We continue October's posts with the writings of St Thomas Aquinas on the prayers used in the Rosary. We began with the Angelic Salutation and then shifted our focus to what he wrote on the Lord's Prayer.
 |
| Lord, teach us how to pray... J-J Tissot. |
The footnote references follow each section.
Petition 3: Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven
Articulus 3: Fiat voluntas tua sicut in caelo, et in terra
The third gift which the Holy Ghost works in us is said to be the gift of knowledge. The Holy Ghostdoes not only work in good men His gifts of fear and piety, (which is a sweet affection for God, as we said), but \He also makes a man wise. This is what David sought: “Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge;”[1] This is the knowledge by which a man lives well, which the Holy Ghost teaches us. Amongst all the things which make for knowledge and wisdom in man, the most important wisdom is that man should not lean upon his own opinion: “Lean not upon thy own prudence.”[2] For those who out first their own judgement, so that they give no credence to others but only themselves, are ivariably found and judged to be stupid: “Hast thou seen a man wise in his own conceit? there shall be more hope of a fool than of him.”[3]
Tertium donum quod efficit in nobis spiritus sanctus, dicitur donum scientiae. Ipse enim spiritus sanctus non solum efficit in bonis donum timoris et donum pietatis, quae est dulcis affectus ad Deum, ut dictum est, sed etiam facit hominem sapientem. Et hoc petebat David in Psal. CXVIII, 66, dicens: bonitatem et disciplinam et scientiam doce me. Et haec est scientia qua homo bene vivit, quam docuit nos spiritus sanctus. Inter alia autem quae faciunt ad scientiam et sapientiam hominis potissima sapientia est, quod homo non innitatur sensui suo. Prov. III, 5: ne innitaris prudentiae tuae. Nam illi qui praesumunt de sensu suo, ita quod non credunt aliis, sed sibi tantum, semper inveniuntur et iudicantur stulti. Prov. XXVI, 12: vidisti hominem sapientem sibi videri? Magis illo spem habebit insipiens.
[1] Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge; for I have believed thy commandments. Bonitatem, et disciplinam, et scientiam doce me, quia mandatis tuis credidi. [Ps. cxviii. 66]
[2] Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence. Habe fiduciam in Domino ex toto corde tuo, et ne innitaris prudentiae tuae. [Prov. iii. 5]
[3] Hast thou seen a man wise in his own conceit? there shall be more hope of a fool than of him. Vidisti hominem sapientem sibi videri? magis illo spem habebit insipiens. [Prov. xxvi. 12]
The Will of God
That a man does not give credence to his own judgement proceeds from his humility: “Where humility is, there also is wisdom.”[1] The proud, however, believe in themselves too much. The Holy Ghost therefore teaches this, that through the gift of knowledge we should not do our own will but God’s will. And so, on account of this, we ask from God that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In this appears the gift of knowledge. Whence in this way is said unto God, “Thy will be done,” just as when someone is sick and wants something from a physician, he precisely does not want his own but the physician’s will to be done. Otherwise, if he wanted only his will to be done, he would be foolish. Thus we ought to ask of God nothing other than that His will be done in us, that is to say that His will should be accomplished in us. Thus the heart of man is right when it is in accord with the divine will. This Christ did: “ I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.”[2] For Christ, according as He is God, has the same will as the Father; but according as He is man, He has a will other than His Father’s; and following from this He says He is not doing His own will but His Father’s. Thus He teaches us to pray and to ask: “Thy will be done.”
Quod autem homo non credat sensui suo, procedit ex humilitate: unde et locus humilitatis est sapientia, ut dicitur Prov. XI. Superbi autem sibi ipsis nimis credunt. Docet ergo hoc spiritus sanctus per donum scientiae, ut scilicet non faciamus voluntatem nostram, sed voluntatem Dei. Et ideo propter hoc donum petimus a Deo ut fiat voluntas sua sicut in caelo et in terra. Et in hoc apparet donum scientiae. Unde hoc modo dicitur Deo, fiat voluntas tua, sicut si esset unus infirmus, et vellet aliquid a medico, non praecise vult, sed de voluntate medici; alias si tantum de voluntate sua vellet, esset stultus. Sic nos a Deo nihil petere debemus nisi quod fiat de nobis voluntas sua, idest ut voluntas sua compleatur in nobis. Tunc enim est rectum cor hominis quando concordat cum voluntate divina. Hoc Christus fecit: Ioan. VI, 38: descendi de caelo, non ut faciam voluntatem meam, sed eius qui misit me. Christus enim, secundum quod Deus, eandem voluntatem habet cum patre; sed, secundum quod homo, habet aliam voluntatem a patre: et secundum hanc dicit se non facere voluntatem suam sed patris. Et ideo docet nos orare et petere: fiat voluntas tua.
[1] Where pride is, there also shall be reproach: but where humility is, there also is wisdom. Ubi fuerit superbia, ibi erit et contumelia; ubi autem est humilitas, ibi et sapientia. [Prov. xi. 2]
[2] Because I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. quia descendi de caelo, non ut faciam voluntatem meam, sed voluntatem ejus qui misit me. [Ioan. vi. 38]
No comments:
Post a Comment