These days are called LITANIAE, that is, PRAYER-DAYS. On these days we
should pray for abundance of our earthly fruits, and health for ourselves,
and peace, and, what is yet more, forgiveness of our sins.
We read in books, that this observance was established at the time when
there happened in a city, which is called Vienna, a great earthquake, and
churches and houses fell, and there came wild bears and wolves, and
devoured a large portion of the people, and the king's palace was burnt
with heavenly fire. Then the bishop Mamertus commanded a fast of three
days, and the affliction ceased; and the custom of the fast continues
everywhere in the faithful church.
They took the example of the fast from the people of Nineveh. That people
was very sinful: then would God destroy them, but they appeased him with
their penitence. God spake to a prophet who was called Jonah, "Go to the
city of Nineveh, and announce there the words which I say to thee. Then was
the prophet afraid, and would flee from God's presence, but he could not.
He went to the sea, and entered a ship. When the shipmen came out to sea,
God {247} sent to them a great wind and tempest, so that they were hopeless
of their lives. They therefore cast their wares overboard, and the prophet
lay and slept. They then cast lots among them, and prayed that God would
manifest to them whence that affliction came upon them. Then the prophet's
lot came up. They asked him who he was, or how he would go? He said that he
was a servant of God, who created sea and land, and that he would flee from
God's presence. They said, How shall we do regarding thee? He answered,
Cast me overboard, then will this affliction cease. They then did so, and
the tempest was stilled, and they offered their gifts to God, and went on
their course."
God then prepared a whale, and it swallowed up the prophet, and bare him to
the land to which he should go, and there vomited him out. Then again came
the word of God to the prophet, and said, "Arise now, and go to the great
city Nineveh, and preach as I before said to thee." He went and preached,
that God's anger was about to descend on them, if they would not incline to
God. Then, the king arose from his throne, and cast off his precious robes,
and put sackcloth on his body, and ashes upon his head, and commanded that
every man should so do; and that both men and sucking children and also the
cattle should not taste of anything within three days. Then through that
conversion, that they desisted from evil, and through that strict fast, God
had mercy on them, and would not destroy them, as he had before, for their
crimes, burnt the inhabitants of the two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, with
heavenly fire.
We also on these days should offer up our prayers, and follow our relics
out and in, and with fervour praise Almighty God. We will now expound to
you this gospel which has just been read: "Quis vestrum habebit amicum": et
reliqua. "Jesus said to his disciples, Which of you who hath a friend, and
goeth to him at midnight, and saith," etc.
{249} Saint Augustine expounded this gospel, and said, that the night
betokened the ignorance of this world. This world is filled with ignorance.
Now therefore should everyone arise from that ignorance, and go to his
friend, that is, he should incline to Christ with all fervour, and pray for
the three loaves, that is, belief in the Holy Trinity. The Almighty Father
is God, and his Son is Almighty God, and the Holy Ghost is Almighty God;
not three Gods, but they all one Almighty God indivisible. When thou comest
to those three loaves, that is, to an understanding of the Holy Trinity,
then hast thou, in that belief, life and food for thy soul, and mayest
therewith feed another stranger also, that is, thou mayest teach the faith
to another friend who shall ask it of thee. He said a 'stranger,' because
we are all strangers in this life, and our country is not here; but we are
here as wayfaring men; one comes, another goes; this is born, the other
departs and yields up his seat to him. Now therefore should everyone desire
faith in the Holy Trinity, for that faith will bring him to everlasting
life.
We will again speak more concerning faith, because the exposition of this
gospel has a good deduction. The master of the family, who was gone to rest
with his children, is Christ, who sits in heaven with his apostles, and
with martyrs, and with all the saints whom he fetched in this life. We
should call to Christ, and pray for the three loaves. Though he do not
forthwith grant them to us, we should not on that account desist from
prayer. He delays, and yet will give. He delays, that we may be desirous,
and dearly hold the grace of God. Whatsoever a man gets easily is not so
precious as that which is gotten with difficulty. Jesus said, "If he
continue knocking, the master of the family will arise, because of the
other's importunity, and grant him what he asks, not for friendship, but
for his clamour." He said, "Not for friendship," because no man were worthy
either of that faith, or of eternal life, if God's mercy were not the {251}
greater towards mankind. We should knock, and call to Christ, because he
will give to us, as he himself said, "Ask, and it shall be given to you;
seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." To everyone
who fervently asks, and ceases not from prayer, God will grant everlasting
life.
He then said another parable. "What father will give his child a stone, if
he ask for bread? or a serpent, if he ask for a fish? or a scorpion, if he
ask for an egg?" God is our Father through his mercy, and the fish betokens
faith, and the egg holy hope, the bread true love. These three things God
gives to his chosen; for no man can have God's kingdom, unless he have
these three things. He must rightly believe, and have hope in God, and true
love to God and to men, if he will come to God's kingdom. The fish betokens
faith, because its nature is, that the more it is tossed by the waves, the
stronger it is, and the more vigorously it strikes. In like manner the
believing man, the more he is afflicted for his faith, the stronger will be
his faith, wherever it is sound. If it sink under persecution, it is then
not faith, but is hypocrisy. The egg betokens hope, seeing that birds teem
not like other animals, but first it is an egg, and the mother then with
hope cherishes the egg to a young bird. In like manner our hope comes not
yet to that which it hopes, but is, as it were, an egg. When it has that
which is promised it, it is a bird. Bread betokens true love, which of all
virtues is greatest, as bread is of all food the principal. Faith is a
great virtue, and a great virtue is true hope; yet love excels them,
forasmuch as it is ever to eternity, and the other two will end. We now
believe in God, and we hope in him: but after we come to his kingdom, as he
has promised us, then will faith be ended, for we shall then see what we
now believe. Our hope will also be ended, because we shall be in possession
of what we had previously hoped for; but love will never decay: therefore
is it the most excellent of them.
{253} The serpent is placed in the gospel in opposition to the fish. In a
serpent's form the devil deceived Adam; and he is now ever striving against
our faith: but our protection is in the hand of our Father. The scorpion,
which is set in opposition to the egg, is venomous, and stings with its
tail to death. Those things which we see in this life are perishable; those
which we see not, and which are promised to us are eternal: stretch thereto
thy hope, and wait until thou have them. Look not behind; dread the
scorpion which envenoms with its tail. The man looks behind, who despairs
of God's mercy; then is his hope envenomed by the scorpion's tail. But we
should both in difficulties, and in chances and in mischances, say as the
prophet said, "I will praise the Lord at every time." Betide us good in
body, betide us evil, we ought ever to thank God, and bless his name; then
will our hope be preserved from the scorpion's sting.
A stone is set in opposition to bread, because hardness of mind is contrary
to true love. Hardhearted is the man who will not through love promote the
welfare of others where he can. The gospel says, "If ye can, who are evil,
give to your children what is good, how much more will your Heavenly Father
give a good spirit to those asking him?" What are the good things that men
give to their children? Transitory goods, such as the gospel touched on,
bread, and fish, and an egg. These things are good in their degree, because
the earthly body requires food. Now ye, prudent men, will not give your
children a serpent for a fish, nor also will your Heavenly Father give us
the devil's unbelief, if we pray to him to give us true faith. And thou
wilt not give thy child a scorpion for an egg, nor also will God give us
despair for hope. And thou wilt not give thy child a stone for bread, nor
also will God give us hardheartedness for true love. But the good Heavenly
Father will give us faith, and hope, and {255} true love, and will cause us
to have a good spirit, that is, good will.
We have to consider the words which he said, "Ye who are evil." We are
evil, but we have a good Father. We have heard our name, "Ye who are evil."
But who is our Father? The Almighty God. And of what men is he the Father?
It is manifestly said, of evil men. And of what kind is the Father? Of whom
it is said, "No one is good save God only." He who ever is good will bring
us who are evil to be good men, if we will eschew evil and do good. The man
Adam was created good, but by his own election and the instigation of the
devil, he and all his offspring became evil. He who is sinful is evil, and
there is no man in life without some sin. But our good Father will cleanse
and heal us, as the prophet said, "Lord, heal me, and I shall be healed;
preserve thou me, and I shall be preserved."
Let him who desires to be good call to him who ever is good, that he make
him good. A man has gold, that is good in its kind: he has land and riches,
they are good. But the man is not good through these things, unless he do
good with them, as the prophet said, "He distributed his wealth, and
divided it among the poor, and his righteousness continueth for ever." He
diminished his money, and increased his righteousness. He diminished that
which he must leave, and that will be increased which he shall have to
eternity. Thou praisest the merchant who gets gold for lead, and wilt not
praise him who gets righteousness and the kingdom of heaven for perishable
money. The rich and the poor are wayfarers in this world. The rich now
bears the heavy burthen of his treasures, and the poor goes empty. The rich
bears more provisions for his journey than he requires, the other bears an
empty scrip. Therefore should the rich share his burthen with the poor;
then will he lessen the burthen of his sins, and help the poor. We are all
God's poor; let us therefore acknowledge the poor who ask of us, that God
{257} may acknowledge us, when we ask our needs of him. Who are those that
ask of us? Men poor, and feeble, and mortal. Of whom ask they? Of men poor,
and feeble, and mortal. Except the possessions, alike are those who ask and
those of whom they ask. How canst thou for shame ask anything of God, if
thou refuse to thy fellow that which thou canst most easily grant him? But
the rich looks on his purple garments, and says, 'The wretch with his rags
is not my fellow.' But the apostle Paul beards him with these words, "We
brought nothing to this world, nor may we take with us anything hence."
If a rich woman, and a poor one bring forth together, let them go away;
thou knowest not which is the rich woman's child, which the poor one's.
Again, if we open the graves of dead men, thou knowest not which are the
rich man's bones, which the poor one's. But covetousness is of all evil
things the root, and those who follow covetousness swerve from God's faith,
and fall into divers temptations, and pernicious lusts, which sink them
into perdition. It is one thing, that a man be rich, if his parents have
bequeathed him possessions; another thing, if any one become rich through
covetousness. The covetousness of the latter is accused before God, not the
other's wealth, if his heart be not inflamed with covetousness. For such
men the apostle Paul enjoined, "Enjoin the rich that they be not proud, and
that they hope not in their uncertain wealth; but let them be rich in good
works, and give to God's poor with bountiful spirit, and God will requite
them an hundredfold for whatsoever they do for the poor for love of him."
The rich and the poor are needful to each other. The wealthy is made for
the poor, and the poor for the wealthy. It is incumbent on the affluent,
that he scatter and distribute; on the indigent it is incumbent, that he
pray for the distributor. The poor is the way that leads us to the kingdom
of God. The poor gives to the rich more than he {259} receives from him.
The rich gives him bread that will be turned to ordure, and the poor gives
to the rich everlasting life: yet not he, but Christ, who thus said, "That
which ye do for the poor in my name, that ye do for myself," who liveth and
reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost ever without end. Amen.
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