The Transfiguration

St Matthew Chapter XVII : Verses 1-13

Contents

• Matt. xvii. 1-13.  Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
• Notes on the text.
• Additional Notes: The three narratives of the Transfiguration harmonized. Sequence of events leading up to the Transfiguration. The bright cloud. The Time of the Transfiguration. Why the Apostles were allowed to see Jesus transfigured.

Matt. xvii. 1-13

He was transfigured before them. 
 J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

1 And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart:

Et post dies sex assumit Jesus Petrum, et Jacobum, et Joannem fratrem ejus, et ducit illos in montem excelsum seorsum :

2 And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow.

et transfiguratus est ante eos. Et resplenduit facies ejus sicut sol : vestimenta autem ejus facta sunt alba sicut nix.

3 And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him.

Et ecce apparuerunt illis Moyses et Elias cum eo loquentes.

4 And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

Respondens autem Petrus, dixit ad Jesum : Domine, bonum est nos hic esse : si vis, faciamus tria tabernacula, tibi unum, Moysi unum, et Eliae unum.

5 And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.

Adhuc eo loquente, ecce nubes lucida obumbravit eos. Et ecce vox de nube, dicens : Hic est Filius meus dilectus, in quo mihi bene complacui : ipsum audite.

6 And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid.

Et audientes discipuli ceciderunt in faciem suam, et timuerunt valde.

7 And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not.

Et accessit Jesus, et tetigit eos : dixitque eis : Surgite, et nolite timere.

8 And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus.

Levantes autem oculos suos, neminem viderunt, nisi solum Jesum.

9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead.

Et descendentibus illis de monte, præcepit eis Jesus, dicens : Nemini dixeritis visionem, donec Filius hominis a mortuis resurgat.

10 And his disciples asked him, saying: Why then do the scribes say that Elias must come first?

Et interrogaverunt eum discipuli, dicentes : Quid ergo scribæ dicunt, quod Eliam oporteat primum venire?

11 But he answering, said to them: Elias indeed shall come, and restore all things.

At ille respondens, ait eis : Elias quidem venturus est, et restituet omnia.

12 But I say to you, that Elias is already come, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they had a mind. So also the Son of man shall suffer from them.

Dico autem vobis, quia Elias jam venit, et non cognoverunt eum, sed fecerunt in eo quaecumque voluerunt. Sic et Filius hominis passurus est ab eis.

13 Then the disciples understood, that he had spoken to them of John the Baptist.

Tunc intellexerunt discipuli, quia de Joanne Baptista dixisset eis.

Notes

    1. after six days. “ St Luke says, after eight days, not contradicting St Matthew, but most fully agreeing with him. The one expressed both the day on which Jesus spoke (i.e. His discourse on His Passion) and that on which He led them up, but St Mark speaks only of the days between ” (St John Chrys., Hom., lvi.). The Jews generally reckoned time inclusively.

    taketh . . . Peter and James and John. As He had done when He raised Jairus’ daughter. They were to be the three privileged witnesses of his Transfiguration, that they might he strengthened to witness His Agony in Gethsemani ; — Peter, the future Vicar of Christ; John, the beloved disciple ; and James, the first of the apostles who suffered martyrdom.

    Note. — “Three” was the number of witnesses legally exacted by the Jewish Law. There were also three heavenly witnesses — God the Father, Moses, and Elias.

    bringeth them up. In like manner, on Ascension-day he led them out as far as Bethania (St Luke xxiv. 50).

    into a high mountain. An ancient tradition points out Mount Thabor as the scene of the Transfiguration. It lies to the north-east of the Plain of Esdraelon, and stands nearly 2000 feet above sea-level. Later commentators, chiefly non-Catholic, prefer Hermon as the high mountain in question. The older tradition, however, has greater weight. Two churches, now in ruins, built on Mount Thabor, one by St Helena probably, the other by the Crusaders, testify to the antiquity of this tradition.

    apart. He led them apart, and then retired Himself to pray. This was the usual prelude to any event of great moment.

    2. he was transfigured. Lit. “metamorphosed” (μετεμορφώθη). Changed in outward appearance. Our Lord appeared in glory ; the Divine Nature, habitually concealed, now revealed Itself by glorifying the humanity of our Lord. In reality, it was less a miracle than the cessation of the miracle, which had thus kept the Divinity hidden in the Sacred Humanity since the Incarnation. The “clarity” of Jesus’ body was thus visible to the apostles. The bodies of the just after the resurrection will have the four qualities of clarity, impassibility, agility and spirituality.

    his face did shine, etc. In St Luke we read whilst he prayed, the shape of his countenance was altered. “When our Lord was transfigured He did not lose His form and aspect, hut He appeared to His apostles as He will appear to all at the day of judgment” (St Jerome). Our Lord, though glorified, was recognized by His apostles. So, too, the saints in heaven will retain their personal identity.

    white as snow. All the Codices except D have here “white as light” ( λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς). St Mark has white as snow, so as no fuller upon earth can make white. In St Luke we read, his raiment became white and glittering. All three Synoptists note the brightness of our Lord’s garments, and the words failed them to express their dazzling whiteness : — they glistened like snow. Perhaps the snow-capped peaks of Lebanon suggested the comparison.

    3. Moses and Elias. The apostles could only know who they were either —

    (a) By a special revelation.

    (b) By the conversation which took place.

    (c) Perhaps by their appearing as the Jews generally represented them.

    Note. — Moses was the lawgiver ; Elias, one of the greatest of the prophets. Hence their apparition with Jesus proved that these leaders whom the Jews professed to follow and obey (i.e. the Law and the Prophets) acknowledged Jesus as the Messias.

    talking with him. Both Moses and Elias appeared in majesty, and they spoke of his decease that he should accomplish in Jerusalem (St Luke ix. 31). Therefore this vision corroborated our Lord’s previous prophecy, and mentioned the place of His death. The original word is “exodus,” or “going forth” (τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτου). “Exodus” is a very weighty word, involving “ His Passion, Cross, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension.”

    4. Peter answering, said. He was as ardent and impetuous as ever. No one had addressed St Peter ; the expression is an ordinary Hebrew idiom, meaning “ speaking.” The voices aroused the three apostles from their stupor. Cf. Peter, and they that were with him, were heavy with sleep. And waking, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him (St Luke). Some commentators are of opinion that they did not actually give way to sleep, since the words of St Luke, waking, they saw his glory, etc., would, in the original Greek, be better translated “nevertheless remaining awake” (διαγρηγορήσαντες ). Others conclude that they actually slept, but were aroused by the brightness of the light and the voices. The three disciples, when thoroughly aroused from their drowsiness, perceived Moses and Elias, The “ sign from heaven ” demanded by the haughty Pharisees, and refused to them, was granted to the three lowly disciples.

    Lord, it is good, etc. St Peter thought it preferable to remain there ; thus our Lord might avoid His enemies in Jerusalem. From St Luke we learn that these words were said as Moses and Elias disappeared. Cf. And it came to pass that as they were departing from him, Peter saith to Jesus : Master, it is good, etc.

    if thou wilt. Peculiar to St Matthew.

    three tabernacles. Tents of wattled boughs, such as were used at the Feast of Tabernacles. St Luke remarks that St Peter spoke, not knowing what he said. He was too much overcome by fear and other emotions to reflect that the Son of man must suffer many things, and that to remain on the Mount of the Transfiguration would frustrate this design.

    5. a bright cloud overshadowed them. Cf. And they were afraid, when they entered into the cloud (St Luke). Moses and Elias had disappeared, and now Jesus and His three apostles seem to be enveloped in a “ bright ” cloud. Probably it was the Shechinah or visible glory of God. “ Because it was His desire not to alarm but to teach, it is bright cloud” (St John Chrysostom), not a “very thick” one, as on Mount Sinai.

    lo, a voice, etc. St Luke notes that, whilst the voice was uttered, Jesus was found alone. The voice of God bore witness to His Beloved Son, The same words are repeated that were uttered at our Lord’s Baptism, with the addition. Hear ye him.

    This is my beloved Son, etc., — i.e., my Son, the Beloved. The original Hebrew expression means the only begotten Son by eternal generation, not “a son of God” by adoption, like the blessed and those in a state of grace. St Matthew alone gives the words in full, in whom I am well pleased.

    6. very much afraid. The original is extremely expressive, and implies very great dread or terror (ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα).

    8. lifting up their eyes. Either to see if Moses and Elias had returned, or perhaps with no definite intention, as men gaze about in fear and trembling when greatly terrified.

    but only Jesus. Their Master was there to reassure them by His loving “ Fear not.” The vision was now over.

    9. came down from the mountain. This happened on the next day. Cf. And it came to pass the day following, when they came down from the mountain, there met him a great multitude (St Luke).

    Jesus charged them. Possibly one reason for this prohibition was, that Jesus did not wish to raise hopes of a Messias who should triumph as an earthly king. They were not even to reveal it to the other nine apostles, since they were not to tell any man.

    Tell the vision (τὸ ὅραμα), — i.e. these things which they had seen (St Luke). They obeyed the injunction to keep silence, unlike those whom our Lord had healed, and told not to reveal who had cured them. Cf. They kept the word to themselves (St Mark), but only in those days (St Luke). After the Ascension they spoke of it (see 2 Peter i. 16-18 ; St John i. 14 ; 1 St John i. 1).

    risen from the dead. These words puzzled the apostles greatly. They had seen Elias, who was to come, and had heard Jesus speak of His Passion ; now their lips are sealed as regards the vision until after our Lord’s Resurrection, and it is to take place in their lifetime, for He was not referring to the resurrection of the last day. Hence their questioning together what that should mean when he shall be risen from the dead (St Mark).

    10. Why then do the scribes say ? etc. The apostles knew that Elias was to come as the Forerunner of the Messias, and believing Christ to be the Messias, they wondered why Elias had not previously appeared : — Why, then, had he not come first ?

OCR not available. Text taken from source document.

Additional Notes

    The three narratives of the Transfiguration harmonized.

(St Matt. xvii. 1-13. St Mark ix. 1-2. St Luke ix. 28-36.)

    (1) It took place on the eighth day (inclusive) after St Peter’s confession of faith.

    (2) Jesus leads Peter, James, and John apart up a high mountain.

    (3) Jesus prays, and is transfigured ; Moses and Elias appear and speak with Him concerning His “ decease.”

    (4) The apostles are aroused from their drowsiness, hear the voices, and see Christ transfigured.

    (5) As Moses and Elias are departing, Peter proposes to build three tabernacles.

    (6) While he is speaking a bright cloud overshadows them, and they are afraid when they enter into the cloud.

    (7) A heavenly Voice is heard saying, “ This is my beloved Son,” etc.^ while this Voice is speaking, Jesus is found alone.

    (8) The apostles fall upon their faces in fear.

    (9) Jesus touches them ?ind says, “ Arise and be not afraid.”

    (10) They look up “immediately” and see no man, but Jesus only with them.

    (11) He charges them to tell no man until after His Eesurrection.

    (12) They obey, but question among themselves.

    Sequence of events leading up to the Transfiguration.

    (A) Jesus is rejected by the Pharisees, and He departs from them and leaves Galilee.

    (B) St Peter makes his glorious confession of faith in Christ as the Messias at Cmsarea Phili})pi, and acknowledges His Divinity.

    (C) Jesus reveals to St Peter his future greatness as Head of the Church.

    (D) The mysteries of the Passion are gradually unfolded to the disciples. St Peter rejects the idea of a sutfering Messias,

    (E) Jesus teaches that self-renunciation is necessary for all His followers.

    (F) The Transfiguration reveals to the favoured three that Christ is the Messias of whom the Prophets spoke, and the Voice from heaven proclaims Jesus to be the “ Son of God.”

    The bright cloud. In Holy Scripture, God is frequently represented as revealing His presence and majesty by a “cloud.” Thus we read, “behold the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud” (Exod. xvi. 10). “ Lo, now will I come to thee in the darkness of a cloud,” etc. (xix. 9). “ Who makest the clouds thy chariot,” etc. (Ps. ciii. 3). Many 

other texts might be cited. St Luke says, “ they were afraid when they entered into the cloud” (ix. 34). It has been questioned to whom the “ they ” refers. Did the disciples enter the cloud ? The most common opinion is that they did, for certainly the first ‘ ‘ they ” refers to the apostles, and why should they be afraid at seeing the vision disappear ? It would seem that all entered the cloud, then Moses and Elias gradually disappeared. St Peter spoke as though he would hold them back, then the Voice was heard when Jesus was alone and still transfigured.

    The Time of the Transfiguration. Was it night or day ? The general consensus of opinion leans to night, since —

    (a) Jesus retired to pray, and He was accustomed to retire thus at night.

    (b) The apostles were heavy with sleep, hence we may conclude it was night.

    (c) St Luke tells us, “ the day following when they came down from the mountain there met him a great multitude,” etc. This looks as though our Lord and His apostles had passed the night on the mountain, and that the next day the nine apostles and the multitude were going up the mount to seek Him and implore His aid.

    Why the Apostles were allowed to see Jesus transfigured.

    (1) In order to strengthen their faith in Christ as the Messias, and to prepare them for the Passion of Jesus,

    (2) To teach them that, by His Passion, He was fulfilling the Law and the Prophets, and that both pointed to Him as the Messias.

    (3) To teach them that the path to glory lies by the road to Calvary.

    (4) To attach them more firmly to His service.

    Note. — From the time of the Transfiguration we remark that —

    (a) Our Lord works fewer miracles : five only are recorded between the Transfiguration and the Passion.

    (b) Our Lord’s public sermons are more rare ; He speaks oftener with the Twelve, and His Passion is frequently the subject of His instructions.

    The Transfiguration naturally made a deep impression on the three apostles. St Janies the Great did not live long enough to leave his impressions in writing, but St Peter, about thirty-five years after the event, thus wrote : 

“ For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ : but having been made eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father, honour and glory : this voice coming down to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I have pleased myself, hear ye him. And this voice we heard brought from heaven, when we were with him in the holy mount” (2 St Peter i. 16, 17, 18).

    St John also evidently had the Transfiguration in mind when he wrote the following passages: — 

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only-begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth ” (St John i. 14).

“ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life ” (1 St John i. 1).

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Prediction of the Passion, Rebuke to St Peter and Self-renunciation

St Matthew Chapter XVI : Verses 21-28

Contents

• Matt. xvi. 21-28.  Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
• Notes on the text.
• Additional Notes: Jesus’ rebuke to St Peter. 

Matt. xvi. 21-28

Get behind me... J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

21 From that time Jesus began to shew to his disciples, that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the ancients and scribes and chief priests, and be put to death, and the third day rise again.

Exinde cœpit Jesus ostendere discipulis suis, quia oporteret eum ire Jerosolymam, et multa pati a senioribus, et scribis, et principibus sacerdotum, et occidi, et tertia die resurgere.

22 And Peter taking him, began to rebuke him, saying: Lord, be it far from thee, this shall not be unto thee.

Et assumens eum Petrus, cœpit increpare illum dicens : Absit a te, Domine : non erit tibi hoc.

23 Who turning, said to Peter: Go behind me, Satan, thou art a scandal unto me: because thou savourest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.

Qui conversus, dixit Petro : Vade post me Satana, scandalum es mihi : quia non sapis ea quæ Dei sunt, sed ea quae hominum.

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Tunc Jesus dixit discipulis suis : Si quis vult post me venire, abneget semetipsum, et tollat crucem suam, et sequatur me.

25 For he that will save his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it.

Qui enim voluerit animam suam salvam facere, perdet eam : qui autem perdiderit animam suam propter me, inveniet eam.

26 For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?

Quid enim prodest homini, si mundum universum lucretur, animæ vero suæ detrimentum patiatur? aut quam dabit homo commutationem pro anima sua?

27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels: and then will he render to every man according to his works.

Filius enim hominis venturus est in gloria Patris sui cum angelis suis : et tunc reddet unicuique secundum opera ejus.

28 Amen I say to you, there are some of them that stand here, that shall not taste death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Amen dico vobis, sunt quidam de hic stantibus, qui non gustabunt mortem, donec videant Filium hominis venientem in regno suo.

Notes

    21. From that time Jesus began, etc. St Peter had acknowledged Him, in the name of all the others, as the Messias. They must now learn that the Messias was not to have a glorious earthly career, but one of humiliation and suffering.

    that he must go, etc. All the Synoptists give this prediction, but the third gospel gives the exact words of our Lord. Cf. The Son of man must suffer many things, etc. This was Jesus’ favourite title for Himself. Only, too, as “Son of man” could He suffer and atone for humanity.

    suffer. There was no other path of Redemption. So, later, He explains His passion ; Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into his glory ? (St Luke xxiv. 26).

    many things. Some of which will only be revealed in eternity, since all the insults and humiliations to which our Lord was subjected are not detailed in Scripture.

    from the ancients, etc. Also He was to be rejected by them, both in the days of His ministry and also during His Passion. Not this man, but Barabbas (St John xviii. 40).

    ancients. Senators, not necessarily old men ; they formed part of the Sanhedrin, being nominated by those in authority.

    The Sanhedrin consisted of —

    (a) The chief priests, (b) The scribes, (c) The elders. Hence our Lord was rejected by the greatest Jewish legislators.

    put to death. Our Lord announces His death, but not the manner of it.

    the third day. Not necessarily three full days — one full day and a part of two other days would fall within the meaning of the term. This view is illustrated by St Matthew (xxvii. 63, 64), where the chief priests asked that the sepulchre might be guarded, since Christ had said, After three days I will rise again.

    rise again. This is a clear prophecy of the Resurrection, which the disciples did not grasp. St Mark adds here : He spoke the word openly.

    22. Peter taking him. Apart from the others (προσλαβόμενος). Possibly he drew our Lord away by the hand or mantle. St Peter was scandalized at the idea of a suffering Messias ; so were all the Twelve.

    began to rebuke him, — i.e. to reason with our Lord, and to endeavour to dissuade Him from suffering. Evidently this unbecoming action was due to St Peter’s natural impetuosity, to his want of spiritual discernment, and to his vehement personal love of Jesus. St Matthew alone gives the exact words.

    Lord, be it far from thee. In the Greek the phrase is elliptical, and the words are “favourable to thee” (Ἵλεώς σοι), before which we must supply “God be” (εἰή ὁ θεός). It amounts to our expression “God forbid,” and is used in this sense in the Old Testament — God forbid that I should do this. Cf. 1 Para. xi. 19.

    23. Who turning said to Peter. St Mark has : Who turning about and seeing his disciples. Our Lord did this to fix their attention. Since they shared St Peter’s sentiments regarding a temporal reign of prosperity, they needed to hear the rebuke addressed to St Peter, that they might profit by the lesson.

    said to Peter. Jesus “ threatened” i.e. rebuked St Peter.

    Go behind me, Satan. This sharp rebuke seems to betray intense feeling on the part of our Lord. As Man, the Passion was repugnant to Him, and naturally He could not but shrink from it. St Peter, in striving to persuade Him to give up this method of Redemption, was echoing the previous Temptation in the desert, when Satan had promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth, and the glory of them, without suffering. Judas willingly gave himself up to Satan’s suggestions. St Peter did so unconsciously, but nevertheless the temptation existed, or Jesus would not have said, Thou art a scandal unto me. Notice, our Lord used exactly the same words in His Temptation in the desert.

    Satan. Lit. an adversary, one who opposes ; so Christ speaks of Judas. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve; and one of you is a devil ? (St John vi. 71).

    savourest, — i.e. carest for and thinkest of earthly things. St Peter could not grasp the divine plan of Redemption. When the cross falls on us, or on those dear to us, we too, are apt to repine, and to consider these trials from a mere human standpoint, forgetting that : All things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to he saints (Rom. viii. 28) ; and that it is through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God (Acts xiv. 21).

    24. Then Jesus said to his disciples. And also to the people. Cf. And calling the multitude together with his disciples, he said to them, etc, (St Mark), A crowd of faithful disciples and many others were still following our Lord. Naturally, at times they would retire to rest apart, and our Lord had Himself just withdrawn to pray in secret. (See St Luke ix. 18.) Jesus called them all because the truths He was about to teach concerned “ all.” He was about to re-enforce the lesson given privately after St Peter’s presumption.

    will come after me. In the path of suffering and humiliation.

    let him, etc. Notice the three necessary steps if we would be disciples of Christ —

    (a) Self-denial. (b) Acceptation of the cross, (c) Imitation of Christ.

    deny himself. Christian self-denial is a divine precept. The Jews were taught to practise it, since they were commanded to fast rigorously at certain times, and to give certain alms. We are bound to renounce our sinful appetites and passions. Just as the soldier must practise shooting before he goes to the battlefield, so the Christian must deny himself in lesser things (that are not positively evil), that he may acquire the habit of self-renunciation, and be prepared for the greater occasions when self-denial becomes a necessity.

    take up his cross. Each disciple has his own personal cross to bear. Also, there is an indirect allusion here to the Crucifixion of our Lord.

    Criminals were forced to take up their cross and to carry it to the place of execution. St Luke adds the word “ daily.” Not fitfully, but daily we must bear the cross. Two of our Lord’s apostles, St Peter and St Andrew, literally took up their crosses, while all except St John died a martyr’s death, and this exception was due to a miracle.

    follow me. By imitating His virtues in our feeble degree.

    25. For, — i.e. since. Note that God has made it even to our own interest to serve Him. We are created to love and serve God, and by so doing we merit eternal life.

    shall lose. It is only an apparent “loss” when a man suffers for Christ or for the Gospel, since his eternal salvation is thereby secured. “ Keep your seed and you lose it, sow it and you will find it again” (St Greg.).

    for my sake. For the personal love of Jesus. St Mark adds, and the gospel : — the faith which Christ came on earth to teach.

    26. For what doth it profit, etc. ? In this text soul stands for “ life.” The argument is, “Of what advantage will it be to secure the whole world, and in so doing to sacrifice life, without which one cannot enjoy earthly pleasures ?”

    what exchange ? Lit. “ what ransom ” (τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα). When a man deliberately sacrifices his eternal interests and stakes his own soul in payment, how shall he buy back that soul ? Clearly the answer is : — “ Nothing, since the Blood of Christ shed for our ransom may redeem a dead soul (i.e. one deprived of grace), but will never ransom a lost soul, one that has been condemned for all eternity.”

    Note. — These words prove that the loss of the soul is perpetual and irreparable, and they must have gone home to the minds of those who were seeking an earthly kingdom rather than a heavenly one.

    in the glory, etc. As the Representative of the Father, and also in His own majesty (St Luke), for the Son is one with the Father. (See St John xvii. 21.)

    27. then will he render, etc. This applies both to the just and to the wicked. God will reward or punish according to a man’s deserts.

    works. The singular is used (πρᾶξιν). It means rather conduct in general than isolated acts. In the parallel passages we find here the reference to those who deny Christ. He that shall he ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of man shall he ashamed, when he shall come in his majesty, and that of his Father, and of the holy angels (St Luke). St Matthew places these words in the charge to the apostles (x. 33).

    28. Amen, I say to you. “Christ's ‘Amen I say to you’ always introduces His solemn and authoritative revelations of divine truth” (Alford).

    there are some of them that stand here. This verse has given rise to much controversy. It cannot refer to the general judgment, since that has not yet taken place. Commentators in general are of the opinion that this prophecy may refer to any or all of the three following events : —

    (1) The Transfiguration ; when Christ appeared in glory, witnessed by three apostles only.

    (2) The Descent of the Holy Ghost ; witnessed by all except Judas.

    (3) The taking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. St John was the only survivor of the apostles, and he was not an eye-witness, but others who heard our Lord speak would have been alive at the time, A.D. 71.

    shall not taste death. An Arabic idiomatic expression, which presents death under the aspect of a bitter potion. Cf. If any man keep my word, he shall not taste death for ever (St John viii. 52). But we see Jesus . . . . that through the grace of God he might taste death for all (Heb. ii.9).

Additional Notes

    

    Jesus’ rebuke to St Peter. Some commentators (St Hilary, St John Chrysostom, Marcellus, Eusebius, etc.) prefer the view that only the words “ Get thee behind me ” were addressed to St Peter, while the following words, “ Satan, thou art a scandal to me, because thou savourest not the things that are of God but the things that are of men,” were addressed to Satan. Others take them as addressed to St Peter, but with a secondary reference to Satan, since St Peter was, as it were, the mouthpiece of the devil. If “ Get thee behind me was addressed only to St Peter, then it would mean, “ Walk in my footsteps and renounce your ideas of earthly grandeur.” Non-Catholic writers have criticised this passage of Holy Scripture and used it as a weapon against the Church. Where, they ask, is the Papal infallibility, if St Peter, directly after his election to the Primacy, so grossly erred ? To this objection Catholic commentators give the following answer: St Peter, though elected to be the Head of the Church, was not yet established as such, for our Lord was still on earth. Jesus’ promises were to be realized in the future. “On this rock I will build my church.” “ To thee I will give, ” etc. The future tense is used throughout. As yet, and until after the descent of the Holy Ghost, the apostles were not endowed with the prerogative of infallibility. After Pentecost, St Peter is never found erring as regards the faith, and his successors, the Popes, share this wondrous privilege. As regards St Peter’s presumption in rebuking our Lord, it should be remarked —

    (1) That infallibility does not presuppose or include impeccability.

    (2) That spiritual dignities do not eliminate the human element in man. The gospels shew us the apostles even as they were, with all their faults and failings. Had the Church wished to conceal these she could have prevented the Sacred Books, which related them, from being read publicly in the churches, for we must not forget that the Catholic Church was the guardian of the Sacred Scriptures for over thirteen centuries, before the existence of Protestantism.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

 

St Peter's confession of faith at Cesarea Philippi

St Matthew Chapter XVI : Verses 13-20

Contents

• Matt. xvi. 13-20.  Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
• Notes on the text.
• Additional Notes: Reason of our Lord's retirement ; Opinions concerning our Lord.

Matt. xvi. 13-20

Whom do men say that the Son of man is?  J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

13 And Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?

Venit autem Jesus in partes Cæsareæ Philippi : et interrogabat discipulos suos, dicens : Quem dicunt homines esse Filium hominis?

14 But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

At illi dixerunt : Alii Joannem Baptistam, alii autem Eliam, alii vero Jeremiam, aut unum ex prophetis.

15 Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?

Dicit illis Jesus : Vos autem, quem me esse dicitis?

16 Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.

Respondens Simon Petrus dixit : Tu es Christus, Filius Dei vivi.

17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.

Respondens autem Jesus, dixit ei : Beatus es Simon Bar Jona : quia caro et sanguis non revelavit tibi, sed Pater meus, qui in cælis est.

18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Et ego dico tibi, quia tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram ædificabo Ecclesiam meam, et portæ inferi non prævalebunt adversus eam.

19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Et tibi dabo claves regni cælorum. Et quodcumque ligaveris super terram, erit ligatum et in cælis : et quodcumque solveris super terram, erit solutum et in cælis.

20 Then he commanded his disciples, that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

Tunc præcepit discipulis suis ut nemini dicerent quia ipse esset Jesus Christus.

Notes

    13. the quarters of Cesarea Philippi. From the neighbourhood of Bethsaida Julias, Jesus with His disciples travelled northwards along the banks of Jordan for about ten miles, thence past the Waters of Merom, and on to Cesarea Philippi, in all a distance of twenty-five to thirty miles.

    Combining the three narratives we find that—

(a) Jesus went with His disciples into the towns of Cesarea Philippi.

(b) He retired for a time and was alone praying (St Luke).

(c) His disciples then rejoined Him.

(d) Jesus began to question them in the way (St Mark).

    Note. — Probably they found Him engaged in prayer, which He interrupted to question them. Jesus might have retired to pray while the apostles were resting awhile, and when they came to Him, He interrupted His prayer and continued the journey.

    Whom do men, etc. ? This question served as an introduction to the direct question. Whom do you say that I am ?

    the Son of man. The other Synoptists give : Whom do men say that I am ?

    14. But they said: Some John, etc. The apostles give three different opinions held by the people, namely —

    (1) He was John the Baptist risen from the dead,

    (2) He was Elias who had been taken up in a fiery chariot

    (3) or. He was Jeremias, or “one of the prophets” risen again. None of them con¬ fessed Him to be the Messias, but all agreed in accepting Him as the forerunner of the Messias. In answering this question, no reference is made to the Pharisees, who had decided that Jesus was an impostor. Our Lord inquired what opinion the people in general had of Him.

    16. Simon Peter answered, etc. His faith was more ardent than that of the other apostles, as seen by his demand to walk upon the waters. Moreover, he was naturally impetuous, and his deep love prompted him to anticipate the reply of the others. Possibly he feared lest his companions should not give our Lord His true title ; in any case, his answer was a repetition of that, which he made when Jesus asked the Twelve, Will you also go away ? And Simon Peter answered him : Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have known that thou art the Christ, the Son of God (St John vi. 68-70).

    Thou art Christ the Son, etc. The Anointed One, the Messias. The words the Son of the living God do not merely mean a holy man, but the Son of God, — i.e. God the Son, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. It is possible that St Peter did not fully realize all that his confession implied, since at this time, the apostles had not a clear conception of the doctrine of the Trinity. We see from our Lord’s question to St Philip, about a year later, that their knowledge was imperfect. Philip saith to him : Lord, shew us the Father .... Jesus saith to him : Have I been so long a time with you, and have you not known me ? Philip, he that seeth me, seeth the Father also. How sayest thou. Shew us the Father ? (St John xiv. 8, 9).

    St Peter’s faith was, however, strong enough to recognize Jesus, in all His lowliness and humiliation, as “ the Son of God. ” The old error of a Messias, who should have a glorious reign on earth, did indeed reveal itself again later, on more than one occasion, but the germ of the truth was at last taking root in his soul.

    Note. — Verses 17 to 19 have no parallels.

    17. Blessed art thou, etc. St Peter had proclaimed the dignity of Jesus, he had confessed Him to be the Son of God, and Christ dignifies His faithful apostle by making him the “ rock ” on which the Church of Christ was to be established. “ Where Peter is, there is the Church ” (St Ambrose). In the fourfold promise made by Clirist to St Peter, we have a certain proof that the Church is the one Infallible Guide for all time.

    (1) St Peter and his successors, the Popes of the Catholic Church, form the “rock’" on which the Church is built.

    (2) “The gates of hell ” (i.e. “ the devil ”) shall not prevail against it.

    (3) To St Peter and his successors are given the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that is, the power to open or to close heaven;  which is effected by the sacraments, indulgences, excommunications, and interdicts.

    (4) Finally, to the Church is confided the power of binding and loosing, i.e. of absolving from sin, properly called “ the power of the keys.” This gives the Church her authority.

    20. tell no one. There were reasons for this prohibition.

    (1) It was not yet time for the Divinity of our Lord to be revealed ; this truth was to be unfolded gradually, and St Peter proclaimed it with all boldness after the Ascension. (See Acts ii.31-36, iv. 8-12.)

    (2) Jesus wished to remove the idea of the temporal greatness of the Messias.

    (3) He willed to suffer for our salvation, and had the Jews known Him to be the Son of God they would never have crucified the Lord of Glory (1 Cor. ii. 8)

Additional Notes

    Reason of our Lord’s retirement. We may conjecture that Jesus wished to be alone with His disciples in order to instruct them further, and to prepare them for His approaching Passion and Death. Jesus had been rejected by the Jews, and after His discourse at Capharnaum “ many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him ” (St John vi. 67). There was a powerful coalition formed against Him, and He would now test His own disciples and see how far they had profited by the two years’ training which they had had, or whether they would leave Him and return to their old masters the Pharisees. It was an important crisis in their life ; they were asked to state their opinion concerning Him. It is the first recorded occasion on which Jesus questioned His disciples about Himself. Since they had witnessed His miracles and heard His teaching, it was natural that they should have had their own convictions about His Divine Person. Only on condition of their firmly believing Him to be the Messias, could He reveal to them the mystery of His Passion, which was now near at hand. St Luke tells us that before asking His disciples this important question “ he was alone praying,” as He had prayed in solitude before the calf of the apostles, and again before His Transfiguration.

    Opinions concerning our Lord. As far as we can gather, these different opinions each rested on a certain foundation.

    (1) Christ was believed to be St John the Baptist. This opinion would naturally have originated with Herod, who feared it might be so. The Galilean people would have heard of their tetrarch’s opinion and adopted it.

    (2) The Jews in general took Him for Elias. We see this from the disciples’ question. “ And his disciples asked him, saying : Why then do the scribes say that Elias must come first ? ” (St Matt. xvii. 10). They believed Elias would return to earth before the coming of the Messias. This view was based on the prophecy of Malachias iv. 5. The multiplication of the loaves and fishes would have reminded them of the miracle which Elias wrought for the widow of Sarephta when “ the pot of meal wasted not, and the cruse of oil was not diminished ” (3 Kings xvii. 16).

    (3) Some say Jeremias. In 2 Machabees ii. 5-7 we read ; “ And when Jeremias came thither he found a hollow cave : and he carried in thither the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door. Then some of them that followed him, came up to mark the place ; but they could not find it. And when Jeremias perceived it, he blamed them, saying : The place shall be unknown, till God gather together the congregation of the people, and receive them to mercy.” From these words the Jews concluded that Jeremias would return and reveal the hiding-place of the ark before the coming of the Messias. This universal opinion was strengthened by the apparition of Jeremias to Judas Machabeus : — “After this there appeared also another man, admirable for age, and glory, and environed with great beauty and majesty. Then Onias answering said : This is a lover of his brethren, and of the people of Israel ; this is he that prayeth much for the people, and for all the holy city, Jeremias the prophet of God. Whereupon Jeremias stretched forth his right hand, and gave to Judas a sword of gold, saying: Take this holy sword, a gift from God, wherewith thou shalt overthrow the adversaries of my people Israel” (2 Machabees xv. 13-16). “Jeremias’ freedom and boldness in denouncing the crimes of the Jews, of his own day, was so like the line of conduct pursued by our Redeemer in this respect ” (MacEvilly).

    (4) One of the prophets: risen again. This opinion was based on Deut. xviii. 15. That the two last opinions expressed were current among the Jews is proved by the questions put to St John the Baptist : “ And they asked him ; What then ? Art thou Elias ? And he said : I am not. Art thou the prophet 1 And he answered : No ” (St John i. 21).

    All these opinions are in harmony with the teaching of the Pharisees, who taught “that a just man can easily return to life” (Josephus). They probably heard the Pythagorean doctrine of the transmigration of souls, for it was certainly believed by some of their writers that the spirit of Jeremias had passed into Zacharias, and hence all agreed in taking Jesus to be an ancient prophet, now incarnate for the second time.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

s

The Pharisees ask for a sign from Heaven ; the leaven of the Pharisees

St Matthew Chapter XVI : Verses 1-12

Contents

• Matt. xvi. 1-12.  Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
• Notes on the text.
• Additional Notes: signs and portents ; the leaven of the Pharisees.

Matt. xvi. 1-12

The Pharisees and Sadducees tempting. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

1 And there came to him the Pharisees and Sadducees tempting: and they asked him to shew them a sign from heaven.

Et accesserunt ad eum pharisæi et sadducæi tentantes : et rogaverunt eum ut signum de cælo ostenderet eis.

2 But he answered and said to them: When it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.

At ille respondens, ait illis : Facto vespere dicitis : Serenum erit, rubicundum est enim cælum.

3 And in the morning: Today there will be a storm, for the sky is red and lowering. You know then how to discern the face of the sky: and can you not know the signs of the times?

Et mane : Hodie tempestas, rutilat enim triste cælum. Faciem ergo cæli dijudicare nostis : signa autem temporum non potestis scire? 

4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign: and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. And he left them, and went away.

Generatio mala et adultera signum quærit : et signum non dabitur ei, nisi signum Jonæ prophetæ. Et relictis illis, abiit.

5 And when his disciples were come over the water, they had forgotten to take bread.

Et cum venissent discipuli ejus trans fretum, obliti sunt panes accipere.

6 Who said to them: Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Qui dixit illis : Intuemini, et cavete a fermento pharisæorum et sadducæorum.

7 But they thought within themselves, saying: Because we have taken no bread.

At illi cogitabant intra se dicentes : Quia panes non accepimus.

8 And Jesus knowing it, said: Why do you think within yourselves, O ye of little faith, for that you have no bread?

Sciens autem Jesus, dixit : Quid cogitatis intra vos modicæ fidei, quia panes non habetis?

9 Do you not yet understand, neither do you remember the five loaves among five thousand men, and how many baskets you took up?

Nondum intelligitis, neque recordamini quinque panum in quinque millia hominum, et quot cophinos sumpsistis?

10 Nor the seven loaves among four thousand men, and how many baskets you took up?

neque septem panum in quatuor millia hominum, et quot sportas sumpsistis?

11 Why do you not understand that it was not concerning the bread I said to you: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?

Quare non intelligitis, quia non de pane dixi vobis : Cavete a fermento pharisæorum et sadducæorum?

12 Then they understood that he said not that they should beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Tunc intellexerunt quia non dixerit cavendum a fermento panum, sed a doctrina pharisæorum et sadducæorum.

Notes

    Note. — As regards matter we have a similar passage in St Luke (xii. 54-56), but as the wording and the context are different, we may conclude that the two Evangelists do not relate the same incident. In the third gospel the clouds are given as a prognostic of good or bad weather, and the words are addressed to the multitudes. The passage runs thus: And he said also to the multitudes: When you see a cloud rising from the west, presently you say : A shower is coming, and so it happeneth : And when ye see the south wind blow, you say : There will he heat, and it cometh to pass, etc.

    1. Pharisees and Sadducees. These sects were now for the first time uniting in their hostility to Christ.

    They probably came forth from Bethsaida or Capharnauni, where they seemed to have taken up their temporary abode. From the watch-towers of Magdala they may have seen Jesus and His disciples approaching.

    tempting. This word is colourless ; literally it signifies to try, to test : it may be used in a good or bad sense. The Pharisees, however, were tempting our Lord, with the foregone conclusion to condemn Him, and thus lower His prestige in the eyes of the people.

    asked him, etc. They had evidently agreed together to ask for a sign from heaven, some miraculous portent in the heavens, as a proof that His claims were legitimate. This proposition would have originated with the Pharisees, since the Sadducees did not believe in portents. Had Jesus given them a sign, they would have attributed it to diabolical agency.

    a sign from heaven. Asked as a condition of their allegiance. Thus Satan had promised : All these will I give thee, if falling down thou wilt adore me (supra, iv. 9). And the multitude who mocked Jesus in His agony likewise asked for a sign : Let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him (infra, xxvii. 42).

    2. But he answered and said, etc. St Mark prefaces our Lord’s answer with these words : And sighing deeply in spirit, he saith. Why doth this generation seek a sign ? Amen I say to you, a sign shall not be given to this generation.

    Our Lord was grieved at —

    (а) Their incredulity and jealousy.

    (b) Their rejection of His claims.

    (c) The guilt they thus incurred.

    When it is evening. Jesus reproaches them with being able to read the face of the heavens, whilst they were unable to discern the meaning of what was passing around them.

    “ Rabbinical schools made a point of teaching weather-lore : prognostications on this subject were greatly in vogue, and the rains of the coming year w'ere annually foretold.”

    It will he fair weather, etc. The passage runs literally : “ Fair weather ; the sky glows” (Εὐδία, πυρράζει γὰρ ὁ οὐρανός).

    3. in the morning. Lit. “early in the day” (πρωΐ·), corresponding to “ mane ” in Latin.

    To-day there will he a storm. Better, “ To-day, a storm ” (Σήμερον χειμών)

    lowering. (στυγνάζων) The word originally denotes a sullen countenance ; hence it is applied metaphorically to the heavens overcast with dark clouds.

    The word occurs in St Mark, where the rich young man is said to have been struck sad (στυγνάσας) when asked to give up his wealth (x. 22).

    4. A wicked and adulterous, etc. He speaks here not only of those present, but of the Jews as a race. On other occasions He had been asked to work some miracle as a sign of His divine authority ; e.g. after the first cleansing of the Temple, Jesus was asked. What sign dost thou shew unto us, seeing thou dost these things ? (St John ii. 18).

    a sign shall not he given it. No sign was to be given, other than those signs of the times which they could all see. Jesus referred to such signs as —

    (а) The sceptre had passed from Juda.

    (b) The seventy weeks of Daniel were accomplished.

    (c) The Incarnation had taken place.

    (d) .le.sus had been born at Bethlehem.

    (e) He had been called out of Egypt.

    (f) The Innocents had suffered martyrdom.

    (g) St John the Baptist had come in the spirit and power of Elias.

    (h) The blind, deaf, dumb, etc. were healed, and the dead were raised to life.

    the sign of Jonas. This is more fully explained by our Lord in another passage.

    he left them. He recrossed the lake in the direction of Bethsaida Julias. Cf. And leaving them, he went up again into the ship, and passed to the other side of the water (St Mark). Jesus left Galilee, never to return as a teacher. He went there once later, but secretly : They passed through Galilee, and he would not that any man should know it (St Mark).

    5. forgotten to take bread. That is, sufficient bread, for they had but one loaf with them in the ship (St Mark), Their departure had probably been hurried. The words may refer to their having forgotten to take food either —

    (a) When they took ship after the miracle of feeding the four thousand.

    (b) When they landed on the western side.

    (c) When they recrossed to the eastern side, after our Lord’s answer to the Pharisees.

    6. of the Pharisees and Sadducees, — i.e. of their false principles, and of their spirit of hypocrisy and worldliness, which led them to pay great attention to ceremonial observances, and to place them before the Laws of God. Thus they refused to eat with unwashed hands, but had no scruples about plotting against our Lord’s life.

    7. they thought within themselves. Better, “ they reasoned in themselves” (οἱ δὲ διελογίζοντο ἐν ἑαυτοῖς) ; also they reasoned among themselves (St Mark). They questioned one another, and taking the words literally, imagined that our Lord was either reproaching them for having neglected to take provisions, or that He forbade them to use bread which had been leavened according to the Pharisees’ traditions and prescriptions.

    8. Jesus knowing it. As He knew the thoughts of all men.

    Why do you think, etc.? In St Mark’s account, before reminding the disciples of the two previous miracles, we find our Lord saying to them. Have you still your heart blinded ? Having eyes, see you not ? and having ears, hear you not ?

    9. Do you not yet understand ? This is another rebuke for their dulness of comprehension (see xv. 16), and also for their solicitude about temporal matters. Though in that part of Galilee, to which they were going, it was difficult to obtain food, still the disciples ought to have trusted to their Master, and to have believed that, if necessary. He would have worked a miracle in their favour. The disciples lacked spiritual insight and confidence in Christ. Jesus reminded them of His miracles in order to animate their faith.

    12. the doctrine. The disciples had at last grasped the truth inculcated by Jesus. Our Lord here drops the metaphor of “leaven.” A similar passage is found in ch. xvii. : Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them of John the Bapjtist (verse 13). We frequently find the opposite statement made : They understood not the word (St Mark ix. 31. See also St Luke ii. 50, ix. 45 ; St John viii. 27, x. 6).

Additional Notes

    The Pharisees would have taken the initiative, since the Sadducees rejected “ signs and portents ” : here they apparently put aside their differences as regards creeds, and origin, they would then accept Him as the Messias. The Pharisees also naturally called to mind the signs worked by prophets of old. Thus in the Old Testament we read that—

    (a) Moses obtained three days of “ horrible darkness ”as a punishment upon the Egyptians. He likewise procured the Israelites manna from heaven.

    (b) Josue stayed the sun and moon.

    (c) Samuel brought down a violent thunder and hail storm in time of harvest. “A bolt from the blue.”

    (d) Elias called down fire on the sacrifice, and also on the two bands of men sent to take him.

    (e) Isaias brought back the shadow on the king’s dial.

    1. Came to him .... tempting. Lit. “ trying Him,” as the word primarily means. Custom has now given to this word a bad meaning, but originally it was neutral, and simply meant “ to test, to prove,” without reference to the motive of the trial. In Holy Scripture we find the word used in different senses, thus : —

    (a) “God tempted Abraham, and said to him; Abraham, Abraham. And he answered : Here I am ” (Gen. xxii. 1). God’s object in tempting man is clearly, not that He may know their dispositions, since He is omniscient, but that he may exercise and strengthen men’s virtues and render them evident to their fellows.

    Christ also tried Philip’s faith when He said, “ Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? And this he said to try him (tentans eum, Vulgate), for he himself knew what he would do ” (St John vi. 6, 6).

    (b) Men “tempt” God when —

(1) they ask for visible proofs of His power or presence,

(2) they doubt His goodness,

(3) they rashly expose themselves to danger, and

(4) they defy His judgments.

    Thus, God speaking to the Israelites concerning “ the provocation in the wilderness,” refers to the time when “ your fathers tempted me, they proved me, and saw my works” (Ps. xciv. 9). Man may sometimes, without sin, ask God for a sign of His will, as Gideon did when he asked that the fleece might be wet and the ground around dry.

    (c) Satan tempts man. In this case there is always solicitation to evil. Our Lord teaches us to pray against Satan’s “insidious suggestions,” “Lead us not into temptation.”

    4. A wicked and adulterous generation, — i.e. attached fondly to the world and its pleasures, and alienated from God. The Church is called the “ Bride of Christ.” Unfaithfulness to the Bridegroom is a kind of adultery. The same simile is used in the Old Testament —

    “ And the word of the Lord came to me saying ; Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying : Thus saith the Lord, I have remembered thee, pitying thy youth, and the love of thy espousals, when thou follow'edst me in the, desert, in a land that is not sown ” (Jer. ii. 2). Also St Paul, writing to the Corinthians, says, “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. xi. 2).

    The Leaven of the Pharisees.

    On Leaven. This word was generally considered by the rabbis as symbolical of corrupt or false principles. This view probably arose from the fact that the Jews were forbidden to partake of leavened bread or even to have it in their bouses during the Paschal season. As leaven permeates the dough, so principles influence doctrines.

    (1) Examples of ‘ ‘ leaven ” used in a bad sense : —

“ Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a little leaven corrupteth the whole lump ? Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleavened. For Christ our pasch is sacrificed ” (1 Cor. v. 6, 7). “ A little leaven corrupteth the whole lump ” (Gal. V. 9).

    (2) Example of ‘^leaven ” used in a good sense : —

Another parable he spoke to them ; The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened” (St Matt. xiii. 33).

    In warning His apostles against the “ leaven of the Pharisees,” Jesus was not referring to all their doctrines, and certainly not to those which were based on the law of Moses, since He Himself taught His disciples to respect their teaching on these points. “ The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do: but according to their works do ye not: for they say, and do not” (St Matt. xxiii. 2, 3). Our Lord refers to their hypocritical spirit and their formalism, and to those traditions by which they rendered void the law of God.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Healing and the feeding of the four thousand

St Matthew Chapter XV : Verses 29-39

Contents

• Matt. xv. 29-39.  Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
• Notes on the text.

Matt. xv. 29-39

 Healing the dumb, the blind, the lame... J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.  

29 And when Jesus had passed away from thence, he came nigh the sea of Galilee. And going up into a mountain, he sat there.

Et cum transisset inde Jesus, venit secus mare Galilææ : et ascendens in montem, sedebat ibi.

30 And there came to him great multitudes, having with them the dumb, the blind, the lame, the maimed, and many others: and they cast them down at his feet, and he healed them:

Et accesserunt ad eum turbæ multæ, habentes secum mutos, cæcos, claudos, debiles, et alios multos : et projecerunt eos ad pedes ejus, et curavit eos,

31 So that the multitudes marvelled seeing the dumb speak, the lame walk, and the blind see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

ita ut turbæ mirarentur, videntes mutos loquentes, claudos ambulantes, cæcos videntes : et magnificabant Deum Israel.

32 And Jesus called together his disciples, and said: I have compassion on the multitudes, because they continue with me now three days, and have not what to eat, and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

Jesus autem, convocatis discipulis suis, dixit : Misereor turbæ, quia triduo jam perseverant mecum, et non habent quod manducent : et dimittere eos jejunos nolo, ne deficiant in via.

 Feeding the four thousand. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.   

33 And the disciples say unto him: Whence then should we have so many loaves in the desert, as to fill so great a multitude?

Et dicunt ei discipuli : Unde ergo nobis in deserto panes tantos, ut saturemus turbam tantam?

34 And Jesus said to them: How many loaves have you? But they said: Seven, and a few little fishes.

Et ait illis Jesus : Quot habetis panes? At illi dixerunt : Septem, et paucos pisciculos.

35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground.

Et præcepit turbæ ut discumberent super terram.

36 And taking the seven loaves and the fishes, and giving thanks, he brake, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the people.

Et accipiens septem panes, et pisces, et gratias agens, fregit, et dedit discipulis suis, et discipuli dederunt populo.

37 And they did all eat, and had their fill. And they took up seven baskets full, of what remained of the fragments.

Et comederunt omnes, et saturati sunt. Et quod superfuit de fragmentis, tulerunt septem sportas plenas.

38 And they that did eat, were four thousand men, beside children and women.

Erant autem qui manducaverunt quatuor millia hominum, extra parvulos et mulieres.

39 And having dismissed the multitude, he went up into a boat, and came into the coasts of Magedan.

Et, dimissa turba, ascendit in naviculam : et venit in fines Magedan.

Notes

Note.— Verses 29-31 have no parallels.

    29. from thence. From the confines of Tyre and Sidon. Jesus returned by a journey northward through the region of Sidon, or skirting it, and then by the cities of Decapolis which lay on the east and south of the lake. This is one of the longest journeys of our Lord which the gospel records.

    a mountain. Better, “ the mountain” (τὸ ὄρος). The lake is bounded by hills on the north and north-east.

    30. great multitudes. Many of whom came from afar (St Mark).

    having with them the dumb, etc. The original word used may mean deaf or dumh (κωφούς). It is applied to one whose senses are blunted.

    “The catalogue of sufferers that follows, represents accurately the sight that meets one in Oriental towns and villages, where the absence of medical appliances, and the general want of surgical treatment, render slight maladies or injuries chronic and inveterate, and fill the streets with persons in all stages of disease.”

    maimed. (κυλλούς) This word is rather difficult to translate. It means deformed, or deprived of the use of some member ; hence in the next verse we find inserted in some MSS. “the maimed, whole" (κυλλοὺς ὑγιεῖς). They are not found in א nor in the Vulgate, nor in several other ancient versions.

    many others. In what an almost infinite variety of forms does disease, the work of sin, ravage and prey upon the body of man. How much suffering is comprised in these two words, many others !

    cast them down. To move His compassion.

    31. the God of Israel. Many of those who were healed were doubtless pagans.

    32. Jesus called together, etc. This happened sometime during our Lord’s ministry in Northern Galilee. Jesus called His disciples in order to prepare them for the miracle which He was about to work, by giving the reasons why He should help the people. His compassion was excited by —

    (a) Their perseverance in following Him for three days.

    (b) Their extreme poverty: they lacked necessary food.

    (c) They were exhausted in consequence, and unable to return without fainting in the way.

    Notice that man’s necessity always calls forth God’s compassion.

    faint in the way. Some had come from afar off (St Mark).

    33. Whence then should we, etc. ? The disciples, again without knowledge, and still wanting understanding concerning the loaves, which Christ had previously multiplied, did not seem to anticipate another miracle. Perhaps their faith was not strong enough to lead them to expect a repetition, or it is possible that, as many of the multitude would necessarily be Gentiles, they imagined Jesus would not work a like miracle for them.

    desert. Which wilderness is not mentioned. We know it was on the eastern side of the lake, and probably farther south than the scene of the first miracle.

    34. How many loaves have you ? This time the loaves and fishes evidently belonged to the apostles.

    36. taking the seven loaves. In exactly the same order as on the first multiplication of the loaves and fishes, Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks (consequently. He blessed the loaves), and gave to his disciples to distribute.

    37. seven baskets. The “spuris” or rope basket used by fishermen (σπυρίς, a large basket, a creel). In such a basket or net St Paul was let down from the window when lie escaped from Damascus. But the disciples taking him in the night, conveyed him away by the wall, letting him down in a basket (Acts ix. 25).

    39. Magedan. St Mark gives Dalmanutha (viii. 10). These may be two names of one place, or two proximate places. Most commentators agree that the reference is to the Migdal or Magdalel of the Old Testament, one of the ancient strong cities (Jos. xix. 38), the El-Medjel of modern times. It is on the western side of the lake, about three miles north of Tiberias.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.