Gregory the Dialogist

But after these things, what follows is very terrible: "For many are called, but few are chosen," because many come to faith, yet few are led to the heavenly kingdom. For behold, how many of us have gathered for today's feast, we fill the walls of the Church, yet who knows how few there are who are numbered in that flock of God's elect? For behold, the voice of all proclaims Christ, but the life of all does not proclaim Him. Most follow God with their voices, but flee from Him by their conduct. Hence Paul says: "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him." Hence James says: "Faith without works is dead." Hence through the Psalmist the Lord says: "I have declared and spoken, they have multiplied beyond number." For when the Lord calls, the faithful are multiplied beyond number, because sometimes even those come to faith who do not attain to the number of the elect. For here they are mingled with the faithful through confession, but because of their reprobate life they do not deserve to be numbered there in the lot of the faithful. This fold of holy Church receives goats together with lambs; but, as the Gospel attests, when the Judge comes, He separates the good from the wicked, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. For those who here serve the pleasures of their flesh cannot be numbered there in the flock of sheep. There the Judge separates from the lot of the humble those who here exalt themselves in the horns of pride. Those who here, though established in heavenly faith, seek the earth with all their desire, cannot receive the kingdom of heaven.

And you see many such people within the Church, dearest brothers, but you ought neither to imitate them nor to despair of them. For we see what someone is today, but what each one will be tomorrow we do not know. Often one who is seen to come after us surpasses us through the swiftness of good work, and tomorrow we scarcely follow him whom today we seemed to precede. Certainly when Stephen was dying for the faith, Saul was guarding the garments of those who were stoning him. Therefore he himself stoned with the hands of all who were stoning, since he rendered them all free to stone, and yet in the holy Church he surpassed in labors that very one whom by persecuting he made a martyr. There are therefore two things which we ought to consider carefully. For since many are called but few are chosen, the first is that no one should presume too much of himself, because even if he has already been called to the faith, he does not know whether he is worthy of the eternal kingdom. The second is that no one should dare to despair of his neighbor, whom he perhaps sees lying in vices, because he does not know the riches of divine mercy.

There follows: "You are my friends." O how great is the mercy of our Creator! We are not worthy to be servants, and we are called friends. How great is the dignity of men to be friends of God! But you have heard the glory of this dignity; hear also the labor of the struggle: "If you do what I command you." "You are my friends, if you do what I command you." As if He were saying openly: You rejoice at the height; consider by what labors one arrives at the height. Surely when the sons of Zebedee, through the intervention of their mother, sought that one should sit at the right hand of God and the other at the left, they heard: "Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They were already seeking the place of exaltation; the Truth calls them back to the way by which they might come to exaltation. As if it were said: The place of exaltation already delights you, but first let the way of labor exercise you. Through the cup one reaches majesty. If your mind desires what pleases, first drink what causes pain. Thus, thus through the bitter cup of affliction one arrives at the joy of salvation.

For there are two kinds of martyrdom: one in the mind, another in the mind together with action. And so we can be martyrs even if we are not slain by any sword of persecutors. For to die at the hands of a persecutor is martyrdom in open deed; but to bear insults, to love one who hates us, is martyrdom in hidden thought. For that there are two kinds of martyrdom, one in hidden deed, another in public, the Truth testifies, who asks the sons of Zebedee, saying: "Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?" When they immediately answered Him: "We can," the Lord at once replied, saying: "You shall indeed drink my cup." For what do we understand by the cup except the suffering of the Passion? Of which He says elsewhere: "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." And the sons of Zebedee, that is, James and John, did not both die through martyrdom, and yet both heard that they would drink the cup. For John did not end his life through martyrdom, yet he was a martyr, because the suffering that he did not undergo in body he preserved in mind. Therefore, by this example, we too can be martyrs without the sword, if we truly guard patience in our soul.

But the miracles of our Lord and Savior are to be received, dearest brothers, in such a way that we both believe them to have truly occurred, and yet understand that through their significance they indicate something to us. For His works both show one thing through their power and speak another through their mystery. For behold, we do not know who this blind man was according to the historical account, but yet we know whom he signifies through the mystery. For the blind man is the human race, which, expelled from the joys of paradise in its first parent, ignorant of the brightness of the light above, suffers the darkness of its condemnation; but yet is illuminated through the presence of its Redeemer, so that it now sees the joys of the inner light through desire, and sets the steps of good work upon the way of life.

It must be noted that when Jesus is said to draw near to Jericho, the blind man is illuminated. For Jericho is interpreted as "moon," and the moon in sacred speech stands for the weakness of the flesh, because as it wanes through its monthly phases, it signifies the weakness of our mortality. Therefore, while our Creator draws near to Jericho, the blind man returns to light, because when the divinity took on the weakness of our flesh, the human race received back the light it had lost.

But when we persist intensely in our prayer, we fix Jesus as He passes by in our mind. Behold, He who was passing by before now stands still, because while we still suffer the crowds of phantasms in prayer, we perceive Jesus as somewhat passing by. But when we persist intensely in prayer, Jesus stands still to restore our sight, because God is fixed in the heart, and the lost light is restored.

Yet in this matter the Lord suggests something else to us, which can be usefully understood concerning His humanity and divinity. For Jesus passing by heard the blind man crying out, but standing still He performed the miracle of illumination. For to pass by belongs to humanity, to stand still belongs to divinity. Through His humanity indeed He experienced being born, growing, dying, rising again, coming from place to place. Therefore, since in divinity there is no changeableness, and this very thing—to be changed—is to pass by, certainly that passing by is from the flesh, not from the divinity. But through His divinity it belongs to Him always to stand still, because He is present everywhere, neither coming through movement nor departing through movement.

Having described this, what the Lord did is added: because, entering the temple, he began to cast out those selling and buying in it, saying to them: It is written that my house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. For he who foretold the evils to come and immediately entered the temple to cast out from it those selling and buying, clearly made known that the ruin of the people came chiefly from the fault of the priests. Indeed, in describing the destruction but striking at those selling and buying in the temple, he showed by the very effect of his work whence the root of perdition sprang. Moreover, as we have learned from another evangelist as witness, doves were being sold in the temple. And what is received through doves except the gift of the Holy Spirit? But he expels the sellers and buyers from the temple, because he condemns either those who grant the imposition of hands for a gift, or those who strive to buy the gift of the Spirit.

Just as the temple of God is in the city, so also is the life of religious persons among the faithful people. And often some take up the habit of religion, and when they receive a place in the sacred orders, they turn the office of holy religion into a commerce of earthly business. Those selling in the temple are they who bestow for a reward what rightly belongs to certain persons. For to sell justice is to maintain it in exchange for receiving a reward. Those buying in the temple are they who, while refusing to render to their neighbor what is just, and while disdaining to do what is rightly owed, give a reward to patrons and buy sin.

But why do we speak of these things, when we still see many burdened by more atrocious deeds? For I speak to you priests with grief, because we have learned that some of you perform ordinations for payments, selling spiritual grace and accumulating temporal gains from the iniquities of others along with the harm of sin. Why then does the voice of the Lord commanding not return to your memory, saying: Freely you have received, freely give? Why do you not recall before the eyes of your mind that our Redeemer, entering the temple, overturned the seats of those selling doves and poured out the money of the money-changers? For who are those in the temple of God today who sell doves, if not those who in the Church receive payment for the imposition of hands? Through which imposition, namely, the Holy Spirit is given from heaven. Therefore the dove is sold, because the imposition of hands, through which the Holy Spirit is received, is offered for a price. But our Redeemer overturned the seats of those selling doves, because he destroys the priesthood of such merchants. For hence it is that the sacred canons condemn the simonian heresy, and command that those be deprived of the priesthood who seek payment for bestowing ordinations. Therefore the seat of those selling doves is overturned when those who sell spiritual grace are deprived of the priesthood, either before human eyes or before the eyes of God.

And indeed there are many other evils of those in authority which now escape human eyes. And often they present themselves to people as holy pastors, yet in their hidden deeds they are not ashamed to appear shameful before the eyes of the internal Judge. It will come, it will surely come, that day, nor is it far off, in which the Pastor of pastors will appear, and will bring forth into public the deeds of each one, and he who now avenges the faults of subjects through those in authority, will then raging condemn the evils of those in authority through himself. Whence also entering into the temple, he made as it were a whip from cords by himself, and casting out the wicked merchants from the house of God, he overturned the seats of those selling doves, because he strikes the faults of subjects through pastors, but he strikes the vices of pastors through himself. Behold, now what is done secretly can be denied to people. That Judge will certainly come, from whom no one can hide himself by keeping silent, whom no one can deceive by denying.

About this temple it is soon added: "My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." For those who sat in the temple to receive gifts, it was certainly not doubtful that they would seek to harm those who gave nothing. Therefore the house of prayer had been made a den of thieves, because they knew how to stand in the temple for this purpose: either to eagerly pursue bodily those not giving gifts, or to kill spiritually those who did give.

To them it is rightly said: "My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves," because when perverse men sometimes hold a place of religion, there they slay with the swords of their malice where they ought to have given life to their neighbors through the intercession of their prayer.

The temple and house of God is also the very mind and conscience of the faithful. If at any time it brings forth perverse thoughts in injury to a neighbor, it is as though robbers are dwelling in a cave and killing those who walk by in simplicity, when they thrust swords of injury into those who are guilty of nothing. For the mind of the faithful is no longer a house of prayer but a den of thieves when, having abandoned the innocence and simplicity of holiness, it strives to do that by which it might harm its neighbors.

(Hom. in Ev. xxxviii. 2.) Here, by the wedding-feast is denoted the present Church; there, by the supper, the last and eternal feast. For into this enter some who shall perish; into that whosoever has once entered in shall never be put forth. But if any should maintain that these are the same lessons, we may perhaps explain that that part concerning the guest who had come in without a wedding garment, which Luke has not mentioned, Matthew has related. That the one calls it supper, the other dinner, makes no difference; for with the ancients the dinner was at the ninth hour, and was therefore often called supper.

(ubi sup.) G marriage feast for God the Son, when He joined Him to human nature in the womb of the Virgin. But far be it from us to conclude, that because marriage takes place between two separate persons, that therefore the person of our Redeemer was made up of two separate persons. We say indeed that He exists of two natures, and in two natures, but we hold it unlawful to believe that He was compounded of two persons. It is safer therefore to say, that the marriage feast was made by the King the Father for the King the Son when He joined to Him the Holy Church in the mystery of His incarnation. The womb of the Virgin Mother was the bride-chamber of this Bridegroom.

(ubi sup.) But because these who were first invited would not come to the feast, the second summons says, Behold, I have prepared my dinner.

(ubi sup.) By the oxen are signified the Fathers of the Old Testament; who by sufferance of the Law gored their enemies with the horn of bodily strength. By fatlings are meant fatted animals, for from 'alere', comes 'altilia,' as it were 'alitilia' or 'alita.' By the fatlings are intended the Fathers of the New Testament; who while they receive sweet grace of inward fattening, are raised by the wing of contemplation from earthly desires to things above. He says therefore, My oxen and my fallings are killed; as much as to say, Look to the deaths of the Fathers who have been before you, and desire some amendment of your lives.

(ubi sup.) It is to be observed, that in the first invitation nothing was said of the oxen or fatlings, but in the second it is announced that they are already killed, because Almighty God when we will not hear His words gives examples, that what we suppose impossible may become easy to us to surmount, when we hear that others have passed through it before us.

Whosoever then intent upon earthly business, or devoted to the actions of this world, feigns to be meditating upon the mystery of the Lord's Passion, and to be living accordingly, is he that refuses to come to the King's wedding on pretext of going to his farm or his merchandize. Nay often, which is worse, some who are called not only reject the grace, but become persecutors, And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them despitefully, and slew them.

(ubi sup.) Or, The armies of our King are the legions of His Angels. He is said therefore to have sent His armies, and to have destroyed those murderers, because all judgment is executed upon men by the Angels. He destroys those murderers, when He cuts off persecutors; and burns up their city, because not only their souls, but the body of flesh they had tenanted, is tormented in the everlasting fire of hell.

(ubi sup.) But when He sees that His invitation is spurned at, He will not have His Son's marriage-feast empty; the word of God will find where it may stay itself.

(ubi sup.) Or otherwise; In holy Scripture, way is taken to mean actions; so that the crossings of the ways we understand as failure in action, for they usually come to God readily, who have had little prosperity in worldly actions.

(ubi sup.) Or; He means that in this present Church there cannot be bad without good, nor good without bad. He is not good who refuses to endure the bad.

(ubi sup.) What ought we to understand by the wedding garment, but charity? For this the Lord had upon Him, when He came to espouse the Church to Himself. He then enters in to the wedding feast, but without the wedding garment, who has faith in the Church, but not charity.

(ubi sup.) The hands and feet are then bound by a severe sentence of judgment, which before refused to be bound from wicked actions by amendment of life. Or punishment binds them, whom sin had before bound from good works.

(ubi sup.) By inward darkness we express blindness, of heart; outer darkness signifies the everlasting night of damnation.

(ubi sup.) There shall gnash those teeth which here delighted in gluttony; there shall weep those eyes which here roamed in illicit desire; every member shall there have its peculiar punishment, which here was a slave to its peculiar vice.

(ubi sup.) For some never begin a good course, and some never continue in that good course which they have begun. Let each one's care about himself be in proportion to his ignorance of what is yet to come.

I remember that I have often said that frequently in the holy Gospel the present Church is called the kingdom of heaven. For the congregation of the righteous is called the kingdom of heaven. Because the Lord says through the prophet: "Heaven is my throne"; and Solomon says: "The soul of the righteous is the seat of wisdom"; Paul also says: "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God"; we ought clearly to conclude that if God is wisdom, and the soul of the righteous is the seat of wisdom, since heaven is called the throne of God, therefore the soul of the righteous is heaven. Hence it is said through the Psalmist concerning the holy preachers: "The heavens declare the glory of God." Therefore the kingdom of heaven is the Church of the righteous, because while their hearts seek nothing on earth, through the fact that they sigh for things above, the Lord already reigns in them as if in heavenly places. Let it therefore be said: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was a king, who made a wedding feast for his son."

Now your charity understands who this king is, the father of the king's son: namely he to whom the Psalmist says: "O God, give your judgment to the king, and your justice to the king's son." He made a wedding for his son. For God the Father made a wedding for God his Son when he joined him to human nature in the womb of the Virgin, when he willed that God before all ages should become man at the end of the ages. But since this union is usually made from two persons, far be it from our understanding that we should believe the person of God and man, our Redeemer Jesus Christ, to be united from two persons. Indeed we say that he exists from two and in two natures; but we avoid as impious the belief that he is composed of two persons. Therefore it can be said more openly and safely that in this the Father made a wedding for his Son the king, by which through the mystery of the incarnation he joined the holy Church to him. Moreover, the womb of the Virgin mother was the bridal chamber of this bridegroom. Hence the Psalmist also says: "He has set his tabernacle in the sun, and he himself comes forth like a bridegroom from his chamber." For like a bridegroom he came forth from his chamber, because God incarnate went out from the uncorrupted womb of the Virgin to join the Church to himself.

What do we understand by the bulls and fattened birds, dearest brothers, if not the fathers of the Old and New Testament? Because I speak to common people, I must also explain the very words of the Gospel reading. For we call "altilia" fattened birds; from the word "alere" (to nourish), we call them "altilia," as if "alitilia." Since it was written in the law: "You shall love your friend, and hate your enemy," the just had then received permission to suppress God's adversaries and their own with whatever strength they could, and to strike them by right of the sword. This is without doubt restrained in the New Testament, when Truth Himself preaches, saying: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." Who then are signified by the bulls if not the fathers of the Old Testament? For since they had received from the permission of the law the right to strike their adversaries with the repayment of hatred, so to speak, what else were they but bulls, who struck their enemies with the horn of bodily strength? And what is figured by the fattened birds if not the fathers of the New Testament, who, receiving the grace of inner richness, striving upward from earthly desires, are lifted to the heights of their contemplation on wings? Indeed, to place one's thought on lowly things—what else is this but a certain dryness of mind? But those who through understanding of heavenly things are already fed through holy desires with the food of inner delight from above grow fat, as it were, with more abundant nourishment. The Prophet had longed to be fattened with this richness when he said: "Let my soul be filled as with fat and richness."

Therefore, because the preachers of the Lord's incarnation who were sent endured persecution from unbelievers—first the prophets and afterward the holy apostles—it is said to those invited who refused to come: "My bulls and fattened birds have been slain, and all things are ready." As if it were said more openly: Look upon the deaths of the fathers who went before, and consider the remedies for your life. It should be noted that in the first invitation nothing is said about bulls and fattened birds, but in the second it is now mentioned that the bulls and fattened birds have been slaughtered, because almighty God, when we refuse to hear His words, adds examples, so that everything we believe impossible becomes easier for us to hope for, the more we hear that others have already passed through it.