Vigils Reading

THE WOLF SHALL DWELL WITH THE LAMB

From a sermon by St Aelred of Rievaulx3 ◊◊◊

The prophet Isaiah said: “You came down and the mountains dissolved before your face.” Oh dearest brothers, if only we, now that we see this fulfilled, could feel as much joy as he felt when he saw that it was yet to be fulfilled. We see it now. We can turn to the Lord and say with great joy: “Lord, you have come down and the mountains dissolved before your face”. This has now been fulfilled. And look how the proud of this earth were dissolved, that is how they were humbled. They began to weep for their sins. Do you not see this every day, brothers? Do you not see the proud of this world turning to the Lord in great confusion, with great fear humbling themselves and weeping for their sins? Even if it does not happen before our eyes every day, it is happening every day in the holy Church.

Accordingly… we see what holy Isaiah says… is to happen at the Lord’s coming, he says: The wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the goat; the calf and the lion shall graze together and a little child will herd them.

Reflect how God has gathered you here – from what diverse parts of the country, from what diverse backgrounds. One of you, when he was in the world – what was he but a lion in his wealth and pride, despising others and vaunting himself as superior to them? Another of you – was he not like a wolf, living by plunder, trying to grab the property of others? The leopard is an animal characterized by changeableness; so were some of you in your slyness, your trickery, your deceit.

Again there are many in this community who reeked of wantonness. Those… were like goats, for the goat is an evil-smelling animal. There were some, too, who when they were in the world lived innocently; they can well be compared to lambs. There were yet others who in the simple lives they led were like sheep. Now look, brothers, in what harmony and peace God has gathered all of them together in one fellowship… Why has all this come about, except because our Lord came down and the mountains dissolved before his face…

And a little child shall herd them. Who is this little child if not he of whom Isaiah says: For us a child is born and a little one is given to us? It was he, surely, who herded Paul and made him go to Ananias. It was also he who herded the wolves and the lions who have come into this fellowship from the world and he still herds them along in front of himself towards all the things we do. He has to herd us ahead of himself, brothers, until we are in the condition of being able to follow him… Yet someone who has already often tasted how sweet our Lord is, who has begun to love him… that person is now following Christ. His shepherd has no need to herd him but has only to go before him and show him the way by which he wants him to follow. This person can say: I have run the way of your commandments now that you have enlarged my heart… Surely, brothers, we should not only follow, but run, after him