Exaltations

Ego si exaltatus fuero a terra, omnia traham ad me ipsum. In verbis istis duo praedicit Dominus: primo, passionis suae modum, cum dicit: Cum exaltatus fuero; secundo, passionis suae fructum , cum dicit: Omnia traham ad me ipsum. Ait ergo: Cum exaltatus fuero a terra. Nota, quod multiplex est exaltatio. Est enim exaltatio hominis-Christi, et hominis iusti, et hominis mali. De exaltalione Christi nota, quod Christus fuit exaltatus in passione, in ascensione et in Apostolorum praedicatione. In passione fuit exaltatus in poena; de qua hic: Cum exaltatus fuero etc.; et Ioannis tertio: Sicut exaltavit Moyses serpentem in deserto, ita exaltari oportet Filium hominis. In ascensione fuit exaltalus in gloria. Tunc enim Deus exaltavit illum et dedit illi nomen, quod est super omne nomen, ut in nomine lesu omne genu flectatur caelestium , terrestrium et infernorum , et omnis lingua confiteatur , quia Dominus lesus in gloria est Dei Patris, ad Philippenses secundo. In Apostolorum praedicalione fuit exaltalus in fama; de quo in Psalmo: Exaltabor in gentibus et exaltabor in terra; et iterum: Exaltare super caelos Deus; quod factum est in ascensione; et in omnem terram gloria tua; quod factum est in Evangelii promulgatione. Sequitur de exaltatione hominis iusti, quae multiplex est. Exaltat enim Deus hominem iustum in gratia, in gloria et in fama. In gratia exaltat, quando de culpa ad gratiam vocat; unde Psalmus: Qui exaltas me de portis mortis. Portae mortis, quibus intratur ad mortem, peccata sunt; portae vero vitae, gratia et virtutes. Tunc ergo exaltatur homo de portis mortis, quando revocatur de statu peccati ad statum gratiae. De hac exaltatione Lucae decimo octavo: Omnis, qui se exaltat, humiliabitur. In gloria exaltat, cum de miseria ad regnum vocat, secundum illud Psalmi: Cornu eius exaltabitur in gloria. De hac exaltatione Lucae decimo quarto: Omnis, qui se humiliat, exaltabitur, et qui se exaltat humiliabitur. In fama exaltat, quando eius gloriam in Ecclesia manifestat, cura facit, ut exaltent eum in ecclesia plebis et in cathedra seniorum laudent eum, secundum quod dicitur in Psalmo, et Matthaei vigesimo tertio: Omnis qui se humiliat, exaltabitur etc, ubi praedicat Dominus de non quaerenda fama in praesenti sive gloria. Nota, quod meretur quis exaltari per tria. Solet enim exaltari servus, quia est officiosus in domo; solet exaltari amicus quia est familiaris in consilio; solet etiam exaltari miles , quando probatus est in proelio. Ista tria genera hominum solent reges exaltare, videlicet fideles servos, amicos familiares et probatos milites: primos propter suum obsequium, secundos propter suum consilium, tertios propter suam fortitudinem. Nota igitur, quod activi exaltabuntur, sicut servi, ratione obsequii; Isaiae quinquagesimo secundo: Ecce, servus meus intelliget et exaltabitur et elevabitur et sublimis erit valde; Matthaei vigesimo quinto: Euge, serve bone et fidelis, quia super pauca fuisti fidelis etc. Exaltantur amici, scilicet contemplativi, propter suam sapientiam; Proverbiorum quarto: Arripe sapientiam, et exaltabit te, et glorificaberis ab ea, cum eam fueris amplexatus. Exaltantur perfecti, sicut Martyres, quasi propter suam militiam, secundum illud Psalmi: De torrente in via bibet, propterea exaltabit caput. Omnibus istis dicitur primae Petri quinto: Humiliamini sub potenti manu Dei, ut vos exaltet in tempore visitationis. Sequitur de exaltatione hominis mali, quae multiplex est. Exaltantur enim mali in corde per superbiam, in ore per iactantiam, in conversatione per pompam. Exaltantur ergo in corde per superbiam, quod prohibetur in Psalmo: Qui exasperant non exaltentur in semetipsis; et lob decimo quinto: Quid te elevat cor tuum , et quasi magna cogitans attonitos habes oculos? Exaltant se in ore per iactantiam, sicut ille Pharisaeus, de quo dicitur Lucae decimo octavo: Quia omnis, qui se exaltat , humiliabitur.  lactabat enim se de bonis suis. Exaltantur in conversatione per pompam, licet non diu; unde in Psalmo: Inimici Domini mox, ut honorificati fuerint et exaltati, deficientes, quemadmodum fumus deficient. Talis exaltatio fugienda est, quia ignominiosa, momentanea et periculosa. Ignominiosa, quia, quanto magis exaltantur, tanto magis eorum crimina conspectius videntur, secundum illud Omne animi vitium tanto conspectius in se Crimen habet, quanto maior qui peccat habetur. Sanctus Bonaventura, Collationes In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput XII, Collatio XLVII Source: Here, p622

And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all things to myself. 1 In these words the Lord speaks of two things, firstly of the way of His passion, when He says: 'When I am lifted up from the earth,' secondly of the fruit of His passion, when He says: 'I shall draw all things to myself.' Therefore He says: 'When I am lifted up from the earth.' Note that 'lifting up' is manifold. There is the lifting up of the man Christ, and of the righteous man, and of the wicked man. Concerning the lifting up of Christ, note that Christ was lifted up in the Passion and in the Ascension and in the Preaching of the Apostles. In the Passion He was lifted up in punishment, concerning which here: 'When I am lifted up...' And in the third chapter of John, 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.' 2 In the Ascension he was lifted up in glory. 'Then God exalted Him and gave to Him the name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heaven, and of the earth, and of hell, and every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus is in the glory of God the Father,' according to the second chapter of Philippians. 3 In the Preaching of the Apostles He was exalted in fame, concerning which the Psalm says: 'I shall be exalted among the nations and I shall be exalted in the earth.' And again: 'Be exalted, God, over the heavens,' which was done at the Ascension, 'and your glory in every land,' which was done with the preaching of the Gospel. 4 The lifting up of the righteous man follows, which is manifold. For God exalts the righteous man in grace, in glory and in fame. In grace He lifts him up, when He calls him from sin to grace, whence the Psalm: 'You who lifted me up from the gates of death.' 5 The gates of death by which we enter into death are sins. The gates of life are grace and the virtues. Thus the righteous man is lifted up from the gates of death when he is called from the state of sin to the state of grace. Concerning this lifting up, the eighteenth chapter of Luke says: 'Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled...' 6 In fame He lifts up, when He manifests His glory in the Church, He makes it a concern that they exalt him in the assembly of the people and that they praise him in the seats of the elders, according to what is said in the Psalm. 7 And in the twenty third chapter of Matthew: 'Everyone who humbles himself shall be exalted,' 8 where the Lord preaches that fame must not be sought in this present life, nor glory. Note that lifting up is merited in three ways. For a servant is accustomed to be exalted when he is dutiful in the house. A friend because he is beneficial in counsel. A soldier when he is proved in battle. Kings are accustomed to exalt these three types of men, that is, the faithful servant, the beneficial friend, and proven soldiers, the first because of service, the second because of counsel, the third because of fortitude. Note, therefore, that they are lifted up by activity, as servants by reason of their service, Isaiah chapter fifty two: 'Behold, my servant understands and he shall be exalted and lifted up and he shall be wonderfully high.' 9 In the twenty fifth chapter of Matthew: 'Well done, good and faithful servant, because you were faithful in little things...' 10 Friends are exalted on account of contemplation, because of their wisdom. The fourth chapter of Proverbs: 'Seize wisdom and she shall exalt you, and you shall be glorified by her when you have embraced her.' 11 The perfect are exalted, like the martyrs, because of their military service, according to which the Psalm says: 'From the torrent in the way he shall drink, because of which he shall lift up his head.' 12 And all of these are spoken of in the fifth chapter of the first letter of Peter: 'Humble yourself beneath the mighty hand of God and He shall exalt you in the time of visitation.' 13 The lifting up of the wicked man follows, which is manifold. The wicked are exalted in the heart by pride, in the mouth by boasting, in conduct by pomp. So they are exalted in the heart by pride which is prohibited in the Psalm: 'They who provoke anger should not exalt in themselves.' 14 And in the fifteenth chapter of Job: 'Why does your heart lift you up and you have eyes as if thunderstuck with great thought?' 15 They exalt themselves in their mouths by boasting, as that Pharisee spoken of in the eighteenth chapter of Luke, 'Because everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled.' 16 For he vaunted himself on account of his goods. They exalt themselves in conduct by pomp, which will not last long, whence in the Psalm it says: 'Soon the enemies of the Lord, who were honoured and exalted, shall perish and pass away like smoke.' 17 One should flee such lifting up, because it is disgraceful, fleeting, and perilous. Disgraceful, because the more they are exalted, the more their wickedness clearly appears, according to which: The wickedness that every vice of the soul has in itself Becomes more apparent the greater the one who bears it. 18 Saint Bonaventura, Observations On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 12 1 Jn 12.32 2 Jn 3.14 3 Philip 2.9-11 4 Ps 45.11, 56.6 5 Ps 9.15 6 Lk 18.15 7 Ps 106.32 8 Mt 23.12 9 Isaiah 52.13 10 Mt 25.21 11 Prov 4.8 12 Ps 109.7 13 1 Pet 5.6 14 Ps 65.7 15 Job 15.12 16 Lk 18.14 17 Ps 36.20 18 Juvenal, Sat 8.140-1