Introduction
Ferrer builds a link with the topics of the previous Sunday: that on fasting, on prayer: “intentio est universalis ecclesie fideles homines ad orationem provocare”. Since each person lives a perennial conflict between flesh and spirit, the Church knows about this controversy and that the soul is right, so it first aims to restrain flesh with fasting and then to exalt the soul with prayer. While in the first Sunday the example of Jesus provoked to fasting, that of the woman of Canaan provokes now to prayer.
Division
The three key point are linked with the thema yet Ferrer immediately overturn that option (as if it were too intellectual...) and just follow the narrative of the pericope: “Sed de his intricationibus non curo! Sed ego volo ista tria trahere ex evangelio et non ex themate” (f. s1r).
First part
The sermon expands on the biblical narrative, with interesting development of the woman’s invocation (almost a model of prayer). Two analytical points (one theoretical, the other moral)
1) Why Jesus was called son of David? David expelled the devils from Saul by playing the chitara, not for the power of music but since it was figura of the cross of Christ, made with dried wood (reference to previous sermon 3/6/16: “ut pridie dixi in primo sermone cuius thema: Ecce sanus factus etc’) – symbolism developed: “Et ista cithara significant crucem et funicular significant membra Christi que fuerunt attracta in cruce et nervi cum clavis. Et clavelle ille significant clavos…” (f. s1r). The cithara produce high notes, so Christ on the cross did – reference to Jesus’ seven last words and their meaning.
2) A moral teaching: the woman’s daughter was tormented in several ways by demons, who are connected with the seven capital sins [once again]. Detailed exhortation not to recur to divination (sortilegos), with specific references to those who had lost something and to women who want to have kids.
Second part
Jesus refused three times, yet the woman insisted. Also this time, the sermon details two points, one theoretical and the other moral.
1) Christ redeemed everybody with his Passion, yet not each one is saved since s/he did not want to do fasting: “quia nolunt ieiunare” [note the insistence on it, and also the exaggeration]. This is explained with a detailed simile of a rich man who went to among Saracens to redeem Christians slaves (“redimendum christianos captivos omnes qui essent penes sarracenorum in Barbaria cum magnis pencuniis”); if some of them did not want to leave after being set free, it is not his fault. In the same way the Passion “solvendo in ara crucis” frees everybody and invites all to embark on the ship that symbolize the Church (“nunciatur dicendo: ponatis vos in navigio ecclesie”). Yet, on this salvific ship the Jews did not want to embark as well as Tartars and Saracens who believe in the heaven promised by Muhammad: “Nam venerunt nuncii domini et dixerunt iudeis: venite ad navem domini. Qui dixerunt: nolumus. Similiter dicatur de tartaris et saracenis, qui dicunt quod noster propheta promittit nobis in alio mundo rivum melis et lactis” (f. s2r).
2) The moral teaching concerns learning to pray in the morning and in the evening. This is presented by means of an exemplum of a Lombard man (“Quidam lombardus...”) who decided to go to Jerusalem: during the pilgrimage, he prays everyday to ask that his journey goes well; yet, once he is almost back home, he forgets to pray and his house burn down with his wife and son inside it.
Third part
Why did Jesus make the woman wait and did not listen to her immediately? Two points:
1) Waiting makes the woman grow and elevate so that she obtains more at the end, so the behavior of Jesus was ruled by love. Explained with the exemplum (labeled as parable) of a soldier (miles) who asks his king for an apple: the king gives him first a castle, then a horse, then a robe, and only at the end an apple...
2) This was done to give an example of humility for us
... called son of David ? David expelled the devils from
Saul
by playing the chitara , not for the power of music...
20/1/14
T20/3 Tuesday after Reminiscere
Roberto Caracciolo
Introduction -
Division (see above)
1) First part: the community of Christians is organized, like the natural world, into lower and higher elements; there is no superiority by nature, but only by functions (reference to Thomas Aquinas). Priests must be obeyed because their function - mediating the will of God - is superior to others; disobeying priests is like disobeying God (exemplum: 1Kings 15,3 Saul disobeys the prophet Samuel).
2) Second part: obedience not only rewards human beings with temporal goods, but also gives them grace and love towards God and other men. Those who obey their superior enjoy the highest honor in Heaven (reference to Vita dei santi Padri). "Obedience is the mother of all virtues” and si obbediremus Deo, Deus nobis obbediret (reference to Augustine; exemplum: Joshua 10, 12-13 God granted Joshua's request, because “Joshua was obedient to God”). One must always obey willingly; the virtue of obedience makes possible many things that seemed impossible (exemplum: the tree of obedience, from Vita dei santi Padri).
3) Third part: God reserves great punishments for the disobedient (two exempla: Genesis 3, 17 punishment of disobedient Adam; story of the Carthaginian matron and her disobedient children).
Conclusion
The concept that everyone must obey their superior is reiterated.
... priests is like disobeying God (_exemplum_: 1Kings 15,3
Saul
disobeys the prophet Samuel ). 2) Second part: obedience...
20/1/25
T21/Sab Saturday after Oculi
Roberto Caracciolo
Introduction -
Divisio (see above)
1) First part: the first misery into which human beings fall due to sin is the “servitude”: Qui facit peccatum, servus est peccati (quote from John 8, 34). Exemplum: the liberation of Peter (from Acts 12, 1-11; according to Caracciolo, «Peter in prison represents the sinner, the prison is the sensual desire, the two chains represent two natural defects, i.e. the difficulty in doing good and the ignorance [reference to Augustine], the guards represent worldly pleasures and promises»).
2) Second part: the second misery into which human beings fall due to sin is the “disfigurement” (or “stain”). Exemplum: sins of Salomon (from Book of Sirach 47, 22). Sin makes human beings similar to beasts, and «it’s worse to be compared to beasts than to be born a beast» (reference to John Chrysostom’s «homily of the Ascension»).
3) Third part: the third misery into which human beings fall due to sin is the “loss of temporal goods”: 1. Sin brings kingdoms and kings to ruin (exempla: Saul loses the kingdom of Israel [Samuel to Saul:«Because you have despised the precept of God, the Lord has despised you, and doesn’t want you to be king of Israel», quote from 1Samuel 15, 26]; David loses the obedience of the people of Israel [from 2Samuel 24]); 2. because of sin human beings sometimes lose their possessions (quotes from Luke 12, 20 and Psalmi 48, 11-12); 3. because of sin human beings sometimes lose their reputation («A good name is better than great riches», quote from Proverbs 24; exemplum: Mary Magdalene).
Conclusion
Short exposition of the three types of sin:
1) “Original” sin: those who die with original sin cannot obtain eternal life (Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et spiritu santo non potest intrare in regnum Dei, quote from John 3, 5);
2) “Venial” sin: it doesn’t deprive the human beings of the love of God but can lead them to commit mortal sin;
3) “Mortal” sin: anyone who commits mortal sin and doesn’t confess is «in a state of perdition, damned in the hands of the devil, totally deprived of the goods of the faithful, deprived of the grace and hope of eternal life, worthy of death, enemy of God, expelled from heaven, intruder in the world without advantage».
... 1. Sin brings kingdoms and kings to ruin (_exempla_:
Saul
loses the kingdom of Israel [ Samuel to Saul:«Because...
3/6/4
T18/6 Friday after Cinerum
Vicent Ferrer
Introduction
It underlines that the current plague is a divine punishment for sins that the preacher wants to expose, so that the people correct themselves: «In presenti sermone volo vobis ostendere et declarare aliqua gravia peccata propter que deus est iratus conta nos. Ideo mittit ista tribulationes pestilentiarum mortalitatum per mundum. Ut ergo ista peccata corrigantur et cesset ista plaga volo nunc ista peccata declarare” (f. p1v).
A taxonomy of sin: against the neighbour are iniquitates; against the body (debauchery, lust, sloth) are peccata (“i.e. pecorum acta secundum ethymologiam [...] acta pecurum”); against the soul are delicta, since they poison and kill the soul, when one does not take care of the soul, which is therefore derelicta; against God (swearing, denying, blasphemy) are scelera. The last typology will be the topic of the sermon.
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Sermon structured on Ezekiel 8 (which is not the thema): long account of this vision and moral interpretation of four sins (scelera).
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1) “Hec civitas est christianitas”. The city is founded by Christ, one enters it through the baptism (notation to expand on this: (“Dic modum baptizandi”). The idol in the vision (idolum zeli) symbolizes those who turn to the devil by means of necromancers (divini) when they are in trouble for different reasons: “in nostris necessitatibus recurrimus ad diabolum vel per sanitate habenda, vel per reperdita ad inveniendum, vel per filiis habendis, vel si estis maleficiati statim vaditis ad idolum, scilicet divinum in quo est diabolus...” (f. p2r). Attack against the divini who are traitors who subtract the people from their king, Christ, and bring them to the devil. It recalls that in the Leviticus the pain for necromancers is the lapidation, since the whole people need to get rid of this type of sin. When in a city or state (“in una villa vel patria”) a divinus is welcomed, God sends great tribulations, floods, death (biblical references: the deluge, Saul and the witch of Endor).
Political reading: the idol is connect with the divisions in the city and the sin of those who have a political office: “Vel si sit divisio propter regimem. Dic quomodo illud idolum significat domum consilii” (f. p2v). The idolum zeli provokes envy and emulation “in hac villa”. “Omnes laborant ut habeant regimen. Ex quo sequuntur multa mala, invidie, destructiones communitatis, et rancores”. In particular: perjury (when one betrays the oaths pronounced taking the office); thefts (one spends a lot of money to obtain an office, so he wants to recover them – or even worse, he uses for himself the common wealth); damage to the community (compared to a ship). Hence, in public assemblies one must take care of the common good, not of relatives or friends.
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2) The bestial images to which incense is offered symbolize the game of dice (“significat ludum taxillorum; quid sunt taxilli quam imagines bestiarum depicte quibus maiores et seniores dant incensum?”). Complain that once only rogue people played with them, while now also respectable people. The incense is the blasphemy “ex quo peccato veniunt multa mala et plaga mortalitatum”. Exhortation to eliminate this practice, since it is convenient: yes, one loses the gain of a type of taxation, yet it saves his/her soul and his goods from storms (tempestates), “ideo providetis etc”.
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3) Women that cry in front of the idol of Adonis (glossed as the god of love: “secundum poetas deus amoris”; f. p2r) symbolize the mothers who cry and say “multa parola et stulta contra deum” when a young son or daughter dies (the reference seems to death of children), when instead they should rejoice, since God took them while they are still innocent as one would rejoice if a king or a queen had welcomed them at their court. In this way, these women show their lack of hope. Instead, they should cry for their adult sons and daughters, who are headed to Hell due to their sins.
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4) Those who turns their back to the temple and worship towards east symbolize those who work on Sunday and on the feasts, or who spend them in a brothel or inn (“in lupanari vel in taberna”). Since in this way one subtracts the time due to God, the plague subtracts time from him/her: “ista ratione veniunt mortalitates quia ille qui debebat vivere 40 vel 70 annis moritur cras” (f. p3r).
... tribulations, floods, death (biblical references: the deluge,
Saul
and the witch of Endor ). Political reading: the idol...