of the rich man is an equal nakedness. Or perhaps, because you were born noble, you live as long as you wish? When you did not know it, you entered; when you do not wish it, you go out. Finally, let the tombs be looked into, and let the bones of the rich be recognized.

Sermon 290. On the Birthday of John the Baptist, 4.

Chapter I. — 1. The testimony of John concerning Christ, and of Christ concerning John. Saint John, not the Evangelist but the Baptist, was sent before the face of Christ to prepare His ways. The testimony of Christ concerning John is: Among those born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist (Matt. 11:11). The testimony of John concerning Christ is: He Who comes after me is greater than I, the strap of Whose shoe I am not worthy to loose (John 1:27). Let us consider both testimonies, that which the Lord bore to the servant, and that which the servant bore to the Lord. What is the testimony of the Lord concerning the servant? Among those born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist. What is the testimony of the servant concerning the Lord? He Who comes after me is greater than I. If, then, among those born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist, He Who is greater than he, what is He? John is a great man, but a man: Christ is greater than John, because He is God and man. Both were wonderfully born, the herald and the Judge, the lamp and the day, the voice and the Word, the servant and the Lord. The servant from a barren woman, the Lord from a virgin. The Lord Himself made for Himself a servant in a barren womb, from an old father and from an aged mother: and the very same Lord made for Himself flesh in the womb of a virgin, without a human father,

Who made the first man without father and mother. None has arisen among those born of women greater than John the Baptist. So great did John appear that he was even thought by some to be the Christ. Yet he did not in his pride follow another's error, nor did he dare to say, I am what you think: but, which was good for him, he acknowledged himself, so as to be humbled as a servant at the feet of the Lord and at the strap of His shoe, lest the lamp be extinguished by the wind of pride.

Chapter II. — 2. Why the birthday of Christ and of John is celebrated, and not that of others. Accordingly, because John was born in a great mystery, the Church celebrates the birthday of him alone among the just. The Nativity of the Lord is also celebrated, but as that of the Lord. Give me another servant besides John, among the Patriarchs, among the Prophets, among the Apostles, whose birthday the Church of Christ celebrates. We celebrate the day of the passion for very many servants: the day of birth for none except John. You heard, when the Gospel was being read, what the order was of the two at their birth, of the forerunner and of the Ruler, and, as I said a little before, of the herald and of the Judge, of the voice and of the Word. The angel Gabriel announces John; the very same angel Gabriel announces the Lord Jesus Christ. The one goes before, the Other follows: the one goes before by serving, the Other follows by ruling. For He follows by being born, He goes before by ruling: because Christ created John himself, after whom Christ was created, both Creator and created; Creator before His mother, Creator of His mother, created in His mother. And why do I say, Creator before His mother? Before Abraham I am, He Himself said, the Gospel speaks it (John 8:58): hear, or read. But it is too little to say, Creator before Abraham: Creator before Adam, Creator before heaven and earth, Creator before all the Angels and the whole spiritual creation, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities and Powers, Creator before all things. For in the beginning the Word was not made, but the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God: He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him (John 1:1–3). If all things, visible and invisible, heaven and earth, then also the Virgin Mary: for the Virgin Mary too is from the earth, and Christ, the maker of the earth, was made from the earth, since truth has sprung from the earth (Ps. 84:12).

Chapter III. — 3. John was so great a man in order that, humbling himself before Christ, he might show [Him] to be more than a man. Briefly, then, I commend a great mystery to Your Charity. Since there were going to be many who would think that Christ was nothing but a man, nothing more than a man: for that reason a great man, than whom there has been none greater among men, bore witness to Him, John, subject, bowed down, humbled. How humble would he have made himself, had he said that he was worthy to loose the strap of His shoe? Consider, in a great mystery, the strap of the shoe. How humble would John have been, even if he had said himself worthy? What did he do, by saying himself unworthy? Therefore

his birthday has been marked out, and commended to the Church for celebration.

Chapter IV. — 4. Zechariah and Mary spoke almost the same words, but did not share the same unbelief. Yet there is a very great difference, not only in the mothers, in that the one was a virgin, the other a barren woman; the one bearing by the Holy Spirit the Son of God, our Lord, the other bearing by her aged husband the forerunner of the Lord. Attend to this as well. Zechariah did not believe. How did he not believe? He asked the angel by what he might know what he was promising, since he himself was old, and his wife was advanced in her days. And the angel said to him: Behold, you will be silent, and you will not be able to speak until the day on which these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time. The very same angel comes to Mary, announces that Christ will be born of her in the flesh, and Mary says something of the same kind. For he said: By what shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife has advanced in her days. And it is said to him: Behold, you will be silent, and you will not be able to speak until the day on which these things are fulfilled, because you did not believe my words. And he received the punishment of silence, as the desert of unbelief. What had the prophet said of John? The voice of one crying in the desert (Isa. 40:3). Zechariah is silent who is to beget the voice. Because he did not believe, he was silent: deservedly he was struck dumb until the voice should be born. For if it was rightly said, nay since it was very rightly said in the holy psalm, I believed, because of which I have spoken (Ps. 115:10): since he did not believe, deservedly he did not speak. But I ask, Lord, together with those who hear me I knock: open to us, explain to us what this question means. Zechariah asks the angel for reasons, by what he might know what had been announced to him, since he was old, and his wife advanced in her days: it is said to him, Because you did not believe, you will be silent. Christ is announced to the virgin Mary, and she too asks for a reason, and says to the angel, How shall this come about, since I do not know a man? And he: By what shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife advanced in her days. And she: How shall this come about? Since I do not know a man. To him it is said, You will be silent, because you do not believe: to her, however, the reason is explained, silence is not imposed. How shall this come about? Since I do not know a man. And the angel: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Behold how what you ask shall come about, behold how you do not know a man and yet will give birth, behold how: because the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Do not fear the heat of lust under the shade of such great holiness. Why is this? If we attend to the words, either both believed or both doubted, Zechariah and Mary. But we are able to hear words: God is able to question hearts as well.

Chapter V. — 5. Zechariah asks in despair, Mary in inquiry. The very great grace of God in the incarnation of the Word. We understand, dearly beloved, that Zechariah, when he says, By what shall I know this? for I am old, and my wife advanced in her days, spoke in despair, not in inquiry: but Mary, when on the contrary she says, How shall this come about, since I do not

know a man, she said by way of inquiring, not of despairing. While she asked, she did not doubt the promise. O truly full of grace! For so she was greeted by the angel: Hail, full of grace. Who could explain this grace? Who could suffice in giving thanks for this grace? Man is made, and through free choice man perishes, and He who made man is found made man, so that he whom He made might not perish. In the beginning the Word, God with God, through Whom all things were made, becomes flesh: The Word was made flesh, and dwelt in us (John 1:14). Flesh becomes the Word, but flesh is joined to the Word; the Word does not perish in the flesh. O grace! That we might have this, what were we worthy of?

Chapter VI. — 6. The rich, that is the proud, are to be emptied; and the hungry, that is the humble, are to be filled. The Pharisee, rich; the Publican, poor. But see what holy Mary herself says, full of faith, full of grace, mother to be, virgin to remain. What does she say among other things, to speak of each of which one by one would be a very great deal? What does she say? He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty (Luke 1). Who are the hungry? The humble, the needy. Who are the rich? The proud and the puffed up. I do not send you far: I show you now in one temple a rich man, one of those who are sent away empty, and a poor man, one of those who are filled with good things. Two men went up into the temple to pray; one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee was saying. What was he saying? Observe the rich man belching up undigested food, breathing out surfeit, but the surfeit of pride, not of righteousness: God, he says, I give Thee thanks that I am not as other men are, robbers, unjust, adulterers, as is this publican. I fast twice in the sabbath, I give tithes of all that I possess. Had you come to ask, or to praise yourself? You have said that you have everything: you have asked for nothing as one in need. How then have you come to pray? I give Thee thanks, O Lord. He does not say: Lord, give me grace. That I am not as other men are, robbers, unjust, adulterers. So you alone are righteous? That I am not as this publican. You insult, you do not exult. I fast twice in the sabbath, I give tithes of all that I possess. O rich man who must be emptied! Come, come, poor man, hungry publican: nay, stand there, where you are standing. For the publican was standing afar off. But the Lord was drawing near to the humble man. He did not dare to lift his eyes to heaven. Where he did not lift his eyes, there he had his heart. But he was beating his breast, saying: Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. O hungry man who must be filled with good things!

7. The Lord's judgement on the Pharisee and the Publican. He refutes the Pelagians, who are prouder than the Pharisee himself. Lord, Thou hast heard the dispute; bring forth the sentence. Hear the sentence pronounced between the parties. The loser does not appeal, because there is no one to appeal to. For one does not appeal from the Son to the Father. For God the Father judges no one; but He has given all judgement to the Son (John 5:22). Let Truth, then, pronounce the sentence between the parties. Amen, He says, I say to you, that this man went down from the temple justified rather than that Pharisee. Why this, I ask Thee? By what justice? Do you wish to hear? Because everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be exalted (Luke 18:10–14). By Whom this man will be exalted, and he who exalts himself will be humbled.