Catechesis ultima ad baptizandos

Of the same author, to those about to be baptized, the last catechesis. Discourse 3. Today is the last day of the catechesis; therefore I, the last of all, have arrived for the last session. I have arrived last to announce to you that after two days the bridegroom is coming. But rise up, light your lamps, and with bright light receive the king of the heavens. Rise up and keep watch; for the bridegroom comes to you not by day, but in the middle of the night. For this is the custom of wedding processions, that brides are handed over to bridegrooms in the deep evening. But do not pass over the word lightly when you hear that the bridegroom is coming; for it is truly great and full of loving-kindness. He did not command the nature of men to go to him, but he himself came to us; for such is the law of marriage, that the bridegroom comes to the bride, even if he is very wealthy and she is lowly and cast aside. But among men this is nothing wonderful; for even if the difference in rank is great, there is no difference in nature; for even if the bridegroom is wealthy and the bride poor and lowly, both are of the same nature. But in the case of Christ and the Church, the wonder is that, being God and of that blessed and pure substance—and you know how great the distance is between God and men—he deigned to come to our nature; and leaving his father's house, not by a change of place, but by the economy of the incarnation, he ran to the bride. Indeed, the blessed Paul, knowing this and marveling at the excess of the care and the honor, cried out loudly and said:

in place of this, a man will leave his own father and his own mother, and will cleave to his own wife. This mystery is great; but I say it is with respect to Christ and the Church. And what is wonderful, if he came to the bride, when indeed he did not refuse to lay down his life for her? Yet no bridegroom has laid down his life for his bride; for no one, no lover, even if he be exceedingly frantic, burns for his beloved as God yearns for the salvation of our souls. "Even if it be necessary to be spat upon," he says, "even to be struck, even to go up onto the cross itself, I will not refuse even to be crucified, in order to take the bride." And these things he suffered and endured not because he admired her beauty; for nothing was more ugly or more unpleasing than she was before this. Listen, then, to how Paul describes her formlessness and ugliness: "For we too were once foolish, disobedient, wandering, serving various desires and pleasures, hateful, hating one another." We hated one another, so great was the excess of wickedness; but God did not hate us who hated one another, but saved those who were in such ugliness, those who were in formlessness of soul. And coming and finding the one who was to be led as his bride naked and unseemly, he cast about her a pure garment, whose brightness and glory no word or mind will be able to represent. How shall I say it? He cast himself about us as a garment; "for as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

David, seeing this garment from above with prophetic eyes, cried out and said, "The queen has taken her stand at your right hand." The queen, who was once poor and cast aside, has suddenly become queen and stands near the king, and just as a bridegroom and bride standing in a sacred bridal chamber, so the prophet shows the Church and Christ: "clothed in a garment interwoven with gold, variegated." Behold, he has told you about the garment; then, lest upon hearing "gold" you fall back to sensible things, he raises your mind and directs you to the contemplation of intelligible things, adding and saying, "All the glory of the king's daughter is within." Do you wish to see her sandals as well? These too are not stitched from sensible material, nor composed of common leather, but from the Gospel and peace; for he says, "Bind your feet in the preparation of the Gospel of peace." Do you want me to show you the face of the bride herself, flashing forth and possessing indescribable beauty, with a great multitude of angels and archangels around her? But let us take hold of the hand of the bridal escort Paul, who, cutting through the multitude, will be able to lead us to her. What then does he say? "Men, love your own wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her, in order to sanctify her, purifying her by the bath of water in the word." Have you seen her body, pure and radiant? Have you seen her, beautiful, flashing beyond the rays of the sun? Then he adds, "so that she may be holy and blameless, having no spot or wrinkle or anything of the sort." Have you seen the very flower of youth, the very peak of her age?

Do you also wish to learn her name? She is called Faithful and Holy. For Paul says, "Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus, to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus." But having heard the name of the bride, I recalled an old debt; for I had promised you to explain why we are called faithful. Why then are we so called? We, the faithful, have been entrusted with things which the eyes of our body cannot see; so great and awe-inspiring are they, and they surpass our nature. For neither can reason discover them nor human speech interpret them; only the teaching of faith knows them well. For this reason God made for us two sets of eyes: those of the flesh and those of faith. When you enter into the sacred initiation, the eyes of the flesh see the water, but the eyes of faith behold the Spirit; and those see the body being baptized, while these see the old man being buried; those see the flesh being washed, these the soul being cleansed; those see the body rising from the waters, these see the new man, radiant, rising from this sacred purification. And those see the priest from above placing his right hand and touching the head, while these behold the great high priest from the heavens extending his invisible right hand and touching the head; for it is not a man who baptizes then, but the only-begotten Son of God himself. And what happened with the Lord's flesh, that also happens with ours.

For just as that woman, to all appearances, was held by John from the head, but God the Word was leading her down into the waters of the Jordan and baptizing, and from above the Father’s voice was saying, “This is my beloved son,” so also the Holy Spirit through his visitation. This also happens in the case of your flesh; for the baptism takes place in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. For this reason John also said, teaching us, that it is not a human who baptizes us, but God: “After me comes one mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire.” For this reason also the priest when baptizing does not say, “I baptize so-and-so,” but “So-and-so is baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” showing that it is not he who baptizes, but the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, whose name is invoked. For this reason also our declaration today is called faith, and we allow you to say nothing else first, until you say, “I believe.” This word is an unshakable foundation, having an unshakeable building above. For this reason also Paul says, “For the one approaching God must believe that he exists.” For this reason also you, when approaching God, first believe and then utter this word; for if this is not so, you can neither say nor conceive of any of the other things. And in order that the ineffable

I pass over that other birth, which is unattested; I will bring forward this lower birth, of which there were many witnesses, and through it I will confirm for you the proof of the matter, that without faith it is not possible even to accept this birth. The uncontainable one, the one who holds and sustains all things, entered a virgin's womb—how, tell me, and in what manner? It is not possible to demonstrate; but if you come to faith, that will be able to satisfy you. For things that exceed the weakness of our reasoning must be entrusted to the teaching of faith. This manner of birth neither Matthew himself, who wrote it, knows. For he said that "she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit," but he did not teach the manner. Nor does Gabriel know, for even he says only this: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." But how and in what manner, not even he himself knows. But we will yield the discourse concerning faith to the teacher, and it is possible for us at another time to speak to you, when many of the uninitiated are present. But what it is necessary for you alone to hear now, and which it is not possible to say with those mingled among you, these things it is necessary to say today. What then are these things? After tomorrow, on Friday, at the ninth hour, it is necessary for you to be asked certain words and to make covenants with the Master. I have not simply reminded you of this day and hour; but it is possible to learn something mystical even from these.

For on Friday, at the ninth hour, the thief entered paradise and the darkness that had lasted from the sixth hour to the ninth was dissolved, and both the sensible and intelligible light then rose as a sacrifice over the inhabited world; for then Christ says, "Father, I will place my spirit into your hands." Then, seeing the sun of righteousness shining from the cross, this sensible sun turned away its rays. Therefore, when you too are about to be led in at the ninth hour, recall for yourself the greatness of these achievements and count these gifts to yourself, and you will no longer be on earth, but will rise up and grasp even the heavens with your soul. So then, when you have been led in, you must all together kneel—and observe this too, that everything is given in common to all of you, so that the rich man may not look down on the poor man, nor the poor man think he has less than the rich man; for in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female, neither Scythian nor Barbarian, neither Jew nor Greek; and not only inequality of age and nature, but also of every rank is abolished: there is one dignity for all, one gift, one bond of brotherhood for us, the same grace. So then, when you have been led in, you must all together bend the knee, not stand upright, and, raising your hands to the heavens, give thanks to God for this gift. The sacred laws command that you lie on your knees, so that even through this posture you acknowledge the lordship. For that bending the knee is a sign of those who acknowledge servitude, listen to what Paul says: that "every knee of the heavenly, earthly, and subterranean beings will bend to him.

Having bent the knee, they command the initiates to speak these words: "I renounce you, Satan." Now tears come to me, and my mind is confounded, and I have groaned bitterly. Why have I recalled that sacred evening, on which I was deemed worthy to utter this blessed cry, on which I was led to the awesome and holy initiation? I recalled the purity of that time and the sins I have gathered since then up to the present day. Just as women who have fallen from wealth and prosperity into extreme poverty, when they see other maidens being wedded and given to wealthy bridegrooms, enjoying great honor and being led away with attendants and procession, grieve and are pained—not envying the good fortune of others, but learning more precisely their own misfortunes in the successes of others—so too have I now suffered something similar. But lest I lead the discourse into greater gloom by recounting my own evils, come, let us return to you again. "I renounce you, Satan." What has happened? What is this strange and paradoxical thing? The one who was afraid, who trembled, have you risen up against the tyrant? Do you despise his cruelty? Who has driven you to such audacity? Whence came this boldness to you? "I have a strong weapon," he says. What weapon, what alliance? Tell me. "I align myself with you, Christ," he says; "therefore I am bold and rise up; for I have a strong refuge. This has made me superior to the demon, me who before was afraid and trembling. For this reason I renounce not only him, but also his entire retinue.

Every form of sin is a procession of the devil: lawless theaters, horse races, gatherings full of laughter and foul speech. A procession of the devil: omens and divinations, cledons and observations of times, and symbols and amulets and incantations. The cross holds a wondrous amulet and a most powerful incantation, and blessed is the soul that utters the name of Jesus Christ crucified. Call upon this, and every disease will flee, every satanic plot will give way to you. Remember these words, then; these are the covenants with the bridegroom. For just as in marriages it is necessary to draw up documents of dowry and bride-price, so now it happens before the marriage. He found you naked and poor and unseemly, and he did not pass you by; for he requires only your free choice. Therefore, bring these words as a dowry, and Christ will consider it great wealth, if you keep them always; for his wealth is the salvation of our souls. Listen to how Paul says: "Rich toward all and upon all who call upon him." After these words, after the renunciation of the devil, after the covenant with Christ, when you have become his own and have nothing in common with that one, he immediately commands you to be sealed and gives you the cross on your forehead. For since it is likely that that beast, having heard these words, will become more savage—for it is shameless and wishes to leap even at your face—by imprinting the cross on your face through the anointing, he quells all its madness.

For he will not dare to look upon such a countenance any longer, but as if seeing rays leaping forth from there, he will go away blinded in his eyes. The cross is imprinted through the anointing; this anointing is both oil and myrrh, myrrh as for a bride, oil as for an athlete. And that again it is not a man, but God himself who anoints you through the hand of the priest, hear Paul saying: "The one who confirms us with you in Christ and anointed us is God." When this ointment has anointed all your limbs, you can with confidence hold the serpent and suffer nothing terrible. After this anointing, then, it remains to come to the font of the holy waters. Then the priest, having taken off your garment, leads you down to the waters. Why naked? It reminds you of your former nakedness, when you were in paradise and were not ashamed; for "Adam and Eve were naked and were not ashamed," it says, until they took the garment of sin, full of shame. Do not be ashamed here either; for the font is much better than paradise. There is no serpent here, but Christ is here initiating you into the rebirth from water and spirit. There are no beautiful and fair trees to see here, but there are spiritual gifts here. There is no tree of knowledge of good and evil here, nor law and commandments, but grace and gifts. "Sin will not rule over you; for you are not under law, but under grace.

But since you have heard what was said with such great pleasure, I will ask of you one recompense for that pleasure, which I also asked of you at the beginning. When you descend into the font of those waters, remember my lowliness. This I also begged of you before, when I recalled Joseph, who said to the chief cupbearer: "Remember me, when it goes well with you." And I said to you at the beginning: "Remember me, when it goes well with you." But now I do not say, "Remember me, when it goes well with you," but remember me, because it has gone well with you. And he said: "Remember, that I did no evil." But I say: Remember me, because I have done many and wicked evils. Great is the freedom of speech you all now have before the king; we send you as common ambassadors on behalf of the nature of mankind; you do not offer him a golden crown, but a crown of faith; he will receive you with great goodwill. Therefore, pray on behalf of the common mother of all, that she may be unshaken and unshaken; and on behalf of the high priest, through whose hands and voice you obtain these good things. Speak much to him on behalf of the priests who sit with us, on behalf of the human race, that he may remit to us not arrears of money but of sins. Let the achievements be common; for you have great freedom of speech before the master, and he will receive you with a kiss. But since I have mentioned a kiss, I wish now to speak to you about this as well. When we are about to touch the holy table, we are commanded to kiss one another and to exchange a holy greeting. For what reason?

Since we are divided in body, we intertwine our souls with one another at that moment through the kiss, so that our assembly may become such as was that apostolic one, when the heart and soul of all the faithful were one. For thus one must approach the sacred mysteries, bound together with one another. Listen to what Christ says: "If you offer your gift upon the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, go first, be reconciled with your brother, and then offer your gift." He did not say "offer first," but "first be reconciled and then offer." For this reason we also, when the gift is set before us, first become reconciled with one another and then approach the sacrifice. There is also another mystical meaning of this kiss. The Holy Spirit has made us temples of Christ. Therefore, when we kiss one another's mouths, we kiss the portals of the temple. Let no one, then, do this with a wicked conscience, with a deceitful mind; for the kiss is holy: "Greet one another," it says, "with a holy kiss." Remembering all these things, let us preserve them always: the covenant, the renunciation, the freedom which the Lord now grants us, and let us keep it unblemished and pure, so that we may meet the King of the heavens with great glory and be deemed worthy to be snatched up in clouds and appear worthy of the kingdom of the heavens; may it be that we all attain this by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is glory for the ages. Amen.