Chapter VII.

The washing away of sins is indicated by the white robes of the catechumens, whence the Church speaks of herself as black and comely. Angels marvel at her brightness as at that of the flesh of the Lord. Moreover, Christ Himself commended His beauty to His Spouse under many figures. The mutual affection of the one for the other is described.

34. After this white robes were given to you as a sign that you were putting off the covering of sins, and putting on the chaste veil of innocence, of which the prophet said: “Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop and I shall be cleansed, Thou shalt wash me and I shall be made whiter than snow.”40    Ps. li. [l.] 9. For he who is baptized is seen to be purified both according to the Law and according to the Gospel: according to the Law, because Moses sprinkled the blood of the lamb with a bunch of hyssop;41    Ex. xii. 22. according to the Gospel, because Christ’s garments were white as snow, when in the Gospel He showed forth the glory of His Resurrection. He, then, whose guilt is remitted is made whiter than snow. So that God said by Isaiah: “Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow.”42    Isa. i. 18.

35. The Church, having put on these garments through the laver of regeneration, says in the Song of Songs: “I am black and comely, O daughters of Jerusalem.”43    Cant. i. 4. Black through the frailty of her human condition, comely through the sacrament of faith. And the daughters of Jerusalem beholding these garments say in amazement: “Who is this that cometh up made white?”44    Cant. viii. 5. She was black, how is she now suddenly made white?

36. The angels, too, were in doubt when Christ arose; the powers of heaven were in doubt when they saw that flesh was ascending into heaven. Then they said: “Who is this King of glory?” And whilst some said “Lift up your gates, O princes, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.”45    Ps. xxiv. [xxiii.] 8, 9. In Isaiah, too, we find that the powers of heaven doubted and said: “Who is this that cometh up from Edom, the redness of His garments is from Bosor, He who is glorious in white apparel?”46    Isa. lxiii. 1.

37. But Christ, beholding His Church, for whom He Himself, as you find in the book of the prophet Zechariah, had put on filthy garments, now clothed in white raiment, seeing, that is, a soul pure and washed in the laver of regeneration, says: “Behold, thou art fair, My love, behold thou art fair, thy eyes are like a dove’s,”47    Cant. iv. 1. in the likeness of which the Holy Spirit descended from heaven. The eyes are beautiful like those of a dove, because in the likeness of a dove the Holy Spirit descended from heaven.

38. And farther on: “Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are shorn, which are come up from the pool, which all bear twins, and none is barren among them, thy lips are as a cord of scarlet.”48    Cant. iv. 2, 3. This is no slight praise. First by the pleasing comparison to those that are shorn; for we know that goats both feed in high places without risk, and securely find their food in rugged places, and then when shorn are freed from what is superfluous. The Church is likened to a flock of these, having in itself the many virtues of those souls which through the laver lay aside the superfluity of sins, and offer to Christ the mystic faith and the grace of good living, which speak of the cross of the Lord Jesus.

39. The Church is beautiful in them. So that God the Word says to her: “Thou art all fair, My love, and there is no blemish in thee,” for guilt has been washed away. “Come hither from Lebanon, My spouse, come hither from Lebanon, from the beginning of faith wilt thou pass through and pass on,”49    Cant. iv. 7, 8. because, renouncing the world, she passed through things temporal and passed on to Christ. And again, God the Word says to her: “How beautiful and sweet art thou made, O love, in thy delights! Thy stature is become like that of a palm-tree, and thy breasts like bunches of grapes.”50    Cant. vii. 6, 7.

40. And the Church answers Him, “Who will give Thee to me, my Brother, that didst suck the breasts of my mother? If I find Thee without, I will kiss Thee, and indeed they will not despise me. I will take Thee, and bring Thee into the house of my mother; and into the secret chamber of her that conceived me. Thou shalt teach me.”51    Cant. viii. 1, 2. You see how, delighted with the gifts of grace, she longs to attain to the innermost mysteries, and to consecrate all her affections to Christ. She still seeks, she still stirs up His love, and asks of the daughters of Jerusalem to stir it up for her, and desires that by their beauty, which is that of faithful souls, her spouse may be incited to ever richer love for her.

41. So that the Lord Jesus Himself, invited by such eager love and by the beauty of comeliness and grace, since now no offences pollute the baptized, says to the Church: “Place Me as a seal upon thy heart, as a signet upon thine arm;”52    Cant. viii. 6. that is, thou art comely, My beloved, thou art all fair, nothing is wanting to thee. Place Me as a seal upon thine heart, that thy faith may shine forth in the fulness of the sacrament. Let thy works also shine and set forth the image of God in the Whose image thou wast made. Let no persecution lessen thy love, which many waters cannot quench, nor many rivers drown.

42. And then remember that you received the seal of the Spirit; the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and godliness, and the spirit of holy fear,53    Isa. xi. 2. and preserved what you received. God the Father sealed you, Christ the Lord strengthened you, and gave the earnest of the Spirit in your heart,54    2 Cor. v. 5. as you have learned in the lesson from the Apostle.55    This passage evidently refers to confirmation, and to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit received therein. In the Early Church as in the Eastern Church to the present day, confirmation was administered immediately after baptism.

CAPUT VII.

Vestimentis candidis peccatorum ablutionem indicari: cujus opera ut Ecclesia se nigram atque decoram diceret, effectum est. Angelos nitorem ejus sicut et Dominicae carnis miratos esse; quin immo ipsummet Christum sub variis figuris commendasse Sponsae suae formam: quorum in se mutui affectus describuntur.

34. Accepisti post haec vestimenta candida (De 0399B Consec. dist. 4, c. Accepsiti), ut esset indicium quod exueris involucrum peccatorum, indueris innocentiae casta velamina, de quibus dixit Propheta: Asperges me hyssopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor (Psal. L, 9). Qui enim baptizatur, et secundum Legem et secundum Evangelium videtur esse mundatus: secundum Legem, quia hyssopi fasciculo Moyses aspergebat sanguinem agni (Exod. XII, 22): secundum Evangelium, quia Christi erant candida vestimenta sicut nix, cum resurrectionis 0400A 334 suae gloriam in Evangelio (Matth. XVII, 2) demonstraret. Super nivem ergo dealbatur, cui culpa dimittitur. Unde et per Esaiam Dominus ait: Si fuerint peccata vestra sicut phoenicium, ut nivem dealbabo (Esai. I, 18).

35. Haec vestimenta habens Ecclesia per lavacrum regenerationis assumpta, dicit in Canticis: Nigra sum et decora, filiae Hierusalem (Cant. I, 4). Nigra per fragilitatem conditionis humanae, decora per gratiam: nigra, quia ex peccatoribus; decora fidei sacramento. Haec vestimenta cernentes filiae Hierusalem stupefactae dicunt: Quae est haec quae ascendit dealbata (Cant. VIII, 5)? Haec erat nigra, unde nunc subito dealbata!

36. Dubitaverunt etiam angeli cum resurgeret 0400B Christus, dubitaverunt Potestates coelorum videntes quod caro in coelum ascenderet. Denique dicebant: Quis est iste Rex gloriae? Et cum alii dicerent: Tollite portas Principis vestri, et elevamini portae aeternales, et introibit Rex gloriae; alii dubitabant dicentes: Quis est iste Rex gloriae (Psal. XXIII, 8, 9)? In Esaia quoque habes dubitantes virtutes coelorum dixisse: Quis est iste qui ascendit ex Edom, rubor vestimentorum ejus ex Bosor, speciosus in stola candida (Esai. LXIII, 1)?

0401A 37. Christus autem videns Ecclesiam suam in vestimentis candidis, pro qua ipse, ut habes in Zachariae libro prophetae (Zach. III, 3), sordida vestimenta susceperat, vel animam regenerationis lavacro mundam atque ablutam, dicit: Ecce formosa es, proxima mea, ecce es formosa, oculi tui sicut columbae (Cant. IV, 1); in cujus specie Spiritus sanctus descendit de coelo (Luc. III, 22). Formosi oculi sicut columbae, quia in ejus specie Spiritus sanctus descendit de coelo.

38. Et infra: Dentes tui sicut grex tonsarum, quae ascenderunt de lavacro, quae omnes geminos creant, et infecunda non est in eis; ut resticula coccinea labia tua (Cantic. IV, 2, 3). Non mediocris ista laudatio. Primum dulci comparatione tonsarum; capras 0401B enim et in altis pasci sine periculo novimus, et in praeruptis securas cibum capere: deinde cum 335 tondentur, deonerari superfluis. Harum gregi comparatur Ecclesia, multas in se habens animarum virtutes, quae per lavacrum superflua peccata deponant, quae mysticam fidem et moralem gratiam deferant Christo, quae crucem Domini Jesu loquantur.

39. In iis formosa est Ecclesia. Unde ad eam Verbum Deus dicit: Tota formosa es, proxima mea; et reprehensio non est in te; quia culpa demersa est. Ades huc a Libano, Sponsa, ades huc a Libano: transibis, et pertransibis a principio fidei (Ibid., 7, 8); eo quod renuntians mundo transierit saeculum, pertransierit 0402A ad Christum. Et iterum dicit ad eam Deus Verbum: Quid pulchra et suavis facta es charitas in deliciis tuis? Statura tua similis facta est palmae, et ubera tua botris (Cant. VII, 6, 7).

40. Cui respondet Ecclesia: Quis dabit te, frater, mihi lactentem ubera matris meae? Inveniens te foris, osculabor te: et quidem non spernent me. Assumam te, et inducam te in domum matris meae, et in secretum ejus quae concepit me. Docebis me (Cant. VIII, 1, 2). Vides quemadmodum delectata munere gratiarum, ad interiora cupit mysteria pervenire, et omnes sensus suos consecrare Christo? Adhuc quaerit, adhuc suscitat charitatem, et suscitari sibi eam poscit a filiabus Hierusalem, quarum gratia, hoc est, animarum fidelium, Sponsum in amorem sui uberiorem desiderat 0402B provocari.

41. Unde Dominus Jesus et ipse invitatus tantae studio charitatis, pulchritudine decoris et gratiae; quod nulla jam in ablutis delicta sorderent, dicit ad Ecclesiam: Pone me ut signaculum in cor tuum, ut sigillum in brachium tuum (Ibid., 6); hoc est, decora es, proxima mea, tota formosa es, nihil tibi deest. Pone me ut signaculum in cor tuum; 336 quo fides tua pleno fulgeat sacramento. Opera quoque tua luceant, et imaginem Dei praeferant, ad cujus imaginem facta es. Charitas tua nulla persecutione minuatur, quam multa aqua excludere, flumina undare non possint (Ibid. 7).

42. Unde repete quia accepisti signaculum spiritale, 0403A spiritum sapientiae et intellectus, spiritum consilii atque virtutis, spiritum cognitionis atque pietatis, spiritum sancti timoris (Esai. XI, 2): et serva quod accepisti. Signavit te Deus Pater, confirmavit te Christus Dominus; et dedit pignus Spiritus in cordibus tuis, sicut Apostolica lectione didicisti (II Cor. V, 2).