Part 11 (1/2)

5. And lastly, it seems idle to try to stir up the benevolence of one who is beforehand with his benevolence. But G.o.d does forestall us with His benevolence, for _He hath first loved us_.[186] Consequently it seems superfluous to preface our pet.i.tions with the words _Our Father Who art in Heaven_, words which seem intended to stir up G.o.d's benevolence.

But we must remember that prayer is not directed to G.o.d in order to prevail upon Him, but in order to excite ourselves to confidence in our pet.i.tions. And this confidence is especially excited in us by consideration of His love towards us whereby He wishes us well, wherefore we say, _Our Father_; and of His pre-eminent power whereby He is able to a.s.sist us, whence we say, _Who art in Heaven_.

_Cajetan:_ The first three pet.i.tions of the _Lord's Prayer_ can also be referred to that which we princ.i.p.ally desire, so that all three regard mainly that love wherewith we love G.o.d in Himself, and secondarily that love wherewith we love ourselves in G.o.d. And the proof of this is that in each of the first three we have the p.r.o.noun _Thine_, but in the last four the p.r.o.noun _our_. Thus the first pet.i.tion asks for the effective and enduring praise of G.o.d's Name; the second, that He--and not the devil, nor the world, nor the flesh, nor sin--may reign effectively; the third, that His Will may be effectively fulfilled. For these things are not now absolutely so with G.o.d, and this by reason of the mult.i.tude of sins, and also because the mode of their present fulfilment is hidden.

And the word _effectively_ is introduced into each clause by reason of the subjoined qualification _on earth as it is in Heaven_, for this qualifies each of the foregoing clauses. Hence rightly do our desires first of all aim at, wish for, and pray that--even as something good for G.o.d Himself--He may be sanctified in His Name; that He may be permanently uplifted above all things--on earth as in Heaven; that He--not sin--may reign--on earth as in Heaven; that His Will--none other--may be done--on earth as in Heaven (_on_ 2. 2. 83. 9).

_S. Augustine:_ O Eternal Truth, True Love and lovable Eternity! Thou art my G.o.d; for Thee do I sigh night and day! And when I first knew Thee Thou didst s.n.a.t.c.h me up so that I saw that That really was Which I saw, and that I who saw was really not--as yet. And Thou didst beat back my weak gaze, pouring out Thy light upon me in its intensity; and I trembled with love and with horror. For I found myself to be far away from Thee in a land that was unlike Thee; it was as though I heard Thy Voice from on high, saying: ”I am the Food of grown men, grow, and thou shalt eat Me, but thou shalt not be changed into Me” (_Confessions_, VII. x. 2).

_S. Augustine:_ And the faithful are well aware of that Spiritual Food Which you, too, will soon know and Which you are to receive from G.o.d's altar. It will be your food, nay, your daily food, needful for this life. For are we not about to receive the Eucharist wherein we come to Christ Himself, and begin to reign with Him for ever? The Eucharist is our daily Bread. But let us so receive it as to be thereby refreshed, not in body merely but in mind. For the power which we know to be therein is the power of Unity whereby we are brought into union with His Body and become His members. Let us be What we receive; for then It will be truly our daily bread.

Again, what I set before you is your daily bread; and what you hear read day by day in the church is your daily bread; and the hymns you hear and which you sing--they are your daily bread. For these things we need for our pilgrimage. But when we get There are we going to hear a book read?

Nay, we are going to hear the Word Himself; we are going to see the Word Himself; we are going to eat Him, to drink Him, even as the Angels do already. Do the Angels need books, or disputations, or readers? Nay, not so. But by seeing they read, for they see the Truth Itself and are sated from that Fount whence we receive but the sprinkling of the dew (_Sermon_, lvii., _on S. Matt._ vi. 7).

_S. Augustine:_ When ye say _Give us this day our daily bread_, ye profess yourselves G.o.d's beggars. Yet blush not at it! The richest man on earth is G.o.d's beggar. The beggar stands at the rich man's door. But the rich man in his turn stands at the door of one richer than he. He is begged from, and he, too, has to beg. If he were not in need he would not beseech G.o.d in prayer. But what can the rich man need? I dare to say it: he needs even his daily bread! For how is it that he abounds with all things, save that G.o.d gave them to him? And what will they have if G.o.d but withdraw His hand? (_Sermon_, lvi. 9, _on S. Matt._ vi.).

_S. Augustine:_ Think not that you have no need to say _Forgive us our trespa.s.ses as we forgive them that trespa.s.s against us_.... He who looks with pleasure at what he should not--sins. Yet who can control the glance of the eye? Indeed, some say that the eye is so called from its swiftness (_oculus a velocitate_). Who can control his eyes or his ears?

You can close your eyes when you like, but how quickly they open again!

You can shut your ears with an effort; put up your hand, and you can touch them. But if someone holds your hands your ears remain open, and you cannot then shut out cursing words, impure words, flattering and deceitful words. When you hear something which you should not--do you not sin with your ears? What when you hear some evil thing with pleasure? And the death-dealing tongue! How many sins it commits!

(_Sermon_, lvi. 8).

_S. Augustine:_ Indeed, our whole righteousness--true righteousness though it be, by reason of the True Good to Whom it is referred, consists rather, as long as we are in this life, in the remission of our sins than in the perfection of our virtues. And the proof of this is the Prayer of the whole City of G.o.d which is in pilgrimage on this earth.

For by all Its members It cries to G.o.d: _Forgive us our trespa.s.ses as we forgive them the trespa.s.s against us_! And this Prayer is of no avail for those whose faith is without works--dead; but only for those whose faith worketh through charity. For though our reason is indeed subject to G.o.d, yet in this our mortal condition, in this corruptible body which weigheth down the soul, our reason does not perfectly control our vices, and hence such prayer as this is needful for the righteous (_Of the City of G.o.d_, xix. 27).

”Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify Thee. As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He may give life everlasting to all whom Thou hast given Him.

And this is life everlasting, that they may know Thee, the only true G.o.d, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent.”[187]

Rhythm in Honour of the Blessed Sacrament, said to have been composed by S. Thomas on his Death-Bed.[188]

Adoro Te devote, latens Deitas, Quae sub his figuris vere lat.i.tas; Tibi se cor meum totum subjicit, Quia Te contemplans totum deficit.

Visus, tactus gustus, in Te fallitur, Sed auditu solo tuto creditur; Credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius, Nil hoc verbo veritatis verius.

In cruce latebat sola Deitas, At hic latet simul et humanitas; Ambo tamen credens atque confitens, Peto quod petivit latro poenitens.

Plagas, sicut Thomas, non intueor, Deum tamen meum Te confiteor; Fac me Tibi semper magis credere, In Te spem habere, Te diligere.

O memoriale mortis Domini, Panis vivus, vitam praestans homini, Praesta meae menti de Te vivero, Et Te illi semper dulce sapere.

Pie Pellicane Jesu Domine, Me immundum munda Tuo Sanguine, Cujus una stilla salvum facere Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere.

Jesu Quem velatum nunc aspicio, Oro fiat illud quod tam sitio, Ut Te revelata cernens facie, Visu sim beatus Tuae gloriae!

(An Indulgence of 100 days for the recitation of this rhythm. _S. Congr.

of Indulgences_, December 20, 1884.)