Nov 22: Aquinas’ Catena Aurea on Today’s Gospel (Luke 21:1-4)

Ver 1. And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.2. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.3. And he said, Of a truth I say to you, that this poor widow has cast in more than they all:4. For all these have of their abundance cast in to the offerings of God: but she of her penury has cast in all the living that she had.

GLOSS. Our Lord having rebuked the covetousness of the Scribes who devoured widows’ houses, commends the almsgiving of a widow; as it is said, And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting into the treasury, &c.

BEDE; In the Greek language, signifies to keep, and gaza in Persian means riches, hence gazophylacium is used for the name of the place in which money is kept. Now there was a chest with an opening at the top placed near the altar, on the right hand of those entering the house of God, into which the Priests cast all the money, which was given for the Lord’s temple. But our Lord as He overthrows those who trade in His house, so also He remarks those who bring gifts, giving praise to the deserving, but condemning the bad. Hence it follows, And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in there two mites.

CYRIL; She offered two oboli, which with the sweat of her brow she had earned for her daily living, or what she daily begs for at the hands of others she gives to God, showing that her poverty is fruitful to her. Therefore does she surpass the others, and by a just award receives a crown from God; as it follows, Of a truth I say to you, that this poor widow has cast in more, &c.

BEDE; For whatever we offer with an honest heart is well pleasing to God, who has respect to the heart, not the substance, nor does He weigh the amount of that which is given in sacrifice, but of that from which it is taken as it follows, For all these have cast in of their abundance, but she all that she had.

CHRYS. For God regarded not the scantiness of the offering, but the overflowing of the affection. Almsgiving is not the bestowing a few at things out of many, but it is that of the widow emptying herself of her whole substance. But if you cannot offer as much as the widow, at least give all that remains over.

BEDE; Now mystically, the rich men who cast their gifts into the treasury signify the Jews puffed up with the righteousness of the law; the poor widow, the simplicity of the Church which is called poor, because it has either cast away the spirit of pride, or its sins, as if they were worldly riches. But the Church is a widow, because her Husband endured death for her. She cast two mites into the treasury, because in God’s sight, in whose keeping are all the offerings of our works, she presents her gifts, whether of love to God and her neighbor, or of faith and prayer. And these excel all the works of the proud Jews, for they of their abundance cast into the offerings of God, in that they presume on their righteousness, but the Church casts in all her living, for every thing that has life she believes to be the gift of God.

THEOPHYL. Or the widow may be taken to mean any soul bereft as it were of her first husband, the ancient law, and not worthy to be united to the Word of God. Who brings to God instead of a dowry faith and a good conscience, and so seems to offer more than those who are rich in words, and abound in the moral virtues of the Gentiles.

Father Callan on 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Notations in red (if any) are my additions. For more commentary on 1 Corinthians by Father Callan and others go here.

WOMEN OUGHT TO VEIL THEIR HEADS IN CHURCH

1 CORINTHIANS 11:1-16

Passing from their domestic (7:1 ff.) and social duties (8:1 ff.), the Apostle now proceeds to treat of the religious life of the Corinthians. He has learned of certain abuses that have crept into their religious assemblies, the first of which regards the headdress of women. Ladies should not appear in church
without a covering for their heads, (a) because of their inferiority to men, as shown by the history of creation (verses 2-12), and (b) because nature itself, as well as Apostolic approval, suggests that they should wear veils at the sacred services (verses 13-16).

1. Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ.

This verse really belongs to the end of the last chapter, and concludes the argument there given.

2. Now I praise you, brethren, that in all things you are mindful of me: and keep my ordinances as I have delivered them to you.

I praise you, etc. Although some of the Christians at Corinth had been guilty of faults, the Church on the whole, was deserving of praise fof their faithfulness to the Apostle’s ordinances, i.e., to the doctrines and the liturgical rules and regulations he had given them. He proceeds now to give some further “ordinances” for the correction of abuses that have sprung
up among the faithful, on account of which he cannot praise them (verse 17).

Brethren (Vulg., fratres) is according to D E F G, Old Latin, and Peshitto; B, A,  C omit.

3. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

In ancient times women in the East and among the Ionic Greeks were degraded to the condition of slaves. Christianity gradually did away with this state of servitude. Buf it seems that some of the ladies in Corinth were carrying their emancipation too far by declaring their perfect equality with men, and, consequently, by appearing in church to pray and prophesy with uncovered heads. This was contrary to the Word of God (Gen 3:16; 1 Tim 2:12, 13), which requires women to be in subjection, both in society, and in the family.

Wherefore the Apostle, calling the Corinthians’ attention to something on which he, it appears, had not yet instructed them, says, I would have you know, etc., i.e., in the external organization of the Church the order of authority is as follows: God, Christ, man, woman. God is over the Sacred Humanity of Christ whom He raised from the dead, and to whom He gave all power in heaven and in earth (15:24 ff.; Matt 18:18; Acts 20:28); Christ is over man in the government of His Church, and man is over woman in external authority, although woman is equal to man in her internal and individual relation to Christ (verse 5).

Every man may mean only every Christian man (Cornely); or, more probably, every man, Christian or non-Christian, since all mankind, by Christ’s assumption of human nature, has been subjected to the authority of Christ (MacR.).

Woman (γυνή = gunē) here is used in a general sense, embracing both the married and the unmarried.

I do not here wish to wade into the controversy of how to interpret this and related passages. By and large I accept the interpretation given by Manfred Hauke in his scholarly work WOMEN IN THE PRIESTHOOD? He deals with the pauline passages on pages 340-403, and specifically with 1 Cor 11 on pages 347-351, which should also be seen in relation to his examination of 1 Cor 14 on pages 363-390. You may also wish to consult another work-which I have not yet read but which comes highly recommended-THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD AND WOMEN: A GUIDE TO THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH by Sister Sara Butler. Sister Sara was head of the Catholic Theological Society in 1978 when it came out in favor of women’s ordination, but she has since changed her views. See also these online resources WIVES BE SUBJECT TO YOUR HUSBANDS (by Catholic Answers); SPIRITUAL HEADSHIP (Catholic Answers).

4. Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraceth his head.
5. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head not covered, disgraceth her head: for it is all one as if she were shaven.

Every man praying, etc., i.e., every man who attends the public religious assemblies of the Christians, whether leading in the prayers and prophecies, or joining in them disgraceth his head by having it covered, because to appear with a covered head before God was to imitate the Grecian slaves who thus used to come before their masters. It is a disgrace for man to wear the emblem of slavery before his Lord, since Christ has made us all free (Gal 3:28).

On the other hand, the woman who prays or prophesies at the public liturgical assemblies with head not covered, disgraceth her head, because she thereby shows that she is the equal of man and has no earthly superior, and by so acting she loses that modesty which is her charm and her glory. Only women of evil life were accustomed to appear in public among the Greeks with unveiled heads.

As if she were shaven. For a woman to have her head shaven has always and everywhere been considered shameful (Isa 3:17, 24). The Hebrews used to shave the head of a woman accused of adultery (Num 5:18); and Tacitus (Germ, xix) says the Germans cut close the hair of an adulteress. The Romans
shaved the heads of their dancing women, who were mostly harlots, and the Greeks did the same to their female slaves. A woman, therefore, who appeared at the public devotions of the Christians with head uncovered was acting, says St. Paul, like a slave and an adulteress.

It is to be noted that St. Paul is insisting here on women’s heads being covered; he is not now considering whether it is right or wrong for them to prophesy. Later on (14:34) he will utter his disapproval of women’s performing such functions.

6. For if a woman be not covered, let her be shorn. But if it be a shame to a woman to be shorn or made bald, let her cover her head.

If a woman will cast aside the covering for her head, which is required by divine ordinance, let that also be taken away which nature has provided (St. Chrys.), namely, her hair, and thus she will be subjected to the ignominy of a slave and an adulteress, as explained in the preceding verse.

7. The man indeed ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man.

The Apostle now appeals to the story of creation to show that woman is inferior to man, and so ought to be subordinated to him. Man should not cover his head in the public religious assemblies of the faithful because that is a sign of subjection and inferiority; whereas he is by divine ordinance the glory of God and lord of the earth, having been created immediately in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27; 2:7). But woman ought to observe the contrary practice, since she was created only indirectly, that is, through man, to God’s image and likeness, and is consequently subject to man (Gen 2:18 and the glory of man. All this, of course, regards only the exterior and physical condition of woman. Her spiritual part is not unlike that of man’s; she has an intellect and a will, and is capable of grace and glory.

8. For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man.
9. For the man was not created for the woman, but the woman for the man.

That woman is the glory of man, as man is the glory of God, is clear from the fact that woman was derived from man in her creation, and made for man (Gen 2:18, 21-23).

10. Therefore ought the woman to have a power over her head, because of the angels.

Since woman, by the law of her creation, is inferior to man, and ought consequently to be subject to him, she should have a power over her head, i.e., she should have a veil or covering on her head at public prayer, as a sign of the power and authority which man has over her.

Because of the angels, i.e., women at the public Christian devotions ought to wear a veil in token of their modesty and submission, and also on account of the ministering angels who are present at the sacred functions of the faithful (4:9; Eph 3:10; Heb 1:14), and who would be deeply grieved if women
did not observe the modesty and appearance of submission which God desires of them (Gen 48:16; Tob 12:12; 2 Macc 3:25; Matt 18:10; Luke 1:19; Apoc 8:13). Erasmus paraphrases this passage as follows: “If a woman has arrived at that pitch of shamelessness that she does not fear the eyes of men, let her at least cover her head on account of the angels who are present at your assemblies.”

Another explanation, that by “angels” are meant the priests (Ambrosiaster) is very improbable. The opinion of Tertullian that there is question here of demons who might lust after the unveiled women, or incite men to do so, is to be rejected.

11. But yet neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man, in the Lord.
12. For as the woman is of the man, so also is the man by the woman: but all things of God.

The Apostle corrects a possible wrong inference from what he has just been saying about woman’s inferiority and subjection to man. It must not be concluded from this that in the Lord, i.e., among Christians, woman is in a state of servitude with regard to man, as was the case too often among the pagans. Christianity has so vindicated the dignity of woman that ordinarily she and man are mutually dependent, each needing the help of the other, and both sharing in the same means of grace and personal sanctification which Christ has bequeathed to His Church.

For as the woman is of the man, etc. There is a certain natural equality and dependence between man and woman; for whereas the latter in her creation was made from man, being drawn from Adam’s rib, the former in the propagation of the human species is born of woman.

All things, i.e., all that I have said about man and woman are according to the ordinance of God.

13. You yourselves judge : doth it become a woman, to pray unto God uncovered ?
14. Doth not even nature itself teach you, that a man indeed, if he nourish his hair, it is a shame unto him?
15. But if a woman nourish her hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.

At the time St. Paul wrote, it was the custom, among civilized peoples, for men to wear their hair short, and for women, on the contrary, to have long hair. Anything opposed to this was looked upon as a disgrace and a shame. The Apostle, therefore, now appeals to this universal practice, which seems
to have had its origin in the natural fitness of things, and he asks the Christians to judge for themselves if it is not unbecoming in a woman to pray at the public devotions without some extra covering for her head, since at all other times she is supposed to wear her hair long as a covering provided for
her by nature.

If a woman nourish her hair, etc. “The true glory of every creature of God is to fulfil the law of its being. Whatever helps woman to discharge the duties of modesty and submissiveness assigned to her by God is a glory to her” (Lias).

16. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor the church of God.

If any man seem, etc., i.e., if there is anyone at Corinth who is not convinced by what has been said against women appearing in church with uncovered head, we (ἡμεῖς = hēmeis), i.e., St. Paul and the other Apostles, have one final answer to give him, which is that the Apostles and the various Churches founded by them do not recognize any such custom as would tolerate women to assist at the public religious assemblies of the faithful
without a veil.

Church (Vulg., ecclesia) should be “churches” (ecclesiæ), to correspond with the Greek.

Father Callan’s Commentary on 1 Corinthians 10:22b-33

More notes on 1 Corinthians by Father Callan and others can be found here.

IF THERE IS DANGER OF SCANDAL THE FAITHFUL SHOULD ABSTAIN, EVEN AT A PRIVATE TABLE, FROM MEATS OFFERED TO IDOLS

A Summary of 1 Cor 10:22b-33. The Apostle has just proved that it is altogether unlawful to take part in the public sacrifices of the pagans. Now he turns to the question of using in private banquets the meats that had been offered to idols; and he says that while these meats do not in reality differ from other foods, as already explained, still if there is danger of scandal they are not to be eaten. In all things, he exhorts, we should seek the glory of God.

22b. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient.
23. All things are lawful for me, but all things do not edify.

All things are lawful, etc. See above, on vi. 12 (see note below). The Apostle is speaking of all indifferent things, which, though lawful in themselves, sometimes are not expedient for the doer and do not edify the observer. “Saying they are not expedient, he alludes to injury to one’s self, and saying they do not edify, he hints at scandal to the brother” (St. Chrys.).

For me (Vulg., mihi) after “lawful” in these two verses is not represented in the best MSS.

Note: Here is what Father Callan wrote on 6:12~All things are lawful to me. When preaching at Corinth the Apostle had perhaps made use of this phrase with reference to the ceremonial observances of the Mosaic Law, telling his hearers that they were now free to eat all kinds of foods. Here he cautions that there are certain limitations to this Christian liberty, even in indifferent matters. Abusing the maxim, some of the Christians had extended it to the practice of fornication. All indifferent things, regarded in themselves, are permissible, but they are not always expedient, i.e., not profitable; and they may become positively harmful, if they bring us under their power and make us slaves. Thus one is obliged to abstain from the use of certain foods and drinks, if he foresees that these will enslave him to intemperance and gluttony. Furthermore, if an indifferent thing becomes a source of scandal it should be avoided (10:22, 23).

24. Let no man seek his own, but that which is another’s.

Let no man seek his own, etc., i.e., no one should seek his own good to the disregard and injury of his neighbor. The Apostle is referring to real scandal, which we are to avoid when our neighbor’s welfare demands it (13:5).

25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat; asking no question for conscience’ sake.
26. The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.

In the shambles, i.e., in the market.

Asking no question, etc., i.e., the Christians should buy and eat anything they find for sale in the market, since the foods there sold are harmless, whether they have previously been offered to idols or not. And in order not to excite any scruples, they should not ask whether the foods have been so offered; neither should they yield to such interior scruples as would make inquiries necessary.  They are free to eat anything because, as the Psalmist declared (Ps. 23:1) the earth, etc., i.e., everything belongs to the Lord and nothing is unclean in itself, or of itself able to defile. Naturally the Apostle is speaking to those Christians who are well instructed and whose consciences are right 8:1 ff.). If it be asked how this advice can be made to harmonize
with the decree of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:23, 29), the answer given by Estius, Bisping, Cornely and others is that Achaia and Macedonia did not fall within the scope of that decree. The decree was intended only for those countries where there were many Jews, such as Antioch, Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:23). The decree of the Council was, after all, only a temporary
measure, and perhaps at the writing of this Epistle it was not considered any longer necessary to abide by it.

In the Greek, verse 26 is joined to verse 25 by the conjunction (γάρ = gar), because, which shows that it is a proof of the direction given in verse 25.

27. If any of them that believe not, invite you, and you be willing to go; eat of anything that is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake.

If any of the faithful should be invited by their pagan relatives or friends to a private or ordinary banquet, they may go if they wish; and if they go, they should eat whatever is given them, asking no questions about where the food was procured, or whether it had previously been offered to idols, or the like, and this so as not to upset their consciences.

28. But if any man say: This has been sacrificed to idols, do not eat of it for his sake that told it, and for conscience’ sake.

But If any man say, i.e., if any fellow-Christian should say to you at the banquet, “this has been sacrificed” (which is the best reading), i.e., this has been offered to an idol, do not eat it, for fear of leading your scrupulous brother to follow your example against his conscience, and thus to commit sin. Similarly, if one of your pagan friends or relatives should call your attention to the fact that the meat had been offered in sacrifice, do not eat it, because you may cause him to think you do not care about your own religion, and thus, instead of edifying him by your example or abstinence, you will scandalize him, and make him, who might otherwise later become a convert, persevere in his own erroneous religion.

The conjunction (ἐάν = ean, translated “if”) which introduces this verse, as compared with (εἰ = ei, also translated “if”) at the beginning of the preceding verse, implies that the supposition here is far less likely to occur than the invitation spoken of there.

29. Conscience, I say, not thy own, but the other’s. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?

In verses 25, 27 the Apostle was speaking about the conscience of a well-instructed Christian, who knows that idols are nothing and that meat offered to them is not defiled. But here, as also in verse 28, it is the false and timid conscience of someone else that is in question; and it is only for the sake of this weak person that an enlightened Christian need abstain from eating certain things.

For why is my liberty, etc. The Apostle means that it is absurd to say that the conscience of an instructed Christian is to be judged as really wrong, and so condemned, just because the conscience of someone else thinks what that instructed Christian does is wrong. Why should one who is free be forced to
think like one who is a slave? If, therefore, an enlightened Christian should abstain from eating things in themselves licit, it is not because his conscience tells him, contrary to fact, that those things are bad, but only for the sake of not giving scandal to his weaker neighbor. Apart from serious danger of scandal the lawful exercise of one’s liberty must not be enslaved by others’ scruples.

30. If I partake with thanksgiving, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?

The sense of this verse, like that of the preceding one, seems to be: If I perform a good action, is that action made wrong in itself just because of the false judgment of someone else? The Apostle is alluding here to the custom among the Christians of saying grace before and after meals.

31. Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God.

Concluding the subject of partaking of food offered to idols the Apostle now gives the general precept (Estius, Cornely, etc.) to all Christians of performing all their actions for the glory of God. Naturally this is to forbid all bad actions, such as the giving of scandal would be. St. Paul here commands
that Christians should, at least virtually, direct everything they do to God’s honor and glory. Some interpreters (a Lapide, Estius, Corn.) regard this precept, although affirmative in form, as negative in meaning; and they argue this from what is said in the following verse: we must not do anything which could impede the glory of God. Thomists, however, hold that the precept here given is affirmative, and that it is satisfied by a virtual implicit reference of all our actions.

32. Be without offence to the Jews, and to the Gentiles, and to the church of God:

Be without offence, etc., i.e., give no scandal or other offence to the unconverted Jews, and to the Gentiles (literally, to the Greeks), nor to the church of God, i.e., to the faithful. Charity requires us to edify all, and to scandalize none.

33. As I also in all things please all men, not seeking that which is profitable to myself, but to many, that they may be saved.

The Apostle directs attention to his own conduct, which the faithful should imitate.

In all things, of an indifferent nature, he tried to accommodate
(ἀρέσκω = areskō, translated “please”, used in the same sense in Rom 15:2; 1 Thess 2:4) himself to the needs and wishes of others in order to save as many as possible. The Christians, by imitating St. Paul in self-denial and self-sacrifice for others, will be imitating Christ who suffered all privations and sufferings, even death itself, for the salvation of men.

A New Podcast On John’s Gospel

David Higbee of St Irenaeus Ministries has just concluded a series on Romans and has now turned to the Gospel of John. There are currently 3 talks on John Available:

Introduction Summary (Run time~39:34): The Church recognizes four apostolic witnesses to the Gospel. Three of them are known as synoptic, that is, they recount the same events. The Gospel according to John, however, recounts many events that do not appear in the other three. John states that he is writing so that we may believe, but it seems that this was written to Christians, so that they might truly believe in a time when the Jewish and Christian groups were diverging. Irenaeus, who was the disciple of one of John’s disciples, states that this was written by John.

John’s gospel begins by recounting Jesus’ signs and quickly leads to His passion, which begins the most significant aspect of the Gospel. Listen Here.

Chapter 1 Summary (Run time~41:03): Jesus was present at the creation, and all created things were created through Him. In that beginning, the Son was in dynamic relationship with the Father. John talks in the introduction about logos (the Word), life and light, which can be used, along with love, as a mnemonic of John’s themes for English speakers. John the Evangelist then takes time to talk about John the Baptist. The Jewish establishment came to ask John who he was shortly after he baptised Jesus, and John tells them that he is the voice of one crying in the wilderness as foretold in Isaiah. John proclaims Jesus the Son of God, and shortly thereafter, disciples begin to follow Him. Listen here.

John’s Signs, A Summary (Run Time~42:52): John’s gospel takes the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist at length, because John the Evangelist was a disciple of John the Baptist, and then discusses several signs. A sign is something that signifies something else, in this case, pointing to the spiritual reality that we might not otherwise notice.

The first sign is the Wedding Feast at Cana. The wine runs out at a wedding feast, and Mary (never called by name in John’s gospel) asks him to do something. Jesus asks what the situation had to do with Jesus and Mary, but still changes water into wine, signifying the importance of a wedding and thus blessing the ceremony. Doing this, we know that he is able to change reality. He can alter reality and he isn’t just changing perception. Listen here.

Here is a link to the Podcast Archive’s of St Irenaeus Ministries. Be sure to also check out their Online Store for recordings of talks no longer available online.

Here is a link to the their iTunes Preview page where you can subscribe to their podcasts for free.

 

Father Callan’s Commentary on Romans 13:11-14 for the 1st Sunday of Advent (Extraordinary From)

This post includes a brief summary of verses 8-14 followed by Father Callan’s notes on verses 11-14. This reading is also used as the first reading in the pre-Vatican II lectionary.  Another commentary on these verses (by Bernardin de Piconio) can be found here. Aquinas’s homily notes on the reading can be found here.

THE NECESSITY OF CHARITY AND VIGILANCE, A Summary of Rom 13:8-14. That which is fundamental to all our duties to all men, whether superiors or equals, is charity, the distinctive mark of the Christian. In it are summed up all the precepts of the Decalogue. There is special need for us to practice this virtue, since our lives are drawing to a close.

11. And that knowing the season; that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed.

Another reason for practicing charity is drawn from the special circumstances of time in which the Romans found themselves. The Apostle admonishes them that it is now needful that they should rise from sleep, i.e., from the state of tepidity and negligence into which some may have fallen since their conversion. The reason is because time is growing shorter for them.

Our salvation, i.e., our final deliverance from earth is nearer than when we believed, i.e., than when we were converted to the faith, consequently we should lose no time, but should stimulate all our energies and increase our fervor. Every day that passes brings us nearer to death and to our eternal reward. This was certainly true of individuals, and of the whole generation whom St. Paul was addressing, but we must not thence gather that the Apostle meant to teach anything about the nearness of the Second Coming of Christ for all; he had not forgotten his teaching (11:25) regarding the conversions of the nations and of Israel, which were surely far off”. The “salvation” of the Christians began with their conversion, and its final glorious consummation is drawing nearer every day. This fact the Apostle makes use of here to rouse the faithful from tepidity and negligence, and to stimulate them to vigorous and spiritual effort. Beyond this his argument at present does not go.

12. The night is passed, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast
off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light.

The night is passed, i.e., our course in this world of darkness and sin is far advanced (προεκοψεν). The night began with the sin of Adam, but the day of salvation dawned with the death of Christ. This day, already shedding its light over the world, and cheering the Christians in particular, will reach its meridian later on in the final glorification of our souls and bodies (5:9; 2 Tim 4:18). Since, therefore, we are living in the daylight of redemption, we should conduct ourselves as children of light and put aside all sins, because these are works of darkness (5:13; John 3:20; Eph 6:12) and lead to eternal night; we should put on the armour of light, i.e., the armor of Christian virtues, and war against evil (1 Thess 5:8; Eph 6:11 ff.; 2 Cor 10:4 ff.).

13. Let us walk honestly, as in the day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy:

In this verse the Apostle is showing how different should be the conduct of Christians from the practices of pagans. The vices he enumerates were those commonly practiced by the pagan Romans during the night at their feasts and banquets. The Christians, then, who are living in the bright day of redemption, should be adorned with all virtues and should live and act as becomes children of light, and not according to the immoral standards of paganism.

The first two vices here mentioned pertain to gluttony and debauchery (Gal 5:21); the second two refer to sins of luxury (Gal 5:19); and the remaining were sins against charity and one’s neighbor (1 Cor 3:3; 2 Cor 12:20; Gal 5:20).

Chambering means all kinds of acts of impurity.

14. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh in its concupiscences.

Not only should the Christian put away and shun the works of darkness, but he must go further and put on the Lord Jesus Christ, i.e., he must clothe himself with the virtues, the spirit, and the grace of Christ. Already in Baptism Christians are clothed with Christ (Gal 3:27), but it is their duty thereafter to cooperate with grace and thus increase their likeness to our Lord by constantly imitating the virtues which shone in Him.

Make not provision, etc., i.e., cease to provide for the flesh in the way of exciting and satisfying its unclean and perverse desires and tendencies; all necessary provision and care for the body is not here in question, except in so far as the needs of the body must not be the dominant motives in the Christian’s life.

It is well known that St. Augustine was converted by the reading of the last two verses of this chapter {Confess., viii. 12, 22).

Cornelius a Lapide’s Commentary on Matt 24:37-44 for the 1st Sunday of Advent (Nov 28)

This post begins the commentary at verse 36 even though the reading starts at 37. Notations in red are my additions.

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour no one knoweth: no, not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone.

But of that day (namely, of My glorious coming to judgment) and hour, &c. As if He had said, “Do not, 0 My apostles, ask Me when I shall come again as Judge, or what shall be the day of the general Judgment, for no one except God knoweth this: and He willeth not any other being to know it.” “He held them back,” says Chrysostom, “from wishing to learn that which the angels are ignorant of.” As to the time when the world shall come to an end, there are various opinions.

1. Many suppose that the world will come to an end after it has existed for six thousand years, as it was created in six days, according to the saying or prophecy of Elias, “six thousand” (years?) “the world.” (Sex millia mundus, Lat.) This opinion is probably true, as I have shown at length on Rev 20:4. Most scholars today, of course reject this.

2. Some think that there will be just as many years after Christ to the end of the world as there were from the Creation to Christ. They gather this idea from Hab 3:2, “0 Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years Thou shalt make it known.” But this passage has a different meaning, as I have there shown.

The third opinion was one which supposed the world would last as many jubilees after Christ as there were years in His earthly life. This calculation would place the end in A.D. 1700.

4. Druitlimarns, who flourished about A.D. 800, and who wrote upon S. Matthew, says, “Our ancestors have left in writing that the world was created, the Lord was conceived and crucified, on the 25th of March, and in like manner the world will be destroyed upon the same day; but in what year they say not.” But these things have no foundation.

Note: the following 3 paragraphs are a summary of Lapide’s position by the translator.

5. A fifth calculation was put forth by a contemporary of à Lapide, whose name he does not give, whom he calls a jester rather than a reckoner, which fixed on 1666 as the end of the world.

“If,” says à Lapide, “you object to this ‘joculator’ the words of Christ, ‘of that day knoweth no man,’ he answers, that only applied to the time when He was speaking, and that the day might be known afterwards by revelation or in some other way.”

But all this à Lapide characterises as frivolous and old wives’ fables.

But the Father alone: because from eternity He had determined in His own mind, and appointed this day, which He keeps secret. Now by the word only, the Son is not excluded, neither the Holy Ghost, for They know the day and the hour of the Judgment equally with the Father, since They have all the same essence, majesty, will, mind, power, understanding, and knowledge. For it is a theological principle, that if the word “only” be added to any of the essential attributes of the Godhead, such as wisdom, and be ascribed to one of the Divine Persons, it does not exclude the other two Persons, but only creatures, which are of a different nature and essence. But in Personal Attributes, the expression “only” does exclude two of the, Divine Persons, as when it is said, “The Father only begets;” “The Son only is begotten.”

You will say, Mark adds (Mark 13:32), neither the Son, for so it is in the Greek, Latin, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Egyptian, Ethiopic. Various answers are given. The best is that which is common among the Fathers. It is that the Son, both as God and as man, by infused knowledge, knows the Day of Judgment and of the end of the world, for it pertains for Him to know this, inasmuch as He has been appointed the Judge of the world. But Christ denies that He knoweth this as man, and as He is God’s messenger to us, because He did not know it so that He could reveal it to us, or because He had not been commissioned by the Father to reveal it to us. As an ambassador who was questioned concerning the secrets of his prince would reply that he did not know them, although he did know them, because he did not know them as an ambassador. For an ambassador declares only those things which he has a commission to declare.

Christ’s meaning then is, “God only knows what year and day and hour the end of the world and the Judgment shall be. And although God has caused Me, Christ, as I am man, to know the same, as I am that one man who is united to the WORD; yet as I am the Father’s ambassador to men, He hath not willed Me to make known that day, but to keep it secret, and to stir them up continually to prepare themselves for it.” There is a like mode of expression in St John 15:15.

There are some who explain thus: that Christ, qua man, knoweth not the Day of Judgment; but that He knoweth it as He is the God-man. That is to say, Christ as man knoweth it not by virtue of His humanity, but of His divinity. So S. Athanasius (Serm. 4, contra Arian.), Nazianzen (Orat. 4, de .Theolog.), Cyril (lib. 9, Thesaur. c. 4), Ambrose (lib. 5, de Fide, c. 8).

Maldonatus gives another explanation. He says that Christ, even as He is God, knoweth not the Day of Judgment in, as it were, an ex officio sense, because it is the office of the Father, alone to predestinate, decree, and determine the Day of Judgment; and, by consequence, that He knows it, and reveals it when He wills. For providence, in which predestination is included, is a special attribute of the Father. But this explanation is somewhat too subtle and abstruse.

Mat 24:37  And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

And as in the days of Noe, &c. Like the Deluge, which suddenly and unexpectedly drowned all men, shall My Advent come upon all. This is made plain by the subsequent verse.

Mat 24:38  For, as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark:

For, as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking. Feasting and carousing without any concern, “Bacchanaling as if no ruin would fall upon them” (St John Chrysostom).

Mat 24:39  And they knew not till the flood came and took them all away: so also shall the coming of the Son of man be.

And they knew not, &c. You may say, “From the darkness of the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars, and the other dreadful signs, men will know that the end of the world is near.” As Luke saith, Men’s hearts withering with fear, and with looking for those things which are coming on the earth. “Therefore the end of the world cannot be unexpected by them.” I reply, that after the darkening of the sun and moon, and the other signs, God will give a certain space of quietness and peace; and then men will forget the signs, and will give themselves up to pleasures, to gluttony and lust, even as they did before. Then will God put an end to them and to the world, crushing them with a sudden destruction. In like manner, dying persons will seem to revive for a little while, but soon grow worse and expire. So, too, a candle when it is burnt out will flicker up with a last effort before its flame, like a breath, departs and is extinguished. Again, so great shall be the hardness and the wickedness of the multitude of the ungodly at that time, that even though they do behold the sun and moon darkened, yet will they apply themselves to the gluttony and the luxury to which they have been accustomed, and will not think of the end of the world so nigh at the doors. Thus was it with Belshazzar, when he was feasting with his lords, on the night when he was besieged and slain by Cyrus, until he beheld the fateful hand which foretold his destruction by the words, Meni, Tekel, Phares. Wherefore S. Augustine teaches that at the end of the world, the righteous will be sorrowful on account of these signs, but the wicked will indulge their bent, and rejoice.

Mat 24:40  Then two shall be in the field. One shall be taken and one shall be left.

Then two shall be in the field, &c. In the Day of Judgment Christ will separate companion from companion, neighbour from neighbour; as, for example, husbandman from husbandman. Him who has lived justly and piously He will take up with Himself to glory. But his companion, who has lived wickedly, He will leave in his sins, and condemn to everlasting punishment. For as S. Ambrose says (in Luke 17:35), “He who is taken is carried away to meet Christ in the air; but he who is left is condemned. Christ says this, that no one may trust to good society merely because he lives among the righteous. He would also show how exact and searching will be that judgment, which will separate father from son, wife from husband, brother from brother.”

Mat 24:41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill. One shall be taken and one shall be left.

Two women, &c. He instances the same thing (as in the previous verse) in persons grinding at a mill. For formerly mills were in use which were not turned by wind or water, but by hand. These were worked by male and female slaves to grind flour (see Ex 11:5).

Mat 24:42  Watch ye therefore, because you know not what hour your Lord will come.

Watch ye therefore, &c. That is, “think continually that death is certain, but the day of death uncertain. I say the same of the Day of Judgment, both that particular judgment which comes to every one at death, as well as the general Judgment, which shall take place at the end of the world. Wherefore prepare yourselves for both by giving heed to virtue and good works.” For as S. Jerome saith (in Joel 2.), “That which shall happen to all in the Day of Judgment is fulfilled in each at the day of death.” And S. Augustine (Epist. 80) says, “In whatsoever state a man’s last day shall find him, in the same state shall the world’s last day come upon him; because as the man dies, so shall he be judged. Therefore ought every Christian to watch, lest the coming of the Lord find him unprepared. But that day shall find unprepared the man whom the last day of his life now shall seize unprepared.”

Moreover, the reason why God wills that this day should be unknown to us is, that the uncertainty may be a never-failing stimulus to us in the practice of every virtue. “For,” as S. Chrysostom says, “if men knew surely when they were to die, at that time only would they seek to repent.”

The devil, therefore, in order that he may take away this stimulus of uncertainty, gets rid of it by degrees, and in part. He persuades every one that they have at least one year to live. When that has come to an end, he tells them they have another, and so on interminably. He causes men to believe themselves so strong and well, that they can surely live this one year. Year by year he does this, and puts such a thought into their minds as, “You are in very good health; you will not die this year.” Thus it comes to pass that being, as it were, certain of life, they neglect repentance from year to year, deferring it to the year in which they are to die. Wherefore, when that year comes to each in which it is God’s decree that they shall die, they, in like manner, persuade themselves that they will not die in it. Thus it comes to pass that they are always unprepared when certain death and the last day overtake them. Wherefore this idea, instigated by the devil, must be crushed. Every one should say to himself at the beginning of each year, of each day, “It may be that thou shalt die this year or this day. Therefore so live as if thou wert to die to-day.” This was the advice which S. Anthony was wont to give to his disciples, as S. Athanasius testifies, “When we awake out of sleep, let us be in doubt whether we shall see the evening. When we lay us down to rest, let us not be confident that we shall come to the light of another day. Thus we shall not offend, nor be carried away by vain desires. Neither shall we be angry, nor covet to lay up earthly treasures. But rather by the fear of departure, from day to day we shall trample upon all transitory things.” Barlaam also taught the same to his Josaphat, “Think that this day thou hast begun the religious life. Think that this day also thou wilt finish it.” S. Jerome says, “So live as though thou shouldst die today; so study as though thou wert to live always.” The same Father (Ep. 16, ad Principiam) says that Marcella was wont to praise that saying of Plato, “that philosophy was a meditation upon death;” and the precept of the Satirist, “Live mindful of death: time flies.” She therefore so lived as though she always believed herself at the point of death. When she put on her clothes, she remembered the grave, offering herself to God as a reasonable, living, acceptable sacrifice.

Mat 24:43  But this know ye, that, if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch and would not suffer his house to be broken open.

But this know ye, &c. Here we must supply what is to be understood, somewhat as follows. But forasmuch as a man knows not this hour, and is not willing or able to watch at every hour, therefore the thief, as his manner is, comes at the hour in which he thinks the householder is not watching, but sleeping, and so robs his house while he is asleep. It is clear that this is the meaning from the Greek, which has in the past tense, If the master of the house had known in what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through. You must supply, “But because he did not know the hour, he did not watch, and did suffer his house to be broken into and robbed.”

By the thief, S. Hilary understands the devil. “The thief,” he says, “shows that the devil is very watchful to take from us our goods, and to plot against the houses of our souls, that he may dig through them whilst we are careless, and given up to the sleep of our own devices; and he would pierce through them with the darts of enticements. It behoves us, therefore, to be prepared, because ignorance of the day sharpens the intense solicitude of expectation ever suspended.” But it is better to apply the words to Christ. For so He Himself explains, applying this parable of the thief to Himself in the following verse.

Mat 24:44  Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come.

Be you also ready, &c. the Son of man will come, to judgment, both the particular judgment of your own soul, and the general Judgment of all men at the end of the world. Christ therefore compares Himself to a thief, not as regards the act of stealing, but as regards silence and secrecy, in that the thief chooses the hour in which he thinks the householder will be absent or asleep, that so he may come upon him unawares, and rob his house. In like manner Christ summons those who are careless, and not waiting for Him, to death and judgment. Whence the Apocalypse warns every one saying, “Behold, I come as a thief” (Rev 16:15). And S. Paul (1Thess 5:4) says, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all children of the light, and of the day.” Truly hath the wise man said, “The life of mortals is a vigil.”

The truth of this sentence of Christ is seen in daily experience. For we see very many men seized by death at a time when they think themselves to be in good health, and are forming grand projects in their minds. They think death is far distant, and promise themselves many years of life. And yet both experience and the warning of Christ should teach them to do the very opposite. When they appear to themselves to enjoy the most perfect health, they should think that death is lying hid at the very threshold of their doors, and should believe that they are then about to die when thoughts and hopes of long life are suggested to them, either by the devil or their own concupiscence. So would the day of death never come upon them unawares, nor overtake them as a thief.

Thus did the wise and holy men of whom we read in the Lives of the Fathers (lib. 5, libello 3, de Compunc. n. 2). Abbot Ammon gives this precept of salvation to a certain person, “Entertain such thoughts as evil-doers who are in prison have. For these men ask, ‘Where is the judge, and when will he come?’ And they weep in expectation of their punishments. After this manner ought a monk to do. He should ever be chiding his soul, and saying, ‘Woe is me, who have to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, to render unto Him an account of all my deeds.’ For if thou wilt always meditate thus, thou wilt be safe.” And Abbot Evagrius said, “That is divine, to picture the dreadful and terrible judgment. Consider the confusion which is laid up for sinners, which they shall endure in the presence of Christ and God, before angels, and archangels, and powers, and all men. Think of the everlasting fire, the undying worm, the blackness of hell; and in addition to all these things, the gnashing of teeth the fears and torments. Consider likewise the good things which are laid up for the righteous—confidence before God the Father and Christ His Son, and before the angels. Consider the heavenly Kingdom and its gifts of joy and rest.” And, Abbot Elias saith, “I am afraid of three things—the first, the going forth of my soul from the body; the second, when I shall meet God; the third, when sentence shall be pronounced against me.” Abp. Theophilus, of holy memory, said, when he was about to die, “Blessed art thou, 0 Abbot Arsenius, because thou always hadst this hour before thine eyes.” In the same work we read that a certain old man saw one laughing, and said to him, “We have to give an account of our whole life before the Lord of heaven and earth, and dost thou laugh?”

Aquinas’ Catena Aurea on Matt 24:37-44 for the 1st Sunday of Advent (Nov 28)

Ver 36. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.37. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.38. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,39. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.40. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.41. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

Chrys.: The Lord having described all the tokens that shall precede His coming, and brought His discourse to thevery doors, yet would not name the day; “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the Angels Of heaven, but my Father only.”

Jerome: In some Latin copies is added here, “neither the Son:” but in the Greek copies, and particularly those of Adamantius and Pierius, it is not found. [ed. note: The addition is found in a very few Greek MSS., and ancient versions, in Chrys. and Theophylact. It is in the Old Italic version, and is acknowledged by Hilary, Ambrose, and Pseudo-Chrys.; but the preponderance of evidence is greatly against it, and it is not admitted into the text of the G. T. by any editors. It probably crept in from the parallel passage in S. Mark. Adamantius is a surname of Origen. Pierius was a presbyter of Alexandria in the third century, whose learning occasioned him to be styled 'Origen the younger.'] But because it is read in some, it seems to require our notice.

Remig.: And Mark has the addition. [Mar_13:32]

Jerome: Whereat Arius and Eunomius rejoice greatly; for say they, He who knows and He who is ignorant cannot be both equal. Against these we answer shortly; Seeing that Jesus, that is, The Word of God, made all times, (for “By him all things were made, and without him was not any thing made that was made, [1Jo_1:3]) and that the day of judgment must be in all time, by what reasoning can He who knows the whole be shewn to be ignorant of a part?

This we will further say; Which is the greater, the knowledge of the Father, or the knowledge of the judgment? If He knows the greater, how can He be ignorant of the less?

Hilary: And has indeed God the Father denied the knowledge of that day to the Son, when He has declared, “All things are committed to me of my Father?” [Luk_10:22] but if any thing has been denied, all things are not committed to Him.

Jerome: Having then shewn that the Son of God cannot be ignorant of the day of the consummation, we must now show a cause why He should be said to be ignorant. When after the resurrection He is demanded concerning this day by the Apostles, He answers more openly; “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has put in his own power.” [Act_1:7] Wherein He shews that Himself knows, but that it was not expedient for the Apostles to know, that being in uncertainty of the coming of their Judge, they should live every day as though they were to be judged that day.

Aug., de Trin., i, 12: When He says here, “Knows not,” He means, ‘makes others not to know;’ i.e. He knew not then, so as to tell His disciples; as it was said to Abraham, “Now I know that thou fearest God;” [Gen_22:19] i.e. ‘Now have I caused that thou shouldest know,’ because by the temptation he came to know himself.

Aug., Serm., 97, 1: That He says that the “Father knoweth,” implies that in the Father the Son also knows. For what can there be in time which was not made by the Word, seeing that time itself was made by the Word!

Aug., Lib. 83, Quaest. Q60: That the Father alone knows may be well understood in the above-mentioned manner of knowing, that He makes the Son to know; but the Son is said not to know, because be does not make men to know.

Origen: Otherwise; So long as the Church which is Christ’s body knows not that day and hour, so long the Son Himself is said not to know that day and hour. The word “know” is used according to its proper usual meaning in Scripture. The Apostle speaks of Christ, as “him who knew no sin,” [1Co_5:21] i.e. sinned not. The knowledge of that day and hour the Son reserves in store for the fellow-heirs of the promise, that all may know at once, i.e. in the day when it shall come upon them, “what things God hath prepared for them that love him.” [1Co_2:9]

Raban.: I have read also in some one’s book, that “the Son” here is not to be taken of the Only-begotten, but of the adopted, for that He would not have put the Angels before the Only-begotten Son, saying, “Not the Angels of heaven, neither the Son.” [ed. note: See further on this Passage, Hil. de Trin. ix. 58, cited in the Catena on Mark, xiii. 32, and Basil adv. Eunom. iv.]

Aug., Ep. 199, 16: The Gospel then says, “Of that day and hour knoweth no man;” but you say, That neither the month nor the year of His coming can be known. This exactness of yours up to this point seems as if you meant that the year could not be known, but that the week or the decade of years might be known, as though it was possible to fix or assign it to some seven, ten, or a hundred, or some number of years more or less. If you allow that you cannot so limit it, you think with me.

Chrys.: That you may perceive that it is not owing to ignorance that He is silent of the day and hour of the judgment, He brings forward another token, “As it was in the days of Noe, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.” By this He means that He shall come sudden and unlooked for, and while men are taking their pleasure; of which Paul also speaks, “When they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them.” [1Th_5:3]

Raban: Marriage and meats in themselves are not here condemned, as the error of Marcion and Manicheaus teaches; for in the one the continuation of the species, in the other that of life, depends; but what is reproved is all unrestrained use of things lawful.Jerome: It is asked here, how it was said above, “Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, &c.” when here only tokens of peace are spoken of as what shall be then? We must suppose, that after the wars and the other miseries which shall waste the human race, shall follow a short peace, offering rest and quiet to approve the faith of the believers.

Chrys.: Or, To such as are thoughtlessly disposed, it shall be a time of peace and enjoyment; as the Apostle said not, ‘When there shall be peace,’ but “When they shall say, Peace and safety,” shewing their insensibility to be such as was theirs in the days of Noe, when the wicked, and not the good, indulged themselves, but their end was sorrow and tribulation. This shews also, that when Antichrist shall come, those who are wicked, and despair of their salvation, shall run into illicit pleasures; therefore He chooses an instance suitable. For while the ark was building, Noe preached among them, foretelling the evils that should come; but those wicked giving no heed to him, wantoned as though no evil should ever come; so now, because many would not believe things future, He makes credible what He says from what has happened.

Another token He gives to shew how unexpectedly that day shall come, and that He is not ignorant of the day, “Then two shall be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left.” These words shew that masters and servants, they that work, and they that work not, shall be taken or left alike.

Hilary: Or, the two in the field, are the two people of believers and unbelievers, whom the day of the Lord shall overtake, as it were in the labours of this life. And they shall be separated, one being taken and the other left; this shews the separation that shall be between believers and unbelievers; when God’s wrath is kindled, the saints shall be gathered into His garner, and the unbelievers shall be left as fuel for the fire from heaven. The same is the account to be given of that, “Two shall be grinding at the mill.” The mill is the work of the Law, but as some of the Jews believed through the Apostles, so some shall believe through Elias, and be justified through faith; and one part shall be taken through this same faith of good works, the other part shall be left unfruitful in the work of the Law, grinding in vain, and never to produce the bread of heavenly food.

Jerome: Or, “Two men in one field” shall be found performing the same labour, sowing corn together, but not reaping the same fruit of their labour. The two “grinding together” we may understand either of the Synagogue and the Church, which seem to grind together in the Law, and to make of the same Scriptures meal of the commandments of God; or of other heresies, which out of both or one Testament, seem to grind meal of their own doctrines.

Hilary:; The “two in one bed” are those who preach alike the Lord’s rest after His passion, about which heretics and catholics have the same confession; but because the Catholic Faith preaches the unity of the Godhead of the Father and the Son, and the false creed of the heretics impugns that, therefore shall the Divine judgment decide between the confession of these two by taking one and leaving the other.

Remig.: Or, these words denote three orders in the Church. “The two men in the field” denote the order of preachers [marg. note: praedicatores], to whom is committed the field of the Church; by “the two grinding at the mill,” the order of the married priests [marg. note: conjugati], who while with a divided heart they are called first to one side, then to the other, do, as it were, ever turn round a mill; by “the two in one bed,” the order of the continent [marg. note: continentes], whose repose is signified by the bed. But in all these orders are good and bad, righteous and unrighteous, so that some shall be taken, and some left.

Origen: Or otherwise; The body is laid as sick on the bed of carnal passions, the soul grinds in the mill of this world, and the bodily senses labour in the field of the world.

Ver 42. “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.43. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.44. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.”

Jerome: Having declared that “of that hour knoweth no man, but the Father only,” He shews that it was not expedient for the Apostles to know, that being ignorant they might live in perpetual expectation of His coming, and thus concluding the whole, He says, “Watch therefore, &c.” And He does not say, ‘Because we know not,’ but “Because ye know not,” shewing that He Himself is not ignorant of the day of judgment.Chrys.: He would have them ever ready, and therefore He says, “Watch.”

Greg., Hom. in Ev., ii, 3: To watch is to keep the eyes open, and looking out for the true light, to do and to observe that which one believes, to cast away the darkness of sloth and negligence.

Origen: Those of more plain understanding say, that He spoke this of His second coming; but others would say that it applies to an intellectual coming of the word into the understanding of the disciples, for as yet He was not in their understanding as He was to be.

Aug., Ep. 199, 3: He said this “Watch,” not to those only who heard Him speak at the time, but to those who came after them, and to us, and to all who shall be after us, until His second coming, for it touches all in a manner. That day comes to each one of us, when it comes to him to go out of the world, such as he shall be judged, and therefore ought every Christian to watch that the Lord’s coming may not find him unprepared; and he will be unprepared for the day of His coming, whom the last day of his life shall find unprepared.

Aug., non occ.: Foolish are all they, who either profess to know the day of the end of the world, when it is to come, or even the end of their own life, which no one can know unless be is illuminated by the Holy Spirit.

Jerome: And by the instance of the master of the household, He teaches more plainly why He keeps secret the day of the consummation.

Origen: “The master of the household” is the understanding, “the house” is the soul, “the thief” is the Devil. The thief is also every contrary doctrine which enters the soul of the unwary by other than the natural entrance, breaking into the house, and pulling down the soul’s natural fences, that is, the natural powers of understanding, it enters the breach, and spoils the soul.

Sometimes one takes the thief in the act of breaking in, and seizing him, stabs him with a word,  and slays him. And the thief comes not in the day-time, when the soul of the thoughtful man is illuminated with the Sun of righteousness, but in the night, that is, in the time of prevailing wickedness; in which, when one is plunged, it is possible, though he have not the power of the sun, that he may be illuminated by some rays from the Word, as from a lamp; continuing still in evil, yet having a better purpose, and watchfulness, that this his purpose should not be broken through.

Or in time of temptation, or of any calamities, is the time when the thief is most found to come, seeking to break through the house of the soul.

Greg., Hom. in Ev., xiii, 5: Or, the thief breaks into the house through the neglect of the master of the house, when the spirit has slept upon its post of guard, and death has come in unawares into the dwelling house of our flesh, and finding the lord of the house sleeping, slays him; that is, the spirit, little providing for coming evils, is taken off unprepared, to punishment, by death.

But if he had watched be would have been secure from the thief; that is, looking forward to the coming of the Judge, who takes our lives unawares, be would meet Him with penitence, and not perish impenitent. And the Lord would therefore have the last hour unknown, that it might always be in suspense, and that being unable to foresee it, we might never be unprepared for it.

Chrys.: In this He rebukes such as have less care for their souls, than they have of guarding their money against an expected thief.

Pope Benedict XVI on Psalm 122 for the 1st Sunday of Advent (Nov 28)

Note: This commentary was given as part of a series of commentaries/meditations on the Psalms and Canticles used in the four week Psalter of the Divine Office. As noted below, this Psalm is part of the Evening Prayer for Sunday of the Fourth Week. Relations between this Psalm and the other readings of Advent are not hard to discern.

BENEDICT XVI
GENERAL AUDIENCE
Wednesday, 12 October 2005

Psalm 122[121]
Peace upon you!
Evening Prayer – Sunday of Week Fourth

1. We have just heard and enjoyed as a prayer one of the most beautiful and fervent songs of ascents. It is Psalm 122[121], a living, shared celebration of Jerusalem, the Holy City to which the pilgrims climb.

Indeed, in the opening line, two moments lived by the faithful are amalgamated:  that of the day on which the pilgrim rejoiced when he accepted the invitation to “go to God’s house” (v. 1), and that of his joyful arrival at the “gates” of Jerusalem (cf. v. 2); now at last he is walking on that beloved Holy Land. A festive hymn is on his lips at that very moment in honour of Zion, whose deep spiritual significance he contemplates.

2. As a “strongly compact” city (v. 3), a symbol of security and stability, Jerusalem is the heart of the unity of the 12 tribes of Israel that converge towards it as the centre of their faith and worship. They go up there, in fact, “to praise the Lord’s name” (v. 4) in the place that “Israel’s law” (Dt 12: 13-14; 16: 16) has chosen as the only legitimate and perfect shrine.

There is another important reality in Jerusalem that is also a sign of God’s presence in Israel: “the thrones… of the House of David” (cf. v. 5); that is, the Davidic dynasty governs, an expression of the divine action in history that was to lead to the Messiah (II Sam 7: 8-16).

3. The “thrones… of the House of David” are at the same time called “thrones of judgment” (v. 5), because the king was also the supreme judge. Thus, Jerusalem, a political capital, was also the highest tribunal where controversies were settled in the final instance: in this way, when Jewish pilgrims left Zion, they returned to their villages feeling more righteous and peaceful.

The Psalm thus traced an ideal portrait of the Holy City with her religious and social function, showing that biblical religion is neither abstract nor intimistic, but a leaven of justice and solidarity. Communion with God is necessarily followed by the communion of brothers and sisters with one another.

4. We now come to the final invocation (cf. v. 6-9). It is marked throughout by the Jewish word shalom, “peace”, traditionally considered to be the etymological root of Jerushalajim, the Holy City itself, interpreted as “city of peace”.

It is well known that shalom alludes to the messianic peace that in itself brings joy, prosperity, goodness and abundance. Indeed, in the pilgrim’s final farewell to the temple, to the “house of the Lord our God”, he adds “good” to “peace”: “I will ask for your good” (v. 9). This anticipates the Franciscan greeting: “Peace and good!”. We all have something of a Franciscan soul. This greeting expresses the hope that blessings will be poured out upon the faithful who love the Holy City, upon the physical reality of its walls and buildings in which the life of a people pulsates, on all its brothers and sisters and friends. In this way, Jerusalem will become a hearth of harmony and peace.

5. Let us end our meditation on Psalm 122[121] with an idea for reflection suggested by the Fathers of the Church for whom the ancient Jerusalem was the sign of another Jerusalem, also “built as a city strongly compact”.

This city, St Gregory the Great says in his Homilies on Ezekiel, “has here a great construction in the customs of the saints. In a building, one stone supports the other, because each stone is set upon another, and the one that supports another is in turn supported by another. This is exactly how in our Holy Church each one is sustaining and sustained. The closest support one another, and so it is by using them that the building of charity is erected.

“This explains Paul’s exhortation: “Help carry one another’s burdens; in that way you will fulfil the law of Christ’ (Gal 6: 2). Emphasizing the force of this law, he says: “Love is the fulfilment of the law’ (Rom 13: 10).

“Indeed, if I do not make an effort to accept you as you are and you do not strive to accept me as I am, the building of love between us can no longer be erected, bound though we may be by reciprocal and patient love”.

And to complete the image, let us not forget that “there is one foundation that supports the full weight of the construction; and it is our Redeemer, who alone bears all together the customs of us all. The Apostle says of him: “No one can lay a foundation other than the one that has been laid, namely, Jesus Christ’ (I Cor 3: 11). The foundation sustains the stones but the stones do not sustain the foundation: in other words, our Redeemer bore the burden of all our sins, but in him there was no sin to be borne” (2, 1, 5: Opere di Gregorio Magno, III/2, Rome, 1993, pp. 27, 29).

Thus, Pope St Gregory the Great tells us what the Psalm means for our lives in practice. He tells us that we must be a true Jerusalem in the Church today, that is, a place of peace, “supporting one another” as we are; “supporting one another together” in the joyful certainty that the Lord “supports us all”. In this way the Church will grow like a true Jerusalem, a place of peace. But let us also pray for the city of Jerusalem, that it may increasingly be a place for the encounter of religions and peoples; that it may truly be a place of peace.

Father Maas’ Commentary on Matt 24:37-44 for the 1st Sunday of Advent

Warnings to be ready. Concerning his statement in verse 36-But of that day and hour no one knoweth, no not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone-Jesus warns us to be ready, first, by a comparison with the days of Noe, 24:36-42; secondly, by a comparison with the goodman of the house, 24:43, 44; thirdly, by the parable of the wise and the foolish servant, 24:45-51; then by the parable of the ten virgins, 25:1-13; fifthly, by the parable of the talents, 25:14-30.

37. And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

The days of Noe. The first motive to keep ready for the second advent is the uncertainty of its time in spite of its infallible certainty of occurrence.
“The Father alone” is said to know the time of the second coming, and this statement is further emphasized by the words of Mark [13:32] and the reading of several codices of Matthew.

Nor the Son. It is certain that the Son both as God and man knows the time of the last judgment [cf. Mt 11:27; Col 2:3; etc.]. Why, then, does Jesus seemingly disclaim this knowledge? First, it cannot be said that Jesus did not
know the time of the second coming as long as he dwelt in his mortal body, or that he spoke of experimental knowledge [cf. Orig.Pasch.]; for theologians do not commonly admit such an ignorance on the part of Christ, and the mere lack of experimental knowledge would not justify our Lord’s profession of ignorance. Secondly, some writers think that Jesus disclaimed his knowledge of the time of the last judgment, because he did not know this from himself, by virtue of his human nature, in a natural manner, by right of his humanity,
or because the work of creation and of providence, and therefore also the determination of the last day, belongs by appropriation at least to the Father [cf. Maldonatus]; thirdly, the more common opinion maintains that Jesus did not know the time of the second coming in his capacity as messenger to and teacher of man [cf. Tost. Lap.], so that his statement was calculated to prevent further inquiry concerning this point on the part of the disciples [cf. Acts 1:7].

38. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day, in which Noe entered into the ark;
39. And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all
away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be.

Since the time of the second advent is so thoroughly unknown, it shall come wholly unexpected; as before the flood men were wholly absorbed in the life of this world, its pleasures and duties, without heeding the building of the ark and the preaching of Noe, so shall the last day find men wholly taken up with earthly thoughts and aspirations. Whether we may infer from this passage that there shall be a period of peace between the tribulations of Antichrist and the last day in which the wicked will forget the lesson of the previous suffering [cf. Origen, Bede, Pasch, Lapide], or may suppose that the continued bad life of the wicked is owing to the fact that only the good will suffer during the tribulations of antichrist [cf. 1 Thess. v. 3], can hardly be determined.

40. Then two shall be in the field : one shall be taken, and one shall be left.
41. Two women shall be grinding at the mill : one shall be taken, and one shall be left.
42. Watch ye therefore, because you know not what hour your lord will come.

The suddenness of the coming is further illustrated by the separation between men engaged in the same kind of labor: of two working in the field, of two turning the same millstone, one shall be gathered by the angels for the kingdom [cf. 1 Thess 4:16], and the other shall be left for eternal punishment. According to travellers, the Oriental women even now turn the upper millstone with their right hand, passing its handle from one to the other, just as the female slaves did of old [cf. Ex 11:5; Isa 47:2; Job 31:10; Eccles 12:3]. The inference Jesus draws from all this is the need of extreme watchfulness; the suddenness of Christ’s coming is also urged in 1 Thess 5:2.

43. But this know ye, that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open.
44. Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not, the Son of man will come.

But this know ye, that if the goodman of the house knew &c.. Jesus again urges the necessity of watchfulness by an argument  “a minori ad maius,” calling attention to what a householder would do if he knew of the approach of thieves; the Greek text has here pluperfects, stating: “He would certainly have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken open” [cf. Cajetan. Lapide.]. In a matter of infinitely more importance,
the disciples must therefore be “ready,” i. e. in such a state of mind and heart that the angels may be able to gather them at any time into Christ’s kingdom.