Part IV (Tertia Pars) Part 36 (2/2)

134:6: ”Whatsoever the Lord pleased, He hath done.” But because the Divine and the human wills are distinct in Christ, and the human will of itself is not efficacious enough to do what it wishes, except by Divine power, hence to pray belongs to Christ as man and as having a human will.

Reply Obj. 1: Christ as G.o.d and not as man was able to carry out all He wished, since as man He was not omnipotent, as stated above (Q.

13, A. 1). Nevertheless being both G.o.d and man, He wished to offer prayers to the Father, not as though He were incompetent, but for our instruction. First, that He might show Himself to be from the Father; hence He says (John 11:42): ”Because of the people who stand about I have said it” (i.e. the words of the prayer) ”that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me.” Hence Hilary says (De Trin. x): ”He did not need prayer. It was for us He prayed, lest the Son should be unknown.” Secondly, to give us an example of prayer; hence Ambrose says (on Luke 6:12): ”Be not deceived, nor think that the Son of G.o.d prays as a weakling, in order to beseech what He cannot effect. For the Author of power, the Master of obedience persuades us to the precepts of virtue by His example.” Hence Augustine says (Tract. civ in Joan.): ”Our Lord in the form of a servant could have prayed in silence, if need be, but He wished to show Himself a suppliant of the Father, in such sort as to bear in mind that He was our Teacher.”

Reply Obj. 2: Amongst the other things which He knew would happen, He knew that some would be brought about by His prayer; and for these He not unbecomingly besought G.o.d.

Reply Obj. 3: To rise is nothing more than to move towards what is above. Now movement is taken in two ways, as is said _De Anima_ iii, 7; first, strictly, according as it implies the pa.s.sing from potentiality to act, inasmuch as it is the act of something imperfect, and thus to rise pertains to what is potentially and not actually above. Now in this sense, as Damascene says (De Fide Orth.

iii, 24), ”the human mind of Christ did not need to rise to G.o.d, since it was ever united to G.o.d both by personal being and by the blessed vision.” Secondly, movement signifies the act of something perfect, i.e. something existing in act, as to understand and to feel are called movements; and in this sense the mind of Christ was always raised up to G.o.d, since He was always contemplating Him as existing above Himself.

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SECOND ARTICLE [III, Q. 21, Art. 2]

Whether It Pertains to Christ to Pray According to His Sensuality?

Objection 1: It would seem that it pertains to Christ to pray according to His sensuality. For it is written (Ps. 83:3) in the person of Christ: ”My heart and My flesh have rejoiced in the Living G.o.d.” Now sensuality is called the appet.i.te of the flesh. Hence Christ's sensuality could ascend to the Living G.o.d by rejoicing; and with equal reason by praying.

Obj. 2: Further, prayer would seem to pertain to that which desires what is besought. Now Christ besought something that His sensuality desired when He said (Matt. 26:39): ”Let this chalice pa.s.s from Me.”

Therefore Christ's sensuality prayed.

Obj. 3: Further, it is a greater thing to be united to G.o.d in person than to mount to Him in prayer. But the sensuality was a.s.sumed by G.o.d to the unity of Person, even as every other part of human nature.

Much more, therefore, could it mount to G.o.d by prayer.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (Phil. 2:7) that the Son of G.o.d in the nature that He a.s.sumed was ”made in the likeness of men.” But the rest of men do not pray with their sensuality. Therefore, neither did Christ pray according to His sensuality.

_I answer that,_ To pray according to sensuality may be understood in two ways. First as if prayer itself were an act of the sensuality; and in this sense Christ did not pray with His sensuality, since His sensuality was of the same nature and species in Christ as in us. Now in us the sensuality cannot pray for two reasons; first because the movement of the sensuality cannot transcend sensible things, and, consequently, it cannot mount to G.o.d, which is required for prayer; secondly, because prayer implies a certain ordering inasmuch as we desire something to be fulfilled by G.o.d; and this is the work of reason alone. Hence prayer is an act of the reason, as was said in the Second Part (II-II, Q. 83, A. 1).

Secondly, we may be said to pray according to the sensuality when our prayer lays before G.o.d what is in our appet.i.te of sensuality; and in this sense Christ prayed with His sensuality inasmuch as His prayer expressed the desire of His sensuality, as if it were the advocate of the sensuality--and this, that He might teach us three things. First, to show that He had taken a true human nature, with all its natural affections: secondly, to show that a man may wish with his natural desire what G.o.d does not wish: thirdly, to show that man should subject his own will to the Divine will. Hence Augustine says in the Enchiridion (Serm. 1 in Ps. 32): ”Christ acting as a man, shows the proper will of a man when He says 'Let this chalice pa.s.s from Me'; for this was the human will desiring something proper to itself and, so to say, private. But because He wishes man to be righteous and to be directed to G.o.d, He adds: 'Nevertheless not as I will but as Thou wilt,' as if to say, 'See thyself in Me, for thou canst desire something proper to thee, even though G.o.d wishes something else.'”

Reply Obj. 1: The flesh rejoices in the Living G.o.d, not by the act of the flesh mounting to G.o.d, but by the outpouring of the heart into the flesh, inasmuch as the sensitive appet.i.te follows the movement of the rational appet.i.te.

Reply Obj. 2: Although the sensuality wished what the reason besought, it did not belong to the sensuality to seek this by praying, but to the reason, as stated above.

Reply Obj. 3: The union in person is according to the personal being, which pertains to every part of the human nature; but the uplifting of prayer is by an act which pertains only to the reason, as stated above. Hence there is no parity.

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THIRD ARTICLE [III, Q. 21, Art. 3]

Whether It Was Fitting That Christ Should Pray for Himself?

Objection 1: It would seem that it was not fitting that Christ should pray for Himself. For Hilary says (De Trin. x): ”Although His word of beseeching did not benefit Himself, yet He spoke for the profit of our faith.” Hence it seems that Christ prayed not for Himself but for us.

Obj. 2: Further, no one prays save for what He wishes, because, as was said (A. 1), prayer is an unfolding of our will to G.o.d that He may fulfil it. Now Christ wished to suffer what He suffered. For Augustine says (Contra Faust. xxvi): ”A man, though unwilling, is often angry; though unwilling, is sad; though unwilling, sleeps; though unwilling, hungers and thirsts. But He” (i.e. Christ) ”did all these things, because He wished.” Therefore it was not fitting that He should pray for Himself.

Obj. 3: Further, Cyprian says (De Orat. Dom.): ”The Doctor of Peace and Master of Unity did not wish prayers to be offered individually and privately, lest when we prayed we should pray for ourselves alone.” Now Christ did what He taught, according to Acts 1:1: ”Jesus began to do and to teach.” Therefore Christ never prayed for Himself alone.

_On the contrary,_ our Lord Himself said while praying (John 17:1): ”Glorify Thy Son.”

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