Father R. D. Byles’ full name was Thomas Roussels Davids Byles; he was a convert to the Catholic faith. He was born on Feb. 26, 1870, and died aboard the RMS Titanic when it sank on April 15, 1912. According to witnesses he helped numerous 3rd class passengers up to the boat deck and the lifeboats and prayed the Breviary and Rosary as the ship sank, having refused two offers for a place in the lifeboats. The cause for his beatification was begun in 2015. A summary of his life can be found here.
2 Cor 5:14. presseth, that is, constraineth us, or, acts as a check on us.
if one died for all, then all were dead (εἷς ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀπέθανεν, ἄρα οἱ πάντες ἀπέθανον). The true translation of the Greek is, “one died for all, therefore all died.” The meaning is either:—
(1) Christ died for all, therefore all ought to die to their old life, and live the life of justice.
(2) Christ died for all, because all had died in Adam (cf. 1 Cor. 15:22).
(3) Christ died for all and so all died as represented in Him.
Of these interpretations the first would only amount to what is stated in the next verse, which, however, seems to be intended as an additional statement. Moreover, it gives an unnatural rendering to the words all died, which, it seems, ought to be as extensive as the expression for all of the first clause, where the meaning is universal. Either of the other two explanations is possible, but the latter is decidedly preferable, because the word ἄρα (then), is better suited by the rendering “therefore” than by “because,” and also on account of the context of the passage. If this meaning be accepted, it will denote that our Lord died as the head and representative of humanity, and so humanity, i.e., the human race as a whole, died in Him.
2 Cor 5:15. who died for them, and rose again. Christ our Lord has done two things for us; first, He has died for us, and secondly, He has risen again for us. As then all men have been made partners in His death, so His will is that they should become partakers of His life. And this they do when they mortify all their inclinations to sin, and deny themselves for His sake, living only to do His will, and to promote his glory (cf. Rom. 6:11; Gal. 2:19-20). The clause would be better translated “who died and rose again for them” (τῷ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν αποθανόντι καὶ ἐγερθέντι).
2 Cor 5:16. according to the flesh. These words have been taken in two ways: either as qualifying the verb know, that is to say, we know no man, not even Christ, in a natural or carnal manner; or as qualifying the thing known: we know no man, not even Christ, as He is, or was in the flesh. If we take them in the first way the verse means: Being dead to ourselves and living only to Christ, we are determined from henceforth to regard and esteem no man according to the purely natural affections of our hearts, but to be guided in our intercourse with every man by supernatural motives alone. And even if we have known Christ according to mere human affection, as the other apostles did when He was present among them (cf. Matt. 16:23), now this by the power of the Holy Ghost has ceased. The difficulty of this interpretation is that as St. Paul did not know our Lord during His mortal life, it becomes necessary to suppose that by we he means the apostles in general—and this seems to be contrary to the whole tenor of the context, in which he is concerned entirely with a personal defence of himself. It seems better, therefore, to suppose that St. Paul means: From henceforth we know and esteem no man according to what he is in the flesh, that is, with regard to his nationality, or wealth, or intellect, but only considering what he is in the sight of God. And even if we have taken any pleasure in the thought that our Lord is our own countryman, we are determined now to reject that imperfection, and to view Him only as the Incarnate God and the Redeemer of the world (cf. Rom. 9:5; Col. 3:11).
2 Cor 5:17. if then any be in Christ a new creature.… This verse concludes what has been said in the preceding. Those who are renewed by the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord, cease to be swayed by those earthly considerations which previously influenced them, but all their thoughts and actions are regulated by new and supernatural motives. The meaning of this clause is: if any man be living in union with Christ, there is in his case a new creation.
a new creature. When Adam sinned he lost original justice, and a new creation became necessary, not in the order of nature, but in that of grace. For creation is the bringing into being out of nothing, and he who lacks grace is (in the supernatural order) nothing. So the wicked man is called “him that is not” (Job 18:15); and St. Paul said, “If I have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2). Consequently the infusion of grace is a sort of creation; and if any man is thus created anew, the “old things” have passed away for him. These “old things” include the ceremonial observances of the law of Moses (cf. Rom. 7:6), as well as the corruptions of sin (Rom. 6:4–6).
The Divine Lamp 