Homily 29

Pronounced before the people

in the basilica of Blessed Peter, apostle,

the day of Ascension

May 24, 591

The Ascension

The homily of the day of Ascension derives its originality from the fact that it constitutes a small biblical anthology on the mystery celebrated: Saint Gregory has gathered, in a very accessible pastoral speech, the texts that the Scripture and the liturgy propose on this day to our piety.

I- (1-8) The pope first comments on the gospel. He notes that the delay of the disciples in accepting the Resurrection gives more assurance to our faith. Jesus shows them the truth of his body by eating with them, before ascending to heaven. The speaker explains in what sense it is "to every creature" that the disciples are sent to preach the Gospel. On this occasion, he gives a good overview of the ancient notion of man, considered as a microcosm of all creation. He then explains how it is to be understood that those who believe will be saved, why the miracles promised to the believers were reserved for the beginning of the Church, and how they continue on a spiritual plane, which is more valuable. Gregory finally resolves the apparent contradiction between the text of St. Mark, who presents Jesus sitting in Heaven, and the testimony of St. Stephen, who sees him standing at the right hand of the Father.

II- (9-11) Meditating the mystery of the Ascension, the Pope sees first and foremost a mystery of joy: the joy of the elevation of our human nature, the effacement of the decree that condemned us to death, and of our deliverance from captivity.

Homily concludes with a vibrant call to cast into Heaven the anchor of our hope: God will not disappoint the desire that he himself inspires.

Mc 16, 14-20

At that time Jesus appeared to the Eleven while they were at table; and he reproached them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen him risen. And he said to them, Go into the whole world; preach the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. And here are the signs that will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons, they will speak new tongues, they will take snakes in hand, and if they drink some deadly drink, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will be healed. "

After thus speaking to them, the Lord Jesus rose to heaven; and he sits at the right hand of God. For them, they went forth to preach everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with the signs that accompanied it.

The delay that the disciples made in believing in the Lord's Resurrection was not so much an infirmity on their part as for us, dare I say, the pledge of our future firmness. Indeed, because of their doubt, this Resurrection has been demonstrated by numerous proofs; and discovering these proofs in reading, it is by the very doubts of the disciples that we are strengthened. Marie-Madeleine, who believed more quickly, was less useful to me than Thomas, who doubted a long time. For he, in his doubt, has touched the scars of wounds, thus removing from our heart the wound of doubt.

To better persuade us that the Lord is truly risen, we must note what Luke reports: "As He was at table with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem" (Acts 1: 4). And a little later: "While they looked upon him, he was lifted up, and a cloud stole him from their eyes" (Acts 1: 9). Observe these words, notice the mystery: "As he was at table with them ... he was raised." He eats and rises: he feeds to make known that he has a real flesh.

As for Mark, he recalls that before ascending to heaven, the Lord took his disciples back for their hardness of heart and unbelief. We must consider here that if the Lord chose, in order to reprimand his disciples, the moment when he was leaving them corporally, it is in order to engrave more deeply in the hearts of his listeners the words he uttered when he left.

Let us listen to what he asks of the disciples after having reproached them with their harshness: "Go to the whole world; preach the gospel to every creature."

2. Should it be so, my brethren, to preach the Holy Gospel to inanimate objects, or to animals without reason, so that the Lord may thus say to his disciples, "Preach to every creature." No, of course! It is the man who is designated by the expression "every creature". Because if the stones exist, they do not live yet, and they have no sensations. If grasses and trees exist, even if they live, they have no sensations; they live, I say, not by an animal breath, but by a vegetable force, since Paul affirms: "Insane! What you sow does not come to life if he does not die before "(1 Cor 15:36). What dies to live again, so lives. So stones exist, but they do not live. Trees exist, they live, but they have no sensations; animals without reason exist, they live, they have sensations, but they can not judge. Angels exist, they live, they have sensations and they can judge. Now the man possesses in him something of each of these creatures: to be him is common with the stones, to live with the trees, to have sensations with the animals, to understand with the angels. If, then, man has anything in common with every creature, he is in some way all creature. Therefore, to preach the gospel to man alone is to preach it to every creature, since it is to teach him to the one for whom all on earth has been created, and to whom nothing of what exists is foreign. because it has some similarity to everything else.

The expression "every creature" can also refer to all pagan nations. Indeed, if the Lord had begun by saying, "Do not go to the Gentiles" (Mt 10: 5), he now commands: "Preach to every creature." The preaching of the apostles, which the Jews first had rejected, has thus come to our aid, since these proud, in rejecting it, have testified to their damnation. And when Christ, who is the Truth, sends the disciples to preach, he does nothing but spread the seed in the world. He sends only a few seeds in seed, to collect in return the fruits of abundant harvest from our faith. For such a great harvest of the faithful could not have risen on the whole world, if the hand of the Lord had not brought into the earth of intelligence those seeds of choice which the preachers sow.

3. The text continues: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. "Perhaps each one says to himself:" I, now, have believed, and therefore I will be saved. "He says true, if his faith includes works. For true faith demands that one does not contradict in one's conduct what one affirms by his words. This is why Paul says about some false believers: "They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their deeds." (Tit 1,16). And John: "He who says he knows God, but does not keep his commandments, is a liar" (1 Jn 2: 4). Since this is so, it is in examining our lives that we must verify the truth of our faith. Indeed, we are truly believers only if we fulfill in our works what we promise in our words. On the day of our baptism, we promised to renounce all the works and all the seductions of the ancient enemy. May each one of you consider himself with the eyes of the spirit: if after baptism, he keeps what he promised before baptism, that he be certain to be a [true] believer and let him rejoice. But if he fell by committing bad deeds or desiring the seductions of this world, he did not keep what he had promised. Let's see if he knows how to cry now his mistakes. For before the merciful Judge, he who returns to the truth does not pass for a liar, even after lying: the almighty God, willingly receiving our penance, himself covers our errors by his sentence.

4. The text continues: "And these are the signs that will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons, they will speak new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly beverage, it will not will do them no harm. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will be healed. "That, my brethren, you do not do; does that mean you do not believe? No, of course! These signs were necessary at the beginning of the Church. Faith, in order to grow, had to be nourished. We, too, when planting trees, pour water on them until we have found that they have resumed; but once their roots are fixed in the ground, we stop watering them. Hence Paul's words: "Languages ​​are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers." (1 Cor 14:22)

With regard to these signs and manifestations, we have something to consider more closely: it is that the Holy Church operates spiritually every day what she did corporally by the apostles in their time. Indeed, what do the priests of the Church do when they exorcise the faithful by laying hands on them, and forbid the evil spirits to dwell in their souls? What are they doing, if not chasing demons? And what do the faithful do when they forswear the worldly words of their past life, proclaim the holy mysteries and sing as much as they can the praises and power of their Creator? What do they do, if not talk about new languages? And do not they take snakes in their hands when they take away the sickness of others by exhorting them to good? And when they hear poisoned counsels without being dragged into evil deeds, is that not drinking a deadly beverage, but without hurting them? And what do men do who, as soon as they see their neighbor weaken in the accomplishment of good deeds, steal to his aid with all their strength, and strengthen by the example of their works the lives of those whose behavior became unsteady? ? What do they do but lay hands on the sick to be healed?

These miracles are all the greater because they are spiritual, all the greater because they are not bodies, but souls that they regenerate. And these signs, dear brothers, yourself, by placing yourself under the guidance of God, you can fulfill them if you wish. The outward signs can not get the lives of those who operate them. For if these bodily miracles sometimes manifest holiness, they do not make it exist. On the contrary, spiritual miracles, which are realized in the soul, do not manifest outside the virtue of our life, but they make this virtue exist. If even bad people are capable of the first, only the good ones can enjoy the fruit of the second. Whence this word of Truth about certain men: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name in your name that we have cast out the demons, and in your name we did a lot of miracles? Then I will affirm with assurance: I do not know you; go away from me, you who work iniquity "(Mt 7: 22-23). Do not like, dear brothers, these signs that the reprobate can also realize. But love those we have just spoken of, the miracles of charity and piety, which are all the more certain because they are hidden, and all the more rewarded by the Lord, because they are less glorified by men.

5. The text continues: "After thus speaking to them, the Lord Jesus rose to heaven; and he sits at the right hand of God. "We know from the Old Testament that Elijah was taken to heaven (2 R 2, 11). But besides the airy sky, there is the ethereal sky. The airy sky is close to the earth: thus, we speak of the birds of the sky, because we see them flying in the air. And it is in this airy sky that Elijah was raised to be suddenly driven to a secret region of the earth, where he lives in a great rest of flesh and spirit until he returns to the end of the world and pay his debt to death. If he has indeed postponed his death, he has not escaped. Our Redeemer, on the contrary, having not postponed his death, has been victorious; he destroyed death by resurrecting, and manifested the glory of his resurrection ascending to heaven. It must be noted that Elijah, according to what we read, went up to heaven in a chariot: it showed that being a man, 2 he needed outside help. These succours and the signs which reveal them to us are the work of the angels: Elijah, appalling as he was by the weakness of his nature, could not ascend by himself to heaven, even if it were the airy sky. As for our Redeemer, we do not read that he was raised by a chariot or by the angels: he who created everything needed only his own power to be carried above all. He was going back to where he was already; he came back from where he lived, since even when he ascended to heaven by his humanity, he contained both the earth and heaven by his divinity.

6. Just as Joseph, sold by his brethren, represented the sale of our Redeemer, Enoch, transported (see Gen 5: 24), and Elijah, raised to the air, symbolized the ascension of the Lord. Thus, the Lord had precursors and witnesses of His Ascension, one before the Law, the other under the Law, so that one day one would be able to truly enter the heavens. Hence the order which exists between the elevation of the first and that of the second, which are distinguished by a certain gradation. For it is told us that Enoch was carried away, and Elijah lifted up to heaven, to come after him who, without being transported or brought up, would enter the ethereal sky by his own power. By the transfer of these two servants who symbolized his ascension, and then ascending himself to heaven, the Lord also wanted to manifest that he was going to grant us, who believe in him, the purity of the flesh, and to grow by his help the virtue of chastity as time goes on. Enoch had indeed a wife and sons. On the other hand, we do not read anywhere that Elijah had a wife and sons. Therefore, judge by what degrees the holy purity has increased, from what these servants transported and the Lord in person in his Ascension clearly show: Enoch, who was begotten by a carnal union, and begotten of the same way, was transported; Elijah, who was begotten by a carnal union, but who did not bring himself that way, was taken away; As for the Lord, who neither begotten nor was born by a carnal union, he rose up to heaven [by his own power].

7. We must also consider why Mark says: "He sits at the right hand of God," while Stephen says, "I see the heavens open, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God." ( Acts 7, 56). Why does Etienne assure to see him standing, while Marc sees him sitting? But you know it, my brothers: to sit is appropriate to the one who judges, to stand, to the one who fights or who comes to the rescue. Since our Redeemer, brought up to heaven, judges all things from now on, and at the end of time he will come as a universal Judge, Mark represents him sitting after his elevation, since at the end, after having been glorified in his Ascension he will appear as Judge. Stephen, who was a prey to the sufferings of the battle, saw the man who supported him stand up: that he might triumph over the unbelief of his persecutors on the earth, God fought for him from heaven with the help of his grace.

8. The text continues, "For them they went forth to preach everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with the signs that accompanied it." What should we consider in this, what should we to entrust it to our memory, except that the Lord's command was followed by obedience, and the obedience of miracles?

But since God has guided us to go through this passage of the Gospel with you briefly, we only have to share some thoughts about the great solemnity [of today].

9. We must first ask ourselves why we do not read [in the Gospel] that the angels that appeared after the birth of the Lord were shown dressed in white, while we read of those sent during His Ascension, as The Scripture says: "While they were looking at him, he was lifted up, and a cloud swept him away from their eyes. And as they had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, behold, two men appeared unto them, clothed in white. "(Acts 1: 9-10). The white clothes manifest outside joy and feast of the spirit. Why, then, did not the angels appear dressed in white after the birth of the Lord, but dressed in white at his Ascension, if not because the entrance into Heaven of the God made man was a great feast for the angels? If by the birth of the Lord, the deity seemed lowered, by his Ascension, humanity was glorified. White clothes are better suited for glorification than for lowering. The angels had to be dressed in white at the moment when the Lord was ascending [to heaven], since the one who in his birth had appeared as a lowered God manifested himself in his ascension as a gloriously high man.

10. But on this solemnity, dear brothers, we must first of all consider that the decree which condemned us has now been abrogated, and abolished the sentence that dedicated us to corruption. For the same nature to which it was said: "You are earth, and in the earth you will go" (Gen 3: 19), has today gone to heaven. It is in view of this elevation of our flesh that Blessed Job, speaking of the Lord figuratively, calls him a bird. Considering that the Jewish people would not understand the mystery of Ascension, Job says about the lack of faith of this people: "He did not recognize the way of the bird" (Jb 28: 7). It is rightly that the Lord was called "bird", since his body of flesh has gone to the ether. Whoever did not believe in the ascension of the Lord to heaven did not recognize the road of this bird.

It is from the feast of today that the psalmist affirms: "Your magnificence has risen above the heavens" (Ps 8: 2). And again: "God ascended in the midst of great joy, the Lord at the sound of the trumpet" (Ps 47: 6). And finally: "Rising on the heights, he took captive our captive nature; he offered gifts to men "(Ps 68:19). Yes, ascending to the heights, he has taken our captive nature captive, since he has destroyed our corruption by the power of his incorruptibility. He also offered gifts to men: having sent from heaven the Spirit, he has given one a word of wisdom, another a word of knowledge, another the power to perform miracles, to a other the gift of healings, another the diversity of languages, another the interpretation of the word (1 Cor 12: 8-10). He therefore offered gifts to men.

It is also from this glorious Ascension that [the prophet] Habakkuk said, "The sun has risen, and the moon has stood in its place." (Ha 3, 11, from the Septuagint). Indeed, what does the prophet mean by the term sun, if not the Lord, and by the term moon, if not the Church? As long as the Lord had not yet risen in heaven, His holy Church was paralyzed by the fear of the oppositions of the world, whereas after being strengthened by His Ascension, she began to preach openly what she had believed in secret. The sun has risen, and the moon has remained in its place, since the Lord having reached heaven, the authority of the preaching of his holy Church has increased accordingly.

Again concerning the Ascension, Solomon prays to this Church the following saying: "Here he comes, leaping on the mountains and crossing the hills" (Ct 2, 8). Considering the salient points of the great works of the Lord, the Church says, "Behold, he is coming, leaping on the mountains." For the Lord, coming to redeem us, has performed, so to speak, leaps. Do you want to know them, these leaps, dear brothers? From heaven he came into the womb [of the Virgin], from the breast [of the Virgin] in the manger, from the manger on the cross, from the cross to the sepulcher, and from the sepulcher he returned to heaven. These are the leaps that the Truth manifested in the flesh has done in our favor, to make us run after it, for "the Lord has gone forth joyously like a giant to walk his way" (Ps 19: 6), so that We can say with all our heart, "Train us after you, and we will run to the smell of your perfumes." (Ct 1, 4)

11. Therefore, dear brothers, we must follow the Lord with our hearts where we believe that he has ascended by the body. Let us flee earthly desires, and let none of the things of this world be able to seduce us, who have a Father in heaven. Let us consider that the one who has risen to the all-peaceful sky will be terrible when he returns, and that all that he commanded us with gentleness, he will then exact with rigor. Let us, therefore, take great care of the time allotted to us to do penance; take care of our souls as long as it is possible. For our Redeemer will come back to judge us all the more severely because he will have been more patient before the judgment.

So be careful of these things, my brethren, and reproach them with all sincerity. Although your soul is still tossed by the swirl of business, yet cast anchor of your hope in the eternal homeland3; strengthen the orientation of your mind in the true light. The Lord ascended into heaven, as we have just heard; so let us meditate on what we believe. And if we are still held down here by the infirmity of our body, let us, however, follow our God with no love. Jesus Christ Our Lord, who has given us such a desire, will not leave him unanswered, he who, being God, lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. . Amen.

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1 That is to say, his human nature.

2 Virtus confessionis: it seems that we must understand by this "a force that drives us to confess our faults". Jesus withdrew from the commandments of the Law their crushing character (men could not put them into practice): at the same time that they make known to us our sins, they now include the possibility of being delivered from our faults in them confessing. In this sense, Christ has thus imparted to them a force that impels us to confess our sins.