De tributo pro Domino et Petro soluto^ et de qusestione discipulorum super majoritate eorum
The Passion Foretold
Jesus prepares his disciples for his coming Passion and resurrection, though they struggle to comprehend his words.
After this, Jesus walked in Galilee because the Jews were trying to kill him for what he had done and said in Jerusalem. For this reason, he didn't want to walk in Judea before the Passover, since his hour had not yet come, and to show that it's sometimes lawful for his faithful followers to flee from persecution. As Augustine says: "He hadn't lost his power, but was comforting our weakness." It was going to happen that some faithful person would need to hide, and so he went ahead as the Head, so that the members would not later be accused of a crime. In Galilee, then—the land where he was conceived and raised—he spent time with his disciples. And, according to Chrysostom, so that the disciples would not say, "Why do we keep staying here?" he speaks to them again about the Passion, so that, being as it were accustomed to the business of Christ's death, they would be less scandalized when it came. Along with his death, he also foretold his resurrection so they wouldn't fall into despair during his Passion. Hence, while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them: "Store these words in your hearts—namely, those that follow regarding my Passion and resurrection—because their remembrance and memory is very useful." For the Son of Man is to be handed over: by the Father, through excessive love; by himself, through voluntary obedience; by the devil, through wicked suggestion; by Judas, through extreme greed; by the Jews, through malicious envy; and by Pilate, through uncalled-for cowardice. The Son of Man, therefore, is to be handed over into the hands of men—that is, of various nations who think in a worldly way, namely Jews and Gentiles—and of various ranks, because of the soldiers, kings, princes, priests, religious, and common people. They will kill him—what a great wickedness it is that men should kill the man who is the Savior! And so that they wouldn't be overwhelmed by sadness upon hearing this, he adds: "And on the third day he will rise again," so that joy might follow their sorrow. They were deeply saddened because his company was so sweet and dear to them; it's no wonder they were saddened when they heard of his Passion. For as Jerome says: "Out of love for their Master, they cannot bear to hear anything bad or lowly about him." They were deeply saddened, not paying attention to what he had said—that on the third day he would rise again—and neither the voice of the Father nor the promised resurrection could keep them from their sadness. Hence the same Jerome says: "He always mixes sadness with prosperity, so that when it comes suddenly, it won't terrify the Apostles, but they will be carried forward by minds already prepared." If it is saddening that he must be killed, it ought to be gladdening that he is said to be rising again on the third day. If sadness were always to happen, who could endure it? If prosperity were always to happen, who would not treat it with contempt? That is what Jerome says. But they were ignorant of that word—specifically regarding His Passion—and it was veiled from them so that they did not grasp it clearly. According to Bede, this happened not so much because of a slowness of mind as because of their devout love for the Savior; for, being still carnal and unrefined, and ignorant of the mystery of the Cross, they could not grasp spiritual things. They knew Him to be the true God, and so they could not believe He would die; nor could they understand how, in one person, He could both die and not die.1 And yet, they were afraid to ask Him about this word. Gahla is interpreted as 'changeable.' Therefore, by the fact that the Lord foretold His Passion to the disciples there, He signified that we must be mindful of the death of Christ, and also of our own, as long as we are in the changeability of this present life.2
The Tribute and the Stater
Jesus miraculously provides the temple tax for himself and Peter, teaching lessons on humility, scandal, and stewardship.
When they arrived in Capharnaum, the tax collectors acting for Caesar Augustus approached Peter—because, as Jerome notes, they didn't dare approach the Lord directly due to the magnitude of his signs—and they asked him, "Doesn't your Master pay the didrachma?" It was as if they were saying, "Tell him to pay it." They didn't mention the Apostles, because they only collected from the heads of households. Capharnaum was a principal city in Galilee, which is why the tax collectors for the Romans, to whom Judea was subject, stayed there. Every head of a household paid a didrachma, which is a double drachma, and in paying it, he would say, "I profess that I am under the Roman Emperor." And because the Lord had been raised in Nazareth, a town of Galilee subject to the city of Capharnaum, the tax was demanded of him there. Capharnaum, which is interpreted as "village of consolation" or "field of fatness," and where the tax is demanded of Christ, signifies the person who gives himself over to the pleasures and comforts of this world. From such a person, the devil demands a tax, and he will scarcely escape paying some tax of sin. It should also be noted that a drachma is a coin of the feminine gender, bearing the image of a king, and it was worth ten common coins, as mentioned in Luke: "What woman having ten drachmas." Etc. Also, it is a type of weight, and it is understood in this way in medicine. A drama is a neuter noun referring to a type of song where some begin and others respond, which is why it's called 'sweet songs of the drama.' A drachma is the fourth part of a stater; a stater is the same as a shekel, which contains twenty obols, of which a didrachma is half, and a drachma is a fourth part. Therefore, one stater was enough to pay for two people, because the tax assessment was a didrachma—that is, a denarius—paid per head. So, as follows, the stater is ordered to be brought from the fish's mouth. An obol, as it's said, was worth as much as one small tournois, twelve of which are worth one large tournois, so every captain paid about ten small tournois annually. But the Lord, understanding what had been said to Peter regarding the tax demand, sent him to the sea to cast a hook and take from the water the first fish that came up—that is, the one he caught—and, by taking a stater worth two didrachmas (which make half an ounce) from its mouth, to pay it for the Lord and for himself. From this, His divinity was made clear, since He predicted future contingencies with certainty. Hence Jerome says: 'I don't know what I should marvel at first here: the presence of the stater in the fish's mouth, or the magnitude of His power, if at His word a stater was immediately created in the fish's mouth!' Spiritually, the fish is Christ, the sea is the world, the hook is death, and the stater found in the fish's mouth is the price of our redemption, proclaimed by Christ's own mouth; and thus the tax was paid, and we were set free. Morally, it is said to the penitent: 'Go to the sea—that is, to the bitterness of sin through reflection—and cast the hook—namely, in the compunction of contrition—and give the stater found with an open mouth in confession as satisfaction; and thus the sinner is freed from the tax of the devil, the exactor.' The Lord paid the tax, not because He owed it—since in both His natures He was the Son of the King and, consequently, exempt from it (for the sons of kings are free in every kingdom)—but He did this out of humanity, submitting Himself to a lower status and paying what He did not owe. He did this so as not to scandalize the tax collectors, teaching us by this to be humble and to avoid causing scandal through our own actions. He also chose to pay the tax for Peter as a sign that Peter was the head of the others, because the tax was paid only for the head or the leader. The didrachma, as has been said, contains a double drachma; by one, we can understand the suffering of the body—namely, hunger, thirst, and the like—and by the other, the suffering of the mind—namely, fear, sadness, and other such things. Everyone owes this double drachma to the Emperor of all for the sin of our first parents, which one pays by patiently enduring those aforementioned sufferings. Although Christ had no sin, He still chose to pay for the salvation of all; and because He assumed a flesh similar to a sinner's, though without sin, the Redeemer Himself placed His body and soul as the price, and thus paid the double drachma; by that same price, the Church was made free. Because He appointed Peter over the Church, He also paid the tax for him. As Jerome says: 'It is beautifully given as the same price, but because it was divided for Peter, it was paid as if it were a price for a sinner, though our Lord Himself committed no sin.' The likeness of the flesh is shown when both the Lord and His servant are freed by the same price. The Lord, therefore, did not owe the tax, but because He had taken on the humility of the flesh, He wanted to fulfill all righteousness. He endured the cross for us because of His extraordinary love, and He paid the taxes; but we, for the sake of His honor, do not pay taxes, and as children of the King, we are exempt from the tolls. Notice that the Lord Jesus didn't avoid the scandal of the Pharisees earlier when He debated them about food, but here He does avoid the scandal of the tax collectors, because the former were wise while the latter were simple; the former offended out of deliberate malice, the latter out of ignorance. Therefore, a scandal that arises from malice should be disregarded, but one that arises from ignorance should be avoided, provided that the threefold truth—of justice, life, and doctrine—remains intact. Such was the scandal He avoided here, because the tax collectors were Gentiles who were ignorant of the Law and the Prophets, and for this reason they didn't know that Christ was exempt from the tax, both because He was the Son of God by His divine nature and because He was the son of David by His human nature; and they weren't obligated to know such things. Paying the tax, however, wasn't against the truth of justice, life, or doctrine; therefore, to avoid scandal, Christ chose to pay it. A scandal is, in fact, a word or deed that is less than right, providing an occasion for ruin; for the word 'scandal' in Greek means 'stumbling block' in Latin. Just as a physical obstacle on a road naturally gives a traveler an occasion for physical ruin, so a word or deed that is less than right gives an occasion for spiritual ruin. If, therefore, it is objected regarding the Pharisees that they were scandalized by the Lord's word, as mentioned above, and yet that word wasn't less than right, it must be said that an obstacle is understood in two ways: either from the nature of the thing placed in the way, as if someone were to throw a large stone or log onto the road; or from the fault of the one walking on it, as if someone were to throw a small pebble or a flower onto the road itself. In the first way, it is called an active scandal, and this is a mortal sin; in the second way, it is called a passive scandal, and it can be a venial sin or even a meritorious act. Thus, a good work doesn't in itself provide an occasion for ruin, but it does so through the fault of the one who doesn't receive it rightly. Therefore, as Gregory says, we must consider that as long as we can avoid scandalizing our neighbor without sin, we should; but if scandal is taken from the truth, it is more useful to allow the scandal to arise than to abandon the truth. Consider that the Lord, to whom all things belong, lived in such poverty that He had nothing with which to pay the tax. Although He had a money bag and Judas carried the funds, He still considered it wrong to divert what had been given to Him for the needs of the poor into His own use or the use of others; in this, He gave and left us a useful example. Therefore, if someone living from Christ’s patrimony spends the resources of the poor uselessly, they are bound to make restitution and satisfy the debt. But how can they make restitution when they have nothing except what comes from Christ’s patrimony? It isn't clear how, unless they work for it with their own hands, or restrict and tighten their own needs so that they may restore to the poor from the remainder what was squandered, or at the very least, implore the support of devout people to make up for it.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
The disciples argue over greatness, prompting Jesus to set a child in their midst as a model of humility and innocence.
Because Peter had been compared to the Lord in the payment of the tax and the equality of the price, the disciples, thinking that Peter was being preferred to them and set above everyone else—since the tax was collected from the leaders—began to wonder which of them was the greatest. The Apostles assumed from many things that Peter was being favored by Christ: when He promised to give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven and build His Church upon the rock of faith, from which he had received his name; when He took him along with James and John to the place of His transfiguration; and because He paid the tax for Himself and for him, acting as if he were His equal. From these things he seemed greater than all the rest, which is why they were moved to ask. This question was debated among Christ’s disciples many times. They first considered it, as Luke says here: 'An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.' Second, they argued about these thoughts on the road while traveling to Capernaum, beginning to ask among themselves who was the greatest, as Mark says: 'For on the way they had argued...' ...about who was the greatest among them. Third, they brought the debated matter to the Master to be settled, as Matthew says: 'The disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”' And yet, they contended about it again at the Lord’s Supper, as Luke says. For when they had come to Capernaum, and the Lord paid the equal tax for Himself and Peter, the other Apostles increased their previous thought, and from both past events and this act, the thought entered into them, as Luke says, of who among them was the greatest. The Lord, seeing that this thought had arisen in the minds of the disciples, wanted to pull it out by the roots before it could grow, so he asked them about the discussion they’d been having on the road, as Mark reports. Then, in that moment, seeing they were caught by him in their argument about who was the greatest, they fell silent. And they were afraid to ask him. They answered Jesus, as Matthew says, and asked, "Who, do you think, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"—that is, in the company of the just, whether by merit in the Church militant or by reward in the Church triumphant. The Lord, wanting to heal their desire for glory with humility, sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, whether by merit or by reward, let him be the last of all and the servant of all, in humility and obedience; so that he may be the last in heart and the servant in action." Hence Ambrose says, "Whoever wants to surpass a brother in reigning must first surpass him in serving; let him conquer him with services, so that he may be able to conquer him in holiness." For if a brother hasn’t harmed you, he deserves service so that you may love him; but if he has perhaps harmed you, he deserves even more service so that you may overcome him. For this is the sum of our Christianity: that we repay those who love us with kindness, and those who harm us with patience. “Whoever is more patient in the face of injury will be established as more powerful in the kingdom”—so says Ambrose. According to the Gloss, this argument might have arisen from humility, as one wanted to outdo the other in honor; hence it says: “The cause of the contention is unknown to us, but it is not believable that they were competing to outdo one another in honor.” The Gloss doesn't assert that this was the case, but that it could have been; according to Chrysostom, however, this contention was one of pride, and he says that the disciples were suffering from something human in arguing about leadership and greatness. And although this argument was about leadership, according to him there was no sin in it, because they weren't arguing about earthly leadership, but about spiritual leadership in heaven. Hence Matthew: “Who, do you think, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” This was a matter of weakness, as Chrysostom says, but we haven't yet reached their level of weakness; for we don't ask, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” but rather, “Who is greater, who is wealthier, who is more powerful in the kingdom of earth?” And because actions move us more than words, the Lord, wanting to curb their pride and teach them about humility, set before them a tangible example of humility: He called over a little child—in age and malice—who some say was Martial, whom the blessed Peter later sent into Gaul to preach the Catholic faith to the people of Limoges, and who was their first bishop and apostle, and who seemed to excel everyone else in the height of his humility and the purity of his simplicity. He placed him in their midst as an example, so that he might be seen and carefully considered by all, and so that everyone might measure themselves against him and conform themselves by imitating him. He rightly calls over a little child so that those who want to appear greater may be instructed by his example and imitate his humility and innocence. When He had embraced him—which signifies that only the humble are worthy of His embrace and love, those who can truly boast and say, "His left hand is under my head, and his right hand will embrace me"—He, in order to call the disciples back from pride to humility, confirms for them the penalty under a solemn declaration, unless they turn back from their arrogance and disordered appetite for honor, saying to them: "Amen, I say to you: unless you are converted." Yesira. If you don't turn back from arrogance and the ambition for greatness, and if you aren't made graceful and virtuous—just as little children are by nature, that is, meek and innocent, simple and humble, and small in your own estimation—not only will you not be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, but you won't even enter it. You won't enter the Church by merit, nor glory by reward; for in both cases Christ is the door, and because the door is humble and meek, the one entering must be humble and meek. Oh, how terrible this word is! And who today is like a little child? Truly, it is a rare bird on earth. Such people are rare today, and for that reason, we have much to fear. For if the devil was cast out of heaven because of pride, a proud person will certainly not enter there; as someone once said, "It is more shameful for a guest to be cast out than not to be admitted." And because the demons were cast out from there through pride, humans must reach it by the opposite path—namely, through humility. By 'a little child,' therefore, he wants us to understand the humble person, in the same way of speaking used regarding Saul: 'When you were little in your own eyes.' When the Lord says, "Unless you become like little children," he doesn't mean we should be like them in our senses, but in our malice; not in age, but in condition. He means that we should follow the form of virtue that a child observes by nature, but we should do it for the sake of Christ, with the help of our own reason's industry. For, as Ambrose says, it isn't virtue to be unable to sin, but to be unwilling. Jerome also says: "The Apostles aren't commanded to have the age of children, but their innocence; so that what children possess by years, they might possess by effort, that they may be children in malice, not in wisdom." It is as if he were saying: Just as this little child, whom I hold up to you as an example, does not persist in anger, does not remember when he is hurt, does not feel pleasure when he sees a beautiful woman, and does not think one thing while saying another—so you, too, unless you have such innocence and purity of heart, will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. Pope Leo also says: "Christ loves the child... the teacher of humility, the rule of innocence." We are not to return to the slippery ways of infancy or to the imperfections of our beginnings, but to something else that is fitting even for mature years. From this we should take a swift passing over of emotional disturbances, a quick return to peace, no memory of offense, no desire for status, a love of shared delight, and a natural equality. Hilary also says: "Children follow their father, love their mother, don't know how to wish evil on their neighbor, neglect the care of riches, don't become arrogant, don't hate, don't lie, believe what they are told, and hold what they hear to be true. And this habit and will, adopted by us in all our affections, provides a path to heaven." We must therefore return to the simplicity of children, because when we are placed in it, we will carry about the image of the Lord: so says Hilary. Keep in mind that childhood lasts until the fourteenth year, representing fourteen qualities that should exist in anyone who wants to be established in Christ: first, a child is content with little, which is sobriety; second, a child sits in the dust, which is humility; third, he doesn't feel the stirrings of the flesh, which is chastity; fourth, he willingly shares his own bread, which is generosity; fifth, he obeys his parents immediately, which is true obedience; sixth, children love one another, which is mutual charity; seventh, he doesn't trust in himself but in his parents, bringing all his cries to them, which is confidence in God and constancy; eighth, he isn't anxious about anything, which is true hope in God; ninth, he is truthful, which is truth, excluding all falsehood and lying; tenth, he is quickly appeased, even by the smallest thing, which is kindness; eleventh, he fears pretentious people, which is modesty and reverence; twelfth, a child isn't ashamed to beg for bread, which is the recognition of one's own poverty and fragility; thirteenth, he is simple, which is simplicity and innocence; fourteenth, he is cheerful, which is the grace of cheerfulness. These are the years and qualities of the spiritual child, which he would possess if he were to grasp Christ and set Him beside himself. Then the Lord, having excluded those who are proud and hungry for worldly goods, and having established that only the small and humble will enter the kingdom of heaven, concludes his response to the Apostles' earlier question by saying: "Whoever humbles himself like this little child, he is the greatest—that is, he will be the greatest—in the kingdom of heaven." It’s as if he were saying: "If you want to be great in the kingdom of heaven, be the least here through humility; for the more you humble yourself and become small here, the more you’ll be exalted and the greater you’ll be there." Let’s reason this way: if simplicity leads to simplicity and greatness to greatness—if, therefore, the one who is small through humility is great in the kingdom of heaven, then the little child will be even greater. Consequently, if you are smaller than others here in humility, you’ll be greater in the kingdom of heaven in the dignity that you surpass others in through your humility. For whoever is more humble here will be greater through grace, because humility is the right disposition for receiving grace: for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble; and such a person will be greater in the kingdom of heaven through glory. In a moral sense, the little child is set in the midst when a truly humble person is placed in a position of dignity, for then he is like a lamp placed on a lampstand as an example to others, and the honored child considers himself all the more unworthy. And unless others are converted from pride and become like little children, imitating his humility and not aspiring to dignity, they won’t enter the kingdom of heaven. For the gate is narrow, and therefore those who are envious and bloated with pride cannot pass through it; only the humble and the slender, who don’t have an inflated spirit, can.
Welcoming the Little Ones
Jesus teaches that receiving the humble is equivalent to receiving him, and clarifies the discernment of those who act in his name.
To curb the zeal and pride of the Apostles, who wanted to be honored, He leads them not to seek honor, but to show it—not to just anyone, but to the little ones, the humble, and the cast-off—by honoring them and showing them the service of charity, saying: "Whoever receives one such little child—that is, one who is humble and a faithful imitator of my innocence—in my name, that is, for the sake of my love and my name, because he is a Christian and marked by my name; or, by receiving him into your home for the sake of calling upon my name, and by providing what he needs, and by this are understood all other benefits that are bestowed upon a neighbor for God's sake—receives me, who dwells within him; and he receives not only me, but he receives Him who sent me, namely my Father: for I am in the Father and the Father is in me." So Ambrose says: "Whoever receives an imitator of Christ receives Christ; and whoever receives the image of God receives God." Whoever, I say, receives such a person with affection to sympathize, with kind words to console, with deeds to serve, and with patience to endure, receives me. The poor and the humble are therefore to be received with great honor, since in them God is received. So Theophilus says: "See how much humility is worth; it merits the indwelling of the Father and the Son, and even of the Holy Spirit." It is as if the Lord were saying, according to Chrysostom: "Not only will you receive a great reward if you become like them, but also if you honor others who are like them for my sake; this humility and simplicity is highly honorable." Or, according to Jerome, so that when honor is shown to the Apostles, they might not think they are being honored themselves, He added that they are to be received not for their own merit, but for the honor of the Master; because it is done more primarily to Him whose grace and honor it is. Whoever does a good work is never to be hindered. Because the Lord said, 'Whoever welcomes one such little child in my name welcomes me,' signifying that the humble and simple should be welcomed, John understood that those who don't walk sincerely don't receive them in His name. So he said to Him, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name—that is, by invoking your name—and we stopped him because he doesn't follow you,' meaning he doesn't follow you with us, or as we do, in mind and body, and he doesn't obey in life, nor does he leave everything behind. It was as if to say: 'He shouldn't be welcomed in your name.' But Jesus answered, 'Do not stop him.' It was as if to say: 'You must not stop someone who is doing good or performing signs, because he is with me.' For there is no one who performs a miracle in my name and can quickly speak evil of me, while being ungrateful to me for such great benefits. For whoever is not against you, clearly and manifestly, is in a way and in part for you; that is, insofar as he is not against us and doesn't teach things contrary to our doctrine, even though he may not be one of us. For although those who perform signs may sometimes be despised, God, whose invocation makes these things happen, is nevertheless honored. According to Theophilus, the disciples stopped him not out of envy, but by judging the performance of miracles; for he hadn't received the power of miracles with them, nor had the Lord sent him as He had them, nor did he follow Jesus in all things. But, as Cyril says: "It was necessary to think more deeply—not that this man himself was the author of the miracles, but to consider the grace that is in him, who performs miracles by the power of Christ." There are many differences in the gifts of Christ; but because the Savior had handed down the power to the Apostles to cast out unclean spirits, they thought that this dignity granted to them was permitted to no one else, but to themselves alone; and that is why they approach him, asking if it is permitted for others to do this as well," says Cyril. But the Lord wanted the one who did not follow him not to be prohibited from the work of miracles, so that he might keep the disciples in humility, lest they boast, lest they rejoice in the performance of miracles out of pride, and lest they attribute it to their own power rather than to Christ's, when they saw that the one who did not follow Christ was casting out demons; so that those whom he tried to humble by the example of a child, he might also humble by the example of that man who did not follow Christ. Although he wasn't perfect enough to follow Christ in everything as the Apostles did—just as not everyone today follows Christ by entering religious life—he still believed in Christ. Therefore, he is said to be with them and not against them, because he didn't blaspheme the name of Christ as the Jews did, whom he described as being against him. And, as Ambrose says: "John is not reproved, because he acted out of love; for, loving God with special devotion and being loved by God, he thought that this man should be excluded from the benefit of casting out demons and the like, because he did not use the office of discipleship and the duty of following Christ." But the distinction between the weak and the strong is taught, because although the Lord rewards the stronger, he does not exclude the weak; and no one is to be kept away from the good that he has in part, but rather is to be provoked and invited to that which he does not yet have," says Ambrose. Such people are also considered to be admitted for the salvation of others, and we should rejoice not so much for their sake as for the benefit of others; because although they may sometimes harm themselves, they still benefit many in the Church. Hence Bede says: "Taught by this sentiment, the Apostle says: 'But whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.'"✦ Therefore, we shouldn't despise or forbid the Sacraments in heretics and bad Catholics—Sacraments in which they are with us and not against us, even if they don't follow the Lord with us, as Bede says. And such an expulsion of demons serves not only to declare the power of Christ, but also because divine benefits are given not only through the greater, but sometimes through the lesser and the imperfect, so that in this, too, the power of Christ’s name may be declared, which can work through the great and the small alike. Theophilus says: “Marvel, then, at the power of Christ; how His grace works through the unworthy, and through those who are not His disciples.” Theophilus also says that people are sanctified through priests, even if those priests aren't holy. If, therefore, a good work is done by the wicked, they shouldn't be forbidden from doing it; for although such a work isn't meritorious without charity, it's still a step toward the amendment of life. The man who was not part of the Apostles' company represents a good layperson—someone who doesn't hold the office of preaching. Yet, through good words and examples, he acts to expel the demon from the hearts of his neighbors, even if he doesn't follow Christ through the religious life or the clerical order. See what an invitation this is to humility, which the Lord invites us to as the most Christian virtue; yet we delay coming to it until our final hour, being proud as long as we can, even though through pride we are made into demons!
A Prayer for Humility
A concluding prayer seeking the grace of contrition, humility, and the spirit of service.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, grant that I may go to the sea, reflecting on my sins in the bitterness of my soul; that I may cast the hook in the contrition of my heart; and with open mouth, in confession, pay the coin in satisfaction; and thus be freed from the devil’s tribute and his exaction. Grant me also, that, turned away from pride, I may be made like a little child and humble in my own eyes; and so, through the narrow way and the tight gate, I may deserve to enter the kingdom of blessedness. May I also welcome the little ones and the humble for your name's sake, showing them the services of charity, so that by welcoming you in them, I may be welcomed by you in heaven. Amen.
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Post hsec autern ambulabat Jesus in Galilseam : quia^ ex his quse Dominus egerat et dixerat in Jerusalem, Judaei quserebant cum occidere, ideo ante Pascha non volebat in Juddeam ambulare : quia nondum hora ejus venerat, et ut ostenderet quod aliquando persecutionem fugere licituni fidehbus suis esset Unde Augustinus : « Non perdiderat potestatem, sed nostram consolabatur fragilitatem. Futurum enim erat, ut aliquis fidelis se absconderet, et ideo praicessit in capite, ne membra postea objiceretur pro crimine. » In Galilaea igitur, in terra ubi erat conceptus et nutritus, conversabatur cum discipulis suis. Et, secundum Chrysostomum, ne discipuli dicerent : Qua de causa continue hic conversamur, rursus de Passione eis loquitur, ut, quasi assueti circa negotium mortis Christi, minus, cum venerit , scandalizarenlur. Et cum morte sua etiam praedixit suam resurrectionem, ne in Passione ejus incurrerent desperationem. Unde, conversaniibus eis in Galilaea , dixit illis Jesus ; jponite vos in cordibus vestris sermones istos^ scilicet qui sequuntur, de mea Passione et resurrectione ; quia eorum recordatio et memoria utilis est valde. Filius enim hominis futurum est, ut tradatur, scihcet : a Patre, per caritatem nimiam; a seipso, per obedientiam voluntariam; a diabolo, per suggestionem iniquam; a Juda, per cupiditatem maximam; a Judaeis, per invidiam dolosam; a Pilato, per pusillanimitatem indebitam. Filius ergo hominis tradendus est, in manus hominum, id est diversarum nationum quasi humanitus sentientium, scilicet Judaeorum et Gentium; et diversorum statuum, quia mihtum, regum, principum, sacerdotum, religiosorum, et populorum.
Et occident eum : magna iuiquitas quod homines occidant hominem Salvatorem ! Et ne, his auditis, tristitia absorbeantur, subjungit : Et tertia die resurget, ut tristibus laeta succedant. Et contristati sunt vehementer, quia ejus societas ita erat eis dulcis et grata, quod non est mirum si contristati sunt, Passione ejus audita. Ut enim ait Hieronymus : « Pro dilectione Magistri, nihii de eo sinistrum et humiie patiuntur audire, » Et contristati sunt vshementer^ non altendentcs ad id quod dixerat : Et tcriia die resurget ; et neque vox Patris audita, neque resurrectio pra)nuntiata potuit eos coliibei"e a tristitia. Unde idem Hieronymus : « Semper prosperis admiscet tristia, ut cum repente venerint, non terreant Apostolos; sed a praemeditatis ferantur animis. Si enim contristat quod occidendus est, debet laetificare quod die tertia dicitur resurrecturus. Si tristia semper acciderent, quis sustineret? Si prospera, quis non contemneret?
» haec Hieronymus. At illi ignorabant verbumillud, scilicet deejus Passione, et erat velatum ante eos^ ut non sentirent iliud, aperte; quod, secundum Bedam, non tam ingenii tarditate, quam de pio Salvatoris amore contingebat ; quia carnales adhuc et rudes ac mysterii crucis ignari spiritualia non capientes, quem verum Deum cognoscebant, moriturum credere nequibant ; nec intelligebant quomodo in una persona mori, et non mori poterat. Et tamen timebant eum interrogare de hoc verbo. GaHla^a interpretatur volubilis, et ideo, per hoc quod Dominus ibi praedixit Passionem suam discipuHs, significavit quod memores esse debemus mortis Christi, ac etiam nostrae, quamdiu sumus in volubilitate praesentis vitae.
Et cum venissent Capharnaum^ accesserunt, qui didrachma accipiebant , exactores scilicet tributorum ex parte Caesaris Augusti, ad Petrum, quia, secundum Hieronymum^ prae signorum magnitudine non audebant aggredi Dominum, et dixerunt ei : Magister vester non solvit didrachma? Quasi dicerent : Dic ei ut solvat; non laciebant mentionem de Apostolis, quia non accipiebant nisi a capitaneis. Capharuaum erat civitas principaHs in Galilaea, et ideoibi manebant, qui tributum coDigebant ex parte Romanorum, quibus Judaea erat subjecta; et quilibet capitaneus domus solvebat didraclima, id est duplex drachma; et iu solvendo dicebat : Ego profiteor me esse sub Romano Imperatore. Et quia Dominus nutritus erat in Nazareth, quod est oppidum Galilaeae, subjacens urbi Capharnaum, ideo ibi ab eo exigitur tributum. Capharnaum quod villa consolationis , vel ager pinguedinis interpretatur, et ubi tributum a Christo petitur, significat illum, (jui dat se delectationibus et solatiis hujus mundi, a quo diabolus petit tributum sibi dari, et vix evadet quin solvat aliquod tributum peccati. Et notandum, quod drachma, drachma;, feminini generis, est moneta quaedam habens imaginem regis, et valebat decem nummos usuales, de qua in Luca dicitur : Qude mulier habens drachmas decem. , etc. Item, est genus ponderis, et sic accipitur in medicina.
Sed drama, dramatis, neutri generis, est genus carminis, ubi alii incipiuiit et alii respondent, et sic dicitur : Dulcia cantica dramatis Item, drachma est quarta pars stateris; stater vero est idem quod siclus, qui habet viginti obolos, cujus didrachma media pars, et drachma quarta pars est ; et ideo unus stater sufficiebat ad solutionem pro duobus; quia taxatio census erat didrachma, id est denarius, qui pro capite solvebatur. Unde, ut sequitur, stater de ore piscis afferri jubetur. Obolus, ut dicitur, valebat tantum quantum unus parvus turonensis , quorum duodecim valent unum turonensem grossum, et sic quilibet capitaneus solvebat annuatim quasi decem turonenses parvos. 3 — Dominus autem hoc quod de petitione tributi Petro dictum erat intelligen-, misit eum ad mare, ut hamum mitteret, etpiscem qui primus ascenderet, id est quem caperet, illum de aqua toHeret, et staterem valentem duo didrachma, quae dimidiam unciam faciunt, de ore ejus sumens, pro Domino et pro se solveret. Ex quo divinitas ejus patuit, cum futura contingentia certitudinaliter praedixit. Unde Hieronymus : « Quid primum miror hic nescio, an praesentiam stateris in ore piscis, an magnitudinem virtutis, si ad verbum ejus mox stater in ore piscis creaius est ! oSpiritualiter, piscis est Christus, mare mundus, hamus mors, stater inventus in ore piscis pretium reciemptionis nostrae praeQuntiatae Christi ore ; et sic solutum est tributum, et nos liberati sumus. Moraliter poenitenti dicitur : Vade ad mare, id estamaritudines, peccati consideratione, et mitte hamum, scilicet in contritionis compunctione, et aperto ore in confessione inventum staterem da in satisfactione; et sic liberatur peccator a tributo diaboli exactoris.
Soivit autem Dominus tributum nun ex debito, quia secundum utramque naturam erat filius regis, et per consequens liber a tributo, regum enim filii inomniregno sunthberi; sed ex humanitate tantum hoc fecit, subdendo se minori, et solvendo quod non debebat. et ne quaestores censusscandalizaret, docens per hoc nos esse humiles, et vitare ne scandala per nos liant. Voluit etiam pro Petro dare tributum, in signum quod I^etrus i^uit caput aliorum, quia census dabatur pro capite seu capitaneo tantum. Didrachma, ut dictum est, continet duplex drachma, et per unum potest inteliigi poenalitas corporis, scilicet : fames, sitis, et hujusmodi ; per aliud poenalitas mentis, scilicet ; timor, tristitia et alia hujusmodi. l^oc autem duplex drachma debet reddere quilibet Imperatori omnium, pro peccato primorum parentum, quod facit patienter tolerando poenalitates praedictas. Licet autem Ghristus non haberet peccatum, tamen reddere voluit pro salute omnium ; et, quia carnem assumpsitsimilem peccatrici,sed non peccatum,ipsequidem Redemptorcorpus et animam in pretio posuit, et sic bina drachmatasolvit; eodemquepretiuEcclesia libera facta fuit. Quia autem Petrum Ecclesiae praefec-it, ideo etiam pro eo censum sulvit. Ubi Hieronymus : « Et pulchre idipsum datur pretium, sed quia divisum est pro Petro, quasi pro peccatorc pretium reddebatur, Dominus autem noster peccatum non fecit.
Ostenditurautem similitudo carnis, dum eodem et Dominus et ipsius servus pretio liberantur. Dominus ergo tribnta non debebat, sed qui carnis humilitatem assumpseral, omnem justitiam implere volebat. Ille propter eximiam caritatem pro nobis crucem sustinuit, et tributa reddidit ; nos autem, pro ilhus honore, tributa non reddimus, et quasi filii regis a vectigalibus immunes sumus.
Et nota, quod Dominus Jesus supra, non vitavit scandalum Pharisaeorum, quando de escis cum eis disputabat ; hic autem vitat scandalum eorum qui tributum colligebant : quia illi sapientes, isti simplices erant; illi ex certa malitia, isti ex ignorantia ofFendebant. Scandaium ergo quod oritur ex malitia est contemnendum ; sed quod oritur ex ignorantia est vitandum , salva tamen triplici veritate, scilicet : justitiae, vitae, doctrinae; et taie erat scandalum istud quod hic vitavit, quia illi qui hic colligebant tributum, erant Gentiles Legem et Prophetas ignorantes, et propter hoc ignorabant quod Ghristus csset immunis a tributo, tum quia Filius Dei eratsecundum naturam divinam, tum quia filius David secundum humanam; et talia scire illi non tenebantur. Dare autem tributum non fuit contra veritatem justitiae, vitae, vel doctrinae ; ideo propter scandalum vitandum voluit Christus hoc dare. Scaudalum quippe est dictum vel factum minus rectum, praebens occasionem ruinae ; scandalum enim Graece, obicem sonat Latine. Unde sicut obex in via de se habet dare ambulanti occasionem ruinae corporalis; sic dictum vel factum minus rectum habet dare occasionem ruinae spiritualis. Si ergo objicitur de Pharisaeis, quod scandalizati sunt ex verbo Domini, ut supra est dictum, et tamen illud verbum non erat minus rectum, dicendum quod obex dupliciter accipitur : aut ex natura rei quce objicitur, ut si quis lapidem magnum vel iignum projiciat in via; aut ex vitio ambulantis in ea, ut si quis mudicum lapillurn aut florem projiciat in ipsa via. Primo modo dicitur scandalum activum, et hoc est mortale peccatum; secundo modo dicitur passivum, et potest csse veniale peccatum, vel eliam opusmeritorium; unde bonum opus de se non praestat occasionem ruinae, sed ex vitio accipientis illud non rectc. Igitur, ut ait Gregorius^ considerandum ost, quia ia quantum siue peccato possumiis vitare proximorum scandalum, del)cmus ; si autem de veritate scandalum sumitur, utilius nasci scandalum permittitur, quam veritas relinquatur.
Consiflerandum^ hic, quia Dominus, cujus sunt omnia, tanta) paupertatis fuerit, ut unde tributum solvcret non haberet. Licet enim loculos haberet, et Judas pecuniam in eis portaret, ea tamen quae sibi ad usus pauperum data erant, in usus suos seu alios convertere ncfas reputavit, nobisque excmplum utile in hoc tribuit et reliquit. Ergo si vivens de patrimonio Ghristi inutiliter expendit res pauperum , tenetur ad restitutiotiem et satisfaciendum. Sed quomodo eareslituet, cum non habeat alia nisi de patrimonio Christi? Nonapparet,nisi propriis manibus hoc eiaboret ; vel necessitatem suam restriflg-atetcoarctet, ut de residuo pauperibus restituat quae dilapiddtur : velsaltem devotorum subsidium ad hoc iaciendutn imploret.
Quia vcro in redditione tribuii et a^qualitate preLii, Petrus fuerat Domino comparatus, «stimantes discipuli Petrum eis praeferri, et omuibus esse praelitum, quia a capitancis colligebatur tiibutum, cogitabant quis eorum esset major. Apostoli ex multis praesumebant Petrum a Christo sibi praeterri : ut quando ei claves regni coelorum daturum, et Ecclesiain supra petram fidei, a qua ipse nomen acccperat, eediticaturum se promisit ; et quando ipsum cum Jacobo aique Joaune assumpsit, ubi transflguratus fuit; et propter tributum quod pro se et pro ipso solvit, sic cum sibi quasi pariticans, et ex his major omnibus videbatur ; ct ideo ad quaerendum movebantur. Ista autem quaestio multotics fuit inter discipulos Christi ventilata : primo enim de ea co^itaverunt, ut dicit hic Lucas : Intravit autem cogitatio in eos, quis eorum major esset. Secundo, de cogitata disputaverunt in via, dum irent Capharnaum, incipientes eonquaerere inter se, quis eorum major esset, ut dicit Marcus : Siquidem in via disputavera? it, quis eorum major esset. Tertio, disputatam Magistro determinandam pi*oposueruiit, ut dicit Matthaeus : Accesserunt discipuli ad Jcsum dicentes : Quis, putas, major cst in regno coalorum? Et nihilominus de ipsarursus contenderunt, utiufra, in coena Domini, dicit Lucas. Cum enim venissent Capharnaum, et Dominus pro se et Petro aequale tributum solveret, ceteri Apostoli priorem cogitationem augebant, et ex practeritis et ex isto facto intravit cogitatio in eos, ut Lucas dicit, quis eorum esset major.
Dominus autem videns in mente discipulorum super hoc cogitationem exortam, priusquam augmentum susciperet, radicitus eam evellere volens, quaesivit de conquisitione, quam, ut Marcus refert, habuerunt in via. Et tunc, in illa hora, videntes se deprehensos ab ipso de contentionemajoritatis,accmerw? 2^ac? Jesum, ut Matthaeus dicit, respondcntes et dicentes ; Quis putas major est in regno ccelorum, id est in collegio justorum, vel merito in Ecclesia militante, vel praemio in Ecclesia triumphante? Et volens Dominus desiderium gloriae humilitate sanare, residens vocavit duodecim^ et ait illis : Si quis vult primus esse, merito vel praemio, erit et sit omnium novissimus et omnium minister, humilitate et obsequio ; ut no vi^simus sit corde et minister actione. Unde dicit Ambrosius : « Quicumque vult fratrem praevenire rcgnando, prius eum praeveniat obsequendo ; vincat eum obsequiis, ut possit vincere sanctitate. Si enim te non laesit frater, obsequium meretur ut diiigas ; quod si forsitan te laesit, magis obsequium meretur ut vincas. Haec enim nostrae Christianitatis summa est, ut amantibus vicissitudinem, laedentibus patientiam rependamus.
Qui crgo fueritpatientior ad injuriam, potentior constituetur in regno : » haec Ambrosius. Secundum Glossaw,^ contentio ista potuit esse ex humilitate, volebat enim unus alium praevenire in honore ; unde sic habet : Causa contentionis nobis incognita est, sed non est credibile, quiu se 3> invicem honore preevenire certarent. Non asserit Glossa, qiiod ita fuerit, sed quud ita esse potuerit Secundum vero Chrysostomum, contentioistafuit elationis; unde dicit, quod passi sunt aliquid humanum discipuli, de principatu et majoritate contendentes. Et licet fuerit ista contentio de principatu, non tamen ibi fuit peccatum secundum ipsum, quia nonde principatibus terrenis contendebant, sed de spiritualibus in coelo. Unde Matthaeus : Quis putas major est in regno coBlorum ? Hoc intirmitatis erat, ut dicit Chrysostomus, nos autem ad infirmitatem eorum nondum pervenimus, non enim quaerimus : Quis major est in regno coelorum ; sed quis major, quis copiosior, quis potentior in regno terrae?
et quia, in morahbus, magis movent facta quam verba, volens Dominus superbiam eorum retundere, et eos de humilitate docere, proposuit eis humilitatis exemplum sensibile : Et advocans parvulum, setate et malitia, quem tradunt quidam fuisse Martialem, qui postea a beato Petro missus in Galiiam praedicavit Lemovicensibus fidem catholicam, quorum prinius Episcopus et Apostolus fuit, qui in vertice humiiitatis et puritate simplicitatis prae omnibus excellere videbatur; statuit eum pro exemplo, in medio eorum, ut ab omnibus videretur et attente consideraretur, cui quilibet se commensuraret et imitando conformaret. Et merito parvulum advocat, ut, qui majores videri volunt, ejus exemplo instruantur, et eum in humilitate et innocentia imitentur. Quem cum complexus esset, quod signat solos humiles dignos esse suo ampiexu et dilectione, qui vere possunt gloriari et dicere : L%va ejus sub capite meo et dextera illius amplexabitur me, ut magis discipulos a superbia ad humilitatem revocet, sub assertione contestatur eis poenam, nisi ab elatione et inordinato appetitu honoris retrocedant , ait illis : Amen dico vobis : Nisiconversi fueritis^a. yesira. elatione et majoritatis ambitione , et efflciaminij gratia et per virtutem, sicut parvuli sunt natura et per aetatem, scilicet : mites et innocentes, simplices et humiles, ac parvi vestra reputatione ; non solum majores in regno coelorum non eritis, verumetiam non intrabitis in regno coelorum : quia nec in Ecclesiam per meritum, nec in gloriam per prsemium ; utrobique enim Ghristus est ostium, et quia ostiura humile et mansuetum est, oportet intrantemhumilem et mansuetum esse. 0 quam terribile est verbum istud ! Et quis est hodie sicut parvulus? Gerte rara avis est in terris.
Rari sunt illi hodie ; et ideo multum possumus formidare. Si enim diabolus propter superbiam de coelo ejectus est, multo magis superbus illuc non intrabit, quia, ut dixit aliquis : Turpius ejicitur, quam non admit[titur hospes. Et quia dsemones inde ejecti sunt per superbiam , ideo oportet homines illuc venire per aliam viam contrariam , scilicet per humilitatem. Per parvulum ergo vult intelligi humilem, eo modo loquendi quo dicitur de Saulo : Cum esses parvulus in oculis tuis.
Unde dicens Dominus:Nisi ergo efficiaminl sicut parvuii, non vult quod efficiamur parvuli sensibus, sed malitia; non aetate, sed conditione, ut videlicet, formam virtutis quam, natura duce, puer observat, nos pro nomine Ghristi, juvante rationis industria, sequamur; quia, ut ait Ambrosius^ non virtus est, non posse peccare; sed nolle. Unde etiam ait Hieronymus : « Non praecipitur Apostolis, ut aetatem habeant parvulorum, sed innocentiam; et quod illi per annos possident, hi possideant per industriam, ut malitia, non sapientia, parvuli sint. Ac si dicat : Sicut iste parvulus cujus vobis exemplum tribuo, non perseverat in iracundia, non laesus meminit, non videnspulchram mulierem delectatur, non ahud cogitat et aliud loquitur; sic et vos nisi talem habueritis innocentiam et animi puritatem, regnum coelorumnonpoteritisintrare. » Unde et Leo Papa : « Amat Ghristus infauDE TlRO SOLUTO, ETC, tiam humilitatis magistram, innocentiae regulam. Noq ad lubrica infantiae, et ad imperfecta nobis primordia revertendum est, sed aliud, quod ctiam graves annos deceat. Inde sumendus est velox commotionum transitus, citus ad pacem recursus, nulla memoria ofTensionis, nulla cupiditas dignitatis, amor sociae delectionis, aequalitas naturalis. » Unde etiam liilarius : « Parvuli patrem sequuntur, matrem amant, proximo mala velle nesciunt, curam opum negligunt, non insolescunt, non odiunt, non mentiuntur, dictisque credunt, et quod audiuntverum habent, Et haec omnium affectionum assumpta nobis et consuetudo et voluntas, ccelorum iter prsevium proestat. Revertendum igitur est ad simplicitatem infantium, quia in ea collocati speciem Dominicam circumferemus : » haec Hilarius.
Et notandum quod pueritia usque ad quartum decimum annum durat, per quod intelliguntur quatuordecim proprietates, quae debent esse in homine, qui statuendus est juxta Christum : prima est, quod puer paucis est contentus, et in hoc est sobrietas ; secunda, quod puer sedet in pulvere, et hgec est humihtas ; tertia est, quod non sentit motus carnis, et in hoc est castitas ; quarta est, quod libenter dat de pane suo, et in hoc est liberalitas ; quinta est, quod parentibus statim obedit, et haec est vera obedientia ; sexta est, quod pueri mutuo se dihgunt, et in hoc est mutua caritas; septima est, quod non confidit in se, sed in parentibus, ad quos omnes clamores roportat, et in hoc est confidentia in Deo et constantia ; octava est, quod non est sollicitus de ahquo, et iu hoc est vera spes in Deo ; uona est, quod verax esl, et in hoc est veritas, quae omnem falsitatem et mendacium excludit; decima est, quod cito placatur et pro minimo, et in hoc est benignitas ; undecima est, quod personatos homines expavescit, et in hoc est verccundia et reverentia; duodecima est, quod non pudet puerum etiam mendicare panem, et in hoc est recognitio propriae paupertatis et fragiliUtis ; tertia decima est, quod simplex est, et in hoc est simplicitas et innocentia; quarta decima est, quod hilaris est,et in hoc est hilaritatis gratia. Isti sunt,"anni et proprietates pueri spiritualis,quosquihaberet,Christuseum apprehenderet, et juxta se statueret.
• Deinde Dominus, postquam exclusit, quod non superbi et bonorum appetitores, sed parvi et humiles intrabunt in regnum ccelorum, concludit responsionem ad praemissam Apostolorum quaestionem, dicens : Quicumque ergo humiliaverit se sicut parvulus iste, hic major est^ id est erit, in regno ccelorum. Ac si dicat : Vis esse major in regno ccelorum, sis hic minimus per humilitatem ; quia quanto hic humihaberis et minor fueris, tanto ibi exaltaberis et major eris. Arguamus ergo sic : si simpliciter ad simpliciter, et magis ad magis ; si ergo parvus per humilitatem est magnus in regno coelorum, et parvulus erit major ; igitur si hic minor es aliis in humilitate, erisinregno coelorum major in dignitatefillisquos excedis in humilitate. Qui enim hic fuerit humilior, erit major per gratiam ; quia humilitas est recta dispositio ad gratiam suscipiendam : Deus enim superbis resistit, humilibus autern dat gratiam ; et talis erit major in regno coelorum per gloriam. Moraliter, parvulus in medio statuitur, cum vere humilis in statu dignitatis ponitur, quia tunc sic lucerna super candelabrum ponitur, ahis in exemplum, et parvulus honoratus plus reputat se indignum. Et nisi alii a superbia conversi fuerint, et efficiantur sicut parvuli imitantes ejus humilitatem, et non aspirantes ad dignitatem, non intrabunt iu regnum coelorum. Nam angusta est porta, et ideo invidi et grossi per superbiam, transire non possunt per ipsam ; sed tantum humiles et graciles, spiritum inflatum non habentes.
Et ad refrenationem zeli et superbiae in Apostolis, qui honorari cupiebant, inducit eos non ad quaerendum honorem , sed ad exhibendum, non quibuscumque, sed parvulis et humilibus et abjectis, eos honorando, et obsequia caritatis eis exhibeiido, dicens : Et qui susceperit unum parvulum talem^ humilem scilicet et fidelem meae innocentiae imitatorem, in nomine meo^ id est propter amorem meum et nomen, quia Christianus est,et meo nomine insignitus ; vel, ad mei nominis invocationem ipsum ad hospitium recipiendo, et necessaria ei ministrando, et per hoc intelliguntur omnia aliabeneficia quae propter Deum impenduntur proximo ,• me suscipit inhabitantem in illo, et non me solummodo, sed recipit eum^ qui me misit^ sciiicet Patrem meum : quia ego in Patre et Pater in me est, Nam Deus ab eo vere suscipitur, qui ei conformatur. Unde ait Ambrosius : « Qui eaimimitatorem Christi recipit, Christum recipit ; et qui imaginem Dei recipit, Deum recipit : » haec Ambrosius. Qui, inquam, talem suscipit affectu ad compatiendum, affatu ad consolandum, effectu ad serviendum, patientia ad suflerendum, me suscipit. Magno ergo honore suscipiendi sunt pauperes atque humiles , siquidem in ipsis Deus suscipitur. Unde Theophilus : « Vide quantum vaiet humilitas ; Patris namque et Filii inhabitationem meretur, et etiam Spiritus Sancti. » Quasi dicat Dominus, secundum Chrysostomum : Non solum, si tales efficiamini, mercedem magnam accipietis, sed et si alios tales propter me honoraveritis ; ista mihiliumilitas et simpUcitas valde est honorabilis. Vel, secundum Hierony" mum, ne cum delatum fuerit Apostolis, se putent honoratos, adjecit non illos sui merito, sed Magistri honore suscipiendos; quia priucipalius illi fit, cujus gratia et honore tit. 1 1 Nqmquam prohibendus quicumque opus BONUM opERATUR.
— Et quia dixcratDominus : Qui susceperit unumparvuluin talem in nomine meo^ me suscipit, sigiiificans quod humLies et simplicessuscipiendi essent, intellexit Joannes quod eos non in nomine ejus recipiant, qui non sincere ambulant; unde dixit illi : Magister^ vidimus quemdam in nomine tuo, id est invocatione nominis tui, ejicientem daemoniuy et prohibuimus ^um, ne scilicet haec in nomine tuo ag£ret, quia te non sequitur, id est non sequitur te nobiscum seu sicut nos, scilicet mente et corpore, et non obsequitur in vila, nec relinquit omnia. Quasi diceret : Hic in nomine tuo recipi non debet. Jesus autem respondit : Nolite prohibere eum. Quasi diceret : Non debetis bona, vel signa facientem prohibere, quia mecum est. Nemo est enim qui faciat virtutem in nomine meo, et possit cito, de facih male loqui de me, existens ingratus mihi de tantis beneficiis. Qui enim non est adversum vos^ prorsus et manifeste, pro vobis est quodammodo et ex parte ; scilicet in quantum adversus nos non est, et contraria doctrinae nostrae non docet, quamvis tamen ex nobis non sit. Nam licetsigna facientes quandoque despiciantur, Deus tamen, cUjus invocaiio haec facit,honoratur. Secundum Theophilum, discipuli prohibuerunt eum, non quidem invidentes, sed operationem miraculorum dijudicantes ; non enim cum eismiraculorum poteslatem acceperat, neque enim Dominus eum miserat sicut illos, neque Jesum in omnibus sequebatur.
Sed, ut dicit Gyrillus : « Oportebat magis pensare, non hunc ipsum esse miraculorum auctorem ; sed gratiam quae cst in eo, qui in virtute Christi miracula peiTi* cit. Multae sunt differentiae donorum Christi; sed, quia tradiderat Salvator potestatem Apostolis ut spiritus immundos ejicerent, putaverunt nulli aliorum, sed sibi solis licere concessam gerere dignitatem ; et ideo acce*dunt siscitantes, si liceat et aliis hoc a^ere ; » haec Cyrillus. Sed voluit Dominus illum qui se non sequebatur ab operatione miraculjrum non prohiberi, ut discipulos servaret in humilitate, ne gloriarentur, ne superbiendo gauderent in miraculorum operatione, nec suae virtuti ascriberent, sed Christi, dum viderent eura qui Ghristum non sequebatur ejicere daemonia ; ut quos humiliare conatus estexemplo pueri, eosetiam humiliet exemploillius, qui Christum non sequebatur. Et quamvis non esset tantae perfectionis, ut in omnibus Christum sequeretur ut Apostoli> sicut nec modo IiNO omuesficieIcssequuuturChristum,per religionis ingressum; tamen in Ciiristum credebat, et ideo dicitur esso cum eis,et non contra: quia nomeu Ctiristi non blaspiiemabat, ut Judaei, quos dixit contra se esse. Et, ut ait Ambrosius : « Non repreiienditur Joannes, quiaex amore faciebat ; nam praecipua devotione diligens Deum, et a Deo dilectus, putavit eum excludenduni esse a beneficio ejectionis daemonum et hujusmodi, qui non utebatur otficio discipulatus, et obsequio sequendi Christum. Sed docetur infirtnorum esse, firmorumque distantiam, quia Dominus etsi remuneret fortiores, non tamen excludit infirmos; et neminem a bono, quod ex parte habet, esse arcendum, sed ad hoc potius quod nondum habet, esse provocandum et invitandum : » haec Ambrosius. Tales etiam ob salutem admittendi censentur aliorum, et non tam propter illos quam propter aliorum utilitatem est gaudendum; quia licet, sibi quandoque noceant, multis tamen in Ecclesia prosunt. Unde sic ait Beda : « Hac doctus sententia dicit Apostolus: Sed siveoccasione, si>:everitate Christus annuntietur, et in hoc gaudeo, sed ct gaudebo.
Itaque in haereticis et in malis catholicis non sacramenta communia, iu quibus nobiscum sunt, et adversum nos nou sunt, etsi Dominum non sequuntur nobiscum, detestari et prohibere debemus : » haec Beda. Et non solum talis ejectio daemonum facit ad declarationem virtutis Christi ; sed etiam,quiabeneficiadivinanonsolum dantur pcr majores, sed etiam aliquando per minores et imperfectos, ut in hoc etiam declaretur virtus nominis Christi, quoe per magnos et parvos indifFerenter potest opcrari. Undeait Theophilus : «Mirarc autem Christi virtutem ; qaaliter per indignos, et non discipulos ejus gratia operatur. Sic et per sacerdotes sanctificantur homines, quamvis sacerdotes sancti non fuerint : » haec Theophilus. Si ergo a malis fiat opus bonum de genere, non prohibendi sunt fioc facere, licet enim opus tale non sit meritorium sine cariiate, tamen est dispositivum ad emendationem vitae. Per istum, qui non erat de societate Apostolorum, signatur laicus bonus, qui non habet praedicandi officium ; tamen bonis verbis et exemphs agit ad expulsionem daemonis de cordibus proximorum, quamvis non sequatur Christum per statum religionis et clericatum. Ecce quanta invitatio ad humilitatem, ad quam invitat Dominus tamquam ad virtutem christianissimam ; sed tamen ad eam venire diflerimus, usque ad horam supremam, superbientes quamdiu valemus,licet per superbiam daemones efficiamur ! ORATIO Domine Jesu Christe, da mihi ut vadam ad mare, recogitando peccata in amaritudine animae ; et mittam hamum, in cordis contritione; et aperto ore, in confessione, staterem solvam, in satisfactione ; et sic liberer a tributo diaboii et ejus exactione.
Da etiam mihi, ut conversus ab elatione, efficiar sicut parvulus et humilis in oculis meis ; sicque per arctam viam et angustam portam merear intrare in regnum beatitudinis; parvulos quoque et humiles propter nomen tuum suscipiam, caritatis obsequia exhibendo, ut te in eis suscipiens, a te suscipiar in coelo. Amen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Phil.1.18 — What then? Only that in every way—whether in pretense or in truth—Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.
Notes
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