De decollaticme Joannis Baptista?
The Martyrdom of the Forerunner
The narrative recounts the unjust imprisonment and beheading of John the Baptist, orchestrated by the malice of Herodias and the weakness of Herod.
After this, as the Passover festival drew near, the suffering and death of John the Baptist followed; and a motive is presented that contains multiple sins. For Herodias, fearing that Herod might repent because of John’s preaching and return her to his brother—with whom she could not remain without danger—devised a way for John to be killed without causing a public uprising, and Herod was aware of this plot. When Herod the Tetrarch—sometimes called King, not because of royal dignity but because of his governing office—was celebrating his birthday before the princes and leading men of Galilee, the daughter of Herodias danced. She danced in their midst so that everyone would see her, a performance arranged by her mother and Herod. It pleased Herod—though he should have been ashamed, as it was a sign of an impudent and dissolute daughter—and with an oath, he promised to give her whatever she asked of him. According to Jerome, he may have sworn this oath to create an excuse to kill John and suppress a public uprising, so that he might appear to do unwillingly what he was actually doing of his own accord. But she, prompted by her mother, asked as her reward that the head of John the Baptist be given to her on a platter, that is, a dish. . In this context, a platter is a round, wide-topped vessel. Sometimes a lower table is called a dish, and at other times a cloth or table-covering is called a dish. This is why the animals are said to have appeared to Peter in a dish, which in the Acts of the Apostles is called a sheet.✦ Hence Chrysostom says: 'This woman is ancient malice, who cast Adam out of the delights of Paradise; she makes heavenly people earthly; she plunged the human race into hell; she took life away from the world because of the fruit of a single tree; she created the evil that leads men to death; she invented true labor and oppression, which now kills the Baptist, casts down purity, ruins youth, and entices and disturbs even a dying old age.' tion. The king was saddened—not truly, but for show—so that he might later appear forced to fulfill what he had already decided to do of his own free will. He is said to have been saddened, meaning he appeared sad, because, according to Bede, he was a dissimulator of his own mind; he wore sadness on his face while keeping joy in his heart. He excused his crime with an oath, so that under the guise of piety he might become all the more wicked. Herod himself represents those who, under the appearance of a religious life, plot to commit works of malice; Herodias represents lust; the dancer represents libidinous dissolution. Through these, the spiritual death—and sometimes the physical death—of John, that is, of a man of grace, is frequently brought about. The king, however, did not want to sadden her because of the oath, which nonetheless should not have been kept, because, according to Isidore, an oath is not to be kept when evil is promised incautiously; and in the case of evil promises, one's word must be rescinded. It is as if Herod were saying, 'It isn't out of malice that I do this, but because of the oath, which I'm not permitted to break.' For he was deceitful in promising and sacrilegious in fulfilling, and he was also acting for the sake of those reclining with him, before whom he had publicly sworn, so that they might all become partners in his crime, rather than correctors or those who resist. See how easily sin passes from one to all. Similarly, those who watched that game and spectacle also became partners in the crime along with those who committed it. For, according to Chrysostom, just as there would be no one to commit such acts if there were no spectators, so too, because they exist, they themselves feel the fire or the scandal of what is being done. Oh, how many subordinates today are in danger in their conscience and soul because of the less-than-just actions of those in charge! He sent the executioner, who by his office carried the sword used to behead the condemned, and he beheaded John in prison—secretly, to avoid a riot among the people—and brought his head on a platter, a bloody feast for a luxurious banquet, and gave the unworthy gift on such a worthy platter; and he gave it to the girl. It was the reward for her dancing; and the girl gave it to her mother as a mockery, to mock the dead man who had rebuked her incest, and to keep in her own power the tongue that had argued against their illicit marriage. Behold four cruel things: it is a great cruelty that a holy head was beheaded; greater that it was brought out and the murder displayed; greater still that it was given to the dancer; but the greatest, that it was assigned to the power of an adulteress. While Herod was feasting, shortly before the ninth hour of the day, Saint John the Baptist was beheaded in prison, crying out with a loud voice: "Lord my God, into your hands I commend my spirit."✦ And he lay naked under the open sky, treated with great contempt and exposed to public view, until he was taken away by his disciples. The fact that John was ordered to be beheaded at a banquet, at the request of the dancer and her adulterous mother, shows that many evils are committed because of gluttony and the malice of women. As Ecclesiasticus says: "Wine and women make even the wise fall away." According to Remigius, in the case of Herod, a lesser sin became the cause of a greater one. Because he didn't extinguish his lustful will, he arrived at debauchery; and because he didn't restrain that debauchery, he descended to the guilt of murder.
Devotion to the Fallen Saint
The disciples of John demonstrate faithful devotion in burying his body, while the text reflects on the spiritual significance of his death and burial.
But in contrast to the impiety of Herod, who had beheaded John for the sake of the truth and left him unburied, the religious and dutiful devotion of the disciples is commended; for when they heard of it, they came and took his body from the prison, which the king had ordered to be returned to them, and they buried it reverently as was fitting; and they came and reported to Jesus the passion of John, and also his works and teaching. In all these things, the disciples show their devotion to their master: that they came quickly, took him up reverently, and [as noted in] the first part of chapter 66. They buried him humanely, and they reported it with compassion. These were the disciples of John who passed over to the discipleship of Christ; for by this act of devotion, they merited to pass into the company of Christ. Hence Chrysostom says: "But you, pay attention to how the disciples of John have now become more familiar with Jesus." They are the ones who reported what had been done to John; leaving everyone else behind, they took refuge in him. According to Jerome and Josephus, John was killed in Sebaste, a city of Palestine once called Samaria, where Herod had built a royal house; however, he was buried in the town of Machaerus in Arabia, beyond the Jordan, in the territory of the two and a half tribes. But this seems contrary to ecclesiastical history, which states he was killed in Machaerus but buried in Sebaste. Herodias had the head taken to Jerusalem and buried there secretly near Herod’s residence, fearing that the Prophet might rise again if his head were buried with his body. Later, through a revelation from blessed John, two monks found it wrapped in haircloth and the clothes he had worn in the desert, as is believed, and it was buried in Jerusalem between the prophets Elisha and Obadiah. John was beheaded, however, not on the day his beheading is celebrated, but around the time of the Jewish Passover in the year before Christ’s Passion, after he had already been in prison for a year. It was fitting, however, that because of the Lord’s sacraments of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection, the lesser—that is, John—should yield to the greater, Christ; and for this reason, the feast of the Beheading was instituted to be held at another time, namely, on the day his head was found or elevated. As Augustine says: “What John himself had predicted happened to him.” For he had said of the Lord Jesus Christ: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” He was diminished in his head; the other increased on the cross. According to Gregory, the beheading of John signifies the lessening of the fame by which Christ was believed by the people, just as the exaltation of the Savior on the cross signaled the progress of faith. This is because even he who was previously believed by the crowds to be a Prophet was acknowledged by all the faithful as the Lord of the Prophets and the Son of God. Thus John, who had to decrease, was born when the daylight began to wane; the Lord, however, was born at the time when the day began to increase. Jerome says: “Though this may have happened literally, we still see today in the head of John the Prophet that the Jews lost Christ, who is the head of the Prophets.” And again: The Head of the Law, who is Christ, is cut off from His own body—that is, from the Jewish people—and given to the Gentile girl, that is, the Roman Church; and the girl gives Him to her adulterous mother, that is, to the synagogue that will believe at the end. John’s body is buried, but his head is placed on a platter; the letter is buried and covered, but the spirit is honored and received at the altar: so says Jerome. A person also imprisons John when they turn the gifts of grace they possess toward earthly things; they take his head away when they presume that the good things they have come from themselves, and not from God.
The Call to Spiritual Martyrdom
The text transitions from the physical death of John to the broader call for all Christians to practice patience, detachment, and spiritual martyrdom in daily life.
Look now at John with reverence: how he prepares his neck at the command of a lowly executioner, how he humbly bends his knees, and, giving thanks to God, stretches out his neck and patiently endures the blows until his head is completely severed. The holy Forerunner of the Lord, who had prepared the way for His baptism in water by baptizing, and for the baptism in the tears of compunction by preaching, now prepares the baptism in the blood of the Passion by dying. See how John goes to his death—the intimate friend of the Lord Jesus, His kinsman, and the greatest secretary of God—and how such a great and noble man, under the rule of wickedness, perished as if he were the vilest criminal. O impiety, o cruelty! The just man is beheaded; his head becomes the price of a dance, is brought in on a platter, and is set before the guests—a grand dish, indeed, but horrible to behold! Hence Chrysostom says: 'Today, when the virtue of John and the savagery of Herod are recounted to us, our hearts are shaken; our spirits tremble; our sight grows dim; our intellect falters; our hearing fails; or what can remain in human senses when the magnitude of crimes covers the magnitude of virtues?' John: the stole of virtues, the master of life, the form of holiness, the norm of justice, the mirror of virginity, the title of modesty, the example of chastity, the way of penance, the forgiveness of sinners, the discipline of faith. John: greater than man, equal to the angels, the summary of the Law, the sanction of the Gospel, the voice of the Apostles, the silence of the Prophets, the lamp of the world, the forerunner of the Judge, the mediator of Christ, the witness of the Lord, the one standing in the midst of the whole Trinity. And this great man is handed over to incest, delivered to an adulteress, and sold to a dancer! It’s no wonder, then, that our hearts are shaken and tremble. And again: God endured it, crowning the just man all the more, and leaving behind great comfort for those who would later suffer unjustly. Let us listen, then, all of us who live in virtue and suffer evil at the hands of wicked people. For God allowed him—the one who lived in the desert, the one in the camel-hair garment, the one in the hair shirt, the one who was the least of the prophets, the one than whom no greater had been born—to be killed by a loose girl and a corrupt harlot, and this while he was defending God's own laws. Thinking on these things, let us bear with courage whatever we have to suffer. For who wouldn’t be horrified to see that sacred head, still dripping with blood, set out at a banquet? If we are horrified just hearing about it, what must it have been like for those who were sitting there, seeing the blood of that freshly severed head dripping in the middle of the feast? Yet the wicked Herod, and the woman no less abominable than he, and that bloodthirsty creature, did not suffer a thing because of that spectacle—so says Chrysostom. And so Gregory says: "It is with the deepest wonder that I consider how he who was filled with the spirit of prophecy while still in his mother's womb—the one greater than whom no one born of women has risen—is sent to prison by the wicked, beheaded for a girl's dance, and a man of such holiness dies for the amusement of the corrupt." Do we really believe there was anything in his life that such a despised death could have been meant to cleanse? But when did he ever sin in his food, he who ate only locusts and wild honey? When could he have given offense by his way of life, he who never left the desert? Why is it that almighty God so severely despises in this world those whom He so loftily chose before the world began? It is only because it is clear to the devotion of the faithful that He presses them down into the lowest places for this reason: because He sees how He will reward them in the highest; and He casts them out to the point of being despised, because He leads them within to things beyond understanding. From this, then, let everyone gather what those whom He rejects will suffer in the next life, if He so cruelly tests those whom He loves in this one: so says Gregory, on how the martyr of Christ lived. John died, therefore, for Christ, because he died for the truth. As Gregory also says: "John the Baptist didn't die because he was asked to confess Christ, but because he was asked about the truth of justice. But because Christ is the Truth, he reached the point of death for Christ, because he reached it for the sake of truth." From this it's clear that a person is made a martyr not only for the faith, but also for the truth of justice. Augustine says: "When death is accepted for the truth of justice, it makes martyrs." And it is said in Ecclesiasticus: "Strive for justice to the death." For it isn't the punishment that makes a martyr, but the cause—that is, death accepted for Christ. Note here that a person can become a martyr for many reasons: for justice, like Abel; for the Law, like the Maccabees; for the assertion of truth, like Isaiah and Jeremiah; for the rebuke of sin, or even the assertion of truth, like... John the Baptist; for the salvation of the people, like Christ; for the faith of Christ, like Stephen; for Christ, like the Holy Innocents; for the freedom of the Church, like Thomas of Canterbury. Patience in adversity makes a martyr. And it isn't only death accepted for the truth and the other reasons mentioned that makes a martyr, but also true patience in adversity. As Gregory says: "There are, in fact, two kinds of martyrdom: one in the mind, and the other in both mind and action." Therefore, we can be martyrs without the sword if we truly maintain patience in our soul. According to the same Gregory, true patience is to endure injuries bravely and not seek revenge later, but to forgive from the heart the one who inflicts evil, without being stung by any resentment toward them. For he is truly patient who also loves the one he bears; for to tolerate someone while hating them is not the virtue of gentleness, but a cloak for fury. As Bernard also says: "True patience is to suffer or act against what one might like, but not beyond what is permitted." Furthermore, according to Chrysostom, martyrdom is perfected not only by the shedding of blood, but also by abstaining from sins and practicing God's commandments. Hence Bernard also says: "Christians always suffer persecution; for everything in the world persecutes the Christian." If I eat a little and my body is robust, the health of my body persecutes my soul. Wherever I turn, I find persecution. If I see a woman, my eye pursues me, for it longs to kill my soul. If I see riches, gold, possessions, bodily delights, or fine clothes—whatever I see pursues my soul. Lust pursues the young man. Let us not think that martyrdom for Christians and religious consists only in the shedding of blood. If, therefore, there are martyrdoms in times of peace, there are also denials. If I, who appear to be a monk today, break my resolve, I have denied Christ. And if I deny Christ in times of peace, what would I do in times of persecution? This, therefore, is the point: because there are martyrdoms at all times, there are also persecutions—as Bernard says regarding afflictions and temptations.
Enduring Tribulation with Hope
The author provides pastoral counsel on enduring illness, temptation, and adversity by keeping the example of the saints and the promise of eternal reward in view.
XTAS. Just as we must patiently endure the injuries others inflict on us, we must also patiently endure the tribulations of illness and the pains that come our way. Many are troubled by the temptations of calamities, and the devil tempts them in many different ways. But he tempts them only as much as God’s will permits; even against his own will, he serves their benefit when he doesn't deceive them with his temptations, but instead instructs them. Sometimes he tempts them through the goads of poverty; and when through the goads... ...of poverty he cannot move them, he employs riches to seduce them; and while he prevails through insults and reproaches, he employs praise and glory. If he cannot succeed through the state of the body, he sends illnesses; and when he cannot seduce them through pleasures, he tries to subvert them through troubles that occur against their will. He even employs certain infirmities against those who are to be tempted, so that by making them faint-hearted through these, he may disturb the love they have for God. But no matter how much your body is stirred and inflamed by the fiercest fevers, and even if you are afflicted by unbearable compunction, whoever you are, remember the punishments of the life to come—the eternal fire and the everlasting torments—and by thinking on these, you won't give way to what happens in the present. Furthermore, rejoice, because God has visited you. For the Lord disciplines everyone He loves, and He scourges every son He receives. Exult, seeing whom you have been made like; for you have deserved to receive a gift similar to that of the Apostle Paul, who said: 'I will gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.' And again: 'For when I am weak, then I am stronger and powerful.' If you are chastised by cold or by fevers, be mindful of what Scripture says: 'We have passed through fire and water, because it remains that you be led into a place of refreshment.' Cry out also with the Prophet: 'In tribulation You have enlarged me.' For you will be made perfect through such tribulations. If you happen to lose your sight, don't take it hard, for you've only lost an instrument of pride; instead, strive to gaze upon the glory of God with the eyes of your soul. If you've become deaf, don't be saddened that you've lost the ability to hear vanity. Your hands may be weakened by some old suffering, but keep your inner hands ready against the enemy's temptations; infirmity may hold your whole body, but health grows in the inner person. For sickness of the body is nothing other than health of the mind. If your infirmity is such that you cannot stand to pray and chant the psalms, don't be saddened by it, because that very infirmity is praying for you. If you are fasting, don't find an excuse for yourself by saying that you fell into sickness because you were burdened; for those who don't fast also fall into similar sicknesses. Once you've begun something good, don't be turned back by the enemy's obstacles, for fasts and labors are established for us because of shameful desires. All these things help us to destroy the desires of the body. Therefore, let anyone who suffers learn not to complain if they don't know why they are suffering; instead, let them consider it just that they are suffering, since they are being judged by the One whose judgments are never unjust. So, anyone who complains under the lash is accusing the justice of the Judge. But if you rightly recognize that you are suffering at the hands of a just Judge—even if you don't know the reason—you are already justified, because you are accusing yourself and praising God's justice. Therefore, let’s fight manfully for Christ, for the faith, for truth, and for justice, even to the point of death; and let’s prepare ourselves daily to suffer adversity patiently for God. That is why martyrs are held in the highest regard, because so many of them endured temptations for the love of God, against human nature. —and human will. This is why Eleazar, while being destroyed by lashes, groaned and said: 'Lord, you who possess holy knowledge, you know clearly that although I could be freed from death, I am enduring harsh bodily pains; yet in my soul, because of my love for you, I suffer these things willingly.' In martyrdom, the reward isn't owed based on what is inflicted from the outside, but based on what is endured voluntarily for Christ, as the first part, chapter 66, states. We don't earn merit except through what is within us, rather than what is outside us, just as we don't incur demerit except through what is within us. The more difficult it is for the will to endure what someone suffers voluntarily, the more firmly that will—which endures it for Christ—is shown to be fixed in Christ; and for that reason, a more excellent reward is owed to it. Indeed, three things contribute to the effectiveness of earning merit. The first is the difficulty of the work, which is evident in martyrdom, because, as Gregory says, it is of greater merit to endure adversity patiently than to toil away at good works. The second is a ready will; for as the Apostle says, God loves a cheerful giver, and as Augustine says, no one does good against their will, even if the action itself is good. The third is the magnitude of charity, because charity itself is the weight of the sanctuary, according to which everything that was in the temple was weighed. Therefore, a work weighs as much in the sight of the Judge as the love from which it proceeds. Good, meritorious works are of three kinds: those for eternal life, those for the increase of grace, and those for the remission of punishment. The first—the substantial reward of eternal life—corresponds to the root of the work, which is charity. The accidental reward, however (the increase of grace), corresponds to the type of work, because through excellent works and works of supererogation, we merit an increase of grace more than through other works. The remission of punishment corresponds to the painfulness of the work; for works that are more painful are more meritorious for the remission of punishment, as there is a rule in theology that the penalty of a penalty is its resolution.
The Mirror of the Saints
The chapter concludes by exhorting the reader to study the lives of the saints as a mirror for the soul, ending with a prayer for the grace to imitate John the Baptist.
Let’s keep the struggle and patience of the saints before our eyes, so that we may more willingly do or endure for God everything that is adverse and contrary to us. As Gregory says: "Let’s recall the labors of the saints who went before us, and what we endure won't seem heavy." Chrysostom adds: "Let’s write the struggles of the saints upon our hearts as if on a tablet, and meditate on them constantly against all the armor of spiritual enemies; let’s set their patience before us as an example of unconquered virtue, so that by imitating their strength here, we may likewise attain their crown hereafter." Just as they showed such great patience in bodily dangers, let us show similar restraint in our irrational passions—that is, against anger, greed, or the craving for empty glory—and by fortifying our senses with the fear of God, let us resist and destroy in ourselves such similar deceptions of the devil. For if we overcome the fires of such desires and vices just as they overcame the fire of tyranny, we will be able to be counted as their equals, established in the same glory. And again: "It is a spiritual mirror." It is the memory of good men, the history of their blessed lives, the reading of the Scriptures, and the laws given by God. If you’re willing to look even once at the images of those saints, you’ll see the filth of your own mind; and once you see it, you’ll need nothing else to be freed from this stain. For this is a useful mirror for us, and it makes the transition easy. It doesn't just show us our deformity; it transforms it into ineffable beauty, if we are willing. — Chrysostom. Hence Augustine also says: “Keep Christ in your heart, keep the Apostles, keep the thousands of martyrs in your heart.” There you will see not only men, but also women, and finally children and young girls, who were neither deceived by imprudence, nor perverted by wickedness, nor broken by the fear of dangers, nor corrupted by the love of the world. So, you won't find any excuse? Not only will the unavoidable rectitude of the commandments surround you, but also an innumerable multitude of examples. — Augustine. But woe to us miserable people, who are neither moved by the commandments nor warned by the examples! For as Gregory says: “We are often held back from good works by mere words, whereas not even torments could break the holy men from their holy intention; yet we are unwilling to follow the Lord's commandments, or even to give away our own superfluities. The saints not only gave their substance to God, but for His sake they even gave their own flesh.” — Gregory. Many did this with great eagerness, and they awaited that hour as if they had been invited to a wedding. Isaac, the abbot of Syria, says this about many martyrs: 'On the day they expected to receive the crown of martyrdom—if they knew about it beforehand, whether through a revelation or from some friend—they wouldn't eat anything that night. Instead, from evening until morning, they stood awake in prayer, glorifying God in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. With joy and exultation, they awaited that hour just like those prepared for a wedding, waiting to meet the sword in their fasting.' We, too, who are called to an invisible martyrdom to receive the crowns of sanctification, must stay awake; let's not show our enemies any sign of denial in any way. You see, then, that according to the counsel of the teachers, we ought to set the labors and struggles of the Saints before our eyes as an example. Woe, then, to those who dismiss the deeds of the Saints as if they were apocryphal; they not only refuse to read them, but as far as it lies within them, they won't even allow others to read them! And so, like illegitimate children degenerating from the holy fathers in the Christian life, they don't deserve a share in the inheritance among the children of God; nor do the merits of the Saints, who suffered for God, come to their aid. Against such people, it is beautifully and fittingly said in a certain prologue to the passion of blessed Anastasia: 'If anyone is willing to study diligently all that has been or is being done by the Saints, it yields a fruit of edification both for himself and for many others.' It is proven for good reason that a fruit-bearing tree occupies the ground while it lives, since it is adorned with its own fruit, and everyone who gathers fruit from it is nourished. We write, as we find in the records, what the Saints did, what they said, and what they suffered. You show yourselves to be Catholics by the fact that you gladly read and gladly listen to the victories of Christ. I ask you, who judge these things to be apocryphal writings that should be dismissed: through whom does the canon of all divine Scriptures stand? Is it not through those who preferred to be killed for that very canon rather than be conquered? What did the martyrs hold onto? They held to the certain faith contained in the sacred volumes, within the fixed number of the books. The most sacred writings give thanks to them, because they persevere through their perseverance; and for this reason, they want their deeds to be written down, so that in the sight of God and of men, those saints may always be praised who, in the sight of unbelievers, endured immense torments for their defense. Accepting nothing beyond the canonical Scriptures, we diligently record their deeds to show the Catholic dogma guarded by the Catholic martyrs, providing an example for those who follow, passing on edification to believers, and demonstrating the art of war to the soldiers of Christ. It's clear that those who refuse to read about the fighters are themselves unwilling to fight, should the need arise. Let the unbelievers command silence, let them watch the devil's champions, those who disdain to watch the athletes of the Lord; we speak, write, and preach of divine virtues. Let rivals forbid it, let the timid demand silence, let those who despise it strike out, let them rebuke those who read it, and let them accuse those who gladly listen to these things; the wounds received for the praise of the Emperor make the soldiers glorious, and for His love, we gladly choose to lay down even our souls. We bring forth from the hidden places the triumph of Christ and the victory of His hardworking army. We know that what they suffered visibly is stirred up against us invisibly every day, and that those who fight carelessly are wounded more severely. So, to handle your weapons well, pay attention to those who are fighting; give your mind to your studies. —so that the enemy begins to fear: see what is written above. Do you see, then, you shameless detractor of the Saints and attacker of the Christian religion, that according to these words you are like a fruitless tree, occupying the ground while you live, and showing yourself to be not a Catholic but an infidel? You have reason to fear that you'll be rightly cut down, thrown into the fire, and end up with the faithless. Give glory to the Saints, then, you miserable soul, so that you may deserve to have a share with them. PRAYER: O blessed Forerunner and holy Baptist, great friend of Christ, John, you lamp burning and shining, pray for me, a wretch, to God the Father of mercies. Illuminate and kindle my dark and cold heart, so that by imitating you, I may patiently endure adversity for Christ, for the faith, for truth, and for justice; and may I not fear to fight manfully, even to the point of death. Then, after this fragile life, through your merits and interceding prayers, may I happily arrive at the royal wedding feast of the immaculate Lamb, whom you pointed out to the people with your own holy finger. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Post haec autem, imminente paschali festivitate, passio et mors Joannis Baptistae est subsecuta ; et ponitur motivum continens multiplicem culpam. Herodias enim timens ne prsedicatione Joannis Herodes poeniteret, et ipsam fratri redderet, cum quo non sine periculo remaneret, ideo cogitavit modum quo interficeretur Joannes absque seditione populi, et Herodes conscius fuit ejusdem doli. Cum igitur Herodes, Tetrarcha, qui aliquando Rex dicitur, non a regia dignitate, sed a regendi oflicio, diem natalis sui celebraret coram principibus et primis Galilaeae, saltavit filia Herodiada? , id est tripudiavit in medio, ut videretur ab omnibus, et hoc fuit ex dispositione matris et Herodis; et placuit Herodi, quod tamen deberet erubescere, quia signum fuit impudicae filiae et dissolutae; et cumjuramento pollicitus est ei dare quodcunque ab eo peieret. Secundum Hieronymum, ad hoc forte juravit, ut occasionem apparentem ad occi-dendum Joannem, et reprimendum populi seditionem haberet, ut videretur facere invitus, quod faciebat spontaneus. At illa, prcemonita a matre, petiit pro munere dari in disco, id est scutella, caput Joannis Baptista? . Est enim in hoc loco discus, vas rotundum, desuper extensum.
Quandoque etiam mensa inferior discus dicitur, et aliquando mappa seu mensale discus appellatur. Unde et animalia dicuntur ' Petro apparuisse in disco, qui in Actibus Apostolorum linteum vocatur. Unde Chrysostomus : « Haec mulier est antiqua malitia, quae Adam ejecit de Paradisi deliciis, haec coelestes homines facit terrenos, haec humanum genus mersit in infernum, haec vitam abstulit mundo pVopter unius arboris pomum, haec malum fecit quod homines inducit ad mortem, haec invenit verum laborem et pressuram, quae nunc occidit Baptistam, dejicit puritiam, perdit juventutem, allicit et inquietat mortuam senectutem.
tionis. — Et contristatus est rex, simulatorie, non vere, ut postea yideretur implere coactus, quod disposuerat facere voluntarius. Dicitur ergo contristatus, id est tristari visus, quia, secundum Bedam, dissimulator mentis suae , tristitiam praeferebat in facie, cum tamen laetitiam haberet in mente; scelus excusabat juramento, ut sub occasjone pietatis magis impius fieret. Et idco per ipsum Herodem significantur illi qui sub specie religiositatis, machinantur opus facere malignitatis ; per Herodiadem vero significatur luxuria; per saltatricem, -dissolutio libidinosa, per quas Joannis, id est hominis gratiosi frequenter procuratur mors spiritualis, et aliquando corporalis. Rex vero noluit eam contristare, propter jusjurandutn, quod tamen non erat obserrandum, quia, secundum Jsidorum, non est juramentum observandum, ubi malum incaute promittitur; et in malis promissis, rescindenda est fides. Quasi diceret Herodes : Non est ex malitia quod ego facio ; sed , propter jusjurandum, quod transgredi non licet, fuit enim dolosus in promittendo, et sacrilegus in solvendo; et propter simul recumbentes, coram quibus publice juraverat, ut omnes fierent sceleris sui consortes, non correptores, non resistentes. Ecce quam de facili peccatum transit de uno in omnes. Similiter etiam qui ludum et spectaculum illud inspiciebant, consortes sceleris cum facientibus fiebant.
Nam, secundum Chrysostomum, sicut si non essent inspectores, non utique essent qui talia exercerent; ita quia sunt, et ipsi eorum quae fiunt ignem vel scandalum sentiunt. O quam multi subditi hodie periclitantur in conscientia, et anima, propter praesidentium facta minus justa! Misitque spiculatorem , qui ex officio portabat spiculum quo amputabantur capita damnatorum; et decollarit Joannem in carcere, occulte, pro vitanda populi seditione;** attulit caput ejus in disco, cruentas epulas in luxuriosum convivium, et tam digno ferculo indignum; et dedit illud puella? , in praemium saltationis suee; et puella dedit, in ludibrium matri sua>, ut illi mortuo illuderet, qui suura incestum reprehenderat, et ut in sua potestate linguam haberet, quae illicitas nuptlas arguebat. Ecce quatuor crudelia : magna enim crudelitas quod sanctum caput est decollatum, major quod allatum et homicidium ostentatum, et adhuc major, quod salutrici datum, sed maxima, quod in potestatem adulterae assignatum. Gonvivante itaque Herode, paulo ante horam diei nonam, sanctus Joannes Baptista est decollatus in custodia, clamando voce magna : Domine Deus meus, tibi commendo spiritum meum. Et nudus sub aere admodum despective jacuit, expositus spectaculis, donec tolleretur a discipults. Per hoc quod in convivio jussus est Joannes decollari, ad saltatricis et suae matris adulterae petitionem , ostenditur quod multa mala fiunt propter crapulam, et mulierum malitiam.
Unde in Ecclesiastico : Vinum et mulieres, apostatare faciunt sapientes. Secundum Remigium, in Herode minus peccatum factum est causa majoris peccati. Nam quia libidinosam voluntatem non exstinxit, ideo usque ad luxuriam pervenit; et quia luxuriam non coercuit, ad reatum homicidii descendit.
Sed contra Herodis impietatem , qui Joannem propter veritatem decollaverat, et insepultum reliquerat, commendatur discipulorum religiosa et ofl&ciosa pietas; quia, hoc audito, accedentes tulerunt corpus ejus de carcere, quod rex ipsis reddi jussit; et sepelierunt illud reverenter ut decuit; et venientes nuntiaverunt Jesu , scilicet passionem Joannis, ac etiam opera et doctrinam. In omnibus vero ostendunt discipuli devotionera suam ad magistrum : et quod venerunt velociter, et tulerunt reverenter, et PRIMjE partis caput lxvi. sepelierunt, humaniter, et quod, nuntiaverunt , compatienter. Isti erant discipuli Joannis, qui ad Christi discipulatum transierunt; hujus enim pietatis officio transire in Christi societatem meruerunt. Unde Chrysostomus : « Tu autem mihi intende qualiter discipuli Joannis jam magis familiares facti sunt Jesu. Ipsi enim sunt qui nuntiaverunt quod factum est de Joanne ; et universos dimittentes ad ipsum confugiunt. » Secundum Hieronymum et Josephum, Joannes occisus est Sebaste urbe Palaestinae, quae olim dicta est Samaria, ubi Herodes fi|cerat domum regiam ; sed sepultus est in Matheronta oppido Arabiae trans Jordanem, in sorte duarum tribuum et dimidiae. Sed hoc videtur contrarium Ecclesiasticae historiae, in qua dicitur quod in Matheronta fuit occisus, sed in Sebaste sepultus.
Caput vero fecit Herodias in Jerusalem deferri, et ibidem juxta Herodis habitaculum caute sepeliri, timens ne Propheta resurgeret, si cum corpore caput sepultum esset; quod postea revelatione beati Joannis, duo monachi invenerunt, saccis cilicinis involutum, vestibus, ut aestimatur, quibus in deserto fuerat indutus, et in Jerusalem, inter Elisaeum et Abdiam, Prophetas, fuit sepultus. Decollatus est autem Joannes, non eo die quo Decollationis ejus festivitas celebratur, sed circa dies azymorum Paschae Judaeorum, in anno Passionem Christi praecedente, cum jam uno anno stetisset in carcere. Oportuit autem ut propter Dominica sacramenta Passionis et resurrectionis Christi, minor, scilicet Joannes, cederet majori , scilicet Christo, et ob hoc Decollationis festivitas fuit alio tempore fieri instituta, scilicet eo die quo caput ejus inventum est, sive elevatum. Unde ait Augustinus : « Factum est Joanni quod ipse praedixerat. De Domino enim Jesu Christo dixerat : Illud oportet crescere , me autem minui, Iste minutus est in capite ; ille crevit in cruce. » Secundum Gregorium, Decollatio Joannis minorationem famae illius qua Christus a populo credebatur insinuat, sicut exaltatio Salvatoris in cruce profectum designabat fidei , quia et ipse qui prius a turbis Propheta esse credebatur, Dominus Prophetarum et Dei Filius a cunctis fidelibus est agnitus. Unde Joannes quem oportebat minui, cum diurnum lumen decrescere incepit natus est; Dominus autem eo tempore, quo dies crescere incepit. Ubi Hieronymus : « Hoc juxta litteram factum sit, nos autem usque hodie cernimus in capite Joannis Prophetae, Judaeos Christum, qui caput est Prophetarum, perdidisse.
» Et iterum : a Caput Legis, quod est Christus, de corpore abscinditur proprio, id est Judaico populo, et datur Gentili puellae, id est Romanae Ecclesiae; et puella dat matri suae adulterae, id est synagogae crediturae in fine. Corpus Joannis sepelitur, caput in disco collocatur; littera humata tegitur, 'spiritus in altari honoratur ac sumitur : » haec Hieronymus. Joannem etiam incarcerat, quando quis dona gratiae quae habet, ad terrena deflectit; aufert ei caput, quando bona quae habet, de se, non a Deo habere praesumit.
Conspice nunc Joannem reverenter, qualiter ad jussum vilis spicuIatoris collum parat, humiliter genua flectit, et gratias Deo agens cervicem extendit, et patienter ictus sustinet, quousque caput totaliter abscindatur. Sanctus ergo Domini Praecursor qui ante faciem ejus baptismum in aqua praeparaverat, baptizando ; et baptismum in lacrymis compunctionis, praedicando; modo praeparat baptismum in sanguine passionis, moriendo. Ecce quomodo vadit Joannes, amicus intimus Domini Jesu, et consanguineus ac Dci maximus secretarius; et qualiter talis et tantus vir, imperante nequitia, ac si esset vilissimus malefactor, occubuit. O impietas, o crudelitas! Justus decollatur , fit caput ejus pretium saltationis, in disco affertur, convivantibus apponitur; magnum quidem ferculum, sed horribile ad videndum! Unde Ckrysostomus : « Hodie nobis Joannis virtus, Herodis feritas cum refertur, concussa sunt viscera; corda tremuerunt; caligavit visus ; hebuit intellectus; aufugit auditus; aut quid constat in sensibus humanis quando virtutum magnitudinem operit criminum magnitudo. Joannes stola virtutum , magisterium vitae, sanctitatis forma, norma justitiae, virginitatis speculum, pudicitiae titulus, castitatis exemplum, poenitentiae via, peccatorum venia, fidei disciplina. Joannes major homine, par Angelis, Legis summa, Evangelii sanctio, Apostolorunfvox, silentium Prophetarum , lucerna mundi, praecursor Judicis, Christi mediator, testis Domini, totius medius Trinitatis.
Et hic tantus datur incestui, traditur adulterae, addicitur saltatrici ! Merito ergo concussa sunt viscera, corda tremuerunt. » Et iterum : a Deus autem sustinuit , et justum amplius coronans, et his qui postea injuste patiuntur, multam derelinquens mitigationem . Audiamus igitur quicunque in virtute viventes, mala patimur a perniciosis hominibus. Etenim Deus tunc sustinuit eum qui in eremo, eum qui in zona pellicea, eum qui in cilicino vestimento , eum qui Propheta Prophetarum minor erat, eum qui nullum majorem habebat, occidi a puella incontinente et corrupta meretrice ; et hoc leges defendentem divinas. Haec itaque cogitantes feramus universa viriliter quecunquae patimur. Quis enim non utique horresceret, sacrum illud caput sanguine stillans, videns in ccena praepositum ? Si enim nos audientes haec horrescimus, quid dignum erat visum illum tunc operari, quid pati eos qui simul recumbebant noviter occisi capitis sanguinem stillantem videntes in medio conviviO Sed non iniquus Herodes, neque abominabilior eo mulier , neque sanguinis voratrix illa, passa est aliquid ob spectaculum istud : » haec Chrysostomus.
Unde et Gregorius : a Non sine admiratione gravissima perpendo quod ille Prophetiae spiritu intra matris uterum repletus, quo inter natos mulierum nemo major surrexit, ab iniquis in carcerem mittitur, et pro puellae saltu capite truncatur, et vir tantae sanctitatis pro risu turpium moritur. Numquidnam credimus aliquid fuisse in ejus vita, quod illa sic despecta mors tergeret? Sed quando ille vel in cibo peccavit, qui locustas solummodo et mel silvestre edit? Quando conversatione sua offendere potuit, qui de eremo non recessit? Quid est quod omnipotens Deus sic vehementer in hoc seculo despicit, quos sic sublimiter ante secula elegit ? nisi quod pietati fidelium patet, quoniam idcirco sic eos premit in infimis, quia videt quomodo remuneret in summis; et foras usque ad despectum dejicit, quia intus ad incomprehensibilia perducit. Hinc ergo unusquisque colligat quid illic passuri sint quos reprobat, si sic cruciat hic quos amat : » haec Gregorius, 5 QUOMODO MARTYR QlRISTI FUErit. — Mortuus est igitur Joannes pro Christo, quia pro veritate.
Unde idem Gregorius : « Neque enim Baptista Joannes de confessione Christi, sed de justitiae veritate requisitus occubuit, Sed quia Christus est veritas, idcirco usque ad mortem pro Christo» quia scilicet pro veritate , pervenit. Ex quo patet quod non solum pro fide, sed etiam pro veritate justitiae martyr quis efficitur. » Unde oicit Augustinus : « Quod cum mors pro veritate justitiae suscipitur, martyres facit. » Unde et in Ecdesiastict* dicitur : Certo tisque ad mortem pro justitia. Martyrem enim non facit poena, sed causa, id est mors pro** pter Christum suscepta* Ubi nota quod multis de causis potest quis martyr fieri, scilicet : pro justitia, ut Abel; pro Lege> ut Machabaei; pro assertione veritatis, ut Isaias et Jeremias; pro arguitione peccati , vel etiam assertione veritatis, ut . Joannes Baptista; pro salute populi, ut Christus ; pro fide Christi, ut Stephanus; pro Ghristo, ut Innocentes; pro libertate Ecclesiae, ut Thomas Cantuariensis. 6 Patientia in advehsis MAtiTYremafacit. Et non solum mors pro veritate et aliis praedictis causis suscepta, sed etiam vera in adversis patientia , martyrem facit.
Unde Gregorius : a Duo quippe sunt martyrii genera : unum in mente, aliud in mente simul et actione. Itaque sine ferro martyres esse possumus» si patientiam veraciter in animo custodimus. » Patientia autem vera^ secundtim eumdem Gregorhim , est injurias fortiter sustinere, et postea vindictam non quaerere; sed ex corde ei qui mala irrogat ignoscere, et contra eum nullo dolore morderi. Ille enim veraciter patiens est, qui et ipsum amat quem portat; nam tolerare et odisse non est virtus mansuetudinis, sed velamentum furoris. Ut etiam dicit Bernardus : « Vera patientia est pati vel agere contra quod libeat, sed non praeter quod liceat. » Insuper, secundum Chry^ i sostomum, martyrium non sola, sanguinis effusione, sed et abstinentia peccatorum et exercitatione praeceptorum Dei perficitur. Unde et Btrnardus : « Semper Christiani persecutionem patiuntur; omnia enim quae in mun do sunt persequuntur Christianum. Si comedero paululum , et corpusculum meum fuerit robustum; sanitas corporis mei persequitur animam meam.
Quocunque me vertero, persecutio mihi est. Si videro mulierem, oculus nieqs persequitur me, cupit enim interficere animam meam. Si videro divitias, si aurum, si possessiones, si delicias corporales, si pukhra vesti*menta, quodcunque videro persequitur animam meam. Adolescentulum libido persequitur. Non putemus tantum in efFusione sanguinis esse martyrium Christianis ac religiosis. Si ergo sunt martyria in pacis tempore, sunt et negationes. Ego hodie qui videor monachus, si rupero propositum meum, Christum negavi. Et si in pace Christum nego, in persecutione quid facerem ( Hoc ergo : quia omni tempore sunt martyria , sunt et persecutiones : » haec Bernardus» 7 Afflictionum et tentationum UTH.
XTAS. — Sicut ergo patienter sufferre debemus injoirias ab aliis in nos delatas, ita et tribulationes infirmitatum, et peenas quae nobis eveniunt patienter sufferre necesse est. Multis enim calamitatum tentationibusjnentes bonorum pulsao» tur et multis modis a diabolo tentantur. Sed non amplius tentat eos quam Dei voluntas permittit ; etsi nolens, tamen utilitati eorum servit^ quando eos tentationibus suis non decipit, sed potius erudit. Tentat autem eos aliquando per stimulos paupertatis; et cum per stimulos. paupertatis non potest eos movere, divitias adhibet ad seducendum; et dum per oontumelias et opprobria bon praevalet, laudes et gloriam adhibet. Si per satatem corporis »011 potest, aegritudines Ynittit; et dom per delectationes seducere eos non potest, per molestias, quae contra votum eveniunt, eos conatur subvertere. Infirmitates vero etiam quasdam adversus eos qui tentandi sunt adhibet, ut per eas pusillanimes faciens, conturbet caritatem eorum quam habent ad Deum.
Sed quamvis concitetur corpus, et febribus validissimis inflammetur , insuper etiam si intolerabili contritione affligatur, quisquis es qui h*c sustines, recordare futuri seculi poenas, et aetemum ignem, et perpetua tormenta; et hsec cogitans, non deficies ad ea quae in praesenti contingunt. Insuper etiam gaude, quia visitavit te Deus. Quem enim diligit Deus, corripit ; et flagellat ornnem filium quem recipit. Exsulta videns cui similis fectus es; nam Paulo Apostolo simile donum accipere meruisti, qui dixit : Libenter gloriabor in rnflrmitatibus meis, ut inhabitet in me virtus Ckristi. Et rursum : Quando enim inflrmor, tunc fortior et potens sum. Si frigore, si febribus castigaris, memor et esto quod Scriptura dicit : Transivhnus per ignem et aquam, quia residuum est ut inducaris in refrigerium. Clama etiam cum Propheta : Jn tribulatione dilatasti me. Perfectus enim eris per hujusmodi tribulationes.
Si forte amittis oculos, non feras graviter, extollentiae enim instrumentum amisisti ; sed interioribus oculis gloriam Dei speculari stude. Surdus factus es, non contristerjs qui auditum vanum atnisisti. Manus tuae ex atiqua pas«one debilitfttae sunt; sed interiores paratas habeas adversus inimici teatationes, Infirmitas totum corpus tuum tenet; sed interiori homini sanitas crescit. Nihii enim aliud est aegritudo corporis, quam sanitas mentis. Si infirmitas talis tibi fuerit, ut non possis stare ad orandum et psallendum, non contristeris inde ; quia ipsa infirmitas oratpro te. Si jejunas, non tibi invenias occasionem dicendo quia gravatus in asgritudinem incurristi ; quoniam et qui non jejunant, similes aegritudines incurrunt. Inchoasti aliquid boni, non revoceris per impedimenta inimici ; quoniam jejunia et labores nobis constituti sunt propter turpes delectationes. Haec omnia nobis proficiunt ad destruenda corporis desideria.
Quapropter discat non murmurare qui patitur, si ignorat cur patitur ; et per hoc juste se pati arbitretur, quod ab illo judicatur, cujus nunquam judicia injusta sunt. Qui ergo in flagellis murmurat, justitiam judicantis accusat. Qui vero juste recognoscit a justo judice pati quod sustinet, etramsi causam pro qua patitur ignoret, per hoc jam justificatur, per quod seipsum accusat et Dei justitiam laudat. Igitur pro Christo, pro fide, pro veritate, pro justitia viriliter usque ad mortem certemus ; et ad sufFerendum pro Deo patienter adversa nos quotidie praeparemus.
Et ideo martyres maxime commendantur, quia plures sustinuerunt propter amorem Dei tentationes, contra humanam. voluntatem. UndeEleazar, dum plagis perimeretur, ingemuit et dixit : Domhte, qui habes scientiam sanctam, manifeste scis, tu, quia cum a morte possem Uberari, duros corporis sustineo dolores ; secundum animam vero propter amorem fuum libenter hcec patior. In martyrio enim non debetur praemium secundum hoc quod ab exteriori infligitur, sed secundum hoc quod pro Christo voluntarie sustinetur; quia PRIMjE partis caput lxvi. non meremur, nisi per ea quae sunt in nobis, et non per ea quae sunt extra nos , sicut nec demeremur , nisi per ea quae sunt intra nos. Quanto autem illud quod quis sustinet voluntarie, difficilius est voluntati sustinere; tanto voluntas quae propter Christum illud sustinet, ostenditur firmius in Christo fixa esse ; et ideo excellentius ei praemium debetur. Ad efficaciam quippe merendi tria valent. Primum est difficultas operis; quod patet in martyrio, quia, ut ait Gregorius, majoris meriti est adversa patienter tolerare, quam bonis operibus insudare.
Secundum est promptitudo voluntatis; quia, secundum Apostolum, hilarem datorem diligit Deus; et, secundum Augustinum, nemo invitus benefacit, etiamsi bonum sit quod facit. Tertium est magnitudo caritatis , quia ipsa caritas pondus est sanctuarii, secundum quod omnia quas in templo erant, ponderabantur. Et ideo opus tantum in conspectu judicis ponderat, quantum amor unde proce<jit. Opera autem bona meritoria sunt tria, scilicet : vitae aeternae, augmenti gratiae, remissionis poenae. Primum, scilicet substantiale praemium vitae aeternae, respondet radici operis,scilicet caritati. Praemium vero accidentale, scilicet augmentum gratiae, respondet generi operis, quia operibus excellentibus et operibus supererogationis meremur magis augmentum gratiae, quam operibus aliis. Remissio autem poenae respondet poenalitati operis; nam opera quae magis sunt poenalia, magis sunt meritoria remissionis poenae; est enim regula in theologia, quod poena poenae est resolutoria.
Sanctorum igitur pugnam et patientiam ante oculos ponamus, ut singula nobis adversa et contraria faciamus pro Deo libentius aut patiamur. Unde Gregorius : « Labores praecedentium Sanctorum recolamus, et non erunt gravia quae toleramus. » Unde et Chrysostomus : « Sanctorum luctamina in corde nostro sicut in tabula describamus et assidue meditemur, contra omnem spiritualium inimicorum armaturam ; et eorum patientiam nobis proponamus ad exemplum invictae virtutis, ut istic aemulantes fortitudinem illorum, similiter illic eorum coronam possimus adipisci. Quantam illi patientiam in periculis corporalibus ostenderunt, tantam nos in passionibus irrationabilibus continentiam demonstremus, id est contra iram, vel avaritiam, vel inanis gloriae concupiscentiam, et hujusmodi divino timore munitis sensibus repugnantes, et consimilia figmenta diaboli destruentes in nobis. Si enim cupiditatum et vitiorum hujusmodi ignes vicerimus , sicut illi tyrannidis ignem vicerunt, poterimus juxta ipsos pari gloria constituti similes haberi. » Et iterum : « Speculum est spirituale. et bonorum virorum memoria, et beatae vitae ipsorum historia, et scripturarum lectio, et quae a Deo datae sunt leges. Et si volueris semel solum inspicere ad Sanctorum iilorum imagines, et turpitudinem videbis mentis tuae ; et videns nullo indigebis alio in liberationem sordis hujus.
Etenim in hoc utile est nobis speculum, et facilem facit transpositionem. Neque enim monstrat deformitatem solum ; sed transponit eam ad pulchritudinem ineffabiiem, si voluerimus : » haec Chrysostomus. Unde etiam Augustinus : « Christum animo attende, attende Apostolos, attende animb tot martyrum millia. Ibi videbis non solum viros, sed etiam feminas, postremo pueros et puellas nec imprudentia decipi , nec iniquitate perverti, nec periculorum timore frangi, nec seculi amore corrumpi. Ita te non invenientem quid excuses? Non solum praeceptorum inevitabilis rectitudo ; sed etiam exemplorum innumerabilis multitudo te circumdabit : » haec Augustinus. Sed vae nobis miseris, qui nec flectimur praeceptis, nec monemur exemplis ! Ut enim ait Gregorius : « Nos plerumque a bono opere verba revocant, sanctos viros a sancta intentione frangere nec tormenta potuerunt ; nos ad praecepta Dominica, largiri nostra saltem superflua, nolumus; Sancti non solum Deo suam substantiam contulerunt, sed pro illo etiam propriam carnem dederunt : » haec Gregorius.
Et magna quidem alacritate hoc multi fecerunt, et illam horam tanquam ad nuptias invitati exspectaverunt. Unde Isaac, abbas Syriae, dicit de multis martyribus : « In hac die qua praestolabantur coronam percipere martyrii, si praesciebant, hoc est ,ex revelatione , vel ab aliquo amico suo, in illa nocte aliquid non gustabant; sed a sero usque ad mane stabant vigilantes in oratione, glorificantes Deum in psalmis, et hymnis, et canticis spiritualibus ; et in laetitia et exsultatione sperabant horam illam, sicut illi qui sunt ad nuptias praeparati, praestolantes occurrere gladio in jejunio suo. Nos quoque qui ad invisibile martyrium vocati sumus, ad recipiendas sanctificationis coronas, vigilemus; nec in aliqua parte negationis signum nostris inimicis exhibeamus :» haec Isaac. Vides ergo quia, secundum doctorum consilium, debemus labores et agones Sanctorum nobis ante oculos ponere in exemplum.
Vae ergo illis qui gesta Sanctorum tanquam apocrypha exsuffiantes , non solum legere nolunt, sed quan* tum in ipsis est, nec inter alios legi permittunt ! Et ideo, tanquam illegitimi a sanctis patribus in religione Christiana degenerantes, sor» tem hereditatis inter filios Dei non merentur; nec merita Sanctorum, qui pro Deo passi sunt, eis suffragantur. Contra quos pulchre et congrue in quodam prologo passionis beatae Anastasiae, sic dicitur : a Omnia quae a Sanctis gesta sunt, vel geruntur, si quis voluerit stu* diose perquirere, et sibi et plurimis aedificationis exhibet fructum; et . quasi arbor fructifera non sine cau* sa probatur terram occupare dum vivit, cum ipse suis pomis ornatur ; et omnis qui ex eo fructus percipit, saginatur. Scribimus, ut in gestis invenimus, quid egerint, quid locuti, quid passi sint Sancti. Ostenditis vos esse catholicos, qui Christi victorias libenter legitis, libenter auditis. Interrogo vos , qui ista inter apocryphas litteras exsufflandas censetis; per quos stat canon Scripturarum omnium divinarum? Numquid non per eos qui pro ipso canone occidi magis optavere, quam vinci ?
Quid enim tenuerunt martyres ? Fidem certam, quae sacris voluminibus, certo librorum numero continentur. Agunt illis gratias apices sacratissimi, quia per eorum perseverantiam perseverant; et ideo volunt eorum gesta conscribi, ut in conspectu Dei et hominum semper Sancti laudentur qui in conspectu incredulorum, pro eorum defensione, tormenta immania pertulerunt. Nihil ergo praeter Scripturas canonicas recipientes eorum gesta studiose conscribimus ostendentes dogma catholicum , per catholicos martyres custoditum , exemplum posteris damus; aedifica* tionem credentibus tradimus; artem belli Christi militibus demonstramus. Constat eos quidem nolle ii pugnare, si necesse sit, qui nolunt legere pugnatores. Imperent silentium infideles, spectent pugiles diabolicos, qui athletas Domini spectare contemnunt ; nos divinas Tirtutes loquimur, scribimus, praedicamus. Prohibeant aemuli, impe, rent silentium timidi , verberent contemnentes , legentes increpent, libenter haec audientes accusent; gloriosos faciunt milites vulnera pro Imperatoris laude suscepta, pro cujus amore etiam animas ponere libenter optamus. Triumphum Christi,ac victoriam laboriosi exercitus, de occultis foras proferimus.
Scimus enim quae illi visibiliter passi sunt, invisibiliter nobis excitari quotidie; et negligenter pugnantes acrius vulnerari. Ergo ut arma pertractes, attende bellantes ; da mentem studiis,. ut hostis incipiat tetimere : » haec ubi supra. Vides ergo, impudens Sanctorum detractor, et Christianee religionis impugnator, quia, secundum haec dicta, tanquam arbor infructuosa, terram occupas dum vivis, et non te catholicum, sed infidelem esse ostendis; ideoque timere habes ne merito excidaris, et in ignem mittaris, ac partem cum infidelibus consequaris. Da ergo, miser, gloriam Sanctis, ut cum eis partem habere merearis. ORATIO O beate Praecursor et alme Baptista, et magne amice Christi Joannes, lucerna lucens et ardens, ora pro me, m*i3ero, ad Deum patrem misericordiarum, ut cor meum tenebrosum et frigidum illuminet et accendat, et ita ut te imitando pro Christo, pro fide, pro veritate, pro justitia patienter adversa sustineam , et viriliter etiam usque ad mortem certare non timeam , ut post hanc fragilem vitam, tuis meritis et precibus intercedentibus, feliciter pervenire valeam ad regales nuptias immaculati Agni, quem tu almo tuo digito populo ostendisti. Amen.
Scripture echoes
The Life of Christ (Vita Christi) companion
A prayer for every moment, already on your phone
Chosen Portion puts a curated historic prayer in front of you each day — so the words are there before the moment arrives.
Chosen Portion is the digital descendant of the carried prayer book: the short daily prayers this collection preserves, delivered one a day to your pocket.
- One short, memorable prayer delivered daily — build your repertoire a card at a time
- Prayers matched to real situations: fear, gratitude, decisions, grief, sleep
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