Caesarius of Arles

In his own words on Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 17:7-8

  You have begun to love what is outside of yourself. You have gone outside of yourself. When a person's love goes away from him toward things that are outside of him, he begins to become vain along with useless goods, and somehow to spend his substance like the prodigal son. He is emptied. He is poured forth. He becomes a beggar. However, we must not despair even of such people when they begin to repent. May God grant this to them: "He came to himself." Now if he came to himself, he had gone outside of himself. Just as he remained in himself when he fell away, so he should not remain in himself when he fell away, so he should not remain in himself when he returns. Therefore, let him keep himself close to God. Let him deny himself so he will not fall again. What does to deny oneself mean? Let him not confide in his own strength, let him realize that he is human, and let him look to the prophetic word: "Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings."

  SERMON 159:3

• Jeremiah 18:7-8

  If only the sinner would have recourse to repentance as quickly as God is willing to change that fixed sentence. Listen to the Lord through the prophet promise the greatest hope to the human race: "Finally I shall speak against a nation and against a kingdom, to root out and destroy them. If that nation shall turn from all of their evil deeds, I also shall repent of the evil that I thought to do to them." Behold how great is our God's goodness to us, and learn whether he will refuse his mercy, since he longs to change his sentence if we are converted. Therefore, let us turn to him, dearly beloved, and not wish to defer the amendment of our ways until the end of our life.

  SERMON 109:2

• Jeremiah 24:1-2

  The prophet speaks thus concerning the people of Israel and ours: "The Lord showed me two baskets of figs. One had very good ones, the other had very bad ones." This fact, as has often been said, presents an image of the two people, for those two baskets prefigured the synagogue and the church. The basket of very bad fruit mystically designated the people of the synagogue, while the one with very good fruit pointed out the church of the Christians.

  SERMON 106:4

• Jeremiah 31:15

  Today we are celebrating the feast of all those infants who, the Gospel text tells us, were killed by King Herod, and for this reason our land, the fruitful mother of heavenly soldiers and such great virtues, should rejoice with the greatest exultation. Behold, the wicked enemy could never have helped the blessed infants as much by submission as he did by his hatred. As today's most sacred feast shows us, the grace of benediction shone forth in the blessed infants as much as cruelty against them abounded. For we heard a little while ago that when King Herod was pursuing Christ, thousands of happy boys were killed. As the prophet said, "Rachel mourns her children; she refuses to be consoled because her children are no more." The blessed mother of the triumphant, the land of illustrious warriors, rich in children, for a short time seemed to the eyes of the foolish to be bereaved. But she never was in need of consolation, nor did she bewail the sons whom she acquired with enviable sorrows, even while she lost them. Blessed are you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, who suffered the cruelty of King Herod in the death of your sons and at the same time merited to offer to God a white-clad group of peaceable, sinless infants.

  SERMON 222:1

• Jeremiah 48:10

  I exhort and admonish you, dearly beloved, that whenever the priest prays at the altar or when the deacon intones the prayer in a loud voice, you devoutly bow your bodies as well as your hearts. I have carefully noted that when the deacon says the usual flectamus genua, most of the people frequently remain standing like straight columns. This is not at all proper or right for Christians who are praying in church, because the deacon does not pray for us from you. Since those words are addressed to you in particular and most of all to the negligent, it is just for you to devoutly obey them. Let that prayer become a remedy for those who obey it but evidence against those who do not, according to the words, "Cursed is one who does the work of God carelessly." We also ought to fear and perfectly accomplish what the apostle said: "Be attentive in prayer, being vigilant," and "pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks."

  SERMON 77:1