From the example of the virgins of Mary and the shepherds.
We want to act out the Gospel of the shepherds to the full. Yesterday we heard how God made His angels, the dear princes, become preachers, and sent so many glorious, beautiful, heavenly spirits,
that they should preach to two or three shepherds and poor beggars about the child JEsu and sing a beautiful song. The same song is now followed in the Historia:
Luc. 2, 13-20.
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 young 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.
First, the shepherds show that the angels' preaching and singing were not in vain. For they do not let their flocks be so dear to them; they set out and want to see the little child, whom the angels themselves call a Lord. This is the fruit that follows from the angels' preaching.
*) Held in the house on St. John's Day, December 27, 1534.
The other fruit is that the shepherds also become preachers and tell everyone what they have heard about this child. They go and preach in the inn and elsewhere what they have heard and seen. We should follow this example, seek Christ in the Word, believe in Him and confess Him publicly before everyone.
3. on the other hand, you can see how the people
to the newborn babe. For the evangelist says: "All who saw him were amazed at what the shepherds had said to them. They all marvel, but very few believe. For most of them it was such a miracle that did not last long. For this is seen in experience, that God has such people under his command, he does them good or bad, he prods them or gives them good words, and it is soon forgotten. It is a shameful thing for a man's heart that it so soon forgets a thing and drives our Lord God always, that he always has to perform new miraculous signs and punishments, otherwise we should be brave and remember his good deeds, otherwise it will soon be forgotten. So this is also to be understood here, that the evangelist says, all, before whom it came, marveled at the speech. It was said of this story about a quarter of a year ago that a child was born in Bethlehem, when the angels preached of 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 it, and after that, for more than thirty years, when the Lord appeared, preached and performed miraculous signs, it was completely silent, and no one knew anything more about the fact that such a child had ever been born in Bethlehem.
4 And we are no more pious. For there is hardly anyone among a hundred, yes, I would have said a thousand people, who still remembers the misery and wretchedness they suffered in the papacy fifteen years ago, when the poor consciences were crowded in all places and could find no thorough consolation anywhere. All the toil, labor, expense and hardship, which was innumerable, has been forgotten and concealed. 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. While they were in Egypt, there was no end to their wailing, crying and weeping. But what happened after that, when God had brought them out of Egypt by His strong hand? They were barely three
After they had been in the desert for a few days, they had already forgotten everything and wished to be back in Egypt. Such an unholy thing is the heart of man, which so soon grows tired and weary of a thing, and so easily forgets the great plague and torment. Not to mention that it should remember the good deed, which happens even less; as the saying goes: Nihil citius senescit, quam gratia: Good deed is soon forgotten. If God is very angry, punishes with pestilence and all kinds of illness, lets this or that plague come upon us, it is just as if one were to write with a pen in the water or in the air. Because it hurts and lies on the skin, it hurts; but as soon as it is over, it is immediately forgotten, as if it had never hit us. So the evangelist also says here: "The people are amazed; but it lasts, as I said, a dance at the high mass. But here we find some pious disciples and children who are not so forgetful and careless as the world is; for the evangelist says:
But Mary kept all these words and moved them in her heart.
Thirdly, in Mary we have an example of those who hear and keep the Word of God. "Mary," says the evangelist, "kept all these words, and moved them in her heart." That is, she diligently pursued it, just as those who firmly hold God's word, seek it 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 the nefarious spirits, who hear it with one ear and let it out to the other, preach to them as long as they want, they keep it as long as a stroke is to be seen in the 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: What does it mean? It is exceedingly great that I should be the mother of the child, with whom the heavenly angels are, preaching and singing about him: Let him be the Savior of the world, Christ the Lord. With such thoughts it went so deeply into her heart-
Although the whole world would have been against it and said that this child was not the Savior of the world, no one would have been able to take it away from her or talk her out of it; she would have firmly maintained that her son was the Son of God and the Savior and Lord of the whole world.
(7) We should follow the example of the holy mother of the Lord (for this is why it is prescribed for us) and also 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 seal upon thy heart, and as a seal upon thine arm." There he wants his word not only to float on our tongue, like a foam on the water, or slobber in the mouth, which one sprays 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 inside, and a natural thing, which cannot be scraped out. Such a heart was 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 seal and mark, and do not allow the word to be taken away from them, for the spirits of the mob or the devil himself will rise up in a moment. 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. Now follows further:
The shepherds returned, praising and glorifying God for all that they had heard and seen, as had been said to them.
(8) Fourth, after the shepherds have seen the infant Jesus and have shouted about him everywhere, so that the whole city of Bethlehem knows to tell about it, they go back to their flocks and praise God, singing and saying: Praise be to God, who has revealed to us the newborn child and has found him; as they had heard and learned from the angels, who sang: "Glory to God in the highest" etc.
9. this is also a fine, good 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, like the mad monks and nuns into the monasteries; but stick to their profession and thus serve their neighbor. For the right faith does not make such people who leave the outward life and start a new one, as the mad monks thought that one should become blessed in this way, if one only presented oneself outwardly differently from other people. They did not eat meat (for eating meat was a mean thing), but ate fish; they did not watch and sleep like other people, they chose and kept certain days, so that they only had something special in front of other people. And yet all their doing was only an outward thing, which stood in food, drink, time, days, persons etc. So they were spiritual, and thought that the Christian state stood in such outward things. But they were spiritual from the devil, who is also a spirit; as St. Paul calls such devilish spirituality a spirituality of angels, Col. 2, 18.
(10) But Christ does not come to change outward things, or to disturb his creature and make it different. Therefore, one should clothe the body according to need and as is customary, give it food and use it for work. This is God's creature and order, so he lets it stay. He did not come to change anything about it. We can do this for ourselves, if we need other clothing and food, which is a bad, small change, since we do not need the Lord Christ, not to mention that such a change would be praised for worship and spirituality, since a cow and a sow can also make such a change.
(11) Now this is the true change for which Christ came, that a man might be changed inwardly in his heart. Just as I now have a different heart, courage and mind than I had before in the ministry: before the dear gospel came to light, I thought that God would not take care of me; nor did I think that I would serve God if I remained in my profession and carried out my ministry; in sum, I did not know how to serve God.
I did not know how to overcome sin and death, how to go to heaven and how to be eternally blessed. I thought that I would have to accomplish this with my works, and for this reason I became a monk and became sour with blood. But salvation is not found in caps, clothes, not eating meat, fasting and the like; death cannot be strangled with them, nor can sin be eradicated, but both sin and death remain under a gray or black cap as well as under a red or blue skirt. But it is because of this that the heart is enlightened and, as reported above, receives a new seal, 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, so that through him I may overcome sin and death and have eternal life.
This is now the right change. For my heart did not know or believe this before. But now it knows and believes, and for this reason it has a new and entirely different mind than before. This is what our dear Lord Christ does, so that the heart and soul get a new and different mind, will, desire and love, so that where before a man stood by money and goods, now, after he has come to the knowledge of Christ, he puts away not only money and goods, but also body and life, before he would leave Christ and his word. Before, his heart would not have wanted to lose a penny for the sake of faith; now he would not let himself be deprived of Christ, even if it cost a thousand worlds.
(13) Many before that time thought, 'If I am to be saved, I must put on a monk's or nun's cap. Now, if they were to put it on you, you would sooner come to 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 bishops, yes, to the devil himself: Kiss me on the hand; why should I not eat it, or fear sinning for it? This is called an inward change and change of heart, since the heart gains a different mind and will from God's Word than before, and
remains in his profession and outward nature as before, as we also see in the shepherds.
(14) 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 searched for the child. When they have found him, preached about him and thanked God for such grace and revelation, they return to their flock, wearing the same robe and staff as before, remaining shepherds and changing nothing in their outward conduct. This is called Christian teaching and living. For Christ did 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, food or anything else, but will float in the air like the angels and shine like the beautiful stars. Then the outward appearance will also become different; then we will not eat, not rest, not sleep, not wear a skirt etc. But before that day all outward creatures shall remain as God has ordained them, and no change shall take place.
(15) According to these things every man shall judge himself in his estate and profession, and shall live chastely, righteously, and godly, knowing that such an outward character shall not hinder the Christian faith. Christ also does not ask whether you are a man or a woman, an emperor or a stableman, a mayor or a henchman; he leaves all this alone and says: "You shall be obedient to God in this status and life and not turn away from it.
(16) 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 only serve God in a contemplative life of fasting and prayer. No. 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 man remains man, woman remains woman, emperor remains emperor, citizen remains citizen.
And let every man in his profession know God, and praise him: and he shall serve him aright. For he hath no need of thy hair shirt, nor of thy fasting, nor of thy bonnet; but that thou mayest be obedient in thy station and profession, and praise his Son: so servest thou him aright.
(17) So also we see in the prophets that our Lord God is angry where the heart remains unchanged, and yet people consider themselves pious for the sake of their outward works and worship. Why do you trouble me with your sacrifice? says Isaiah 1, Jeremiah 7 and Psalm 50: "Go, eat your own flesh, and have an evil year for it; if I need it, I will get it sooner than you offer it to me; yet have I not commanded you. But this have I commanded you, that ye should obey my voice, and praise me, and give me thanks. I have given you sheep, cows and oxen to eat, and you will court me with them as if I had to beg them from you. That the prophets are also concerned that the heart be changed and that we be right-minded toward God above all things. God is willing to put up with this, and does not desire any change; we do what each person's profession requires. This is why the shepherds should go and do their work cheerfully, with joy and gratitude, just as they did before, without praising and glorifying God in the process.
18 Thus, in Vitis Patrum (Lives of the Fathers), Paphnutio was described. He thought he was a great saint, and when he wanted to know to which saint he could be compared, he was told that he was like a piper who whistled for the peasants to dance. As soon as he went, he asked the piper: "Dear, what good have you done? The piper answers: I have done nothing, except that I have whistled the peasant to the dance, and once I was present when my companions wanted to ravish a maiden,
I defended him and saved him. Another time he asked again, "Who is he like? He was answered: Two wives. He also asked them, like the piper, "What are their good deeds? Then they answered: We know of no special holy life; we have our house and children, and we wait for them as much as we can, and we keep ourselves so that we two have never quarrelled nor quarreled. Then the old man went and said: "Now I see that one should not despise any class, however small it may be. One can serve God and be pious anywhere, and God will be pleased with anyone who only fears Him and does right, no matter what his station.
(19) These things of the old father, the piper, and two wives, I respect, were not done so, but were written for a good example, that all the world might be warned to beware of monasticism. For the fact that you are a Christian and pleasing to God does not depend on the outward life, but on the left teat and on your heart, so that you know that Jesus is the right Savior and comfort yourself, thanking and praising God for it. Then God will put up with the other outward life or state. Therefore, we must learn and diligently observe that we do not tear the Christian faith from the Word, nor put godliness into a gray cap, or into such a garment as the eleventh has feathers. Just as the preachers' monks have turned their clothes inside out, not otherwise than as one does on Shrovetide. Such is against the current and thorough opinion of the Christian faith: it wants to have the heart. It should be done by heart, as God has demanded and is customary for everyone. This shall remain until that life, when the body shall also become beautiful and pure. In this life we may wear the unclean skin, but there we will become completely pure. May Christ our Savior help us, amen.