"Ad quod valeant bona facta in peccato mortali". The good works done while in mortal sin are useful for seven reasons

"Quod bona facta in peccato mortali prosunt" - What good works done in mortal sin serve

The sermon replies to possible objections against what the previous sermons said, namely that good works done in mortal sin are still beneficial

Introduction “Tempus istud quadragesimale et thema dant mihi motivum de quadam materia predicandi multi utili et necessaria persone que stat in peccato mortali et mala vita quo poterit exire peccatum per gratiam dei” (f. s6r). On the word surge and the story of Elijah, first a litteral interpretation and then “iuxta intellectum tropologicum vel moralem” (moral interpretation): land of Israel = the condition of sin. Ferrer explains the dynamic of retribution. The good works done in mortal sin have no merit but are useful, with an earthly reward and may contribute to return in the state of grace (“si continuaveris bonum opus retrahet te de peccato nec permittet te mori in mortali”). Yet, even after conversion, they will remain without eternal reward (this is true also for saints, such as Paul and Mary Magdalene, whose good works done before conversion were unremunerated). Key biblical text John 15: “quia sine me nihil potetis facerer”.  Sarepta = penance, which allow to raise from mortal sin: “Iuxta intellectum spiritualem modo videamus quomodo surget persona que diu dormit in peccato mortali”; list of biblical passages on surge/surgite. Division On rising from sin by tmeans divine grace, explained with the simile of getting out of bed in eight actions (see above). The sermon is structured around these eight actions. Main part 1) Opening the eyes = recognize sin, through grace - each one according to his/her state of life (exempla from religious life). Reference to David and Psalm 50 (Miserere). 2) Sitting up on the bed = contrition (with distinction from attrition). Example - giving voice to direct discourse - of a friar and a sentenced to death. True contrition: matter = pain of sins; form = awarness of having offended God. 3) Getting up, not naked but with a shirt = good resolution to amend, will to wear the new man (not yet effective, but it functions as a martyr's desire: it is already meritorious). The sermons dwells on the example of the loss of virginity and the impossibility of recovering it. 4) Go away from bed = abandon bad company (poet's quote: "Que nocitura tenes quamvis sint cara relique"; Distica Catonis?). Utmost clearly Christ: if a member is a scandal to you, cut it. It must be understood in a figurative sense (it recals the theme of the hand as an "organum organorum"), cut off dangerous relationships (servants, procurator, confessor, teachers...). 5) To spit abundantly (“spuit non solum materiam parvam sed grossam”) = confession  6)  Put on the shoes = forget past offenses and renounce to revenge: “Beatus qui potest dicere non habeo odium in corde”. 7) Put n the belt = repaying debts, fixing damages, and living soberly (“minuendo excessum et ornamenta vana”). 8) Wash hands (and face) = almsgiving. Sevral practical practical advice [already encountered in the Lenten sermon colletion]: a) divide the cash box in two ("in capsa"), so as not to mix badly acquired money with others - so that seeing them may arouse remorse and push one to return them; b) don't put the leftover food back in the pantry and don't give it to the dogs - it must be given to the poor.

Introduction The sermon opens by presenting the duty that parents have towards their children and exposing the cases in which a father can legitimately disinherit his son. The detailed list of seven cases is a vademecum on matters of inheritance (e.g. filial violence against his father, sexual intercourse with his mother or his father’s concubine, attempts to prevent the father from making a testament; do not care to set his father free from prison) serves to point out that the initial request of the prodigal son was legitimate. The sermon next presents three quaestiones that revolve around the restoration of the sinner after penance, with specific attention to the issue «whether the deeds that were alive through charity and mortified by sin will live again through penance» («Queritur tercio an opera per caritatem viva et mortificata ex peccato per penitentiam reviviscant»; 16R), underlining also the positive effects of the good works that one does in the condition of mortal sin. Drawing on Bonaventure, the sermon insists on the importance that one – even in mortal sin – should not desist from doing good because God will find the right way to remunerate him/her with his grace. Main division (see above) First part Far from God, the human being cannot have rest (reference to the Confessiones of Augustine: «my heart is restless until it would come to you, God» (Inquietum est cor meum donec veniat ad te; 16V). Hence, the sinner must return to the house of the Father (God), i.e. the church, where he will find also his mother, i.e. the Virgin Mary: “Through penitence, the sinner must return to the house of God the Father, which is the holy Church, where he will be safe from all his enemies. There he will find a graceful father and a mother, who is the glorious and clement Virgin May, because she welcomes those who seek refuge in the womb of her mercy, she protects them from all enemies, and she nourishes them with the milk of grace” («Debet ergo peccator redire ad domum dei patris, scilicet sanctam ecclesiam, in qua securatur ab omnibus adversariis, et hoc per penitentiam, et inveniet patrem graciosum, matrem scilicet virginem gloriosam clementem, que refugientes ad gremium sue misericordie suscipit et ab hostibus defendit et lacte gracie nutrit»; 16X). It follows a long digression on the Virgin who, as a mother, fosters the return of the sinners (the texts build upon several quotations of Anselm and Bernard of Clairvaux). Second part The fruitful return of the penitent to the state of grace («fructuosa reversio penitentisa ad statum gracie»; 17B). Sinners are invited to identify with the prodigal son: «the sinner is far away and separated from God and, in the same way of this prodigus, he must come to himself and think of his actual extreme misery and the great mercy of God the Father; he must lament and not rest until he will come to the father of mercy, God of full consolation» («Moraliter peccator, longe a deo divisus et separatus, debet instar huius prodigi per conversionem in se reverti, pensare propriam miseriam et inopiam et dei patris maximam pietatem, dolere et non quiescere donec ad eum veniat, qui est pater misericordiam et deus totius consolationis»). This exhortation to imitate the prodigal son is reiterated, in a process that involves heart, mouth and action («Ad hunc patrem pium et benignum debet peccator ad instar filii prodigi: in corde recurrere ad eius benignitatem; in ore proponere propriam iniquitatem; in opere intendere satisfactionis humilitatem»; 17C). This threefold division is connected with the three parts of penitence: contrition, confession, and satisfaction. The first point puts on the forefront not the memory of the sins but of the benefits received from God. This positive memory of God’s mercy is the starting point for the conversion, yet, mercy cannot be separated from justice. The listeners have to recall that God will punish those who do not convert from their sin, even though this goes against his merciful nature (17D). Dealing with confession, the sermon provides the listeners with a formulary to start an oral confession. Next, it considers the relationship between contrition and confession. Why is outward confession necessary? Is «contrition and confession of the heart» not sufficient? Per se, the contrition joined with the intention to confess and provide satisfaction as soon as possible already purifies the sinner. Later on, if he/she does not confess and satisfy, the previous sin cannot return. However, in that event he/she commits a new mortal sin by breaking the Church commandments (17E). Yet, if through contrition God already cancels the sin, what effect has confession? The sermon states that – since each sin is «against both God and the Church» – there is an ecclesiastical/social dimension of sin that, consequently, needs an ecclesiastical reconciliation «through confession, imposed satisfaction and the priest’s absolution» (Dum enim peccator peccat mortaliter, peccat contra deum et ecclesiam. […] peccat contra ecclesiam quam contemnit et scandalisat, et ligatur altero vinculo, quod solum per confessionem et satisfactionem iniunctam et absolucionem presbiteri ydonei relaxatus»; 17.F). Moreover, aural confession is necessary to tackle the problem of rightly establishing the measure of satisfaction: to solve it, God appointed the priest as arbiter and gave him the power to evaluate and impose penances (potentia arbitrandi et taxandi). Third part The final part deals with the amorosa receptio patris. It opens with a complex exemplum taken from the Gesta Romanorum (the story of the son of Alexander the Great, who revolted against his father – a story whose moral interpretation was already based on the parable of the prodigal son). The reaction of the father of the parable points out that God goes to the penitent rapidly (velociter), embraces him sweetly (dulciter), and dresses him nobly (nobiliter). Here, the sermon discusses prevenient grace and its accord with the human responsibility in the process of conversion. Grace is compared with the sun that shines but illuminates only those who open the doors, or with the indulgence that the pope offers to everybody but that are acquired only by those who go to Rome (17N). In the text, remains some tension between the free gift of God and human initiative, whose importance is clearly outlined by emphasising the importance of the first step taken by the prodigal son: «The father would not have come to the prodigal son along the way, if the son had not said before: I will rise and go to the father» («Non enim pater prodigo venisset obviam penitenti, si non prius dixisset: Surgam et ibo ad patrem»; 17N). Still, the sermon clarifies that it is not the penitent’s action that provokes and obtains grace, which remains a gift that is given «after this disposition but not because of this disposition» («post quam [contritionem] non propter quam deus vult dare gratiam»; 17N). Next, it turns to the spiritual theme of the love relationship between God and the soul [spiritual marriage]. The kissing of the father is connected with the kisses mentioned in the Song of Songs and opens the way for a first person discourse of the beloved soul: «The embrace and the kisses are signs of peace and love. […] The soul, bride of Christ, habitually longs for this greatly blessed and mostly beloved kiss; she longs with great desire and frequent sighs and repeats with the Song of Songs: Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth (1,1), so that she could rejoice and be delighted. As if the soul would say: ‘My mostly beloved groom Jesus, for whose love I am languishing, might give me those grace and mercy that I am longing for with the whole depths of my heart, and might comfort me with the sweetness of his piety and of his divine benediction, so that I could return to life’» («Nam amplexus and oscula sunt signa pacis et amoris. […] Isto osculo superbenedicto et amantissimo magno desiderio et frequenti suspirio anima sponsa Christi appetere solet, et ut iocundetur et letetur dicere illud Cantico 1: Osculetur me osculo oris sui, quasi dicat: ‘Amantissimus sponsus meus Iesus, in cuius amore langueo, immittat mihi gratiam et misercordiam quam totis visceribus cordis desidero et confortet me dulcedine sue pietatis et divine benedictionis et reviviscam’»; 17O).  Playing on the contrast between the two brothers within the parable, the sermon then introduces a final question: whether God loves more the sinner who does penitence than the righteous person who has always been so («queritur an deus plus diligit peccatorem penitentem quam iustum semper benefacientem»; 17R). The discriminating factor is the fervour, so a penitent can surpass a righteous person (examples are Mary Magdalene and Paul). The elder brother of the parable symbolises those who are righteous but tepid (cf. Revelation 3,15). Still, this is not the rule. The sentence of the Gospel that «there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance» (Luke 15,7) applies only to few special cases, while the supreme joy of heaven is indeed reserved for those who did not need to convert, first of all the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist.

Introduction Parallel between illness and sin: one has to remember the sins and present them now to the physician of the soul, without waiting the final judgment when they will be recalled in front of everyone. “Debemus ergo stimulo peccatorum in coscientia cum centurionem Christum invocare” (note the use of plural person). The servant ill at home is the soul wounded by sins in the body that is unable to move, i.e. to perform good works [1U]. - Three questiones “Queritur utrum aliquid peccatum mortale sit ita grave quod per dei misericordiam non possit deleri” [1X]. All type of mortal sin can be forgiven by the divine mercy in this life. It follows the interpretation of the biblical passage on the sin against the Holy Spirit.
“Queritur secundo an sit aliquid peccatum ita leve quod absque dei misericordia possit removeri” [1Y]. Every sin is against God, so even the allegedly lesser sin cannot be forgiven without divine mercy, i.e. it needs the previous intervention of grace, which provokes contrition in conscience: “offensa non remittitur nisi per gratiam que causat benignitatem contritionis in coscientia”. “[Queritur] tertio an unum peccatum mortale sine alio per dei gratiam possit removeri” [1Z]. No mortal sin can be forgiven if other equal sin remains, since the divine grace is incompatible with it. The confession of sins needs to be complete. - Divisio (see above) - First part  First “circa literam” (postil to the pericope) and then moraliter: the servant becomes the soul of a friend in Purgatory (“designari potest amicus defunctus cuiuslibet fidelis viventis [...] quod ut miser in purgatorio detinetur et torquetur”; 2A). In particularly, one must suffrage for the souls of his parents for three reasons: Familiaritatis et caritatis, quia puer sive servus; Debilitatis, quia iacet paraliticus; Penalitatis, quia male torquatur. 1.1 Natural exempla: storks take care of their old parents, covering them with their fathers and feeding them; other birds protect those hit by the sun, with a ¬a fortiori reasoning, “quantomagis homines” need to provide for the relatives and friends in Purgatory with prayer and almsgiving [2B]. Note the use of the first-person plural, inclusive and parenetic. Four types of suffrages: the offer of priests, the prayer of saints, the alms of friends, the fasting of relatives. The power of the mass for the deaths is underlined, referring an exemplum by Gregory the Great: “volens igitur parentes et amicos celeriter a vinculis purgatori liberari faciat pro eis missas celebrari” [2C]. Shorter on almsgiving [2E]. 1.2 Weakness of the souls in Purgatory, since they cannot gain merit and help themselves. Within the mystical body of the Church, one can benefit another. 1.3 Are the pain in purgatory superiors to those on earth? Yes. -  Second part Centurion’s humility, and the goods that derive from it: patris [celestis] furorem placare hominem a dyabolo liberare donum gratie abundanter procreare 2.1. Humility is effective against divine wrath, as a plant able to bow resists to the strongest winds. Fable of the oak and the reed by Aesop: “Propter quod fabulose dicitur [...] inter quercum et arundinem”. Oak is rigid and strong, it does not flex (no humility), is broken by the wind and asks the reed how it survived. In the same way happens in front of the divine wrath one has to humiliate itself opposing no resistance; exemplum of Socrates and the tyrant [2I]. 2.2. The devil has no power on humble people: they are like small fishes that escape from his net [2K]. Reference to the example (figura) of Hezekiah discussed by the epistle of the day. 2.3. Divine grace is like water, which flow towards and fill in the lower places. Example is the humility of the Virgin Mary that became “full of grace”. In the same way, Abraham and the centurion. - Third part Firm faith is the radix, the foundation of every good (“firma fides vel credulitas est fundamentum omnins boni”), since it is said: Iustus ex fide vivit (Galatians 3:11). From faith: Peccatorum remissionem Demoniorum confusionem Optatorum consecutionem 3.1. From faith the remission of sins. Different ways to believe: credere deo, credere deum, credere in deum (i.e. “credendo in eum tendere cum amore”; 2L). 3.2. Faith chases devils away. Reference to “Papias in exphositione super Iuvenalem” (Juvenalis): the shield given to Achilles descends from the sky, which symbolizes Christ who descends from heaven to preach the faith, identified with the shield [2N]. 3.3. How faith allows to reach the desired goals is demonstrated by an exemplum about Alexander the Great: “narrat magister in hystoriis quod cum Alexander magnus venisset ad montem Caspios...”