Christ's discourse continued: Love your enemies

St Luke Chapter VI : Verses 27-38

Contents

• Luke vi. 27-38.  Douay-Rheims (Challoner) text & Latin text (Vulgate).
• Annotations: from the Great Commentary by Cornelius A Lapide
• Douay-Rheims 1582 text

Luke vi. 27-38.

Love your enemies. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

27 But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you.

Sed vobis dico, qui auditis : diligite inimicos vestros, benefacite his qui oderunt vos.

28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you.

Benedicite maledicentibus vobis, et orate pro calumniantibus vos.

29 And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also.

Et qui te percutit in maxillam, præbe et alteram. Et ab eo qui aufert tibi vestimentum, etiam tunicam noli prohibere.

30 Give to every one that asketh thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.

Omni autem petenti te, tribue : et qui aufert quæ tua sunt, ne repetas.

31 And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner.

Et prout vultis ut faciant vobis homines, et vos facite illis similiter.

32 And if you love them that love you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also love those that love them.

Et si diligitis eos qui vos diligunt, quæ vobis est gratia? nam et peccatores diligentes se diligunt.

33 And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also do this.

Et si benefeceritis his qui vobis benefaciunt, quae vobis est gratia? siquidem et peccatores hoc faciunt.

34 And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? for sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much.

Et si mutuum dederitis his a quibus speratis recipere, quæ gratia est vobis? nam et peccatores peccatoribus fœnerantur, ut recipiant æqualia.

35 But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil.

Verumtamen diligite inimicos vestros : benefacite, et mutuum date, nihil inde sperantes : et erit merces vestra multa, et eritis filii Altissimi, quia ipse benignus est super ingratos et malos.

36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Estote ergo misericordes sicut et Pater vester misericors est.

37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.

Nolite judicare, et non judicabimini : nolite condemnare, et non condemnabimini. Dimitte, et dimittemini.

38 Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.

Date, et dabitur vobis : mensuram bonam, et confertam, et coagitatam, et supereffluentem dabunt in sinum vestrum. Eadem quippe mensura, qua mensi fueritis, remetietur vobis.

Annotations from the Great Commentary

[Based on version provided by New Advent, with Scriptural references taken from Douay-Rheims (Challoner) translation]

   27. But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. Christ, after solemnly warning those who live for pleasure alone, now addresses His own disciples. “I have denounced woe against the wicked, but to you who hear my words, and seek the salvation of your souls, I give as a first and chief commandment that you should love your enemies.” See S. Matt. v. 44.

    30. Give to every one that asketh thee. Not only if he is in want of the necessaries of life, but if he needs counsel, advice, or aid of any kind, for thus ye will be showing mercy and pity both to the souls and bodies of your fellow men. See S. Matt. v. 42. S. Luke here adds the words “to every man,” which S. Matt. omits, from which we are to understand that we are to give as far as we honestly and rightly can to every one that asketh, but not to one that asketh for anything or everything. For a man may ask us to give him money for a wrongful purpose, or even to commit actual sin. Hence we are only bound to give that which, as far as we know, will neither be hurtful to ourselves, or to him that receiveth the gift: and in case we refuse to give, we must justify our refusal, so that he who asks may not go discontented away.

    To every one therefore that asketh of thee, give not always that which he asks, but oftentimes that which is better—a denial if the request is one which we can show that it would be wrong to comply with. S. Augustine.

    and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again., neither by power of law or in any other way, as S. Augustine explains. Which is a command, in the case of one who, under pressure of want, has despoiled thee, but is otherwise a counsel. So we read, “and you exact of all your debtors.” Isa. lviii. 3.

    And again in the parable, the unmerciful servant, because he had no pity, was delivered to the tormentors until he should pay all the debt which had been forgiven him. S. Matt. xviii. So Spiridion, and many hermits of old, gave up to the owners the sheep which they had stolen.

    34. And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? for sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much. For this is not kindness but commerce, the exchange of kindness for kindness. Ye give for what ye hope to receive, not for love of God; and thus the hope of a return of the benefit conferred deprives the act of the favour of God. Interlinear Gloss.

    35. and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; “From men,” adds the Syriac, “that you may receive your reward of God.”

    nothing, i.e. no pledge or return of any kind. Christ would have us lend, not only without exacting usury for the loan, but also without expecting a similar kindness in return. For what is it but self-seeking and avarice, if I lend to another that he in his turn may lend to me? Christ here enjoins the true benevolence which lends freely, content that at the appointed time the loan should be returned. Some, indeed, think that there should be no return, but the words of Christ do not bear this construction. For that which is lent without expectation of return, is given, not lent, and becomes not a loan but a gift. Toletus, Lessius, Valentia, and others.

    Hence to seek to profit by a loan is contrary to the meaning of the word and the nature of the transaction. For the word mutuum (in the Greek δανείζητε, mutuum date, Vulgate), implies that they are mutuo animo, who give because of duty (Varro); or, as Verius Marcellus better explains it, mutuum means the same as meum tuum, because out of friendly feeling mine becomes thine for present needs and necessities. Hence S. Gregory Nyssen. writes, “He who exacts interest on a loan, is condemned as a usurer;” for a loan is a friendly transaction, freely given and to be freely restored. Cicero, Epist. ad Metcllum.

    A kindly-hearted man, therefore, will lend to him who is in need, even though he may have reason to believe he will never be repaid, for there are many poor who cannot, and many unworthy persons who will not return that which is lent them.

    Hence a witty writer, “If you lend to your friend and ask a return of the loan, you will lose either the one or the other;” and again, “By lending money, I have purchased to myself an enemy and lost a friend.” He therefore who lends should lend for the love of God, who will richly repay, as is written, “He that hath mercy on the poor, lendeth to the Lord: and he will repay him.” See Prov. xix.17.

    Hence S. Chrysostom: “The poor receive the gift, but God becomes the debtor;” and S. Basil (conc. 4 de Eleemosyna) “That which thou art about to give to the poor for the love of God, becomes both a gift and a loan,—a gift, because there is no expectation of return—a loan, because of the goodness of God, who will richly recompense in their name those who have relieved the necessities of the poor.”

    Wherefore we may take in a Christian sense that which is written: “Lose thy money for thy brother and thy friend.” See Ecclus. xxix.10. But when men take that which is lent, without a thought of returning it, no one is willing to become a lender.

    38. Give, and it shall be given to you: Many are lavish of their promises, few are liberal in their gifts. Hence Antigonus, as Plutarch tells us, was commonly called Doson, because he was always ready to say δώσω, I will give, but never performed his promise of giving. Therefore, Christ bids us “give,” i.e. give at once and without delay, and it shall be given you.

    For God puts it in the hearts of men amply to repay a liberal giver. It is said that a certain monastery became rich because of the large amounts expended in charity, but that, when these were withheld, it was reduced to poverty. When the steward was complaining of this to one whom he was entertaining, the guest said Date and dabitur are sisters: you cast out the former, and soon her sister and inseparable companion followed. If you wish the latter to return, recall the former, and give as largely as you were accustomed to do. See verse 27, S. Matt. v. 42, and elsewhere. For almsgiving enriches and does not impoverish. Hence S. Chrysostom says it is the most profitable of all acts. And Christ has declared that the merciful are blessed, for they shall obtain mercy. See S. Matt. v.7.

Douay-Rheims : 1582 text

27. But to you I ſay that doe heare: Loue your enemies, doe good to them that hate you.

28. Bleſſe them that curſe you, and pray for them that calumniate you.

29. And he that ſtriketh thee on the cheeke, offer alſo the other. And from him that taketh away from thee thy robe, prohibit not thy coate alſo.

30. And to euery one that aſketh thee, giue, and of him that taketh away the things that are thine, aske not againe.

31. And according as you wil that men doe to you, doe you alſo to them in like manner.

32. And if you loue them that loue you, what thanke is to you? for ſinners also loue them that loue you.

33. And if ye doe good to them that doe you good: what thanke is to you? for ſinners also doe this.

34. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receaue; what thanke is to you? for ſinners also lend vnto ſinners, for to receaue as much.

35. But loue ye your enemies; doe good and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward ſhal be much, and you ſhal be the Sonnes of the Higheſt, because him ſelf is beneficial vpon the vnkind and the euil.

36. ⋮Be ye therfore merciful as alſo your Father is merciful.

37. Iudge not, & you ſhal not be iudged. Condemne not, & you ſhal not be condemned. Forgiue, and you ſhal be forgiuen.

38. Giue, and there ſhal be giuen to you. Good meaſure & pressed downe and ſhaken togeather and running ouer ſhal they giue into your boſome. For with the ſame meaſure that you doe mete, it ſhal be measured to you againe.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.