Christus servare voluit pereuntia
Fratres, ita sentíre nos opórtet de Iesu Christo, tamquam de Deo, tamquam de iúdice vivórum et mortuórum; nec decet nos humília sentíre de salúte nostra. Dum enim humíliter sentímus de illo, parva étiam nos acceptúros sperámus; quique hæc quasi tenúia áudiunt, peccant et nos peccámus nesciéntes unde vocáti simus et a quo et in quem locum et quanta sustinúerit Iesus Christus pati propter nos.
Quam ígitur nos ei dábimus remuneratiónem aut quem fructum dignum illo, quem nobis ipse dedit? Quanta vero ei debémus benefícia? Nam lucem nobis largítus est, tamquam Pater fílios nos appellávit, pereúntes nos servávit. Qualem ígitur laudem ipsi tribuémus aut mercédem remuneratiónis, qua compensémus quæ accépimus? qui mente erámus débiles, adorántes lápides et ligna, aurum et argéntum et æs, ópera hóminum; et tota vita nostra nihil áliud erat quam mors. Obscuritáte ígitur circúmdati et visum tali calígine plenum habéntes, óculos recuperávimus, eam nébulam, qua cingebámur, illíus voluntáte deponéntes.
Nam miserátus est nos et viscéribus commótus salvos fecit, cum spectásset in nobis multum errórem atque intéritum, nec ullam nos habére spem salútis nisi eam, quæ ab ipso est. Vocávit enim nos, qui non erámus, et vóluit e níhilo esse nos.
Lætáre stérilis, quæ non paris; erúmpe et clama, quæ non párturis; quóniam multi fílii desértæ magis quam eius quæ habet virum. Quod dixit: Lætáre stérilis, quæ non paris, nos índicat; stérilis enim erat Ecclésia nostra, ántequam ei dati essent fílii. Quod vero dixit: Clama, quæ non párturis, hoc dicit: preces nostras plane ad Deum referámus, non (parturiéntium instar) deficiéntes. Quod autem dixit: Quia multi fílii desértæ magis quam eius quæ habet virum; id dixit, quóniam pópulus noster desértus esse videbátur et Deo orbátus; nunc vero, cum crédimus, plures facti sumus iis, qui Deum habére censebántur.
Alia quoque Scriptúra ait: Non veni vocáre iustos, sed peccatóres. Hoc dicit, quod débeat pereúntes serváre. Id enim magnum et admirábile est: fulcíre non quæ stant, sed quæ cadunt. Sic et Christus serváre vóluit pereúntia et multos servávit, véniens vocánsque nos iam pereúntes.
Translation:
A sermon of the second century
Christ wished to save everything that perishes
Brethren, we ought to regard Jesus Christ both as God and as the judge of the living and the dead, and we should not undervalue the fact of our salvation. If we think little of it, it means that we hope for little. Moreover, people who hear these things and think them of small importance commit sin, and we ourselves sin if we do not realise what we have been called from, who has called us, and to what place, and how much suffering Jesus Christ endured on our account.
How then shall we repay him? What fruit can we bear that would be worthy of what he has given us? For how many benefits are we not in his debt! He has enlightened our minds; he has called us sons as a father does; he saved us when we were about to perish. How then shall we praise him, how repay him for his gifts? In the weakness of our minds we worshipped stones and pieces of wood, gold and silver and bronze, things made by men, and our whole life was death. Darkness enfolded us, and nothing but gloom met our eyes. Then, by his will, we escaped from the cloud that enveloped us and recovered our sight. For he saw our many errors and the damnation that awaited us, and knowing that apart from him we had no hope of salvation, he pitied us, and in his mercy saved us. He called us when we were not his people and willed us to become his people.
Rejoice, O barren woman who never bore a child; break into shouts of joy, you who never knew a mother’s pangs; for the deserted wife shall have more children than she who has a husband. When he says: Rejoice, O barren woman who never bore a child, he is speaking of us, for our Church was barren until children were given her. When he says: Break into shouts of joy, you who never knew a mother’s pangs, he means that we should not grow weary like women in labour, but tirelessly and in all simplicity offer our prayers to God. He declares that the deserted wife shall have more children than she who has a husband, because faith has now made our people who seemed to have been deserted by God more numerous than those who were thought to possess him.
Another text says: I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners, for it is those who are on the point of perishing who must be saved. It is a great and wonderful work to uphold those who are falling, rather than those who already stand firm. Christ willed to save people who were in danger of losing their souls, and he has been the salvation of many. When we were rushing headlong on the way to perishing, he came and called us.
