After Lent, Fra Girolamo had withdrawn to San Marco, and while he rested, Piero de' Medici's second attempt to return to Florence failed. However, the new ruling Signoria ended up entirely comprised of the Arrabbiati, who, spurred by the Duke of Milan and the Pope, directed their hatred towards Savonarola. Their intentions were clear: to seek vengeance on him through assassination or by inflicting grave harm. And because Savonarola had resolved to not leave the people without his preaching on the day of the Ascension (4 May 1497), the Arrabbiati resolved to put into effect their sinister plot on that day. The Friar, advised of the plots against him by his closest friends who attempted to dissuade him from preaching that day, remained undeterred; despite the fact that the pulpit in Santa Maria del Fiore had been sacrilegiously vandalized that very morning—a clear sign of the intentions of the Compagnacci. A multitude of his followers ran to San Marco to defend him, and then accompanied him as he walked to Santa Maria del Fiore, where he preached a part of his sermon, from which are taken the following passages. But the tumult that began after the last passage we report impeded him from continuing. His adversaries even launched an assault on the pulpit, from which the preacher narrowly escaped. The same multitude that had met him earlier at San Marco ensured his safe return, where he finished his sermon.

Domine, Deus meus, in te speravi: salvum me fac

How great is the power of faith, beloved in Christ Jesus, is manifested by our Savior when he says: Si habueritis fidem sicut granum sinapis, dicitis monti huic: Transi hinc, et transibit, et nihil impossibile erit vobis, that is, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. And although this authority should be sufficient for us, nevertheless, for greater understanding, we will still prove by reason that faith is extremely powerful, speaking especially of formed faith.

Firstly, by its nature, because faith elevates man in both intellect and affection beyond corporeal things, which are weak, and makes him spiritual—uniting him with God, who is supreme power; through this union, God's virtue often extends to perform marvellous works, such as in Saint Peter, who healed the sick with his shadow, and Saint Benedict, who made the most audacious King Totila tremble at his sight. Secondly, because faith is inherently connected to divine omnipotence. It therefore cultivates belief in all supernatural things because it knows that to God nothing is impossible. Thirdly, because faith formed and animated by charity causes man to love God with all his heart and to become nearly one thing with Him the more he is united, like the lover with the beloved, and thus achieves almost infinite virtue. Fourthly, because formed faith is the root of all merits. Through faith man draws near to supernatural things in order to believe unto God, and therefore merits through faith to accomplish things beyond the power of nature. Fifthly, because from such faith proceeds the entirety of the good life. The man who lives the good life has great strength, as God almighty dwells continually within him.

And therefore, he who has perfect faith, neither loves nor fears anything of this world. And we could prove this by innumerable examples, considering all of Christ's faithful from the beginning of the world until this present day who have performed marvellous deeds—not only in spiritual warfare, but also in corporeal matters. Therefore, beloved, we must arm ourselves with this faith in our tribulations. Stand firm and do not fear, for the time that I have long foretold has arrived—the time of tribulation that will reveal those who truly believe and those who do not have true faith, for many pretend to believe but do not.

Therefore, God works great contradictions so that they may show themselves and, by multiplying their sins and manifesting them to the world, divine justice may be more manifest in their punishment, as was said to Pharaoh: "In hoc ipsum excitavi te, ut ostendam in te virtutem meam et annuntietur nomen meum in universa terra" (Exodus 9:16), that is, I have spared you and, through tribulations, allowed you to harden yourself against my people to manifest my power and my justice, and that my name may be proclaimed throughout the earth. In the same way, God now wants the malice of the impious and wicked men to be increased and revealed, to manifest in them his power and justice, so that his name may be spread throughout the entire earth.

I thought this morning I was supposed to ascend to heaven with Christ, but my hope failed me. Perhaps you thought I was afraid; but don't you know that faith fears nothing? And I say to you with the prophet: Credidi propter quod locutus sum", I have believed, therefore have I spoken (Psalms 116:10). Those who have faith are in a place where no worldly man can ascend; in which, when the time comes, stabunt iusti in magna constantia adversus eos qui se angustiaverunt, that is, then shall the just stand with great constancy against those that have afflicted them, and taken away their labours (Wisdom 5:1), where the swords, arrows, and weapons of the enemies cannot reach: those who have faith are too high!

You, who despise the good life, want to kill me; but you will not be able to kill my soul without my consent. If you give death to the body, you will do good to the soul. If you knew how much good you do me by persecuting me, and how much you would do me by killing me, you would not continue in this way so that I would not achieve so much good. You thought I should not come to pulpit this morning. And yet you see that I have come. You will perhaps say: "Frate, what a great grace you give to the compagnacci." I tell you that I did not call them here, and I wanted to come in any case, and I will always come when God almighty inspires me to do so; nor will any man in the world, of whatever quality he may be, be able to stop me. Let God inspire me, because I have resolved to lay down my life for my sheep; and may He grant me this grace. Although I recommend my sheep to the Lord Jesus, that He does not leave them without good shepherds, given that it is not difficult to find many better than me; and it is especially easy for God, qui potens est de lapidibus istis suscitare filios Habrae, that is, who is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones (Matthew 3:9).

In addressing you this morning, my dear children, the quality of our time compels me to reflect upon the seventh psalm. We will speak first to God, then to the righteous, then to the wicked, but first we will explain the title of the psalm.

In finem; psalmus David, quem cantavit Domino pro verbis Chusi, filii Geminii. David had a son named Absalom, handsome and wicked, as iniquity is so often joined with beauty. He was so perverse that he conspired against his father and, with the advice of some cunning men, drew many simple people into his scheme (crf. 2 Samuel 17); so much so that the entire people pursued him and David was forced to flee.

If Absalom had followed Ahithophel's advice—a man of great intelligence and counsel, and whose counsel was deemed God's counsel—David would have been killed. To counter this threat, David instructed his advisor, Hushai, to feign allegiance to Absalom, and sabotage the counsel of Ahithophel. When Absalom sought counsel on what he should do, Ahithophel responded: — Give me twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue David tonight, and because he is weary and with scant numbers, he will not be able to escape from my hands. —

The counsel pleased Absalom and all the elders; but God willed that Hushai was called to give his own counsel. He answered and said, — This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good, because you know your father to be a very strong man, and he has with him strong and bitter-hearted men, and he is very experienced in warfare, and therefore he will hide himself somewhere away from the others, and you, going against his men, will not achieve what you desire. And as soon as some of your men begin to fall at their first attack, the people people will melt with fear, for all Israel knows your father is a mighty man... But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men with him not one will be left. —

Then Absalom said: — The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. — And this was a divine provision so that ruin would come upon Absalom. Seeing then that his counsel was accepted, Hushai immediately sent word secretly to David to flee that very night; and Ahithophel, seeing his counsel disregarded, and foreseeing the ruin of Absalom hanged himself in despair. David then took refuge in a fortified city and overcame the much larger army of Absalom, who was then killed by Joab, David's captain.

For this tribulation and subsequent blessing, David wrote this psalm, which begins with: Domine Deus meus, et cetera.

I have told you before that where natural reason ends, faith begins. Natural reason proves that there is a God—a prime mover, and that He is one, pure act, supreme wisdom and totally perfect, and it goes no further. And faith begins here, which also lays as a foundation that there is one God and then goes further, saying that He is triune and one. Likewise, natural reason also proves that human happiness consists in the contemplation of divine things; and faith says the same, but goes further, saying that it consists in the vision of the divine essence, which cannot be reached except by grace. Therefore, natural reason is not sufficient for salvation; faith is necessary where reason lacks.

In these times, God desires to test your faith and make known those who truly believe by supernatural light, and those who believe falsely or by mere opinion of human reason. He has therefore made natural reason fail and made it seem that things are going to ruin, although in truth they are going according to His order. You know how many times I have told you that in these times all the wise of the world will be deceived; and that things will unfold in such a way they all will be entangled in their own counsels. Faith alone will not be deceived, because the things that are to come are secret; even the angels in heaven do not yet know them without special revelation.

Therefore, not every man speaks to God in this psalm, but he who has faith on behalf of all the faithful, who are of one heart and one soul in Christ. The faithful are represented by David, who is interpreted as handsome in appearance and strong of hand, because they are beautiful in conscience and strong in doing good and enduring tribulation.

The son (Absalom) represents each individual who has shown to believe in and love the common good of the city to gain some credit among the people; but when they find an opportunity to achieve their desire, then they openly show themselves as adversaries, as did Absalom, who first appeared as a good son, but then, hoping to attain the kingdom, persecuted it (in the person of the king): hence he is fittingly interpreted as the mourning or bitterness of the father, because such individuals cause bitterness to all the faithful.

Ahithophel, whose name translates to 'ruin of a brother', symbolizes those cunning advisors who offer perverse counsel without seeming malevolent. Their plans are obstructed by Hushai, interpreted as 'silence' or 'secret,' who represents those who have the secrets from the Most High, and conceal them in silence until it is time to reveal them and disclose the evil schemes of Ahithophel and Absalom.

This, therefore, is the psalm of David, or rather, of all the faithful, which he sung to the Lord through the words Hushai, that is, through the revelation of divine secrets delivered by the preachers, the children of Gemini—signifying 'the right hand'—who are the true children of God, who will be placed at His right hand on the day of judgment. With the title now explained, we will proceed to the psalm itself.

Domine, Deus meus, in te speravi; "O Lord, my God, in thee have I hoped" (Psalm 7:2); Lord, I will first speak with you, thanking you for your gift of faith that you have bestowed upon me, and for the certainty of your existence (which is the cause of everything) and infinite perfection (beside which all creation is nothing) that you have granted me even through natural reason.

I thank you also, Lord, for the supernatural light of faith that you have granted me, through which I know that you are God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and that you, Jesus Christ, are true God and true Man, incarnate and crucified for our salvation. You are my lord and governor, and my God, and my ultimate good, to whom I speak saying: Domine, Deus meus, in te speravi, "O Lord, my God, in thee have I hoped," and not in riches, nor in friends, nor in citizens, nor in the masses, nor in weaponry, nor in horses, but in you alone, and in your great goodness, in which I desire to always put my trust. And since You forsake not those who place their trust in You, *salvum me fac ex omnibus persequentibus me, save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.

Lord, I beseech You: save me, not my flesh, but my spirit, for you know that it is my spirit that speaks, not my flesh. Save me, Lord, and do with the flesh as You wish; and free me from the hands of the adversaries of truth, that is, enable my soul to proclaim the truth without fear, so that it is not swayed into servitude of falsehood and sin by promises, flattery, threats, or persecutions. Make me immune to earthly desires and fears, ne quando rapiat un leo animam meam (lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion), ensuring that the devil, the head of all the wicked—He who, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking to ensnare my soul through sin, and stirs his legions against me—does not snatch it.

Therefore, help me, Lord, so that he does not seize upon me, dum non est qui redimat neque qui salvum faciat, that is, because you alone are my Redeemer, and there is no one else to redeem and save me if not you, Lord.

Domine, Deus meus, si feci istud (Lord, my God, if I have done this). My Lord, they say that I am a seducer, and that I deceive the people; but you know that I have not committed this sin, for it was you who called me to the city of Florence, saying to me: Exi de terra tua et de cognatione tua et de domo patris tui, et veni in terram quam monstravero tibi (Leave your country and your kindred and your father's house, and come to the land which I will show you). And I came to the city of Florence not by my own will but by your inspiration, and I am content that the glorious Virgin Mary deigns to be a witness against my soul to this—together with all the blessed spirits, the patriarchs and prophets, the apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and the whole celestial court—if I do not speak the truth; that is, that what I have preached about the scourges of Italy, the renewal of the Church, and the promises made to the city of Florence and the other things that I have foretold in your name, I have not spoken of my own accord, but by your illumination and your commandment: not illumination from dreams, but open and clear in vigil, with every certainty fitting for such a great matter.

And similarly, I have not preached about the government and the new regime of Florence by my own will, neither good nor bad; but only to obey you, saying that which you have made me say; and likewise, there has been no plotting or gathering in our San Marco. Nor have I ever done anything contrary to the common good of Florence; but I have always sought the universal good of the city and the particular good of every individual.

Si est iniquitas in manibus meis (if there be iniquity in my hands). Lord, they say that I have accumulated money, and that I have many thousands of ducats, and that there are festivities in San Marco, and that I have a part in the city. And again, that this is untrue I call in testimony against my soul the Virgin Mary and all the blessed if I ever accumulated money, and if in San Marco we do not live in poverty and religion, and if I have ever had a part in the city, and if I have not loved every man, hating only their vices and sins for which I reprove them.

Si reddidi retributionem timentibus mihi mala (If I have rendered to them that repaid me evils). Lord, You stand as my witness, and alongside You, I call upon the entire heavenly court to testify that despite the multitude of slanders levelled against me and the numerous persecutions I have faced, not only have I steadfastly refrained from repaying evil with evil, but I have neither thought of nor sought to take vengeance. I have always repaid evil with good, praying for my enemies, as your holy law requires and commands.

Certainly, Lord, if I have committed the wrongs and sins of which I am accused, decidam merito ab inimicis meis inanis, I deserve to fall into the hands of my enemies, to be taken and destroyed by them, and deprived of every temporal and spiritual good. But you know, my Lord, that what they say is not true; and if it is true, I am content to receive this punishment from you. Persequatur inimicus animam meam (Let the enemy pursue my soul), that is, let the devil pursue my soul with temptation and tribulation; et comprehendat (and take it), and let him seize it and manipulate it to his every whim, et conculcet in terra vitam meam (and tread down my life on the earth), that I become reduced to dirt, and am stripped of your graces and every good spirit of yours; and let him have the power to kill me and trample me in Hell; et gloriam meam in pulverem deducat (and bring down my glory to the dust), that is, the glory that they say I seek from men, may it be brought to ashes; let him gouge out my eyes, so that, blinded, I lose the glory I expected from you.

My Lord, I have spoken thus because if what my adversaries say were true, all these evils would rightly come upon me; but because I am certain that these accusations are not true, I speak with such confidence. And today I testify to heaven and earth that whoever contradicts these things, contradicts you and not me, and persecutes you and not me, and seeks their own ruin, of which I am excused for having forewarned them so many times. And for this I ask no other reward than yourself. Nevertheless, Lord, I beseech you to assist this work and to defend the innocent.

Exurge, Domine, in ira tua (Rise up, O Lord, in thy anger); I do not seek vengeance, nor even think of it, but you see, Lord, that a multitude of demons have come forth out of Hell and are inciting the wicked to extinguish your light. And therefore, rise up, Lord, in anger against them; et exaltare in finibus inimicorum meorum (and be thou exalted in the borders of my enemies), that is, in the confines of the demons and of all of Hell itself, whose borders are the wicked of this world, in whom I desire you to be exalted, demonstrating your mercy to those who will repent, and your justice to those who will remain obstinate. Et exurge, Domine, Deus meus, in praecepto quod mandasti (And arise, O Lord my God, in the precept which thou hast commanded), and rise up, Lord, in the precept that you have given, that is, rise up in the hearts of men by grace, and make them observe the commandment of your charity and union of souls, which you left in testament, saying to the disciples: This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you (John 15:12).

But because I hear it spoken in my ear: Dominus judicat populos, that is, the Lord is presently occupied with another matter, because He judges and discerns the people, to first send the great scourge to those who will not amend themselves, and to console His elect in tribulations; I beseech You, Lord, do not judge me according to my sins, but iudica me, Domine, secundum justitiam meam, et secundum innocentiam meam super me, that is, judge me according to the righteousness of the faith that You have given me, and according to the innocence by which I seek to harm no man—as that does not fall to me—for I possess this righteousness not of my own accord, nor through my merits; but only from You by Your mercy and goodness, so that I may be saved when You execute Your judgments on earth.

Oh ungrateful ones, hear my words for a moment. You do not fight against friars, but against Christ, who is God—just and mighty judge. I oppose you not out of malice, but because I am obliged to put my life on the line for the honor of Christ and the salvation of souls. And if I were to allow the spiritual good or the common good of a city to be ruined, I would incur a very grave sin; and not only I, but every faithful Christian is obliged to help and risk their life for this when necessary. I urge you to come together and make peace. But you may say, "Frate, you are the cause of our war;" and I reply that your evil life is the cause of the war. Christ did not come to bring peace between the good and the wicked, but war, to divide father from son and mother from daughter, father-in-law from daughter-in-law, and brother from brother, and one relative from another. He came to bring peace among the good and to unite them in heart and soul. Live virtuously, and let there be peace; otherwise, you are the cause of war, not I; since between the good, who desire and are obliged to live well, and you, who choose to live wickedly, there can be no peace.

You try to impede my preaching so that you can live your own way. Don't do it, for you will suffer for it. You say, "Frate, you shouldn't have preached this morning." Oh! Why not? "Because you might be the cause of scandal." And I tell you that my preaching has never caused scandal before, and I trust in Christ that it never will. Believe me: if I saw that it would be better not to preach, I wouldn't, but I know it would be worse not to have preached this morning: and I must act accordingly. "Oh! You have been ordered by the authorities not to preach." And I tell you first that this is not true; and even if it were, there would be a great debate as to whether I were obliged to obey; that is, when the tyrant orders the preacher not to preach, it is disputed among the sacred theologians whether he is obliged to obey him. But, to avoid entering into such a disputation now, I tell you that when I have doubts about scandal, I will refrain from preaching.

I hear a clamor. The wicked do not want their share. Wait, you there! Have a little patience, because if you knew what I know, you would weep. Do not be afraid, my beloved, for God is with us; and there are many thousands of angels here.

Note here that due to the great uproar that arose in the church, it was no longer possible to continue the sermon, and it had to be cut short. And so that you may understand better, know that many men, having great disdain and hatred for this sermon because it opposed their wicked desires, sought in various ways to prevent it, even issuing threats to the preacher; so much so that even many of his friends urged him not to preach that day. To them he replied that he did not preach by the counsel of man, nor would he refrain from preaching by the counsel of man, but that he would follow divine inspiration from which nothing but good can come, and that if they were prepared to kill him, he was much more prepared to face death. For this reason, some, even more enraged, entered the church at night and defiled the pulpit, and committed other sacrileges in dishonor of God and of such a renowned temple, many of which are inappropriate to even mention out of decency; but it suffices to say that they would have been shameful not only to Christians, but even to pagans.

Upon learning of the situation first thing in the morning, the church was immediately cleaned by the devout and faithful Florentines; and a large multitude of citizens went to San Marco to protect the father preacher, so that no evil plot would be executed against him. This multitude was of such great number that the entire road from Santa Maria del Fiore to San Marco was filled with good and upright individuals who surrounded the preacher, escorting him into the church where he ascended into the pulpit and delivered his sermon. Reaching the point of the sermon that we have described, a man signalled to his co-conspirators by bursting a balloon-like object full of air in the middle of the church behind the people; at which all the doors were immediately flung open, presumably the decided-upon strategy of the compagnacci to frighten the people into fleeing, leaving the preacher alone in the pulpit.

Despite the tumult, the preacher was unmoved amidst the loud noises; he urged his people to not fear, but his words were drowned out by the clamor. He then kneeled down and prayed, and upon rising, he held up a small crucifix, exhorting the crowd to place their faith in Christ and no harm would befall them. However, his words were lost in the noise, and the sight of him with the crucifix incited the crowd further; many of the faithful held up the small crosses that they were carrying with them. While some adversaries attempted to approach the pulpit, they were driven back by the faithful until they were expelled from the church. Finally, when the preacher exited, he was accompanied to San Marco by a vast multitude. Even many of the most nobile and wise citizens, incited by zeal for the truth and the common good, took up arms and rallied to his defense.

*I wish I able to express to you the joy of the hearts of the faithful. A true rejoicing was seen resplendent on their faces; it was evident they feared absolutely nothing, not even if the fiercest of armies were arrayed before them. This spectacle had a strong impression on many who were previously ambiguous about the preaching of this venerable father, and were persuaded that such a thing was impossible by merely human means. He was then led to the convent, accompanied by the people—men, women, and children—who shouted with great devotion: Viva Iesu Cristo! By God's grace, no further harm ensued. Instead, this good came of it: this event united the good citizens, who had not believed their great city harbored men of such ill repute, and they resolved with renewed zeal to better safeguard their city’s future, ensuring such incidents would not recur. And may God will it so.

Because the psalm was left unfinished in the pulpit due to this event, Father Girolamo finished the exposition later to his friars at San Marco. I was able to obtain this exposition from one of the friars of the convent and it seemed fitting to include it here for the consolation of the good.

Deus iudex iustus, fortis et patiens (God is a just judge, strong and patient). Our Savior, both God and man, being unjustly judged by Pilate for our salvation, merited to be made judge of the living and the dead. He is the just judge who will render to each according to their deeds. He possesses the strength and omnipotence to do so but chooses not to act hastily because he is patient.

Numquid irascitur per singulos dies?—Is he angry every day? Every day men commit sins, yet God does not exact revenge daily; rather, His hand becomes all the more formidable the longer He refrains. Thus, nisi conversi fueritis, gladium suum vibrabit: unless you, the wicked, convert to repentence, He will brandish His sword and make His retribution known.

Arcum suum tetendit, et paravit illum—He has bent his bow and made it ready. Know that He has already strung the bow, poised to release its arrows at us. In this divine instrument, there is not merely his justice; rather, it embodies both His justice and mercy. Justice is like the bow's wood or iron—rigid and steadfast—while mercy is like the bowstring, which softens the bow's harshness. Remember, God always punishes with mercy.

The punishments He sends are likened to arrows. Accordingly, it follows: Et in eo paravit vasa mortis, meaning that in the bow, He has prepared the instruments of death—the arrows—for the wicked. He will punish them, if they do not convert, in this life and in the next, where they will truly die the second death in sempiterno. Sagittas suas ardentibus effect—he has made ready his arrows for them that burn, signifies that the arrows not intended to bring death are sent for those who burn with charity; many of which will not suffer spiritual death and will live with God in sempiterno.

The wicked does not believe these things; want to see proof? Ecce parturit iniustitiam: Behold he has been in labour with injustice; he has conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity. Concepit dolorem et peperit iniquitatem, he has conceived the idea of harming righteous men and could not keep such malice to himself, instead, he has brought forth and manifested his iniquity outwardly.

Lacum aperuit et effodit eum: he has opened a pit and dug it, that is, he has plotted to deceive the righteous man, and with betrayals and hidden snares he has sought to kill him. Et incidit in foveam quam fecit: but he has fallen into the pit that he made. This exact fate will befall these wicked men: they undermine the foundation of the wall and it will fall upon them.

Convertetur dolor eius in caput eius: his sorrow shall be turned on his own head; et in verticem ipsius iniquitas eius descendet: and his iniquity shall come down upon his crown and deprive him of the dignity he sought. Confitebor Domino secundum iustitiam eius: then I will give glory to the Lord according to his justice, et psallam nomini Domini altissimi: and I will sing to the name of the Lord the most high: I will sing psalms with heart, voice, and deeds to the name of the goodness of the Most High; who will have drawn me out of so many dangers and led me on the path of salvation, to which I pray that He leads us soon, to live and reign with Him in saecula saeculorum. Amen.