Homilies on Hebrews 19.1–19.2

“Having therefore, brothers, boldness [to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the way] which he opened for us, new and living, through the curtain, that is, his flesh, and [having a great priest] over the house of [God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance] of faith, [our] hearts [sprinkled clean] from [an evil] conscience and our body washed with pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.” Having shown the difference of the high priest, and of the sacrifices, and of the tabernacle, and of the covenant, and of the promise, and that the gap is great, since the one set is temporary and the other eternal, the one near to vanishing and the other abiding, the one cheap and the other perfect, the one types and the other reality (“For not according to the law of a fleshly commandment,” he says, “but according to the power of an indestructible life”; and again, “You are a priest forever”; see the perpetuity of the priest); and about the covenant: “That one,” he says, “is old” (“for what is becoming obsolete and growing old is near to vanishing”), but this one is new, and has forgiveness of sins, while that one has nothing of the kind: “For the law perfected nothing,” he says; and again, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire”; and that one is made with hands, but this one not made with hands; and that one has the blood of goats, but this one the Master's; and that one has the priest standing, but this one sitting: since, then, all those things are lesser and these greater, for this reason he says, “Having therefore, brothers, boldness.” Boldness from where? From the forgiveness. For just as sins produce shame, he says, so our having had all of them forgiven produces boldness; and not only this, but also our having become fellow heirs and enjoying so great a love. “To enter the holy places.” What does he call an entrance here? Heaven, and the access to spiritual things. “Which he opened for us,” that is, which he prepared and which he began; for “opening” (ἐγκαινισμός) is the name for the beginning of a use; which he prepared, he says, and by which he himself walked. “A way new and living.” Here he indicates the fullness of the hope. “New,” he says. He presses to show that they have received all the greater things: now the gates of heaven were opened, which did not happen even in Abraham's case. And well does he say, “A way new and living”; for the first way was one of death, leading to Hades, but this one is of life. And he did not say “of life,” but called it “living,” showing in this way that it abides. “Through the curtain,” he says, “that is, his flesh.” This flesh first cut that way for him, which he says he “opened,” in that he himself deigned to walk by it. And he fittingly called the flesh a curtain; for when it was lifted on high, then the things in heaven appeared. “Let us draw near,” he says, “with a true heart.” To what are we to draw near? To the holy things, by faith, by spiritual worship. “With a true heart, in full assurance of faith”; that is, since nothing is visible: neither the priest, nor the sacrifice, nor the altar is seen. And yet that priest was not visible either, but he stood inside, while they were all outside, the whole people. But here he shows not only this, that the priest entered the holy places (for he makes this clear by saying, “And a great priest over the house of God”), but that we too enter. That is why he says, “In full assurance of faith.” For it is possible to believe while doubting, as there are many even now who say that there is a resurrection for some but not for others. But this is not full assurance of faith; for one must believe as about things seen, and much more so. For here it is possible to be mistaken even about the things seen, but there not; and here we trust to sense, but there to the Spirit. “Our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.” Here he shows that not faith alone, but also a virtuous life is required, and to be conscious of nothing evil in ourselves. For the holy places do not receive those who are not so disposed, with full assurance; for they are holy, and the holy of holies. Therefore no profane person will enter here. They sprinkled the body, we the conscience; so that even now one may be sprinkled, but with virtue itself. “And our body washed with pure water.” Here he speaks of the washing [of baptism], which is a cleansing not of bodies but of the soul. “For he who promised is faithful.” And what is he faithful in having promised? That we must depart there and enter the kingdom. Do not, then, be curious about anything, nor demand reasonings; our affairs need faith. “And let us consider,” he says, “one another to provoke to love and good works, not abandoning our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” And again elsewhere: “The Lord is near; do not be anxious about anything.” “For now salvation is nearer to us”; and again, “The time has been shortened from now on.” What is “Not abandoning our own assembling together”? He knows that there is great strength from coming together and from assembling. “For where two or three,” he says, “are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them”; and again, “That they may be one, as we also are one”; and again, “The heart and soul of all was one.” And not only for this reason, but also because love grows through assembling; and when love grows, the things of God must follow. “And prayer was being made earnestly,” it says, “by the people.” “As is the habit of some.” Here he not only exhorted but also found fault. “And let us consider,” he says, “one another to provoke to love and good works.” He knows that this too comes from their assembling. For as iron sharpens iron, so too companionship increases love. For if a stone rubbed against a stone gives off fire, how much more a soul mingled with a soul? See: he does not say, “to rivalry,” but “to provoke to love.” What is “to provoke to love”? … to love and to be loved. And he adds, “and good works,” … to be stirred to emulation; and rightly. For if doing has greater force than speaking for teaching, he says, you too have many teachers among the multitude who do this by their works. What is “Let us draw near with a true heart”? That is, without hypocrisy: “For woe to a fearful heart and slack hands.” “Let there be no falsehood among you,” he says; let us not say one thing and think another, for this is falsehood; nor let us be faint-hearted, for this is not of a true heart; for faint-heartedness comes from not believing. And how will this be? If we give ourselves full assurance through faith. “Our hearts sprinkled clean.” Why did he not say “cleansed,” but [“sprinkled”]? … wishing to show [the difference of the sprinklings], and that the one is God's part, the other ours. For to wash and sprinkle the conscience is God's; but to draw near with truth and in full assurance of faith is ours. Then he also gives strength to faith from the truthfulness of him who promised. What is “And our body washed with pure water”? He speaks either of water that makes us clean, or of water that has no blood. Then he adds the perfect thing, love: “Not abandoning,” he says, “our own assembling together,” which some, he says, do, and split up the gatherings; this … “to provoke to love.” What is “Let us consider one another”? For instance, if someone is virtuous, let us imitate him, let us look to him, so as to love and be loved; for good works come from love.

Coming together is a great good; for it makes love warmer, and from love all good things are born; for there is nothing good that does not come about through love. Let us, then, confirm it toward one another; for love is the fulfillment of the law. We need no labors, no sweat, if we love one another: it is a road that by itself carries us to virtue. For just as on a highway, if someone finds the beginning, he is guided by it and needs no one to lead him by the hand, so also with love: only take hold of the beginning, and at once you are led by the hand and directed by it. “Love,” it says, “is patient, is kind, does not reckon up evil.” If someone considers how he is disposed toward himself, let him be disposed in the same way toward his neighbor. No one envies himself; everyone prays for all good things for himself, prefers himself to all, wishes to do everything for his own sake. If, then, we are disposed this way toward others too, all troubles are undone; there are no enmities, there is no greed; for who would choose to cheat himself? No one; rather the very opposite. Let us, then, hold all things in common, and not cease assembling ourselves; and if we do this, resentment will have no room. For who would choose to bear a grudge against himself? Who would choose to be angry with himself? Do we not pardon ourselves most of all? If we are so disposed toward our neighbors too, there will never be any resentment. “And how is it possible,” someone says, “to love one's neighbor as oneself?” If others had not done it, you would rightly think it impossible; but if they did, it is clear that it is from indolence that it does not happen with us. Besides, Christ commands nothing impossible, since many have even gone beyond his commands. Who then did this? Paul, Peter, the whole choir of the saints. But if I say that they loved their neighbors, I say nothing great: they loved their enemies as no one would love those of one mind with him. For who of us would choose to go to Gehenna for those of one mind with him, when he was about to go to the kingdom? No one; but Paul chose this for his enemies, for those who stoned him, who scourged him. What pardon, then, will we have, what excuse, if we do not show toward our friends even the smallest part of the love that Paul showed toward his enemies? And before him the blessed Moses wished [to be blotted out of God's book] for his enemies; and David, seeing those who rose up against him being destroyed, says, “I the shepherd have sinned, and these, what have they done?” And when he had Saul in his hands, he did not wish to kill him, but kept him safe, and that when he himself was going to be in danger. If these things were so in the Old [Testament], what pardon will we have, who live our life under the New, and do not attain even the same measure as they? For if, unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and scribes, we shall not enter the kingdom of heaven, how shall we enter when we have even less than they? “Love your enemies,” he says, “and you will be like your Father who is in heaven.” Love your enemy, then; for it is not him you benefit, but yourself. How? By doing this you become equal to God. If he is loved by you, he has gained nothing great, for he was loved by a fellow slave; but if you love your fellow slave, you have gained greatly, for you become like God. Do you see that it is not to him you do a favor, but to yourself? For he sets the prize not for him but for you. “What then if he is wicked?” someone says. The greater the reward. You even owe him thanks for his wickedness, though he remain evil after receiving countless kindnesses. For if he were not very evil, your reward would not have been greatly increased. So the reason for not loving, the saying that he is wicked, is itself a reason for loving. Take away the antagonist, and you take away the occasion for the crowns. Do you not see how athletes train by filling sacks with sand? But you need not contrive this: life is full of those who train you and make you strong. Do you not see that trees too, the more they are shaken by the winds, the stronger and thicker they become? So we too, if we are long-suffering, will also be strong. “For a long-suffering man,” it says, “is great in understanding, but the faint-hearted is exceedingly foolish.” Do you see how great is the praise of the one? Do you see how great the charge against the other? “Exceedingly foolish,” that is, utterly. Let us not, then, be petty toward one another; for this comes not from enmity but from having a small soul; for if the soul is strong, it will bear everything easily, and nothing will be able to sink it, but it will bring it to calm harbors. May we all attain these, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, might, honor, now and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.