CHAPTER IX

Homily of the same on the Lord's word, saying: "When you pray, say: Our
Father in heaven, hallowed be your name'" (LK 11:2).
Prayers, all in all, are extremely venerable and praiseworthy, because they equal
man to the angels and make him communicate with God. This [particular]
prayer, however, is sublime and most venerable for four reasons. First, God
taught it. Our Lord, not just an apostle or a prophet, taught it to us. Second, it
is concise and everybody can say it. Third, everybody ought to learn it; this
prayer is as necessary as the profession of faith. As in the old [covenant]
everybody had to learn the Decalogue, likewise in the new [covenant] this
[prayer ought to be learned by everybody]. Fourth, this is a fruitful prayer and
contains a multitude of produce; that is, it contains all of the spiritual and
material solutions, whether for this life or for the hereafter. Therefore.
everybody should learn it and say: "Our Father." Concerning this, we need to
discuss three things. First, why is He called Father? Second, [why should we]
say our? Third, [why] does it say in heaven?
[Concerning] the first, it should be known that God is called "Father" in
six ways. First, by nature, for He is the cause of the Son's birth and the Spirit's
procession. Hence: "The Spirit who comes from the Father" (Un 15:26), and
"The Lord said to him, 'You are my Son' (Heb S:5). Second, He is called
Father by creation, for He is the Creator of all beings. Hence: "Is not He your
father, who created you, who made you ... ?" (Deut 32:6). Third, He is called
Father through restoration, for He who creates from nothing, restores from
corruption. Hence: "They received power to become children of God" (In
1:12). Fourth. He is called Father because of His wisdom and teaching; He
instructs and teaches. Hence: "O my God, you have taught me from my youth"
(Ps 71:17). Fifth. He is called Father for His compassion and care. He feeds
and provides nourishment. Hence: "Every act of giving is goodness from the
Father of lights" (cf. Jas 1:17). Sixth, He is called Father because of the paternal
heritage, which He distributes to His children, as the youngest son said: "Father,
give me my share, so He divided the properties" (Lk 15:12).
He is called God the Father particularly by us [Christians] in the following
six ways. First, He is the father of Christians by grace and designation, and not
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by nature, as He is the father and cause of the Son's birth and the Spirit's
procession. We are called Christ's brothers and Christians, and we receive the
Holy Spirit within us. [Then] it is evident that we become children of God the
Father by designation, although not by nature, as [Christ] stated: "I am
ascending to my Father by nature and your Father by designation, to my God
by designation and your God by nature" (cf. In 20:17). Second, He is our Father
by creation; and more so [He is Father] for us, Christians, because every child
is the image and the likeness of his father. We were created in the image of
God, conforming to His image. Hence: "We are conformed to the image of the
Son of God" (cf. Rom 8:29). He is our Father through our birth from the font,
because the image that has been corrupted by corporeal birth is restored in us
through spiritual birth. Hence: "Who were born not of blood or the flesh, but
of God" (cf. Jn 1:13). Fourth, He is called Father by wisdom and teaching, for
He taught us the Gospel and the wisdom of the Holy Trinity. Hence: "O Father,
you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent, and have
revealed them to the infants" (Lk 10:21), and infants are innocent. Fifth, He is
called our Father through His care; He gives us nourishment and feeds us not
only materially, but also spiritually, which is the body and blood of the Son of
God, and He thus unites us with the head, Christ. Sixth, He is called our Father
through paternal heritage; He promised us the kingdom of heaven. Hence: "Just
as my Father has conferred on me, so I confer on you a kingdom" (Lk 22:29).
There is also another notion about saying "Father." It indicates ten kinds
of goodness to us. First, saying "Father" points at the compassion and love He
has for us. Hence: "As a father pities his children" (Ps 103:13). Also: "The
Father loves the Son" (In 3:35). Second, it reveals to us the hidden knowledge,
for he (John] says: "Shows him [the Son] all" (In 5:20). Third, He forgives and
does not torment us, and sometimes He instructs us with love like father to son.
Fourth, He appropriately gives us what we have asked for. Hence: "The Father
will give you whatever you ask Him" (In 15:16): also: "The heavenly Father
knows how to give gifts to his children" (cf. Mt 7:11). Fifth. He cares for us
and protects us like father to son. Hence: "The heavenly Father knows whal
you need" (Mt 6:32).
Sixth, because He is the Father, He makes man deserve the forgiveness of
sins, and makes man partaker of justice and sanctity. Hence: "O God, give your
judgment to the king, and your righteousness to the king's son" (Ps 72:).
Seventh, when He finds us subjected to evil and the grievance of temptation,
He does not tolerate it and helps and gives [human beings) His hand like father
to son. Hence: "My deliverer from angry enemies" (Ps 17:48); also: "By you
I shall be delivered from temptation" (Ps 17:30). Eight, He sends the true Spirit
to comfort us. Hence: "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another
comforter, the Spirit" (cf. Jn 14:16-17).
Ninth, when we refer to God as Father, He elevates us to the supreme honor
ofbeing Christ's brothers and not servants, according to the Apostle who says:
"We cry *Abba! Father!' We are no longer servants, but children; heirs and joint
heirs with Christ" (cf. Rom 8:15-17). Tenth, when we say "Father." He not
only allows us to nominally be called [His] children, but also demands of us
works worthy of this name. Because the work confirms the designation, as He
[Christ] said to the Hebrews: "If you were Abraham's children, you would be
doing the works of Abraham" (Un 8:39). Then He (Christ] said to the
unbelievers: "If I am not doing the works of God, then do not believe me. But
if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe through the works
that I am the Son of God" (cf. Jn 10:37-38).
Similarly, we refer to God as Father in many ways, such as by creation, by
the font, and by other ways that we have mentioned and that are hidden.
Now, if we refer to God as Father through [our] works, all the ways of
fatherhood should be evident and true in us. Should someone ask: What is the
work of God, which we should make ours? We say that God's work is
goodness, holiness, righteousness, mercy, humility, truth, and other similar
things. Now, when we carry goodness in our minds, righteousness in our souls,
holiness in our bodies, humility in our wills, [and] truth on our tongues, and
bring other virtues into us, then we shall be called the worthy children of the
heavenly Father, as the Lord said: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect" (Mt 5:48). [Only] then we shall obtain the right to refer to God as "our
father." But if we are unworthy in deeds, yet we refer to God as Father, we sin
with six kinds of blasphemy. First, because we will be illegitimate and not
legitimate children, for every legitimate son demonstrates in himself a likeness
to his father, while the illegitimate son does not inherit the patrimony. Second,
because if we are not doing [God-pleasing] works, we lie when we say: "You
are our Father." And the liar is the son of Satan, as the Gospel says. Third, [it
will appear that] Christ, who is truth, falsely taught us to refer [to God] as
Father, and this is a greater blasphemy, and a great sin. Fourth, it is audacity
and impudence to refer to God as Father through unworthy works. Fifth,
because with our profane voice we stain the holy name of God, as the Prophet
said: "Why do you recite my righteousness," and so on (cf. Ps 50:16). Sixth,
we dishonor God's name and curse Him when we are wicked in our deeds, and
yet we call Him Father.
We will [thus] discuss the statement ("Our Father"] further. When we call
[God] "Father" by words, but we are evil in [our] actions, what would His
answer be after He hears our prayers and sees our actions? [He would say| you
lie in your words, and you are not my son by your actions. I am the Father of
incorruption, while you are corrupt by your actions; you are not my son,
because my image is absent in you; instead, you are the son of Satan and you
carry his image in you; you are alien to me, because I am good, but you are
evil; I am merciful, but you are merciless; I am righteous, but you are
unrighteous; and I am light, but you are darkness by your mind and actions;
light cannot unite with darkness, nor can evil unite with goodness, and so on.
I will not listen to you and will not fulfill your prayers, for I do not recognize
you; but your father is Satan and he will listen to you. The heavenly Father will
give this kind of answer when our prayers are unworthy. Should someone
wonder how can we be children of Satan, for he is not our creator, nor did he
beget us, nor do we call him "Father," we say, although Satan did not give birth
to us or create us, and we are never called his children, man becomes the son
of Satan in four ways. First, by will; second, by action; third, by likeness;
fourth, by image.
First, by will: since every son executes the will of his father, when we
abandon God's will and execute the will of Satan, we are called his [Satan's)
son. Second, by action: just as anyone who performs God's works is called the
son of God, so is called the son of Satan whoever performs Satan's works.
Third, by likeness: A person possessing luminous mind is called the son of light
and day, while a strong person [is called] the son of strength; likewise, an angry
person is called the son of anger, and a person who is dead through sins is
called] the son of peril, and a liar the son of falsehood, and so on. Fourth, by
image: a person possessing a good image in Him is called the son of goodness;
likewise, he who has the image of Satan (in him] is called the son of Satan.
Satan's distinguishing marks are envy, hatred, calumny, arrogance, avarice,
lustful desires, and so on. Envy is of Satan who first envied the glory of the
Creator, then envied the glory of man. Hatred [is of Satan], for he first hated
God, then the angels and the saints. The slanderer is of Satan, first, because he
sowed his word in the angels and troubled them; then he did the same] in the
first created beings, and now constantly sows his words in us and in our
neighbors. Pride is from him [Satan], first, because he swelled with pride
against the Creator, then against the angels. Avarice (is from Satan], because
he coveted and ravished the glory of heavenly beines, then ruled the world
avariciously. Lustful desires [are of Satan], because he changed the sacred love
and developed sinful habits, and now continues to always be fond of
fomication. All of these, and many more, are Satan's distinguishing marks, and
whoever carries these in his person becomes the son of Satan. Then, therefore,
so long as we dwell in sins, we should not say: "Our Father in heaven."
Otherwise, if someone says [so], the heavenly Father will not listen, but the
infernal one, who is Satan, [will listen], as has been shown.
The second question (relates to] saying "our" and not "my." It is to be
known that Christ's statement, "Our Father," was discussed in ten paragraphs
(demonstrating] the compassion and love [God] has for us. Also, [discussed
were in six paragraphs the ways of fatherhood by which we are called children
of our Father. Now we shall briefly mention, in six ways, why we should not
say "My Father." First, because to say "My Father" is appropriate only to the
Son by nature who is our Lord Jesus Christ. But to say "Our Father" is
appropriate to us who are called children of God by grace, as He [Christ] said:
"I am ascending to my Father and your Father" (Un 20:17). Second, it shows
that the common is good everywhere and is more pleasing to God than the
unique, because while He does not want us to pray solitarily, more so He does
not want our individual possessions and belongings. For this reason, He [Christ]
said: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them"
(Mt 18:20). Third, it eliminates avarice, because one should not pray for himself
only, but also for the neighbor and the whole world. Fourth, it eliminates hatred
and strengthens love, for to pray for all is an indication of love. Fifth, it
eliminates arrogance and strengthens humility, for to say "My Father" indicates
arrogance, as the Pharisee said: "I thank you my God" (Lk 18:11). Sixth, it
shows that all of us, Christians, are equally children of God and He loves us
equally and not [one] more and [the other] less: "For God shows no partiality"
(Rom 2:11), and He equally grants us forgiveness of sins, kingdom,
immortality, and all other bounties. This (much about] the second section on
"Our Father."
The third question is: Why does it [the prayer] say "in heaven"? The
Prophet said: "Our God is in the heavens and on earth" (cf. Ps 113:3). He also
said: "His dominion is everywhere" (cf. Ps 103:22). It is to be known that "in
heaven" is evidently said for ten reasons. Although God is everywhere by
providence, essence, and power, He is exalted in heaven by substance.
Primarily, He [Christ) praises us as the children of such heavenly Father, as
elsewhere He says: "Call no one your father on earth, for you have one
Father--the one in heaven" (Mt 23:9). Second, heaven is lofty, and by
mentioning Him, He [Christ] implores in us the lofty and heavenly virtues,
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which are spiritual and angelic. Third, saying "in heaven" indicates our abode.
Since we fell from heaven because of Adam, we will ascend again unto heaven
through Christ's help. Fourth, saying "in heaven" indicates that we are related
to the heavenly Father in whose image we were created, and that we are related
to the angels who praise [God] in the heavens. Fifth, mentioning heaven revives
in our minds the heavenly goodness that we lost, and when we recall our desire
[to return to heaven]. it incites us [to be in heaven]. Sixth, He [Christ] said "in
heaven," because through the mind's thoughts we rise there and depart from
that which is earthly, as the Apostle says: "Set your minds on things that are
above, not on things that are on earth" (Col 3:2).
Seventh, He [Christ] said "in heaven" so that we establish the foundation
of our habitation in heaven and build the "gold, silver, and precious stones"
there (1 Cor 3:12), as the Apostle says. Eighth, when we build our house in
heaven, we gather all our proceeds there, where they remain safe from violators
Hence: "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where thieves do not break
in" (Mt 6:20). Ninth, because we will be with the heavenly Father by our hearts
and disposition, for "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Mt
6:21). Tenth, saying "in heaven" directs us to heaven, which we ought to seek
and go toward. This path is not designed to travel to heaven; rather, to escape
there. Because a path is something we travel on voluntarily and peacefully,
while fleeing has three characteristics. First, we flee from evil. Second, we
move fast. Third, we do not look back. That is how we must flee from evil on
earth, as the Prophet said: "Go and hide for a little while" (cf. Isa 16:20), and
hasten to travel to the good. We should not look at the world with desire at all,
as the Apostle said: "I have forgotten what lies behind and am strained forward
to what lies ahead; I pass on toward the good" (Phil 3:13-14). It is thus, then,
that we can ascend unto heaven.
Should someone doubt, [saying]: "Our bodies are heavy and are made of
earth, how can we ascend unto heaven?" The doctors say that we do not need
material ladders, or ropes, or any other means to elevate us unto heaven, but
we can easily ascend unto heaven through six means that we possess. The first
is to turn from evil and stay with that which is good by the mind, soul, and
body; and this goodness is implanted in us by God and lifts us unto God in
heaven. Second, after we imprint the image of God by sanctity and
righteousness within ourselves, we will be with God inseparably in heaven,
where our archetype God is. Third, since all of our virtues are light and
conceivable, when we carry them within ourselves, we fly by them and rise to
the conceivable heaven, just as the bird flies by wings, or the weight of an
arrow is lifted by its wings. Fourth, faith and hope have descended into us from
God as a string of light; we rise unto heaven with it [this light of faith and
hope]. Fifth, through love we unite with God, for love is an indivisible bond;
therefore, necessarily, where God is, there we shall be with Him in heaven.
Sixth, through prayers, for what we ask of Him now in prayers, we receive
them from Him, as He [Christ] said: "Strive first for the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Mt 6:33).
Thus, one can ascend unto heaven in six ways; therefore, He [Christ] said:
"Our Father in heaven." So did the prodigal son who is mentioned in the
Gospel. He [Jesus] refers to the angels as elder son, because they are elder
when considering time, and they came to existence with the light. They are
elder by glory, honor, and position; they are incorporeal and reside in heaven;
and they praise God. Whereas man, Adam, is younger; he was created on
Friday; he was placed in the dust-made earthly paradise; and he was less
honorable than the angels, as David said: "You made him a little less than
angels," and so on (Ps 8:5). "The younger said to his father, Give me my
share,' so he divided his property" (Lk 15:11). He gave to the angels that which
is heavenly and to man that which is earthly. And [man] traveled to a distant
country and squandered his property in dissolute living, and he joined the
demons, because sinners dwell with sinners and in hell.
And the prodigal son's] feeding the pigs is a lustful desire. First, because
pigs are fond of wetness and they return immediately into the mud after being
washed. The desire of sins is insatiable. Therefore, He [Christ] said: "He
wanted to fill his belly with the horn" (Lk 15:16). When he wanted to go to his
father, he first came to himself and recognized himself by saying: "I am dying
of hunger" (k 15:17), and then he composed a confession in his mind and
said: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you" (Lk 15:18). [Christ]
refers to the Garden of Eden as heaven, for [Adam] sinned there and fell down
unto the earth. The prodigal son signifies the sinner who first ought to recognize
himself as a sinner and return, then repent and think, and then confess to the
priest. The heavenly Father went to him; that is, "ran to him, put his arms
around him, and kissed him" (Lk 15:20).
What we have said has four meanings. First, as the prodigal [son] was
returning, the father ran to him, kissed him because he had repented, and
adorned him with cloths and other things because he had confessed. The
merciful heavenly Father treats all sinners in a similar fashion. Second, there
are three kinds of kisses: on the feet, on the hands, and on the face. That of the
feet is for enemies. That of the hands is for strangers. But that of the face is for
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beloved ones. Thus. by love he [the father] received the prodigal [son]. Third
putting of the arms around him [the son] indicates the rational yoke of the
Gospel, which He [Christ] placed upon him, who distanced from himself the
first obligation of the commandment. Thus, when we confess, we ought to
accept the yoke of penance. Fourth, since the hugging takes place in a crosslike
fashion, this means that the prodigal son was accepted through the intercession
of Christ's cross. Thus, a sinner finds forgiveness of sins through the cross.
The second adornment is that [the father] took away the filthy garb and
put on him [the son] the original robe, which is the innocence and radiance that
he possessed in the Garden of Eden. Because [the first man] became naked by
his disobedience, and when he tasted the fruit, he saw his nakedness; similarly,
the sinner first disobeys the ordinances and then, by committing the sins,
becomes stripped of grace. But when he confesses, he puts innocence on again.
Third, the ring on the finger of the hand. The hand is a symbol of labor and the
ring of dominion. The finger is our rational mind. The circle [of the ring)
indicates faith, while the substance [of the ring indicates] uncorrupted and pure
hope. The shiny stone [on the ring means that] God's image is beautified within
us. Fourth, the sandals on his [prodigal son's] feet are the durability of the soul
and the body, so that the cursed serpent might not wound [him] again, but
strengthened by the Gospel, [he might] crush its head. Hence: "I have given
you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions; and nothing will harm you"
(Lk 10:19). [Sacrificing) the fattened calf [symbolizes] sacrificing the Only
Begotten who was offered for our sake, because one ought to receive
communion after confession, and that should happen through the hands of other
priests. Because He [the father] ordered others to bring the fattened calf. The
expression [of the son] "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you"
is a confession, while the expression "Our Father in heaven" is a prayer. For if
they [sinners] are not worthy of prayer, [at least] they can confess with the
prodigal son, saying: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you."
And may He, the heavenly Father, with His benevolent compassion, make
all sinners worthy of His loving kiss, and return us to heaven, to our patrimony,
in our Lord Jesus Christ, glory and power [to Him] forever. Amen.