Qualiter Dominus quaesivit a discipulis quid diceretur de eo
The Lord's Question at Caesarea Philippi
Jesus asks his disciples what people say about him and what they themselves believe.
When the Lord Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples what people were saying about him, and also what they themselves thought, and what they thought about others.✦
The People's Varied Opinions
The disciples report that people identify John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
Some answered and said: Others, etc.✦
Peter's Confession of Faith
Peter confesses on behalf of all the disciples that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
But Peter, speaking for himself and for the others, said of him: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.✦
The Promise of the Keys
Jesus declares Peter's new name and grants him the keys of binding and loosing over the earth.
The Lord said to him: You are Peter, and upon this, etc.✦ And then he gave to him, for himself and for his successors, the keys of binding and loosing over the earth.✦1
A Call to Contemplation
The reader is invited to observe Christ and the disciples according to the general form handed down above.
Observe, therefore, him and also them, according to the general form handed down to you above.
Peter's Reversal and the Lesson of Discernment
Peter, recently magnified, is later called Satan for dissuading Jesus from his Passion out of carnal love.
And notice that here, too, you have the fact that Peter, whom he had praised so highly a little while before, was afterward called Satan — because Peter, out of a carnal love for him, tried to dissuade him from his Passion, so that it wouldn't take place.✦2
Adversaries of the Spiritual Life
Following the Lord's example, one must hold as adversaries all who would draw one away from spiritual good for the sake of bodily comfort.
So too, following the Lord's example, regard all those as adversaries who, for the sake of bodily comfort, would try to draw you away from spiritual exercise and from what is spiritually good.3
Read the original Latin
Veniens Dominus Jesus in partes Caesareae Phihppi ^, quaesivit a discipulis, quid diceretur de ipso, et etiam quid inde ipsi sentirent, et de ahis. Quidam responderunt et dicebant: Alii, etc. De se autem dixit Petrus pro se, et aliis: Tu es Christus filius Dei vivi. Dominus ad eum: Tu es Petrus, et super hanc, etc. Et tunc dedit ei pro se et successoribus suis, claves h'gandi atque solvendi super terram. Conspice igitur eum et etiam ipsos, juxta generalem formam superius tibi traditam. Et nota, quod etiam hic habes, quod Petrum, quemita magnificaverat, parum post "^ vocavit Salanam, eo quod propter amorem carnalem, quem ipse Petrus habebat ad ipsum, dissuasit ei de passione sua, ut non fieret. Sic et tu, Domini exemplo, habeas omnes pro adversariis, qui pro corporali alieviatione, ab exercitio et bono spirituali te trahere vellent
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.16.13 — Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
- ↩Matt.16.14 — They answered, 'Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'
- ↩Matt.16.16 — Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
- ↩Matt.16.18 — And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
- ↩Matt.16.19 — I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
- ↩Matt.16.23 — But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not thinking the things of God, but the things of men."
Notes
- 1 ↩The form 'h'gandi' is uncertain and likely a scribal corruption; the translation follows the intended sense of 'ligandi' (binding) from the parallel in Matthew 16:19.
- 2 ↩The form 'quemita' is uncertain, possibly a scribal error for 'quem ita'; translated as 'whom he had thus' to convey the intended sense.
- 3 ↩The form 'alieviatione' is a scribal variant; translated as 'comfort' to match the intended sense of bodily relief or ease.
Meditationes Vitae Christi (Pseudo-Bonaventure), Castilian court context companion
A scene a day, for life
Chosen Portion continues this rhythm: one short reading and prayer every morning, free on iOS
The Meditationes portioned Christ's life into daily scenes for lay meditation — the exact daily-portion model Chosen Portion delivers to your phone.
- Keep the one-scene-a-day habit going after day 30, automatically
- 10 minutes each morning: reading, meditation prompt, closing prayer
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