From the example of the Virgin Mary and shepherds.
So far, your love has heard how God has made His angels, the dear princes, preachers, and has made them shepherds, poor beggars, or otherwise unsightly people.
sent to sing to them a beautiful song about the Child Jesus. The same song is now followed in the Historia:
Luc. 2, 15-20.
And when the angels were departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us go now to Bethlehem, and see the thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came in haste, and found both Mariam and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. And when they had seen him, they spread abroad the word which was spoken unto them concerning this child. And all before whom it came marveled at the speech which the shepherds had told them. But Mary kept all these words and moved them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, praising and glorifying God for all that they had heard and seen, as had been said to them.
1 Here we see that the angels' preaching and singing was not in vain. For the shepherds do not let their flocks be so dear to them; they rise up and want to see the child, whom the angels themselves call a Lord. This is the fruit that follows from the angels' preaching.
2 The other fruit is that the shepherds also become preachers, telling everyone what they have heard about this little child.
3 For this reason the evangelist says, "All who heard it were amazed at the words the shepherds had told them. But it must have been such a miracle for most of the people, which did not last long. For experience shows that the majority of people are such wretched, depraved people that if God does us good or bad, if he prods us or gives us good words, it is soon forgotten. It is such a shameful thing about a man's heart that it is so forgotten and careless. Because of this, our dear Lord God is caused to always perform new miraculous signs and punishments, if we are to be different and not forget His good deeds. So it is without doubt here also
*) Nuremberg edition of 1547: Gehalten im Hause, 1533; Wittenberg editions: 1534. D. Red.
that, as the evangelist says, all who heard it were amazed, and for a time there was great talk about the birth of a child in Bethlehem, when the angels preached about it in the air and the wise men from the east came and worshipped it. But before two, three or four years had passed, everyone had forgotten about it, and after that, for more than thirty years, when the Lord appeared, preached and performed miraculous signs, it was completely silent, so that no one knew anything about it.
4 We still find this kind of naughtiness among us today. For there is hardly anyone among a hundred, yes, I would say a thousand people, who still remembers the misery and miserable existence that existed in the papacy for the sake of both doctrine and life or worship; that the poor consciences, crowded in all places, can find no thorough consolation anywhere. All the toil, labor, expense and burden of conscience is forgotten. Otherwise the holy gospel, which helped us from such misery, would be more valuable and better kept with us; we would also thank God more diligently for it and be more pious.
5 It was the same with the Jews. When they were in Egypt, there was lamentation and crying,
There was no end to the weeping. What happened after that? They had hardly been three days in the wilderness when they wished to be back in Egypt. Such an unholy thing is the heart of man, which so soon grows weary and tired of a thing, and so easily forgets the great plague and torment. I let alone that it should remember the benefit, which happens even less; as the saying goes: Nihil citius senescit, quam gratia. (Although God is very angry, punishes with pestilence and all kinds of sickness, now lets this, now another plague go over us, it is just as if someone wrote with a pen in the water or in the air. Because it hurts and is obvious, it hurts; but as soon as it is over, it is forgotten, as if it had never hit us. This is our way of remaining. So the evangelist also says here: The people are astonished; but it lasts, as said, a dance to the high mass. But here we find some pious disciples and children who are not so forgetful and careless as the world; for the evangelist says:
But Mary kept all these words and moved them in her heart.
6 We are to remember these words and learn from them how to hear God's word correctly. "Mary," says the evangelist, "kept all these words and moved them in her heart. That is, she diligently pursues it, just as those who firmly hold God's word, seek and pursue it, find greater understanding and comfort in it the longer they do, and become more certain of their faith day by day. But in the case of the nefarious spirits, who hear it with one ear and let it out again with the other, preach to them as long and as much as they want, it is as if one were to strike into water. Mary does not do this; she was interested in it, therefore she keeps it, writes it in her heart, moves it, that is, pursues it, remembers it by herself: These are wonderful tidings, that I should be the mother of the child, of whom the angels preach that he is the Savior of the world, and is called Christ the Lord, and so on. With such thoughts it is so deep for her
into her heart that she would have had to keep it; and even if the whole world had been against it, no one would have been able to take it away from her or talk her out of it, she would have remained firm that her son was the Son of God and the Savior of the whole world etc.
(7) We should follow the example of the holy dear mother of the Lord (for that is why it is prescribed for us) and form the word in our heart with such diligence and earnestness that it becomes a nature. As it is written in the 8th chapter of the Song of Solomon, v. 6: "Set me as a sigil upon thy heart, and as a sigil upon thine arm." There he wants his word not only to float on our tongue, like a foam on the water, or drool in the mouth, which one spits out; but that it is pressed into the heart, and remains such a mark, which no one can wash off, just as if it had grown in it, and a natural thing, which cannot be scratched out. Such was the heart of the Virgin Mary, in which these words remained as if they had been engraved. All those who grasp the word in this way have the right character of Christ, the right sigil, and do not let the word be taken away from them; they are like the spirits of a mob or the devil himself. Once they have heard and believed it, they stick to it. With the others, even if they hear it and are astonished by it, it does not remain long, but is soon forgotten.
(8) Here we must remember that if God's word is to take root in our hearts in such a way, it is necessary for us to be more diligent in dealing with it. We see it in the young boys, how often one has to chew the cud and blow the trumpet until they grasp it, and we let ourselves think that such great things can be grasped easily and without any effort. We are far off the mark. Most people, as soon as they leave the sermon, have other things to do, that very few remember what they have heard and learned from the sermon. But it is not right for us to emphasize what is behind.
9) We should seek the kingdom of God first, that is, we should take care of it the most; then we will take care of it the least, and we will be more interested in our dealings, near and far.
We are more interested in the word than in pleasure and pleasure. Otherwise, we would at least think of God's word so often and diligently and deal with it as seriously as we do with our dealings. But that is not the end. It is therefore no wonder that it clings so quietly and that we forget it so soon, as can be seen in the temptation. But it should not be so with Christians. Their greatest treasure is God's word, therefore the same is also their heart. And even if they have to deal with worldly affairs, their heart is always on that side where it is most concerned. This is said of the example of the virgins Mary, which the evangelist did not want to leave behind, because it is also necessary. Now follows further:
The shepherds turned back, praising and glorifying God for all that they had heard and seen, as had been said to them.
(10) After the shepherds have seen the infant Jesus and have shouted about him everywhere, so that the whole city of Bethlehem knows how to speak of him, they go back to their flocks, praising and glorifying God, as they had heard and learned from the angels, who sang, "Glory to God in the highest.
(11) This is also a good and fine teaching, that the shepherds, after they have been enlightened and have come to the right knowledge of Christ, do not run away into the wilderness, as the mad monks and nuns did into the monasteries; but stick to their profession and thus serve their neighbor. For right faith urges no one to abandon his profession and take up a new life, as the mad monks did, who thought they could not be saved, because outwardly they were different from other people; if they dressed, ate and drank, watched and slept like other people, it would be a common thing and would have no special standing. But they praised and had to keep their order and rule, and called it a perfect state; yes, as St. Paul speaks of it, Col. 2, 18, an angelic, that is devilish spirituality; because the devil is also an angel and spirit.
12 But Christ does not come in such a way as to
Change outward things, or disturb his creature and make it different. Therefore, one should clothe, feed or nourish the body according to need, and as is customary, and use it for work. This is God's creature and order, and He lets it remain so. He did not come to change anything about it. We may well do this for ourselves, if it is necessary, using other clothing and food, which is a bad, small change, since we are not allowed to the Lord Christ; let alone that one would want to praise such a change for a service of God and spirituality.
(13) This is the true change for which Christ came, that a man may be changed inwardly in his heart. Before the dear gospel came to light, I thought that God would not take care of me; if I were to go to heaven and be saved, most of it would be up to me; I did not know any other way; if I were to get rid of sin and death, I would have to do it by my works; for this reason I became a monk and let my blood sour. But caps, gray skirts, not eating meat, fasting and the like do nothing for it. Sin cannot be put away and purged with it, death cannot be strangled with it; but both sin and death are just as much under a gray or black cap as under a red skirt. But it is because of this that the heart receives a new light and, as reported above, a new sigil, so that it can say: I know that God takes care of me and means me with faithfulness. For he sent his Son and made him man, that through him I might overcome death and have eternal life.
This is the right change. For my heart did not know or believe this before. But now it knows and believes, and because of this it has a completely different mind than before. This is what our dear Lord Christ does, that the heart and soul get a new and different mind, will, desire and love, so that where before a man stood on money and goods, now that he has come to the knowledge of Christ, he not only puts on money and goods, but also body and life, before he has known Christ.
and his word. Before, his heart would not have lost a penny for the sake of faith; now he would not let himself be deprived of Christ, even if it would cost a thousand worlds. Many before that time thought: If I want to be saved, I must put on a monk's or nun's cap. Now, if one wanted to put it on you, you would lie sooner at the end of the world. If you had eaten a morsel of meat on a Friday before, you would have thought that the earth would swallow you up. But now you say to the pope, to the bishop, even to the devil himself: Kiss me on the hand; why should I not eat it, or be afraid of sinning for it? God has not forbidden it; indeed, he created it for me to use and enjoy it. This means an inward change and a change of heart, since the heart gains a different mind and will from God's word than before, and yet remains in its profession and outward nature as before, as we also see in the shepherds.
(15) It did not occur to the shepherds that Christ the Savior was born. But when they heard it from the angels, they ran into the city and sought the infant. When they found him and preached about him, and thanked God for such grace and revelation, they returned to their flock, wearing the same robe and staff as before, remained shepherds, and did not change their outward ways. This is called Christian teaching and living. For Christ has not come to change the creature until that day when the soul is first changed completely and anew (which only begins here through the gospel); then also the body will be changed, so that we will no longer need a warm room, clothing or anything else, but will float in the air like the angels, and shine like the beautiful stars. The outward appearance will also be different. Before that day, all outward creatures shall remain as God has ordered them, and no change shall take place.
(16) Let every man in his profession and occupation be guided by these things, living chastely, righteously, and godly, knowing that such outward conduct does not hinder the Christian faith. Neither does Christ ask whether you are outwardly
Whether you are a man or a woman, an emperor or a stableman, a mayor or a henchman, he leaves all these things, saying, "You shall be obedient to God in this state and in this life, and you shall not depart from it. Therefore the shepherds did no more than praise and glorify God. They did not say, "I will henceforth serve God in such a way that I will run into a desert and do nothing in the world among people, but serve God only in a contemplative life. Cause, such is not serving God, but stepping out of obedience and serving yourself. But to serve God means to remain in the state in which God has placed you, so that a man remains a man, a woman a woman, an emperor an emperor, a citizen a citizen, and everyone in his state learns to recognize God and praise him: then he serves him rightly. For he shall not suffer thee to be in thy haircloth, nor in thy fasting, nor in thy cap; but that thou shalt be obedient in thy state and in thy profession, and shalt praise his Son: so shalt thou serve him aright.
(17) So also we see in the prophets that our Lord God is angry where the heart remains unchanged, and yet people think they are pious because of their outward works and services. Why do you afflict me with your sacrifice? says he, Isa. 1, 11. and Psalm 50: "Go, eat your own flesh, and have an evil year for it; if I may, I will have it all before you offer it to me: yet have I not commanded you. But this have I commanded you, and commanded that ye should obey my voice, and praise me, and give me thanks. I have given you sheep, cows and oxen to eat, so that you may court me with them, as if I had to beg them from you. So the prophet is also concerned that the heart be changed and that we, above all, be right-minded toward God. God is willing to put up with this, and does not desire any change; we do what every profession requires. This is that the shepherds go cheerfully, with joy and thankfulness, and do their work as they did before, without also praising and glorifying God.
18 Thus, in Vitis Patrum, one reads about a man who considered himself a great saint,
and when he wanted to know how high he should sit in heaven, a piper was indicated to him, whom he should be like. He soon went and asked him: "Dear, what good do you do? The piper answers: I do nothing but whistle for the peasants to dance, and once I was present when my companions wanted to ravish a maiden, and I defended and saved her. Another time he asked again: To whom he was like. He was answered: Two wives. He also asked them, like the piper, "What are their good deeds? Then they answer: We know of none but holy living; we have our house and children, and we wait on them as much as we can, and so keep ourselves that we have never reproached one another, neither have we denied one another. Then the old man went and said, "Now I see that no class should be despised, however small it may be. One can serve God and be pious anywhere, and God will be pleased with anyone who fears Him and does right, no matter what his status.
19. such from the old father, whistler and
Two wives, as I respect it, did not happen that way, but was written as a good example, so that the world would be warned against monasticism. For that thou mayest be a Christian and please God is not in the outward life, but under the left teat and in the heart, that thou mayest know that Jesus is the right Savior, and comfort thyself, thanking and praising God for it. Then God will put up with the other outward life or state. Therefore we should learn and diligently observe that we do not tear the Christian faith away from the Word and place it, as the Pope has placed and bound it, in special clothing, food, place, etc., which is contrary to the Christian faith, by which alone, and not by anything outward, be it what it may, God makes the heart pure. By heart, however, each one shall live as God has required of him and as is customary. This shall remain until the life to come, when the outward life will be changed and the body will become more beautiful and brighter than the sun. May Christ our Savior help us, amen.