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Chapter 278PrecesPriv.1.278

Preces Quotidianae

God’s Faithfulness Holds Firm

The prayer opens by resting on God’s own word of hope, asking whether human unfaithfulness can ever undo God’s faithfulness.

to Your servant, in which You gave me hope—and You Yourself made me put my trust there.1 Rom. 2.✦ 8.✦ For what if some of them acted faithlessly?✦2 Will their unbelief nullify God's faithfulness?✦3

If Mere Mortals Keep Their Word

Human witnesses—Isaac, a Persian king, even Pilate—refused to retract their words; therefore God, who is infinitely greater, will surely keep His promise.

Gen. 27. 33.✦ If Isaac would not change his word—Dan.4 6.✦ 8.✦ If not even a Persian pagan—John.✦56 19.✦ 22.✦ If not even profane Pilate—certainly God never would.✦7

Wrestling for a Blessing

Jacob clings to God for a blessing, and the Canaanite woman pleads for crumbs under the table, showing the tenacity and humility of true prayer.

Genesis 32: 26.✦ I won't let You go unless You bless me.✦ Even the little dogs, Lord, eat the crumbs that✦8 fall from their masters' table.✦

All Promises Fulfilled in Christ

All the scriptural examples are gathered into Christ, in whom God has given every precious promise and whose 'Yes and Amen' seals them all.

10. But all these things are summed up in Christ.9 2 Pet. 1. 4. In whom the greatest and most precious pro— 2 Cor.10 1. 19. promises he has given, and in whom all the promises of God are Yes and Amen.✦11

The Saving Name of Jesus

Invoking the name of Jesus, the prayer turns from argument to intercession: He saves from sins, and He forgives even the cursing Shimei, so we beg Him to cleanse us.

Just to name him was enough. Matt. 15. 22. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.✦ Matt.✦ 1. 21.✦ — Jesus: that is His name, because He saves us from our sins.✦ August.12 Lord, do not look on my sin so that, because of it, You forget Your name.13 Son of David, who forgave Shimei when he cursed him, and his sworn enemy—You too, Lord, forgive. Christ, hear us; Christ, intercede with us; Christ, intercede for us.✦1415 Cleanse our sins,

Read the original Latin

servo Tuo, in quo mihi spem dedisti, Ipseque fecisti, ut fiduciam ponerem. Rom. ii. 8. Quid enim, si quidam illorum perfide egerunt? nunquid incredulitas illorum fidem Dei evacuabit ? Gen. xxvii.

33. Si non Isaac mutare verbum suum, Dan. vi. 8. 81 non Persa, Ethnicus, Jo. xix. 22. Si non profanus Pilatus, Certe Deus nunquam.

Gen. xxxii. 26. Non dimittam Te nisi benedixeris mihi. Etiam catuli, Domine, edunt de micis, qu:e

cadunt de mensa dominorum suorum.

10. Sed hsc omnia recapitulantur in Christo. 2 Pet. i. 4. In quo maxima nobis et pretiosa pro- 2 Cor. i. 19.

missa donavit, et in quo omnes promissiones Dei sunt Etiam et Amen. Quem nominasse sat erat. Matt. xv. 22. Jesu, Fili David, miserere mei. Matt. i.

21. — Jesu, hoc Illi nomen, quia servat nos a peccatis nostris. August. Domine, nolito attendere peccatum meum, ut propterea obliviscaris nomen "Tuum. Fih David, qui remisit Shemeo blasphemanti, et jurato hosti suo, Et Tu, Domine, remitte ; Christe, audi nos; Christe, intercede nobiscum ; Christe, intercede pro nobis.

Expia peccata nostra,

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Rom.3.3 — For what if some were unfaithful? Does their unfaithfulness nullify the faithfulness of God?
  2. ↩Rom.3.3 — For what if some were unfaithful? Does their unfaithfulness nullify the faithfulness of God?
  3. ↩Rom.3.3 — For what if some were unfaithful? Does their unfaithfulness nullify the faithfulness of God?
  4. ↩Rom.3.3 — For what if some were unfaithful? Does their unfaithfulness nullify the faithfulness of God?
  5. ↩Gen.27.33 — Then Isaac trembled with an exceedingly great trembling, and said, 'Who was it, then, who hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate of it all before you came? Indeed, I have blessed him — and blessed he shall be!'
  6. ↩Dan.6.8 — Now then, O king, establish the decree and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not pass away.
  7. ↩Dan.6.8 — Now then, O king, establish the decree and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not pass away.
  8. ↩Dan.6.8 — Now then, O king, establish the decree and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not pass away.
  9. ↩John.19.22 — Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.'
  10. ↩John.19.22 — Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.'
  11. ↩John.19.22 — Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.'
  12. ↩Gen.32.26 — And he saw that he could not prevail against him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him.
  13. ↩Gen.32.26 — And he saw that he could not prevail against him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him.
  14. ↩Matt.15.27;Mark.7.28 — She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table. Mark.7.28 — But she answered him, 'Yes, Lord; and even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.'
  15. ↩Matt.15.27;Mark.7.28 — She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table. Mark.7.28 — But she answered him, 'Yes, Lord; and even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.'
  16. ↩2Pet.1.4;2Cor.1.20 — Through these he has granted to us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 2Cor.1.20 — For all the promises of God find their Yes in him; therefore through him we also say the Amen to the glory of God through us.
  17. ↩Matt.15.22 — And behold, a Canaanite woman from those regions came out and cried out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely tormented by a demon."
  18. ↩Matt.1.21 — She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
  19. ↩Matt.1.21 — She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
  20. ↩Matt.1.21 — She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
  21. ↩2Sam.16.5-2Sam.16.13 — When King David came to Bahurim, a man from the family of the house of Saul came out from there, and his name was Shimei son of Gera. He came out, cursing as he came. 2Sam.16.6 — And he pelted David and all the king's servants with stones, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right and on his left. 2Sam.16.7 — And thus Shimei said as he cursed: 'Come out, come out, you man of blood, you man of worthlessness!' 2Sam.16.8 — The LORD has brought back upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And here you are, in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed. 2Sam.16.9 — Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head." 2Sam.16.10 — But the king said, "What have I to do with you, sons of Zeruiah? Let him curse, for the LORD has told him, 'Curse David.' Who then shall say, 'Why have you done this?'" 2Sam.16.11 — And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Look, my son, who came from my own body, is seeking my life. How much more now this Benjamite! Leave him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to." 2Sam.16.12 — Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction, and the LORD will repay me good for his cursing this day. 2Sam.16.13 — So David and his men went along the road, while Shimei went along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went, throwing stones at him, and flinging dust.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Continues the previous section's Psalm address (Memor esto verbi Tui). 'in quo' most naturally points to the word/promise; rendered as 'in which' to keep that anchor clear.
  2. 2 ↩'perfide egerunt' is stronger and more active than the common Vulgate 'non crediderunt' at Rom 3:3; rendered 'acted faithlessly' to keep the supplied Latin's force.
  3. 3 ↩'fidem Dei' here is God's covenant faithfulness (not human faith in God); 'evacuabit' is rendered 'nullify' for the sense of making void.
  4. 4 ↩Latin is telegraphic: si non + Isaac + infinitive mutare without a finite verb. Rendered as a past/volitional conditional ('would not change') from the Genesis blessing context; 'could not' or 'did not' are also possible.
  5. 5 ↩Normalized '81' almost certainly OCR/print corruption of 'Si' (Si non ... paralleling s2 and s8). Translated as corrected 'Si non Persa, Ethnicus'.
  6. 6 ↩Ethnicus = Gentile/heathen/pagan in Christian Latin; Persa = a Persian. Rendered as one figure ('a Persian pagan'); the comma could also be read as two brief labels.
  7. 7 ↩Elliptical climax: object of nunquam is unstated (change His word/promise), supplied by the John 19:22 and Isaac/Daniel chain. 'Would' is added only to complete the parallel English sense, not as an extra clause in the Latin.
  8. 8 ↩Source ends mid-clause with corrupt 'qu:e'; read as incomplete 'quae' ('that/which'), continued in the next section by 'cadunt de mensa dominorum suorum.'
  9. 9 ↩Source reads hsc; translated as haec ('these'), the only plausible form in context.
  10. 10 ↩Line breaks mid-word at pro-; neighboring next section begins missa donavit, so the intended word is almost certainly promissa. A new citation marker 2 Cor. is jammed onto the same printed line.
  11. 11 ↩Printed line begins mid-word as 'missa donavit'; from previous section and 2 Pet. 1:4, read as promissa donavit ('promises he has given'). 'Etiam et Amen' follows the biblical Yes-and-Amen sense of 2 Cor. 1:20.
  12. 12 ↩Citation abbreviation for Augustine (as Matt. is kept for Matthew in neighboring sections).
  13. 13 ↩Source has 'nolito' (plausible late future imperative of nolo, or a corruption of noli) and a stray quotation mark before Tuum; sense taken as noli attendere … nomen Tuum.
  14. 14 ↩Source 'Fih David' corrected to 'Fili David' (Son of David); OCR/print corruption.
  15. 15 ↩'intercede nobiscum' kept distinct from 'intercede pro nobis' as 'intercede with us' vs. 'intercede for us'.

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