De muliere vocem de turba extollente, ac de matve et fratribus Domini eum qua*rentibus
The Woman's Praise and the Church's Faith
A woman from the crowd praises Christ and His Mother, signifying the Church's faithful confession of the Incarnation.
Christ is praised by the one who bears the image of the Church. It happened that while the Lord Jesus was saying these things, responding to the blasphemies of the Jews—lifting up, that is, raising her heart—and constantly and loudly speaking out in praise of Christ and in refutation of the blaspheming Jews, a certain woman, not rich, not powerful, not noble, but poor, from the crowd and the common people, and from the masses (for the common people are often more devout than the great), burst out in praise of Christ against the insults of the Jews. It is said that she was Saint Marcella, the servant of blessed Martha, who could no longer endure the blasphemies of the Jews against Christ. She raised her voice against the blasphemers in praise of Christ and His Mother, commending His conception and bodily birth by saying: 'Blessed is the womb that carried You, the Blessed One, through whom all are blessed; and blessed are the breasts that You nursed.' She blesses and praises the Mother through the Son, and not the other way around, because grace and glory come primarily from Him. Here we see the great confidence, boldness, faith, and devotion of this woman in two ways: first, she didn't speak silently or in a whisper, but raised her voice on high without fear, for she was inflamed by the sweetness of Christ's words; second, while the Scribes and Pharisees were tempting and blaspheming the Lord, she confessed the Son of God with great confidence, so that she might confound both the slander of the Jews present and the treachery of future heretics. For just as the Jews then, by blaspheming and saying that He cast out demons by Beelzebub, denied that He was the Son of God, so later certain heretics would deny that He was a true man, claiming that He didn't take on true flesh from the Virgin Mary, but brought an ethereal body with Him. This woman, however, refutes both, because she confesses Him to be the true Son of God, consubstantial with the Father, against those who blaspheme, blessing the Mother through the Son as the source by reason of His divinity; and she testifies that He is the true, not imaginary, Son of man, consubstantial with the Mother, signifying that He was carried in the womb and nourished at the breasts. Spiritually, however, this woman signifies the holy Church, which, among the crowds of Jews, pagans, and heretics, confesses the Lord Jesus Christ with a believing voice. By her voice, in truth, the womb of the Virgin Mary is proclaimed blessed, for she merited to carry the Redeemer of the whole world, just as she herself says: 'From now on all generations will call me blessed.' Bede says: "Let us, therefore, lift up our voices with the Catholic Church, of which this woman was a sign; let us also lift up our minds from the midst of the crowds and say to the Savior: 'Blessed is the womb that carried you, and the breasts that you nursed.'" Truly blessed is the parent who, as someone says: . . . "She gave birth to the King who rules heaven and earth through the ages, whose name is from eternity, encompassing all things in his orbit; his kingdom remains without end. With a blessed womb, she held the joys of a mother while keeping the honor of virginity; she was seen to have no equal before her, nor to have any successor."
True Blessedness in Hearing and Keeping the Word
Christ clarifies that true blessedness lies not merely in physical kinship, but in hearing and keeping the Word of God.
But Jesus, confirming the woman's words and commending the praise of his Mother, as well as the faith and constancy of that same woman and others like her, said: "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it." By this, he signaled that the blessed Virgin conceived him more happily through faith and devotion spiritually than she did physically. It’s as if he were saying: "By your way of thinking, she is primarily blessed whose womb carried me; but she isn't the only one who is blessed. In fact, all are blessed—in the present by hope, and eventually in the future in reality—who hear the word of God, believing it in their hearts, and who keep it by fulfilling it in their actions." My Mother is indeed blessed and happy, for she carried me and nursed me; but she is even more happy and blessed because she heard the word of God, believed it by hearing it, and kept it by believing it. For if she hadn't done this, she couldn't have been happy, nor could she have been my Mother. Hence Elizabeth said to her: "Blessed are you who believed, for what was spoken to you by the Lord will be fulfilled." She was therefore more blessed because she conceived the Word spiritually in her mind, received it by the hearing of faith, and kept it diligently by her actions; for a spiritual conception, by which Christ is conceived in the heart, is happier than a physical one. For faith working through love merits eternal happiness; but conception or carrying [the Lord] does not, without faith, because without faith it is impossible to please God. Hence, according to Augustine, Mary was more blessed in professing the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ; and she conceived God more happily in her mind through faith than in her body through the assumption of flesh. For Mary's physical relationship to Him would have meant nothing, had she not carried Him more blessedly in her heart than in her womb. Chrysostom says: "Neither conceiving Christ nor giving birth to that miraculous child has any value if virtue is absent, since it brings no benefit if one hasn't done everything that is required; and the birth itself would have profited her nothing, had she not been truly good and faithful." If, in truth, it would have profited Mary nothing to have given birth to Christ without that virtue which is of the soul, how much more so for us—even if we have had a virtuous and noble father or son—if we ourselves remain far from that virtue, will it be able to profit us?"—so says Chrysostom. Bede adds: "He approves the woman's beautiful testimony, asserting that those are blessed not only because they were worthy to give birth to the Word of God physically, but also all who strive to conceive the Word of God spiritually through the hearing of faith, and to bring Him forth and, as it were, nourish Him through the keeping of good works, whether in their own hearts or in the hearts of their neighbors; for the Mother of God herself was blessed indeed because she was made the temporary minister of the Word becoming incarnate, but she was far more blessed because she remained the eternal guardian of the same Word to be loved always." With this sentiment, he quietly strikes at the wise men of the Jews as unworthy of blessedness, for they sought not to hear and keep the Word of God, but to deny and blaspheme it,"—so says Bede. And, according to the same, the entire perfection of the heavenly life is contained in these two things: that we hear the Word of God and do it. Whoever, therefore, finds delight in Mary's blessedness should strive to hear and keep the Word of God willingly, and he will be blessed. For whoever hears the Word of God willingly has conceived Christ; but if he fulfills it in action, he gives birth to Christ; what Mary carried physically, he carries spiritually. As Augustine says: "Whoever believes in his heart for righteousness conceives Christ, and whoever confesses with his mouth for salvation brings forth Christ." The Lord says elsewhere: "Whoever does the will of my Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." When Robert, the founder and builder of the Premonstratensian monastery, heard a woman praise him for this praise of Christ and his mother, he said to her: "Cursed be you, and cursed be whoever suggested these words of the Lord to you, and cursed be the one who turns his praise toward me, a miserable man, for I am accustomed to being caught even by a little praise." The Word of the Lord should be heard with reverence because of its preciousness. If someone had a piece of the Lord's garment, a tear that fell from his eyes, or a drop of blood from his flesh, they would receive and keep it with great reverence. How much more strongly should we receive the Word of the Lord, which comes not only from his mouth but from the depths of his heart? We should receive it patiently—not with weariness, murmuring, or criticism—and obediently, so that what we hear, we put into practice. The wicked should gladly hear the Word of God so that they may be corrected, for the Word of God is medicine for the soul against the disease of sin; the good, too, who are in a threefold state, should gladly hear the Word of God. It is fitting for beginners to hear it so they may be instructed, and for them the Word of God is milk. It is also fitting for those who are progressing to hear the Word of God so they may be directed on the path of spiritual growth, and it is fitting for the perfect to hear the Word of God so they may be further strengthened, for whom the Word of God is solid food. The Word of God is heavenly manna, and it tastes to each person according to their own will. As Origen says: "Now, therefore, let us hasten to the heavenly manna."
The Manna of the Word
The Word of God acts as a spiritual manna, providing comfort and healing according to the needs of the believer.
For that manna gives back a taste in one's mouth according to what each person desires; so, if you receive the word of God that is preached in the Church with full faith and full devotion, you will receive it. Whatever word you desire, the grace of the Word will comfort you, saying: 'God will not despise a contrite and humbled heart'; if you rejoice in prosperity, it will heap up joys for you. David says, 'Rejoice in the Lord and exult, you just.' If you are angry, it calms you, saying, 'Cease from anger and abandon fury.' If you are in pain, it heals you, saying, 'The Lord will heal all your infirmities.' If you are consumed by poverty, it consoles you, saying, 'The Lord lifts up from the earth.' He lifts the needy and the poor from the dung heap. Thus, the manna of God’s word will return to your mouth whatever taste you wish, as Origen says.
The Trap of Carnal Affection
The Lord's relatives arrive, and the devil attempts to use their presence to distract Christ from His divine mission.
Who are the Lord's brothers in this sense? While the Lord Jesus was still preaching and saying all that was mentioned above to the crowds, his mother and brothers—that is, his kinsmen—came looking for him; although the Pharisees were mixed in with the crowds, he was preaching primarily to instruct the crowds, and because they could easily approach him... ...they could not reach him because of the crowd, and also so as not to hinder the fruit of the divine word, they stood outside and sent word to him, calling him. In Scripture, the Lord's "brothers" are understood to be his cousins, as it's common for the Bible to refer to relatives as brothers. While the Lord was busy preaching, first one person and then many from the crowd said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, looking for you." They were laying traps, maliciously and insidiously saying these things to test and explore whether he would abandon the preaching he had begun because of natural affection, or interrupt it. They wanted to see if he would prefer flesh and blood to his spiritual work, so they could argue that he was merely a man born of carnal desire, and so that the crowd, seeing his earthly parents, wouldn't believe he was the Son of God, since God doesn't beget in a carnal way. And so they brought up many circumstances that could move him to stop, saying: "Look, your mother, who is commanded to be honored, and your brothers, whom both nature and the Law command you to love, are standing outside, waiting for you in an outer place." They implied it would be shameful to keep them waiting, as if they had come solely for his sake, and that he therefore deserved to go out to them. The text here is fragmented and requires review for the final clause. Chrysostom says: 'The devil, seeing that Christ was persuading the people that He was the Son of God—by saying, "Look, someone greater than Solomon is here"—feared that if the Son of God were recognized, He who was thought to be a mere man would be abandoned by everyone, and they would be won over to Him.' He brought up His relatives according to the flesh so that He might obscure their contemplation of His divinity. And so, someone comes along—an advocate for the devil, speaking the devil's words with a human mouth—saying, 'Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak with you.' It's as if he were saying: 'Why do you boast, Jesus, of coming down from heaven, when you have your roots here on earth?' 'Look, your mother and your brothers.' 'You cannot be the Son of God, whom men have begotten.' 'You cannot hide the Son within yourself, whom nature has made manifest'—so says Chrysostom. In the same way, even today the devil arranges for many prelates to have the company of their relatives, so that through carnal affection he might obscure their dignity and holiness. It’s well said that they are standing outside; this signifies that those who are carnally minded should be kept at a distance from the clergy, or at least kept out of their hearts as far as carnal affection is concerned—and yet, in many cases today, we see the opposite. Mystically, according to Bede, Jesus' mother and brothers can be said to represent the synagogue and the Jews, from whom he was born according to the flesh; they are said to stand outside while Christ is preaching because, as the Gentiles came to believe in Christ, the synagogue and the Jews for the most part passed outside of the faith.
Spiritual Kinship in the Kingdom
Christ redefines kinship, declaring that those who do the will of the Father are His true brothers, sisters, and mother.
It should be noted regarding the Blessed Virgin that, like a devoted mother, she sought her young Son because she could not bear his absence, specifically when she had lost him; she sought him as he grew, because she could not be satisfied by his presence, as is clear; she sought the Master who had been made, that is, the Crucified, because she was already losing his presence when she stood by the cross. She found him first among the teachers, asking questions; then among the people, preaching; and finally among the thieves, suffering. First, in the temple; second, in the house; third, on the cross. In the first, she longed to find him, and for that reason she labored and grieved in seeking her Son. In the second, she longed to see him, and for that reason she stood outside waiting for him to appear. In the third, she longed to be crucified with him, and for that reason she stood by the cross until the end. Jesus, however, would not leave or interrupt his preaching at his mother’s request, despite his love and honor for her, because the works of spiritual mercy are nobler than those of the body; the benefit of the mother, the Church, must be preferred to the benefit of one's own mother. In this, the fervor of Christ appeared, which he held while preaching. He saw through those who were plotting against him, and like one who understood their inner intentions, he reasonably pushed back against their malicious words. He showed that spiritual occupation must be preferred to carnal affection, and the work of God to the business of familiar persons, saying: 'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?' It was as if he were saying to his mother and his relatives: 'I do not know you in my spiritual work; the preaching of my Father is not to be directed or even interrupted for your sake.' And as if to assert the truth, he stretched out his hands toward his disciples sitting around him and said, "Look, here is my mother—that is, those who conceive me in their hearts and bring me forth in the hearts of their listeners through preaching; and here are my brothers, who do the works of my Father and will be my co-heirs in heaven." It was as if he were saying, "It’s all the same to me what kind of kinship you have, provided it is in spiritual actions." And that is what matters more to me. The person who is more intent on spiritual works is the one who is truly close to me. I prefer spiritual neighbors to carnal ones, and more useful works to less useful ones; so much so that when I am occupied with spiritual work, I completely set aside carnal attachments. The Lord acts as if he does not know his mother and his relatives by blood, saying that those who are joined to him through the Spirit are his true relatives. By this example, he showed us what he meant by his words. He taught that anyone who loves father or mother more than him—that is, anyone who puts carnal attachments before spiritual work—is not worthy of him. Anyone, therefore, who shows favoritism when granting benefits and church offices, preferring the flesh to the spirit and a less useful task to a more useful one, abandons the pattern set by the Lord and deeply offends God. Hence Jerome says: "He didn't deny his mother, lest he be thought born of a phantom; but he preferred the Apostles to kinship, so that we, too, might prefer the spirit to the flesh in our comparison of love." And Ambrose adds: "Yet parents aren't rejected injuriously; rather, the bonds of minds are taught to be more religious than those of bodies. Nor should anyone think it an obstacle to piety where the command of the Law is fulfilled." Chrysostom also says: "He didn't despise carnal generation, nor did he blush at human conception, when he gave such an answer; rather, he wanted to show that spiritual kinship must be preferred to carnal." Then the Lord Jesus gives the reason for his statement, as if saying: "Not only are the disciples my mother and my brothers in a special way, but all faithful and righteous people are eternally so." For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven—in heart, in word, and in deed, according to his precepts, counsels, and examples—is himself my brother, my sister, and my mother. One is a brother and sister by believing that he is the Son of God: 'He gave them power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name.' Indeed, one is called brother and sister because of both sexes that are gathered into the faith. But one who is Christ's brother and sister by believing becomes his mother by preaching and by bringing him forth in the hearts of others through word or example. Therefore, those who are sons and daughters and heirs of God by grace are brothers, sisters, mothers, and co-heirs of Christ, who is the Son of God by nature. For this reason, he calls them brothers, sisters, and mothers, because he loves them as if they were his brothers, sisters, and mothers. These words show clearly that spiritual love must be preferred to carnal love, and the closeness of charity to the closeness of blood relation. We ought to love our mother, our brothers, and all our relatives with the same love with which Christ loved his own mother and brothers. He loved them not because they were more closely related by blood, but because they did the will of his Father more fully. Therefore, the one who is better is closer to Christ; for, as Jerome says, "He distinguishes not by gender, but by deeds." And, as Gregory says, "Before the Lord, it is not a higher rank that is approved, but the action of a better life." According to Chrysostom, the Lord introduced this teaching so that no one might rely on the nobility of their lineage or the descent of saints without virtue, teaching us not to neglect virtue while relying on any blood connection.
Prayer for Spiritual Fidelity
A concluding prayer seeking grace to prioritize the will of God and spiritual works above all else.
For if being a mother would have profited Mary nothing, had virtue not been present, who else could possibly be saved by blood relation? There is only one true nobility: doing the will of God; and this way of nobility is better and more fundamental than any other. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, grant that I may hear Your word by believing it with faith, and keep it by fulfilling it in action; make me carry this same word of God within me spiritually through hearing, and nourish it through keeping it. Grant me, Lord my God, that with You as my guide and leader, I may always prefer and prioritize spiritual occupation over all carnal affection, the work of God over human business, and generally, what is more useful over what is less useful. Make me do Your will in heart, word, and deed—in Your precepts, counsels, and examples—so that I may deserve to become a servant pleasing to You, and finally, through Your grace, be counted among the children and heirs of God. Amen.
Read the original Latin
i Laudatur Christds aMa&cella £CCLESI*S TYPUM GERENTE. — Factum est auiem cum Dominus Je«us haec diceret, respondens blasphemiis Judaeorunx, extollens, id est corde tollens; ac constanter et alte proferens vocem in Christi commendationem , et Judaeorum blasphemantium confutationem , qucedam mulier non dives, non potens, non nobilis, sed pauper, de turba et de communi plebe, et po— pularibus; solent enim populares devotiores esse majoribus, prorupit in laudem Christi contra vituperium Judaeorum. Et dicitur fuisse sancta Marcella ancilla beatae Marthae , quae non potuit amplius blasphemias Judaeorum contra Christum sustinere , et contra blasphemos vocem extulit in laudem Christi et Matris suae ; commendans ejus conceptum, et partum corporalem, et dicens : Beatus est venter qui te beatum portavit, per quem omnes beatificaniur ; et beata sunt ubera quas suxisti. Matrem beatificat et laudat ex Filio, et non e converso; quia gratia et gloria provenit principaliter ab ipso. Ubi apparet magna confidentia, et audacia, et fides et devotio istius mulieris in duobus : primo, in eo quod non silenter et in aure loquebatur, sed extollens vocem in altum non timuit, suavitate enim verborum Christi accensa fuit; secundo, in eo quod Scribis et Pharisaeis Dominum tentantibus simul et blasphemantibus, ipsa magna fiducia Dei Filium confiietur, ut et praesentium Judaeorum calumniam , et futurorum haereticorum perfidiam confundat. Nam sicut tunc Judaei blasphemantes, et eum in Beelzebub ejicere daemonia dicentes, negabant eum esse Dei Filium; ita postea quidam haeretici negabunt eum esse verum hominem, dicentes eum non veram carnem ex Maria Virgine assumpsisse , sed corpus aethereum attulisse. Haec autem mulier utrosque confutat, quia et verum Dei Filium Patri consubstantialem adversus blasphemantes confitetur, cum Matrem ex Filio tanquam principio, ratione divinitatis beatificat; et verum non phantasticum hominis Filium Matri consubstantialem testatur, cum ventre portatum , uberibusque lactatum significat. Spiritualiter autem ista mulier sanctam Ecclesiam signat, quae inter turbas Judaeorum, paganorum, et haereticorum credula voce Dominum Jesum Christum confitetur; cujus revera voce venter Mariae Virginis beatus praedicatur, qui totius mundi Redemptorem portare meruit, sicut ipsa de se ait : Ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.
Ubi Beda : « Et nos igitur extollamus vocem cum Ecclesia catholica, cujus haec mulier typurn^ gessit; extollamus et mentem de medio turbarum, dicamusque Salvatori : Beatus venter qui te portavit; et ubera quce suxisti. » Vere enim beata parens, quae sicut quidam ait : . . . . Enixa puerpera Regem, Qui ccelum terramque regit per se[cula, cujus Nomen ab ceterno, complectens om[nia gyro, Imperium sine fine manet; quce ven~ [tre beato, Gaudia matris habens, cum virgi[nitatis honore, Nec primam similem visa est, nec [habere sequentem.
At Jesus confirmando verbum mulieris et commendando laudem Matris, ac fidem et constantiam ejusdem mulieris, aliorumque similium, dixit : Quinimo, beati qui audiunt ver~ bum Dei etcustodiunt illud. Per quod signavit beatam Virginem se concepisse felicius, per fidem et devotionem spiritualiter, quam corporaliter. Ac si dicat : Juxta tuam sententiam principaliter beata est illa cujus venter me portavit; sed non solum ipsa beata est, imo etiam omnes sunt beati in praesenti in spe, et tandem in futuro in re, qui audiunt verbum Dei, corde credentes, et custodiunt illud, opere adimplentes. Beata quidem et felix est Mater mea, quae me portavit et lactavit ; sed magis ideo felix atque beata, quia verbum Dei audivit, audiendo credidit, credendo custodivit; hoc enim nisi fecisset, nec felix, nec Mater mea esse potuisset. Unde Elizabeth ad eam ait : Beata qucr credisti, quoniam perficientur in te quxdicta sunt tibi a Domino. Beatior ergo fuit, quia Verbum spiritualiter mente concepit, auditu fidei suscepit , memoriterque ac studiose operatione custodivit; quia conceptio spiritualis, qua Christus in corde concipitur , felicior est quam carnalis. Fides enim per dilectionem operans beatitudinem aeternam promeretur ; non autem conceptio vel portatio sine fide, quia sine fide impossibile est placere Deo. Unde, secundum A ugustinum, beatior fuit Maria profitendo fidem Christi, quam concipiendo carnem Christi; et felicius concepit Deum mente per fidem, quam corpore per carnis assumptionem.
Nihil enim Mariae materna propinquitas profuisset, nisi illum felicius corde quam carne gestasset. Unde Chrysostomus : « Neque concipere Christum, neque mirabilem illum foetum parere, habet aliquam utilitatem, virtute non existente, quoniam nulla hujus ei utilitas, si non universa quae oportet fecerit; et nihil partus ei profuisset, nisi valde bona et fidelis esset. Si vero Mariae nihil prodesset sine ea, quae secundum animam est, virtute genitum ab ea esse Christum, multo magis nos etsi patrem, etsi filium habuerimus virtuosum et nobilem, ipsi vero longe erimus a virtute illius, nobis prodesse poterit : » haec Chrysostomus'. Ubi et Beda : « Pulchrae attestationem mulieris annuit, non eam tantummodo quae Verbum Dei corporaliter generare meruerat, sed et omnes qui Verbum Dei spiritualiter auditu fidei concipere, et boni operis custodia, vel in suo vel in proximorum corde parere , et quasi alere studuerint, asserens esse beatos ; qtiia et eadem Dei Genitrix, inde quidem beata, quia Verbi incarnandi ministra facta est temporalis; sed inde multo beatior, quia ejusdem semper amandi custos manebat aeterna. Qua sententia sapientes Judaeorum tanquam indignos beatitudine clam percutit, qui Verbum Dei non audire et custodire; sed negare et blasphemare quaerebant : » haec Beda. Et, secundum eumdem, tota vitae coelestis perfectio duobus his comprehenditur, ut Verbum Dei audiamus et faciamus. Quem ergo beatitudo Mariae delectat, Verbum Dei libenter audire et custodire studeat, et beatus erit. Quisquis enim Verbum Dei libenter audit , Christum concepit ; si autem opere impleverit, Christum parit; quae Maria portavit corporaliter, ipse pbrtat spiritualiter.
Unde Augustinus : « Qui corde credit ad justitiam, concipit Christum ; et qui ore confitetur ad salutem, parit Christum. Unde Dominus alibi : Quicunque fecerit voluntatem Patris mei, ipse meus frater et soror et matei- est. » Hac laude Christi matrisque ejus cum se audiret laudari a quadam muliere, Robertus fundans et aedificans monasterium Praemonstratense, ait ei : Et maledicta tu, et qui tibi suggessit verba Dominica, et laudem ejus in me miserum retorquere, qui etiam modica laude capi consueveram. Verbum Domini debet audiri reverenter propter pretiositatem. Si enim aliquis haberet particulam de veste Domini, vel lacrymam quae exivit de oculis ejus, vel stillam sanguinis quae exivit de carne ipsius, valde reverenter susciperet et servaret; multo fortius verbum Domini quod non solum egreditur de ore ejus, sed de intimis cordis ipsius; item patienter non cum taedio, vel murmure et detractione; item obedienter r ut scilicet quod quis audit opere impleat. Mali libenter debent audire verbum Dei ut corrigantur„ nam verbum Dei est medicina animae contra morbum peccatL Boni etiam, qui sunt in statu triplici, libenter debent audire verbum Dei :. incipientibus enim hoc convenit ut erudiantur, et illi-s verbum Dei est lac ; proficientibus etiam convenit audire verbum Dei, ut dirigantur in via profectus spiTitualis; perfectie etiam convenit audire verbum Dei, ut ampliua perikiantur, quibus verbum Dei est solidu» eibus. Est enwn verbum Dei manna ceelesteyet sapit quilibet pro suovelle» Unde Origenes : « Nunc ergo festinemus OEleste manna.
suscipere; illud enim manna prout quisque desiderat, taJem saporem reddit in ore ejus* Tu ergo- si verbum Dei, quod rn Ecclesia praedicatur, tota fide et tota devotione suscipias r fist. tibi ipsum verbum quodcunque desiderasv Verbi gratia : si tribuiarisy consoiatur te, dicens : Cor contritum et humiUatum, Deus T non despkies; si laetaris proapere, futurorum cumukvt tibi gaudia,. dav cens : Lcetammi in Domino et exxultc&e justi; si iracundu* es , mitigat te, dicens : Desine ab ira et delinque furorem ; si in doloribus es, sanat te, dicens : Dominus saaat ©mmes lajiguores tuos; sii in paupertate consumeris, consolatiar tev dicene i Dominus- allevat de tearra. inopem, et de atercore erigit pauperem. Sic ergo manna verbi Dei reddet in ore tuo saporem (^uemcuffljque volueris : » haec Origenes. 3> Quj srjltres DoMiNr in senbu ? — AdhuC Ctth tern^ Domino Jesu praedicante, et quot suprat dicta sunt, ad turbas toquente, mater ejus et fratres, id est consanguinei venerunt, quasren*tes eum ; licet enim Pharisaei esseat mixti cum turbis, tamen principaliter praedicabat propter turbas erudiendas* Et quia faciliter eum adire. prae turba non poterant, et etiam ne fouctum divini verbi impedirent, foris siabant, et miserunt ad eum vocantes ipsum.
Fratres hic vocan*tur conaobrini Domini, secundunL morem Scripturae, quae saepe conrsanguineos solet fratres nominarev Et cum Dominus erat occupatua» in officio praedicandi, primo unus> et post illum plures de turba dixe— runt ei : Ecce mater tua, etfratres tmforis stant qucerentes te. Isti iasidias tendebant, ac maiitiose et in*sid&ando haec dicebant, scilicet ad tenlandum et explorandUm r si caxnis affectu praedicationem inceptam dimitteret, vel kiterrumperet ; ut si spirituali operi praeferret carnemi e£ sanguinem,, arguerent ipsum essa purum hominem r natum proptec affectionem carnalem, et ut populua videns quod parentes carnales. hav beret, ipsum Filium Dei non crederet, cum Deus. carnaliter non generet. Et ideo multas impUcam circumstantias quae ipsura. movere poterant ad cessandum T dicentes. : Eece mater tua, quae praecipitur ho* norari, et fratres tui, quos et nartura et Lex jubet diligl, foris stant, exspectantea te m loco exteriori, ubi. verecundum est stare, q-ucereHr* tes te, cuiasi propter te taaitum venerint; et ideo debes merito ad eoa egredi.
Unde Chrysostomus : « Videna diabolus q/uia persuadebat popuJjo Chiristus se esse- Filium Dei, dkems i Es ecce $lus quam Salomon hic; timens ne si Filius Dei cognosceretur r qui putabatur honao\ ipse dereliocfueretur ab omnibus^atd eodvincendos . sermones- ejus y suUintroduxit patentes ipsiua caraaleav ut pec eorum contemplationem ditinitatis ejus obscuraret naturam. Ideoque Tenit aliquis, quaei diaboli advocatus, qui bnmano ore verba diaboika loqueretur, diceas : Ecce mater tua et fratres tui foris stant, volentes loqui tecum. Ac si dicat : Quid gloriaris, o Jeau, de ccelo dicens te descendisse, qui radices habes in terra? Eece mater tua et fratres. Non potes esse Filius Dei, quem homines genueruat;. non potes rn te filium abscondere, quem natura cocivinci* : » haec Chrysostomus. Sic et hodie multis praeiatis procurat diabotus propinquorum Heiuhitudinem, ut in carnali atfectione obscuret eorum dignitatem et sanctitatem.
Et bene dicitur foris stant; ad signiricandMrnv quod carnales anwci clericorum debent esse remoti ab eis, vel saltem a cordibus eorum, quantum ad carnalem affectum; et tamen in multis videmus hodie contrarium. Mystice r secundum Bedatn, mater et fratres Jesu possunt dici synagoga et Judaei, ex quibus secundum carnem est editus, qui foris stare dicuntur r Cbriato praedicante, quia Gentibus Christo credentibus, synagoga cum Judaeis extra fidem raansit pro majori parte.
Et notandunx de beata Virgine, quod tauquam pia mater Filium quaerebat parvuium , quia ejua absentiam non sustinebat, sciHcet quando eum amiserat; quaere^bat aduttunx, quia ejus praesentia satiari nom potemC, ut hdc patet; quaerebat Magiatrum factum, scilicet crucifixum* quia jam ejus praesenttam amittebat, quando juxta crwcem stabat. Sed iavenit primo in medio* doctoarum interrogantem ; nunc in medio populorum praedicantem; ultimo in medio latronum patientem. #rimo, in templo; secundo, in domo; tertio in patibulo. Ibi cupiebat invenire, et ideo laborabat et dolebat in quaerendo Filium; hic cupiebat videre, et ideo stabat foris exspectando ejus aspc*ctum; ibt cupiebat simul crucingi, et ideo stabat juxta csncem usque ad finen» suum. Jesus autem, ad requisLcionem matris vocatna, praedicationds officium, propter matris affectum, Iket eam aimme diligeret et honoraret, relmquere, vel intcrrumpere noiurt, quia nobiliora sunt opera miaericordiae spiritualis, quara corporaJis ; et ntiHtas matris Ecde>siae praeterenda est utilitati matris propriae- In quo fervor Christi apparuit, quem ki praedicando habuit. Uade insidiantes coniutafrit, et sicut qui intus pranram intentionem vidit, maJrignum eorum verbum rationabiliter repulit, ostewienj6 quod spirituatis occupatio carnah' affectioni r et opus Dei negoci» familiarium personarum, praeponi debet r diccns : Qwe est mater mea y et qui sunt fratres mei? Ac si diceret matri et proximis : Nescio vos ini opere spirituali; et Patris mei praedicario non est propter vos diraktenda, seu etiam interrumpenda.
- Et quasi ad protcstandum veritetenx, txtendens manus in diseipmhs suas qui in circuitu ejus sedSebant, dixit : Ecce mater mea, scilrcet hi qul me in suo corde condpiun* r et me per praedicationem in cordibus auditorum pariunt; et fratres" mei, qui • opera Patria mei facxunt, et mihi in cotlo coheredes erunt. Quasii diceret : Irt taaitum est mihi atiquas propinquua r in quantum est spiritualibus actibus. intentus» Et Ule est mihi magis. propinquus r qui spiritualibuB operibus est magis inttentus. Spirituaies proximos praefero carnalibus, et utiliora opera minus utilibus; adeo ut spirituali operi vacans omnino carnales postponam affectus. Dominus se nosse matrem dissimulat, et per cognationem proximos, dicens sibi proximos esse, per spiritum conjunctos. Quo exemplo nobis monstravit , quod verbo. docuit : scilicet qui amat patrem aut matrem plus quam me, id est qui operi spirituali carnales praeponit affectus, non est me dignus.
Qui ergo in conferendis beneficiis et dignitatibus ecclesiasticis, personas accipit, praeferens carnem spiritui, et opus minus utile utiliori, formam a Domino praescriptam relinquit, et maxime Deum offendit. Unde Hieronymus : « Non matrem negavit, ne natus de phantasmate putaretur; sed Apostolos cognationi praetulit, ut et nos in comparatione dilectionis carnis spiritum praeferamus. » Unde et Ambrosius : « Nec tamen injuriose refutantur parentes, sed religiosiores copulae mentium docentur esse quam corporum; nec putet esse aliquis offendiculum pietatis, ubi mandatum Legis impletur. » Unde etiam Chrysostomus : « Non spernens generationem carnalem, neque erubescens humanam conceptionem, tale dedit responsum ; sed volens ostendere quia praeponenda est cognatio spiritualis carnali. » Deinde Dominus Jesus quasi rationem dicti sui reddit, quasi dicendo : Nec solum discipuli specialiter, sed etiam quicunque fideles et justi aetemaliter sunt mater mea et fratres mei. Quicunque enim fecerit, corde, ore et opere, voluntatem, in praeceptis ac consiliis et exemplis Patris mei qui in ccelis est, ipse meus frater, et soror, et mater est. Frater et soror credendo , quia Filius Dei est : Dedit enim eis potestatem filios Dei fieri, his qui credunt in nomine ejus; frater quippe et soror dicitur, propter utrumque sexum qui ad fidem colligitur. Qui autem Christi frater et soror est credendo, mater ejus fit praedicando et in cordibus proximorum dicto, vel exemplo eum generando.
Igitur qui filii et filiae ac heredes Dei sunt per gratiam, fratres, et sorores, et matres, ac coheredes Christi sunt, qui est Dei Filius, per naturam. Hinc et jam eos et fratres, et sorores, ac matres vocat, quoniam quasi fratres, et sorores ac matres diligit. Et his quidem verbis apertissime monstratur quod carnali amori spiritualis amor debet praeferri ; et propinquitas caritatis propinquitati consanguinitatis. Eo enim amore et matrem, et fratres, omnesque propinquos nostros diligere debemus, quo Christus matrem et fratres suos dilexit. Diligebat enim eos, non quia magis secundum carnem propinqui erant; sed quia voluntatem Patris ejus magis faciebant. Ille ergo magis Christo est propinquior, qui est melior; quia, ut dicit Hieronymus : « Non in sexibus, sed in factis dtscernit. » Et, ut ait Gregorius : « Apud Dominum non gradus elegantior, sed vitae melioris actio comprobatur. » Hanc autem sententiam , secundum Chrysostomum, Dominus induxit, ut nullus de generis nobilitate , aut Sanctorum propagine sine virtute confidat, docens non in nulla cognatione confidentes virtutem negligere.
Si enim Mariae nihil prodesset matrem esse, nisi virtus adesset; quis utique alius per cognationem salvabiturr Una enim nobilitas sola est, voluntatem Dei facere; et hic nobilitatis modus est illo melior et principaliter. ORATIO Domine Jesu Christe, da mihi ut verbum tuum audiam fide credendo, et custodiam opere adimplendo; fac me spiritualiter per auditum portare, et per custodiam nutrire idipsum Dei verbum. Da mihi, Domine Deus meus, ut occupationem spiritualem omni affectioni carnali, et opus Dei negotiis humanis, ac universaliter utiliora minus utilibus, te rectore, te duce, praeferam semper et praeponam. Fac me corde, ore, et opere tuam in praeceptis, consiliis, et exemplis facere voluntatem, ut merear servitor tibi gratus fieri, et tandem inter Dei filios et heredes per tuam gratiam computari. Amen.
The Life of Christ (Vita Christi) companion
A prayer for every moment, already on your phone
Chosen Portion puts a curated historic prayer in front of you each day — so the words are there before the moment arrives.
Chosen Portion is the digital descendant of the carried prayer book: the short daily prayers this collection preserves, delivered one a day to your pocket.
- One short, memorable prayer delivered daily — build your repertoire a card at a time
- Prayers matched to real situations: fear, gratitude, decisions, grief, sleep
- Save favourites into your personal pocket collection you can open anywhere