Coptic Homilies in the Dialect of Upper Egypt

Coptic Homilies in the Dialect of Upper Egypt

continued

X. The Discourse of Apa Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, on the Canaanitish Woman

1 Great is the storm, but it hath not been able to hinder the readiness of those who have come. Great is the trial, but it hath not destroyed our sufferings. The Church shall never be free from those who contend against her, [but] she shall never be overcome. Certain folk plot craftily against her, [but] she vanquisheth them. Howsoever great may be the evil which they meditate against her, she increaseth exceedingly. The waves break over her and have no effect upon her, for she hath taken her stand on this Rock, which is the immoveable Word of God, and she is herself immoveable. The Rock it was Who said, 'The gates of Amente shall not prevail against her.' He who fighteth [against her] destroyeth only himself, but the Church herself becometh stronger and stronger. Job was a good man before [his] trial, but the days wherein he was healthy in his body were not like unto the days in which his infirmity wove a crown and set it upon his head.' Be not afraid at any time of temptation if thy soul be prepared. For the matter is like unto the gold to which the furnace doeth no injury, that is to say, tribulation doeth no harm to him that beareth himself with fortitude. What doth the furnace do to the gold except to purify it more and more? That is to say, he who riseth up before tribulation, when the suffering which hath to be endured cometh to him, is exalted thereby. Cowardly inaction weakeneth the soul, but trial giveth victory to the layman. Know, moreover, that those who endure no trial receive shame, and that those who endure trial receive election. Where are the things which are reckoned unto them? Nothing maketh itself visible.

2 I come out into the market, and I look upon the wares [therein], [I see that] they are weak plants on which the wind blew, and they were thrown to the ground, and straw which had been threshed out; nevertheless the flour hath remained pure. Who is there that can fight against them [successfully]? Their conscience it is which giveth them victory over those who fight against them. Let us prepare a table. Yesterday Paul provided his table for us, to-day the table is that of Matthew. Yesterday it was the tentmaker, to-day it is the tax-gatherer. Yesterday it was the blasphemer, to-day it is the man of obedience. Yesterday it was the pursuer, to-day it is the man of avarice. The blasphemer, however, did not continue to be a blasphemer, but became an Apostle; and he who was a robber did not continue to be a man of greed, but became an Evangelist. I will not make mention of the wickednesses of their earlier years, which afterwards became spiritual excellences. Our masters did not give light whilst they lived in their former state of sin, but they did shine brightly at the last [when living] in [a state of] right-cousness.

3 Now the tax-gatherers and the blasphemers are the masters of the earth. What kind of place, then, is that of the tax-gatherer? It is a place wherein men plunder at mid-day. The injustice which is according to the law maketh itself manifest, as well as the injustice which is done in the presence of the law. The tax-gatherer is the advocate of thieves. When a thief is caught in the very act of stealing he is ashamed, but the tax-gatherer is bold of speech and action, even while he plundereth. But suddenly the tax-gatherer became an Evangelist; how did this come about? When Jesus was passing by, He saw him sitting in his tax-gatherers' shed, and He said unto him, 'Rise up, follow Me.' O the might of the word! The hook came, and it hooked the captive, and it armed him like a soldier. The hook came, and it made the clay become gold. He (Matthew) was in the pit of wickedness, and it drew him up into the mesh of the net of spiritual excellence. Let no man fall into despair concerning his salvation, for evil deeds possess not a constitution which endureth for ever. And, moreover, we were created in a state of liberty.

4 If thou art a tax-gatherer, thou hast the power to turn thyself into an Evangelist. And if thou art a thief, thou hast the power to enter into the Paradise. And if thou art a magician thou hast the power to worship thy God. For there is no kind of sin whatsoever which repentance will not do away; therefore God hath chosen the greatest sinners on the earth, so that no man might fall into despair about himself. Thou shalt not say, 'I have committed sin, which is what usually happeneth,' [for] thou hast a Physician by thee Who is wont to treat thee with such medicines as thou wishest. Was it not He Who made thee? [And when] thou didst not exist did not He make thee to be? He hath not made thee anew as He made thee at the beginning, when He took a piece of earth, and fashioned it into a man, but He hath made the earth [and] the clay, to become flesh, similar to that which hath ligaments (or, nerves), and bones, and hair, and eyelids, and eyes, and the shoulders (?), and the breast, and the hands, and the feet, and all the other members. Are not all these members earthy in their substance?

5 Then entered Skill in handicraft, and she made all created things according to their kinds. Inquire not concerning the manner in which they were made, and waste not thy labour in prying into what is, but believe that the matter was super-miraculous. Thou wouldst never be able to describe the means by which creation was made. If fire cometh upon thorns it consumeth them: how much more then shall the Word of God make sins to become white, and consume them? And if thou art in the habit of saying, 'I have sinned exceedingly, but who is there that is without sin?'—now, I am using the very words which thou thyself wilt say— confess thy sins first of all, and [then] do thou the work of making thyself just. If thou hast committed sin, make haste, stand up on thy feet, be sorry, and let thy heart eat thee [in remorse], and pour out thy tears. For did not the sinful woman act in this wise? And did she not pour out her tears, and lay hold on repentance?

6 'Now Jesus came out of the border of Tyre and Sidon, and behold a woman set out to go to Him.' The Evangelist is stricken with wonder, and saith, 'a woman,' [that is to say,] the strongest weapon of the Devil! The mother of sin! The beginning of wickedness! [Woman,] who was cast forth from the Paradise! This is woman, and such is [her] nature. O what strange (or, new) and wonderful works are these! The Jews fled from Him, but the woman fled to Him, and made supplication unto Him saying, 'O Son of David, have mercy upon me.' Consider this woman, who made herself to be a preacher, and one who acknowledged the government of God, for she said, 'Lord,' which was the confession of [His] Divinity, and 'Son of David,' which was the acknowledgement [of His manhood], 'have mercy upon me.' Is not this act better than every other act in this world? Consider how this truly wise soul said, 'Have mercy upon me.' Is not this citizenship better than every other citizenship in the world? [She said:] 'I was in danger, I fled to His feet for mercy. Wilt Thou, then, search out my sins? Give me salvation abundantly, inasmuch as the place of mercy searcheth not out sins.'

7 O thou woman, what didst thou think within thyself? Thou wast a law-breaker and a harlot. How couldst thou possibly dare to go out to meet Him? Consider, moreover, the wisdom of this woman. She did not make an appeal to the Apostles saying, 'Take me in to Him.' She made no supplication to Peter, neither needed she any of the other [Apostles to help her. But she said:] 'I want, however, to see [Him], but I have no need of men to make Him come to where I am.' And why? 'Because He came down, and took upon Himself flesh, I will speak with Him in the flesh.' O how great is the lovingkindness of God towards man! He before Whom the Cherubim in the heavens tremble in awe [permitted] a sinful woman to stand and to talk with Him upon the earth! She said: 'Have mercy upon me! for this reason hast Thou taken upon Thyself flesh, and hast come forth, and hast entered into the world for the sake of sinners like unto myself.' Those who are in the heavens tremble in awe before Him, yet those on the earth hold converse with Him boldly. 'Have mercy upon me!' What is it that thou desirest? 'I seek after mercy.' What dost thou wish? 'My daughter is grievously afflicted. My sorrow is great. Heal thou my members which are within me, for I am being consumed; preserve my bowels, and take Thou me out of this burning heat of fever. What shall I do? I shall die.'

8 Why did she not say, 'Have mercy on my daughter?' On the contrary she said, 'Have mercy on me, for my daughter doth not perceive the torment of the disease with which she is grievously vexed. That she is seized by the disease in its most severe form [is evident] because she doth not perceive what it is. Have mercy upon me! because I see this sight every day, and great is my grief. What do I call her? I call her a dead body, for though she moveth and liveth yet she knoweth not what she doeth. For I know not the name of the disease, neither do I know of what kind it is, or whether my daughter shall die through it. Now death appertaineth to every one. In what condition shall I see [her on my return]? With her eyes starting from their sockets in terror, and her hands with the bones thereof protruding, and the hair torn out in frenzy, and the mouth dripping with foam, and meanwhile the devil which is contending with her is hidden inside her, and doth not appear. Have mercy upon me! My waterflood (or, tempest) is great. This is the kind of disease from which I [suffer], and also from demoniacal wickedness. Have mercy upon me!'

9 Consider the wisdom of this woman! Why did she not go to the magicians, or to those who used exorcisms, or to the women who dealt with the bodies of the dead, or to the soothsayers who were in the habit of paying honour to devils, or to those who could make the sufferings of sick folk to become greater or to diminish? Nay, she forsook the court of the Devil, and she came to the feet of the Saviour of souls [and said], 'Have mercy on me, for my daughter is grievously vexed.' Dost thou observe the fortitude and the patient endurance? And as the woman raised herself from the ground, 'He answered her not a word.' O these things which were done publicly! She made supplication to Him, and she besought Him earnestly, and she entreated Him, but He answered her not a word. The sickness increased, but the Physician kept silence. The blow was sharp and severe, and the Word kept silence. The Physician held His hand. What is this new and wonderful matter? Thou didst run after others, and didst say, 'Come ye unto Me. I will heal you.' Yet from her who ran after Thee Thou didst run away! 'Have mercy on me!' 'I was not sent unto any except the sheep which had gone astray of the House of Israel.'

10 And His disciples went to Him and entreated Him, saying, 'Send her away, for she crieth out after us.' [And the woman said:] 'Thou Thyself seest that my outcry is great, [but] my cry, which is in my heart also, is to Thee. And again they said unto Him, As the Lord, and as a Lover of mankind, give salvation to this woman.' 'What shall I give? I am not sent unto any except the sheep which have gone astray of the House of Israel.' 11 This is in itself the whole matter. It was for this very thing that Thou didst take upon Thyself flesh, that Thou mightest do good to a certain woman who was going to perish. Wouldst Thou, then, leave the world to become a desert [and destroy] the Scythians, and the Arabs, and the Elamites, and [the people of] Cilicia, and Cappadocia, and the Syrians, and the Phoenicians, and [the people] of every place on which the sun looketh? Or didst Thou come into this world only for the sake of the Jews? Wilt Thou allow [the lands of] the Gentiles to become a desert? Or hast Thou forgotten that they scoff at Thy Father and worship idols? Wherefore, then, did David speak according to the flesh and say, 'Ask of Me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and thy dominion unto the end of the earth.' And in like manner also Isaiah, who saw the Seraphim, said, 'The root of Jesse shall [flourish], and He who shall arise shall rule the nations, [and] in Him shall the nations hope.' And again, 'A ruler shall not cease from Judah, nor a governor from his heritage, until there come He that hath been constituted [ruler], and He it is Whom the nations await.' And again, 'O all ye nations, clap ye your hands.' And [yet Thou doest thus,] Thou, O Lover of every soul, Who didst say to Thy disciples, 'Go ye, baptize all nations, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost!'

12 This Canaanitish woman, however, received a profitable rebuke. She came out of a place of madness and stupefying folly, a place where they worshipped idols. This miserable woman came and made entreaty by reason of the matter which had come upon her daughter, and Thou didst say unto her, 'I have not been sent to any except the sheep which have gone astray of the House of Israel.' Yet in that very hour wherein the centurion came to Thee Thou didst say, 'I am coming, I will heal him.' And again, in the hour of the thief Thou didst say unto him, 'This day thou shalt be with Me in My Paradise.' And again [in the case of] the man who was paralysed, Thou didst make him take up his bed, and he walked. And again, Lazarus didst Thou call when he had been in the tomb four days, [and he came forth]. The dead Thou didst raise to life. Those whose members were withered Thou didst gird with strength. The harlots Thou didst hold to be more chaste than the virgins. And what didst Thou say to her, the wretched Canaanitish woman, whom Thou wouldst not answer [at first]? He said, 'Is it good to take the bread of the children to throw it to the dogs?'

13 O the solicitude of this Physician! He understood her, and she had been rebuked. All these words were [intended] to shame the Jews who called themselves 'children'. They had, however, taken to themselves the nature of their own dogs, according to that which Paul spake saying, 'Beware ye of dogs. Beware ye of these workers of evil. Beware ye of [those of] the concision.' And again, she said [unto Him], 'Have mercy on me!' But He said, 'Is it good to take the bread of the children to throw to the dogs?' [And she said within herself:] 'Yea, Lord, Thou callest me a dog, [and] I confess that Thou treatest me like unto a dog. I do not excuse myself from derision. Give me that which Thou seest fit. Thou hast called me a dog, give me, then, the crumbs. For the dogs are in the habit of eating of the crumbs which fall from the table of their masters.' He said unto her, 'Who hath until now begged for that which is cast away and rejected? Therefore, O woman, thou shalt be rewarded straightway.'

14 And the Lord spake saying, 'O thou woman, may thy prayers be heard in that hour wherein I utter thy appeal before God, and offer supplication to Him.' Thou sayest, 'I have appealed to Him once, and I have prayed to Him twice, and thrice, and ten times and twenty times have I bowed the knee [to Him]. Thou hast bowed the knee, and thy mouth spake, but thy heart was counting the cost (?), and thou wast thinking about thy friends and thy substance. Thy soul hath taken its stand at the door, turn not thou away until thou hast received thy request.' Now certain folk are wont to go into the church and pour forth tens of thousands of strings of words; but God hath no need of a multitude of words, though He hath very great need of thy prayer. Make thou thyself to be like unto this Canaanitish woman; pray in whatsoever place thou art. If thou art in the bath, or if thou art in the street, pray. And if they hale thee before the judge, pray. And if the judge break thee by his decision, let thy prayer go to God on thy way to execution; He enquireth not about the place [where thou prayest], but He doth enquire concerning a right mind.

15 When Jeremiah was in the pit of mire he found God there, and he prayed to Him. Daniel was in the pit of the lions, and God helped him. The Three Saints who were in the furnace turned to God, and made supplication unto Him. When Job was [seated] in the dust, among the worms, he turned to God, and made an appeal to Him. And thou thyself also, if thou makest an appeal unto Him, He will hear thee in thy prayer. Make thou thyself like unto this Canaanitish woman. And when thou goest into the church of the Persians, and of the Cuthaeans, and of the Hindoos (?), and of the Moors, thou shalt hear Christ crying out, 'O thou woman, great is thy faith.' And behold, very many times thou shalt acquire blessing and honour by the remembrance of her, which shall abide and be glorious. And though thou hast not a daughter with thee who is possessed of a devil, yet hast thou with thee thy soul which committeth sin. To him who is possessed of a devil it is usual to shew mercy; but he who committeth sin of himself men are wont to hate. Against him that is possessed of a devil the matter is not reckoned; for him that committeth sin of himself there is no defence whatsoever.

16 Now as concerning the Canaanitish woman: in what hour was the devil cast out [from her daughter]? In that very hour wherein Christ said unto her, 'O thou woman, great is thy faith.' The Son of God cast out the devil, for no man would be able to go into the place where he was, but He was God, Who filleth every place. Had He wished He could have gone against the prince [of devils] at the same time. That which is under His feet shall not destroy thee. If it were not thus one might say unto thee, 'He is inattentive, or He is asleep.' Now this is not the habit with God. In the hour wherein thou shalt cry unto Him He shall hear thee, and at every hour. Let neither doorkeeper nor steward prevent thee [from crying]. Do thou say 'Have mercy on me', like this Canaanitish woman, and He shall come unto thee immediately.

17 Consider the following speech which maketh manifest that the Son is like unto the Father, and that He is equal with Him. At the time wherein God created the heavens He said, Let heaven be,' and the heaven was. And, 'Let the earth be,' and the earth was. [And], 'Let the air (or, sky) be,' and the air was. [And], 'Let the sun and moon be,' and they came into being. O the goodness of God which created for us the Son Who is equal with the Good Father in every respect, in Divinity The Father spake in times of old saying, 'Let [things] be,' and they came into being. The Son Himself said, 'Let it be unto thee according to that which thou desirest,' and it was so, and her daughter ceased to be vexed by the devil from that hour. What was it that enabled the Canaanitish woman to drive the devil out of her daughter, or to drive him out at all? [It was done] according to the command of the Saviour of souls. In the mercy and lovingkindness of our God, and by His Grace, shall we ourselves be healed. For all these things let us give thanks to God the Father, and to the Son, Jesus Christ, Who hath informed us by His holy mercy saying, 'I am in My Father, and My Father is in Me'—to Whom belongeth the glory for [all] ages. Amen.