Page:Sermons for all the Sundays in the year.djvu/226

 redemption? Perhaps an angel or a seraph. No; the Son of God, the supreme and true God, equal to the Father, offers himself to come on earth, and there to take human flesh, and to die for the salvation of men. O prodigy of Divine love! Man, says St. Fulgentius, despises God, and separates himself from God, and through love for him, God comes on earth to seek after rebellious man. "Homo Deum contemnens, a Deo discessit: Deus hominem diligens, ad homines venit." (Serm. in Nativ. Christ.) Since, says St. Augustine, we could not go to the Redeemer, he has deigned to come to us. "Quia ad mediatorem venire non poteramus, ipse ad nos venire dignatus est." And why has Jesus Christ resolved to come to us? According to the same holy doctor, it is to convince us of his great love for us. ” Christ came, that man might know how much God loves him." 6. Hence the Apostle writes: "The goodness and kindness of God our Saviour appeared." (Tit. iii. 5.) In the Greek text, the words are: ” Singularis Dei erga homines apparuit amor :"“The singular love of God towards men appeared." In explaining this passage, St. Bernard says, that before God appeared on earth in human flesh, men could not arrive at a knowledge of the divine goodness; therefore the Eternal Word took human nature, that, appearing in the form of man, men might know the goodness of God. ” Priusquam apparet humanitas, latebat beniguitas, sed undo tanta agnosci poterat? Venit in came ut, apparante humanitate, cognosceretur benignitas." (Serm. i., in Eph.) And what greater love and goodness could the Son of God show to us, than to become man and to become a worm like us, in order to save us from, perdition? What astonishment would we not feel, if we saw a prince become a worm to save the worms of his kingdom! And what shall we say at the sight of a God made man like us, to deliver us from eternal death? "The word was made flesh." (John i. 14.) A God made flesh! if faith did not assure us of it, who could ever believe it? Behold then, as St. Paul says, a God as it were annihilated. ” He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant and in habit found as a man. ”