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1 <html>
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2 <head>
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3 </head>
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4 <body style=text-align:justify><blockquote>
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5 <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 60pt">2</span></p>
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6 <p style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0.125in">LECTURE I</p>
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7 <BLOCKQUOTE><p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2
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8 Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the feast. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of
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9 Jesus said to him, &#8220;They have no more wine.&#8221; 4 Jesus then said to her, &#8220;Woman, what does that
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10 have to do with me and you? My time has not yet come.&#8221; 5 His mother said to the servants, &#8220;Do
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11 whatever he tells you.&#8221; 6 Now there were six stone water jars near by for purifications according
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12 to Jewish customs, each holding two or three metretes. 7 Jesus said to them, &#8220;Fill those jars with
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13 water.&#8221; And they filled them to the top. 8 Then Jesus said to them, &#8220;Now pour out a drink and
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14 take it to the head waiter.&#8221; They did as he instructed them. 9 Now when the head waiter tasted
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15 the water made wine, and not knowing where it came from (although the servants knew, since
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16 they had drawn the water), he called the groom over 10 and said to him, &#8220;People usually serve
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17 the choice wines first, and when the guests have had their fill, then they bring out inferior wine;
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18 but you have saved the best wine until now.&#8221; 11 This beginning of signs Jesus worked in Cana
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19 of Galilee; and Jesus revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.</p></BLOCKQUOTE>
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20 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">335 Above, the Evangelist showed the dignity of the incarnate Word and gave various evidence
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21 for it. Now he begins to relate the effects and actions by which the divinity of the incarnate Word
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22 was made known to the world. First, he tells the things Christ did, while living in the world, that
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23 show his divinity. Secondly, he tells how Christ showed his divinity while dying; and this from
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24 chapter twelve on.</p>
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25 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">As to the first he does two things. First, he shows the divinity of Christ in relation to the power
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26 he had over nature. Secondly, in relation to the effects of grace; and this from chapter three on.
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27 Christ&#8217;s power over nature is pointed out to us by the fact that he changed a nature. And this
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28 change was accomplished by Christ as a sign: first, to his disciples, to strengthen them; secondly,
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29 to the people, to lead them to believe (2:12). This transformation of a nature, in order to
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30 strengthen the disciples, was accomplished at a marriage, when he turned water into wine. First,
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31 the marriage is described. Secondly, those present. Thirdly, the miracle performed hy Christ.</p>
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32 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">330 In describing the marriage, the time is first mentioned. Hence he says. On the <span style="font-weight: bold">third day
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33 there was a wedding, </span>i.e., after the calling of the disciples mentioned earlier. For, after being
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34 made known by the testimony of John, Christ also wanted to make himself known. Secondly, the
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35 place is mentioned; hence he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">at Cana in Galilee. </span>Galilee is a province, and Cana a small
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36 village located in that province.</p>
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37 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">337 As far as the literal meaning is concerned, we should note that there are two opinions about
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38 the time of Christ&#8217;s preaching. Some say that there were two and a half years from Christ&#8217;s
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39 baptism until his death. According to them, the events at this wedding took place in the same year
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40 that Christ was baptized. However, both the teaching and practice of the Church are opposed to
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41 this. For three miracles are commemorated on the feast of the Epiphany: the adoration of the
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42 Magi, which took place in the first year of the Lord&#8217;s birth; secondly, the baptism of Christ,
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43 which implies that he was baptized on the same day thirty years later; thirdly, this marriage,
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44 which took place on the same day one year later. It follows from this that at least one year elapsed
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45 between his baptism and this marriage. In that year the only things recorded to have been done
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46 by the Lord are found in the sixth chapter of Matthew: the fasting in the desert, and the
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47 temptation by the devil; and what John tells us in this Gospel of the testimony by the Baptist and
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48 the conversion of the disciples. After this wedding, Christ began to preach publicly and to
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49 perform miracles up to the time of his passion, so that he preached publicly for two and one half
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50 years.</p>
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51 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">338 In the mystical sense, marriage signifies the union of Christ with his Church, because as the
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52 Apostle says: &#8220;This is a great mystery: I am speaking of Christ and his Church&#8221; (Eph 5:32). And
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53 this marriage was begun In the womb of the Virgin, when God the Father united a human nature
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54 to his Son in a unity of person. So, the chamber of this union was the womb of the Virgin: &#8220;He
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55 established a chamber for the sun&#8221; (Ps 18:6). Of this marriage it is said: &#8220;The kingdom of heaven
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56 is like a king who married his son&#8221; (Mt 22:2), that is, when God the Father joined a human nature
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57 to his Word in the womb of the Virgin. It was made public when the Church was joined to him
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58 by faith: &#8220;I will bind you to myself in faith&#8221; (Hos 2:20). We read of this marriage: &#8220;Blessed are
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59 they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb&#8221; (Rv 19:9). It will be consummated when
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60 the bride, i.e., the Church, is led into the resting place of the groom, i.e., into the glory of heaven.</p>
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61 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">The fact that this marriage took place on the third day is not without it own mystery. For the first
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62 day is the time of the law of nature; the second day is the time of the written law. but the third
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63 day is the time of grace, when the incarnate Lord celebrated the marriage: &#8220;He will revive Lis
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64 after two days: on the third day he will raise us up&#8221; (Hos 6:3).</p>
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65 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">The place too is appropriate. For &#8220;Cana&#8221; means &#8220;zeal and &#8220;Galilee&#8221; means &#8220;passage.&#8221; So this
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66 marriage was celebrated in the zeal of a passage, to suggest that those persons are most worthy
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67 of union with Christ who, burning with the zeal of a conscientious devotion, pass over from the
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68 state of guilt to the grace of the Church. &#8220;Pass over to me, all who desire me&#8221; (Sir 24:26). And
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69 they pass from death to life, i.e., from the state of mortality and misery to the state of immortality
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70 and glory: &#8220;I make all things new&#8221; (Rv 21:5).</p>
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71 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">339 Then the persons invited are described. Mention is made of three: the mother of Jesus, Jesus
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72 himself, and the disciples.</p>
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73 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">340 The mother of Jesus is mentioned when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">the mother of Jesus was there</span>. She is
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74 mentioned first to indicate that Jesus was still unknown and not invited to the wedding as a
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75 famous person, but merely as one acquaintance among others; for as they invited the mother, so
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76 also her son. Or, perhaps his mother is invited first because they were uncertain whether Jesus
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77 would come to a wedding if invited, because of the unusual piety they noticed in him and because
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78 they had not seen him at other social gatherings. So I think that they first asked his mother
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79 whether Jesus should be invited. That is why the Evangelist expressly said first that his mother
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80 was at the wedding, and that later Jesus was invited.</p>
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81 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">341 And this is what comes next: <span style="font-weight: bold">Jesus was invited. </span>Christ decided to attend this wedding, first
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82 of all, to give us an example of humility. For he did not look to his own dignity, but &#8220;just as he
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83 condescended to accept the form of a servant, so he did not hesitate to come to the marriage of
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84 servants,&#8221; as Chrysostom says. And as Augustine says: &#8220;Let man blush to be proud, for God
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85 became humble.&#8221; For among his other acts of humility, the Son of the Virgin came to a marriage,
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86 which he had already instituted in paradise when he was with his Father. Of this example it is
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87 said: &#8220;Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart&#8221; (Mt 11:29).</p>
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88 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">He came, secondly, to reject the error of those who condemn marriage, for as Bede says: &#8220;If there
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89 were sin in a holy marriage bed and in a marriage carried out with due purity, the Lord would not
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90 have come to the marriage.&#8221; But because he did come, he implies that the baseness of those who
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91 denounce marriage deserves to be condemned. &#8220;If she marries, it is not a sin&#8221; (1 Cor 7:36).</p>
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92 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">342 The disciples are mentioned when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">and his disciples.</span></p>
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93 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">343 In its mystical meaning, the mother of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, is present in spiritual
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94 marriages as the one who arranges the marriage, because it is through her intercession that one
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95 is joined to Christ through grace: &#8220;In me is every hope of life and of strength&#8221; (Sir 24:25). Christ
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96 is present as the true groom of the soul, as is said below (3:29): &#8220;It is the groom who has the
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97 bride.&#8221; The disciples are the groomsmen uniting the Church to Christ, the one of whom it is said:
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98 &#8220;I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ&#8221; (2 Cor 11:2).</p>
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99 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">344 At this physical marriage some role in the miracle belongs to the mother of Christ, some to
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100 Christ, and some to the disciples. When he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">When the wine ran out, </span>he indicates the part
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101 of each. The role of Christ&#8217;s mother was to superintend the miracle; the role of Christ to perform
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102 it; and the disciples were to bear witness to it. As to the first, Christ&#8217;s mother assumed the role
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103 of a mediatrix. Hence she does two things. First, she intercedes with her Son. In the second place,
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104 she instructs the servants. As to the first, two things are mentioned. First, his mother&#8217;s
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105 intercession; secondly, the answer of her Son.</p>
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106 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">345 In Mary&#8217;s intercession, note first her kindness and mercy. For it is a quality of mercy to
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107 regard another&#8217;s distress as one&#8217;s own, because to be merciful is to have a heart distressed at the
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108 distress of another: &#8220;Who is weak, and I am not weak?&#8221; (2 Cor 11:29). And so because the
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109 Blessed Virgin was full of mercy, she desired to relieve the distress of others. So he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">When
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110 the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him.</span></p>
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111 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Note, secondly, her reverence for Christ: for because of the reverence we have for God it is
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112 sufficient for us merely to express our needs: &#8220;Lord, all my desires are known by you&#8221; (Ps 37:10).
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113 But it is not our business to wonder about the way in which God will help us, for as it is said:
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114 &#8220;We do not know what we should pray for as we ought&#8221; (Rom 8:26). And so his mother merely
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115 told him of their need, saying, <span style="font-weight: bold">They have no more wine.</span></p>
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116 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Thirdly, note the Virgin&#8217;s concern and care. For she did not wait until they were in extreme need,
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117 but <span style="font-weight: bold">When the wine ran out, </span>that is, immediately. This is similar to what is said of God: &#8220;A
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118 helper in times of trouble&#8221; (Ps 9:10).</p>
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119 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">346 Chrysostom asks: Why did Mary never encourage Christ to perform any miracles before this
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120 time? For she had been told of his power by the angel, whose work had been confirmed by the
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121 many things she had seen happening in his regard, all of which she remembered, thinking them
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122 over in her heart (Lk 2:5 1). The reason is that before this time he lived like any other person. So,
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123 because the time was not appropriate, she put off asking him. But now, after John&#8217;s witness to
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124 him and after the conversion of his disciples, she trustingly prompted Christ to perform miracles.
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125 In this she was true to the symbol of the synagogue, which is the mother of&#8217; Christ: for it was
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126 customary for the Jews to require miracles: &#8220;The Jews require signs&#8221; (1 Cor 1:22).</p>
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127 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">347 She says to him, <span style="font-weight: bold">They have no more wine. </span>Here we should note that before the incarnation
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128 of Christ three wines were running out: the wine of justice, of wisdom, and of charity or grace.
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129 Wine stings, and in this respect it is a symbol of justice. The Samaritan poured wine and oil into
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130 the wounds of the injured man, that is, he mingled the severity of justice with the sweetness of
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131 mercy. &#8220;You have made us drink the wine of sorrow&#8221; (Ps 59:5). But wine also delights the heart,
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132 &#8220;Wine cheers the heart of man&#8221; (Ps 103:15). And in this respect wine is a symbol of wisdom, the
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133 meditation of which is enjoyable in the highest degree: &#8220;Her companionship has no bitterness&#8221;
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134 (Wis 8:16). Further, wine intoxicates: &#8220;Drink, friends, and be intoxicated, my dearly beloved&#8221;
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135 (Sg 5:1). And in this respect wine is a symbol of charity: &#8220;I have drunk my wine with my milk&#8221;
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136 (Sg 5:1). It is also a symbol of charity because of charity&#8217;s fervor: &#8220;Wine makes the virgins
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137 flourish&#8221; (Zec 9:17).</p>
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138 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">The wine of justice was indeed running out in the old law, in which justice was imperfect. But
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139 Christ brought it to perfection: &#8220;Unless your justice is greater than that of the scribes and of the
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140 Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven&#8221; (Mt 5:20). The wine of wisdom was
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141 also running out, for it was hidden and symbolic, because as it says in 1 Corinthians (10:11): &#8220;All
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142 these things happened to them in symbol.&#8221; But Christ plainly brought wisdom to light: &#8220;He was
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143 teaching them as one having authority&#8221; (Mt 7:29). The wine of charity was also running out,
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144 because they had received a spirit of serving only in fear. But Christ converted the water of fear
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145 into the wine of charity when he gave &#8220;the spirit of adoption as sons, by which we cry: &#8216;Abba,
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146 Father&#8217;&#8221; (Rom 8:15), and when &#8220;the charity of God was poured out into our hearts,&#8221; as Romans
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147 (5:5) says.</p>
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148 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">348 Then when he says, Jesus said to her, the answer of Christ is given. This answer has been
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149 the occasion for three heresies.</p>
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150 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">349 The Manicheans claim that Christ had only an imaginary body, not a real one. Valentinus
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151 maintained that Christ assumed a celestial body and that, as far as his body was concerned, Christ
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152 was not related to the Virgin at all. The source of this error was that he understood, <span style="font-weight: bold">Woman,
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153 what does that have to do with me and you? </span>as if it meant: &#8220;I have received nothing from
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154 you.&#8221; But this is contrary to the authority of Sacred Scripture. For the Apostle says: &#8220;God sent
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155 his Son, made from a woman&#8221; (Gal 4:4). Now Christ could not be said to have been made from
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156 her, unless he had taken something from her. Further, Augustine argues against them: &#8220;How do
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157 you know that our Lord said, <span style="font-weight: bold">What does that have to do with me and you? </span>You reply that it
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158 is because John says so. But he also says that the Virgin was the mother of Christ. So, if you
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159 believe the Evangelist when he states that Jesus said this to his mother, you should also believe
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160 him when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">and the mother of Jesus was there</span>.&#8221;<span style="font-weight: bold"></span></p>
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161 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">350 Then there was Ebion who said that Christ was conceived from a man&#8217;s seed, and Elvidius,
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162 who said that the Virgin did not remain a virgin after childbirth. They were deceived by the fact
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163 that he said, Woman, which seems to imply the loss of virginity. But this is false, for in Sacred
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164 Scripture the word &#8220;woman&#8221; sometimes refers merely to the female sex, as it does in &#8220;made from
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165 a woman&#8221; (Gal 4:4). This is obvious also by the fact that Adam, speaking to God about Eve, said:
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166 &#8220;The woman whom you gave me as a companion, gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it&#8221; (Gn
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167 3:12); for Eve was still a virgin in Paradise, where Adam had not know her. Hence the fact that
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168 the mother of Christ is here called &#8220;woman&#8221; in this Gospel does not imply a loss of virginity, but
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169 refers to her sex.</p>
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170 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">351 The Priscillianists, however, erred by misunderstanding the words of Christ, <span style="font-weight: bold">My time has
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171 not yet come. </span>They claimed that all things happen by fate, and that the actions of men, including
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172 those of Christ, are subject to predetermined times. And that is why, according to them, Christ
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173 said, <span style="font-weight: bold">My time has not yet come.</span></p>
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174 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">But this is false for any man. For since man has free choice, and this is because he has reason and
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175 will, both of which are spiritual, then obviously, as far as choice is concerned, man, so far from
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176 being subject to bodies, is really their master. For spiritual things are superior to material things,
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177 so much so that the Philosopher says that the wise man is master of the stars. Further, their heresy
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178 is even less true of Christ, who is the Lord and Creator of the stars. Thus when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">My time
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179 has not yet come, </span>he is referring to the time of his passion, which was fixed for him, not by
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180 necessity, according to divine providence. What is said in Sirach (33:7) is also contrary to their
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181 opinion: &#8220;Why is one day better than another?&#8221; And the answer is: &#8220;They have been
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182 differentiated by the knowledge of the Lord,&#8221; i.e., they were differentiated from one another not
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183 by chance, but by God&#8217;s providence.</p>
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184 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">352 Since we have eliminated the above opinions, let us look for the reason why our Lord
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185 answered, <span style="font-weight: bold">Woman, what does that have to do with me and you? </span>For Augustine, Christ has
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186 two natures, the divine and the human. And although the same Christ exists in each, nevertheless
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187 things appropriate to him according to his human nature are distinct from what is appropriate to
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188 him according to his divine nature. Now to perform miracles is appropriate to him according to
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189 his divine nature, which he received from the Father; while to suffer is according to his human
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190 nature, which he received from his mother. So when his mother requests this miracle, he answers,
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191 <span style="font-weight: bold">Woman, what does that have to do with me and you? </span>as if saying: I did not receive from you
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192 that in me which enables me to perform miracles, but that which enables me to suffer, i.e., that
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193 which makes it appropriate for me to suffer, i.e., I have received a human nature from you. And
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194 so I will recognize you when this weakness hangs on the cross. And so he continues with, <span style="font-weight: bold">My
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195 time has not yet come. </span>As if to say: I will recognize you as my mother when the time of my
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196 passion arrives. And so it was that on the cross he entrusted his mother to the disciple.</p>
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197 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">353 Chrysostom explains this differently. He says that the Blessed Virgin, burning with zeal for
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198 the honor of her Son, wanted Christ to perform miracles at once, before it was opportune; but that
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199 Christ, being much wiser than his mother, restrained her. For he was unwilling to perform the
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200 miracle before the need for it was known; otherwise, it would have been less appreciated and less
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201 credible. And so he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">Woman, what does that have to do with me and you? </span>As if to say:
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202 Why bother me? <span style="font-weight: bold">My time has not yet come</span>, i.e., I am not yet known to those present. Nor do
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203 they know that the wine ran out; and they must first know this, because when they know their
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204 need they will have a greater appreciation of the benefit they will receive.</p>
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205 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">354 Now although his mother was refused, she did not lose hope in her Son&#8217;s mercy. So she
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206 instructs the servants, Do whatever he tells you, in which, indeed, consists the perfection of all
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207 justice. For perfect justice consists in obeying Christ in all things: &#8220;We will do all that the Lord
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208 commanded us&#8221; (Ex 29:35). Do whatever he tells you, is fittingly said of God alone, for man can
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209 err now and then. Hence in matters that are against God, we are not held to obey men: &#8220;We ought
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210 to obey God rather than men&#8221; (Acts 5:29). We ought to obey God, who does not err and cannot
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211 be deceived, in all things.</p>
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212 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">355 Now Christ&#8217;s completion of the miracle is set forth. First, the vessels in which the miracle
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213 was performed are described. Secondly, the matter of the miracle is stated (v 7). Thirdly, we have
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214 how the miracle was made known and approved (v 8).</p>
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215 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">356 The miracle was performed in six vessels; <span style="font-weight: bold">Now there were six stone water jars near by.
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216 </span>Here we should note, that as mentioned in Mark (7:2), the Jews observed many bodily washings
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217 and the cleansing of their cups and dishes. So, because they were in Palestine where there wis
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218 a shortage of water, they had vessels in which they kept the purest water to be used for washing
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219 themselves and their utensils. Hence he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">there were six stone water jars near by, </span>i.e.,
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220 vessels for holding water, <span style="font-weight: bold">for purifications according to Jewish customs, </span>i.e., to use for
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221 <span style="font-weight: bold">purification, each holding two or three metretes </span>of liquid, that is, two or three measures; for
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222 the Greek &#8220;metrete&#8221; is the same as the Latin &#8220;mensura.&#8221;</p>
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223 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">These jars were standing there, as Chrysostom says, in order to eliminate any suspicion about the
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224 miracle: both on account of their cleanliness, lest anyone suspect that the water had acquired the
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225 taste of wine from the dregs of wine previously stored in them, for these jars were standing there
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226 <span style="font-weight: bold">for purifications according to Jewish customs, </span>and so had to be very pure; and also on account
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227 of the capacity of the jars, so that it would be abundantly clear that the water in such jars could
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228 be changed into wine only by divine power.</p>
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229 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">357 In the mystical sense, the six water jars signify the six eras of the Old Testament during
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230 which the hearts of men were prepared and made receptive of God&#8217;s Scriptures, and put forward
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231 as an example for our lives.</p>
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232 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">The term <span style="font-weight: bold">metretes</span>, according to Augustine, refers to the Trinity of persons. And they are
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233 described as <span style="font-weight: bold">two or three </span>because at times in Scripture three persons in the Trinity are distinctly
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234 mentioned: &#8220;Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit&#8221;
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235 (Mt 28:19), and at other times only two, the Father and the Son, in whom the Holy Spirit, who
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236 is the union of the two, is implied: &#8220;If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father
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237 will love him, and we will come to him&#8221; (below 14:23). Or they are described as two on account
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238 of the two states of mankind from which the Church arose, that is, Jews and Gentiles. Or three
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239 on account of the three sons of Noe, from whom the human race arose after the deluge.</p>
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240 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">358 Then when he says that Jesus instructed them, <span style="font-weight: bold">Fill those jars with water, </span>he gives the
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241 material of the miracle. Here we might ask why this miracle was performed with already existing
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242 material, and not from nothing. There are three reasons for this. The first reason is literal, and is
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243 given by Chrysostom: to make something from nothing is much greater and more marvelous than
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244 to make something from material already existing; but it is not so evident and believable to many.
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245 And so, wishing to make what he did more believable, Christ made wine from water, thus
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246 condescending to man&#8217;s capacity.</p>
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247 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Another reason was to refute wrong dogmas. For there are some (as the Marcionists and
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248 Manicheans) who said that the founder of the world was someone other than God, and that all
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249 visible things were established by such a one, that is, the devil. And so the Lord performed many
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250 miracles using created and visible substances in order to show that these substances are good and
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251 were created by God.</p>
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252 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">The third reason is mystical. Christ made the wine from water, and not from nothing, in order to
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253 show that he was not laying down an entirely new doctrine and rejecting the old, but was
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254 fulfilling the old: &#8220;I have not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it&#8221; (Mt 5:17). In other words,
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255 what was prefigured and promised in the old law, was disclosed and revealed by Christ: &#8220;Then
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256 he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures&#8221; (Lk 24:45).</p>
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257 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Finally, he had the servants fill the jars with water so that he might have witnesses to what he
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258 did; so it is said, <span style="font-weight: bold">the servants knew, since they had drawn the water.</span></p>
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259 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">359 Then, the miracle is made known. For as soon as the jars were filled, the water was turned
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260 into wine. So the Lord reveals the miracle at once, saying: <span style="font-weight: bold">Now pour out a drink and take it
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261 to the head waiter. </span>First, we have the command of Christ selecting who is to test the wine;
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262 secondly, the judgment of the head waiter who tasted it.</p>
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263 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">360 <span style="font-weight: bold">Then Jesus said to them, </span>i.e., to the servants, <span style="font-weight: bold">Now pour out a drink, </span>that is, of wine, from
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264 the jars, <span style="font-weight: bold">and take it to the head waiter </span>(<i>arch itriclin us</i>)<i>. </i>Here we should note that a <i>triclinium
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265 </i>is a place where there are three rows of tables, and it is called a <i>trichinium </i>from its three rows
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266 of dining couches: for <i>cline </i>in Greek means couch. For the ancients were accustomed to eat
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267 reclining on couches, ais Maximus Valerius recounts. This is the reason why the Scriptures speak
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268 of lying next to and lying down. Thus the <i>architriclinus </i>was (fie first and chief among those
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269 dining. Or, according to Chrysostom, the <i>architriclinus </i>was the one in charge of the whole
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270 banquet. And because he had been busy and had not tasted anything, the Lord wanted him, and
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271 not the guests, to be the judge of what had been done, so some could not detract from the miracle
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272 by saying the guests were drunk and, their senses dulled, could not tell wine from water. For
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273 Augustine, the <i>architriclinus </i>was the chief guest, as was inentioned; and Christ wanted to have
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274 the opinion of this person in high position so it would be more acceptable.</p>
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275 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">361 In the mystical sense, those who pour out the water are preachers: &#8220;With joy you will draw
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276 water from the springs of the Savior&#8221; (Is 12:3). And the <i>architriclinus is </i>someone skilled in the
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277 law, as Nicodenius, Gamaliel or Paul. So, when the word of the Gospel, which was hidden under
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278 the letter of the law, is entrusted to such persons, it is as though wine made from water is poured
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279 out for the <i>architriclinus</i>, who, when he tastes it, gives his assent to the faith of Christ.</p>
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280 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">362 Then the judgment of the one examining the wine is given. First, he inquires into the truth
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281 of the fact; secondly, he gives his opinion.</p>
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282 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">He says, <span style="font-weight: bold">Now when the head waiter tasted the water made wine, and not knowing where
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283 it came from, </span>because he did not know that the water had miraculously been made wine by
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284 Christ, <span style="font-weight: bold">although the servants knew, </span>the reason being, <span style="font-weight: bold">since they had drawn the water, he
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285 called the groom over, </span>in order to learn the truth and give his opinion of the wine. Hence he
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286 adds: <span style="font-weight: bold">People usually serve the choice wines first, and when the guests have had their fill,
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287 then they bring out inferior wine.</span></p>
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288 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Here we should consider, according to Chrysostom, that everything is most perfect in the
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289 miracles of Christ. Thus, he restored most complete health to Peter&#8217;s mother-in-law, so that she
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290 arose at once and waited on them, as we read in Mark (1:30) and Matthew (7:14). Again, he
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291 restored the paralytic to health so perfectly that he also arose immediately, took up his mat, and
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292 went home, as we read below (5:9). And this is also evident in this miracle, because Christ did
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293 not make mediocre wine from the water, but the very best possible. And so the head waiter says,
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294 <span style="font-weight: bold">People usually serve the choice wines first, and when the guests have had their fill, then
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295 they bring out inferior wine, </span>because they drink less, and because good wine consumed in
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296 quantity along with a quantity of food causes greater discomfort. It is as though he were saying:
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297 Where did this very good wine come from which, contrary to custom, you saved until now?</p>
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298 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">363 This is appropriate to a mystery. For in the mystical sense, he serves good wine first who,
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299 with an intent to deceive others, does not first mention the error he intends, but other things that
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300 entice his hearers, so that he can disclose his evil plans after they have been intoxicated and
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301 enticed to consent. We read of such wine: &#8220;It goes down pleasantly, but finally it will bite like
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302 a serpent&#8221; (Prv 23:3 1). Again, he serves good wine first who begins to live in a saintly and
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303 spiritual manner at the start of his conversion, but later sinks into a carnal life: &#8220;Are you so
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304 foolish as, having begun in the Spirit, to end in the flesh?&#8221; (Gal 3:3).</p>
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305 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Christ, however, does not serve the good wine first, for at the outset he proposes things that are
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306 bitter and hard: &#8220;Narrow is the way that leads to life&#8221; (Mt 7:14). Yet the more progress a person
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307 makes in his faith and teaching, the more pleasant it becomes and he becomes aware of a greater
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308 sweetness: &#8220;I will lead You by the path of justice, and when you walk you will not be hindered&#8221;
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309 (Prv 4:11). Likewise, all those who desire to live conscientiously in Christ stiffer bitterness and
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310 troubles in this world: &#8220;You will weep and mourn&#8221; (below 16:20). But later they will experience
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311 delights and joys. So he goes on: &#8220;but your sorrow will be turned into joy.&#8221; &#8220;I consider that the
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312 sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, which will
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313 be revealed in us,&#8221; as is said in Romans (8:18).</p>
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314 <p style="margin-bottom: 0.125in; margin-bottom: 0.125in">&#160;</p>
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315 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">364 Then when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">This beginning of signs Jesus worked in Cana of Galilee, </span>he gives
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316 the disciples&#8217; acknowledgment of the miracle. We can see from this the falsity of the <i>History of
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317 the Infancy of the Savior, </i>which recounts many miracles worked by Christ as a boy. For if these
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318 accounts were true, the Evangelist would not have said, <span style="font-weight: bold">This beginning of signs Jesus worked.
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319 </span>We have already given the reason why Christ worked no miracles during his childhood, that is,
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320 lest men regard them as illusions.</p>
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321 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">It was for the reason given above, then, that Jesus performed this miracle of turning water into
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322 wine at Cana of Galilee; and this was the first of the signs he did. <span style="font-weight: bold">And Jesus revealed his glory,
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323 </span>i.e., the power by which he is glorious: &#8220;The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory&#8221; (Ps 23:10).</p>
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324 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">365 <span style="font-weight: bold">And his disciples believed in him. </span>But how did they believe? For they already were his
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325 disciples and had believed before this. I answer that sometimes a thing is described not according
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326 to what it is at the time, but according to what it will be. For example, we say that the apostle
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327 Paul was born at Tarsus, in Cilicia; not that an actual apostle was born there, but a future one
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328 was. Similarly, it says here that <span style="font-weight: bold">his disciples believed in him, </span>i.e., those who would be his
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329 disciples. Or, one might answer that previously they had believed in him as a good man,
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330 preaching what was right and just; but now they believed in him as God.</p>
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331 <p style="margin-bottom: 0.125in; margin-bottom: 0.125in">&#160;</p>
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332 <p style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0.125in"><span style="font-weight: bold">LECTURE 2</span></p>
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333 <BLOCKQUOTE><p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">12 After this he went down to Capernaum together with his mother, his brethren and his
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334 disciples; but they did not remain there many clays. 13 The Jewish Passover was near at hand,
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335 and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple precincts he came upon merchants selling oxen,
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336 sheep and doves, and moneychangers seated at tables. 15 And when he had made a kind of whip
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337 from cords, he drove everyone, including sheep and oxen, out of the temple, swept away the gold
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338 of the money changers, and knocked over their tables. 16 To those selling doves he said, &#8220;Get
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339 Out of here! And stop making my Father&#8217;s house into a marketplace.&#8221; 17 His disciples then
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340 remembered that it is written: &#8220;Zeal for your house consumes me.&#8221;</p></BLOCKQUOTE>
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341 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">366 Above, the Evangelist presented the sign Christ worked in order to confirm his disciples; and
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342 this sign pertained to his power to change nature. Now he deals with the sign of his resurrection;
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343 a sign pertaining to the same power, but proposed by Christ to convert the people.</p>
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344 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">The Evangelist does two things as to this miracle. First, he mentions its occasion. Secondly, the
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345 prediction of the miracle (v 18). As to the first he does two things. First, he describes the place.
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346 Secondly, he tells of the incident which was the occasion for proposing this miracle (v 14). Now
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347 the place where this happened was Jerusalem. And so the Evangelist recounts step by step how
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348 the Lord had come to Jerusalem. First, then, he shows how he went down to Capernaum.
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349 Secondly, how he then went up to Jerusalem. As to the first he does three things. First, he
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350 mentions the place to which he went down. Secondly, he describes his company. Thirdly, he
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351 mentions the length of his stay.</p>
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352 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">367 The place to which Christ went down was Capernaum; and so he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">After this, </span>i.e., the
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353 miracle of the wine, <span style="font-weight: bold">he went down to Capernaum. </span>Now as far as the historical truth is
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354 concerned, this seems to conflict with Matthew&#8217;s account that the Lord went down to Capernaum
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355 after John had been thrown into prison (Mt 4:12), while the entire series of events the Evangelist
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356 refers to here took place before John&#8217;s imprisonment.</p>
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357 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">I answer that in order to settle this question we should bear in mind what is learned from the
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358 <i>Ecclesiastical History, </i>that is, that the other Evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke, began their
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359 account of the public life of Christ from the time that John was thrown into prison. Thus
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360 Matthew (4:12), after describing the baptism, fast and temptation of Christ, began at once to
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361 weave his story after John&#8217;s imprisonment, saying: &#8220;When Jesus heard that John had been
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362 arrested.&#8221; And Mark (1:14) says the same: &#8220;After John had been arrested, Jesus came into
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363 Galilee.&#8221; John, who outlived the other three Evangelists, approved the accuracy and truth of their
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364 accounts when they came to his notice. Yet he saw that certain things had been left unsaid,
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365 namely, things which the Lord had done in the very first days of his preaching before John&#8217;s
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366 imprisonment. And so, at the request of the faithful, John, after he began his own Gospel in a
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367 loftier manner, recorded events that took place during the first year in which Christ was baptized
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368 before John&#8217;s imprisonment, as is plain from the order of the events in his Gospel. According to
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369 this, then, the Evangelists are not in disagreement. Rather, the Lord went down to Capernaum
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370 twice: once before John&#8217;s imprisonment (which is the one dealt with here), and once after his
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371 imprisonment, which is dealt with in Matthew (4:13) and Luke (4:31 ).</p>
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372 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">368 Now &#8220;Capernaum&#8221; means &#8220;very pretty village,&#8221; and signifies this world, which has its beauty
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373 from the order and disposition of divine wisdom: &#8220;The beauty of the land is mine&#8221; (Ps 49:2). So
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374 the Lord went down to Capernaum, i.e., this world, with his mother and brethren and disciples.
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375 For in heaven the Lord has a Father without a mother; and on earth a mother without a father.
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376 Thus, he significantly mentions only his mother. In heaven he does not have brothers either, but
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377 is &#8220;the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father&#8221; (above 1:18). But on earth he is
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378 &#8220;the Firstborn of many brothers&#8221; (Rom 8:29). And on earth he has disciples, to whom he can
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379 teach the mysteries of the divinity, which were not known to men before: &#8220;In these days he has
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380 spoken to us in his Son&#8221; as we read in Hebrews (1:1).</p>
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381 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Or, &#8220;Capernaum&#8221; means &#8220;the field of consolation&#8221;; and this signifies every man who bears good
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382 fruit: &#8220;The odor of my son is like the odor of a fruitful field&#8221; (Gn 27:27). Such a person is called
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383 a field of consolation because the Lord is consoled and rejoices in his achievement: &#8220;God will
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384 rejoice over you&#8221; (Is 62:5), and because the angels rejoice over his good: &#8220;There is joy in the
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385 angels of God over one repentant sinner&#8221; (Lk 15:10).</p>
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386 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">369 His companions were, first of all, his mother. So he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">with his mother, </span>for because she
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387 had come to the wedding and had brought about the miracle, the Lord accompanied her back to
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388 the village of Nazareth. Nazareth was a village in Galilee, whose chief town was Capernaum.</p>
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389 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">370 Secondly, his companions were his brethren; and so he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">his brethren </span>(<i>fratres, </i>brothers,
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390 brethren). We must avoid two errors here. First, that of Elvidius, who said that the Blessed Virgin
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391 had other sons after Christ; and he called these the brothers of the Lord. This is heretical, because
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392 our faith maintains that just as the mother of Christ was a virgin before giving birth, so in giving
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393 birth and after giving birth, she remained a virgin. We must also avoid the error of those who say
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394 that Joseph fathered sons with another wife, and that these are called the brothers of the Lord;
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395 for the Church does not admit this.</p>
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396 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Jerome refutes this opinion: for on the cross the Lord entrusted his virgin mother to the care of
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397 his virgin disciple. Therefore, since Joseph was the special guardian of the Virgin, and of the
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398 Savior too, in his childhood, one may believe that he was a virgin. Consequently, it is a
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399 reasonable interpretation to say that the brothers of the Lord were those related to his virgin
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400 mother in some degree of consanguinity, or even to Joseph, who was the reputed father. And this
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401 conforms to the custom of Scripture which generally refers to relatives as brothers. Thus we read:
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402 &#8220;Let us not quarrel, for we are brothers&#8221; (Gn 13:8), as Abram said to Lot, who was his nephew.
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403 And note that he distinguishes between relatives and disciples, because not all of Christ&#8217;s
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404 relatives were his disciples; hence we read: &#8220;Even his brethren did not believe in him&#8221; (below
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405 7:5) .</p>
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406 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">371 Thirdly, his disciples were his companions; hence he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">and his disciples. </span>But who were
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407 his disciples? For it seems, according to Matthew, that the first ones to be converted to Christ
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408 were Peter and Andrew, John and James; but they were called after John&#8217;s imprisonment, as is
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409 clear from Matthew (4:18). Thus it does not seem that they went down to Capernaum with Christ,
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410 as it says here, since this was before John&#8217;s imprisonment.</p>
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411 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">There are two answers to this. One is from Augustine, in his <i>De Consensu Evangelistarum,
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412 </i>namely, that Matthew does not follow the historical order, but in summarizing what he omitted,
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413 relates events that occurred before John&#8217;s imprisonment as though they happened after. So,
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414 without any suggestion of a time lapse he says, &#8220;As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he
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415 saw two brothers&#8221; (Mt 4:18), without adding &#8220;after this&#8221; or &#8220;at that time.&#8221; The other answer, also
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416 by Augustine, is that in the Gospel not only the twelve whom the Lord chose and named apostles
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417 are called disciples of the Lord (Lk 6:13), but also all who believed in him and were instructed
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418 for the kingdom of heaven by his teaching. Therefore, it is possible that although those twelve
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419 did not yet follow him, others who adhered to him are called disciples here. But the first answer
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420 is better.</p>
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421 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">372 His stay there was short; hence he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">but they did not remain there many days. </span>The
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422 reason for this was that the citizens of Capernaum were not eager to accept the teachings of
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423 Christ, being very corrupt, so that in Matthew (11:23) the Lord rebukes them for not doing
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424 penance in spite of the miracles done there and of Christ&#8217;s teaching: &#8220;And you Capernaum, will
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425 you be lifted up to heaven? You will go down to hell. For if the mighty works that were done in
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426 you had been performed in Sodom, it would have stood until this day.&#8221; But although they were
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427 evil, he went there to accompany his mother, and to stay there for a few days for her consolation
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428 and honor.</p>
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429 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">373 As for its mystical sense, this signifies that some cannot remain long with the many words
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430 spoken by Christ; a few of these words are enough for them, to enlighten them, because of the
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431 weakness of their understanding. Hence as Origen said, Christ reveals few things to such persons,
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432 according to &#8220;I have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now&#8221; (Jn 16:12).</p>
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433 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">374 Then when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">The Jewish Passover was near at hand,</span> he mentions the place to
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434 which he went tip. And concerning this he does two things. First, the occasion is given. Secondly,
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435 the going up.</p>
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436 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">375 Now the occasion for his going up was the Jewish Passover. For in Exodus (13:17) it is
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437 commanded that every male be presented to the Lord three times a year; and one of these times
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438 was the Jewish Passover. So, since the Lord came to teach everyone by his example of humility
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439 and perfection, he wished to observe the law as long as it was in force. For he did not come to
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440 destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Mt 5:17). And so, because the Passover of the Jews was at hand,
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441 he went up to Jerusalem. So we, after his example, should carefully observe the divine precepts.
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442 For if the Son of God fulfilled the decrees of a law he himself had given, and celebrated the great
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443 feasts, with what zeal for good works ought we both to prepare for them and observe them?</p>
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444 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">376 It should be noted that in John&#8217;s Gospel mention is made of the Passover in three passages:
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445 here, and in (6:4), when he worked the miracle of the loaves, where it is said: &#8220;Now the Jewish
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446 Passover was near at hand&#8221; , and again in (13:1), where it says: &#8220;Before the feast day of the
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447 Passover.&#8221; So, according to this Gospel, we understand that after the miracle of the wine Christ
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448 preached for two years plus the interval between his baptism and this Passover. For what he did
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449 here occurred near the Passover, as it says here, and then a year later, near the time of another
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450 Passover, he performed the miracle of the loaves, and in the same year John was beheaded. Thus
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451 John was beheaded near the time of the Passover, because we read in Matthew (14:13) that
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452 immediately after John was beheaded Christ withdrew to the desert, where he worked the miracle
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453 of the loaves; and this miracle took place near Passover time, as stated below (6:4). Nevertheless,
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454 the feast of this beheading of John is celebrated on the day his head was found. It was later,
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455 during another Passover, that Christ suffered.</p>
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456 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">So, according to the opinion of those who say that the miracle worked at the wedding and the
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457 events being discussed here occurred in the same year in which Christ was baptized, there was
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458 an interval of two and one half years between Christ&#8217;s baptism and his passion. So, according to
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459 them, the Evangelist says, <span style="font-weight: bold">The Jewish Passover was near at hand, </span>in order to show that Christ
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460 had been baptized just a few days before.</p>
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461 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">But the Church holds the opposite. For we believe that Christ worked the miracle of the wine on
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462 the first anniversary of the day of his baptism; then a year later, near Passover time, John was
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463 beheaded; and then there was another year between the Passover near which John was beheaded
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464 and the Passover during which Christ suffered. So between the baptism of Christ and the miracle
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465 of the wine there had to be another Passover which the Evangelist does not mention. And so,
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466 according to what the Church holds, Christ preached for three and one half years.</p>
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467 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">377 He says, <span style="font-weight: bold">the Jewish Passover, </span>not as though the people of other nations celebrated a
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468 Passover, but for two reasons. One, because when people celebrate a feast in a holy and pure
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469 way, it is said that they celebrate it for the Lord; but when they celebrate it in neither of those
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470 ways, they do not celebrate it for the Lord, but for themselves: &#8220;My soul hates your new moons
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471 and your feasts&#8221; (Is 1:14). It is as though he said: Those who celebrate for themselves and not for
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472 me, do not please me: &#8220;When you fasted, did you fast for me?&#8221; (Zec 7:5), as if to say: You did
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473 not do it for me, but for yourselves. And so because these Jews were corrupt and celebrated their
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474 Passover in an unbecoming manner, the Evangelist does not say, &#8220;the Passover of the Lord,&#8221; but
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475 the Jewish Passover was at hand.</p>
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476 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Or, he says this to differentiate it from our Passover. For the Passover of the Jews Was symbolic,
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477 being celebrated by the immolation of a lamb which was a symbol. But our Passover is true, in
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478 which we recall the true passing [passion] of the Immaculate Lamb: &#8220;Christ, our Passover, has
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479 been sacrificed&#8221; (1 Cor 5:7).</p>
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480 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">378 The journey was to Jerusalem, and so he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. </span>Note here
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481 that according to the historical order, Jesus went up to Jerusalem near the time of the Passover
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482 and expelled the merchants from the temple on two occasions. The first, before John&#8217;s
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483 imprisonment, is the one the Evangelist mentions here; the other is mentioned by Matthew
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484 (21:13) as occurring when the Passover and the hour of his passion were at hand. For the Lord
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485 frequently repeated works that were similar. For example, the two cases of giving sight to the
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486 blind: one in Matthew (9:28) and another in Mark (10:46). In like manner he twice cast
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487 merchants from the temple.</p>
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488 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">379 In the mystical sense, Jesus went up to Jerusalem, which is translated as the &#8220;vision of
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489 peace,&#8221; and signifies eternal happiness. It is to here that Jesus ascended, and he took his own with
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490 him. There is no lack of mystery in the fact that he went down to Capernaum and later went up
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491 to Jerusalem. For if he did not first go down, he would not have been suited to go up, because,
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492 as it is said: &#8220;He who descended is the same as he who ascended&#8221; (Eph 4:10). Further, no
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493 mention is made of the disciples in the ascent to Jerusalem because the ascent of the disciples
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494 comes from the ascent of Christ: &#8220;No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down
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495 from heaven, the Son of Man, who lives in heaven&#8221; (below 3:13).</p>
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496 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">380 Then when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">In the temple precincts he came upon merchants selling oxen, sheep
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497 and doves, </span>the Evangelist sets down what moved Christ to propose the sign of the resurrection.
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498 He does three things with this. First, he exposes the faulty behavior of the Jews. Secondly, he
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499 discloses Christ&#8217;s remedy (v 15). Thirdly, he gives the announcement of the prophecy (v 22).</p>
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500 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">381 With respect to the first, we should note that the devil plots against the things of God and
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501 strives to destroy them. Now among the means by which he destroys holy things, the chief is
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502 avarice; hence it is said: &#8220;The shepherds have no understanding. All have turned aside to their
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503 own way; everyone after his own gain, from the first one to the last&#8221; (Is 56:11). And the devil has
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504 done this from the earliest times. For the priests of the Old Testament, who had been established
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505 to care for divine matters, gave free rein to avarice. God commanded, in the law, that animals
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506 should be sacrificed to the Lord on certain feasts. And in order to fulfill this command, those who
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507 lived nearby brought the animals with them. But those who came a long distance were unable to
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508 bring animals from their own homes. And so because offerings of this kind resulted in profit for
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509 the priests, and so animals to offer would not be lacking to those who came from a distance, the
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510 priests themselves saw to it that animals were sold in the temple. And so they had them shown
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511 for sale in the temple, i.e., in the atrium of the temple. And this is what he says: <span style="font-weight: bold">In the temple
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512 precincts he came upon merchants selling oxen, sheep and doves.</span></p>
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513 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Mention is first made of two land animals, which according to the law could be offered to the
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514 Lord: the ox and the sheep. The third land animal offered, the goat, is implied when he says
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515 &#8220;sheep&#8221;, similarly, the turtle-dove is included when he says &#8220;doves.&#8221;</p>
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516 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">382 It sometimes happened that some came to the temple not only without animals, but also
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517 without money to buy them. And so the priests found another avenue for their avarice; they set
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518 up moneychangers who would lend money to those who came without it. And although they
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519 would not accept a usurious gain, because this was forbidden in the law, nevertheless in place
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520 of this they accepted certain &#8220;<i>collibia</i>&#8221;, i.e., trifles and small gifts. So this also was turned to the
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521 profit of the priests. And this is what he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">moneychangers seated at tables, </span>i.e., in the
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522 temple, ready to lend money.</p>
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523 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">383 This can be understood mystically in three ways. First of all, the merchants signify those who
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524 sell or buy the things of the Church: for the oxen, sheep and doves signify the spiritual goods of
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525 the Church and the things connected with them. These goods have been consecrated and
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526 authenticated by the teachings of the apostles and doctors, signified by the oxen: &#8220;When there
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527 is an abundant harvest the strength of the ox is evident&#8221; (Prv 14:4); and by the blood of the
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528 martyrs, who are signified by the sheep: so it is said for them: &#8220;We are regarded as sheep for the
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529 slatighter&#8221; (Rom 8:36): and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, signified by the doves, for as stated
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530 above, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove. Therefore, those who presume to sell the
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531 spiritual goods of the Church and the goods connected with them are selling the teachings of the
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532 apostles, the blood of the martyrs, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.</p>
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533 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Secondly, it happens that certain prelates or heads of churches sell these oxen, sheep and doves,
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534 not overtly by simony, but covertly by negligence; that is, when they are so eager for and
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535 occupied with temporal gain that they neglect the spiritual welfare of their subjects. And this is
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536 the way they sell the oxen, sheep and doves, i.e., the three classes of people subject to them. First
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537 of all, they sell the preachers and laborers, who are signified by the oxen: &#8220;Happy are you who
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538 sow beside all the streams, letting the ox and the donkey range free&#8221; (Is 32:20);.because prelates
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539 ought to arrange the oxen, i.e., teachers and wise men, with the donkeys, i.e., the simple and
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540 uneducated. They also sell those in the active life, and those occupied with ministering, signified
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541 by the sheep: &#8220;My sheep hear my voice&#8221; (below 10:27); and as is said in 2 Samuel (24:17): &#8220;But
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542 these, who are the sheep, what have they done?&#8221; They also sell the contemplatives, signified by
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543 the doves: &#8220;Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly?&#8221; (Ps 54:7).</p>
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544 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Thirdly, by the temple of God we can understand the spiritual soul, as it says: &#8220;The temple of
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545 God is holy, and that is what you are&#8221; (1 Cor 3:17). Thus a man sells oxen, sheep and doves in
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546 the temple when he harbors bestial movements in his soul, for which he sells himself to the devil.
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547 For oxen, which are used for cultivating the earth, signify earthly desires; sheep, which are stupid
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548 animals, signify man&#8217;s obstinacy; and the doves signify man&#8217;s instability. It is God who drives
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549 these things out of men&#8217;s hearts.</p>
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550 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">384 The Lord&#8217;s remedy is at once set forth (v 15). Here the Lord&#8217;s remedy consisted in action and
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551 in words, in order to instruct those who have charge of the Church that they must correct their
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552 subjects in deed and in word. And he does two things with respect to this. First, he gives the
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553 remedy Christ applied by his action. Secondly, the remedy he applied by word (v 16).</p>
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554 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">385 As to the first he does three things. First, he drives the men out. Secondly, the oxen and
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555 sheep. Thirdly, he sweeps away the money.</p>
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556 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">He drives the men out with a whip; and this is what he <span style="font-weight: bold">says, when he had made a kind of whip
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557 from cords. </span>This is something that could be done only by divine power. For as Origen says, the
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558 divine power of Jesus was as able, when he willed, to quench the swelling anger of men as to still
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559 the stornis of minds: &#8220;The Lord brings to nought the thoughts of men&#8221; (Ps 32:10). He makes the
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560 whip from cords because, as Augustine says, it is from our own sins that he forms the matter with
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561 which he punishes us: for a series of sins, in which sins are added to sins, is called a cord: &#8220;He
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562 is bound fast by the cords of his own sins&#8221; (Prv 5:22); &#8220;Woe to you who haul wickedness with
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563 cords&#8221; (Is 5:18). Then, just as he drove the merchants from the temple, so he swept away the gold
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564 of the moneychangers and knocked over their tables.</p>
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565 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">386 And mark well that if he expelled from the temple things that seemed somehow licit, in the
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566 sense that they were ordained to the worship of God, how much more if he comes upon unlawful
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567 things? The reason he cast them out was because in this matter the priests did not intend God&#8217;s
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568 glory, but their own profit. Hence it is said: &#8220;It is for yourselves that you placed guardians of my
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569 service in my sancturay&#8221; (Ez 44:8)</p>
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570 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Further, our Lord showed zeal for the things of the law so that he might by this answer the chief
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571 priests and the priests who were later to bring a charge against him on this very point. Again, by
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572 casting things of this kind out of the temple he let it be understood that the time was coming in
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573 which the sacrifices of the law were due to cease, and the true worship of God transferred to the
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574 Gentiles: &#8220;The kingdom of God will be taken away from you&#8221; (Mt 21:43). Also, this shows us
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575 the condemnation of those who sell spiritual things: &#8220;May your money perish together with you&#8221;
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576 (Acts 8:20).</p>
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577 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">387 Then when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">To those selling doves he said, </span>he records the treatment which the Lord
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578 applied by word. Here it should be noted that those who engage in simony should, of course, first
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579 be expelled from the Church. But because as long as they are alive, they can change themselves
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580 by free will and by the help of God return to the state of grace, they should not be given up as
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581 hopeless. If, however, they are not converted, then they are not merely to be expelled, but handed
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582 over to those to whom it is said: &#8220;Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness&#8221; (Mt
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583 22:13). And so the Lord, attending to this, first warns them, and then gives the reason for his
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584 warning, saying, <span style="font-weight: bold">stop making my Father&#8217;s house into a marketplace.</span></p>
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585 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">388 He warns those selling the doves by reproaching them, for they signify those who sell the
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586 gifts of the Holy Spirit, i.e., those who engage in simony.</p>
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587 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">389 He gives his reason for this when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">stop making my Father&#8217;s house into a
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588 marketplace. </span>&#8220;Take away your evil from my sight&#8221; (Is 1:10). Note that Matthew (2 1:13) says:
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589 &#8220;Do not make my house a den of thieves,&#8221; while here he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">a marketplace. </span>Now the Lord
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590 does this because, as a good physician, he begins first with the gentler things; later on, he would
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591 propose harsher things. Now the action recorded here was the first of the two; hence in the
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592 beginning he does not call them thieves but merchants. But because they did not stop such
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593 business out of obstinacy, the Lord, when driving them out the second time (as mentioned in
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594 Mark 11:15), rebukes them more severely, calling robbery what he had first called business.</p>
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595 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">He says, <span style="font-weight: bold">my Father&#8217;s house, </span>to exclude the error of Manicheus, who said that while the God of
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596 the New Testament was the Father of Christ, the God of the Old Testament was not. But if this
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597 were true, then since the temple was the house of the Old Testament, Christ would not have
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598 referred to the temple as <span style="font-weight: bold">my Father&#8217;s house.</span></p>
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599 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">390 Why were the Jews not disturbed here when he called God his Father, for as is said below
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600 (5:18), this is why they persecuted him? I answer that God is the Father of certain men through
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601 adoption; for example, he is the Father of the just in this way. This was not a new idea for the
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602 Jews: &#8220;You will call me Father, and you will not cease to walk after me&#8221; (Jer 3:19). However,
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603 by nature he is the Father of Christ alone: &#8220;The Lord said to me: &#8216;You are my Son&#8217; &#8220; (Ps 2:7), i.e.,
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604 the true and natural Son. It is this that was unheard of among the Jews. And so the Jews
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605 persecuted him because he called himself the true Son of God: &#8220;the Jews tried all the harder to
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606 kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath rest, but even called God his own Father, making
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607 himself equal to God&#8221; (below 5:18). But when he called God his Father on this occasion, they
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608 said it was by adoption.</p>
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609 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">391 That the house of God shall not be made a marketplace is taken from-Zechariah (14:21): &#8220;On
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610 that day there will no longer be any merchants in the house of the Lord of hosts&#8221;; and from the
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611 Psalm (70:16), where one version has the reading: &#8220;Because I was not part of the marketplace,
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612 I will enter into the strength of the Lord.&#8221;</p>
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613 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">392 Then when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">His disciples then remembered, </span>he sets down a prophecy which was
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614 written in Psalm 69 (v 9): &#8220;Zeal for your house consumes me.&#8221; Here we should remark that zeal,
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615 properly speaking, signifies an intensity of love, whereby the one who loves intensely does not
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616 tolerate anything which is repugnant to his love. So it is that men who love their wives intensely
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617 and cannot endure their being in the company of other men, as this conflicts with their own love,
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618 are called &#8220;zelotypes.&#8221; Thus, properly speaking, one is said to have zeal for God who cannot
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619 patiently endure anything contrary to the honor of God, <span style="font-weight: bold">whoin</span> he loves above all else: &#8220;I have
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620 been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts&#8221; (1 Kgs 19:10). Now we should love the house of
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621 the Lord, according to the Psalm (25:8): &#8220;O Lord, I have loved the beauty of your house.&#8221; Indeed,
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622 we should love it so much that our zeal consumes us, so that if we notice anything amiss being
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623 done, we should try to eliminate it, no matter how dear to us are those who are doing it; nor
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624 should we fear any evils that we might have to endure as a result. So the Gloss says: &#8220;Good zeal
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625 is a fervor of spirit, by which, scorning the fear of death, one is on fire for the defense of the
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626 truth. He is consumed by it who takes steps to correct any perversity he sees; and if he cannot,
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627 he tolerates it with sadness.&#8221;</p>
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628 <p style="margin-bottom: 0.125in; margin-bottom: 0.125in">&#160;</p>
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629 <p style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0.125in"><span style="font-weight: bold">LECTURE 3</span></p>
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630 <BLOCKQUOTE><p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">18 At this the Jews responded and said, &#8220;What sign can you show us authorizing you to do these
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631 things?&#8221; 19 Jesus replied, &#8220;Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.&#8221; 20 The
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632 Jews then retorted, &#8220;This temple took forty-six years to build, and you are going to raise it up
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633 again in three days!&#8221; 21 He was speaking, however, of the temple of his body. 22 When,
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634 therefore, he had risen from the dead, his disciples recalled that he had said this; they then
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635 believed the Scriptures and the statement Jesus had made. 23 While he was in Jerusalem during
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636 the Passover feast, many people, seeing the signs he was working, believed in his name. 24 But
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637 Jesus did not trust himself to them, for he knew all men, 25 and he did not need anyone to give
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638 him testimony about men. He was well aware of what was in man&#8217;s heart.</p></BLOCKQUOTE>
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639 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">393 Having set forth the occasion for showing the sign, the Evangelist then states the sign which
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640 would be given. First, he gives the sign. Secondly, he mentions the fruit of the signs Christ
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641 performed (v 23). As to the first he does three things. First, the request for the sign is given.
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642 Secondly, the sign itself (v 19). Thirdly, the way the sign was understood (v 20).</p>
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643 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">394 The Jews ask for a sign; and this is what he says: <span style="font-weight: bold">What sign can you show us authorizing
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644 you to do these things?</span></p>
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645 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">395 Here we should note that when Jesus drove the merchants Out of the temple, two things
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646 could be considered in Christ: his rectitude and zeal, which pertain to virtue; and his power or
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647 authority. <span style="font-weight: bold">It was not appropriate to </span>require a sign from Christ concerning the virtue and zeal
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648 with which he did the above action, since everyone may lawfully act according to virtue. But he
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649 could be required to give a sign concerning his authority for driving them out of the temple, since
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650 it is not lawful for anyone to do this unless he has the authority.</p>
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651 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">And so the Jews, not questioning his zeal and virtue, ask for a sign of his authority; and so they
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652 say, <span style="font-weight: bold">What sign can you show us authorizing you to do these things? </span>i.e., Why do you drive
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653 us out with such power and authority, for this does not seem to be your office? They say the same
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654 thing in Matthew (21:23): &#8220;By what authority are you doing these things?&#8221;</p>
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655 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">396 The reason they ask for a sign is that it was the usual thing for Jews to require a sign, seeing
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656 that they were called to the law by signs: &#8220;There did not arise again in Israel a prophet like
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657 Moses, whom, the Lord knew face to face, with all his signs and wonders,&#8221; as is said in
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658 Deuteronomy (34:10), and &#8220;The Jews require signs,&#8221; as we find in 1 Corinthians (1:22). Hence
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659 David complains for the Jews saying: &#8220;We have not seen our signs&#8221; (Ps 73:9). However, they
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660 asked him for a sign not in order to believe, but in the hope that he would not be able to provide
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661 the sign, and then they could obstruct and restrain him. And so, because they asked in an evil
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662 manner, he did not give them an evident sign, but a sign clothed in a symbol, a sign concerning
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663 the resurrection.</p>
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664 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">397 Hence he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">Jesus replied, </span>and he gives the sign for which they asked. He gives them the
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665 sign of his future resurrection because this shows most strikingly the power of his divinity. For
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666 it is not within the power of mere man to raise himself from the dead. Christ alone, who was free
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667 among the dead, did this by the power of his divinity. tie shows them a similar sign in Matthew
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668 (12:30): &#8220;An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign. And a sign will not be given it,
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669 except the sign of Jonah the prophet.&#8221; And although he gave a hidden and symbolic sign on both
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670 occasions, the first was stated more clearly, and the second more obscurely.</p>
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671 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">398 We should note that before the incarnation, God gave a sign of the incarnation to come: &#8220;The
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672 Lord himself will give you a sign. A virgin will conceive, and give birth to a son&#8221; (Is 7:14). And
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673 in like manner, before the resurrection he gave a sign of the resurrection to come. And he did this
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674 because it is especially by these two events that the power of the divinity in Christ is evidenced.
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675 For nothing more marvelous could be done than that God become man and that Christ&#8217;s
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676 humanity should become a partaker of divine immortality after his resurrection: &#8220;Christ, rising
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677 froni the dead, will not die again ... his life is life with God&#8221; (Roin 6:9), i.e., in a likeness to God.</p>
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678 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">399 We should note the words Christ used in giving this sign. For Christ calls his body a temple,
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679 because a temple is something in which God dwells, according to &#8220;The Lord is in his holy
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680 temple&#8221; (Ps 10:5). And so a holy soul, in which God dwells, is also called a temple of God: &#8220;The
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681 temple of God is holy, and that is what you are&#8221; (1 Cor 3:17). Therefore, because the divinity
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682 dwells in the body of Christ, the body of Christ is the temple of God, not only according to the
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683 soul but also according to the body: &#8220;In him all the fulness of the divinity dwells bodily&#8221; (Col
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684 2:9). God dwells in us by grace, i.e., according to an act of the intellect and will, neither of which
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685 is an act of the body, but of the soul alone. But he dwells in Christ according to a union in the
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686 person; and this union includes not only the soul, but the body as well. And so the very body of
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687 Christ is God&#8217;s temple.</p>
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688 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">400 But Nestorius, using this text in support of his error, claims that the Word of God was joined
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689 to human nature only by an indwelling, from which it follows that the person of God is distinct
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690 from that of man in Christ. Therefore it is important to insist that God&#8217;s indwelling in Christ
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691 refers to the nature, since in Christ human nature is distinct from the divine, and not to the
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692 persom, which in the case of Christ is the same for both God and man, that is, the person of the
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693 Word, as was said above.</p>
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694 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">401 Therefore, granting this, the Lord does two things with respect to this sign. First, he foretells
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695 his future death. Secondly, his resurrection.</p>
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696 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">402 Christ foretells his own death when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">Destroy this temple. </span>For Christ died and was
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697 killed by others: &#8220;And they will kill him&#8221; (Mt 17:22), yet with him willing it: because as is said:
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698 &#8220;He was offered because it was his own will&#8221; (Is 53:7). And so he says, Destroy this temple, i.e.,
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699 my body. He does not say, &#8220;it will be destroyed,&#8221; lest you suppose he killed himself. He says,
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700 Destroy, which is not a command but a prediction and a permission. A prediction, so that the
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701 sense is, <span style="font-weight: bold">Destroy this temple, </span>i.e., you will destroy. And a permission, so that the sense is,
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702 <span style="font-weight: bold">Destroy this temple, </span>i.e., do with my body what you will, I submit it to you. As he said to Judas:
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703 &#8220;What you are going to do, do quickly&#8221; (below 13:27), not as commanding him, but as
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704 abandoning himself to his decision.</p>
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705 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in"><span style="font-weight: bold">He says Destroy, </span>because the death of Christ is the dissolution of his body, but in a way different
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706 from that of other men. For the bodies of other men are destroyed by death even to the point of
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707 the body&#8217;s returning to dust and ashes. But Such a dissolution did not take place in Christ, for is
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708 it is said: &#8220;You will not allow your Holy One to see corruption&#8221; (Ps 15:10). Nevertheless, death
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709 did bring a dissolution to Christ, because his soul was separated from his body as a form from
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710 matter, and because his blood was separated from his body, and because his body was pierced
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711 with nails and a lance.</p>
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712 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">403 He foretells his resurrection when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">and in three days I will raise it up again, </span>that
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713 is, his body; i.e., I will raise it from the dead. He does not say, &#8220;I will be raised up,&#8221; or &#8220;The
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714 Father will raise it up,&#8221; but <span style="font-weight: bold">I will raise it up, </span>to show that he would rise from the dead by his
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715 own power. Yet we do not deny that the Father raised him from the dead, because as it is said:
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716 &#8220;Who raised Jesus from the dead&#8221; (Rom 8:11); and &#8220;O Lord, have pity on me, and raise me up&#8221;
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717 (Ps 40:10). And so God the Father raised Christ from the dead, and Christ arose by his own
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718 power: &#8220;I have slept and have taken my rest, and I have risen, because the Lord has taken me&#8221;
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719 (Ps 3:6). There is no contradiction in this, because the power of both is the same; hence
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720 &#8220;whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise&#8221; (below 5:19). For if the Father raised him up,
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721 so too did the Son: &#8220;Although he was crucified through weakness, he lives through the power of
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722 God&#8221; (2 Cor 13:4).</p>
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723 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">404 He says, <span style="font-weight: bold">and in three days, </span>and not &#8220;after three days,&#8221; because he did not remain in the
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724 tomb for three complete days; but, as Augustine says, he is employing synecdoche, in which a
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725 part is taken for the whole.</p>
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726 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Origen, however, assigns a mystical reason for this expression, and says: The true body of Christ
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727 is the temple of God, and this body symbolizes the mystical body, i.e., the Church: &#8220;You are the
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728 body of Christ&#8221; (1 Cor 12:27). And as the divinity dwells in the body of Christ through the grace
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729 of union, so too he dwells in the Church through the grace of adoption. Although that body may
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730 seem to be destroyed mystically by the adversities of persecutions with which it is afflicted,
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731 nevertheless it is raised up in &#8220;three days,&#8221; namely, in the &#8220;day&#8221; of the law of nature, the &#8220;day&#8221;
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732 of the written law, and the &#8220;day&#8221; of the law of grace; because in those days a part of that body
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733 was destroyed, while another still lived. And so he says, in three days, because the spiritual
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734 resurrection of this body is accomplished in three days. But after those three days we will be
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735 perfectly risen, not only as to the first resurrection, but also as to the second: &#8220;Happy are they
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736 who share in the second [sic] resurrection&#8221; (Rv 20:6).</p>
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737 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">405 Then when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">The Jews then retorted, </span>we have the interpretation of the sign he gave.
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738 First, the false interpretation of the Jews. Secondly, its true understanding by the apostles (v 21).</p>
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739 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">406 The interpretation of the Jews was false, because they believed that Christ was saying this
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740 of the material temple in which he then was; consequently, they answer according to this
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741 interpretation and say: <span style="font-weight: bold">This temple took forty-six years to build, </span>i.e., this material temple in
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742 which we are standing, <span style="font-weight: bold">and you are going to raise it up again in three days!</span></p>
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743 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">407 There is a literal objection against this. For the temple in Jerusalem was built by Solomon,
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744 and it is recorded in 2 Chronicles (6:1) that it was completed by Solomon in seven years. How
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745 then can it be said that this temple took forty-six years to build? I answer that according to some
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746 this is not to be understood of the very first temple, which was completed by Solomon in seven
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747 years: for that temple built by Solomon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. But it is to be
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748 understood of the temple rebuilt under Zerubbabel, after they returned from captivity, as recorded
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749 in the book of Ezra (5:2). However, this rebuilding was so hindered and delayed by the frequent
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750 attacks of their enemies on all sides, that the temple was not finished until forty-six years had
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751 passed.</p>
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752 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">408 Or it could be said, according to Origen, that they were speaking of Solomon&#8217;s temple: and
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753 it did take forty-six years to build if the time be reckoned from the day when David first spoke
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754 of building a temple and discussed it with Nathan the prophet, as we find in 2 Samuel (7:2), until
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755 its final completion under Solomon. For from that first day onward David began preparing the
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756 material and the things necessary for building the temple. Accordingly, if the time in question
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757 is carefully calculated, it will come to forty-six years.</p>
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758 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">409 But although the Jews referred their interpretation to the material temple, nevertheless,
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759 according to Augustine, it can be referred to the temple of Christ&#8217;s body. As he says in <i>The Book
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760 of Eighty-tnree Questions, </i>the conception and formation of the human body is completed in
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761 forty-five days in the following manner. During the first six days, the conception of a human
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762 body has a likeness to milk; during the next nine days it is converted into blood; then in the next
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763 twelve days, it is hardened into flesh; then the remaining eighteen days, it is formed into a perfect
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764 outlining of all the members. But if we add six, nine, twelve and eighteen, we get forty-five; and
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765 if we add &#8220;one&#8221; for the sacrament of unity, we get forty-six.</p>
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766 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">410 However a question arises about this: because this process of formation does not seem to
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767 have taken place in Christ, who was formed and animated at the very instant of conception. But
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768 one may answer that although in the formation of Christ&#8217;s body there was something unique, in
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769 that Christ&#8217;s body was perfect at that instant as to the outlining of its members, it was not perfect
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770 as to the quantity due the body; and so he remained in the Virgin&#8217;s womb until he attained the
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771 due quantity.</p>
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772 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">However, let us take the above numbers and select six, which was the first, and forty-six, which
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773 was the last, and let us multiply one by the other. The result is two hundred seventy-six. Now if
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774 we assemble these days into months, allotting thirty days to a month, we get nine months and six
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775 days. Thus it was correct to say that it took forty-six years to build the temple, which signifies
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776 the body of Christ; the suggestion being that there were as many years in building the temple as
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777 there were days in perfecting the body of Christ. For from March twenty-five, when Christ was
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778 conceived, and (as is believed) when he suffered, to December twenty-five, there are this number
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779 of days, namely, two hundred seventy-six, a number that is the result of multiplying forty-six by
25a799388159 originals from http://www.josephkenny.joyeurs.com/CDtexts/SSJohn.htm
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780 six.</p>
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781 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">411 Augustine (as is plain from the Gloss) has another mystical interpretation of this number. For
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782 he says that if one adds the letters in the name &#8220;Adam,&#8221; using for each the number it represented
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783 for the Greeks, the result is forty-six. For in Greek, A represents the number one, since it is the
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784 first letter of the alphabet. And according to this order, D is four. Adding to the sum of these
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785 another one for the second A and forty for the letter M, we have forty-six. This signifies that the
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786 body of Christ was derived from the body of Adam.</p>
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787 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Again, according to the Greeks, the name &#8220;Adam&#8221; is composed of the first letters of the names
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788 of the four directions of the world: namely, Anathole, which is the east; Disis, which is the west;
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789 Arctos, which is the north; and Mensembria, the south. This signifies that Christ derived his flesh
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790 from Adam in order to gather his elect from the four parts of the world: &#8220;He will gather his elect
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791 from the four winds&#8221; (Mt 24:31).</p>
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792 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">412 Then, the true interpretation of this sign as understood by the apostles is given (v 2 1). First,
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793 the way they understood it is given. Secondly, the time when they understood it (v 22).</p>
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794 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">413 He says therefore: The Jews said this out of ignorance. But Christ did not understand it in
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795 their way; in fact, he meant the temple of his body, and this is what he says: <span style="font-weight: bold">He was speaking,
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796 how</span>ever, of <span style="font-weight: bold">the temple of his body. </span>We have already explained why the body of Christ could
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797 be called a temple.</p>
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798 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Apollinaris misunderstood this and said that the body of Christ was inanimate matter because the
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799 temple was inanimate. He was mistaken in this for when it is said that the body of Christ is a
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800 temple, one is speaking metaphorically. And in this way of speaking a likeness does not exist in
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801 all respects, but only in some respect, namely, as to indwelling, which is referred to the nature,
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802 as was explained. Further, this is evident from the authority of Sacred Scriptuire. when Christ
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803 himself said: &#8220;I have the power to lay down my life,&#8221; as we read below (10:18).</p>
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804 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">414 The time when the apostles acquired this true understanding is then shown by the Evangelist
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805 when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">When, therefore, he had risen from the dead, his disciples recalled that he had
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806 said this. </span>Prior to the resurrection it was difficult to understand this. First, because this statement
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807 asserted that the true divinity was in the body of Christ; otherwise it could not be called a temple.
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808 And to understand this at that time was above human ability. Secondly, because in this statement
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809 mention is made of the passion and resurrection, when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">I will raise it up again; </span>and this
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810 is something none of the disciples had heard mentioned before. Consequently, when Christ spoke
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811 of his resurrection and passion to the apostles, Peter was scandalized when he heard it, saying,
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812 &#8220;God forbid, Lord&#8221; (Mt 16:22). But after the resurrection, when they now clearly understood that
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813 Christ was God, through what he had shown in regard to his passion and resurrection, and when
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814 they had learned of the mystery of his resurrection, <span style="font-weight: bold">his disciples recalled that he had said this
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815 </span>of his body, and <span style="font-weight: bold">they then believed the Scriptures, </span>i.e., the prophets: &#8220;He will revive us after
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816 two days; on the third day he will raise us up&#8221; (Hos 6:3), and &#8220;Jonah was in the belly of the fish
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817 three days and three nights&#8221; (Jon 2:1). So it is that on the very day of the resurrection he opened
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818 their understanding so that they might understand the Scriptures <span style="font-weight: bold">and the statement Jesus had
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819 made, </span>namely, <span style="font-weight: bold">Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.</span></p>
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820 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">415 In the anagogical sense, according to Origen, we understand by this that in the final
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821 resurrection of nature we will be disciples of Christ, when in the great resurrection the entire
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822 body of Jesus, that is, his Church, will be made certain of the things we now hold through faith
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823 in a dark manner. Then we shall receive the fulfillment of faith, seeing in actual fact what we
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824 now observe through a mirror.</p>
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825 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">416 Then (v 23) he sets forth the fruit which resulted from the signs, namely, the conversion of
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826 certain believers. Concerning this he does three things. First, he mentions those who believed on
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827 account of the miracles. Secondly, he shows the attitude of Christ to them (v 24). Thirdly, he
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828 gives the reason for this (v 25).</p>
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829 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">417 The fruit which developed from the signs of Jesus was abundant, because many believed and
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830 were converted to him; and this is what he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">While he was in Jerusalem during the
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831 Passover feast, many people, seeing the signs he was working, believed in his name, </span>i.e., in
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832 him.</p>
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833 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">418 Note that they believed in two ways: sorne on account of the iniracles they saw, and sonic
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834 oil account of the revelation and prophecy of&#8217; hidden things. Now those who believe oil account
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835 of doctrine are more commendable, because they are more spiritual than those who believe on
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836 account of signs, which are grosser and on the level of sense. Those who were converted are
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837 shown to be more on the level of sense by the fact that they did not believe on account of the
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838 doctrine, as the disciples did, but <span style="font-weight: bold">seeing the signs he was working: </span>&#8220;Prophecies are for those
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839 who believe&#8221; (1 Cor 14:22).</p>
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840 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">419 One might ask which signs worked by Jesus they saw, for we do not read of any sign worked
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841 by him in Jerusalem at that time. According to Origen, there are two answers to this. First, Jesus
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842 did work many miracles there at that time, which are not recorded here; for the Evangelist
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843 purposely omitted many of Christ&#8217;s miracles, since he worked so many that they could not easily
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844 be recorded: &#8220;Jesus did many other signs, and if every one was written, the world itself, I think,
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845 would not be able to contain the books that would be written&#8221; (below 21:25). And the Evangelist
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846 expressly shows this when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">seeing the signs he was working, </span>without mentioning them,
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847 because it was not the intention of the Evangelist to record all the signs of Jesus, but as many as
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848 were needed to instruct the Church of the faithful. The second answer is that among the miracles
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849 the greatest could be the sign in which Jesus by himself drove from the temple a crowd of men
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850 with a whip of small cords.</p>
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851 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">420 The attitude of Jesus to those who believed in him is shown when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">But Jesus did
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852 not trust himself to them, </span>i.e., those who had believed in him. What is this, men entrust
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853 themselves to God, and Jesus himself does not entrust himself to them? Could they kill him
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854 against his will? Some will say that he did not trust himself to them because he knew that their
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855 belief was not genuine. But if this were true, the Evangelist would surely not have said that many
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856 believed in his name, and yet he did not trust himself to them. According to Chrysostom, the
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857 reason is that they did believe in him, but imperfectly, because they were not yet able to attain
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858 to the profound mysteries of Christ, and so <span style="font-weight: bold">Jesus did not trust himself to them, </span>i.e., he did not
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859 yet reveal his secret mysteries to them; for there were many things he would not reveal even to
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860 the apostles: &#8220;I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now&#8221; (below
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861 16:12), and &#8220;I could not speak to you as spiritual persons, but as sensual&#8221; (1 Cor 3:1). And so it
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862 is significant that in order to show that they believed imperfectly, the Evangelist does not say that
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863 they believed &#8220;in him,&#8221; because they did not yet believe in his divinity, but he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">in his name,
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864 </span>i.e., they believed what was said about him, nominally, i.e., that he was just, or something of that
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865 sort.</p>
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866 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">Or, according to Augustine, these people represent the catechumens in the Church, who, although
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867 they believe in the name of Christ, Jesus does not trust himself to them, because the Church does
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868 not give them the body of Christ. For just as no priest except one ordained in the priesthood can
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869 consecrate that body, so no one but a baptized person may receive it.</p>
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870 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">421 The reason Jesus did not trust himself to them arises from his perfect knowledge; hence he
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871 says, <span style="font-weight: bold">for he knew all men. </span>For although one must ordinarily presume good of everyone, yet after
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872 the truth about certain people is known, one should act according to their condition. Now because
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873 nothing in man was unknown to Christ and since he knew that they believed imperfectly, he did
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874 not trust himself to them.</p>
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875 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">422 The universal knowledge of Christ is then described: for he knew not only those who were
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876 on close terms with him, but strangers too. And therefore he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">for he knew all men; </span>and this
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877 by the power of his divinity: &#8220;The eyes of the Lord are far brighter than the sun&#8221; (Sir 23:28). Now
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878 a man, although he may know other people, cannot have a sure knowledge of them, because he
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879 sees only what appears; consequently, he must rely on the testimony of others. But Christ knows
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880 with the greatest certainty, because he beholds the heart; and so <span style="font-weight: bold">he did not need anyone to give
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881 testimony about men. </span>In fact, he is the one who gives testimony: &#8220;Look, my witness is in
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882 heaven&#8221; (Jb 16:20)</p>
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883 <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.125in">His knowledge was perfect, because it extended not only to what was exterior, but even to the
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884 interior; thus he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">He was well aware of what was in man&#8217;s heart, </span>i.e., the secrets of the
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885 heart: &#8220;Hell and destruction are open to the Lord: how much more the hearts of the children of
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886 men&#8221; (Prv 15:11).</p>
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887 </body>
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888
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889 </html>