De duobus ccecis et uno muto
The Blind Men and the Mute
Jesus heals two blind men who demonstrate persistent faith and confession.
As Jesus was passing by—specifically, leaving the leader’s house—two blind men followed him, calling out for mercy along the way and praying devoutly, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." For there was a common belief among the Jews that the Christ was to be born from the seed of David, according to the flesh. And because they believed he was the Christ promised to David, they called him "Son of David." They kept crying out because they could not see him literally, since the Lord was near. Chrysostom notes: "Observe their desire, both in their crying out and in their very persistence." They did not approach him simply, but cried out loudly, asking for nothing other than mercy. They called him "Son of David" because it seemed to be a title of honor. When he had come into the house—that is, his lodging in that area—he asked them if they believed he could do this. It was as if he were saying: "You've acknowledged my humanity by calling me the Son of David; now, if you believe that I can do this as God, know that it is a work of divinity." He doesn't ask as if he were ignorant of their faith, for he knew all things with certainty; rather, he asks so that their outward confession might be added to their inward faith, and so that they might be more worthy of being enlightened and of receiving a greater reward. For, according to the Apostle: "One believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved." Hence Rabanus says: "He didn't ask as if he were ignorant, but so that confession might bring forth faith, virtue might bring forth confession, and salvation might accompany virtue." They answer him, confessing their faith: "Yes, Lord." On this, Chrysostom says: "They don't stop at calling him the Son of David, but reach higher, acknowledging him as Lord, which is a name of power." Then, after this confession of faith, he touched their eyes. On this, Rabanus says: "Confession of the mouth earned the touch of divine mercy." Blessed is the touch that brings such great power with it! And He said: "According to your faith let it be done to you," which means that just as faith illuminates the mind, so it restores light to the eyes; and immediately they were enlightened, and their eyes were opened. See how great the faith of those who believe simply is, which merits the bestowing of so many gifts and an increase from God, so that all things are possible to the one who believes.
Humility and the Spreading of Fame
Jesus teaches the virtue of humility while the healed men cannot help but share the news of their miracle.
He doesn't care about them on the road, so that He may teach them to avoid human praise and the glory of boasting. Chrysostom says: "Again, He teaches us to cast off the glory of the crowd; because the house was nearby, He leads them there to heal them in private." So, out of humility, He even warns them not to tell anyone, that He might instruct us to flee from boasting and empty glory. For as the same Chrysostom says: "When a righteous person is praised to his face, he is scourged in his mind." But those blind men who were healed, upon leaving the house, spread his fame—that is, they made his reputation known throughout the whole region because of the miracle that had been done, and they announced it publicly. Because they remembered the grace, they couldn't keep silent about the benefit; not being ungrateful for the grace of God, they became his heralds and evangelists. So Jerome says: "The Lord indeed, out of humility, fleeing the glory of boasting, had commanded this; but they, because they remembered the grace, could not keep silent about the benefit." And so Chrysostom adds: "That He says to another, 'Go and tell the glory of God,' is not contrary to this, but is actually very fitting." For He teaches us, on one hand, to say nothing about ourselves and to forbid those who want to praise us for our own sake; but if it is referred to the glory of God, He teaches us not only not to forbid it, but even to command that it be done. As mentioned above, that is the only point. The Lord forbids that His benefits be publicized for the sake of human praise, but He does not forbid them from being told for the glory of God. Understand that a command is given either to be carried out, to be tested, or to be used for instruction. The first obliges us to know the matter of the command; the second, to follow the will or intention of the one commanding; the third, to learn something from the command. In this third way, He warned them not to tell anyone. This wasn't a simple prohibition against speaking, but rather a moral instruction so that, by their own example, they might desire for the good things they do to remain hidden, yet still reveal them reluctantly so that others might benefit; therefore, they didn't transgress, because they didn't act against the intention of the one commanding. Thus, God commanded silence—not simply, but for the sake of His glory—yet it couldn't be kept silent, as it was truly useful for the salvation of others. For to say that something cannot be done usefully is to say, in legal terms, that it cannot be done at all. You also have more on this above regarding the healing of the leper.
Allegorical and Spiritual Sight
The healing of the blind is interpreted through allegorical and spiritual lenses regarding the Church and the human intellect.
Allegorically, both peoples were blind and lacked the light of truth while the Lord was passing through this world; and unless both come into the house—that is, into the holy Church—and believe in the Word of God, they don't deserve to receive the light. For in the Church itself, into which Christ came in the flesh, the blind are enlightened through faith in the incarnate Christ. Remigius says: 'Allegorically, however, these two blind men represent two peoples: the Jewish and the Gentile.' He enlightened both peoples who believed in Him within the house, by which the Church is understood, because without the unity of the Church, no one deserves to be saved. Those who believed spread the news of the Lord's coming throughout the whole world, as Remigius says. Spiritually, there are also two blind men: the intellect and the affection. The intellect has two eyes: the right is faith in His divinity, and the left is faith in His humanity. Similarly, the affection has two eyes: the right is love of goodness or divine glory, and the left is fear of justice or hell. There is a fourfold blindness in these four eyes: the first is error regarding the divinity; the second is error regarding the humanity; the third is malice, which scorns goodness or divine glory; the fourth is presumption, which doesn't see hell and doesn't fear justice.
The Mute Man and the Pharisees' Malice
Jesus heals a mute man possessed by a demon, drawing praise from the crowds and slander from the Pharisees.
After those two blind men were enlightened, the people of that region brought to Him a man who was mute and, worse yet, possessed by a demon. According to Chrysostom, this man wasn't mute by nature, but because a demon was lying in wait and holding his tongue. Once the Lord cast out and expelled the demon, he spoke because the obstacle was removed and he regained his power of speech, just as he had before. In this, according to Hilary, the order of events is preserved: the demon is cast out first, and then the other functions of the body follow. And the crowds were amazed. They were amazed by the novelty of the signs, saying, "Never has anything like this appeared in Israel," meaning that such miracles hadn't been seen among the Jews. Regarding this, Chrysostom says: "They preferred Him to others, not only because He healed, but because He healed infinite and incurable illnesses easily and quickly." But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of demons." It was as if they were saying: "This power doesn't come from Himself or from God, but from the devil." Jerome says, "Because they cannot deny the power, they slander the works." And Remigius adds, "The scribes and Pharisees denied the Lord's deeds whenever they could; and what they couldn't deny, they interpreted in the worst possible light." The crowd? The crowd—that is, the devout and simple—confessed the works of God and marveled at them with reverence and praise; but the envious and treacherous Pharisees attributed the casting out of the demon to the prince of demons and slandered the works of God. For hatred and envy cause people to interpret deeds in the worst light and to pervert judgment. The Pharisees hated Christ because he sharply rebuked their vices; for that reason, they claimed that the miracles Christ performed by divine power were done through magic. In the same way, they said that the casting out of demons performed by Christ was done through the power of a certain superior demon—one familiar and private to him, whom they called Beelzebub—to whom lesser demons obeyed at his command when leaving bodies. But that lower point, regarding the other demoniac, is reasonably refuted by Christ. Mystically, however, the crowd signifies the confession of the nations, while the Pharisees signify the unbelief of the Jews. Just as the two blind men represent both the Jewish people and the Gentiles, the man who was mute and possessed by a demon represents, in a general sense, the entire human race. And so, the preachers brought to the Lord a man who was mute—that is, the human race, mute from the confession of faith, possessed by a demon, and given over to idolatry. But once the demon was cast out and idolatry abandoned, the mute man spoke and confessed Christ. This same mute man represents anyone possessed by a demon through mortal sin. He is called mute because he cannot speak in a way that merits grace; yet he is offered to God to be healed when the righteous pray for him. The demon is cast out when his sin is forgiven by God through the infusion of grace, and then his tongue is loosened to sing the praises of God. For when someone is possessed by a demon through sin, if he turns back and returns to repentance, you’ll soon see the mute man speaking, praising God, accusing himself, and preaching the truth. The Pharisees, however, by attributing this to the prince of demons, show themselves to be wicked men, eager to corrupt and pervert the good works of others. The Lord, however, didn't stop preaching because of their malice, teaching us to repay our accusers not with accusations, but with kindness.
The Universal Mission of Christ
Jesus travels to all cities and villages to preach and heal, demonstrating His commitment to the common good.
Hence Chrysostom says: "The Lord wanted to refute the Pharisees' accusation by the very act itself—those who said, 'He casts out demons by the prince of demons.' For someone who has suffered an insult from a demon does not do it good, but harms the one who dishonors him. The Lord, however, does the opposite: after insults and abuse, He not only doesn't punish, but doesn't even rebuke; instead, He bestows benefits." The preaching and miracles of Christ. Hence it follows: 'And Jesus went about,' which is against the negligent, 'all the cities and villages,' that is, all places, both major and minor; this is against those who show favoritism toward certain places or people. Hence Theophilus says: "The Lord preached not only in the cities, but also in the villages, so that we might learn not to despise small places, nor always seek out great cities, but to sow the word of God in lowly and humble hamlets." He went about, I say, teaching in their synagogues—that is, in common and proper places where there was a gathering of people, not in hiding places, as is the custom of heretics—and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, that is, the New Law, which leads directly to the kingdom, which the Old Law did not do; not fables, useless things, or curiosities; and curing every lingering ailment, which, although it may not be very severe, still weighs one down by its duration, and every infirmity, namely, the severe kind, which weighs one down by the bitterness of the suffering, so that He might persuade not only by word, but also by deed. From this, many miracles are evident, summarized here in a general way, performed by Christ to confirm the Evangelical Law. For miracles are placed here in a general way because the Evangelists could not write down every deed of Christ in particular. For, as John says: 'Jesus did many other signs, which are not written in this book.'✦ As it's read in the Church and stated in the Martyrology—"And of many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins"—this is because Charlemagne had the deaths and deeds of the martyrs and other saints diligently investigated, and it was found that more than three hundred feasts occurred on individual days; because of this, it was decreed that the aforementioned clause be added at the end of the Martyrology, so that at least a general memorial of the saints might be made on the day of their passing. Likewise, the Evangelists, because they couldn't write down all of Christ's miracles in detail, often summarize many of them in a general way, as is evident here and elsewhere in various places in the Gospel. Jesus went about, therefore, not to devour and destroy, but to bring them the greatest benefits: one, the Gospel of the kingdom; the other, the healing of all ailments. In the first, the salvation of souls is expressed; in the second, the salvation of bodies. And those whom He healed outwardly in the body, He also healed inwardly in the mind. ... He sought the salvation of all, and He pursued the common good more than His own private interest. But, alas! today private interest is sought more than the common good, and through this, the world is largely destroyed. This, however, proceeds from a lack of charity, which doesn't seek what is its own, but what belongs to others.
Trusting the Divine Physician
The author exhorts the reader to place all hope in God during trials and concludes with a prayer for spiritual healing.
Chrysostom says: "This is the perfect grace of love, when someone is more eager to be useful and profitable to others than to themselves." Therefore, we must always turn in every need to such a kind Samaritan, to such a healing shepherd and physician; we must seek salvation for both soul and body from him alone and place all our hope in him, for he knows and considers better than anyone what is best for each of us. Augustine says: "It is good that you don't worry about the health of your body, except to ask for it from God." If he knows it will be good for you, he'll give it; if he doesn't give it to you, it wouldn't have been good for you to have it. God knows what is best for us; let's act so that our heart may be healthy and free from sin. And when we happen to be afflicted in body, let us pray to him. I have said this, brothers, so that no one might seek anything other than the help of God. This is from Augustine. 7. God does indeed allow trials and temptations to come, and He knows how long they should last; for He who knows their beginning and their entry also knows their end and their outcome. Therefore, let's bear everything patiently, and by turning to Him alone, let's entrust everything to Him. Chrysostom says: “Let's apply ourselves to prayer with diligence, and if we haven't received what we asked for, let's wait until we do.” For this reason, He sometimes delays granting what sinners ask and allows trials to break in, so that we might continually take refuge in Him and never turn away from Him. For if we were the same in times of peace as we are in times of trial, we would never have been schooled by afflictions. And what am I saying about you? For all who have ever worn brighter crowns were adorned by trials and temptations, and through them they became famous. Knowing all this, let's not rush when trouble comes, but learn only one thing: to endure everything with strength, and not to stir up curious questions about what happens to us. For it belongs to the One who allows troubles to come to know when they should be resolved; but it is the work of a good soul to bear them once they are here with full thanksgiving. If this is done, all good things will follow. So, to achieve this and become more worthy here and more radiant there, let's accept everything that comes our way with a calm heart, giving thanks to Him who knows better than anyone what is good for us, and to those who have loved us more intensely; and in every crisis, let's suppress these two kinds of thoughts within ourselves by singing of justice. But let's glorify God in all things, for He does everything for us and provides everything for us. In this way, we'll easily drive away the traps set against virtue and win unfading crowns, as Chrysostom says. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, Light of eternal brightness, illuminate my inner eyes so that I may never fall asleep in the death of the soul, so that, illuminated by Your grace, I may see everything that needs to be done, and, helped by that same grace, may grow strong enough to fulfill what I have seen; and then may I tell of Your benefits, for Your glory and the benefit of others. Open also, Lord, my mouth, which is mute because of my sins, by pouring in Your grace and loosening my tongue to proclaim Your praises, so that, having received the gift of speech, I may accuse myself, praise You, O God, build up my neighbor, and preach the truth. Amen.
Read the original Latin
I — Et trdtlSeunte inde Jesu, scilicet de domo principis, secuti sunt eum duo cceci, misericordiam cum clamore in via petentes, et devota oratione dicentes : Miserere nostri, flli David. Vulgata enim erat fama apud Judaeos, quia Christus nasciturus erat de semine David, secundum carnem. Et ideo quia credebant ipsum esse Christum, ipsi David promissum, vocant sic eum David filium. Clamabant autem, quia ad litteram non videbant, quoniam prope est Dominus. Ubi Chrysostomus: « Vide autem eorum desiderium, et a clamore, et ab ipsa interpellatione. Neque enim simplicitcr accesserunt, sed magne clamantes, et nihil aliud quam misericordiam postulantes. Filium autem David vocabant, quia nomen honoris esse videbatur. » Cum autem venisset domum, id est ad hospitium suum, in illa regione, interrogavit eos, si crederent eum hoc posse facere.
Quasi diceret : Confessi estis humanitatem, me dicendo filium David, si creditis quod hoc possum facere ut Deus, opus enim est divinitatis. Non interrogat quasi ignorans eorum fidem, quia omnia sciebat per certitudinem, sed ut confessio exterior adderetur fidei interiori : et sic essent digniores illuminari, et mercede ampliori. Quia, secundum Apostolum : Corde ci'editur ad justitiam, ore autem confessio flt ad salutem. Unde Rabanus : « Non quasi nescius interrogabat, sed ut fidem confessio promat , confessionem virtus, salusque comitetur virtutem. » Dicunt ei, fidem confitendo : Utique, Domine. Ubi Chrysostomus : « Non ultra filium David vocant, sed altius extenduntur^ et eum Dominum confitentur, quod est nomen potcstatis. » Tunc, post con4>9 fessionera fidei, tetigit oculos eorum. Ubi Rabanus : « Confessio oris tactum meruit divinae pietatis.
Felix tactus, ad quem tanta sequitur virtus! » Et dixit : Secundum fidem vestram ftat vobis, id est sicut fides mentem illuminat , ita oculis lucem restituat; et statim, illuminati sunt, et aperti sunt oculi eorum. Ecce quanta est fides simpliciter credentium, quae meretur tot donorum collationem, et augmentum a Deo, ut omnia possibilia sint credenti.
Non eos in via curat, ut laudes hominum et jactantiae gloriam vitare doceat. Unde Chrysostomus : « Rursus autem hoc erudit nos gloriam multitudinis expellere; quia enim prope erat domus, ducit eos illuc singulariter curaturus. » Unde propter humilitatem etiam comminatur eis, ne cui dicant, ut ad fugiendam jactantiam et inanem gloriam nos instruat. Ut enim dicit idem Chrysostomus : « Justus cum laudatur in facie, flagellatur in mente. Sed illi caeci illuminati exeuntes, scilicet de domo, diffamaverunt eum, id est famam ejus per miraculum factum divulgaverunt , in tota terra illa, et publice nuntiaverunt : et propter memoriam gratiae, non potuerunt beneficium tacere, sed non ingrati gratiae Dei, facti sunt ejus praecones et Evangelistae. » Unde Hieronymus : a Dominus quidem propter humilitatem, fugiens jactantiae gloriam, hoc praeceperat; et illi propter memoriam gratiae non possunt tacere beneficium. » Unde et Chrysostomus : « Quod autem alteri dicit : Vade, et enarra gloriam Dei, non est contrarium illi hoc, sed et valde conveniens. Erudit enim nosipsos quidem, de nobisipsis nihil dicere, sed et eos qui volunt nos, propter nos laudare, prohibere; si autem ad Dei gloriam refertur, non solum non prohibere, sed et injungere hoc facere.
Ut enim supra dictum est, solum. prohibet Dominus publicari beneficia ad laudem humanam, sed non prohibet haec enarrari ad Dei gloriam. » Ubi sciendum quod praeceptum datur, vel ad exsequendum, vel ad probandum, vel ad instruendum. Primum obligat ad sciendum rem praecepti; secundum, ad sequendum voluntatem seu intentionem praecipientis; tertium, ad discendum aliquid ex praecepto. Et hoc tertio modo comminatus est eis ne alicui dicerenU Unde non fuit simplex inhibitio dicendi; sed potius moralis instructio, ut exemplo sui, bona quae faciunt homines velint latere, sed tamen ut prosint aliis prodant inviti; et ideo isti non sunt transgressi, quia non fecerunt contra intentionem praecipientis. Unde Deus jussit taceri, non simpliciter, sed propter gloriam, sed taceri non potuit, verum est, utiliter propter aliorum salutem. Nam non posse utiliter fieri, dicitur secundum jus non posse fieri. De hoc etiam habes supra de curatione leprosi.
Allegorice, uterque populus caecus et sine lumine veritatis erat, Domino per hoc seculum transeunte; et nisi uterque in domum, ld est m sanctam Ecclesiam veniat, et verbo Dei credat, lumen non meretur recipere. In ipsa enim Ecclesia, in quam venit Christus per carnem, illuminantur caeci per fidem Christi incarnati. Unde Remigius : « Allegorice autem per hos duos caecos, duo populi designantur, id est Judaicus et Gentilis. De utroque autem populo in se credentes illuminavit in domo, per quam inteliigitur Ecclesia, quia absque unitate Ecclesiae nullus sahart meretur. UU atutem qui crediderunt, adventutn Domini per universum orbem diffamaverunt : » haec Remigius. ~» Spiritualiter etiam duo c«ci sunt intellectus et affectus. Duo autem sunt oculi intellectus : dexter, ndes divinitatis; sinister, fides humanitatis. Duo similiter sunt oculi affectus : dexter, aoior bonitatis, sive glariae divinae; sinister, timor juatitiae vel gehennae.
Et sic est quadruplex caecitas in quatuor ocults : prima est error circa divinitatem; secunda est error circa humanitatem ; tertia est malignitas, contemnens bonitatem, sive gloriam divinam; quarta est praesumptuositas, non videns gehennam et non timens justitiam.
Egressis autem, de dorao, itlis, scilicet duobus caecis jam iliuminatis, ecce obtulerunt ei, homines illius terrae, hommem mutwn, et quod pejus est, habentem dcemonium. Hic, secundum Chrysostomum, non erat mutus a natura, sed a daemone tn-» sidiante et linguam tenente; et ideo, ejecto, et expulso per Dominum dcemonio, locutus est ; quia, amoto impedimento, habuit loquendi omcium, sicut prius. in quo, secundum Hilarium, rerum ordo servatus est, nam daemonium prius ejicitur, er tunc reliqua corporis officia succedunt. Et miratce sunt Jurba? , scilicet ex signorum novitate, dicentes : Nunquam apparuit sic in Israel, id est talia miracula non sunt visa inter Judaeos. Ubi ait Chrysostomus : a Praeponebant quidem ceteris eum, non quia curabat solum, sed quoniam facile et velociter, et infinttas aegritudines et insanabiles sanabat. » Pharisasi autem dicebant : In principe datmo* niorum, ejicit damonia. Quasi dicerent : Non est haec potestas a se, vel -a Deo ; sed a diabolo.
Ubi Hieronymus : « Quiat virtutem negare non possunt, opua caiumniantur. » Et Remigius : «t Scribae namque et Pharisfei facta Domini negabant, quae poterant; et quae non poterant negare, in sinistram partem tnter* pretabantur. » Turba? namque, id est devoti et simplices, opera Dei confitebantur, et cum Det reverentia et laude admirabantur; se4 Pharisaei tnvidi et insidiantes, expuisionem daemonis, principi daemoniorum adacribebant , et opera Dei calumniabantur. Odium enim et invidia factunt tnterpretart facta in deteriorem partem, et perverti judicia. Pharisaet autem odiebant Christum* quia acrtter arguebat vttia eorum; et ideo miracula a Christo facta virtute divina, dice» bant ease facta arte magica. Et eodem raodov ejectionem daeraonum factam per Christum dicebant fieci vtrtute cujusdam deemonis superiorts, sibi familiaris et prtvati, quem vocabant Beelzebub, cui inferiore* daemones obedtebant ad mutum, cW corporibus exeundo. Sed istud inferius, de alio daemoniaco, rationabiliter reprobatur a Christo, 5 QWD MYSTtCB PB* IPSUM GNETua i — Mystice autem, in turbis confessto nattonum; in Pharisaeia, infideiitaa signatur Judaeorum.
Et sicut tn duobus caecis signatus eat uterque populus Judaeorum et Genttum; tta in homine muto et daaraoniaco, generaiiter signatum eat omne genus humanum. Unde praedicatores obtulerunt Domino horatnem mutum, id est genus huma«num, mutum a confessione fidet, daemonium habentem et idololatriae deditunx. Sed, ejecto daemonio, et idololatria relicta, locutus est mutus, et Christum confessus. Per istum ettam mutum, signatur quilibet homo possessus a daemone per peccatum mortale. Et dicitur mutus, quia loqui non potest meritorie; sed Deo curandi» offertur, quando justi pro eo deprecanttrr, et tunc daemon ejicitur, quando peccatum ipsk» a Deo per infuskmem gratiae relsxatur, tuncque sohritur ejus lingn, ad Dei praeconia persolvenda. Qoando enim a daemone per peccatum posstdetur quis, si convertatur, et ad poenitentiam redeat, mox videbis mutum loquentem, Deum laudantem, seipsum accusantem, et veritatem praedicantem. Pharisaei autem hoc daemontorum principi attribuentes, sunt homines maligni, bona aliorum depravare et pervertere studentes. Dominus autem non desistebat a praedicatione, propter illorum depravationem, docens nos accusatoribus nostris retribuere, non accusationes, sed beneficia.
Unde ait Chrysostomus : « Voluit Domirtus ipso facto accusationem redarguere Pharisaeorum, dicentium : In principe dcemoniorum ejhit dctmonim : daemori enim convitium passus non benefacit, sed nocet ei» qui eum inhonorant; Dominus autefh contrarium facit, qui post convitia et contumelias non solum non punit, sed etiam nec increpavit, quinimo beneficia praestitit. » 6 Prjedicatio et miracula Chrisn. — Unde sequitur : Et circuibat Jesus, hoc est contra negiigentes, omnes civitates et castella, id est omnia loca majora et minora ; hoc est contra locorum vel personarum acceptores. Unde Theophilus : « Non solum in civitatibus Dominus praedicabat, sed etiam in castellis, ut discamus parva loca non spernere, neque magnas semper quaerere civitates, sed verbum Dei in vicis abjectis et vilibus seminare. » Circuibat, inquam, docens in synagogis eorum, id est in locis communibus et debitis, ubi erat conventus hominum, non in latibulis, sicut mos est haereticis ; et Pradicans Evangelium regni, id est Legem Novam, quae immediate ducit ad regnum, quod non faciebat Lex Vetus; non fabulosa, inutilia, vel curiosa ; et curans omnem l&nguorem prolixum, qui licet non sit muitum vehemens, gravat tamen ex diuturnitate, et ornnem inftrmitatem, scilicet vehementem, quae gravat ex passionis acerbitate; ut non sermone tantum, sed et opere persuaderet. Ex quo patent multa miracula hic in quodam generali conclusa, ad confirmationem Legis Evangelkse a Christo facta. Hic enim ponuntur miracula in generali, quia Evangelistae non poterant omnia facta Christi scribere in particulari. Nam, ut dicit Joannes : Multa alia signa fecit Jesus, quce non sunt scripta in libro hoc.
Sicut enim in Ecciesia legitur, et dicitur in Martyrologio : Et aliorum plurimorum sanctorum Martyrum, et Confessorum, atque sanctarum Virginum ; hac scilicet de causa, quia Carolus Magnus fecit inquiri diligenter obitus et actus Martyrum, et aliorum Sanctorum, et inventum est quod diebus singulis occurrebant plus quam trecenta festa, propter quod statutum est, ut in fine Martyrologii, addatur clausula praedicta, ut saltem in generali fiat memoria Sanctorum, in die transitus eorum. Ita similiter Evangelistae, quia non poterant omnia miracula Christi in particulari scribere, ideo frequenter multa conciudunt in quadam generalitate, sicut patet hic et alibi in diversis locis Evangelii. Circuibat ergo Jesus, non ad devorandum et perdendum, sed ad maxima beneficia eis afferendum : unum quidem , regni Evangelium ; aliud autem , omnium aegritudinum curationem; in quorum primo salus animarum, in secundo salus corporum exprimitur; et illos quos corpore sanabat extrinsecus, etiam mente sanabat intrinsePRINLE partis caput l. cus. Omnium quidem salutem 1 affectabat, et bonum commune magis quam privatum procurabat. Sed, proh dolor ! hodie bonum privatum, magis quam commune quaeritur, et per hoc in magna parte mundus destruitur. Hoc autem procedit ex defectu caritatis, quae non qucerit quce sua sunt, sed quae aliorum.
Unde Chrysostomus : « Haec est perfecta gratia caritatis, quando quis aliis festinat amplius utilis et lucrosus esse quam sibi. Igitur ad tam pium Samaritanum, ad tam salutarem pastorem et medicum , in omni necessitate semper est recurrendum; et non solum animarum, sed corporum salus ab ipso solo est quaerenda, et in eo tota spes nostra est ponenda, ipse enim melius novit et considerat quid cuilibet expediat. » Unde Augustinus : « Bonum est ut de salute corporis non satagas, nisi ut a Deo illa petas. Si scit tibi prodesse, dabit illam; si non tibi dederit, non tibi proderat habere illam. Novit Deus quid nobis expediat, id agamus, ut sanum sit cor nostrum a peccatis. Et quando forte flagellamur in corpore, ipsum deprecemur. Haec, fratres, ideo dixi, ne quis quaerat aliquid praeter auxilium Dei. : » haec Augustinus.
7 ? — Permittit quidem Deus tribulationes et tentationes advenire , et scit quandiu debeant durare ; ipse enim qui earum novit principium et introitum, novit etiam finem et exitum. Et ideo omnia patienter feramus, et ad ipsum solum recurrentes, omnia sibi committamus. Unde Chrysostomus : « Orationibus cum diligentia intendamus, et si non acceperimus, immoremur ut accipiamus. Ideo enim aliquandiu et annuere peccantibus differt, et tribulationes irruere permittit, ut continue ad ipsum refugiamus, nec ab eo aliquando discedamus. Quia si quales in tribulatione sumus, tales essemus etiam in requie, nequaquam egerimus afHictionibus eruditi. Et quid dico de vobis? Etenim omnes quicunque unquam clariores induti sunt coronas, a tribulationibus et tentationibus induti sunt, et famosi effecti.
Quae omnia cognoscentes , ne festinemus in tempore inductionis mali, sed unum solum erudiamur, ut viriliter cuncta toleremus, nec de his quae nobis accidunt, quaestionem curiositatis moveamus. Scire enim quando oportet solvi tribulationes, permittentis est eas advenire; illatas autem ferre cum omni gratiarum actione nostrae est bonae mentis opus. Quod si fiet, omnia bona sequentur. Ut igitur haec consequamur, et probabiliores hic et clariores illic fiamus, omne quodcunque supervenerit, aequo animo suscipiamus; gratias agentes ei qui super omnes scit magis id quod nobis expediat, et his qui genuerunt vehementius nos diligenti ; et ad singula quaeque discrimina, has utrasque excogitationes in nobisipsis, cantantes justitiam, comprimamus. Glorificemus autem in omnibus Deum, pro nobis cuncta facientem, nobisque omnia providentem. Sic enim facile et eas qui virtuti opponuntur expellemus insidias, et immarcessibiles consequemur coronas : » haec Chrysostomus. ORATIO Domine Jesu Christe, lumen claritatis aeternae, illumina oculos meos in* teriores, ne unquam obdormiam in morte animae, ut per tuam gratiam illuminatus, omnia quae agenda sunt videam, et per eamdem adjutus ad impiendum quae videro convalescam; ac inde tua beneficia enarrem, ad tui gioriam et aliorum utilitatem. Aperi etiam Domine os meum mutum, peccata mea per infusionem gratiae relaxando, et linguam meam ad tua praeconia solvendo, ut loquendi gratia percepta me ipsum accusem, te Deum laudem, proximum aedificem, et praedicem veritatem.
Amen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩John.20.30 — Now Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book;
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