[Translations here are mine, favoring the specificity of the words. +df]
- Fray Luis de León, OSA, Los Nombres de Cristo, Libro Primero:
«Y como Dios tenía ordenado de hacerse hombre después, luego que salió a luz el hombre, quiso humanarse nombrándose.»
“And since God had ordained to become man afterward, as soon as man came into being, God wished to humanize himself by naming himself.”
The “humanarse nombrándose” here refers primarily to the fact that God gave himself to be known through the name he gave to Moses; this is a drawing close, a humanizing move on God’s part, preparatory for the Incarnation.
What the name given signifies (something only God can intimate) is made a question for us, which is a move that pulls us into the dynamic of becoming like to the One whose name we know. We become like what we know, even if we know very little. That is the drama of the intellectual creature.
2. On the Human Kindness of God:
Wisdom 12,19
Docuisti autem populum tuum per talia opera,
quoniam oportet iustum esse humanum,
(.. δίκαιον εἶναι φιλάνθρωπον)
And you taught your people, by these deeds,
that those who are just must be kind;
Con todo esto has enseñado a tu pueblo
que el justo debe ser humano,
The Gk filánthropon taken into the Septuagint, with variant forms appearing in the New Testament (see Titus 3,4).
The “esse humanum” refers to the specific “human-loving quality of human beings”. The source of this in us is a prior reality said of God, who is human-loving. This ends up translated as “being kind” in the first reading today. The lectionary from Mexico uses “ser humano”.
In Titus 3,4 the Vulgate reads: “Cum autem benignitas et humanitas (φιλανθρωπία) apparuit Salvatoris nostri Dei”.
Even today we say “where is your humanity?” referring to a specific kind of kindness.
Although not the primarily intended sense, in the Vulgate tradition, “Magnifica humanitas” could be rendered “Magnificent human kindness”, something God shows us, and we, on our good days, show each other.
And here St Bernard: The key to this passage below is the citation of Titus 3,4, (Vulgate), at the beginning. The word “humanity” governs the overall movement of the text.
St Bernard (Sermon 1 On the Epiphany)
Appáruit, inquit Apóstolus, benígnitas et humánitas Salvatóris nostri Dei. Magna plane et manifésta benígnitas Dei et humánitas! et magnum benignitátis indícium declarávit, qui humanitáti áddere nomen Dei curávit.
La bondad y humanidad de Dios nuestro Salvador se han manifestado, dice el Apóstol. ¡Oh, la manifiesta bondad y humanidad de Dios! Y declaró la gran evidencia de su bondad al encargarse de añadir a la humanidad el nombre de Dios.
The goodness and humanity of God, our Savior, have appeared, says the Apostle. Great and manifest, indeed, are the goodness and humanity of God, and a great evidence of goodness was made known by Him who took care to add the name of God to humanity.
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3. St Augustine (Sermo 78) on the Transfiguration, where Peter receives a rebuke for wanting to hang around the Mountain:
Nunc autem ipse dicit:
Descende laborare in terra, servire in terra, contemni, crucifigi in terra. Descendit vita, ut occideretur; descendit panis, ut esuriret; descendit via, ut in itinere lassaretur; descendit fons, ut sitiret: et tu recusas laborare? Noli tua quaerere. Habe charitatem, praedica veritatem: tunc pervenies ad aeternitatem, ubi invenies securitatem.
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But now he himself says [to Peter]:
Come down to labor on the earth, to serve on earth, to be despised, to be crucified on the earth. Life came down, that he might be put to death; Bread came down, that he might be hungry; the Way came down, that he might be weary on the journey; the Fount of water came down, that he might be thirsty: and you refuse to labor? Do not seek after your own well-being. Have charity, preach the truth: then you will reach to eternity, where you will find freedom from care.
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Pero ahora él mismo dice [a Pedro]:
«Desciende para trabajar en la tierra, para servir en la tierra, para ser despreciado, para ser crucificado en la tierra. La Vida descendió para sufrir la muerte; el Pan descendió para padecer hambre; el Camino descendió para fatigarse en el recorrido; la Fuente de agua descendió para sentir sed: ¿y tú te niegas a trabajar? No busques tu propio bienestar. Ten caridad, predica la verdad: así alcanzarás la eternidad, donde hallarás libertad de toda preocupación».
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4. Some excerpts from St Ambrose, On Psalm 118:
St Ambrose, On Psalm 118, sermo I,4, offering a description of the state of the Church across the ages.
Ita ergo et sancta Ecclesia quae in primordiis mundi desponsata in paradiso, praefigurata in diluvio, annuntiata per Legem, vocata per prophetas, diu redemptionem hominum, Evangelii decorem, dilecti exspectasset adventum, impatiens morae in oscula ruit dicens: Osculetur me ab osculo oris sui. Et delectata osculis adjicit: Quoniam optima ubera tua super vinum.
So then, holy Church, who in the beginning of the world was espoused in paradise, prefigured in the flood, announced through the Law, and called through the prophets, had long awaited the redemption of men, the beauty of the Gospel, the coming of the beloved, and so, made impatient by the delay, she rushes into kisses, saying: Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth. And delighted in the kisses, she adds: For your breasts are better than wine.
Así pues, la santa Iglesia, que al principio del mundo fue desposada en el paraíso, prefigurada en el diluvio, anunciada por la Ley y llamada por los profetas, había aguardado largamente la redención de los hombres, la belleza del Evangelio y la venida del Amado; y, impaciente por la tardanza, se apresura a los besos diciendo: «Que me bese con los besos de su boca». Y, deleitándose en los besos, añade: «Porque tus pechos son mejores que el vino».
St Ambrose, On Psalm 118, sermo I,5, referencing the Song of Songs, on the mysticism of the Incarnation. St Bernard speaks similarly in the 12th Century:
Osculetur me ab osculo oris sui; quoniam optima ubera tua super vinum. Jam volebat adhaerere Christo caro, jam festinabat innubere; ut esset unus spiritus, et fieret caro Christi, quae erat ante meretricis. Osculetur, inquit, me (osculatur nos Dei Verbum, quando sensum nostrum spiritus cognitionis illuminat); et tamquam despiciens omnes jucunditates et delectationes suas, coelestibus cupiens inhaerere mandatis ait: Quoniam optima praecepta testamentorum tuorum super omnem appetentiam carnis, et saeculi voluptatem.
«Deje que me bese con el beso de su boca; porque tus pechos son mejores que el vino». La carne ya quería adherirse a Cristo, ya se apresuraba a desposarse; para que la que antes era meretriz fuese un espíritu con él, se hiciese carne de Cristo. Que me bese, (nos besa el Verbo de Dios, cuando el espíritu de conocimiento ilumina nuestro sentido [percepción sensible]); y como despreciando todas sus jocundidades y delectaciones, deseando adherirse a los mandatos celestiales, ella dice: Porque óptimos son los preceptos de tus testamentos y sobre toda la apetencia de la carne, y la voluptuosidad del mundo..
“Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth; for your breasts are better than wine.» The flesh already yearned to cleave to Christ, hastening to be espoused to Him, so that she who was once a harlot might become one spirit and be made the flesh of Christ, saying, «Let him kiss me» (the Word of God kisses us when the spirit of knowledge illuminates our sense [sensible perception]); and, as if spurning all worldly joys and delights while desiring to cleave to heavenly commands, she declares: «For the precepts of your covenants are most excellent—surpassing all fleshly desire and the voluptuousness of the world.»
St Ambrose, On Psalm 118, sermo I,6 (on doctrine without innocence)
Nam nisi se unusquisque intus mundaverit, etiamsi foris speciosus videatur et justus, similis erit dealbatis sepulcris; ut foris quidem justus videatur, intus vero sit fetidus. Sic est doctrina sine vitae innocentia. Sed nec ipsa doctrina potest mercedem habere, ubi gratiam non habet innocentiae. Peccatori enim dixit Deus: Quare tu enarras justitias meas (Psal. XLIX, 16) ?
Pues si cada cual no se purifica interiormente, aunque por fuera parezca hermoso y justo, será como los sepulcros blanqueados: por fuera parecerá justo, pero por dentro estará corrompido. Tal es la doctrina sin la inocencia de vida. Mas la doctrina por sí sola no puede recibir recompensa allí donde falta la gracia de la inocencia. Pues Dios dijo al pecador: «¿Por qué proclamas mis justicias?» (Sal 49, 16).
For unless each one cleanses himself within, even though he may appear beautiful and righteous on the outside, he will be like whitewashed tombs; so on the outside he may indeed appear righteous, but on the inside be foul. Thus is doctrine without innocence of life. But doctrine cannot itself have a reward, where it does not have the grace of innocence. For God said to the sinner: Why do you declare my justices (Ps. XLIX, 16)?
Sermo I,16 (the inner room of the Church is the body of Christ)
Quod si cubiculum quaerimus, ipse nos edoceat, qui ait: Tu autem cum orabis, intra in cubiculum tuum: et clauso ostio ora patrem tuum in abscondito (Matth. VI, 6) . Cubiculum Ecclesiae corpus est Christi. Introduxit eam Rex in omnia interiora mysteria, dedit ei claves; ut aperiret sibi thesauros scientiae sacramentorum, clausas antea fores panderet, cognosceret quiescentis gratiam, defuncti somnum, virtutem resurrectionis.
But if we seek the inner room, let Him teach us, who says: But when you pray, enter into your room, and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret (Matt. 6:6). The inner room of the Church is the body of Christ. The King introduced her into all the interior mysteries, gave her the keys; that she might open to herself the treasures of the knowledge of the sacraments [the mysteries made visible], might open doors previously closed, might know the grace of those who rest, the sleep of the departed, the power of the resurrection.
Pero si buscamos la habitación interior, dejemos que nos enseñe Aquel que dice: «Pero cuando ores, entra en tu habitación y, tras cerrar la puerta, ora a tu Padre en secreto» (Mt 6,6). La habitación interior de la Iglesia es el Cuerpo de Cristo. El Rey la introdujo en todos los misterios interiores y le entregó las llaves para que pudiera abrirse a sí misma los tesoros del conocimiento de los sacramentos [los misterios hechos visibles], abrir puertas antes cerradas y conocer la gracia de quienes descansan, el sueño de los difuntos y el poder de la resurrección.
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5. San Juan de la Cruz, Cántico Espiritual 39, an example in the Tradition on the importance of 2 Peter 1,4:
«“… muy grandes y preciosas promesas nos dio, para que por estas cosas seamos hechos compañeros de la divina naturaleza” (2 Pet 1,4). Hasta aquí son palabras de san Pedro, en las cuales da claramente a entender que el alma participará al mismo Dios, que será obrando en él, acompañadamente con él, la obra de la Santísima Trinidad, de la manera que habemos dicho, por causa de la unión sustancial entre el alma y Dios.»
«“… He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them we might become companions of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1,4). To this point are the words of Saint Peter, clearly giving us to understand that the soul will participate in God Himself, working within Him, in company with Him, the work of the Most Holy Trinity, in the manner we have described, by virtue of the substantial union between the soul and God.»
Words and Things 