In Humility Separate Yourself From Heretics In The Church | St Ambrose

[00:00:05]In our time, in these divisions in the church, humility is lacking on virtually everybody's part who's participating in the great debate.

[00:00:16]I don't exclude myself from that. I think I have insufficient humility myself.

[00:00:21]Let us listen to a homily from Saint Ambrose on the humility of Peter.

[00:00:34]Since the Lord wrought so many works of healing, we are not astonished to see that neither time nor place could restrain the multitude from seeking relief and health. Evening had come and still they followed him. He went down to the lake and still they pressed upon him. And therefore he entered Peter's ship. This is the ship which, according to the expression of Saint Matthew, is spiritually buffeted by tempests even up to this time, which is still, according to Saint Luke, filled with fishes, signifying that for a while to labor is the present state of the church, whilst hereafter it shall be to rejoice. For the fishes represent those who swim in the troublesome waters of this human life.

[00:01:14]When Jesus Christ seems to sleep in this ship and afterwards commands the winds of the sea, he [snorts] teaches us that he is sleeping for the lukewarm and watching for the perfect. However, our Lord's sleep must be considered according to the meaning attached to it in Holy Scripture.

[00:01:30]"I sleep, but my heart watcheth."

[00:01:33]Therefore, Saint Matthew in his gospel did not omit to mention the visible signs given by our Lord himself to prove his power when calming the tempestuous seas.

[00:01:43]This was not the action of human power as the Jews imagined when they exclaimed, "What manner of man is this, for the winds and the sea obey him?"

[00:01:51]>> [snorts] >> It was the proof of the divinity of Jesus Christ, revealing to men the mysteries of his grace, whilst commanding the waves of the sea, calming the elements and forcing unfeeling creatures to obey his word.

[00:02:03]Indeed, when we see that at his word the sea is calmed, that the devil is forced to leave those he possessed, both these miracles prove the almighty power of the man-god who commands material elements and makes known his power over the supernatural order of things.

[00:02:16]There is a specially mysterious coincidence in the fact that St. Matthew relates the calming of the tempest whilst St. Luke describes St. Peter's miraculous draught of fishes. Take notice that Peter's ship was not driven to and fro like the one in which was Judas.

[00:02:32]For though this one contained also some good disciples of our Lord, yet on account of the faithlessness of Judas, she could not safely progress in her course.

[00:02:41]Peter's own merits could not prevent the uneasiness he felt on account of one of the disciples.

[00:02:46]And thus we are warned to remove as far as possible the faithless ones from our society, lest we expose the multitude to perish through one whom we have not the courage to expel.

[00:02:57]No fear for the ship where wisdom is steering, where no false teaching is known, and faith is swelling the sails.

[00:03:04]How could she be in trouble under the steering of the Lord himself, the church's sure foundation?

[00:03:10]It is where faith is weak that there is fear, but there is safety where perfect love abides.

[00:03:16]To the other disciples it was commanded to loose their nets, but to Peter alone it was said, "Launch out into the deep."

[00:03:23]That is, into the depths of the doctrine of faith.

[00:03:26]What indeed is there so deep, so incomprehensible, as to gaze upon the depth of divine wisdom revealed to this apostle to recognize the Son of God and to take up the profession of his divine generation.

[00:03:37]This is a thing which the human mind is not able to grasp, but which is embraced by a hearty faith.

[00:03:43]For though it is not known to me how he was born of the Father, yet that born he was, I cannot be ignorant. What the order of his divine generation was, I know not, but I acknowledge God, the source of his generation. No one beheld the begetting of the Son of God by the Father, but the church stood by to hear the Father testify that this is his beloved Son.

[00:04:04]Whom shall we believe if we believe not God?

[00:04:07]For whatsoever we believe comes either by sight or by hearing, but our eyes oftentimes deceive us, while faith cometh by hearing.

[00:04:15]Shall we scrutinize the authority of him that speaks to us in order to believe his testimony?

[00:04:20]When we are made sure of a thing by honest people, we believe their words.

[00:04:24]We are assured by God himself of this mystery, which we are to believe, which is confirmed by the Son of God himself.

[00:04:30]The sun was darkened at his death. The earth was quaking and shaking in its foundations. They all proclaim the same truth. In the depth of this mysterious sea, the Son of God is seen by the church under the guidance of Peter.

[00:04:42]He rises full of glory and the Holy Ghost is pouring out all his gifts into the hearts of the faithful.

[00:04:48]As to the nets which by order of our Lord were let down by the disciples into the deep sea, we understand them to be the words of truth, forming so to speak the tissue of the evangelical sermons.

[00:04:59]These sermons, like the material nets, have some depths and corners by which men caught in the spiritual nets are prevented from slipping out and being lost again in the deep. It is not without a special reason that the instruments used by the evangelical laborers are compared to nets, for they do not bring death to the fish, but spiritual and everlasting life.

[00:05:18]Souls are taken out of the spiritual darkness and receive light. They're delivered from the deep abyss and guided up to heaven.

[00:05:25]Another manner of fishing is spoken of in the gospel.

[00:05:28]When our Lord asked Peter to cast a hook and take the fish which first came up, this event suggests an important lesson, for by this miracle Christians are admonished to be subject to their temporal rulers and also obedient to them.

[00:05:41]The Son of God himself teaches this truth by his own act. He possessed nothing, yet he paid tribute to Caesar.

[00:05:47]It was to teach the those endowed with earthly riches the obligation to recognize the rights of the sovereign and to teach others, those in servitude of the perishable things of the world, not to think themselves above the princes of the earth.

[00:05:59]Our Lord paid this tribute the same as was imposed in the old law for the sum was two pence to signify the great value of the redemption of man who has both a spiritual and a corporeal nature.

[00:06:09]There's also another mystery in the fact that the money for the tribute was found in the mouth of the fish for the mouth gives testimony to our justice and confesses our faith, the source of our salvation. The Apostle says, "With the mouth mouth confession is made unto salvation."

[00:06:24]This first fish caught by St. Peter may also represent St. Stephen, the first martyr, who had in his mouth a tribute paid by the redeemer. Jesus Christ giving himself up for our redemption is our tribute. We may therefore say that St. Stephen, confessing [clears throat] Jesus amidst his torments, bore, so to speak, the treasure of our redemption on his lips.

[00:06:43]Now, consider the deep humility of St. Peter saying to his divine teacher, "Master, we have labored all the night and have taken nothing, but at thy word I will let down the net." The Apostle seems to say, "Oh Lord, I recognize that my labors would be useless since I worked all the night in the darkness.

[00:06:59]Hast thou now come to dispel my darkness and help me. I do not see anybody yet coming into the my boat in which there is truth. Thou hast manifested thyself to the Gentiles and the wise men came from the east. Yet, I have not caught anyone in my net. I have uselessly labored labored all the day and I'm waiting for thy command that at thy word I let down my net not continuously." Oh, how vain and useless is presumption and self-confidence and how powerful and fruitful the humility of those who at the simple word of the redeemer filled their nets with fishes after their previous useless work.

[00:07:31]By this we are given to understand that the miraculous draught of human creatures made by the evangelical laborers was not the result of human eloquence, but the work of their divine vocation.

[00:07:42]Nations were converted through the faith being preached to them and not through being convinced by the logical arguments of human wisdom.

[00:07:49]And what is the meaning of the other ships manned by Peter's companions and asked to give help, but the land of Judea, the country of James and John.

[00:07:56]The prophet in his songs tells us that Judea was made his sanctuary.

[00:08:00]We learn thereby that these two disciples, leaving their own ship to enter that of Peter, left the temple and joined the church.

[00:08:07]And that the Jews and Gentiles, figured by the two ships filled with fishes, will recognize as their savior and whose name all knees shall bow in heaven and on earth.

[00:08:17]Yet considering in the enormous quantity of fish, I'm seized with fear unless the ships be submerged. But my fear disappears when I remember the words of the apostles.

[00:08:25]There must also be heresies that they who are reproved may be made manifest among you.

[00:08:30]See 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 19.

[00:08:33]We may also see in the ship coming near to that of St. Peter a figure of those churches which received their beginning from the first.

[00:08:40]Should the astonishment of St. Peter at the multitude of fishes caught in his net seem to indicate his uneasiness about the preservation of the great number of the faithful entrusted to his care, we have no motive to fear that he will lack the means of preserving them as long as they remain in his ship, since he received the gift of drawing into it even those who were without.

[00:08:59]Nevertheless, the apostles, far from attributing to his own efforts, the success of taking souls into his net, for he gives this credit to his savior, whose power he acknowledges, falling down at his knees and saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord."

[00:09:12]St. Peter is seized with astonishment at the favors he receives.

[00:09:16]For the more worthy he was, the more unworthy he considered himself.

[00:09:20]Follow his example and say, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, oh Lord." And the same answer will be given to you.

[00:09:27]Fear not to confess your sins before the merciful God who is ready to pardon you.

[00:09:31]For our sake, he deprived himself of everything.

[00:09:34]Let us for his love generously give to him what is our own.

[00:09:38]God immensely rich and generous cannot deprive us nor envy us our possessions, especially when considering that in the excess of his goodness, he granted to men the power of reconciling us to him.

[00:09:52]Thus the words of St. Ambrose on humility.

[00:09:57]And an interesting note there about why there are heretics among us.

[00:10:02]Why they teach a new and novel gospel so we may recognize them when they are among us and to separate ourselves from them.

[00:10:11]Something to remember.

[00:10:14]Let me know what you think of this in the comments, please. And like and subscribe if you have not, it does help.

[00:10:19]Sharing this on social media helps as well. And as always, pray for the church.

[00:10:23]I'm Anthony Stein.

[00:10:25]Ave Maria.