Title of the work in Latin
MEDULLA S. THOMAE AQUITATIS PER OMNES ANNI LITURGICI DIES DISTRBUITA, SEU MEDITATIONES EX OPERIBUS S. THOMAE DEPROMPTAE
Compilation and arrangement by
FR. Z. MÉZARD O. P.
NOTE
All titles with an asterisk contain material that is no longer attributed to Saint Thomas Aquinas.
33. First Sunday of the Passion: The Passion of Christ
First Sunday of the Passion
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)
Here there are three things we should consider:
1. The figure of the Passion: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness." To the Jewish people, who said, "Our soul loathes this worthless bread" (Num 21:5), God sent serpents as a punishment. Then He commanded them to make a bronze serpent as a remedy against the serpents and in figure of the Passion. It is characteristic of a serpent to have venom, but the bronze serpent was not poisonous. Similarly, Christ had no sin, which is a poison, but He resembled the sinner, according to this word of Saint Paul: "God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom 8:3). Therefore, Christ produced the effect of the bronze serpent against the onslaught of burning desires.
2. The manner of the Passion: "It is necessary that the Son of Man be lifted up," which is understood from the lifting up of the cross. Christ wanted to die lifted up:
a) To purify heaven. By the holiness of His life, He had already purified the earth; it remained to purify the air.
b) To triumph over the demon, who prepares war in the air.
c) To draw our hearts to Himself: "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself" (John 12:32).
By dying on the Cross, He was exalted, for He triumphed over His enemies, to the point that His death is called exaltation. The Psalm says: "He shall drink from the brook by the way; therefore, He shall lift up the head" (Ps 109).
And it was the cross that was the cause of His exaltation, as Saint Paul says: "He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him" (Phil 2:8).
3. The fruit of the Passion. The fruit is eternal life. Therefore it says: that whoever believes in Him and does good works shall not perish but have eternal life." This fruit corresponds to the figurative fruit of the bronze serpent. Indeed, whoever turned to it was healed of the poison and saved his life. One turns to the Son of Man exalted on the cross who believes in Christ crucified and, thus, being healed of the poison and sin, preserves himself for eternal life.
In Joan, III
(P. D. Mézard, O. P., Meditationes ex Operibus S. Thomae.)
#God #Deus #Isten #Gott #Jesus #Católico #Catholic #Katholik #katholisch #Katolikus #catholique #Faith #Fé #foi #信仰 #Latin #Latim #Gospel #Evangelho #Evangélium #évangile #Dieu #福音 #日本 #カトリック #Bible #Biblestr #Nostr #Grownostr
33. First Sunday of the Passion: The Passion of Christ
First Sunday of the Passion
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)
Here there are three things we should consider:
1. The figure of the Passion: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness." To the Jewish people, who said, "Our soul loathes this worthless bread" (Num 21:5), God sent serpents as a punishment. Then He commanded them to make a bronze serpent as a remedy against the serpents and in figure of the Passion. It is characteristic of a serpent to have venom, but the bronze serpent was not poisonous. Similarly, Christ had no sin, which is a poison, but He resembled the sinner, according to this word of Saint Paul: "God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom 8:3). Therefore, Christ produced the effect of the bronze serpent against the onslaught of burning desires.
2. The manner of the Passion: "It is necessary that the Son of Man be lifted up," which is understood from the lifting up of the cross. Christ wanted to die lifted up:
a) To purify heaven. By the holiness of His life, He had already purified the earth; it remained to purify the air.
b) To triumph over the demon, who prepares war in the air.
c) To draw our hearts to Himself: "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself" (John 12:32).
By dying on the Cross, He was exalted, for He triumphed over His enemies, to the point that His death is called exaltation. The Psalm says: "He shall drink from the brook by the way; therefore, He shall lift up the head" (Ps 109).
And it was the cross that was the cause of His exaltation, as Saint Paul says: "He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him" (Phil 2:8).
3. The fruit of the Passion. The fruit is eternal life. Therefore it says: that whoever believes in Him and does good works shall not perish but have eternal life." This fruit corresponds to the figurative fruit of the bronze serpent. Indeed, whoever turned to it was healed of the poison and saved his life. One turns to the Son of Man exalted on the cross who believes in Christ crucified and, thus, being healed of the poison and sin, preserves himself for eternal life.
In Joan, III
(P. D. Mézard, O. P., Meditationes ex Operibus S. Thomae.)
#God #Deus #Isten #Gott #Jesus #Católico #Catholic #Katholik #katholisch #Katolikus #catholique #Faith #Fé #foi #信仰 #Latin #Latim #Gospel #Evangelho #Evangélium #évangile #Dieu #福音 #日本 #カトリック #Bible #Biblestr #Nostr #Grownostr