"And thy own soul a sword shall pierce" are words spoken by Simeon to Our Blessed Mother when she presented her first-born in the Temple, in accordance with the Law of Moses.
It is traditional to reflect on the Sorrows of Mary in the month of September. To this end, in the following posts I offer the words of the French scholar and preacher Bossuet, taken from his Elevation* on the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple. I have added my own (fairly literal) translation and occasional notes on Scriptural references.
*élévation: THÉOLOGIE. Mouvement de l’âme vers Dieu ; prière qui favorise et traduit ce mouvement. Elevation: theology. A movement of the soul towards God; a prayer that favours and translates this movement.
Laudetur Jesus Christus et Maria Immaculata.
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| The Presentation in the Temple. J-J Tissot. |
XIIIe ÉLÉVATION.
D'où naissaient ces contradictions.
The Thirteenth Elevation
The Genesis of the Contradiction
« Vous êtes d'en bas, et je suis d'en haut : » Je viens apprendre aux hommes des choses hautes qui les passent; et les hommes superbes ne veulent pas s'humilier pour les recevoir.
« Vous êtes du monde , et je ne suis pas du monde : » Vous êtes charnels et sensuels ; et ce que je vous annonce qui est spirituel , ne peut entrer dans votre esprit. Il faut que je vous régénère , que je vous renouvelle, que je vous refonde, car, « ce qui est né de la chair est chair , » et on n'est spirituel qu'en renaissant et en renonçant à sa première vie.
"You are from beneath, I am from above."[1] I come to teach men about high things which pass over them; and men who are proud do not want to humble themselves in order to receive these things.
"You are of this world, I am not of this world."[1] You are carnal and sensual but what I announce to you is spiritual and cannot enter into your spirit. It is necessary for me to regenerate you, to renew you and to recast you, because "That which is born of the flesh, is flesh"[2] the a man is spiritual only by being reborn and renouncing his former life.
« La lumière est venue au monde ; et les hommes ont mieux aimé les ténèbres que la lumière, parce que leurs œuvres étaient mauvaises. » Car « celui qui fait mal hait la lumière; et il ne vient point à la lumière, de peur que ses œuvres ne soient manifestées . »
Voilà trois paroles du Fils de Dieu , qui contiennent trois raisons pour lesquelles les hommes n'ont pu le souffrir. Ils sont superbes, et ils ne veulent pas s'humilier pour recevoir les sublimités qu'il leur annonce : ils sont charnels et sensuels, et ils ne veulent pas se dépouiller de leurs sens pour entrer dans les choses spirituelles où il les veut faire entrer : ils sont vicieux et corrompus, et ils ne peuvent souffrir d'être repris par la vérité.
"The light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light: for their works were evil."[3] For "every one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved."[3]
These are three utterances of the Son of God which contain three reasons why men could not endure Him. They are proud and they have no wish to humble themselves in order to receive the sublime gifts which He announces to them; they are carnal and sensual and they do not wish to strip themselves of their senses in order to enter into the spiritual things which He offers them; and, through vices and corruption, they cannot tolerate being reclaimed by truth.
« Vous me voulez faire mourir, dit le Sauveur, parce que ma parole ne prend point en vous et n'y trouve point d'entrée . » Ainsi elle vous révolte , parce que vous ne pouvez pas y entrer. Comme jamais il n'y eut de vérité ni plus haute, ni plus spirituelle, ni plus convaincante et plus vivement reprenante que celle de Jésus-Christ, il n'y eut jamais aussi une plus grande révolte ni une plus grande contradiction. C'est pourquoi il en faut venir jusqu'à la détruire, jusqu'à faire mourir celui qui l'annonce. « Vous cherchez à me faire mourir, moi qui suis un homme qui vous dis la vérité. » Voilà le sujet de votre haine : « Vous ne connaissez pas mon langage. » Pourquoi? « parce que vous ne pouvez pas seulement écouter ma parole : » elle vous est insupportable, parce qu'elle est vive, convaincante, irrépréhensible.
"You seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you."[4] and this word causes you to revolt because you cannot enter therein. As there has never been a truth which is higher, more spiritual, more convincing and more restorative of life than that of Jesus Christ, neither has there been a greater revolt nor a greater contradiction. This is why they felt obliged to destroy it and to put to death Him Who announced it. "But now you seek to kill me, a man who has spoken the truth to you"[5] Here is the subject of your hatred: "Why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word."[6] My word is intolerable for you because it is life-giving, convincing and beyond reproach.
C'est la grande contradiction que souffre Jésus : les hommes se révoltent contre lui, parce qu'ils ne veulent pas se convertir, s'humilier, se mortifier , combattre leurs cupidités et leurs passions. Ils aimeront quelquefois ses vérités qui sont belles en elles-mêmes : quand elles se tournent en jugement, en répréhension, en correction , ils se révoltent contre lui et contre les prédicateurs qui prêchent les vérités fortes ; et contre les supérieurs , contre les amis qui nous mettent nos défauts devant les yeux, et qui troublent le faux repos d'une mauvaise conscience. C'est de ce côté-là plus que de tous les autres que Jésus-Christ est « en butte aux contradictions, » et cet endroit est pour lui le plus sensible.
Here is the great contradiction that Jesus endures: men revolt against Him because they do not want to be converted, to humble themselves, to modify themselves, to overcome their their desires and their passions. They will occasionally be attracted to His truths which are beautiful in themselves; but when these truths turn to the questions of judgment, of reproach, and of correction, men revolt against Him and against preachers who proclaim these mighty truths; and against superiors, against friends who lay our sins before our eyes and to disturb the false peace of a bad conscience. It is in this sense more than in any other that Jesus Christ is "a sign which shall be contradicted;" and He is most sensitive in this.
Notes
[1] And he said to them: You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. Et dicebat eis : Vos de de the orsum estis, ego de supernis sum. Vos de mundo hoc estis, ego non sum de hoc mundo. [Joan.viii.23.] The
[2] That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit. Quod natum est ex carne, caro est : et quod natum est ex spiritu, spiritus est.[Joan.iii.6.]
[3] And this is the judgment: because the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light: for their works were evil. Hoc est autem judicium : quia lux venit in mundum, et dilexerunt homines magis tenebras quam lucem : erant enim eorum mala opera. For every one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved. Omnis enim qui male agit, odit lucem, et non venit ad lucem, ut non arguantur opera ejus :[Joan.iii.19, 20.]
[4] I know that you are the children of Abraham: but you seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. Scio quia filii Abrahae estis : sed quaeritis me interficere, quia sermo meus non capit in vobis.[Joan.viii.37.]
[5] But now you seek to kill me, a man who have spoken the truth to you, which I have heard of God. This Abraham did not. Nunc autem quaeritis me interficere, hominem, qui veritatem vobis locutus sum, quam audivi a Deo : hoc Abraham non fecit.[Joan.viii.37.]
[6] Why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word. Quare loquelam meam non cognoscitis? Quia non potestis audire sermonem meum.[Joan.viii.43.]
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