De Pascha et diversis hujus nominis acceptionibus
The Model of the Passion
Christ is presented as the model of suffering and virtue, calling the faithful to both contemplate His Passion and imitate His actions.
Now, according to Jerome, let us sprinkle our book and the doorposts of our houses with blood, and let us tie a scarlet cord to the house of our prayer, and hold the scarlet thread in our hand, so that we may be able to recount the red heifer slain in the valley; for the time is at hand for us to come to the Passion of the Lord, which we must look upon with affection and imitate in our actions, according to that word from Exodus: "Look." And act according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. For Christ is like a model book, and you should view your entire life according to his pattern. We must guide and correct our own lives; although Christ is often called a mountain in Scripture because of his loftiness or his supreme perfection, he is called a mountain most of all when he is lifted up on the cross, because of the sublimity of the merit of his most sacred Passion. In this mountain, therefore—that is, in Christ crucified—a model has been shown to us that must be diligently looked upon and effectively imitated. For it isn't enough for a Christian merely to look upon Christ suffering—since the Jews and the Gentiles, his own crucifiers, did that—but it is also required to work and act according to the model shown. And this is what is commanded to every faithful person in the words proposed: "Look and act." It is as if he were saying: "Look upon the model of the Lord's Passion, incorporating it into yourself viscerally through intimate compassion, and act according to that model, effectively imitating it yourself." Blessed Peter teaches both of these things: 'Christ,' he says, 'suffered for us'—that’s the first point, which you must examine diligently with the eye of the heart—'leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps'—that’s the second.✦ This is what must be effectively imitated in action.
The Perfection of Christ's Life
The author details the various sufferings of Christ's life and Passion, showing how they serve as a remedy for all spiritual vices.
First, you should know that if we tried to recount everything Christ suffered in this world, it would be countless, especially since Christ's entire life on earth was a kind of passion. Indeed, since the entire life of any Christian—if they live according to the Gospel—is a kind of cross and martyrdom, as Augustine says, how much more is this undoubtedly true of the Lord Christ himself, who founded the Gospel and fulfilled it most perfectly in his own person? For starting from the very beginning of his birth, look at how poor he was born: he had no home and no clothes, but was born in a lowly stable, laid in a manger on a little hay before the brute animals, and wrapped in cheap rags. On the eighth day he was circumcised and already began to shed his blood for us; then, fleeing the persecution of Herod, he was carried off to Egypt, and returning from there, he spent his entire childhood and youth subject to his parents, and was undoubtedly raised in great poverty. Then, when the time of his public ministry arrived, look at how he chose to be immersed in cold water when he was baptized in the dead of winter, and how he was worn down by a forty-day fast, and what temptations he endured from the devil then. Consider how many insults and humiliations he frequently suffered from the Jews, who called him demon-possessed, a Samaritan, a glutton and a drunkard, a child of fornication, a blasphemer, and a deceiver of the people, and said many other blasphemous things against him. They even tried to proceed to violent acts, sometimes wanting to stone him, sometimes to throw him from the brow of a hill. Look also at how hard he worked, for he was preaching daily in the temple and the synagogue, traveling from city to city and land to land, often spending the night in prayer, healing many sick people, freeing those possessed by demons, raising the dead, and feeding the hungry crowd; yet in all these things, he remained subject to the laws of nature, exposed to hunger, thirst, and the other infirmities of man, though without sin. See how his whole life was spent in labor and suffering. But leaving aside all that preceded the Passion we are now to discuss, look carefully at what he endured in it, and especially at the specific points of the Passion, in each of which Christ suffered notably. More specifically, however, he provides us in his Passion with an example of virtues and an antidote to vices. Regarding this, it should be known that, according to Augustine, not only everything good Christ did on earth, but also everything evil he endured, was entirely a discipline of morals. Thus, the Passion of the Lord contains within itself every perfection of humanity possible in this life, since he fulfilled most perfectly in his own person during his Passion all the works of perfection that he ever taught in the Gospel. Therefore, on the cross of the Lord is the reading of the Law and the Scripture.1 His Passion is the sum of all perfection; his death is the fulfillment of every word. This is why the Apostle said: 'I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified,' because to know this is to know everything that pertains to salvation. For if we are talking about voluntary poverty, who was ever poorer than Christ, hanging naked on the cross, since he had nowhere to lay his head? If we're talking about obedience and humility, who ever humbled and emptied himself as much as Christ, who became obedient even to death—death on a cross—and endured such vile and great insults for our sake? If we mention virginal chastity, who is chaster than he whose Mother is a Virgin, and whose Father knows no woman? If we're speaking of love, who ever had greater or such love as Christ, who in his Passion laid down his life for his sheep and chose to suffer such horrific torments for us, even though he could have freed us with a single nod of his will? In the Lord's Passion, therefore, shines the model of perfection for all virtues, as we've already touched upon. Likewise, in it shines the perfect remedy and antidote against every spiritual sickness.
The Seven Seals of the Passion
Specific aspects of the Passion are linked to the overcoming of specific sins, emphasizing the call to active imitation.
For by the fact that... He chose to suffer a most shameful death, we have a remedy against pride; by the fact that He chose to associate Himself with thieves, He offers a remedy against envy; by the fact that He remained silent before those who blasphemed against Him, He offers a remedy against anger; by the fact that He chose to be stretched out on the cross and nailed to it, He offers a remedy against sloth, which prevents us from embracing the cross of penance; by His nakedness and poverty, we have a remedy against greed; by the tasting of gall and vinegar, we have a remedy against gluttony; by the infliction of wounds and the suffering of extreme pain, we have a remedy against lust. These are the seven seals sealing the book of life, which Christ opened for us in His Passion and later unlocked for us the way to life; therefore, we see these aforementioned things fulfilled in the Passion of Christ. Finally, if we are talking about patience, the entire Passion demonstrates Christ’s most excellent patience. If we are talking about contempt for the world and detachment from worldly things, who was ever more detached and withdrawn from all earthly things than Christ on the cross, lifted up and separated from the earth and from all earthly things? If mention is made of abstinence and fasting, or of the deprivation of food, Christ tasted nothing in His Passion except gall and vinegar, or wine mixed with myrrh. If we are talking about the discipline of the body, whose body was ever as disciplined as the Lord’s on the cross? If we are talking about the effectiveness of prayer, who ever prayed more effectively than Christ, who, out of intense focus in prayer, sweated drops of blood? If we are talking about giving alms or other works of mercy, who ever gave a greater alms than Christ Himself, who gave His own Body as food and His own Blood as drink to us poor people as a perpetual alms? He also visited the infirm, comforted the weak hearts of His disciples, cured many sick people, redeemed many captives in limbo, and raised the dead from their graves. When it comes to loving our enemies, Christ prayed for those who crucified him while he hung on the cross; and when it comes to forgiving offenses, who has ever forgiven debts to their debtors more generously than Christ, who not only forgave the thief his debts but also promised him paradise? So, by drawing on similar examples through every act of supererogation—all of which we find fulfilled in abundance in the Passion of Christ, if we pay close attention—we, too, if we want to be perfect imitators of Christ, must fulfill them in deed, in desire, or in service. For as Jerome says: 'Every single thing that happened to the Lord during the Passion, even though the Jews and others acted with different intentions, brought us believers mystical sacraments.' So it was even with Caiaphas himself when he said: 'It is better for one man to die for the people.' He didn't know what he was saying. Yet he prophesied. He didn't know what he was saying, yet he prophesied. It is the same with every single event of the Lord's Passion, which we must examine and then act upon according to their example. Those who handed Christ over had different intentions.
The Mystery of the Passover
The narrative shifts to the timing of the Passover and the diverse, often conflicting, intentions of those involved in the betrayal of Christ.
It happened that when Jesus had finished all these aforementioned teachings about his second coming—where he predicted he would come to judgment in glory—he subsequently showed that he would suffer, so as to remind us that the Sacrament of the Cross is joined to the glory of eternity; as if to say that whoever suffers with the Crucified does not fear the judgment, for the final cause and its effect, the glory of eternity and the merit of the Passion, are joined together. After the coming of majesty, therefore, he adds the humility of the Passion, to show its cause: for the effect, or final cause, of the Passion is the glory of eternity, as the Apostle says: 'Christ became obedient even unto death, even death on a cross,' because of which God also exalted him. He begins, therefore, the narrative of the Passover and his own Passion, through which Christ himself, our Passover, was to be sacrificed. On that same day, Tuesday evening, in that same place—the Mount of Olives—he told his disciples: 'You know that after two days, that is, on Thursday evening, the Passover will take place.' And the paschal lamb must be sacrificed. And I add what you do not know: namely, that then the Son of Man—that is, the Virgin's Son—will be handed over to be crucified, and he will make the Passover by passing over. It is clear from this that he wasn't handed over out of ignorance, but out of his own foreknowledge and will. He says 'Son of Man' well, because he was seized and crucified according to his human nature, not according to his divine nature, in which he is always immortal; and he used the word 'handed over' impersonally, because diverse intentions are expressed in that one word of betrayal. For God the Father handed over the Son out of love and for the benefit of the human race, whereas Judas handed Him over to the Jews out of greed and a desire for his own profit; likewise, the Holy Spirit handed Him over out of His own kindness, whereas the Jews handed Him over to Pilate out of envy and malice; likewise, the Son handed Himself over to fulfill the divine will, whereas Pilate handed Him over to the cross to satisfy the perverse will of the Jews; likewise, the devil handed Him over out of fear, lest the human race be snatched from his hand through Christ’s teaching and miracles, not realizing that it was to be rescued more through His death than it had been through His teaching and miracles. See, the work is common, but the intentions are vastly different; therefore, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not only to be loved, but also glorified! Judas and the others, however, are not only to be detested but also despised, because they did with evil intent what the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit did for good. He foretells to the disciples that He is to be handed over, preparing them so they won't be stunned when they suddenly see the Master handed over to the cross before they've heard what was to happen.
Definitions of the Paschal Mystery
A systematic breakdown of the seven meanings of the term 'Passover' as used in Scripture and tradition.
Because the name 'Passover' appears in different places and signifies different things, we should examine its various meanings so we don't fall into error through ambiguity. To resolve many contradictions, you should know that 'Passover' is first used to refer to the entire week, or the seven days of unleavened bread, during which the Jews ate bread without yeast—since 'a' means 'without', and... [Text missing/corrupt] ...signifies yeast, which is why it says in Acts: 'Wanting to bring him out to the people after the Passover,' etc. The first and last days of that week were more solemn than the middle ones. Secondly, it refers to the hour of the lamb's immolation—that is, the evening when the lamb was sacrificed, which marks the beginning of the first day of unleavened bread. This day was more solemn, as it says here: 'You know that after two days the Passover will come,' and where the Church sings: 'On the fourteenth day at evening, it is the Lord's Passover,' etc.; however, the day preceding that hour was neither called the Passover nor was it considered solemn. Thirdly, it is called the first of the unleavened bread, which was the most celebrated day—namely, the fifteenth day of the moon of the first month, when the people of Israel went out of Egypt, as it says there: 'The feast day of unleavened bread was approaching, which is called the Passover,' and there: 'Before the feast day of the Passover,' etc. Fourthly, it is called the feast of the paschal meal, as in Chronicles: 'There was no Passover like this in Israel.' Fifth, it refers to the paschal lamb prepared for eating: "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?" And there: "The day of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover had to be sacrificed." Sixth, it refers to unleavened bread or any paschal food, as in the passage: "They did not enter the praetorium, so that they would not be defiled, but would eat the Passover," that is, the unleavened or paschal breads; because to eat the unleavened bread for seven days, they had to be purified, and therefore they could not enter the praetorium on any of those seven days. Seventh, it refers to Christ himself, signified by the paschal lamb, as in the passage: "Christ our Passover has been sacrificed," for he himself is our true Passover. Regarding these aforementioned meanings of Passover, there are these verses: Week, hour, day, feast, lamb, unleavened bread, Christ, Passover are commonly used; as I have shown by examples. Generally, however, the day on which the lamb was sacrificed is called the Passover.
The Spiritual Passing Over
The etymology of 'Passover' is explored as a spiritual transition from vice to virtue and from this world to the Father.
The word 'Pascha' is declined as 'Paschae' or 'Paschatis,' and it is said to be derived not from 'passion' but from 'passing over.' The word's primary origin is Hebrew, as 'Pascha' is said to be like 'Pjiase,' which in Hebrew means the same as 'passing over.' The 'Passover' of the Jews was named for two reasons: on the night the lamb was sacrificed, the destroying angel saw the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the Israelites and passed over them without striking; and the children of Israel, fleeing that night from Egyptian slavery, crossed the Red Sea and eventually arrived at the land of the promised inheritance and peace. That is why this feast is rightly called 'Pascha.' This passing over also prefigures another. Namely, the passing over of Christ from this world to the Father, and our own passing over from vices to virtues, and from earthly things to heavenly ones. Therefore, the Christian Passover is also mystically called a 'passing over,' because in it the Lord passed from this world to the Father through death. It signifies that by His example, the faithful who follow Christ—either by taking up penance and martyrdom, as the verse says, 'We have passed through fire and water,' or by longing in their hearts for heavenly things, as the verse says, 'Come to me, all you who desire me'—are to pass over through the blood of Christ shed for them, toward the promise of the heavenly homeland. For the blood of Christ must be placed on both doorposts: that is, on the intellect through devout reflection, and on the affections by devoutly imitating Him through penance. Hence, according to Augustine, the sign of the cross repels the destroyer from us, provided that our heart has Christ as its inhabitant; by whose blood our doorposts are anointed—that is, by whose cross our foreheads are marked—we are freed from the destruction of this world, just as from Egyptian captivity; and we make a most salutary passing over when we pass from the devil to Christ, and from this unstable world to His most secure kingdom. According to Bede, because the Passover was to be celebrated with unleavened bread—with the lamb sacrificed one evening, followed by seven days of unleavened bread—Jesus, having suffered once for us and passing from this world through the entire span of this age (represented by those seven days), has commanded us to live in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. By making this a perpetual Passover, he urges us to be always passing out of this world, to strive with all our might to flee the desires of this age as if they were the shackles of Egypt, and to leave behind our worldly way of life to enter the secret solitude of the virtues.
Final Devotion and Prayer
The chapter concludes with a brief narrative of Christ's final days in Bethany and a concluding prayer for the reader's own spiritual passage.
After this, the Lord Jesus returned to Bethany with his twelve disciples and stayed with Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary, teaching them in his usual way and offering them comfort. After that, he didn't come into Jerusalem as he had before, until the day of the Last Supper; so the Jews had their opportunity to discuss his death more freely. Lord Jesus Christ, you who on the third day before the time of your Passion and death... ...foretold your Passover and your passing from this world to your disciples: grant that I may live in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth throughout my whole life. Don't let me pass from this world until you have wiped away all my sins through a three-day period of penance—namely, through contrition of heart, confession of mouth, and satisfaction of work—granting me the Communion of your most sacred Body and Blood, the anointing of holy oil, and in all things, a perfect completion. And finally, make me, once I am happily brought to completion, pass over to you, my sweetest Lord, who are blessed above all things. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Nuuc, sccundum Eieronymum, aspergamus de snnguine Jibrum nostrum et Hmina domorum, et funem circunidemu> coccineum domui orationis nostrae, et coccum in manu nostra utZarahgemus, ut vaccam rufam in valle occisam enarrare possimus; jam enim instat, ut ad Passionem Domini veniamus, quam et ex affectu inspicere, et in effectu imitari debemus, juxta illud Exodi : Inspice. et fac secundum exemplarquod tibi in monte monstratum est. — Christus enim est tamquam liber exemplaris, ad cujus exemplar totam viDE iVOMINIS AGGEPTIONIBUS. 3t7 tani nostram ducere et corrigere debemus; etsi Cliristus saepius in Scriptura dicatur mons, rationesumniitatis, sive excellentissimae perfoctionis, maxime tamen exaltatus in cruce mons dicitur,ratione sublimitatis meriti suoe sacratissimae Passionis. In hoc ergo monte, Christo scilicet crucifixo, monstratum est nobisexemplar diligenter inspiciendum et efficaciter imitandum. Non enim sufficit Christiano Christum passum inspicere, nam hoc fecerunt Judaei et Gentiles sui crucifixores, sed exigitur etiam secuiidum exemplarmonstratum operari et facere. Et hoc est quod indicitur cuilibet fideli in verbis propositis : Inspice et fac. Quasi diceret : Inspice exemplar Dominicae Passionis ipsam libi per intimam compassionem visceraliter incorporando,et fac secundum illudexemp]ar,ipsumefficaciterimitando.
Et utrumque horum docet beatus Petrus : Christus, inquit, pro nobis passus est , ecce primum , quod est diligenter cordis oculo inspiciendum ; vobis relinquens exemplum, ut sequamini vestigia ejus, ecce secundum. quod est efficaciter in facto imitandum.
Circa prirnum sciendum est, quod si nos omnia quae Christus in mundo passus est, vellemus enarrare, innumerabilia utique essent, praesertim, cum tota vita Christi in terris quaedam passio fuerit. Nimirum,cumetiam tota vita cujuslibet Christiani, si secundum Evangelium vivat, quaedam crux atque martyrium sit, ut Augustinus (licit, quanto magis hoc indubitabile est de ipso Domino Christo, qui Evangeliumcondidit, et in seipso perfectissime adimplevit? Exordiendo enim a primordio Nativitatis suae, , inspice quam pauper natus fuit, qui nec domicilium neque vestes habuit, sed in vili diversorio natus, in praesepi super foeno exiguo ante bruta animalia reclinatus, pannis vilibus invoiutus fuit ; octavo die circumcisus fuit, et jam sanguinem suum pro nobis fundere coepit ; deinde persecutionem Herodis fugiens in Mgyptum deportatus, et inde rediens per totam pueritiam et adolescentiam suam parentibus subjectus, et non dubium in magna paupertate educatus fuit. Dehinc, adveniente tempore ostensionis suae, inspice quomodo tempore magni frigoris baptizatus iu aquis frigidis mergi voluit, et quomodo, tempore jejunii quadraginta dierum continuato, maceratus fuit,et quantas tunc a diabolo tentationes sustinuit, quantas etiam injurias et contumelias aJudaeis frequenter passus fuit, nuncdicentibusipsum a d(Emone obsessum, nunc Samaritanum, nunc voratorem et vini esse potatorem, nunc de fornicatione natum, nunc biasphemum, nunc populi seductorem, et alia multa hlasphemantes dicebant in eum ; nihilominus ad facta injuriosa saepe attentabant procedere, nunc volentes eum iapidare, nunc de supercilio montis praecipitare^ Inspice etiam cum quanto labore vixerit, quia quotidie erat praedicans in templo, et in synagoga, et de civitate in civitatem, de terra in terram perambulavit, in oratione saepe pernoctavit, infirmos multos curavit, obsessos a daemone liberavit, mortuos suscitavit, multitudinem esurientem pavit; et nihilominus in his omnibus nalurae legibus subjectus, fami, siti, et ceteris infirmitatibus hominis, absque tamen peccato, expositus fuit. Ecce quomodo tota vita sua in laboribus et passionibus fuit, sed omnibus talibus Passionem, de qua nunc tractandum est, antecedentibus omissis, inspice diligenter, quid in hac sustinuit, et praecipue articulos et puncta Passionis, in quibus singulis Christus notabiliter passus fuit. 5 Specialius tamen nobis pr^bet in Passione virtutum exemplum et vitioRUM ANTiDOTUM. — Circa hoc autem sciendum est, quod, secundum Awg^wstinum, non solum quidquid boni Christus in terra gessit, sed et quidquid mali sustinuit, totum disciplina morum fuit, unde Passio Domini in se complectituromnem perfectionem hominum, in hac vita possibilem ; quoniam omnia opera perlectionis quae Christus umquam in Evangeho docuit, ipse in semetipso in sua Passione perfectissime adimplevit. Itaque iii cruce Domhii est liais Legis atque Scripturae, in.
Passione ejus, summa omnis perfectionis, in morle ipsius est consummatio omnis sermonis. Unde Apostolus, (licit: Non judicavi me aliquid scire inter vos , nisi Jesum Christum et hunc crucifixum, nempe quia hoc scire, est omnia scire quae ad salutem spectant. Nam, si de paupertate voluntaria agitur, quis umquam pauperior Christo nudo pendente in cruce, quia nec habebat ubi caput suum reclinet? Si de obedientia et humilitate loquimur, quis umquam in tantum se humiliavit et exinanivit, sicut Christus, qui factus est obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis^ tantaque vilia et magna opprobria sustinuit pro nobis ? Si de castitate virginali mentio fiat, quis castior eo, cujus mater Virgo est, cujus Pater feminam nescit ? Si de caritate sermo fuerit, quis umquara majorem vel tantam caritatem habuit, quam Christus, qui in Pas^ione sua posuit animam suam pro ovibus suis, et tam horrenda suppHcia pati voluit pro nobis, cum tamennosliberare potuisset solo nutu voluntatis? In Passione ergo Domini relucet exemplar perfectionis omnium virtutum,proutjam supra est tactum. Item, in ea reiucet perfectum remedium et antidotum contra omnem spiritualem mori)um.
Nam, perhocquod . pati voluit mortem exprobratissimam, habemus remedium contra superbiam;per hoc quod latronibus se associare voluit, remedium prsebet contra invidiam; per hoc quod contraipsum hlasphemantes obticuit, remedium praebet contra iram; per hoc quod in cruce distendi, et clavis cruci affigi voluit, praebet remedium contra accidiam, quae non sinit amplecti poenitentiae crucem ; per ejus vero nuditatem et paupertatem , habemus remedium contra avaritiam ; per ftllis et aceti degustationem, habemus remedium contragulam; per vulnerum inflictionem, et summi doloris afflictionem, habemus remedium contra iuxuriam, et hsec sunt septem sigilla hbrum viIse consignantia, quse Ghristus nobis in Passione aperuit, et postea nobis vitge aditum reseravit : prsedicta ergo in Passione Ghristi adimpleta videmus. Denique, si de patientia agitur, tota Passio excellentissimam Ghristi patientiam demonstrat. Si de contemptu mundi, et abstractione a rebus mundialibus loquimur, quis umqnam elongatior et abstractior ab omnibus terrenis, quam Christus in cruce supra terram, et super omnia terrena elevatus et abstractus? Si de abstinentia et jejunio, seu victus inedia mentio fiat, Christus nihil in Passione sua nisi fel, et acetum, vel vinum mirrhatum gustavit. Si de corporis castigatione agitur, cujus umquam corpus in tantum casiigatum fuit, quantum corpus Domini in cruce? Si de efficacia orationis sermo fiat, quis umquam efficacius Christo oravit, quiex vehementi attentioneorationis gutlas sanguineas sudavit? Si de eleemnsynarum largitione, aut de aliis misericordise operibus loquimur, quis umquam majorem eleemosynam dedit, quam ipseChristus, qui proprium Corpus suumincibum,et Sanguinem suum in potum, nobis pauperibus in eleemosynam perpetuam dedit ; infirmos etiam visitavit, duminflrma discipulorum corda confortavit , et aegros multos curavit, captivos niultos in limbo redemit, mortuos de sepulchris suscitavit.
Si de dilectione inimicorum agitur, in cruce pendens pro suis crucifixoribus oravit ; et si de offensarum dimissione loquimur, quis umquam liberalius dimisit debita debitoribus suis quam Ghristus, qui latroni nnn solum debita dimisit, sed et paradisum sibi promisit? Et sic de similibus inducendo, per singulaoperasupererogatiouis, quae omnia in Passione Christi, si bene advertimus, supereroganter adimpl(;ta invenimus ; similiter et nos, si perfecti iniitatores Christi essevolumus, adimplere vel in facto,veI in desiderio, vei in ministerio debemus. Nam sicut dicit Uieronymus : u Singula ea quae circaDominumin Passione gesta sunt, quamvis Judaei et alii qua^cumque fecerunt alia mente fecerunt, nobistamencredentibusmysticaafterunt sacramenta; sic etiam ipse Caiphas quando dixit: Expedit unum hominem DE PASGllA ET VAIillS ilU. IUS NOMI. NIS ACCECTIO. NIBL S. mori pro populo^ nescivit qiiid diceret, et tamen prophetavit. SimiJiter est de singLilis gestisPassionis Dominicae, quae nos inspicere debemus, et secundum exemplar illorum facerc. )> 4 Tradentium Christum divers^ voLUNTATEs.
— jE^ factum est^ cum consummasset Jesus sermones hos omnes praedictos, de secundo adventu, ubi se venturum ad judicium in claritate praedixit, consequenter se passurum ostendit, ut sacraraentum crucis admixtum esse gloriae aeternitatis admoneat; quasi, qui compatitur crucifixo, non timuit dejudicio, conjuncta enim sunt ut causa finalis et effectus, gloria aeternitatis et meritum Passionis. Postadventum ergo majestatis subdit liumilitatem Passionis, ut causam illius : Passionis enim effectus, vel causa finalis, est gloria aeternitatis, unde Apostolus ; Christus factus est obecliens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis , propter quod et Deus exaltavit illum. Incipit ergo narrationem de Pascha et de sua Passione, qua Christus ipse Pascha nostrum fuerat immolandus. Et eadem die, scilicet feria tertia in sero, etibidem, scilicet in monte Oliveti; dixit ergo discipulis suis : Scitis quia post biduum, id est feria quinta ad vesperam, Pascha fiet. et agnuspaschalis immolari debet. Et, ego addoquodnescitis,scilicet quod tunc etiamP^7iws hominis^ id est Virginis, tradetur ut crucifigatur, et Pascha faciet transeundo. Ex quo patet, quod non fuit ex ignorantia traditus; sed ex sua praescientia, et voluntate. Bene autem dicit : Filius hominiSj quia, secundum formani humanam tentus et crucifixus est, non secundum divinam, in qua semper immortaiis est; et bene impersonaliter posuit, tradetw, quia uno traditionis verbo diversae voluntates exprimuntur.
Nam Deus Pater tradidit Filium propter caritatem, et generis humani utilitatem, e contra Judas Judaeis, proptcr avaritiam et lucri sui cupiditatem ; item, Spiritus •Sanctus propter suam benignitatem, e contra Judaei Pilato propter invidiam et malignitatem; item, Filius seipsum, ut impleret beneplacitum divinum, e contra Pilatus cruci, ut satisfaceret perversoe voluntati Judaeorum; item, diabolus propter timorem, ne per Chrisli doctrinam et miracula evclieretur ^^enus humanum de manu sua, non advertens quia magis erat per ipsius mortem eripiendum, quam fucrat per doctrinam et miracula ereptum. Ecce opus commune, sed voiuntates diversae valde, ergo Pater et Filius et Spiritus Sauctus non solum amandi, sed etiam gIor! ficandi;Judas autem et alii non solum detestandi , sed etiam contemnendi sunt, quia quod Pater et Filius et Spiritiis Sanctus bona, hoc ilii mala inteniione fecerunt. Praedicit autem discipulisse tradendum, praemuniens eos ne prius quam audiant quae eventura fuerant, subito videntes tradi ad crucem Magistrum, obstupescant.
Et, quia hoc nomen Pascha in diversis locis reperitur, et diversa per ipsum significantur ; ideo ne in aequivoco erremus, diversas ejus acceptiones videamus. Sciendum ergo, ad solutionem multarum contrarietatum, quod Pascha appellatur primo, tota septimana, seu septem dics azymorum, quibus Judaei panesazymus,hoc est sine fermento, comedebant; nam a, sine, et ? upv? , fermentuni signiiicat, unde in Actibus : Volens post Pascha producere eum populo, etc. ; primus et ultimus dies illius septimanae magis solemnes erant quam medii. — Secundo, dicitur hora immolationis agni, scilicet vespera qua agnus immolabatur, quae est initium primi diei azymorum, qui solemnior erat, ut hic: Scitis, quia post biduum Pascha fiet^ unde cantat Ecclesia : Quartadecima die ad vesperam, Pascha Bomini est^ etc; dies autem praecedens iilam horam, nec Pascha dicebatur, nec solemnis erat. — Tertio,dicitur primus azymorum, qui erat celeberrimus, scilicet quintadecima luna primi mensis, quando egressus est populus Israel de ^jgvpto, ut ibi: Appropinquabat dies festus azymorum, quidicitur Pascha ; et ibi : Anie dlem festum Paschse, etc. — Quarto, dicitur festivitas epulae paschalis, ut in Paralipomenis: j^onfuitPhase simile huic in Israel.
— Quinto, dicitur agnus paschalis, qui paratus comedebatur : Ubi vis parernus tibi comedere Pascha? Etibi: Venit dies azymorum, inquo necesse erat occidi Pascha. — Sexto, panes azymi, vel quicumque cibus paschalis, ut ibi; jSonintroierunt prxtorium, ut noncontaminarentur, sed ut manducarent Pascha, idestpanes azymos,seu paschales ; quia ad comedendum azyma septem diebus, oportebat eos mundatos esse, et ideo quolibet septem dierum non poterant in praetorium introire. — Septmio, dicitur ipse Christus per agnum paschalem signatus, ut ibi : Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus, ipse enim est verum Pascha nostrum. De praidictis autem Paschae acceptionibus sunt isti versus : Uebdomas, hora, dies, epulse, agnus^ [azyma, Christus, Pascha solent dici; velut exemplis [patefeci. Conimuniter tamen Pascha vocatur dies,in qua immolabatur agnus.
Declinatur autem Pascha Paschae vel Paschatis, et dicitur Pascha non a Passioue, sed a transitu. Prima enim origo hujus vocabuli Paschai ex Hebraeo habetur, quia Pascha dicitur quasi PJiase, quod in Hebraeo idem est quod transitus. Dicebatur autem PaschaJudgeorumtransitus,propterduo: quia ea nocte, qua immolatus est agnus, Angelus exterminator, videns sanguinem agni in foribus Israelitarum, pertransivit, nonpercutiens eos; et quiafilii Israel fugientes illa nocte dCiEgyptiaca servitute, mare rubrum transieruut, et deinde ad terram promissae olim hereditatis e,t pacis venerunt, et ideo festum istud bene Pascha vocatur. Quo transitu prsefiguratus est etiam transitus. Christi de hoc mundo ad Patrem ; et transitus noster de vitiis ad virtutes, etde terrenis ad coelestia. Et ideo similiter Pascha Christianorum mystice dicitur transitus : quia in eo Dominus per mortem transivitde hoc mundo ad Patrem ; et significatquod ejus exemplo fideles Ghristum sequentes, vel poenitentiam et martyrium assumendo, secundum illud : Transivimus per ignem et aquam , vel mentis de^^^iderio ad coelestia anhelando, secundum illud : Transite ad me, omnes^ qui conGupiscitis me, transiturisuntpro Christi sanguine fuso, ad patriae coelestis promissionem. Sanguis enim Christi debet poni super utrumque postem, scilicet : super intellectum, devote recogitando ; et super affectum, devote per poenitentiam imitando. Unde, secundum Augustinum, signum crucis a nobis repellit exterminatorem, si tamencornostrum Christum habeatinhabitatorem, cujus sanguine iliinitis postibus nostris, id est, cujus crucis signosignatis frontibus nostris, a perditione hujus seculi tamquam a captivitate^gyptiacaliberamur; et agimus saluberrimum transitum, cum a diabolo transimus adChristum, etab isto instabili seculo ad ejus fundatissimum regnum.
Secundum autem Bedam, quia Paschae dies in azymis panibus est celebrari prseceptus, et uno die agno immolato ad vesperam, septem ex ordine dies sequuntur azymorum, Jesus semel pro nobis passus est, et de hoc mundo transiens per omne nobis hujus seculi tempus, qu d septem diebus agitur, in azymis sinceritatis et veritatis praecepit csse vivendum ; et quasi Pascha perpetuum faciendo, semper ex hoc mundotranseundum, totoque semper nisu desideria seculi, quasi i^gypti retinacula fugere, et quasi amundana conversatione secretam solitudinem iter nos admonet subire virtutum.
Post haec, Dominus Jesus rediit cum discipulis duodecim in Bethaniam, et mansit apud Lazarum, et Martham, et Mariam, sorores ejus, docens eos more solito, et confortans. Et deinde non venit in Jerusalem, sicut ante fecerat, usque ad diem coenae uitimae; et sic Judaei locum suum habebant tractandi liberius de sua morte. Domine Jesu Christe, qui die tertia ante tempus Passionis et mortis tua? , discipulis tuis Pascha et transitum tuum ex hoc mundo praidixisti, da mihi per omne tempus vitae meae in azymis sinceritatis et veritatis vivere ; meque de hoc mundo transire non permittas antequam per triduum poenitentiae, scihcet per cordis contrilionem, orisconfessionem, et operis satisfactionem, peccata mea omnia deleas, donans mihi sacratissimi Gorporis et Sanguinis tui communionem, olei sacri unctionem, ac in omnibus perfectam consummationem ; et me tandem fehciter consummatum transire facias ad te dulcissimum Dominum meum, super omnia benedictum. Amen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Pet.2.21 — For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin text for this sentence is fragmented and appears corrupt ('iii cruce Domhii est liais Legis atque Scripturae, in'). The translation reflects the likely intended meaning: the cross as the summary of the Law and Scripture.
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