Introduction
The original sin passes from Adam and Eve to the whole humanity as it happens for the sons born in slavery. On that, the progenitors of the humanity were bad merchants (“mali mercatores fuerunt”).
After the redemption, if the prince of this world has been expelled from it (cf. John 12), how does he continue his nefarious work and how does he attack the human beings? Lucifer sends “in odium Ihesu Christi et invidiam nostri” seven devils who are captains of a uncountable army of devils. They are symbols of the seven capital vices [presented in the SALIGIA order] and are worst (nequiores) of Lucifer not in their hatred but in their effects.
Seven biblical demons, each connected with a vice:
Leviathan for pride;
Mammon for greed;
Asmodeus for lust;
Beelzebub for envy;
Belphegor for gluttony;
Baalberith for wrath;
Astaroth for sloth.
...Introduction The original sin passes from
Adam
and Eve to the whole humanity as it happens for the...
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.
... _exempla_: Genesis 3, 17 punishment of disobedient
Adam
; story of the Carthaginian matron and her disobedient...
20/1/23
T21/5 Thursday after Oculi
Roberto Caracciolo
Introduction
The feverish woman (i.e. Simon’s mother-in-law, cf. Luke 4, 38-39) = the soul of Adam sick with the fever of sin.
Divisio (see above)
1) First part: four reasons:
1. «Praise»: one is worthy of praise if, despite being able to do evil, he doesn’t do it;
2. «Honor»: it's more honorable to succeed through one's own virtue rather than that of others; consequently, it’s more honorable to obtain heaven by one's own merits rather than by divine grace.
3. «Conservation grace»: sin allows human beings to become humble (exemplum taken from Paul 2 Cor 12, 7);
4. «Improvement»: error strengthens human beings and makes them better (exempla: St. Peter and Mary Magdalene).
2) Second part: four reasons:
1. «Perfection»: the free will of human beings is consistent with the perfection of the world;
2. «Mediation»: since angels only do good and Satan and his followers only do evil, an intermediate creature free to do good and evil was needed;
3. «Decoration»: the freedom of human beings is a beautiful thing (reference to “Ricardo [secundo Sententiarum]: perhaps Richard of Knapwell?);
4. «Exaltation»: the human being is exalted more for having sinned and then repented.
3) Third part: four reasons:
1. About the divine power: with the existence of sin God wanted to demonstrate that he has the power not only to create, but also to save human beings.
2. About the divine wisdom: divine wisdom manifests itself in the ability to derive good from evil; the usefulness of sin is in the good that comes from it (exempla: the creation of human being resulting from the sin of Lucifer; incarnation of Christ resulting from Adam's sin [“O certe necessarium Ade peccatum, quod Christi morte deletum est! O felix culpa que talem ac tantum meruit habere Redemptorem!”, quote from the Exsultet]);
3. About the divine goodness: without sin we couldn’t know God's goodness towards human beings;
4. About the divine justice: without sin God couldn’t show his justice.
... Simon’s mother-in-law, cf. Luke 4, 38-39) = the soul of
Adam
sick with the fever of sin. Divisio (see above)...
... sin of Lucifer ; incarnation of Christ resulting from
Adam
's sin [“_O certe necessarium Ade peccatum, quod Christi...
20/1/29
T22/4 Wednesday after Laetare
Roberto Caracciolo
Introduction -
Divisio (see above)
1) First part: pride manifested itself among human beings for the first time in Adam; it is a so cruel sin that it misled even «the first angel in heaven» (i.e. Lucifer). Criticism of the «diabolical pomp» displayed by human beings in churches (direct indication to the preacher: «At this point, scold men and women for dressing lavishly»). Pride considers neither person nor time (even Jesus was tempted to pride by the devil [reference to Matthew 4, 9], and «more pride is found in prelates than in all others»).
2) Second part: greed is a «disordered appetite to have». Radix omnium malorum est cupiditas (quote from 1Timothy 6, 10); due to greed, numerous crimes are committed (exemplum: Polydorus murdered by his uncle Polymestor [reference to Vergil, Aeneid 3, 49-68]). Caracciolo continues the quote from Revelation 16 (cf. Division).
3) Third part: the content of the third cup is poured on rivers and springs (reference to Revelation 16, 4), that is, «on voluptuousness and carnal pleasure». Lust causes blindness of mind, bad counsel, inconstancy, self-love and hatred of God, desire for earthly life and desperation for eternal life. Regarding the possibility of resisting this sin, even members of the clergy should not rely on their own abilities: in fact, «there is nothing better than avoiding the “troppo domistica conversazione di femine».
4) Fourth part: wrath is a «disordered appetite for revenge»; wrath is «like a fire that consumes and burns human beings» (reference to Revelation 16, 8-9). Three types of wrath (cf. T21/2 Monday after Oculi): 1. Wrath of passion (not a sin, because it depends on the individual nature; reference to Aristotle); 2. wrath of zeal (= desire to take revenge on a bad person; exemplum: Moses angry against the idolatrous people [from Exodus 32]); 3. wrath of vice (= desire to take revenge more out of hatred than reason).
5) Fifth part: sloth is «laziness of mind, the tedium of starting something and the fear of not being able to finish it»; the slothful have dark minds (reference to the darkness caused by the cup of the fifth angel in Revelation 16, 10).
6) Sixth part: gluttony is a «disordered appetite to drink and eat»; the cup of the sixth angel dries up “the great river Euphrates” (reference to Revelation 16, 12), which represents the «insatiability of gluttony». Exempla of gluttonuous: Adam (reference to Genesis 3-4), Noah (reference to Genesis 9, 22), Lot (not Noah, as reported in the text; reference to Genesis 19, 31-37), Esau (reference to Genesis 25, 31-34), Holofernes (reference to Book of Judith 13, 1-10), Herod (reference to Matthew 14, 10; Mark 6, 17-28), the «rich man» (reference to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (beggar), from Luke 16, 19-22).
7) Seventh part: the content of the seventh cup is thrown into the air (reference to Revelation 16, 17), and this means that «the sin of envy is founded in the air and in bad will». Exempla of envious: Cain (reference to Genesis 4), Joseph (patriarch)’s brothers (reference to Genesis 37, 12-36), the priests and Jews who asked for the crucifixion of Christ.
Conclusion
The capital vices are like seven chains that bind human beings to the devil, making them slaves of sin; to escape this condition of slavery, confession is necessary.
... manifested itself among human beings for the first time in
Adam
; it is a so cruel sin that it misled even «the first...
... «insatiability of gluttony». _Exempla_ of gluttonuous:
Adam
(reference to Genesis 3-4), Noah (reference to Genesis...
20/1/17
T20/6 Friday after Reminiscere
Roberto Caracciolo
Introduction
Interpretation of the thema: God deprived the ungrateful Jews of the vinea, i.e. of the honor of divine law, and gave it to aliae agricolae, i.e. to the Christians, because they were more grateful.
Divisio (see above)
1) First part: only the Christians are (spiritually) regenerated by the water of baptism; all other peoples are not children of God, but of «carnal and earthly Adam», so they live «carnally and bestially, like Jews, Turks and Moors».
2) Second part: only the Christians are freed from the «chains of sin»; “Tibi dabo claves regni celorum; et quodcumque ligaveris super terram, erit ligatum et in celis» (God to Peter, quote from Matthew 16, 19).
3) Third part: only the Christians were delivered from the hands of the devil by Jesus Christ; the submission of other peoples to the devil is represented by the image of Samson turning the Philistines' millstone (reference to Judges 16, 21).
4) Fourth part: the Jewish people, although they received the Law from God, never had such true news of God as that contained in the “New Law of Christ” intended for Christians (Moses, Abraham and Jacob never saw God clearly, but always through forms temporarily assumed by God; Christians, on the other hand, received the New Law directly from God made man).
5) Fifth part: Christians are the only people to whom God has given his body and blood as nourishment. Caracciolo mocks the Jews («O Giudei, chi eravati già chiamati figliuoli de Dio, a la barba vostra! [i.e. “Take that, Jews!”], because the manna they received in the desert didn’t give them eternal and blessed life as the body and blood of Christ give Christians (“Patres vestri manducaverunt manna in deserto et mortui sunt […] qui manducat hunc panem [i.e. the body of Christ] vivet in eternum” [quote from John 6, 49 and 59]), provided they receive it in a worthy manner (“Chi lo manza indigniamente, se manza el iudicio in contra”, quote from 1Corinthians 11, 29).
6) Sixth part: only Christians have received many effective remedies from God to heal their sins (other peoples, on the contrary, “go to the hot house” [i.e. to Hell] whether they die with mortal or venial sin). For Christians, the remedy for original sin is provided by baptism (reference to Decretum Gratiani); the remedies for mortal sins are the general confession during mass, the holy water and the devout prayer of the Pater Noster.
7) Seventh part: only Christians, as true children of God, can inherit God's grace and all his glory (“Si autem filii et heredes: heredes quidem Dei, coheredes autem Christi” [quote from Romans 8, 17]); all the other peoples are like bastard children and will not be welcomed into Paradise. Christians, precisely because of this greater reward received from God, must love, fear and reverence God more than all other peoples (“The more each person must be humble and ready to serve God for the gifts received, the more he or she feels obliged to give credit for the good received"[reference to Gregory the Great]).
... are not children of God, but of «carnal and earthly
Adam
», so they live «carnally and bestially, like Jews,...
20/1/47
T28/2 Easter Monday
Roberto Caracciolo
Introduction -
Divisio (see above)
1) First part: according to the majority of the doctors, the resurrection of Christ was convenient for three reasons:
1. “fulfilment of perfection”: the soul and the body are two doors of the human being (cf. Sermon T28 Easter, Second part), and there can be no perfection in the absence of one or the other; since perfection befits Christ, it was fitting that he should be resurrected with body and soul.
2. “merit of humiliation”: maximum humiliation corresponds to maximum exaltation; Christ humbled himself to the point of accepting death on the cross, so it was fitting that he should be exalted, through the resurrection, more than any other creature.
3. “object of delight”: the vision of the risen Christ is a source of joy for the saints and angels in heaven (In quem [scil. in Christi vultum] desiderant angeli prospicere [quote from 1Peter 1, 12]).
2) Second part: according to the doctors, Christ resurrected on the third day for three main reasons [only the first is reported]:
1. “respect for God”: Power,Wisdom, and Justice - the three attributes of God - meet in council and it is decreed that Christ should immediately resurrect: according to Wisdom, since there was no guilt in Christ, there should be no punishment for him and his body should not become ashes (unlike Adam [reference to Genesis 3, 17-19]); according to Justice, “it’s only right that, once the journey is over, one returns home”: so it was fitting that Jesus, having finished his journey on earth with his death for our redemption, should be reunited with the Father.
... for him and his body should not become ashes (unlike
Adam
[reference to Genesis 3, 17-19]); according to Justice,...
20/1/5
T19 Sunday Invocavit
Roberto Caracciolo
Introduction
Just as with his death Christ wanted to give life to humanity dead due to sin, so with his temptations he wanted to give consolation to human beings who fall into temptation. Christ wanted to be tempted for three reasons (cf. Main division, 3; the following Latin quotations appear to be taken almost verbatim from Jacobus de Voragine, Quadragesimale, sermo 9 [cf. General Notes]):
1. Ut nostras tentationes vinceret;
2. Ut diabolo qui esset filiu Dei occultaret;
3. Ut temptatis facilius condescendere patteret.
The devil suspected that Jesus was the son of God for a number of reasons (reference to John Chrysostom), but to be sure, he wanted to test him with three temptations, the same temptations with which he tempted and defeated Adam:
1. Gluttony: Jesus overcomes temptation by answering the devil that non in solo pane vivit homo, sed in omni verbo quod procedit de ore Dei (quote from Matthew 4,4), because the human being is not only body (composed of four elements [reference to Aristotle]), but also soul.
2. Pride: Jesus overcomes temptation by answering the devil “Non temptabis Dominum Deum tuum sicut scriptum est, sed illi soli servies” (quote from Deutteronomy 6, 16 and Matthew 4, 7).
3. Greed: Jesus overcomes temptation by answering the devil “Vanne Satanaxo (cioè a l’inferno). El gli è scritto: adorarai el tuo Segnior Dio et servirai a lui solo” (quote from Matthew 4, 10).
Divisio (see above)
1) First part: Inferte omnem decimationem in horreum meum, ut sit cibus in domo mea, et probate me si non aperuero vobis cataractas celi (Malachi 3, 10): from this quotation it is deduced that tempting God is not a sin, since God doesn’t command anything that is a sin; however, we also read in the Scripture Non temptabis Dominum Deum tuum (cf. supra). How can this doubt be resolved? Firstly, it must be clarified what “to tempt” means: “to tempt” means “to test”, "put to the test", and this can be done with words or deeds; thus, God can be tested with words (exemplum: Jesus tested by the Pharisees [Matthew 22, 15-22]) or with deeds (exemplum: not caring when ill and relying solely on God; Caracciolo calls this attitude “madness”, because «God created everything in an orderly manner» and, therefore, also created doctors and medicines so that we can use them when necessary). In conclusion, since all temptations arise from ignorance, tempting God out of mere curiosity is a mortal sin as it denotes a lack of faith.
2) Second part: the “latrìa” is an exclusive «worship of God as the supreme and perfect being, the beginning, cause and end of all things in heaven and on earth, whom the human being must obey as the creature obeys the creator, the servant obeys the lord, the child obeys the good father» (reference to Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III).
Four reasons why only one God should be worshipped:
1. “Dignity”: the higher the rank of someone, the greater the honour and reverence they deserve [follows a direct instruction to the preacher to «discuss the temporal ranks of kings, emperors and dukes, and the spiritual ranks of bishops, cardinals, pope, etc.»];
2. “Generosity”: every good is given by God (Omne datum optimum, et omne donum perfectum desursum est, descendens a Patre luminum [quote from James 1, 17]);
3. “Fidelity”: after baptism, the Christian promises faith, obedience and respect to Jesus Christ; therefore, just as - according to the Old Testament - those who were unfaithful in marriage deserve stoning, so those who are unfaithful to God deserve Hell;
4. “Abundance”: the reward for faithful Christians (i.e. eternal life in Paradise) is the most abundant of those promised by the various religions.
[3) Third part: the third part has already been developed in the Introduction, cf. supra]
... same temptations with which he tempted and defeated
Adam
: 1. Gluttony: Jesus overcomes temptation by answering...