Homily 20

Pronounced before the people

in the basilica of St. John the Baptist,

Saturday of the Four-Times before Christmas

December 22, 591

The Preaching of Saint John the Baptist

Pronounced at the end of Advent, in a penitential day, this Homily wants both to prepare the faithful for the coming of the Lord and to commit them to do penance. Gregory comments verse by verse on the Gospel account of the preaching of St. John the Baptist. He exalts the humility of John in the process, inculcates the fear of the last judgment to his flock, and shows them the necessity of making worthy fruits of penance, by carefully explaining what meaning here has the word "worthy".

To the Jews stirred by his preaching and who asked him, "What shall we do?" John indicates works of mercy as the most effective penance. "He who receives a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward," like the elm who serves as guardian of the vineyard without bearing fruit himself. On which the pope engages in a very long commentary of the oracle of Isaiah on the desert turned into a pond, attributing a symbolic meaning to each of the trees that the prophet sees in the desert, to arrive at the famous elm that supports the vine (see Pliny, Naturalis Historia 14, 3: "In the Campanian territory, we combine vines with poplars, [...] they climb from branch to branch to the top." Justinus speaks of "vines from Falerne married to the abalone "). Some will find the exegesis of Isaiah's text a little forced. But why would not they try to go beyond this first impression? They would then recognize in this type of patristic commentary "a spontaneous play of the soul possessed by Christ. Nothing is more natural for those who are filled with the Mystery than to find it everywhere. To discover Christ and his Church behind each line of the Old Testament, it suffices to let the faith and the love that inhabit us speak. The famous "senses" of Scripture, which today seem so artificial, are in reality only the ways in which the heart of the Christian instinctively engages, provided he is loosed of his bridle. "(A. Vogüé, afterword of the book by B. de Margerie, Introduction to the history of exegesis, Paris, 1990, 4, 267)

After his long detour to Isaiah, St. Gregory returns to the absolute necessity of penance to violently carry away the Kingdom of Heaven, which our sins have forbidden us to enter.

Lk 3, 1-11

The fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being Procurator of Judea, Herod, Tetrarch of Galilee, Philip, his brother, Tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitides, Lysanias, Tetrarch of Abilene, under the High Priests Anne and Caiaphas, the word of the Lord was addressed to John the son of Zachariah in the wilderness. And he came to all the region of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of penance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah's oracles: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make your paths straight. Every valley will be filled, every mountain or hill will be lowered. The crooked paths will become straight, and the rugged ones will be leveled. And all flesh will see the salvation of God. "

He said to the crowds who came to be baptized by him: "Race of vipers, who taught you to flee the coming wrath? So do worthy fruits of penance, and do not try to say in yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father.' For I tell you, from these very stones God can make children of Abraham. Already the ax is at the root of the tree. Any tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. "And the crowds asked him," What shall we do then? "He answered them," Let him who has two tunics give one to him who do not have one, and let him who has something to eat do the same. "

The time when the precursor of our Redeemer received the word of his preaching is designated by the mention of the head of the Roman state and the kings of Judea: "The fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being procurator of Judea, Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, Philip, his brother, tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitidus, Lysanias, tetrarch of Abilene, under the high priests Anne and Caiaphas, the word of the Lord was addressed to John, son of Zachariah, in the desert."

Since John the Baptist came to announce the one who was to redeem some Jews and many pagans, the time of his preaching is designated by the mention of the emperor of the pagans and princes of the Jews. But because the Gentiles had to be reunited, and the Jews scattered because of their disbelief, this description of the world government indicates that a single leader was at the head of the Roman state, while the kingdom of Judea, shared in four, was ruled by several princes. Did not our Redeemer say, "Every kingdom divided against itself runs to ruin?" (Lk 11:17). It is clear, therefore, that Judea had come to the end of his life as a kingdom, since he was divided among so many kings.

It is still fitting that this gospel tells us not only under which kings, but also under which priests these facts occurred. John the Baptist announced the one who was to be both King and Priest; This is why the Evangelist Luke places the time of John's preaching in reference to the royal and priestly authorities.

2. «Twenty-three days in the region of Jourdain, preening a baptism of penitence for the slaughter of sins.» Is it evident to all the readers that Jean has not welcomed his baptism of penance, but in I also administered certain people, without being allowed to confess to receiving the remission of sins. In effect, the remission of new sins is accorded by the seul baptême du Christ. I am sorry to mention that this is being said: «Preening a baptism of penitence for the slaughter of sins», although it is not possible to administer the baptism that sends the sins, and the annotation. As much as the parole was the avant-courage of the Parole du Père, he made a chair, even though he was baptized, for the sins were not remedied, he was the avant-courage of the baptism of penitence, sins not remis; It seems to me that until now I was the vanguard of the person of the Redeemer, they are also baptisms, prior to the Seigneur Celui, had been the venerable ombre.

3. Le texte poursuit: «Comme il is écrit dans le livre des oracles du prophète Isaïe: <Voix de celui qui crie dans le désert: Préparez le chemin du Seigneur, rendez droits seus sentents.>

(Is 40, 3). »I asked him what he said, Jean-Baptiste replied:" I am the voice of heaven that cries in the desert "(Jn 1:23). I would like to tell you, if you would like to say "the voicemail" for the prophète, what is it that preceded the Parole?

The newly revised suite: "Préparez le Chemin du Seigneur, rendez droits seus sentiments". Everyone who preferred was droite et les bonnes œuvres, who gave birth to another who preached him to the Seigneur qui vient In the hearts of those who are blind? I know that this is the force of the penitent penitent, that you have the light of the venerable excuse them; It is advisable to bring the messages of the Seigneur, suggesting a purely pessimistic decision, for the sake of good preaching.

"Every valley will be filled, toute mountains or hill will be sloping." Let them say the valleys, the humble, the mountains or the hillsides, are they orgullous? In the place of the Redeemer, the valleys where they were wrecked, and the mountains or the sloping hills, seeming to say that, after all, "all those who rise will disappear, all those who are suffering from serious" (Lc 14, 11). Oui, the valley is full and you are level rises, while the mountain or hill is lowered and you are low level: par leur was au Médiateur entre Dieu et els hommes, Jésus-Christ fait homme (cf. 1 Tm 2 , 5), the peoples where he says the fullness of the grace, while the Juifs, in spite of the joy to be rejected by the croire, lost something that made him a priest. Every valley will be filled, for the cults of humble, receiving the sacred doctrine of Ecriture, will be replaced by the grace of virtues, which is the one who is written: "Il fait jaillir des sources dans les vallées" (Ps 104, 10) , and you also: "The valleys are irrigated with scrubs" (Ps 65, 14). L'eau déboule du haut des montagnes, that is to say that the doctrine of vérité leaves the esprits orgueilleux; But the sources are sprouting in the valleys, in which sense humble sprites reveal the parole of preaching. That the valleys were scattered, new le voyons you told him, so much hommes doux et simple, who was left unmeasurable in the world, where he was comitted to satiety of the food of the vertex.

4. Having recognized what admirable holiness John the Baptist was invested in, the people saw in him that mountain of incomparable height and firmness, of which it is written: "At the end of days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established on the top of the mountains "(Mi 4, 1). For it was thought that John was the Christ, as the Gospel relates: "As the people were waiting, and all of them wondered in their hearts, concerning John, that he was not the Christ, they questioned him: 'Are you the Christ?' "(Lk 3:15). But if John had not considered himself a valley, he would not have been filled with the spirit of grace. And to show what he was, he said, "A stronger than me comes after me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal "(Mk 1: 7). He says elsewhere: "He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands there and listens to it, rejoices with great joy at the voice of the bridegroom. So, my joy is complete. It must grow and I decrease "(Jn 3: 29-30). See, when John showed so extraordinary a virtue in his works that he was taken for Christ, he answered not only that he was not the Christ, but that he was not worthy of Untie the strap of his sandal, that is to say, to probe the mystery of his Incarnation. Those who took him for Christ also believed that the Church was his wife; but he said, "He who has the bride is the husband." It is as if he had said, "I am not the husband, but the friend of the husband." And he declared himself to rejoice, not because of his own voice, but at the voice of the bridegroom. Indeed, what pleased his heart was not that the people listened to his word with humility, but that he himself heard the voice of Truth inside him that made him speak outside. This is what he calls a complete joy; for he who rejoices in his own voice does not have perfect joy.

5. The Forerunner adds, "He must grow and I diminish." Here we must ask ourselves how Christ grew, how John diminished. Would it not be that the people, seeing the austerity of John and considering it distant from men, thought that he was the Christ, while perceiving Christ himself eating with the publicans and circulating among sinners, he believed that he was not the Christ, but a prophet? But when after a while Christ, who was thought to be a prophet, was recognized as the Christ, while John, who was believed to be the Christ, found himself to be a prophet what the Precursor had said of Christ came true: "He must grow and I diminish." In the opinion of the people, indeed, Christ grew up being recognized for who he was, and Jean dropped stopping to be told what he was not. Thus, since John persevered in holiness for remaining in the humility of the heart, while many others have fallen for having inflated thoughts of pride, it is rightly said that " Every valley will be filled, every mountain or hill will be lowered. "For the humble receive the gift that proud hearts repel.

6. The text continues: "The crooked ways will become straight, and the rugged ones will be smoothed." The tortuous paths become upright when the hearts of the wicked, whom injustice has twisted, are brought back to the rigor of a righteous justice. And the rugged roads are smoothed when the violent and angry spirits become sweet and good by the infusion of celestial grace. In fact, when an angry spirit does not accept the word of truth, it is as if a rugged path were diverting the steps of the walker. But when this angry spirit, having received a grace of goodness, receives the word of reprimand or exhortation, the preacher finds a flattened road instead of the rugged road that previously prevented him from advancing, that is to say to put the foot of his preaching.

7. The text continues, "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." "All flesh" means every man; but it has not been given to every man to see in this life the salvation of God, that is, Christ; it is therefore very clear that in this prophetic sentence the prophet has in view the day of the last judgment, where, before the open heavens, Christ will appear on his throne of majesty, in the midst of the angels who will serve him and the apostles who will sit with him. All, elected and reprobate, will see it alike, so that the righteous rejoice without end in their reward, and sinners will groan forever in the punishment of their punishment. And as this sentence aims at what all flesh will see in the last judgment, the text adds aptly: "He said to the crowds who came to be baptized by him: 'Race of vipers, who taught you to flee the coming wrath? The anger that comes is the punishment of the final punishment, to which the sinner can not escape if he does not now resort to the tears of penance. And notice that the bad offspring who imitate the actions of their bad parents are called "race of vipers", because by envying the good ones and persecuting them, by doing harm to others and seeking to harm their loved ones, they follow in all this. the traces of their fathers according to the flesh, and are, so to speak, poisonous children born of venomous parents.

8. But since we have sinned and become slaves to our bad habits, let John tell us what we must do to escape the wrath that is coming. The text goes on: "Make worthy fruits of penance." In these words, we must notice that the husband's friend does not only exhort us to make fruits of penance, but worthy fruits of penance. Indeed, one thing is to make a fruit of penance, another to make a worthy fruit of penance. And to speak well of worthy fruits of penance, it is necessary to know that the one who did not do anything of defended can of right use the permitted things: it is thus possible for him to practice the works of charity without depriving himself of the goods of this world against his will. But if anyone has fallen into a fault of fornication, or even - which is more serious - into adultery, he must give up all the more to what is permitted that he remembers having committed what is not is not. For we are not bound to perform the same fruit of good work according to whether we have sinned more or less: according to which we have committed no sin, that we have committed some, or that we have fallen into many mistakes. These words: "Make worthy fruits of penance" therefore take the conscience of each one into consideration, and invite him to constitute by penance a treasure of good works, all the richer because his faults have earned him heavier punishments.

9. But the Jews, proud of the nobility of their people, did not want to be recognized as sinners because they descended from the line of Abraham. John rightly tells them, "And do not try to say in yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father.' For I tell you, from these very stones God can raise up children of Abraham." What were these stones, if not the hearts of the pagans, who remained refractory to the knowledge of Almighty God? Likewise, it is said of certain Jews: "I will remove from your flesh the heart of stone" (Ez 11:19). It is not without reason that the Gentiles are designated by the word "stones" in the sense that they adored stones. So it is written, "Let them become like them, those who make idols, as well as all who trust in them." (Ps 115, 8). These are the stones that the children of Abraham were raised, because the hard-hearted pagans believed in the descendants of Abraham, that is, in Christ, and thereby became the children of Abraham, by being united to his offspring. That is why the eminent preacher [Paul] declares to the Gentiles, "If you are Christ, then you are the offspring of Abraham" (Gal 3:29). If, therefore, by faith in Christ, we are henceforth the descendants of Abraham, the Jews, by their refusal to believe, ceased to be the children of Abraham. Now, in the day of the terrible judgment, the good parents will be of no use to their bad children, as the prophet testifies: "If Noah, Daniel and Job were among them, by my life, says the Lord God, they save neither son nor daughter, but they by their righteousness would save their souls "(Ezek 14:16). On the other hand, good children will be of no use to bad parents, but the kindness of the children will rather increase the fault of the bad parents, as the Truth in person told the unbelieving Jews: "If me It is by Beelzebub that I cast out the demons, your sons, by whom do they drive them? That is why they will be your judges themselves. "(Lk 11:19)

10. The text continues: "Already the ax is at the root of the tree. Any tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. "The tree of this world is the entire human race. The ax is our Redeemer, who, by way of his sleeve and his iron, is held by his humanity, but who decides in virtue of his divinity. This ax is already at the root of the tree, for even though our Redeemer is waiting patiently, we can see what he is about to do. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire," since perverse men, who neglect to bear fruit here by their good works, find the devouring flames of Gehenna all ready to receive them. And it must be observed that Jean does not say that the ax attacks the branches, but that it is at the root. In fact, when we remove children from the wicked, it is the unproductive branches of the tree that we cut. But when a whole generation is suppressed with the father, it is the unproductive tree itself that is cut at the root, so that it can never again emerge from depraved rejections.

These words of John the Baptist troubled the hearts of those who listened to him, as can be deduced from the immediate following of the text: "And the crowds asked him: 'What must we do?'" It was indeed necessary that they were struck with great fear to ask him thus for advice.

11. The text continues: "He answered them, 'Let him who has two tunics give one to him who has none, and he who has something to eat, do the same.'" The tunic is ours a use more necessary than the mantle, which means that the worthy fruits of penance command us to share with our neighbor not only certain external objects which are less necessary to us, but even what is most necessary to us, such as the food which lives our body or the tunic of which we are clothed. For it is written in the Law, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18, Mt 22:39). To not share even what is necessary with our neighbor when he is in need is to prove that we love him less than ourselves. And if the precept of sharing with the neighbor is given for two tunics, it can not be for one: once divided, she would clothe no one. With half a tunic, the one who receives it would remain naked and the one who would give it also.

Here we must recognize the power of works of mercy, since in the matter of worthy fruits of penance, they are commanded before all other works. On this subject, the Truth in person declares: "Give alms, and all things shall be pure to you" (Lk 11:41). The Lord also says, "Give, and it will be given to you" (Lk 6, 38). It is also written, "The water extinguishes the fiery fire, and the alms atones the sin." (Si 3, 30). It is further said, "Hold alms in the bosom of the poor, and it shall she intercede for you." (Si 29, 12). And the good father recommends to his innocent son: "If you have much good, give widely; if you have little, even this little, take care to share it heartily. "(Tb 4, 8)

12. To show what great virtue it is to nurture and gather those in need, our Redeemer declares, "He who welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a reward from the righteous "(Mt 10:41). It should be noted that in these words, the Lord does not say that one will receive a reward for the prophet, or a reward for the righteous, but a reward of prophet and a reward of righteousness. For it is not the same thing as a reward for a prophet and a prophet's reward, nor a reward for a righteous man and a reward for righteousness. What does it mean, "He will receive a prophet's reward," except that he who charitably insures the existence of a prophet, will obtain from the almighty Lord the reward of the gift of prophecy, though does not himself have the gift of prophecy? It may be that this prophet is also a righteous man, and that he is all the more inclined to speak without fear for the cause of righteousness that he possesses nothing in this world. Now he who possesses goods in this world and ensures the existence of this righteous, without daring yet, perhaps, to speak himself freely for the sake of justice, becomes a participant in his freedom to defend justice. and he will therefore receive the same reward as the righteous man he has helped in securing his existence, and to whom he has permitted to speak freely for justice. Indeed, although the latter may be full of the spirit of prophecy, he must nonetheless nourish his body: if it was not powered, it is certain that his voice would faint. So whoever gave food to a prophet because he was a prophet, provided him with the strength he needed to prophesy. And he will receive with the prophet a prophet's reward, for even without being filled with the spirit of prophecy, yet he has offered to the eyes of God what he has contributed to. In this connection, the apostle John tells Caius about certain brothers from abroad: "It is for the name of Christ that they left, without receiving anything from the Gentiles. We, therefore, must support such men to work with them for the truth "(3 Jn 7-8). He who gives the help of his temporal resources to those who possess spiritual gifts becomes their collaborator in the exercise of their spiritual gifts. Since there are few who receive the spiritual gifts, and many possess temporal goods in abundance, it is by devoting their wealth to help the poor saints that the rich become partakers of the virtues of these poor.

And when, by the voice of Isaiah, the Lord promised the pagans who are left to themselves, that is to say, to the Holy Church, the benefit of the virtues of the spirit as so many trees [ would plant in the desert, he promised in particular an elm: "I will change," he says, "the desert into a pond, and the land without a path into a stream; I will place in solitude the cedar and the thorny acacia, the myrtle and the olive wood; I will plant in the wilderness at once the tree, the elm and the box, so that they may see, that they know, that they reflect and understand all together. "(Is 41, 18-20)

13. The Lord has turned the wilderness into a pond, and the land without a way into a stream, when he has poured out the waves of holy preaching on the Gentiles, whose soul, in his aridity, had not previously wore no fruit of good works; and from this land, formerly so rough and dry that the preachers could not find their way there, the streams of doctrine later spread. It is again to the pagans that this great promise is made: "I will place in solitude the cedar and the thorny acacia." We see rightly in the cedar, odorous and rot-proof wood, the sign of a well promised . As for the thorny acacia, was it not said to the sinful man: "The earth will produce you thorns and thistles" (Gen 3: 18). How wonder, then, that God promises to the holy Church, for the punishment of sinful man, the multiplication of this thorny acacia?

Cedar represents those whom their actions full of virtues and miracles make known, and who can say with Paul: "We are for God the good odor of Christ" (2 Cor 2, 15). Their hearts are so well established in the love of eternity that the rot of any earthly love can no longer corrupt them.

Thorny Acacia represents the men who teach spiritual doctrine. When they speak of sins and virtues, sometimes by threatening eternal torments, sometimes by promising the joys of the heavenly kingdom, they wound the hearts of those who listen to them and pierce their minds so well with the pain of compunction. their eyes flow with those tears which are, so to speak, the blood of the soul.

The myrtle has a virtue to soothe the pain: it puts the members back by its soothing action. What does it represent, if not those who know how to sympathize with the afflictions of their loved ones and appease them in their tribulations by compassion? Thus it is written, "We give thanks to God, who comforts us in all our tribulations, so that we may also console those who are in every kind of affliction." (2 Cor 1, 4 ). By bringing a word or a help that comforts their loved ones who are in affliction, they put them back up to prevent them from being shattered by despair under the blow of an excessive misfortune.

What to understand by the olive tree, if not the merciful ones? For in Greek, "mercy" is pronounced eleos2, and the fruits of mercy shine before the eyes of Almighty God, as can olive oil.

The text adds this promise: "I will plant in the desert at once fir, elm and boxwood." What represents the tree, which grows extremely and rises very high in the sky, if not those who, in the holy Church , contemplate heavenly things even before leaving their earthly bodies? Although they came out of the earth by their birth, yet they are already bringing the tip of their minds to Heaven by contemplation.

As for elm, what does it mean, if not the spirit of the secular? Because they are still engaged in the affairs of the earth, they bear no fruit in the spiritual virtues. But if the elm does not have its own fruit, it often serves as a support for the vine and its grapes, because if, in the Holy Church, the people of the century do not have in them the spiritual gifts, when they support, however, by their generosity, the holy men who are full of them, they serve well as support for the vine and its bunches.

The boxwood, it does not grow little, and although without fruit, it remains always green. What does it represent, except those who, in the Holy Church, can not yet bear good works because of their tender age, but who nevertheless keep the faith of their faithful parents, and thus preserve their faith a perpetual greenness?

As a result of all this, the text adds aptly: "That they may see, that they may know, that they reflect and understand all together." Cedar is planted in the Church so that the one who receives from his neighbor the odor of spiritual virtues does not itself remain lukewarm in the love of eternal life, but ignites the desire of heavenly goods. The thorny acacia tree is planted so that he who has been pierced by the word of his preaching will also learn, as he does, to pierce through the words of his preaching the hearts of those around him. The myrtle is planted so that he who, at the height of his tribulations, has received a soothing comfort through the word or action of a compassionate neighbor, learns how to provide such comfort to his loved ones who are in pain. The olive tree is planted so that he who knows the works of mercy of others will learn how he too must have pity on his neighbor who is in need. The tree is planted so that he who recognizes the vigor of his contemplation himself be filled with ardor to contemplate the eternal rewards. The elm is planted so that he who has seen this tree, which can not produce the fruits of spiritual virtues, but supports those who are full of spiritual gifts, also devotes himself, with all possible generosity, to the service of the the life of the saints, thus providing support for the bunches of grapes from heaven's goods, which he can not produce on his own. The box is planted so that he who considers this multitude of a still tender age animated by an authentic faith and full of greenness, blush to be himself an unbeliever.

It is therefore right that, having described all these trees, the prophet says, "That they may see, that they may know, that they may think and understand." And he adds here aptly: " All together. "Since there are various ways of life and ranks in the Holy Church, the faithful must learn together, by looking together at different spiritual men by the quality, age, and rank which it proposes to their imitation.

But while trying to explain the meaning of the elm, we lost a long time among the various categories of trees. So let's go back to why we quoted the testimony of the prophet. "He who receives a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward." Indeed, even if the elm does not produce fruit, he carries the vine and its grapes, and makes the works of those he applies to support.

14. John recommends that we do great things: "Therefore make worthy fruits of penance." And again, "Let him who has two tunics give one to him who has none, and he who has what to eat does the same. "Is not this to give a clear understanding of what the Truth affirms:" From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and it is the violent ones who delight "(Mt 11:12). These words which come to us from above, we must meditate with great attention. We must look for how the Kingdom of Heaven can suffer violence. Who could do violence in Heaven? And if the Kingdom of Heaven can suffer violence, it remains to ask why it is since the days of John the Baptist that he supports this violence, and why it was not so before. When the Law says, "If anyone does this or that, he will die of death," all those who read it clearly understand that it has struck sinners hard, without bringing them back to life. by penance. But when John the Baptist, announcing the grace of the Redeemer, preaches penance for the sinner, who died by his fault, to live by the effect of his conversion, it is true that since the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of heavens suffers violence.

What is this kingdom of heaven but the dwelling of the righteous? For it is to the just ones that the rewards of the heavenly homeland are due, so that the humble, the chaste, the meek, the merciful attain the joys from above. But when sinners who were swollen with pride, sullied by the sins of the flesh, burned by anger or filled with cruelty, return to penance after committing these faults and obtain eternal life, they enter somehow into a foreign country. Thus, since the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and it is the violent ones that delight him, since by enjoining penitence to sinners, John has taught them to do violence in the Kingdom of Heaven.

15. Let us, dear brothers, rethink the evil that we have done, and consume ourselves [repentance] by weeping incessantly. This inheritance of the righteous whom we have not been able to obtain by our life, let us be overcome by penitence. The almighty God wants to suffer from us such violence, because the Kingdom of Heaven is not due to us by virtue of our merits, he wants us to ravage him with our tears. May our bad deeds, however serious and numerous, in no way affect the certainty of our hope. It is a great confidence to be forgiven that gives us the good thief, worthy of veneration (cf Lk 23, 39-43). Not that being a thief has made him so; but by cruelty, he became by his confession worthy of veneration. Think, then, consider how incomprehensible are the entrails of mercy of Almighty God. This thief, who had blood on his hands, was removed from his cup-throat and hanged on the gallows of the cross. There he confessed, there he was healed, there he deserved to hear: "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk 23:43). Who can say or measure such great goodness of God? From the very punishment of crime, the thief came to the rewards of virtue. If the almighty God allowed his chosen ones to fall into certain faults, it is to give the hope of forgiveness to others who lie in sin, provided that they return to him with all their heart, and to open to them the way of love through the tears of penance.

Let us then apply ourselves to tears, erase by tears and worthy fruits of penance the faults we have committed. Let's not waste the time that we

is granted for indulgence. For we see many men now healed of their iniquities: is not this the pledge of divine mercy?

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1 The following sentence comments on the expression of the Vulgate in unum locum, which literally means "in one place". This translation does not offer much meaning in this passage of the Gospel, we used the one we meet quite commonly: "in another place".

2 Allusion to the first communion of neophytes during the Easter vigil, celebrated the night before.

3 Allusion to the anointing of Saint-Chrême received by neophytes.

4 The vision of the Lamb and the mutual transparency of souls are reserved for Heaven.