IntroductionFinal cause governs actions. Jesus went to the desert to be tempted by the devil. Did the devil know incarnation in advance? When he was an angel, he saw it mirrored in God, yet after his fall, his mind is clouded and he was doubting since he saw contradictory sings about Jesus (nativity: singing of the angels and the star vs. poverty and fragility). Hence, the devil tempted Jesus to discover the truth and to avoid the human salvation (4AB).
Division
The previous Gospel pericopes indicated the virtues and the dress that need to equip the penitent, now it is time to see the adversary’s attack and his attempt to strip the soul of the eternal reward: «qualiter adversarius tales aggreditur ut eos mercede possit eterna privare». The division follows the Gospel narrative (see above).
First part
«Circa litteram»: Jesus was brought to the desert between Jerusalem and Jericho (the same of the parable of the good Samaritan) as a place apt for doing penance. «Et vocatur quarentena» since Jesus was fasting for forty days and nights.
Human beings have free will, otherwise there would be no merit in good works. Reference to Peter Lombard, Lib. Sen. II, II, 23 c. 1 and to the commentary of Bonaventure to it: “Deus ideo permittere voluit hominem a dyabolo impugnari, si fortiter et viriliter ageret, maiorem gloriam inde consequeretur” (4D).The temptations serve:
Ad probitatis probationem
Ad iniquitatis corretionem
Ad humilitatis eruditionem
Temptations serve to prove the believers. Biblical exempla (Job and Abraham) and an extensive quotation from the story of Judith: «Vos frates, qui presbiteri estis...» (Judith 8.21-28), where the heroine recalls how God used to tempt the patriarchs and how one needs to keep trust in God. Temptations and tribulations serve to purify (as with gold, as with martyrs) and to avoid spiritual pride.
Where does a temptation come from? From interior is the most dangerous, from the exterior is weaker (it does not have power if not joining an interior temptation), from the devil is the weakest, as said by Augustine and a rhymed verse: «Augustinus: Debilis est hostis, qui non vincit nisi volentem. Et ideo metrice dicitur: Hostis non ledit nisi cum tentatus obedit. Est leo dum cedit, si stat quasi musca recedit” (4G – comparison with lion and fly). However, the devil tempts more the penitent then the sinner, since the latter is already in his power.
Second part
Ample explanation ad litteram. Three temptations are the same used by Satan to overcome the humanity at the beginning (gluttony, vainglory and avarice), for this reason he is allowed to assault Jesus in this way. The reply to the second temptations (that upon the pinnacle of the temple, i.e. «locum ubi doctores legis consueverant populo legem exponere» serves to clarify that it is wrong to expect a miracle for something can be done normally (in this case, to go down using the staircase; 4H).
The traps of the devil are without number, one needs to strike back with every kind of caution and virtue. In particular, the devil:
Abstinentia maceratos tentat gulositate
Pietatis assiduos, superbia et vanitate
In divinis celicos, symoniaca pravitate (4K)
In a mallow and rational way, the devil invites to moderate fasting and abstinence, arguing that they are weakening the person and are irrational. Reference to an exemplum taken from the life of saint Francis (source Bonaventure). Again, the image of the devil that tempts people in three ways (allegory of Daniel 7.5: the bear with three rows of threats as the devil that aims to swallow the devout souls and to break their good purposes; 4L).
Avarice – as a form of idolatry - is a form of adoration of the devil. The sermon connects it with simony, lamenting the present situation: «Heu multos hodie...» (4N). Issue of the offers for the sacraments: an offer cannot be requested or binding, but they can be accepted as free and as a laudable custom, yet the celebration of sacraments must not be postponed for it.
Third part
Help of the angels to people. As a person going to a battle needs someone who instructs and leads him, in the same way God sent a guardian angel to everyone as teacher – reference to Peter Lombard and Psalm 90. Three key aspects of the angel:
Nobilitatem
Dignitatem
Utilitatem (4O).
The last part underlines how the angels «a peccatis retrahant; ab inimicis defendant; ad paradisum perducant» (4T). Discussion whether Jesus and the Virgin Mary had a guardian angel. Jesus no but the angels served him. About the Virgin there are different positions: the sermon prefers the position of François de Meyronnes who sates that the Virgin was protected directly by the Trinity and so could not be attacked by the devil, so the angels only pay homage to her (4T). The angels assist the humans also to accelerate the full restauration of their status after the fall of the rebel angels, hence they help the conversion of sinners and rejoice for it. Finally, the sermon lists six characteristics that one has to learn from the angels to live like them.
... Temptations serve to prove the believers. Biblical exempla (
Job
and Abraham ) and an extensive quotation from the story...
20/1/46
T28 Easter
Roberto Caracciolo
Introduction
Invitation to rejoice in the resurrection of Christ and to have faith in the resurrection of humans.
Divisio (see above)
1) First part: three (pre)figurations of Christ resurrected:
1. Jonah (reference to Jonah 1-2): christological interpretation of the prophet Jonah (just as Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish and then came out alive, so Jesus spent three days «in the belly of the earth and the stone [i.e. the tomb]» and then resurrected);
2. Samson (reference to Judges 16, 3): christological interpretation of Samson (just as Samson ascended the mountain with the two gates [i.e. body and soul], so Christ ascended with body and soul into heaven);
3. Not a figuration, but a prophecy (reference to Psalmi 107, 2).
2) Second part: the proof of the resurrection of Christ is provided by the words of several prophets:
1. Ipse morietur et sepulcrum eius erit gloriosum (quote from Isaiah 11, 10): the sepulcrum is called gloriosum because «he [scil. Jesus Christ] resurrected victoriously and gloriously»;
2. Suscitabo tabernaculum David, quod cecidit, et reedificabo aperturas murorum eius (quote from Amos 9, 11): the tabernaculum David is the body of Jesus Christ who resurrected without aperturas murorum eius, i.e. without the wounds of the crucifixion in the hands;
3. Ascendit leo de cubili suo (quote from Jeremiah 4, 7).
3) Third part: even the pagans understood by revelation the resurrection of Christ:
1. Scio quod redemptor meus vivit, et in ultimo die de terra surrectus sum et in carne mea videbo deum salvatore meum (quote from Job 19, 25-26): Job knows, by revelation, about the resurrection of Christ and of human beings.
2. Ipse vero ut leena consurget et quasi Leo erigetur, non accubabit donec devoret predam (Balaam’s words quoted from Numbers 23, 24);
3. Deus est circulus rotundus et decertatus (quote from Plato[?]): Christ is decertatus as he was fought by the Jews, etc.; Christ is a circulus rotundus because, like a circle, has his end in his beginning, i.e. after death he comes back to life.
Conclusion
With the resurrection of Christ the figurations, prophecies and words of the pagans are fulfilled (Oportebat impleri omnia que scripta sunt in prophetis et psalmis de me, quote from Luke 24, 44).
... videbo deum salvatore meum_ (quote from Job 19, 25-26):
Job
knows, by revelation, about the resurrection of Christ...
21/1/15
T19/4 Wednesday after Invocavit
Anonymous
Introduction -
Divisio
First part: utilities of penance:
1) The first utility of penance is the recovery of grace, often even greater than that lost by sin (references to Job, Joel, Luke and Cyprian).
2) The second utility is that penance repairs and comforts nature (references to Book of Judith and John the Bishop[?]).
3) The third utility is that penance restores glory (references to Matthew, Revelation and Augustine).
4) The fourth utility is that penance loosens punishment (references to Jeremy, Psalms and Ambrose (Saint)).
Second part: things that made penance praiseworthy:
1) Firstly, penance must be humble and divout (concerning humility, references to Job, John and Bernard of Clairvaux; concerning tearfulness and devotion, references to Book of Judith and Augustine).
2) Secondly, penance must be general and intact, i.e. one must not repent of one sin, but of all (references to Ezekiel); one must also repent isto tempore, because God wants to reserve salvation and consolation for the repentant (reference to Isidore of Seville [the quotation, however, seems to be spurious]).
3) Thirdly, penance must be discreet, i.e. commensurate with the extent of the sin (references to Matthew, Jerome and Gregory the Great).
4) Fourthly, penance must be done with good intention, i.e. not for ostentation and worldly glory, as the Pharisee did (reference to Luke 18), but following the example of Manasseh, who repented coram deo patruum suorum et non coram mundo (reference to 2Chronicles 33).
... often even greater than that lost by sin (references to
Job
, Joel , Luke and Cyprian ). 2) The second utility...
... humble and divout (concerning humility , references to
Job
, John and Bernard of Clairvaux ; concerning tearfulness...