De eo quod Dominus excitatus imperavit ventis et mari
The Storm and the Sleeping Savior
Jesus calms the fears of his disciples during a storm, teaching them that faith is the victory that overcomes the world's trials.
After this, the Lord Jesus dismissed the crowds and, late in the day, boarded a small boat to cross the Sea of Galilee, heading to a remote place for the reasons mentioned at the start of the previous chapter, as he went with his disciples. As Remigius says: "It is written that the Lord had three refuges: the boat, the mountain, and the desert; and whenever he was pressed by the crowds, he would take refuge in one of them." Origen says of this: "When the Lord had shown many great and wondrous things on land, he crossed to the sea to demonstrate his works there with excellence, so that he might show himself to be the Lord of both land and sea." As he boarded the boat, his disciples followed him, crossing over with him—not just following his footsteps, but accompanying his holiness. They followed him because they were drawn by the sweetness of his speech, the wonder of his works, and his kind conversation, making it difficult for them to leave him. And behold, a great storm arose—so that a greater miracle might appear—not naturally or of its own accord, but by Christ’s command and power; so that the boat was nearly overwhelmed by the crashing waves. And it is well said that it was covered, not submerged: for Peter’s boat can be shaken, but it cannot be submerged, a figure of which was in Noah’s ark. He himself, however, was sleeping in the stern—that is, in the back of the boat, near the tent, on a wooden pillow—showing, according to Chrysostom, his humility. It's no wonder he was sleeping, for he spent much of the night keeping watch in prayer and much of the day laboring in preaching. He was sleeping in his body, but his divinity remained awake. This is why he says in the Song of Songs: "I sleep, and my heart watches." Chrysostom says of this: "He boards the little boat to sail, he who governs the whole world by his divine power; he sleeps in slumber, he who guards his people with eternal watchfulness." The Lord chose to sleep for many reasons: first, to demonstrate the reality of his human nature—for in the miracles of Christ, something is always presented to show the reality of his humanity, and something to show the reality of his divinity; second, to test the faith of the disciples—not that he was ignorant of their hearts, but so that they might come to know themselves; third, so that the disciples would be more afraid, and in this way he might provoke them to prayer—for if, as Chrysostom says, the storm had occurred while he was awake, they would not have been afraid, or they would not have prayed; fourth, to demonstrate the reality of his divine nature and his power, which shone forth all the more when, having been awakened, he commanded the winds, and they obeyed him. The disciples, fearful and caught in the danger, ran to him and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us, for you have the power, and we are in need, because we are perishing and caught in this danger." Origen says, "O true disciples!" You have the Savior with you, yet you fear danger; Life is with you, yet you are anxious about death! So, their saying "Save us" was a matter of trust; their saying "because we are perishing" was a matter of faint-heartedness; and their waking him was a matter of lack of faith. Because of this, he rebuked them, saying, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" As if he were saying, "If you had faith, you wouldn't be afraid, but you would do what you wanted, and you would calm the winds and the sea." Cyril says, "In this he shows that it is not the arrival of temptations that causes fear, but the weakness of the mind." For just as gold is tested in the fire, so is faith in temptations. He rebukes them for two things: first, their faint-heartedness, because they shouldn't have been afraid while He was present—the One they had seen perform so many miracles, and to whom anyone who clings cannot perish; and second, their lack of faith, because they didn't believe He was just as powerful while sleeping as He was while awake, or just as powerful on the sea as He was on land. We have proof of this in the fact that anyone who, when facing the adversity of hunger, pressure, or similar trials, murmurs, fears, and bears it impatiently, has little faith. This is why faith is so necessary in times of danger: it is the victory that overcomes the world—that is, the dangers of the world. Our faith. But as Ambrose says: 'This is preserved in the Apostles, so that you may notice that no one can depart from this life's journey without temptation, because temptation is the exercise of faith.' We are subject to the storms of spiritual wickedness, but like watchful sailors, let us wake the Helmsman.
The Lord of Land and Sea
Jesus demonstrates his divine authority by commanding the elements, revealing his power over both the physical world and the human heart.
Then Jesus rose and commanded the raging winds and sea, just as the Lord of creation; he said, "Be quiet and be still." The storm ceased, and a great calm followed, so that not a trace or footprint of any disturbance remained. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ deigned to commend the truth of both his natures—the divine and the human. For he boarded the boat as if he were a man, yet he stirred the sea as if he were God; he slept in the boat as if he were a man, yet he commanded the winds and the sea as if he were God, and with a word he restrained their fury. They feel the Lord commanding them, even though their nature seems insensible; inanimate things are said to obey God because he does what he wills with them by his word alone, much like we speak of matter being obedient or disobedient to medicine. Furthermore, according to Jerome, it was not the disciples but the sailors and the others in the boat who were amazed, recognizing his divine power through their own feelings, and even confessing it, saying in wonder, "What kind of man is this, and how great—that is, how mighty, how powerful, and of what great dignity and authority!" It was as if they were saying, "He is not a mere man, but the true God." Chrysostom says on this: "His sleep showed the man, his calm showed the God; therefore they ask, 'What kind of man is this?' because he sleeps like a man, but he works miracles like God." They marvel at three things: the man sleeping, the God commanding, and the creature obeying. Hence they add: "Because the winds and the sea, which are insensible, obey him, following his command just as a creature obeys its Creator." Rational creatures are rebuked here for not obeying their Creator, since even mindless creatures obey Him. Having already worked miracles on land, He wanted to work them at sea as well, so He might appear as the Lord of both, and as a sign that the entire machinery of the world serves Him and that all things were created at His command. The fact that He was awakened by the disciples and, when asked, set them free, shows that He always wants us to ask Him; He often exposes us to pressure because He wants us to pray to Him so we can be freed from it. From this, it is clear that prayer is much better than reading. According to Chrysostom, Christ caused a great disturbance at sea so that the great disturbance would strike great fear into the disciples, and great fear would lead them to clamorous prayer, and clamorous prayer would lead Christ to the great work of a miracle, and the great miracle would lead people to faith and wonder. As Augustine says: "The just are pressed so that, being pressed, they may cry out; and crying out, they may be heard; and being heard, they may glorify God." However, this cry should come not only from the voice and heart, but also from action, so that they may persist in fasting, almsgiving, and the mortification of the body. Mystically, this little boat is a type of the Church.1
The Church as a Ship
The boat is interpreted as an allegory for the Church and the Cross, showing how Christ guides his people through the turbulent sea of history.
Mystically, this can be explained in several ways. First, allegorically, as it relates to the entire Church: the little boat represents the Church of the faithful. Like a ship, it was narrow at the beginning because there were few believers; it will also be narrow at the end—that is, during the time of the Antichrist—because there will be few faithful then. In the middle, however, it is wide, because the faith is now spread far and wide. The faithful are contained within this ship, passing with Christ through the sea of the world toward the kingdom of heaven. Christ boards this ship through his rule and governance, for he is the Rector and Governor of the Church, in which the disciples are contained. He boards it, however, in Baptism, because Baptism is the gateway to the sacraments. In the Church, therefore, we are as if in a ship, and the Lord is with us through his sacraments. But various strong winds of evil blow against the Church, and waves rise against it, so that the little boat is, as it were, covered by the waves; yet it cannot be submerged. Amid all this, Christ seems to sleep and pay no attention, because, according to Origen, he awaits the patience of the good and the repentance of the wicked; for Christ's sleep is a divine permission during tribulations, and he is awakened when he is stirred by the prayers of the good. Let us, therefore, approach him, saying: 'Arise, why do you sleep, O Lord? Arise, and don't cast us off forever.' He himself will arise and command the winds—that is, the demons who stir up the waves, meaning the wicked people of this world who incite persecutions against the saints—and he will bring about a great calm, granting peace to the Church and serenity to the world by ending the tribulation or by giving patience to those who are afflicted. Regarding this ship, Chrysostom says: 'There is no doubt that this ship represented the Church, which, with the Apostles sailing, the Lord guiding, and the Holy Spirit blowing, runs everywhere with the word of preaching; it carries with it a great and priceless treasure, by which it has purchased the whole world with the blood of Christ.' The sea is understood as the world, which surges with various sins and temptations like certain waves; the winds, however, are understood as the spiritual wickedness and unclean spirits who rage against the shipwreck of the Church through the various temptations of the world, as if through the waves of the sea. The Lord is understood to be sleeping in this ship when he permits his Church to be tested by the pressures and persecutions of this world to prove its faith. The awakening of the disciples, who rouse the Lord and implore his help so that they may be delivered, represents the prayers of all the saints. And although the Church may labor under the infestation of the enemy or the storm of the world, and although it may be struck by the waves of temptation, it cannot be shipwrecked, because it has the Son of God as its pilot. For amidst these very whirlwinds of the world, amidst these very persecutions of the age, the pious person acquires glory and virtue while remaining in a firm and indissoluble faith. It sails, equipped with the rudder of faith, on a happy course across the sea of this world, having God as its pilot and the angels as its rowers, carrying the choirs of all the saints, and raised up in the middle by the very saving tree of the Cross, upon which it hangs the sails of evangelical faith, and, with the Holy Spirit blowing, is led to the harbor of paradise and the security of eternal rest: this is Chrysostom's, allegorically a type of the Lord's Cross. Alternatively, this can be explained allegorically as it pertains to the head of the Church, Christ. The little boat that Christ boarded is understood as the tree of the Cross, by which the sea of this world is crossed without danger. Helped by its benefit and aid, the faithful cross over, emerge from the waves of the world, and arrive at the shore and harbor of the heavenly homeland. Christ boarded this little boat on the day of Preparation with his disciples, and through it he crossed the sea of the present world—not because they themselves suffered at that time, but because he left them an example of suffering then. So, as he boarded this little boat, they followed him, because they all later imitated him even to the point of torture and death. When, therefore, Christ had been placed on the Cross, a great movement was made in the sea, because the minds of the disciples were moved, because they fell away from the stability of faith; a great earthquake occurred, the rocks were split, and the other signs that happened then took place, so that the little boat was tossed by the waves, because the whole force of persecution was around the Cross of Christ, and the minds of all were fluctuating against it, and the Cross of Christ became a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles; but in the midst of these commotions, he himself was sleeping on the Cross by dying, because his sleeping in this place is dying. The disciples, however, rouse the Lord while they are troubled in mind, demanding his resurrection with the greatest cries of longing, saying: 'Save us by rising from the dead, because we are perishing from the disturbance of your death.' He, however, rising and roused by the resurrection, first rebukes the disciples' little faith, as he reproached their unbelief and the hardness of their hearts. He commanded the winds, because he laid low the pride of the devil; he commanded the sea, because he checked the madness of the Jews. A great calm and consolation followed, because upon seeing the resurrection, the minds of the disciples were settled and rejoiced. We, however, seeing all these things and understanding them, say: 'Who is this, and how great is he?'
The Interior Voyage of the Soul
The journey across the sea is applied to the individual soul's struggle with temptation, prayer, and the pursuit of interior peace.
The disciples, therefore—that is, faithful people—ought to follow Him, according to the word: "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." And because the cross is most fully taken up through penance, penance is therefore also figuratively or morally represented by the little boat, since it is through this that a person is led to the harbor of salvation; and whoever is found outside this little boat will not reach the harbor of salvation, but will be engulfed by the wave of hell. For this reason, it is signified by Noah’s ark, because those who boarded it were saved, while those who did not board it were drowned. Jesus then boards this little boat when someone, eager for their own salvation, takes up penance; and it often happens that when someone begins penance, a heavy temptation strikes them, and God does not deliver them but withdraws His help, so they must turn back to Him through fervent prayer and persist so perseveringly until they obtain God’s mercy. Such great grace often follows them that they are even stirred to wonder. Hence, according to Bede, when we are marked with the sign of the Lord’s cross and resolve to leave the world, we board the ship with Jesus and attempt to cross the sea. For whoever denies ungodliness and worldly desires, and crucifies their own members with their vices and lusts, and to whom the world is crucified and they to the world, desires to cross the sea of this age as if boarding a ship with the Lord; but as we sail, the Lord seems to sleep as if amidst the roar of the sea, whenever the splendor of faith grows dim, the height of hope wastes away, or the flame of love grows cold through the rising impulse of unclean spirits, wicked people, or our own thoughts; but let us then turn back to the Lord, so that He may calm the storm, restore tranquility, and grant the harbor of salvation. This can also be explained in another way, tropologically or morally, by understanding the 'little boat' as any faithful soul. This boat is exposed to the sea because it is joined to a body; our body is truly a sea, since all its works have bitterness attached to them. Christ climbs into this little boat when He inhabits it through grace. His disciples follow Him—that is, the three theological virtues, the four cardinal virtues, and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. See how beautiful Christ's company is, which always accompanied Him and accompanies Him daily when He climbs into a faithful soul. But the winds of temptation—the exterior impulses of demons—and the waves or storms of passions—the interior carnal vexations—also stir this little boat, and they frequently rise up in those who live piously in Christ. Sometimes the force of these temptations is so great that the soul is as if covered by the waves, and it seems that the virtues and gifts within it are in danger. Yet Christ sleeps in it when He permits such things, because He is lulled to sleep in us by our own slumber, so that it seems He has abandoned us; but it is not so. Rather, He Himself promised, saying: 'I am with him in tribulation,' and so on. And so, when the soul returns to itself, the virtues and gifts call out to the Lord, crying out with a great voice: 'Lord, save us, we are perishing!' Then Christ calms all the turbulence, suppresses the exterior winds of the demons, mitigates the waves of the flesh rising up against the soul, and thus a great tranquility is made—either exteriorly, when tribulation and temptation cease, or interiorly, when He grants good patience. This tranquility of virtue is greater than the tranquility of the body, just as it was said to Paul: 'My grace is sufficient for you,' because of which he added: 'I will therefore gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.' Yet such great tranquility follows that the whole person marvels and says: 'What kind of man is this—merciful, most learned, most powerful, and most wise Lord—because even the winds of temptation and the waves of passion obey Him at His nod?' What, therefore, could be more benign than that God, coming from heaven into this little boat, finds His delight in being with the children of men? What, again, could be of more admirable utility than that God, joined to the soul, promotes it to salvation? He is said to be sleeping when He descends into the soul, because when spiritual grace is withdrawn, the impulses of temptation arise; but He is said to be awake and roused when spiritual grace is felt to be present, at whose presence all kinds of temptations fall silent. Augustine gives an example of this, saying: "The winds enter your heart—certainly where you are sailing, where you are crossing this life as if it were a stormy and dangerous sea; the winds enter, they stir the waves, they shake the ship." What are these winds? You have heard an insult, and you get angry; the insult is the wind, and your anger is the wave that puts you in danger. You prepare to respond, you prepare to return curse for curse, and your ship is already nearing shipwreck; you wake the sleeping Christ—for that is why the waves are there—and you prepare to return evil for evil because Christ is asleep in the ship. In your heart, the sleep of Christ is the forgetfulness of faith; if you wake Christ—that is, if you recall your faith—what does He say to you as He watches in your heart? I have heard, 'You have a demon,' and I prayed for them; the Lord hears and suffers, the servant hears and is indignant; but you want vengeance—why? I am already vindicated when your faith speaks these things to you, as if it commands the winds and the waves, and there is peace, says Augustine. You should understand other things that tempt or trouble us in a similar way, so that in every respect a bad condition is excluded. Just as a small hole in a ship puts it in danger unless it is plugged, so the soul is in danger of damnation because of one bad condition unless it is excluded. Therefore, it is said in Proverbs: 'Keep your heart with all vigilance,' and in Ecclesiasticus: 'Hedge your ears with thorns, and make doors and bars for your mouth.' Therefore, when we are troubled and tempted, we must be constant in faith and not hesitate at all. Although the Lord may seem to sleep regarding us and our deeds, He is nonetheless most diligent in our daily protection. And although He does not sleep with the sleep of His own body, let us take care that He does not sleep and rest for us with the sleep of our own body. He sleeps when we stop praying and doing good works; he must then be awakened within us through frequent and devout prayers, and he himself then brings peace, because he brings progress along with temptation; but fools make him sleep all the more, in that they turn to human counsel rather than divine. Hence Augustine says: "Nothing is suggested to the human heart more strongly by the enemies who attack us invisibly than that God is not our helper; so that, seeking other help, we are found weak and are captured by the enemies themselves." Therefore, anyone wishing to enter into the service of God should, according to the counsel of the Wise Man, prepare himself for the temptations that are coming. When someone wants to withdraw from vices and sins so they can be free to focus on God alone, a great commotion arises in the sea—that is, the world—which is a manifold persecution. Its cause is threefold: the blowing of the winds, which is temptation from the devil; the turbulence of the sea, which is temptation from the world; and the commotion of the storm, which is temptation from the flesh—all of which one feels rising up against oneself. The storm of temptation seeks to move the just person from their good purpose out of the devil's envy—sometimes through the persecutions of wicked people on the outside, sometimes through the impulse of evil thoughts on the inside, and sometimes even through the prick of the flesh's own frailty. The more someone wants to draw near to God and makes progress in God, the more they find that they have to bear harder things; this is seen in the example of the Israelites, who were afflicted more harshly by Pharaoh when they were called by Moses and Aaron to the promised land. The Lord shows this even by his own example, when he endured the devil's temptations after his Baptism and fasting. The devil often tempts us more sharply after our conversion, when he sees that we are turning away from his service; yet he who does not slumber, nor will he sleep while guarding Israel, seems to sleep in the boat when he allows the mind of a just person to be wearied more harshly amidst the storms of temptation. When someone feels they cannot overcome temptations by their own strength, they turn to the omnipotence of God, awakening the Lord by approaching him with devotion of mind, humbly acknowledging their own frailty, and never ceasing to implore the divine power and God's mercy with all the strength of their mind until they stir up divine help for their aid. For then he rises and commands the winds and the sea, because he makes the devil's temptations that rise up against the mind of the just person grow quiet, and he allows them to serve him freely. Then a great calm follows, because once the roots of evil temptations are cast out, the soul's virtues—and those things it previously observed not without fear—it begins to keep afterward as if by nature, through good habit; it rejoices with the Prophet and sings: "Turn away from me, you evildoers, and I will search out the commands of my God." And so, having crossed the sea and trampled the waves of this age, it happily arrives at the port of paradise. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, command the winds and movements of suggestions and temptations; come and walk upon the waves of my heart, and let all that is mine become serene and tranquil. May my heart rest in You, my God; may my heart, that great sea swelling with waves, sleep to all things that are under heaven while watching in You, so that I may embrace You, my only good, and contemplate You, the light of my eyes, and joyfully sing and say: "I sleep, and my heart watches"; and that word: "In peace, in the selfsame, I will sleep and I will rest." Amen.
Read the original Latin
Post haec Dominus Jesus, dimittens tiirbas, ascendit sero in naviculam, ad transeundum lacum Genezareth, trt in locum remotum, propter causas supra in principio praecedentis capituli dictas, cum discipulis iret. Ut enim dicit Remigius : « Tria legitur Dominus habuisse refugia, scilicet navis, montis et deserti ; et quoties a turbis comprimebatur, ad aliquod istorum reftigiebat. » Ubi Origenes : « Cum multa magna et miranda Dominus ostendisset in terra, transiit ad mare, ut ibi excellentia opera demonstraret; quatenus terrae marisque Dominum se ostenderet. » Et ascendente eo in naviculam, secuti sunt eum discipuli efus, transfretantes scilicet cum eo, non tantum gressus sequentes, sed magis sanctitatem concomitantes. Secuti quidem sunt eum, quia trahebantur suavitate sermonis ejus, ct admiratione operis, et benigna ccmversatione ipsius; ita ut esset eis difficile ipsum relinquere. Et ecce motus magnus, ut majus apparcret miraculum,/ac*ii5 est in mariy Tion naturaliter et ex se, sed Christi imperio et virtute; ita ut navicula eperiretur, scilicet fere, fluctibus inundantibus. Et bene dicit operiretur, non submergeretur : quia navicula Petri concuti potest, sed submergi non potest, cujus figura in arca Noe fuit. Ipse vero dormiebat in puppi, id est in posteriori parte navis, juxta tabemaculum, super cervical ligneum, ostendens, secundum Chrysostomum, suam humilitatem.
Nec mirum si dormiebat, ipse enim multum de nocte in orationibus vigilabat, multumque de die in praedicationibus laborabat. Dormiebat quidem corpore, sed vigilabat deitate. Unde ipse in Canticis dicit : Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat. Ubi Chrysostomus : a Ascendit parvam naviculam, ut navigaret ille qui totum mundum divina virtute gubernat; dormit in somnum, qui populum suum vigiHa aeterna custodit. » Voluit autem Dominus dormire multiplici de causa : prima, ut veritatem humanae naturae in sedemonstraret : in miraculis enim Christi semper aliquid ponitur ad ostendendum veritatem humanitatis, et aliquid ad ostendendum veritatem divinitatis; secunda,. ut discipulorum fidem probaret, non quod ipse corda eorum ignoraret, sed ut ipsi seipsos agnoscercnt; tertia, ut discipuli magis timerent, et sic eos ad orationem provocaret : si enim, ut ait Chrysostomus, eo vigilante, tempestas facta esset, vel non timuissent, vel non rogassent ; quarta, ut veritatem divinae naturae et suam potentiam demonstraret, quae magis claruit in eo, quod mox excitatus imperavit ventis, qui ei parebant.
Timentes ergo discipuli, et in periculo positi, accesserunt recurrentes ad eum, et suscitaverunt eum, dicentes : Domine, salva nos, tu enim potes, et nos indigemus, quia perimus, et in periculo constituti sumus. Ubi Origenes ; « O veraces discipuli ! Salvatorem vobiscum habetis, et periculum timetis ; vita vobiscum est, et de morte solliciti estis! » Et ideo quod dixerunt : Salva nos, fiduciae; quia perimus, fuit pusiilanimitatis; quod suscitaverunt, infidelitatis. Propter quod increpando dixit eis : Quid timidi estis modicce fidei? Quasi diceret : Si haberetis fidem, non timeretis, sed faceretis quod velletis, et ventos et mare placaretis. Ubi Cyrillus : « In quo ostendit quod timorem non facit tentationum inductio, sed imbecillitas mentis. Sicut enim aurujn probatur in igne, sic in tentationibus fides.
» Redarguit ergo in eis duo, scilicet : mentis pusillanimitatem, quia non debebant timere, eo praesente, quem viderunt tot miracuia facere, et cui qui adhaeret perire non potest; ac fidei modicitatem, quia non credebant eum tantum «posse in dormiendo, quantum in vigilando, vel tantum in mari, quantum in terra. Argumentum hinc habemus, quia modicae fidei est qui in adversitate famis, pressurae, et hujusmodi constitutus, murmurat, timet, et impatienter fert. Unde fides maxime necessaria est in periculis : haec est cnim victoria quce vincit mundum, id est mundi pericula, y? <fe5 nostra. Ut autem dicit Ambrosius : « Iconia servatur in Apostolis, ut advertas sine tentatione neminem posse ex hoc vitae curriculo demigrare, quia exercitium fidei tentatio est. Subjecti ergo sumus nequitiae spiritualis procellis, sed quasi pervigiles nautae gubernatorem excitemus.
Tunc surgcns Jesus imperavit ventis et mari saevientibus, sicut Dominus creaturae, dixit : Tace et obmutesce; et cessavit tempestas, etfacta est tranquillitas magna, ita quod nec semita nec vestigium alicujus turbationis remaneret ; sic itaque utriusque suae naturae, scilicet divinae et humanae, veritatem Dominus Jesus Christus dignatus est hic commendare. Quasi enim homo jiavem ascendit, sed quasi Deus mare conturbat; quasi homo in navi dormit, sed quasi Deus ventis et mari imperat, et eorum furorem verbo coercet. Nam sentiunt Dominum mandantem, quorum tamen insensibilis natura videtur; unde dicuntur Deo obedire inanimata, quia solo verbo de his facit quod vult, secundum quem modum loquendi solet dici materia obediens, vel inobediens medicinae. Porro homines, secundum Hieronymum, non discipuli, sed nautae et ceteri qui erant in navi, mirati sunt, ex affectu virtutem deitatis ejus cognoscentes, ac etiam confitentes, et admirando dicentes : Qualis est hic, et quantus, id est quam magnus, quam potens, et quantae dignitatis et potestatis! Quasi dicerent : Non est homo purus, sed verus Deus. Ubi Chrysostomus : « Somnus hominem, tranquillitas Deum ostendebat, ideo dicunt : Qualis est hic : quia sicut homo dormit, sicut Deus miracula facit. » Tria ergo admirantur, et hominem dormientem, et Deum imperantem, et creaturam obedientem. Unde addunt : Quia venti et mare, quae insensibilia sunt, obediunt ei, ad nutum obsequendo, sicut creatura Creatori suo.
In quo redarguuntur creaturae rationales , quae non obediunt Creatori, cum creaturae insensibiles obediant ei. Qui ergo prius miracula in terra fecit, etiam in mari facere voluit, ut Dominus terrae et maris appareat, et in signum quod tota ei servit orbis machina , et cuncta ad nutum suum sunt creata. Per hoc autem quod a discipulis excitatus et rogatus eos liberavit, ostenditur quod semper vult rogari a nobis; saepe enim exponit nos pressuris, quia vult ut eum oremus et sic liberemur ab illis. Unde patet quod multo melior est oratio quam lectio. Secundum Chrysostomum, Christus fecit in mari magnam turbationem, ut magna turbatio magnum discipulis incuteret timorem, et magnus timor induceret eos ad clamosam orationem, et clamosa oratio induceret Christum ad magnam miraculi operationem, et magnum miraculum induceret homines ad fidem et admirationem. Unde Augustinus : <c Ideo premuntur justi, ut pressi clament, clamantes exaudiantur, exauditi glorificent Deum. Iste autem clamor non tantum debet fieri voce et corde, sed etiam opere, ut insistant jejuniis et eleemosynis, et macerationi corporis. » 4 Mystice ista navicula typus EST EccLESi-*:.
— Mystice istud potest exponi diversimode. Primo allegorice, prout pertinet ad totum corpus Ecclesiee, ut navicula intelligatur Ecclesia fidelium, quae ad modum navis in principio fuit arcta, quia paucos habuit credentes; in fine etiam, scilicet tempore Antichristi, erit angusta, quia tunc pauci erunt fdeles ; in medio autem est lata, quia modo fides est multum dilatata. In hac navi continentur fideles qui cum Christo per mare seculi ad regnum coelorum perve' niunt. Hanc itaque navem ascendit Christus, per regimen et gubernationem, quia ipse est rector Ecclesiae et gubernator, in qua discipuli continentur. Hanc autem ascendit in Baptismo, quia Baptisnuis est janua sacramentorum . In Ecclesia ergo tanquam in navi sumus, et Dominus nobiscum propter sua sacramenta. Sed contra Ecclesiam flant venti varii et validi malorum, et elevantur fluctus contra eam, ut sic navicula quasi operiatur fluclibus, submergi tamen non potest. Et inter haec omnia Christus dormire videtur, et non attendere; quia, secundum Origenem , patientiam bonorum, et poenitentiam impiorum exspectat ; Christi enim dormitio est divina in tribulationibus permissio, qui excitatur, quando bonorum precibus pulsatur.
Accedamus, ergo ad eum, dicentes : Exsurge, quare obdormis, Domine, exsurge, et ne repellas in finem. Ipse autem exsurget, et imperabit ventis, id est daemonibus, qui concitant fluctus, id est malos hujus mundi ad immittendum persecutiones Sanctis, facietque tranquillitatem magnam, pacem Ecclesiae, et serenitatem mundo per cessationem tribulationis conferendo , vel patientiam tribulatis dando. De ista navi sic dicit Chrysostomus : « Non dubium est navem istam Ecclesiam figurasse, quae, navigantibus Apostolis, gubernante Domino, flante Spiritu Sancto, praedicationis verbo ubique discurrit; portans secum magnum inaestimabile pretium, quo totum mundum sanguine Christi mercata est. Mare vero seculum intelligitur, quod a diversis peccatis et variis tentationibus velut quibusdam fluctibus aestuat ; venti autem nequitiae spirituales et immundi spiritus intelliguntur, qui ad naufragium Ecclesiae per diversas seculi tentationes, velut per fluctus maris , desaeviunt. Dormire vero Dominus in hac navi intelligitur, cum ad probationem fidei Ecclesiam suam pressuris et persecutionibus mundi istius tentari permittit. Excitatio vero discipulorum excitantium Dominum et auxilium implorantium, ut liberentur, preces Sanctorum omnium ostenduntur. Et quamvis infestatione inimici Ecdesia vel secuii tempestate laboret, quamvis tentationum fluctibus pulsetur, naufragium tamen facere non potest, quia Dei Fiiium habet gubernatorem. Inter ipsos enim turbines mundi, inter ipsas seculi persecutiones, pius gloriae ac virtutis acquirit, dum in fide firma et indissolubili permanet.
Navigat enim instructa fidei gubernaculo, felici cursu per hujus seculi mare, habens Deum gubernatorem, Angelos remiges , portans choros omnium Sanctorum, erecta in mcdio ipsa salutari arbore crucis, in qua Evangelicae fidei vela suspendens, flante Spiritu Sancto ad portum paradisi, et securitaiem quietis seternae deducitur : » haec Chrysostomus, 5 Allegorice typus est crucis DoMiNic^. — Alio modo hoc idem potest exponi allegorice, prout pertinet ad caput Ecclesiae, quod est Christus, ut navicula quam Christus ascendit intelligatur arbor crucis, cum qua mare hujus mundi pertransitur sine periculis ; cujusque beneficio et auxilio fideles adjuti, transfretatis et emersis mundi fluctibus, perveniunt ad littus et portum patriae coelestis. Hanc naviculam Christus in die Parasceves cum discipuiis suis ascendit, per quam mare praesentis seculi transivit, non quidem quod ipsi tunc passi fiierint, sed quia tunc eis exemplum patiendi reliquit. Unde ascendente eo 2« hanc naviculam, secuti sunt eum, quia omnes ad tormenta et usque ad mortem fuerunt eum postea imitati. Cum ergo Christus in cruce positus fuisset, magnus motus in mari factus est, quia mentes discipulorum motae sunt, quia a stabilitate fidei corruerunt, terraemotus magnus factus est, petrce scissce sunt : et cetera signa quae tunc facta sunt, ita ;quod navicula operata est fluctibus, quia tota vis persecutionis circa crucem Christi fuit, et mentes omnium contra ipsam fluctuabant , et facta est crux Christi Judceis scandalum, Gentibus autem stultitia, Sed inter has commotiones ipse dormiebat in cruce moriendo, quia suum dormire hoc loco mori est. Excitant autem discipuli Dominum, dum lurbati mente maximis desideriorum clamoribus resurrectionem efflagitant, dicentes : Salva nos, resurgendo a mortuis, quia perimuSj perturbatione tuae mortis. Ipse vero resurgens, et per resurrectionem excitatus, primo increpat discipulorum modicam fidem ; quia exprobravit incredulitatem eorum et duritiam cordis. — Imperavit autem veniis, quia diaboli superbiam stravit; imperavit, et mari, quia vesaniam Judaeorum compescuit; et facta est tranquillitas magna , et consolatio, quia visa resurrectione s^datae sunt mentes discipulorum et gavisae; nos vero homines videntes haec omnia, et cognoscentes dicimus : Qualis est hic, et quantus?
Discipuli ergo, id est homines fideles, debent eum sequi, juxta illud : Si quis vult post me venire, abneget semetipsum et tollat crucem suam et sequatur me.
Et quia per poenitentiam maxime crux toUitur, ideo etiani tropologice seu moraliter per naviculam poenitentia designatur, quia per ipsam homo ad portiim salutis deducitur ; et quicunque extra istam naviculam inventus fuerit, ad portum salutis non perveniet, sed ipsum unda infernalis involvet. Ideo significata est per arcam Noe, quia illi qui eam ascenderunt fuerunt salvati; qui vero non ascenderunt, fuerunt submersi. Tunc autem Jesus naviculam hanc ascendit, quando quis salutis su£ avidus poenitcntiam assumit, et saepe contingit quod quando quis poenitentiam inciioat, gravis tentatio eum pulsat, nec Deus ipsum iiberat, sed auxilium subtrahit, ideo recurrere debet ad eum per ferventem orationem, et tam perseveranter instare, donec impetret Dei miserationem. Tanta autem gratia saepe eum consequitur, quod ipse etiam in admirationem excitatur. Unde, secundum Bedam, cum signo Dominicae crucis imbuti seculum relinquere disponimus, navem cum Jesu conscendimus, mare transire conamur. Qui enim abnegans impietatem et secularia desideria crucifigit membra sua cum vitiis et concupiscentiis, et cui crucifixus est mundus et ipse mundo, quasi cum Domino navem ascendens, mare hujusseculi transire desiderat; sed nobis navigantibus quasi inter aequoris fre> mitus obdormit Dominus, quando crebescente vel immundorum spirituum , vcl hominum pravorum , vel nostrarum cogitationum impetu, fidei splendor obtenebrescit , spei celsitudo contabescit, amoris flamma refrigescit ; sed timc ad Dominum recurramus , qualenus tempestatem compescat, tranquiUitatem refundat, et portum salutis indulgeat.
Potest etiam aliter tropologice seu moraliter exponi, ut per naviculam intelligatur quaeiibet tidelis anima : haec navicula mari exponitur, quia corpori sociatur; vere enim corpus nostrum mane est, quia omnia opera ejus amaritudinem habent annexam. In hanc nainculam Christus ascendit, cum eam per gratiam inhabitat. Sequtmtur autem eum discipuli, id est virtutes tres theologicae, et quatuor cardinales, et septem dona Spiritus Sancti. Ecce quam pulchra Christi comitiva, quae eum semper comitabatur et quotidie, cum in animam fidelem ascenderit, comitatur. Sed et hanc naviculam commovent venti tentationum, id est exteriores daemonum impulsiones , et undae seu proceilae passionum, id est interiores vexationes carnales , quae frequenter insurgunt pie in Christo viventibus ; et nonnunquam est tantus tentationum impetus , quod anima quasi operiatur fluctibus, ex quibus dmendum est virtutes et dona periditari in ea ; sed Christus in ea dormit cum talia permittit, eo quod somno nostro consopiatur in nobis, ita quod videtur non dereliquisse, sed non est ita, imo ipse promisit, dicens : CuM ipso swn in tribulatione, etc Et ideo, redeunte anima ad se, virtutes et doaa exdtant Dominum , exdamantes voce grandi, et dicentes : Domine, saiva nos, perimus; tunc Cliristus omnem turlxalentiam sedat, exteriores ventos daemonum compesdt , fluctus carnis contra animam se erig^tis mitigat, et sic fit magna tranquillUas exterius , cum tribulacio et tentatio cessat, vei interius , cum patientiam bonam praestat ; ct haec tranquillitas virtutis mdior est quam tranquillitas corporaiis, Mcut dictum fuit Paulo : Suffidt tihl gratia mea; proptcr quod subjunxit ; Ubenter igitur gloriabor in infirmitatibus meis, ut inhabitet in me virtus Christi. Tam magna autem/f tranquilUtas, ita ut ipsc totus homo miretur, et dicat : Qualis est hic , misericor^ disdmus , potcntissimus et sarpic«tissimus Dominus; quia v^wne €t venti tcntotionum et passioI num obediunt ei, ad nutum ? Quid igitur tam benignissimum , quam quod Deus in hanc naviculam de coelo veniens pro deliciis habet esse cum filiis hominum ? Quid iterum tam admirantissimae utilitatis esse poterit, quam quod Deus conjunctus animae ipsam promovet ad salutem ?
Qui descendens in animam dormire tunc dicitur, cum subtracta gratia spirituali, motus tentationis insurgunt; vigilare vero et excitari tunc dicitur, cum spiritualis gratia jam praesens sentitur, ad cujus praesentiam omnia tentationum genera conquiescunt.
Circa istud, Augustinus quasi de uno exemplum inducens, sic ait : « Intrant venti in cor tuum, utique ubi navigas, ubi hanc vitam tanquam procellosum et periculosum pelagus transis; intrant venti, movent fluctus, turbant navem. Qui sunt venti? Audisti con▼itium, irasceris; convitium ventus est, iracundia fluctus est periclitaris. Disponis respondere, disponis malcdictum maledicto reddere, jam navis propinquat naufragio ; excitas Christum dormientem, ideo enim fluctus; et mala pro malis reddere praeparas, quia Christus dormit in navi. In corde enim tuo somnus Christi, oblivio fidei; nam si excites Christum , id est recolas fidem , quid tibi dicit tanquam vigilans Christus in corde tuo ? Ego audivi , daemonium habes, et pro eis oravi, audit Dominus et patitur, audit servus et indignatur; sedvindictam vis : quid enim ? Ego jam sum vindicatus cum tibi haec loquitur fides tua, quasi imperat iventis et fluctibus, etfit tranquillitas : » haec Au~ gttstinus, Et similiter de aiiis quae nos tentant vel tribulant , intelligas suo modo, ut ex omni parte excludatur maia conditio; quia ^cut modicum foramen existens in navi ponit eam in periculo, nisi obstruatur, sic anima est in periculo damnationis propter unam malam conditionem, nisi excludatur, et ideo dicitur in Proverbiis : Omni custodia serva cor tuum, et in Ecclesiastico : Sepi aures tuas spinis , et ori facito ostia, et seras auribus. Igitur quando tribulamur et tentamur debemus esse constantes in fide , et nihil haesitare , quia licet circa nos et facta nostra Dominus videatur dormire, ipse tamen diligentissimus est super custodia nostra quotidie, qui etsi jam sui corporis somno non dormiat, caveamus tamen ne nostri corporis somno nobis dormiat et quiescat.
Dormit enim quando ab orationibus et bonis operibus cessamus, et suscitandus tunc est in nobis crebris et devotis precibus, et ipse facit tunc tranquillitatem, quia/<2cit cum tentatione proventum; sed fatui ipsum magis obdormire faciunt, in hoc scilicet quod magis ad humanum consilium, quam ad divinum confugiunt. Unde Augustinus : « Nihil tam maxime suggeritur humano cordi ab invisibiliter expugnantibus inimicis, nisi quod Deus non est adjutor; ut rcquirentes alia adjutoria inveniamur invalidi, et ab inimicis ipsis capiamur : » haec Augustinus. Volens ergo ad servitutem Dei accedere, secundum consilium Sapi,eiitis praeparet se ad tentationes imminentes. Cum enim quis a vitiis et peccatis se subtrahere voluerit, ut soli Deo vacare, id est intendere possit; commotio magna fit in mari seu mundo, id est persecutio multiplex , cujus causa est triplex, scilicet : impulsus ventorum, hoc est tentatio a diabolo; turbatio maris, hoc est tentatio a mundo; commotio tempesutis , hoc est tentatio a carne , quas tentationes contra se sentit insurgere. Procella enim tentationis ex invidia diaboli conatus viri justi a bono proposito commovere optat, aliquando pravorum persecutionibus exterius, aliquando impulsu malorum cogitationum interius, nonnunquam etiam ex propria fragilitate carnis stimulo. Quia quanto magis quis Deo appropinquare voluerit, et in Deum profecerit, tanto amplius invenit quod durius portet ; in exemplo videlicet Israelitarum qui tunc durius a Pharaone sunt afHicti , quando per Moysen et Aaron ad terram promissionis sunt vocati. Quod Dominus etiam suo exemplo ostendit, quando post Baptismum et jejunium tentationes diaboli pertulit; saepe enim post conversionem nos diabolus acrius tentat, quos a sua servitute recedere considerat; sed ille qui non dormitat, neque dormiet custodiens Israel, quasi dormit in navi , cum mentem viri justi inter procellas tentationum durius permittit fatigari. Cumque sentit tentationes sua virtute superare non posse, accedit ad omnipotentiam Dei recurrens, et suscitat Dominum cum mentis devotione illi appropinquans, et suam fragilitatem humiliter recognoscit, ac divinam potentiam, et Dei misericordiam devotissime totis viribus mentis implorare non cessat, quousque in sui adjutorium divinum excitet auxilium, tunc enim surgens imperat ventis et mari ; quia tentamenta diaboli insurgentia contra mentem viri justi conquiescere facit, et eum sibi libere servire permittit.
Fit autem tunc ma^na tranquillitas , quia expulsis malarum tentationum radicibus, virtutes animae, et ea quae prius non sine formidine observabat, postmodum velut naturaliter per bonam consuetudinem custodire incipit , gaudens cum Propheta et cantans : Declinate a me maligni, et scrutabor mandata Dei mei; sicque transnavigato mari, et hujus seculi fluctibus calcatis, ad portum feliciter I pervenit paradisi. ORATIO Domine Jesu Christe, impera suggestionum et tentationum flatibus et motibus ; veni et gradere super cordis fluctus, et serena et tranquilla fiant omnia mea. Requiescat in te, Deus meus, cor meum ; cor mare magnum tumens fluctibus dormiat ab omnibus quae sub coelo sunt, vigilans in te, quatenus amplectar te unum bonum meum, et contempler te lumen oculorum meorum, et laetabundus cantem et dicam : Ego dormio et cor meumvigilat; et illud : Inpace in idipsum, dormiam etrequiescam. Amen, ss^ 43a
Notes
- 1 ↩The source text contains garbled characters at the end of the sentence; the translation assumes the intended meaning 'typus est Ecclesiae'.
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