Quomodo Dominus apparuit undecim discipulis in Galilcea, et etiam quingentis fratribus»
The Appearance in Galilee
Jesus gathers his disciples on a mountain in Galilee, fulfilling his promise to appear to them after his resurrection.
The eleven disciples went into Galilee, according to the command of Christ and the Angel, to the mountain and the place where Jesus had primarily appointed them, because he had arranged to show himself visible to them there. Hence Bede says: For when the Lord was going to his Passion, he said to the disciples, 'After I have risen, I will go before you into Galilee,' and the Angel also said to the women, 'Behold, he goes before you into Galilee.' Therefore, the disciples' obedience follows the Master's command. Although the appearance at the Sea of Tiberias did take place in Galilee, where that sea is located, it wasn't the one primarily intended, since only seven disciples were there; rather, it was the other appearance, where they were all gathered together. It should be noted that near the Mount of Olives, about a mile to the north, there is a mountain called Galilee. Some say this is the mountain the eleven disciples went to—not because it is in the region of Galilee, since it is in Judea, but because the mountain itself is named Galilee. Others, which seems more likely, believe this happened on Mount Tabor, where the Lord was transfigured, which is truly in Galilee. For there he had shown the glory of his future Resurrection to a few—namely, three disciples—and therefore, he manifested his completed Resurrection there to all his disciples. It is likely that five hundred brothers were also there, in addition to the eleven disciples, and that this was the manifestation mentioned in his letter to the Corinthians. The Apostle says: 'Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once.' ; yet here only the eleven Apostles are mentioned, who are the principal disciples of Christ. Eusebius notes: "Two evangelists, Luke and John, write that he appeared to the eleven alone in Jerusalem." The others, however, were hurrying to Galilee; they said that not only the eleven, but all the disciples and brothers had seen the angel and the Savior, of whom Paul also makes mention, saying, 'Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers.' Eusebius adds: "How, then, were there so many brothers?" If Acts says that all the disciples were gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem and there were only one hundred and twenty, it may be that not all the believers from Jerusalem were with the apostles, but only those one hundred and twenty. There were many other believers from other cities and places to whom he wished to appear simultaneously for their consolation, just as he did to others. And it was there, on the mountain, that the Lord appeared to them, because those who now ascend to the heights of perfection and trample down earthly desires will one day deserve to see him in the heights of heaven. Rabanus notes: "The Lord appeared to them on the mountain to signify that the body he took from the common earth of the human race by his birth, he had already lifted up above all earthly things by his resurrection; and to admonish the faithful that if they desire to see the glory of his resurrection there, they should strive to pass from the lowest pleasures to heavenly desires here."
The Authority of the Risen Lord
Christ asserts his universal authority over heaven and earth, received through his humanity and shared with his divinity.
The disciples, however, seeing the Lord alive, worshipped Him with the adoration of latria upon His arrival, and humbled themselves before Him, believing that the Lord God and immortal man had risen; yet some doubted because of the novelty of the event, and their doubt increases our faith, from which it is clear that there were others there besides the Apostles, all of whom were certain, even Thomas, who had been the most incredulous among them. The disciples' doubt was truly a confirmation of our faith; the more they doubted, the more diligently they inquired, the more thoroughly they tested, and the more firmly they believed. They didn't just strengthen our faith; they also dismantled the madness of heretics. The pious and merciful Lord comforts those who believe in faith and strengthens their faith; He brings the doubtful back to faith and removes their hesitation, letting them know to what glory He has attained. Therefore, to remove all doubt from their hearts, Jesus approached and spoke to them to certify them of His Resurrection, saying: 'All power is given to me in heaven and on earth.' For although Christ, as to His divinity, had this power from eternity, and as man had power in heaven and on earth from the instant of His conception, He did not have the authority in an executive sense before His Resurrection, but chose to be subject to passibility for the sake of our redemption. He says this, therefore, from the perspective of His humanity, in which He was made a little lower than the angels, not from the perspective of His divinity, in which He is a sharer and co-equal with the Father. For according to His divinity, the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit is as great as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As Augustine says: 'The whole Trinity is as great in the Father alone, or in the Son alone, or in the Holy Spirit alone, as it is together in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.' Thus, according to His divinity, He is always together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, omnipotent over all things. According to His humanity, He received power over all things and among all things, and everything has been delivered into His hand, so that the man who was recently made from heaven might also rule on earth. He has the power in heaven to crown whom He wills, and on earth to choose whomever He wills, because He does what He wills both here and there. He received power not only on earth but also in heaven, because, exalted in His humanity, He was placed at the right hand of the Father and raised above all the angels. A name was given to Him that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend—in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. This is not limited to what happened in Galilee. etc. not only by the name of all humanity, but even above the most holy of all the angels. For it has been granted to no human or angel to be called the Son of God by nature, except to Him alone to whom it was said by the Father: 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' Likewise, it has been given to no saint or angel that salvation should be given to the world in their name, except to God alone, of whom Peter says: 'There is no salvation in any other.' For there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved. Indeed, in His human nature He received from the Father what He Himself also bestowed in His divine nature. Hence Severianus says: 'The Son indeed bestowed upon the Son of the Virgin—God upon man, divinity upon flesh—what He Himself always possessed with the Father.'
The Great Commission and Baptism
Jesus commands his disciples to teach and baptize all nations in the name of the Trinity, establishing the mission of the Church.
The power given to Him doesn't reject sinners, but gathers everyone without showing favoritism. Therefore, in establishing Baptism, He adds: 'Go, therefore, into the whole world and teach the faith to all nations'—that is, to all kinds of people, without distinguishing between them. From this, it's clear that preachers of the Gospel must preach to everyone, both great and small, without favoritism. 'Go, therefore'—which speaks against the negligent who refuse to go; 'teach'—which speaks against the ignorant who don't know how to teach yet take on the office; 'all nations'—which speaks against those who show favoritism and go only to some; 'baptizing them'—because: 'Unless one is born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.' . . . In the name—because of the unity of substance—of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit—because of the distinction of persons—so that for those whose divinity is one, the gift may be one. He doesn't say "in the names of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," but "in the name," so that He might imply the indivisible Trinity is one God. This, then, is the form of Baptism instituted by Christ; but by a familiar counsel of the Holy Spirit, it was changed in some way in the early Church when the Apostles baptized in the name of Christ, so that the name of Christ, which was hateful at that time, might be proclaimed and magnified throughout the world. And He adds: "Teaching them to observe by deed and perseverance all things whatsoever I have commanded and said to you," namely, the Sacraments instituted by Christ and other things pertaining to the Catholic faith, and the customs establishing love for God and neighbor. The command that the Lord had given to the disciples before His Passion—that they should preach only to the Jews and not go into the way of the Gentiles—was for a specific time. Before Christ's Resurrection, the faith of Christ was not to be spread throughout the whole world; therefore, after the Resurrection, He commanded them to go into all nations, and first to teach—that is, to catechize and instruct in the faith—and then to baptize them with the Sacrament of faith, namely Baptism, because adults must be instructed in those things that pertain to the faith before they are baptized. Therefore, the catechism must precede Baptism, and finally, after the teaching of the faith and after Baptism, they were to command all things that were to be observed. As James says, it's necessary to be not only hearers of the word, but also doers; and whoever offends in one point is guilty of all. The order is fitting: for first... the auditor must be taught in the faith, because unless the soul first receives the faith, Baptism is not to be given: for without faith it is impossible to please God; nor is the cleansing of Baptism valid if it is not supported by good works as much as possible. For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. So, it's necessary to keep everything He has commanded.
The Primacy of Love
Love is presented as the essential virtue that fulfills the law and unites the faithful in the body of Christ.
But for anyone who finds this impossible, let them simply hold fast to and keep love. As Augustine says, "Love is a powerful thing, brothers." Do you want to see how powerful love is? If someone cannot fulfill what God commands due to necessity, let them love the one who does, and in that person, they fulfill it themselves. And again: "Whoever has a heart full of love understands the manifold abundance and the vast teaching of the Divine Scriptures without error, and keeps them without labor; as the Apostle says: 'Love is the fullness of the Law.' Love securely possesses the entire magnitude of the divine utterances, by which we love God and our neighbor; for the one heavenly Physician teaches us and says: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments the whole Law and the Prophets depend." If, therefore, you don't have time to examine every page, to search through sacred texts, to unravel all the tangled meanings of the words, or to penetrate all the secrets of the Scriptures, hold fast to love, on which everything depends. There you will hold what you have learned there, and you will also hold what you have not learned; for if you know love, you know something upon which even that which you perhaps do not know depends. In what you understand in the Scriptures, love is plain; and in what you don't understand, love is hidden. Therefore, whoever holds love in their character holds both what is plain and what is hidden in the divine words. And it is said: 'How great is love, for if it is missing, other things are held for nothing; if it is present, everything is held.' And again: 'A person supported by faith, hope, and love, and holding them unshakably, has no need of the Scriptures, except to...' ...instruct others.' Augustine says that many live in solitude through these three without books; love is such a great good that it not only makes up for our own shortcomings, but also makes the good works of others our own. Hence Gregory says: 'The good works of others are our own; if we cannot imitate them, we love them in others.' Whatever is loved in us becomes the property of those who love. As Augustine says: "Let the envious understand what a great good love is, which makes the good things of others our own without any labor of our own." And again: "If you love unity, whoever has anything in it has it for you too; take away envy, and what I have is yours; take away envy, and what you have is mine." "Envy separates, love joins": this is Augustine. Through love, a person shares in all the good things of the Church; and through a lack of love, a person loses the merit of all the good things of the Church. And even the good of one's own work. As Bernard says, love is a virtue. In it, not even the smallest work is rejected, without it, not even the greatest is accepted. To sum up briefly, love holds the highest place among the virtues, because without it no one can reach the height of perfection; for a person is perfect only when they are full of love.
The Promise of Perpetual Presence
Christ promises to remain with his followers until the end of the age, providing strength and guidance through his grace.
Then, because He laid great tasks upon them, He lifted up their spirits and strengthened them. He says: “And look, I am with you,” with the protection of divine power, the cooperation of labor and work, and even the sacramental presence of My Body, all the days until the end of the age, including the times of your labors, and when your work is finished, you will reign with Me. To the eleven. The disciples. In Galilee. etc. The presence of My divinity and grace is a pledge, even in this present life. From this, it's clear what a great reward for our conversation, and what a pledge of future blessedness, remains for the faithful even now; and that until the end of the world, faith won't fail, no matter how much it may be shaken by tribulations. It's as if He were saying, as Chrysostom puts it: "Don't make excuses, and don't tell me about the difficulty of the tasks laid upon you, because look, I am with you, and I will make all things easy." What a great promise, what a great and invincible shield of security! I am with you, He says: I fight in you, I defend you; fear nothing, go in safety. For if God is for us, who is against us? Let us say, therefore: In God we will do valiantly, and He Himself will bring to nothing those who trouble us and our enemies. And specifically to the preachers of the Gospel, the assistance of the Lord is promised when it is said: And look, I am with... ...you, that is, by directing your words toward the salvation of those who hear and for your own merit. Chrysostom says that He isn't just speaking to those who were there at the time; He didn't say He would be with them alone, but through them, He speaks to all who will believe after them, and He will always be with them, too. “The Apostles weren't going to remain until the end of the age, but He speaks to the faithful as one body, to whom He is joined as the head to its members.” So says Chrysostom. Although the Lord was about to depart from the disciples in His bodily presence, He still remains present always through the presence of His divinity and the spiritual influx of His gifts and grace, and He will remain with the faithful until the end of the age. For a wise and faithful sailor doesn't abandon the ship until it has been brought to port; the Church is that ship, and Christ is the sailor guiding it, who hasn't abandoned it and won't abandon it until it reaches port. Until it reaches paradise. This Church is said in the Apocalypse to descend from heaven because, according to Augustine, it is heavenly grace by which God makes it. Where Rabanus says: From. However, this is understood to mean that until the end of the age, there will not be a lack of people in the world who are worthy of His divine dwelling and presence. But what He says, “until the end of the age,” is according to Bede, who says that He remains in the present age with the elect, protecting them and guiding them through the hidden promptings of the Holy Spirit; He will remain with them after the end of the age, rewarding them and satisfying them with His presence without end. Hence Pope Leo says: "He who ascended into heaven does not abandon those he has adopted; he who invites us upward to glory also strengthens us downward to endure with patience." He will remain with the faithful in this present age, not only through his power, but also through his bodily presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, where Christ is present in his entirety; and after the end of time, they will see him face to face, more clearly than by any light. As Chrysostom says, he reminds them of the end of the age to draw them more strongly to himself, and so they don't focus solely on the present—things that dissolve along with this life—but rather on the good things to come, which will last forever. It is as if he were saying: The sorrows you will endure will dissolve along with this present life, as the whole world itself moves toward its end; but the good things you will possess are those that will last for eternity.
Joy and Final Prayer
The disciples are filled with joy at the Lord's presence, concluding with a prayer for grace and perseverance.
Think about the disciples now and what has just been said to them, for these are truly magnificent things. They stand in great joy with the Lord: he shows them how he is the Lord of all, gives them the mandate to preach, provides the form of Baptism, and gives them the greatest strength as he speaks. —that he will always be with them. Standing kindly and familiarly among them, preaching and speaking of the kingdom of God, he filled them with great joy and unspeakable gladness. You see what great consolation he gives them, and how he shows the marks of his love. It is clear, however, that they took care to wait for the Lord with desire and diligence; and for that reason, they deserved to see him. We would feel the same thing happen to us if we were fervent and diligent in waiting for the Lord and his coming. By those to whom the Lord appeared on the aforementioned Mount Tabor, contemplatives are signified, because he is said to have been transfigured on this mountain, and he deigns to appear frequently to such people. Then the Lord left them and returned to the holy Fathers, as was His custom; the disciples, however, remained in great joy and afterwards returned to Jerusalem. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who flooded the hearts of your disciples—grieving over your death—with incredible joy by showing them your presence as you appeared to them on the mountain, grant to me, a miserable soul, that I may now ascend to the heights of perfection, striving to trample down the low desires of earthly things and to pass from base pleasures to heavenly longings, so that I may one day be worthy to see you in the heights of heaven. Grant also, Lord, that I may keep all that you have commanded; and stay with us in this life, protecting and guiding us, and after the end of this life, rewarding us and satisfying us forever with your presence. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Pofit hSC undecim discipuli abierunt in Ga^ liUeam, secundum xaandatum Christi et Angeli, in montem et locum, ubi priacipaliter constituerat iiUs Jesus, quia ibi ordinaverat se visibilem praebere illis. Unde Beda : a Nam pergens Dominus ad Passionem, ait discipulis : Postquam resurrexero, prcecedam vos in Galilaeam, Angelus quoque mulieri* bus ait : Ecce prcecedit vos in Galilceam, Quapropter jussioni Magistri obedientia discipulorum obsequitur. » Quamvis enim supradicta a^Jparitio ad mare Tiberiadis fufirit in Galilasa, ubi est idem xaa,vt ; non tamen illa principaliter inJiendebfrtur, cum ibi pauci, scilicet septem tantum essent discipuli, sed ;potius ista, in qua simul omnes erant codgregati. Et sciendum, quod prope montem Oliveti ex parte bareali ad unum milliare est mons, qui appellatur Gaiilaea : et dicunt quidam quod ille est mons praedictus ad quem discipuli undecim abierunl;, non quia mons sit in Galilaefl, cum sit in Judaea, sed quia mons iste op^eiiatur Galildea; alii, <)uod magts videtur, xLirunt hoc fuisse in monte Thabor, in quo Dominus transfiguratus foit, qui vere in Galilasa consistit. Ibi enim paucis, scilicet tribus discipulis osteBderat ^loriam suae futuree Resurrectionis ; £t idao ibi Resurrectionem suam compiotam Tnanifestavit omnibus suis discipulis. Unde probabiliter credilur quod ibi etiam fuerunt quingenti fratves, praeter praedictos undecim discipulos, «t quod illa fuit manifestatio, de qua ad Corinthios scmbit . ApostoUis dicens : Deiude uismg est plus quam qmngentis fratribus simul. ; hic tamen non exprimuntiir nisi undecim Apostoli , qvuA orant principales discipuli Cbristi.
Unde Eusebius : « Duo enim Evaagelistae, scilicet Lucas et Joannes solis undecim hunc scribunt ap(paruisse Jerusalem. Ceteri v^ro in Galileeam properare : non solum undecim, sed univer^s discipuliB, et fratribus dizerunt Angelum et SalvaJbor^m vidisse, de quibus et Paulus memlnit dicens, Deinde apparuii plus quam quingentis Jratribus. aimul : » haec Eusebius, Quomodo auttem tot fratres erant . ibl, icum apei«te dicatur in Actiddus, ^^uod omofis 'discipuli erant in Jerusalem ia ooenaculo congregati, &t non erant nisi centum viginti f Potest dici quod omnes credentes de Jerusalem cum Apostolis non erant nisi centum viginti; multi autem erant credentes de aliis civitatibus et locis, quibus simul apparere voluit, ad ipsorum consolationem, sicut et aliis. Et ibi scilicet in monte apparuit eis Dominus, quia illi eum quandoque videre merebuntur in altitudine coelorum, qui nunc celsitudinem perfectionis ascendentes in ima calcant desideria terrenorum. Unde Rabanus : « In monte quidem apparuit eis Dominus : ut significaret quoniam corpus quod de communi generis humani terra nascendo suscepit, jam super omnia terrena resurgendo sublevaverat; et ut admoneret fideles, si illic celsitudinem Resurrectionis ejus cupiunt videre, hic ab infimis voluptatibus ad superna studeant desideria transire :
Discipuli autem Dominum videntes vivum, adoraverunt eum, in adventu suo adoratione latriae, et ante eum humiiiaverunt se credentes Dominum Deum, et hominem immortalem resurrexisse ; quidam autem dubitaverunt , propter rci novitatem, quorum dubitatio nostram auget fidem, ex quo patet quod ibi erant alii quam Apostoli, qui omnes erant certrficati, etiam Thomas, qui inter eos fuit magis incredulus. Dubitatio quidem discipulorum, nostrae fidei fuit confirmatio : quia quo amplius dubitaverunt, eo sollicitius inquisierunt, et quo verius probaverunt, eo firmius crediderunt; et non solum fidem nostram corroboraverunt, sed etiam hacreticorum vesaniam destruxerunt. Pius autem et clemens Dominus credentes in fide confortat, et fidem eorum roborat; ac dubios ad fidem reducit, et dubietatem eorum excludit, intimans eis ad quantam gloriam pervenerit^ Unde ut omnem dubietatem a cordibus eorum au^erret, accedens Jesus locutus est eiSy ad certificandum eos de sua Resurrectione dubios, dicens : Data est mihi omnis potdstas in coslo et in terra; quia licet Christus, quantum ad divinitatem, ab aeterno haberet hanc potestatem, ct in quantum homo ab instanti conceptionis haberet potestatem in coelo et in terra; auctoritatem tamen exsecutive non habuit anle suam Resurrectionem , sed voluit passibilitati esse subjectus, propter nostram redemptionem. Hoc ergo loquitur a parte humanitatis, in qua modico quam Angeli minoratus est; non autem a parte divinitatis, in qua Patri est consors, et coaequalis. Nam secundum divinitatem tantus est Pater, aut Filius, aut Spiritus Sanctus, quantus est Pater, et Filius et Spiritus Sanctus. Unde Augustinus : « Tanta est tota Trinitas in solo Patre, vel in solo Filio, vcl in solo Spiritu Sancto, quanta est simul in Patre, et Filio, et Spiritu Sancto : » haec Augustinus, Igitur secundum divinitatem semper simul cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto omnipotens super omnia ; secundum humanitatem , omnium rerum, et inter omnia potestatem accepit, et omnia in manu ejus sunt tradita, ut homo ille qui nupcr factus est de coelo, dominetur et in terra. Habet enim potestatem in coelo coronandi quos vult ; et in terra eligendi quoscunque vult : quia et hic et ibi facit quod vult. Non solum ergo in terra, sed etiam in coelo potestatem accepit, quia in humanitate exaltatus, ad dexteram Patris est collocatus, et super omnes Angelos elevatus, nomenquc sibi datum est, quod est super omne nomen, ut in nomine Jesu omne genu flectatur coelestium, terrestrium, ei infernorum; non solum est suQUOMODO IN GALIL.
, ETC. ySi) per omnium hominum nomen, sed etiam super omnium Angelorum sanctissimum. Nulii enim hominum , vel Angelorum concessum est, ut natura Filius Dei dici possit, nisi illi soli, cui a Patre dicium est : Hie est Filius meus dilectus, in qiio mihi complacui, NuUi quoque Sanctorum vel Angelorum datum est, ut in nomine ejus daretur salus mundo, nisi soli Deo, de quo Petrus ait : Non est in alio aliquo salus. Nec enim aliud nomen est sub coelo datum hominibus, in quo oporteat nos sahos Jieri. In natura quippe hominis a Patre accepit , quod in natura deitatis etiam ipse donavit. Unde Severianus : « Filius quippe Dd Virginis Filio, Deus homini , divinitas carni contulit, quod semper ipse cum Patre possedit.
Haec autem potestas sibi data peccatores non spernit, sed omnes sine personarum acceptione colligit. Unde consequenter instituens Baptismum subjungit : Eun~ tes ergo per mundum universum docete fidem omnes Gentes, id est omnia genera Gentium, sine distinctione personarum. Ex hoc patet, quod praedicatores Evangelii debent omnibus et magnis et parvis, sine acceptione prasdicare. Euntes ergo, quod est contra negligentes, qui ire nolunt; docete , quod est contra ignorantes, qui docere nesciunt, et officium assumunt; omnes Gentes, quod est contra personarum acceptores, qui tantum ad aliquos vadunt; bapti:{antes eos, quia : Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto non potest introire in regnum Dei,. . . . in nomine, propter unitatem substantiae, Patris et Fiiii et Spiritus Sancti, propter distinctionem personarum, ut quorum est una divinitas , una sit largitio.
Non ait : in nominibus Patris, et Fiiii, et Spiritus Sancti; sed in nomine, ut individuam Trinitatem , unum Deum esse insinuet. Ista ergo est forma Baptismi a Christo instituta; sed familiari consilio Spiritus Sancti quodammodo mutata fuit in primitiva Ecclesia, quando Apostoli baptizabant in nomine Christi, ut nomen Christi, quod tunc odiosum erat, publicaretur et magnificaretur per ambitum mundi. Et addit : Docentes eos servare opere et perseverantia, omnia qucecunque mandavi, et dixi vobis, scilicet : sacramenta a Christo instituta, &t alia ad fidem catholicam pertinentia, ac mores circa dilectionem Dei et proximi instituentia. Praeceptum quod Dominus ante Passionem suam discipulis dederat , scilicet quod solis Judaeis praedicarent, et in viam Gentium non abirent, ad tempus erat certum, quia ante Christi Resurrectionem fides Christi non erat divulganda per orbem universum ; et ideo post Resurrectionem praecepit eis , ul in omnes Gentes irent, et primo docerent, id est catechizarent, et in fide instruerent, deinde fidei sacramento, scilicet Baptismo intingerent, quia adulti prius debent instrui de his quae ad fidem pertinent, quam baptizari. Et ideo catechismus debet Baptisraum praecedere, et tandem post doctrinam fidei, et post Baptismum omnia quaecunque essent observanda praeciperent, quia, ut dicit Jacobus, oportet non tantum auditores esse verbi, sed etiam factores; et qui offenderit in uno, factus est omnium reus. Congruus est ordo : primo enim . auditor in fide est docendus, quia nisi prius fidem anima recipiat , non est dandus Baptismus : Sine fide enim impossibile est placere Deo; nec valet I Baptismi mundatio, si non quantum potest bonis operibus 'msistat. Sicut enim x^orpus sine spiritu mor' ttarni est, ita £t fides sirte operibus mortua.
Igitur oportet oixinia servare quaecuiu|ue mandavit ipse.
Cui autem hoc videtur impossibile, so~ lum teneat et custodiat caritatem. Unde Augustinus : u Dilectio fortis res est, fratres. VuLtis videne quam sit fortis dilectio ? Quisquis propter aliquam necesfiitatem noa potuerit implere, quod jubet Deus, amet illum qui implet, et in illo implet. 7) £t iterum : a Divinarum Scripturarum multiplicem abundantiam latissimamque doctrinam^ sine ullo errore comprehendit, et sine illo labore custodit, cujus cor plenum est caritate , dicente Apostolo : Plenitudo ergo Ixgis caritas^ Totam magnitudinem divi^orum eloquiorum secura possidet caritas, qua Deum proximumque diligimus ; docet enim ccelestis unus medicus nos , let dicit : Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuoy et ex tota anima tua ; £t diliges proximum tuuni sicut teipsum, In his duobus prceceptis tota Lex pendet et Propketof. Si ergo non vacat omnes paginas . sacras perscrutari, omnisi involuta sermoaum evolvere, ' omnia Scripturarum secreta penetrare, tene caritatem, ubi pendent otmnia. Ibi tenebis quod ibi didicisti, tenebis etiam quod non didicisti ; si enlm nosti caritatem, aliquid nosti, unde et LLLud pendet, quod forte non no&ti.
£k in eo quod in Scripturis inrtelUgis, caritas patet; et in eo quod non kntelligis, caritas latet. IJie itaque tenet et quod patet, et qnod latet in divinis sermonibus, qui carita^ tem tenet in moribus. it Etitonim : « Quanta est caritas, quae :si desit, IrJibstra habentur cetera; si adnt, haJbentur onmiar » £. t iterum :: « Homo fide, et sipe et caritate subnixus, et eas inconcusse retinens, non indiget Scripturis, nisi ad. alios instruendos. Multi per haec tria in solitudine, sinecodicibus vivunt z, » haec Augustinus, £st etiam tantum bonum caritas, ut non tantum defectus nositros suppleat, sed etiam bona aliena nostra esse faciat. Unide Gregorius : a Aliorum boiia opera nostra sunt ; quae si imitaxi non possumus, in aliirs amemu&y ti. amantium fiunt quaecCinque amantur in nobis.
» Unde et Augusti^ nus : a P^nsent invidi quantum bonum est caritas, quee sine labore nostro aliena bona nostra fac|t. » Et iterum : a Si amas unitatem, etiam tibi habet, quisquis in iQt aliquid habet; tolle* invidiam, £t tuum est ^od habeo, tolle invidiam, et meum est quod habes. Livor separat, caritas jungit : » hsec Augustinus. Per caritatem quif^ est homo in partlcrpio omniiirn bonorum Ecclesiae; et ex ds£ectu caritatis amittit homo mecitiNn omnium bonorum Ecclesise. , ^et etiam boni operis proprii. Et ut dicit Bernardus, caritas est virtus^. in qua nec minimum opus respuitur^ sine <}ua nec maxlmusaccepjbatur. £t breviter condudendo caritas inter virtutes tenet principatum, quia sine ipsa ad perfectionis culmen Jiemo conscendere val&t; tunc enim homo perfectus est quande caritete plenus est.
Deinde quia magna eis injunxit, erijgens eorum seixsus et eos confartanfl. , ait'. Et ecce ego vobiscum awn^ protectione divince virtutis, coopemtione laboris et operis, ac etiam sacranaentaii prssentia Gorpom omni^bus diebus usque ad consmmr* mati^nem scecuU inclusive, cum fiflitis Jaboribus, et con&ummflto sficuk), mccum :regnabkttis, cujus. nd UlT UNDEC. DISQP. IN GALIL. , ETC. 7^7 pignus est praesentia meee deitatis et gratiae etiam in praesenti.
£x quo patet quanta merces p\x ooaversfttionis qualeve pignus foturae be»titudinis etiam in praesenti fideles maneat ; et quod usque ad &iiem mundi, £ides non deficiat, quantumcunque tribalationibus agitetur. Ac si dicat, ut ait Chrysostomus : « Non excusetis vos, nec mihi dicatis difl&cultatem injunctorum negotiorum, quia ecce ego vobiscum sum qui omnia faciam levia : » haec Chvysostomus. Magna promissio , magnus et insuperabiiis clypeus securitatis ! Ego^ inquit, vobiscum sum : in vobis pugno, vos defendo, nihil timealis, ite securi. Si enim Deus pro nobis quis contra nos? Dicamus ergo ; Jn Deo faciemus virtutem, et ipse ad nihihtm dedu" cet tribalantes nos, et inimicos nostros. Et speciahter praedicatoribus Evangelii promrttitur assistentia Domini cum dicitur : Et ecce ego vo. biscum sum , scilicet dirigendo sermones ad salutem audientium et meritum vestrum.
a Non tantum, ait Chrysostomus , loquitur illis qui tunc erant ; nec cum illis solum dixit se futurum esse, sed et per ipsos loquitur omnibus futuris, qui post illos credent, cum quibus etiam semper erit. Non enim usgue ad consummationem seculi , Apostoli permansuri erant, sed sicut uni corpori loquitur fidelibus , quibus conjungitur ut caput membris : » haec Chrysostomus, Quamvis enim Dominus, quoad prsesentiam corporalem abscessurus esset a discipulis, tamen per praesentiam divinitatis, et spiritualem influxum suorum donorum et suae gratiae, praesens semper manet, et moinebit cum fidelibus usque ad finem seculi. Sapiens enim et fidelis uaata, TMTvem non dimittit donec fuerit ad portum applicata ; Ecciesia vero est navis, et Christus est nauta regens Lpsam, quaa eam non dimisit, nec dimittet, donec ad portum . paradisi perveniat. Ha^c Ecdeua in Apocalypfit de coeio descendere dicitur, quia, secundum Auguslmum^ coelestis est gra4aa, qua Deus eam fiacit. Ubi Rabanus : a Ex. hoc autem intelltgitur, quod usque ad finem seculi non sunt defuturi in mundo, homiiies qui divina mansione et inbabitatione sunt digni. it Quod autem dicit : usque ad consumma" tionem seculi, secundum Bedamy qui in praesenti seculo manet cum electis, eos protegendo, et per occultos instinctus Spiritus Sancti dirigendo ; ipse cum eis post finem seculi manebit, eos remunerando, et sine fine sua praesentia satiando.
Unde et Leo Papa : « Qui enim ascendit In coelos, non deserit adoptatos, et ipse deorsum confortat ad patientiam, qui sursum invitat ad gloriam. » Manebit etiam cum fideUbus in praesenti seculo, non solum virtualiter, sed etiam per praesentiam corporalem in Eucharistiae sacramento, ubi est Christus totus ; et post finem videbunt eum facie ad faciem luce clarius. « Rememorat autem eis, ut ait ChrysostomuSf et consummationem seculi, ut eos magis attrahat, et ne prsesentia singulariter inspiciant solum, quae simul cum praesenti vita dissoivuntur ; sed et futura bona, et sine fine mansura. Quasi diceret : Tristia quae sustinebitis simol cum praesenti vita dissolventur, cum et totum seculum in consummationem deveniat ; bona autem quibus potiemini sunt in seternum mansura :
Considera nunc bene discipulos, et ea quee modo sunt eis dicta, quia sunt vaHe magnifica. Stant in magna jucunditate cum J>omino : manifestat eis qualiter est Dominus omnium, cfat eis mandatum de praedicarido, et dat formam Baptismi, dat et vigorem permaximum, dum dicit. quod semper cum eis erit. Et stans benignus familiariter inter eos, praedicans et loquens de regno Dei magna eos jucunditate replevit, et laetitia inenarrabili. Vides quantam consolationem dat eis, et quod ostendit insignia caritatis. Apparet autem quod isti Dominum cum desiderio et sollicitudine exspectare curaverunt; et ideo ieeti eum aspLcere meruerunt. Sic et nos contingere sentiremus, si in exspectando Dominum et adventum ejus, fervidi et soliiciti essemus. Per istos quibus Dominus in monte Thabor praedicto apparuit , contemplativi designantur, quia in hoc monte transfiguratus dicitur , et talibus ipse frequenter apparere dignatur.
Deinde Dominus ab eis discessit, et more solito ad sanctos Patres rediit; discipuli vero cum magno gaudio remanserunt, et' postea in Jerusalem redierunt. ORATIO Domine Jesu Christe, Fili Dei vivi, qui corda discipulorum, de morte tua dolentium, tuae exhibitione praesentiae gaudio incredibili, in monte eis apparens, perfudisti, da mihi misero, ut nunc celsitudinem perfectionis ascendens, in ima studeam desideria terrenorum calcare, et ab infimis voluptatibus ad superna desideria transire ; quatenus te merear quandoque in allitudine ccelorum videre. Fac etiam, Domine, me omnia quae mandasti servare; et mane nobiscum in hoc seculo protegendo et dirigendo, et post finem seculi remunerando, et sine fine tua praesentia satiando. Amen.
The Life of Christ (Vita Christi) companion
A prayer for every moment, already on your phone
Chosen Portion puts a curated historic prayer in front of you each day — so the words are there before the moment arrives.
Chosen Portion is the digital descendant of the carried prayer book: the short daily prayers this collection preserves, delivered one a day to your pocket.
- One short, memorable prayer delivered daily — build your repertoire a card at a time
- Prayers matched to real situations: fear, gratitude, decisions, grief, sleep
- Save favourites into your personal pocket collection you can open anywhere