De pastore ovium

De pastore ovium

Dedicated to Christ. Because the blind and unbelieving Pharisees and Jews—not coming to Christ, who is the light, the way, the truth, and the life, nor entering the sheepfold so that they might be the Lord's sheep—boasted that they could see without Christ and, consequently, could reach the truth without him, Christ (who began to argue against their pride and arrogance above) now proposes the image of the sheepfold and the gate to humble them further, for both are low and admit no one who doesn't humble themselves. And as if he were saying to them: If you wish to enter through the humble gate into the humble sheepfold of the sheep, you must humble yourselves and not think so highly of yourselves. He does not only introduce this image to suggest humility, but also to show through what gate one must enter the sheepfold of the sheep; and in it, the distinct condition of the thief and the shepherd of the sheep is expressed, because of their different entry and office. Therefore he says: 'Amen, amen, I say to you: whoever does not enter through the gate into the sheepfold of the sheep, he is a thief and a robber; for he does not come for the good, and so he seeks an improper entry; but whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep, seeking their good.' The gatekeeper opens to him because he knows he is well-disposed toward the sheep; and the sheep hear his voice—that is, they recognize it, because even brute animals recognize their benefactors; and he calls his own sheep by name, because he knows them distinctly, which a stranger does not do; and he leads them out to the pasture of life necessary for them; and when he has sent his own sheep out, he goes before them, because shepherds commonly tend to lead their flocks, and the sheep are guided by the shepherd's steps. Therefore it is added: 'And the sheep follow him, because they know and recognize his voice; but they do not follow a stranger—that is, a thief—but flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers who falsely claim to be shepherds.' Thus Christ shows the Pharisees that neither wisdom, nor observance of the Law, nor a good life is worth anything without him; and that it is impossible for them to see without Christ and to reach the truth without him, saying: 'Whoever does not enter through the gate—that is, through Christ—into the sheepfold of the sheep—that is, into the Church and the congregation of the faithful—he is a thief and a robber,' as are all unbelievers and even bad believers. As Augustine says: "He enters through the door who enters through Christ, who imitates the passion of Christ, and who knows the humility of Christ." "But he who enters through the door—that is, through faith in Christ, through humility, and through his other virtues—into the sheepfold to feed them, he is the true shepherd of the sheep according to the truth." Not everyone who enters through the door is a shepherd, because the sheep enter as well; nevertheless, the unity of the whole Church feeds them daily through word and example. To this shepherd, the Holy Spirit—as the gatekeeper—opens the door of truth by revelation, so that he may rightly understand, and the door of justice, so that he may act well and feed the sheep. The sheep hear his voice, meaning they receive his teaching; and he calls them by name, condescending to each of his subjects with familiarity, so that through this closeness he gives each one the courage to come to him. He leads them out through instruction from the darkness of error into the light of truth, and from the sorrow of servitude into the kingdom of freedom. And when he has led his own sheep out—from the darkness of ignorance to the light of life, and from the prison of guilt to the freedom of grace—he goes before them through the example of his good works and life. The sheep follow him and his footsteps through imitation and right action, because they know his voice—that is, they recognize it and delight in it. But they do not follow a stranger in voice or life, nor do they accept his teaching or example, because his words lead to error and his deeds to evil; instead, they flee from him as from a thief and an enemy, because they do not recognize or approve of the voice and teaching of strangers, since strangers speak what is foreign, and therefore they are not known. The common sheepfold is the Catholic Church, under one shepherd, Christ; however, particular congregations of churches are also folds and pens for the sheep, such as communities of religious and conventual or parish churches, in which God has made His sheep—that is, the faithful who are simple, gentle, submissive, and humble—to lie down. Therefore, whoever does not enter through the door—that is, whoever does not come through the principles of the Christian religion—does not enter; just as the heretic does not come through the principles of truth, the simoniac does not come through the principles of grace, the one who intrudes himself powerfully or with armed prayers does not come through the principles of freedom, and the deceitful person does not come through the principles of simplicity; rather, he climbs in some other way. For some climb in from above using ladders to enter, like the ambitious who, with Lucifer and with Dathan and Abiram—whom the earth swallowed alive because of their ambition—climb in; some break through the wall, like the greedy with Simon Magus; some dig under the foundations, like the heretics with Arius. Such a person is a thief and a robber, and they differ in this: a thief is someone who, in the dark—that is, in the shadows, while people are unaware—handles another's property against the owner's will; a robber, however, is someone who uses violence and handles things openly, against the owner's will. So, a thief is someone who undermines the sheepfold and secretly handles the sheep and their benefits against the owner's will; this person is hidden and crafty, a hypocrite, or a heretic, because they steal both the sheep and the sheep's benefits. A robber, however, is someone who uses violence to seize; such are those who wish to intrude themselves by force. Therefore, the thief and the robber do not enter through the door, because they either climb in ambitiously from another way, secretly undermine with deceit, or break in openly with violence to intrude themselves. Whoever enters through the door into the Catholic life and dignity is the true shepherd of the sheep, and this entrance is one of truth, freedom, gratuitous goodness, and simplicity. He enters the door of truth through the Catholic faith; he enters the door of freedom through a heavenly calling; he enters the door of gratuitous goodness, making no promises to anyone for the sake of it; he enters the door of simplicity, obtaining nothing through any deceitfulness. Christ, however, is the door of truth, of freedom, of free-given goodness, and of simplicity. If anyone enters another way, it will be said to him: 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he will be cast out from among the sheep into the outer darkness. The gatekeeper opens to this shepherd, and he is threefold: Christ, by his example; Scripture, by its teaching; and the Holy Spirit, by his inspiration. For these are the gatekeepers of the Church. Christ gives the keys—that is, the power to bind and to loose. Scripture teaches how to turn the keys and unlock the bolts; one of the keys, therefore, is the authority to discern, which is knowledge. The Holy Spirit, however, confers the dignity and fitness for being admitted, like a faithful janitor entrusted with the custody of things. Such a gatekeeper, therefore, by the example of Christ, the teaching of Scripture, and the dignity of the Holy Spirit, opens to such a shepherd. He opens the humble door—at which the proud stumble—to the true, humble shepherd, so that he does not stumble. He opens the narrow door—through which the greedy cannot enter—to the poor in spirit, so that he is not constricted; he does this so that he may receive the humble and the constricted into life, and repel others. Note here also that gifts are sought in three ways in the offices for which many are in such a hurry. For there is a gift from the heart, namely, favor and grace; a gift from the mouth, namely, popular flattery; and a gift from the hand, namely, the donation of a reward. Anyone who shakes off these things and enters without such an intention will be blessed; but anyone who enters with this intention is a thief and a robber. Jesus spoke this proverb to them; it is in the eighty-sixth chapter of the first part. It’s called a proverb when one word is used in place of another; it’s a parable when, through a single term, something other than what is literally said is meant. And because they didn’t understand, he later explained this proverb to them, saying: 'I am the door of the sheep,' through teaching and example, for it is through this door that one must enter. All who came without me, and who don’t enter through the door—that is, apart from me, apart from divine authority, and without the intention of seeking God's glory, not sent by God but thrusting themselves forward on their own initiative—are thieves, usurping what isn’t theirs (namely, God's sheep), and robbers, killing them as much as they can by their bad example and perverse teaching. But the sheep didn’t listen to them—that is, the faithful who remain in the fold of the Church, those of whom it is said: 'The Lord knows those who are his.' Next, he proves that he is the door, because the office of a door is to save those who are inside the house, and it is through him that one enters and exits; this is true of Christ, because through him the faithful are kept and saved, and likewise through him is the entry into faith and the exit into glory. For if anyone enters through Christ, who alone is the door, and perseveres, he will be saved—for the Apostle says, 'There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved'—and he will enter, here into faith and the Church, and will exit from this misery into glory and eternal life, from faith to hope, from belief to contemplation; he will enter also through the study of contemplation and the secret of prayer, and will exit through the exercise of good works and the example of good action; and thus he will find in eternal refreshment the pastures of greenness, namely the honey of divinity and the milk of humanity, because the blessed are refreshed interiorly. This is in the sight of the Divinity, and exteriorly in the sight of the humanity of Christ, through whom they are saved; and therefore he says 'pastures' in the plural; or, in the Church militant one will find pastures, namely of teaching and grace, and in the Church triumphant, namely of joy and glory. Hence Augustine says: "Although, therefore, pastures are not lacking here in the fold itself, they will nonetheless find pastures where they may be satisfied—such as he found to whom it was said: 'Today you will be with me in paradise.'" A thief doesn't come for the salvation of the people, but rather for their destruction—that is, to steal by usurping what isn't his, not by instructing his followers in the precepts of Christ, but by persuading them to live by his own examples. He kills them with his wicked example and perverse doctrine, dragging them toward evil and destroying them by sending them to eternal damnation. I didn't come as a thief, but was sent by the Father for the salvation of men, so that those entering the fold might have the life of grace in the present through faith in hope—because the just man lives by faith—and, upon departing from the body, might have the life of glory more abundantly in the future through hope in reality, because glory is grace brought to perfection. Hence Gregory says: "His sheep, therefore, will find pastures, because whoever follows him with a simple heart is nourished by the fodder of eternal greenness." Let us therefore focus our minds, brothers, so that our desires may burn for heavenly things. Let no adversity call us back from the joy of eternal celebration, because if anyone desires to go toward a good purpose, no harshness of the way changes his desire. Let no flattering prosperity seduce us, because he is a foolish traveler who, seeing pleasant meadows on his journey, forgets where he was heading. So, if we are truly the sheep of the heavenly shepherd, because we don't fix ourselves on the way of pleasure, we may be satisfied by eternal pastures upon our arrival—this is Gregory, whose conditions he fulfills. Next, he shows that he is also the shepherd; this is clear from this reasoning: just as a flock is guided and fed by a shepherd, so too are the faithful covered by Christ and refreshed by spiritual food, and even by his own Body and Blood. But to distinguish the good shepherd from the thief, he adds that he is good—good, indeed, not only in nature and grace, but in pastoral care, because he fulfills the duties of a good shepherd. Hence Chrysostom says: "He proclaims himself both shepherd and gate without distinction." For because he leads us to the Father, he calls himself the gate; but because he provides for us, he calls himself the shepherd. He sets out the conditions of a good and a bad shepherd, because a good and true shepherd, who looks toward the reward of glory, must have such affection for the flock that he would endure death for it if necessary. For a good shepherd gives his own soul—that is, his physical life—when there is need, and he is always prepared to give it for his sheep and for their salvation. If this is the description of a good shepherd and the sign of one, we have great reason to fear the scarcity of good shepherds. If a neighbor's animal falls, many people help it up; but if the soul of a just person falls, there is no one among all their dear ones to lift it up, even though everyone is bound to love the soul of their neighbor more than their own body. But how can I lay down my body for them, when I'm not even willing to give up a temporal thing to rescue them from sin? Note that dying for the Lord's flock can happen in three ways: first, by helping the flock advance from good to better—this is a work of supererogation, which applies to all prelates, though no one is bound to such works unless they've taken a vow to do so; second, by freeing the flock from imminent danger—every prelate is bound to this, because they've taken on the care of the Lord's flock, and its blood will be required at their hand; third, by dying for the flock when it's in the final extremity of necessity, where it cannot escape destruction unless a person exposes themselves to death—this is a matter of necessity, just like selling one's possessions and giving to the poor who are in extreme need. But you should know that if there's a general persecution being waged against the people, the pastor must stand their ground and lay down their life so the whole flock isn't scattered. If, however, it's a personal persecution and only the pastor is being targeted, then it's permissible to flee, following the example of Christ, who fled from Herod into Egypt, and the example of Paul, who was let down through a wall—for he commended his sheep to the Pastor sitting in heaven through his prayers, while he himself stayed safe for their benefit by fleeing. That's why the Lord says: "If they persecute you in one city, flee to another." Sometimes, however, a pastor should flee and not lay down their life, but wait patiently—namely, when only the wool, that is, temporal goods, are being plundered, and not the people themselves. Is it not possible? A hireling is so called because of their wages—either because they're hired for pay or because they hope for earthly reward—and they aren't truly a pastor, because they don't look to the reward of heavenly glory, but to the benefit of temporal things. According to Gregory, such a person rightly loses the title of pastor, because they love earthly substance more than the sheep, and therefore the sheep aren't truly theirs, but only held by usurpation. This is proven by their actions: seeing the wolf coming—that is, the devil, to snatch the sheep; or a heretic, to deceive them; or a tyrant, to afflict them physically—they fear for their own property or body, abandon the sheep to be torn apart, and flee, keeping silent, not resisting, and withholding the help that is owed. For while they seek only external comforts, they negligently suffer the internal and even external losses of the flock, and they aren't fired up against these things by any zeal, nor stirred by any fervor of love. Because they're a hireling, they care only about their wages, profit, and temporal gain, and it doesn't concern them—that is, it doesn't fall under their care—what happens to the sheep, for whose loss they feel no concern. They care only because they're working not out of love for the sheep, but for their own temporal wages. For, according to Augustine, they don't love Christ in the sheep, but only the milk and the wool; and the wolf snatches them away by dragging them into evil and danger, and scatters the sheep by separating them from the unity of charity and the Church, or by afflicting them. But the good pastor gives or lays down their life against these aforementioned wolves: because they resist the temptations of the devil by arguing against and rebuking vices; they resist the fallacies of heretics by preaching the truth; they resist the persecutions of the wicked by praying and imploring heavenly help. The good pastor seeks the benefit of the sheep; but the bad pastor and the hireling seek their own benefit. A good shepherd, seeing the wolf coming—that is, diabolical temptation, heretical deception, or tyrannical cruelty—stands his ground and protects and defends his subjects against this threefold wolf; but a bad shepherd flees and abandons the sheep, and does not resist the adversaries. Hence the words in Zechariah: "O shepherd, and idol, abandoning the flock!" As if to say: You are not a shepherd, but you bear the likeness and the idol of a shepherd; a good shepherd, not seeking what is his own, but what is Jesus Christ's, watches over his flock with care, thinking daily about the account he must render to God for those entrusted to him. Hence Augustine said: "And you belong to our care, so that we may render a good account of you; but our whole account, which is—you know." "Lord, you know that I have loved; you know that I have not been silent; you know that I have spoken from the soul; you know that I have wept when I spoke and it was not heard; I think that this is my complete account," so says Augustine. A hireling, however, seeking his own interests rather than those of Jesus Christ, does not watch over the flock; nor, being concerned for the flock, does he consider what account he might be able to render for it, because he serves God not for God's sake, but for the sake of the temporal reward he receives here. Hence also Gregory: "A hireling, indeed, is one who holds the place of a shepherd, but does not seek the gain of souls." He craves earthly comforts, delights in the honor of his position, feeds on temporal gains, and rejoices in the reverence paid to him by men. As Gregory says, these are the wages of the hireling: he finds his reward here and now for the work he does in his office, and remains a stranger to the inheritance of the flock in the life to come. Next, he proves what he had said through signs, saying: "I am the good shepherd." The sign of this is then added: "And I know my sheep." This is not just the knowledge of vision, by which all things are naked and open to his eyes, but also the knowledge of approval and love, by which he knows only those worthy of the eternal life promised to them. Christ also knows his sheep through his own image and likeness, which he has impressed upon them; through the armor and garments of virtues with which he has adorned the faithful; through the signs of good works with which he has decorated them; through his teaching; and especially through the love for one another with which he has formed them—all of which he finds in them. And they know me, because the truly faithful know Christ through a knowledge that works by love, and therefore they cannot be deceived; they also clearly recognize his benefits. The first sign of a good shepherd, therefore, is this mutual knowledge between him and his sheep. This comes from the fact that the shepherd visits his sheep frequently and with care, and so he knows them individually, and knows their conditions, and loves them. And the sheep, through frequent reflection on the shepherd's benefits, pay attention to him, recognize him specifically, and love him. This is how it is with Christ and the truly faithful, and therefore he is the good and true shepherd. The second sign of a good and true shepherd is the affection he shows toward his sheep, which cannot be greater than laying himself down for them. This is how it is with Christ and the faithful, and therefore he adds: "And I lay down my life for my sheep," for Christ's Passion benefits only his sheep. Hence Peter of Ravenna says: "Behold, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, which the power of love certainly does, because true love counts nothing as hard, nothing as bitter, nothing as heavy, nothing as deadly." For what iron, what wounds, what punishment, what deaths can overcome perfect love? "Love is an impenetrable breastplate; it rejects arrows, it mocks dangers, it laughs at death," says Peter. But since a person has three things—possessions, relatives, and their own self—these three must be laid down for the sake of the sheep. Those who don't give their possessions to the sheep don't lay down their own things; those who allow incompetent relatives to be promoted don't lay down their own people; those who don't resist the wicked don't lay down their own self. Christ, however, laid down these three for the sheep, as it says in Jeremiah: 'I have left my house and my family'—that is, the angels; 'I have dismissed my inheritance'—that is, my heavenly substance; 'I have given my beloved soul into the hands of my enemies!' The third sign of a good and true shepherd is that he leads all the sheep to the fold. Therefore, so it wouldn't be thought that Christ had to die for the Jews alone, he adds: 'And I have other sheep,' who are already in the divine plan to believe in me from among the Gentiles, 'that are not of this fold'—that is, not of the synagogue of the Jews, but of the people of the Gentiles; 'and them I must bring'—that is, it is fitting for me to bring them into the faith and the Church along with the people of the Jews. This was accomplished through the preaching of the Apostles, with Christ working primarily through their preaching. According to Chrysostom, the word 'must' here isn't a demonstration of necessity, but a confirmation that he would make all his sheep safe. He adds: 'And they will hear my voice, and they will come to the faith,' because the Gentiles devoutly received the faith at the preaching of the Apostles; 'and there will be one fold'—a gathering place for the faithful, that is, one Church collected from Jews and Gentiles alike—'and one shepherd,' who is Christ in heaven, because he himself is our peace who has made both one; but on earth, the Pope is Christ's vicar. A good shepherd must feed his flock, which is where he gets his name; this is why the Lord said to Peter, when He appointed him shepherd of the Church after His Passion: "Feed my sheep." Secondly, he must love the flock; that is why Peter, when he was to be placed over the Church, was examined on his love: "Peter, do you love me?" Third, he must guard and defend the flock from the wolf; this is why the Lord said to Peter: "And you, once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers," meaning against the disturbances of any wolves whatsoever. Our Lord does these three things for us with such excellence that He rightly deserves to be called the good shepherd: He feeds us, He loves us, and He defends us. Christ therefore shows, through this metaphor, that we must enter through Him as if through a door, and that He Himself is the good shepherd who must be followed. Let us therefore follow Christ, the good shepherd; let us remain under His discipline; and let us listen to the voice of His commandments and counsels, so that we may deserve to be fed by Him! How great the care and concern of this most loving shepherd was for the lost sheep, and how great His mercy, is shown by the pious metaphor of the shepherd and the hundredth sheep—lost, sought with much care, finally found, and carried back on his shoulders with joy. But here, in plain language, He declares it openly when He says: "The good shepherd gives his soul for his sheep." In Him, that prophetic word is truly and perfectly fulfilled: "As a shepherd will feed his flock." Because of this, He endured labor, weariness, and hunger; amid the traps and many dangers of the Pharisees, He went around to cities and villages preaching the kingdom of God; He spent nights in prayer, keeping watch; and, not fearing the murmuring and scandal of the Pharisees, He showed Himself approachable to tax collectors, asserting that He had come into the world for those who were sick. He also showed a fatherly affection toward the penitent, revealing to them the open heart of divine mercy. Listen to this, you shepherds, and learn from the one Shepherd how to be good shepherds; you must do whatever he did, if the need arises. As Hugh says: "He lays down his soul for his sheep who, in ascending to the dangerous position of leadership, keeps the flock of the cloister in peace behind the closed door of silence; he lays down his soul who, alone among worldly dangers, cares for external business while seeking what is necessary; he lays down his soul who goes out to endure the disputes of family affairs, who walks in the middle of the tongues of those who flatter and those who slander, who labors for the weak and feeds those who are struggling, consoles the faint-hearted, and contends with the proud by rebuking them." Indeed, to carry the burden of pastoral care and to seek the salvation of one's neighbors, Bernard urges a certain Abbot, writing: "Feed them with your word; feed them with your example; feed them also with the fruit of your holy prayers." These three things remain: word, example, and prayer; yet prayer is the greatest of these, for although the power of the voice is a work, prayer nonetheless earns grace and effectiveness for the voice. Why do you complain that you're more burdened by the company of some who are with you than you're comforted by their presence? In short, to the extent that you are burdened, to that extent you gain; and to the extent that you are helped, to that extent you diminish your own rewards: choose, therefore, whom you will choose—those who help by burdening, or those who burden by helping. The former are your providers, while the latter are the thieves of your merits. For those who are partners in the labor will, without a doubt, also be partners in the reward. Knowing, then, that you are sent to help and not to be helped, recognize yourself as the vicar of Him who came to serve and not to be served. Blessed are we if we persevere in this until the end, always and everywhere seeking not what is our own, but what belongs to Jesus Christ: so says Bernard. But to do these things, you need a heart that is well-aware of itself and a secure conscience. Hence the same Bernard says: In all your actions or words, let no one seek his own, but only the honor of God, or the salvation of others, or both. Nor can one purely seek the gain of God or neighbor who has not first renounced his own. It’s a good kind of forgetfulness to lose sight of yourself so that you may be of use to your neighbor! Indeed, in such great self-forgetfulness, your heart must be well-aware of itself, so that it may more securely reach out to gain others, having left a secure conscience within itself. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but suffers the loss of his own soul? But the logic of order also demands that he who is commanded to love his neighbor as himself must first know how to love himself. There are two things, then, that restore a good conscience after sin: repenting of the evil done and abstaining from evil. To use the words of blessed Gregory, it means both weeping for what has been committed and committing nothing that should be wept for—and neither of these alone is enough. A soul well aware of both these virtues may safely let go of itself and, in a way, lose itself, so that it might win others for Christ: so says Bernard. Pastors and leaders must be careful not to scandalize those under their care or give them an occasion for ruin. For the woe of eternal damnation hangs over the person through whom scandal comes and from whom dangers to souls proceed. For, according to Gregory, leaders are worthy of as many deaths as the examples of perdition they transmit to their subjects; and, according to Augustine, those who inflame souls to sin and draw them away from God sin more than those who crucified the flesh of Christ; and, according to Isidore, those who by their examples corrupt the life and morals of the good... ...are worse than those who plunder the property and estates of others. Let such people not presume upon certain of their own acts of justice and works, nor hope to be saved while neglecting others. For, as Gregory says: "His own justice does not help the man from whose hand the soul of one who is perishing goes out." getur. Hence also Chrysostom says: "A priest, even if he has managed his own life well, if he has not also taken care of the lives of others with diligence, goes into hell with the wicked." Pastors should also note that God punishes the faults of those under them more lightly through the pastors themselves, but He punishes the evils of the pastors more severely by His own hand. As Gregory says: "He who now punishes the faults of subjects through their leaders will later punish the evils of those leaders by His own hand, in His wrath." Subjects, however, should take care not to give up on the race set before them because of negligent and wicked pastors. Instead, by looking to Jesus, the mirror of all goodness, they should patiently endure even the judgment of such men, because they won't face another judgment later on, since God does not punish the same thing twice. Consider the words of Isaiah: "Does the plowman plow all day to sow?" and so on. ? The commentator Hervasus says: "The text does not say whether the millet and vetch are to be threshed, because subjects are judged daily by their pastors for their own weak actions." If they patiently accept this present judgment and amend their ways, they won't be judged again; otherwise, they will be judged themselves. Subjects should also take note and humble themselves, because the shortcomings and negligence of pastors often arise from the merits of the subjects, and God permits this because they do not deserve to have good pastors. In a letter to the clergy of Milan, Gregory writes, among other things, regarding a pastor they requested from him: "However, because it is my long-standing intention to take on the burdens of pastoral care for..." ...so that no person may be involved, I will follow up on your election with prayers, that Almighty God may provide you with such a pastor in whose language and character you may find the pastures of divine exhortation. But because, according to the merit of the people, persons are usually provided as pastors by divine judgment, you should seek spiritual things, love heavenly things, despise temporal and fleeting things, and hold this as most certain: you will have a pastor who is pleasing to God if you are pleasing to the Lord in your own actions." So says Gregory. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, good Shepherd, who for your sheep laid down your soul as the price, your flesh as food, and your blood as drink; who were made for us the gate into the Church militant and triumphant, so that through you we might enter in to be saved; recognize me among your sheep, and look upon us with mercy, directing us on the path of salvation, so that we may know you, and be conformed to you by imitating you. Let us not listen to the voice of strangers—that is, of the world, the flesh, and the devil—but only to yours, by obeying your precepts and counsels, so that we may have the life of grace, and have it more abundantly in glory, and find at your side the pastures of eternal refreshment. Amen.