[Sermones "Dormi secure" de tempore]

because He will show there the marks of the nails in His body, and the scars of the wounds of His passion, so that the impious may see whom they pierced, and the evil Christians who neglected penance. And from His mouth will proceed a sword sharp on both sides, that is, a sentence cutting through body and soul, saying: Go, you cursed, into eternal fire. In these five words He makes five strikes: Go, that is, from the society of all the elect and from My face, which you will never see again. Cursed, because you did not want the blessing. Into the fire which will never be extinguished. Eternal, because it will last without end. Then the sinner can well say, first to the sun: O sun, until now you gave me light; now I go into exterior darkness. Second, to the air: O, until now I had a good scent; now I go into eternal stench. Third, to the earth: O earth, until now I had the divided foods of trees and fruits; now I go into eternal hunger. Fourth, to the water: O water, until now you gave me drink and washed me; now I go into eternal thirst. Fifth, to the Virgin Mary: O Mary, until now you prayed for me; now I go from you, never to see you. Sixth, to the angels: O you angels, until now you guarded me; now I go from your society to the society of the demons. Seventh: O you elect, until now I had your intercessions; now I go to the society of the damned. Eighth, to Christ: O pious God, who accepted the penitent thief on the cross, today I depart from you, because I did not want to do penance; I will have no more time to do penance; now I have earned no grace. Whence Job says in the person of the damned: You will cry out on that day, and you will not be heard. Therefore, God admonishes us to prepare before His coming, so that we may then be able to stand secure with the elect before the throne; which the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit may deign to grant us. Amen.

On the Saturday of the Ember Days

Sermon Five.

Luke 3:1-2 Under the princes of the priests, etc. We see in natural things that when a thing does not have in itself that by which it can be content, it recurs to another that can be fitting for it, just as the moon receives its light from the sun, and just as a hungry child to the father, and as a disciple to his master. Thus blessed John the Baptist receives his doctrine from Christ, just as the moon its light from the sun, and as a child food from the father, and as a disciple doctrine from his master: Therefore his doctrine was as is clear in this following Gospel. For when the kingdom of the Jews stood under one king, then it stood in great peace, but when it was divided, then it began to be destroyed, because every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste. How this time was made is described through this Gospel.

In the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar of the Romans, while Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch who managed and ruled Galilee, and Philip was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias who was the procurator of the emperor for the region of Abilene.