St Luke Chapter XIV : Verses 25-35
Contents
- Luke xiv. Verses 25-35. Douay-Rheims (Challoner) text & Latin text (Vulgate)
- Douay-Rheims 1582 text
- Annotations based on the Great Commentary
Luke xiv. Verses 25-35.
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| And turning, he said to them. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
Ibant autem turbæ multæ cum eo : et conversus dixit ad illos :
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Si quis venit ad me, et non odit patrem suum, et matrem, et uxorem, et filios, et fratres, et sorores, adhuc autem et animam suam, non potest meus esse discipulus.
27 And whosoever doth not carry his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Et qui non bajulat crucem suam, et venit post me, non potest meus esse discipulus.
28 For which of you having a mind to build a tower, doth not first sit down, and reckon the charges that are necessary, whether he have wherewithal to finish it:
Quis enim ex vobis volens turrim ædificare, non prius sedens computat sumptus, qui necessarii sunt, si habeat ad perficiendum,
29 Lest, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that see it begin to mock him,
ne, posteaquam posuerit fundamentum, et non potuerit perficere, omnes qui vident, incipiant illudere ei,
30 Saying: This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
dicentes : Quia hic homo cœpit ædificare, et non potuit consummare?
31 Or what king, about to go to make war against another king, doth not first sit down, and think whether he be able, with ten thousand, to meet him that, with twenty thousand, cometh against him?
Aut quis rex iturus committere bellum adversus alium regem, non sedens prius cogitat, si possit cum decem millibus occurrere ei, qui cum viginti millibus venit ad se?
32 Or else, whilst the other is yet afar off, sending an embassy, he desireth conditions of peace.
Alioquin adhuc illo longe agente, legationem mittens rogat ea quae pacis sunt.
33 So likewise every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, cannot be my disciple.
Sic ergo omnis ex vobis, qui non renuntiat omnibus quæ possidet, non potest meus esse discipulus.
34 Salt is good. But if the salt shall lose its savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
Bonum est sal : si autem sal evanuerit, in quo condietur?
35 It is neither profitable for the land nor for the dunghill, but shall be cast out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Neque in terram, neque in sterquilinium utile est, sed foras mittetur. Qui habet aures audiendi, audiat.
Douay-Rheims : 1582 text
25. And great multitudes went with him; and turning, he ſaid to them:
26. If any man come to me and hateth not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea and his owne life besides; he can not be my Disciple.
27. And he that doth not beare his croſſe and come after me; can not by my Diſciple.
28. For, which of you minding to build a toure, doth not first ſit downe and reckon the charges that are neceſſarie, whether he haue to finiſh it:
29. leſt, after that he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finiſh it, al that ſee it, begin to mocke him,
30. ſaying, That this man began to build, and he could not finiſh it?
31. Or what King about to goe to make warre againſt an other King, doth not firſt sit downe and thinke whether he be able with ten thouſands to meete him that with twentie thouſands commeth againſt him?
32. Otherwiſe whiles he is yet farre off, ſending a legacie he asketh thoſe things that belong to peace.
33. So therfore euery one of you that doth not renounce al that he poſſeſſeth, can not be my Diſciple.
34. Salt is good. But if the ſalt leeſe his vertue, wherewith shal it be seasoned?
35. It is profitable neither for the ground, nor for the dunghil, but it ſhal be caſt forth. He that hath eares to heare, let him heare.
Annotations
26. If any man come to me,, &c. That having left all (ver. 33) he may, with the Apostles and the seventy disciples, follow Me, the Master and Teacher of perfection.
All these things are of evangelical counsel, and not of precept; although they may be said in a measure to extend to all Christians, inasmuch as they are bound to hate their parents, i.e. to give up the love of their friends and relations—even the love of life, if such love oppose itself to the law of Christ. Hence Maldonatus thinks this to be of precept; Jansenius, of counsel. But see S. Matt. x. 37.
Suarez (lib. ii. De Concurs. Dom.) says, “to hate” signifies the same as “to love less,” in which sense it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” Rom. ix.13.
28. For which of you having a mind to build a tower, &c. By means of this parable Christ would teach us with what prudence we ought to test our bodily, and above all our spiritual strength, as well as such gifts of grace as we may possess, before we attempt to build the lofty tower of evangelical perfection, and declare war against ourselves, our passions, our friends and the whole world; lest afterward, recoiling from so great an undertaking, we incur the loss of all our outlay, and also the reproach of having rashly commenced a building which we were unable to finish, and of having entered upon a war in which we were worsted.
“He counts the cost,” says the Gloss, “who perceives that money will have to be spent, i.e. that the heart must be weaned from corrupt desires, and the soul prepared for adversity.”
Symbolically. Salmeron (tom. vii. tract 24) says, “Christ puts forth two parables to teach the rulers of the Church that they must be skilled both in action and in contemplation, the one about building a tower, which is a symbol of contemplative life, for a tower commands an extensive prospect; the other, about engaging in war against a hostile king, which is significative of the active life.
“For those who are novices in the way of God, and are learning, as it were, the first elements of the perfect life, are called upon to battle with their enemies, and to fight against their vices and evil passions.
“By the tower therefore we may understand the religious state, which is coupled to the contemplative life.
“1. Because as a tower overtops all other buildings, so does a life of religion excel all other vocations and callings.
“2. As a tower gives grace to a city, so is the religious life an ornament to the Church.
“3. As a tower is a look-out, to discover the movements of the enemy, so in the contemplative life we look forth on the wiles of our adversary, and on the good and evil laid up in futurity.
“4. As a tower is a protection to them that dwell therein, so is a life of religion a defence against the world, the flesh and the devil, and a safe storehouse for the fruits of good works. So it is written, Cant. iv. 4, ‘Thy neck, is as the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks: a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armour of valiant men.,’ i.e. the bucklers of holy vows, holy examples, and holy observances.
“5. As every one ought to count the cost before he commences to build a tower, so a year is given a novice in order that he may make trial of his fitness for the religious life. For he whose heart is fixed on heaven looks down as from a lofty tower upon the world which lies beneath, and counts it worthless.”
So S. Chrysostom (hom. 15 ad. Pop.), says: “Just as to those who look back from the highest mountain tops, not only men and trees but even entire cities look small, and great armies seem to be creeping about like ants, so to those whose minds are uplifted by the constant contemplation of heavenly things, all human affairs, power, glory, riches, and the like, seem minute and worthless: unworthy of the greatness of the immortal soul.”
Hear also the lament of S. Gregory, when he was called from a religious order to be the Pope: “Seeking nothing, in this world, and fearing nothing, I seemed to stand on a certain eminence, so that I thought that the promise of God, ‘Then shalt thou be delighted in the Lord, and I will lift thee up above the high places of the earth, and will feed thee with the inheritance of Jacob thy father.’ (Isa. lviii. 14), had well-nigh been fulfilled in me. For he rides upon the high places of the earth, who despises and treads under feet all that this world counts great and glorious. But suddenly cast down from this eminence, and plunged into the whirl of temptation, I have became a prey to terror and affright, for although I fear nothing for myself, I fear much for those committed to my charge” (Lib. 1, epist. 5 and 6).
31. Or what king, about to go to make war against another king, &c. By this, says Titus, we are given to understand that we have a war to wage against the hostile powers of Satan and that law which, reigning in our members, is continually the cause of inward perturbation and strife.
So also S. Cyril: “The ten thousand of him who is going to fight with the king, who has double the number, signify the simplicity of the Christian about to contend with the subtlety of the devil.” And Theophylact: “The king is sin, and devils are his satellites, who, compared to us, are considered to have greater strength.”
But S. Gregory (Hom. 37) gives another interpretation. “The king that is about to come against us is Christ, who will come with a double army against a single one. For while we are scarcely prepared in deeds only, He will discomfit us at once, both in thought and deed. Let us send Him therefore an embassy; our tears, our works of mercy, and propitiatory victim.”
32. Or else, whilst the other is yet afar off, &c. This verse gives completeness to the parable, but is not to be taken as the teaching of Christ, for we may not bargain with either the evil spirits or our vices; against these we must wage ἄσπονδον πόλεμον, an irreconcilable war.
This verse may however be interpreted in this way—
“He that desires to follow me perfectly in poverty and in the preaching of the gospel, must make an entire surrender of self, and give up parents, friends, and possessions, thus making them enemies.
“But if he see that he has not strength enough for this, let him make conditions of peace with them, and bind himself by the gospel precepts only, leaving for others the counsels of poverty, obedience, and the preaching of salvation. For this is that which Christ would teach, as is clear from the following verse; hence he makes mention of two armies, two leaders, and two banners, one His own, and the other that of Lucifer. Wherefore the Apostles and their successors have need to bear in mind that they are engaged in actual warfare against the devil and his angels.” S. Cyril.
33. So likewise every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, &c. This is the post-parable, and sums up the teaching of the parable itself. “He who refuseth to give up all, in order that he may live a life of evangelical perfection, cannot be My disciple as the Apostles were.” And again, It would be better for him who is unwilling to give up all, when persecution or necessity demand it, and will not submit to the loss of possessions, family, and even life itself for the gospel’s sake, not to take My yoke upon him, rather than having begun to lead a Christian life, to fall away and apostatise from the faith. For such an one adds the sin of apostasy to that of unbelief, according to the Scripture: “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of justice, than after they have known it, to turn back from that holy commandment which was delivered to them.” 2 S. Pet. ii. 21.
Christ here teaches us that to become a disciple is no child’s play, but a work for men, needing great gifts of grace, and much strength of purpose and much vigour of mind.
The Christians of the first three centuries, particularly those of Rome, in time of persecution, cheerfully made sacrifice of their fortunes, their liberty and their lives, for the gospel’s sake. “Few,” says Bede, “are wishing to leave all and give up earthly cares; but it is for every one who is faithful to renounce all, i.e. so to hold the things that are of the world, that he may not be held in the world.”
Hear also S. Gregory (hom. 36): I “would advise you to leave all, but I dare not. But if you are not able to give up all, be masters of your earthly possessions; let them not gain the mastery over you.”
34. Salt is good. But if the salt shall lose its savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?. Salt is good as long as it retains its peculiar properties. So also ye who are my Apostles, as long as ye preserve your spiritual powers, will be useful to the world to season it with the salt of gospel faith and wisdom. But if ye lose your savour, ye will be good for nothing but to be despised and trodden under feet of men, for there is no one to season or correct you. Bede.
This parable applies not only to the Apostles, but in a measure to all Christians. For they ought, by the innocence of their lives and their good example, to season unbelievers who are, as it were, unsalted.
35. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Let him hear and meditate on what I say and teach. Our Lord calls attention to the seriousness and the difficulty of the matter about which He has been teaching.
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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.
The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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