Grief

Passages

Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.

Page 132 of 263 · 20 per page

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  27:31–3431. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. 32. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. 33. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, 34. They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. GLOSS. (non occ. Aug. de Cons. Ev. iii. 9.) After the Evangelist had narrated what concerned the mocking of Christ, he proceeds to His crucifixion. AUGUSTINE. This is to be understood to have been done at the end of all, when He was led off to crucifixion after Pilate had delivered Him up to the Jews. JEROME. It is to be noted, that when Jesus is scourged and spit upon, He has not on His own garments, but those which He took for our sins; but when He is crucified, and the show of His mockery is completed, then He takes again His former garments, and His own dress, and immediately the elements are shaken, and the creature gives testimony to the Creator. ORIGEN. Of the cloak it is mentioned that they took it off Him, but of the crown of thorns the Evangelists have not spoken, so that there are now no longer those ancient thorns of ours, since Jesus has taken them from us upon His revered head. CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. de Cruc. et Lat. ii.) The Lord would not suffer under a roof, or in the Jewish Temple, that you should not suppose that He was offered for that people alone; but without the city, without the walls, that you might know that the sacrifice was common, that it was the offering of the whole earth, that the purification was general. JEROME. Let none think that John’s narrative contradicts this place of the Evangelist. John says that the Lord went forth from the prætorium bearing His cross; Matthew tells, that they found a man of Cyrene upon whom they laid Jesus’ cross. We must suppose that as Jesus went out of the prætorium, He was bearing His cross, and that afterwards they met Simon, whom they compelled to bear it.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  CHRYSOSTOM. Then to shew how inevitable the evils that should come upon the Jews, and how infinite their calamity, He adds, And let him which is on the housetop, not come down to take any thing out of his house, for it was better to be saved, and to lose his clothes, than to put on a garment and perish; and of him who is in the field He says the same. For if those who are in the city fly from it, little need is there for those who are abroad to return to the city. But it is easy to despise money, and not hard to provide other raiment; but how can one avoid natural circumstances? How can a woman with child be made active for flight, or how can she that gives suck desert the child she has brought forth? Woe, therefore, to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days; to the one, because they are encumbered, and cannot easily fly, bearing about the burden of the womb; to the other, because they are held by compassion for their children, and cannot save with them those whom they are suckling. ORIGEN. Or because that will not be a time of shewing pity, neither upon them who are with child, nor upon them who are suckling, nor upon their infants. And as speaking to Jews who thought they might travel no more upon the sabbath than a sabbath-day’s journey, He adds, But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath. JEROME. Because in the one the severity of the cold prevents your flight to the deserts, and your lurking in mountains and wilds; in the other, you must either transgress the Law, if you will fly, or encounter instant death if you will stay. CHRYSOSTOM. Note how this speech is directed against the Jews; for when these things were done by Vespasian, the Apostles could neither observe the Sabbath nor fly, seeing most of them were already dead, and those who survived were living in distant countries. And why they should pray for this He adds a reason, For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor shall be.

• From New Testament Words (1964)

  I was stabbed to the heart, as if pierced with a five-inch nail.’ His sorrow for his sin was the sorrow of a broken heart. The word penthein tells us that we have not even begun on the Christian way until we take sin with such seriousness that our sorrow for it is like the mourning of one who mourns for the dead. Christianity begins with the godly sorrow of the broken heart. PHOBOS THE RIGHT AND THE WRONG FEAR Phobos means ‘fear’, and in all ages of Greek phobos is what is sometimes known as ‘a middle word’. That is to say, the word itself is quite neutral, and, according to the way in which it is used and the context in which it occurs, it can have either a good or a bad meaning, and can describe something which is useful and praiseworthy, or evil and contemptible. In Greek phobos, ‘fear’, can be the characteristic either of the coward or of the truly religious man. In classical Greek phobos has three main meanings. (i) In Homer it nearly always means ‘panic’ or ‘flight’. Panicstricken flight,’ says Homer, ‘which is the companion of chilliing phobos, fear’ (Iliad, 9.2). Phobos in early Greek has always in it the idea of running away, of fleeing panicstricken from the battle. The passive of the corresponding verb, phobeisthai, means ‘to be put to flight’, and it is the opposite of the verb hupomenein, from which comes hupomorie, and which means ‘to stand fast’ and ‘to endure’. The word has in it that failure of nerve which makes a man take to his heels and flee. (ii) More generally in classical Greek phobos means ‘fear’ in the widest sense of the term. It is the opposite of tharros, which means ‘courage’. (iii) Lastly, in classical Greek, phobos means ‘awe’ or ‘reverence’ for some exalted ruler and especially for some divinity or some god. It is the feeling which a man experiences in the presence of someone who is infinitely his superior. In the NT the word is common and occurs about 47 times. First of all, let us look at it in the Synoptic Gospels and in Acts. It is used of the reaction of the disciples when they saw Jesus walking on the water (Matt. 14.26) and when he stilled the storm (Mark 4.41). It is used of the reaction of the people after the healing of the paralysed man (Luke 5.26), after the raising of the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7.16), after the healing of the Gerasene demoniac (Luke 8.37). It is used of the feeling of Zacharias when he saw the angel of the Lord beside the altar (Luke 1.12), and of the spectators when Zacharias recovered his speech (Luke 1.65). It is used of the shepherds when they heard the song of the angels (Luke 2.9).

• From Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family (1901)

  The first thing to do in the matter was to send wreaths, large wreaths, expensive wreaths, wreaths that could be used to honor people, that would be mentioned in the newspaper articles, and that could be seen to be from loyal people and able-bodied people came. They were sent, they flocked from all sides, from corporations as well as from families and individuals; Wreaths of laurel, of fragrant flowers, of silver, with black ribbons and those in the colors of the city, with dedications printed in black and those in gold letters. And palm fronds, immense palm fronds... All the flower shops were doing big business, not leastthe onevon Iwersen, opposite the Buddenbrook house. Mrs. Iwersen rang the bell several times a day and brought arrangements in various forms, from Senator so-and-so, from Consul so-and-so, from them and the civil service... Once she asked if she might not perhaps go upstairs and see the senator? Yes, she could, she was told, and she followed Fraulein Jungmann up the main staircase, glancing mutely up the gleaming stairwell. She walked heavily, for she was hopeful as usual. Her general appearance had become a little mean with the years, but the narrow-set black eyes and Malay cheekbones were attractive, and one could tell that she must once have been extraordinarily pretty. – She was let into the salon because Thomas Buddenbrook was lying in state there. He lay in the middle of the wide, bright room, the furniture of which had been removed, in the white silk upholstery of the coffin, dressed in white silk and covered with white silk, in a strong and intoxicating mixture of perfumes of tuberoses, violets, and a hundred other plants. At his head, in one Thorwaldsen's Blessing Christ stood in semicircles of silver candelabra, on plinths covered with flowers. The bouquets, wreaths, baskets, and bouquets stood and lay along the walls, on the floor, and on the quilt; Palm fronds leaned against the bier and bent over the dead man's feet. – His face was bruised in places, and his nose in particular showed bruises. But the hair on his head was styled as in real life, and the mustache, which old Herr Wenzel pulled out again with the curling tongs, towered long and rigid over his white cheeks. His head was turned a little to one side and an ivory cross was held between his clasped hands. Frau Iwersen stopped almost at the door and squinted at the stretcher; only when Frau Permaneder, all wrapped up in black and sniffed from crying, appeared from the living room between the porters and gently invited them to come closer, did she venture a little further forward on the parquet floor. She stood with her hands clasped on her protruding body and looked with her narrow black eyes at the plants, the candelabra, the ribbons, all the white silk and at Thomas Buddenbrook's face.

• From Love & Sex: A Christian Guide to Healthy Intimacy (2018)

  Kaycie let a tear slide down her cheek. “Once in a while, especially when James and the boys are wrestling on the floor together, I notice an ache in my heart. Why couldn’t dad have stayed and wrestled with me? Why couldn’t he have stayed and told me I looked pretty, when I felt so awkward during those teen years? Why couldn’t he have been there when I went on my first date? Why couldn’t he have been there when I married James? Maybe I would have made some better decisions. I remember in junior high being so hungry for male attention I let the science teacher touch my breasts in the closet of his classroom. I felt so humiliated, but I wanted the attention. Is that sick?” Olivia asked the group if two or three of them could give Kaycie some feedback. “What are you feeling for Kaycie? Do you think she is sick?” Emily said, “Kaycie, I’m so sorry your dad wasn’t there for you. I can only imagine how hard that was for you. I hurt with you and wish you would have had the love and acceptance you needed instead of feeling so abandoned and vulnerable for male attention. You aren’t sick. You were hurt. It’s okay. I accept you.” Now the tears really started flowing. Olivia nodded at Holly, who wanted to speak. “Kaycie, you were a kid. It wasn’t your fault your dad left. You weren’t bad or inadequate; he left because of his stuff, not yours. You are enough. It’s okay for you to let yourself be close to your husband. He sounds like an okay guy and like he has worked hard on building trust with you and taking care of his side of the fence. I don’t want you to feel so alone. Thank you for letting us into your pain. I hope you feel supported and loved. You aren’t sick; it makes total sense as to why you let the science teacher touch you. Besides, he was the adult and should have known better. Remember, you were a kid. I accept you and love you.” Mary Francis then added, “Kaycie, you have made some huge connections today. I’m super proud of you. I can relate to you in so many ways. You go, girl!” Olivia sat back and asked if anyone else could relate to Kaycie. Mary Francis said, “Heck, I can’t remember the guys who I have let touch me. Some I let and some just took. I even made out with a girl in high school just to turn a guy on. I have had sex with guys at truck stops, in the back of pickups, and—well—you just name it. Talk about boundaries, I wouldn’t know where to start.” Suddenly Mary Francis looked like she wanted to throw up. “What is it, Mary Francis? What memory are you having in this moment?” Olivia asked.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  59. And about, the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilæan. 60. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 62. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. AMBROSE. The wretched men understood not the mystery, nor had reverence unto an outpouring of compassion so merciful, that even His enemies He suffered not to be wounded. For it is said, Then look they him, &c. When we read of Jesus being holden, let us guard against thinking that He is holden with respect to His divine nature, and unwilling through weakness, for He is held captive and bound according to the truth of His bodily nature. BEDE. Now the Chief Priest means Caiaphas, who according to John was High Priest that year. AUGUSTINE. But first He was led to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, as John says, then to Caiaphas, as Matthew says, but Mark and Luke do not give the name of the High Priest. CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. 83. in Matt.) It is therefore said, to the house of the High Priest, that nothing whatever might be done without the consent of the chief of the Priests. For thither had they all assembled waiting for Christ. Now the great zeal of Peter is manifested in his not flying when he saw all the others doing so; for it follows, But Peter followed afar off. AMBROSE. Rightly he followed afar off, soon about to deny, for he could never have denied if he had clung close to Christ. But herein must he be revered, that he forsook not our Lord, even though he was afraid. Fear is the effect of nature, solicitude of tender affection. BEDE. But that when our Lord was going to His Passion, Peter followed afar off represents the Church about to follow indeed, that is, to imitate our Lord’s Passion, but in a far different manner, for the Church suffers for herself, our Lord suffered for the Church. AMBROSE. And by this time there was a fire burning in the house of the High Priest; as it follows, And when they had kindled a fire, &c. Peter came to warm himself, because his Lord being taken prisoner, the heart of his soul had been chilled in him.

• From New Testament Words (1964)

  Jesus brought the good news which told not of the God of the threat, but the God of the promise. That by no means removes all obligations from life, for a promise brings its obligation just as much as a threat does, but the obligation becomes the obligation to answer to love and not to cower before vengeance. (v) The euaggelion is ‘the good news of immortality’ (II Tim. 1.10). In face of death the pagan sorrowed and feared as one who had no hope (I Thess. 4.13). One of the saddest of papyrus letters is a letter from a mother to a mother and father whose little child has died. ‘Irene to Taonnophris and Philo, good comfort. I was as sorry and wept over the departed one as I wept for Didymus. All things that were fitting I did…. But all the same in the face of such things there is nothing that anyone can do .’ That was the pagan outlook in the face of death. But the good news brings the certainty that death is not the end but the beginning of life, not the departure into annihilation but the departure to be for ever with God. (vi) The euaggelion is ‘good news of the risen Christ’ (I Cor. 15.1ff.; II Tim. 2.8). The good news which Christianity brings is that we do not worship a dead hero, but we live with a living presence. We are not left with only a pattern to copy and an example to follow, we are left with a constant companion of our way. Our faith is not a faith in a figure in a book who lived and died, but in one who rose from death and who is alive forever more. (vii) The euaggelion is ‘good news of salvation’ (Eph. 1.13). It is news of that power which wins us forgiveness for past sin, liberation from present sin, strength for the future to conquer sin. It is good news of victory. MESITĒS THE ONE BETWEEN Mesitēs is one of the great NT titles of Jesus. It is usually translated ‘mediator’. It comes from the Greek word mesos , which, in this instance, means ‘in the middle’, and mesites therefore means ‘a man who stands in the middle and who brings two parties together’. In the NT it is used in Gal. 3.19 of Moses, and in I Tim. 2.5; Heb. 8.6; 9.15; 12.24 of Jesus. It was just such a person for whom Job’s whole soul cried out in his misfortune, when he said of himself and God, ‘Neither is there any daysman, mesitēs , between us’ (Job 9.33). In classical Greek the word itself is not common, but the idea is very common. When it and its equivalents appear, they have two main meanings.

• From New Testament Words (1964)

  There is this word ptōchos. This word comes from the verb ptōssein, which means to cower or crouch; and it describes not simply honest poverty, and the struggle of the labouring man to make ends meet; it describes abject poverty, which has literally nothing and which is in imminent danger of real starvation. First, then, let us note that ptōchos does not describe genteel poverty but real, acute destitution. But behind this Greek word ptōchos, there lie two Hebrew words, the words ebion and ani. Both these words have a most interesting and significant development of meaning. Their meaning has three stages. (i) They mean simply ‘poor’, in the sense of lacking in this world’s goods (Deut. 15.4; 15.11). (ii) They go on to mean, because poor, therefore ‘downtrodden and oppressed’ (Amos 2.6; 8.4). (iii) It is then that they take their great leap in meaning. If a man is poor and downtrodden and oppressed, he has no influence on earth, no power, no prestige. He cannot look to men for help and when all the help and resources of earth are closed to him, he can only look to God. And, therefore, these words come to describe people who, because they have nothing on earth, have come to put their complete and total trust in God (Amos 5.12; Ps. 10.2, 12, 17; 12.5; 14.6; 68.10). We are now in a position to come at the real meaning of the Beatitude, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’. (i) It means: blessed is the man who has an utter sense of his own abject destitution in the sight of God, the man who feels not simply unsatisfactory, but who can only say, God be merciful to me, a sinner. (ii) But equally it means: blessed is the man who feels this sense of destitution and who has then put his utter and complete trust in God. So then the Beatitude means: blessed is the man who is conscious of a desperate need and who is utterly certain that in God, and in God alone, that need can be supplied. In the NT the ‘poor’ are those who realize their own abject helplessness and the wealth of the riches of the grace of God. SEMNOS AND SEMNOTĒS THE MAJESTY OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE The adjective semnos and the noun semnotēs are characteristic words of the Pastoral Epistles. Only once does semnos occur outside the Pastoral Epistles. It is used in Phil. 4.8 in the phrase ‘whatsoever things are honest’. In the Pastoral Epistles semnos occurs three times. The deacons must be grave (I Tim. 3.8); the women, or perhaps it should be translated their wives, should have the same quality (I Tim. 3.11). The aged women must live as becometh holiness (Titus 2.3).

• From Love & Sex: A Christian Guide to Healthy Intimacy (2018)

  Olivia continued. “You have processed a lot today. We will pick back up right here next week, so what we did here today we will revisit. Your brain is trying to make sense of what happened to you, and we have to let this be a healing journey.” Kaycie looked Olivia in the eyes, grateful for someone safe in her life to practice telling her truth to. Relieved, she gathered her purse and stuffed the pile of wet tissues into the side pocket. She sat in her car for a long time noticing her own feelings. She wondered why it took so long for her to tell her story. And it dawned on her that the rape may have impacted her in ways she never connected. Kaycie recalled life before the rape and how she loved school, friends, cheerleading, skiing, and her dog. After the rape, life went dark, and the color drained out of her world. Gone were the simple joys of cold air on her cheeks and the smile of a friend. Instead, she started drinking to numb the pain and she slept with her boyfriend; after all, she reasoned, her virginity, something she had hoped to save for her husband, was stolen. Kaycie hoped leaving her small hometown behind would give her a fresh start. Unfortunately, the secret, tightly packed away in the recesses of her heart, travelled with her. Wine became her ruby-red companion, helping her sleep, forget, and remain numb enough to fake her way through life. It wasn’t until her junior year and wanting to garner the attention of James that she snorted her first line of cocaine. This high sailed her to new heights, but the low sank her soul into a darkness she had never known. Now, she had a new understanding of why James’s and her marriage had been such a disaster. What they both brought to the table was, to say the least, messy. Kaycie straightened her shoulders, let out a deep breath, and felt hope, as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Real life, she pondered when she pulled up to her mom’s house, was better than a numb, empty, secret-keeping life. As she walked up the concrete pathway to her mom’s ranch style home, she noticed she felt lighter. Maybe Olivia was right—grieving does recalibrate your soul. When Kaycie first started counseling, Olivia tried to encourage Kaycie to grieve her losses. Olivia could tell Kaycie was carrying a lot of baggage. But always, Kaycie would look at her like she was an alien speaking a foreign language, “What good will grieving do? I have cried. I have felt sorry for myself. And it hasn’t helped so far,” she said. Olivia would patiently nod and say, “I understand, Kaycie, but I think grief is different than just tears. It does include tears, but it also includes coming face to face with the reality of what has happened in your life and to you.”

• From Blue Like Jazz (2003)

  She fell to her knees and then got up and screamed and shook her fists at the ceiling. She turned and ran out the door, into the courtyard of this run-down apartment complex, and as the camera pulled to look out the open door they showed this large black woman collapse to the ground screaming into the dirt and pounding her fist. I thought of that scene much later when my friend Julie and I were driving down from Yosemite listening to Patty Griffin sing “Mary” on the CD player. In the song, Patty talks about Mary, the mother of Jesus, and what it must have been like the day her son was killed. She paints this painful picture of Mary inside her house, cleaning, and as the song played I imagined Mary washing down the counters and sweeping the floors, frantically, trying not to think about what they had done to her Son that morning. And I imagined Mary falling down outside her door on her hands and knees and beating her fists into the dirt and screaming at God. Julie and I drove down from Glacier Point, and even though it was cold we turned on the heat and rolled down the windows so we could see the stars through the trees. We kept hitting repeat on the CD player and ended up listening to Patty Griffin sing about Mary more than forty consecutive times. I kept imagining Jesus in my mind like a real person, sometimes out in the wilderness like Yosemite Valley, sometimes by a fire talking with His friends, sometimes thinking about His mother, always missing His Father. Rick leads a small group for people who do not believe in Jesus but have questions about Him. One of the people in the small group asked Rick what he thought Jesus looked like; did He look like the pictures on the walls of churches? Rick said he didn’t know. One of the other people in the group spoke up very cautiously and said she thought perhaps he looked like Osama Bin Laden. Rick said this is probably very close to the truth. Sometimes I picture this Osama Bin Laden–looking Jesus talking with His friends around a fire, except He is not rambling about anything, He is really listening, not so much pushing an agenda but being kind and understanding and speaking some truth and encouragement into their lives. Helping them believe in the mission they feel inside themselves, the mission that surrounded Jesus and the crazy life they had embraced. [image "9780785263708_0249_001" file=Image00093.jpg] I remember the first time I had feelings for Jesus. It wasn’t very long ago. I had gone to a conference on the coast with some Reed students, and a man spoke who was a professor at a local Bible college. He spoke mostly about the Bible, about how we should read the Bible. He was convincing.

• From New Testament Words (1964)

  So it is used in Homer (Iliad 19.225) and in Herodotus (4.95). So Sophocles speaks of Oedipus shaken with the spasms of agonizing memory (Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 1320). In the Septuagint it is the word which is used for Jacob’s mourning when he thinks that Joseph is dead and gone for ever (Gen. 37.34); and it is the word which is used for David’s mourning when his son Absalom met his tragic death (II Sam. 19.1). In the papyri again it is connected with the mourning of death and of unbridgeable separation. In one papyrus it is laid down: The mourning women shall wear dark raiment. In another a husband who is separated from his wife writes: I wish you to know that ever since you left me I have been in mourning, weeping by night, and mourning by day. There is no stronger word of mourning in the Greek language than penthein. (ii) It must have been noticed in the examples quoted how often mourning and weeping (penthein and klaiein) are associated. The second significant fact about penthein is that it described the mourning which cannot be hidden. It describes, not only a grief which brings an ache to the heart, but also a grief which brings tears to the eyes. Penthein describes the sorrow which cannot be concealed. This then is the word which the NT uses for a Christian’s mourning for his sin (Matt. 5.4; I Cor. 5.2; II Cor. 12.21; James 4.9). The Christian sorrow for sin must be not only a gentle, vague, sentimental regret that something has gone wrong; it must be a sorrow as acute as sorrow for the dead. It must be a sorrow which is not hidden, but which emerges in the tears and the confession of the truly penitent heart. It is a sorrow which realizes what Carlyle called ‘the infinite damnability of sin’, and which is broken in heart when in the Cross it sees what sin can do. One of the great conversion stories of modern times is the story of how the Japanese murderer Tokichi Ishii was converted by reading the NT when he was in prison. He was a man of the most savage cruelty, bestial and sub-human in the terrible crimes that he had committed. He was converted by reading a Bible which two Canadian women left with him, when they could not get even a flicker of human response to anything they said to him. He read it, and when he came to the prayer of Jesus: ‘Father, forgive them, they know not what they do,’ he says: ‘I stopped.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  JEROME. After the day of judgment, there is no more opportunity for good works, or for righteousness, and therefore it follows, And the door was shut. AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) When they have been taken in who have been changed into angelic being (1 Cor. 15:51), all entrance into the kingdom of heaven is closed; after the judgment, there is no more place for prayers or merit. HILARY. Yet though the season of repentance is now past, the foolish virgins come and beg that entrance may be granted to them. JEROME. Their worthy confession calling Him, Lord, Lord, is a mark of faith. But what avails it to confess with the mouth Him whom you deny with your works? GLOSS. (ap. Anselm.) Grief at their exclusion extorts from them a repetition of this title of Lord; they call not Him Father, whose mercy they despised in their lifetime. AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) It is not said that they bought any oil, and therefore we must suppose that all their delight in the praise of men being gone, they return in distress and affliction to implore God. But His severity, after judgment, is as great as His mercy was unspeakable before. But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not; by that rule, namely, that the art of God, that is, His wisdom, does not admit that those should enter into His joy who have sought to do in any thing according to His commandments, not as before God, but that they may please men. JEROME. For the Lord knoweth them that are his, (2 Tim. 2:19.) and he that knoweth not shall not be known, and though they be virgins in purity of body, or in confession of the true faith, yet forasmuch as they have no oil, they are unknown by the bridegroom. When He adds, Watch therefore, because ye know not the day nor the hour, He means that all that has been said points to this, namely, that seeing we know not the day of judgment, we should be careful in providing the light of good works. AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) For indeed we know the day and the hour neither of that future time when the Bridegroom will come, nor of our own falling asleep each of us; if then we be prepared for this latter, we shall also be prepared when that voice shall sound, which shall arouse us all. AUGUSTINE. (Ep. 199. 45.) There have not been wanting those who would refer these ten virgins to that coming of Christ, which takes place now in the Church; but this is not to be hastily held out, lest any thing should occur contradictory of it. 25:14–3014. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  AMBROSE. Now the Lord taking hold of the hand of the maid, cured her. Blessed is he whom wisdom takes by the hand, that she may bring him into her secret places, and command to be given him to eat. For the bread of heaven is the word of God. Hence comes also that wisdom which has filled its altars with the food of the body and blood of God. Come, she says, eat my bread, and drink the wine which I have mixed for you. (Prov. 9:5.) BEDE. Now the maid arose straightway, because when Christ strengthens the hand, man revives from the death of the soul. For there are some, who only by the secret thought of sin are conscious of bringing death to themselves. The Lord signifying that such He brings to life again, raised the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue. But others, by committing the very evil in which they delight, carry their dead as it were without the gates, and to shew that He raises these, He raised the widow’s son without the gates. But some also, by habits of sin, bury themselves, as it were, and become corrupt; and to raise these also the grace of the Saviour is not wanting; to intimate which He raised from the dead Lazarus, who had been four days in the grave. But the deeper the death of the soul, so much the more intense should be the fervour of penitence. Hence He raises with a gentle voice the maid who lay dead in the room, the youth who was carried out He strengthens with many words, but to raise him who had been dead four days, He groaned in His spirit, He poured forth tears, and cried with a loud voice. But here also we must observe, that a public calamity needs a public remedy. Slight offences seek to be blotted out by secret penitence. The maid lying in the house rises again with few witnesses; the youth without the house is raised in the presence of a great crowd who accompanied him. Lazarus summoned from the tomb was known to many nations. CHAPTER 9 9:1–61. Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 3. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. 4. And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5. And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. 6. And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the Gospel, and healing every where.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  PSEUDO-JEROME. By the burial of Christ we rise again, by His going down into hell we mount up into heaven; here is found the honey in the mouth of the dead lion. THEOPHYLACT. Let us too imitate Joseph, taking to ourselves the body of Christ by Unity, and let us place it in a sepulchre, hewn out of the rock, that is, in a soul recollected, never forgetful of God; for this is a soul hewn out of the rock, that is, out of Christ, for He is our rock, who holds together our strength. We ought also to wrap Him in linen, that is, to receive Him in a pure body; for the linen is the body which is the clothing of the soul. We must, however, not throw open, but wrap Him up; for He is secret, closed and hidden. There follows: And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid. BEDE. We read in Luke, that His acquaintances and the women who had followed Him stood afar off. When these then who were known to Jesus returned home after the burial of His body, the women alone, who were bound to Him with a closer love, after following the funeral, took care to see how He was laid, that they might be able at a fitting season to offer Him the sacrifice of their devotion. But on the day of the parasceue, that is, of the preparation, the holy women, that is, humble souls, do the same, when they burn with love for the Saviour, and diligently follow the steps of His Passion in this life, where their future rest is to be prepared; and they weigh with a pious minuteness the order in which His passion was accomplished, if perchance they be able to imitate it. PSEUDO-JEROME. These things also fit the Jewish people, which finally is believing, which is ennobled by faith to become the child of Abraham. It lays aside its despair, it waits for the kingdom of God, it goes in to the Christians, that it may be baptized; which is implied by the name of Pilate, which is interpreted, ‘One who works with a hammer,’ that is, he who subdues the iron nations, that he may rule them with a rod of iron. It seeks for the sacrifice, that is, the viaticum, which is given to penitents at their last end, and wraps it up in a heart clean and dead to sin; it makes it firm in the safeguard of faith, and shuts it up with the covering of hope, through works of charity; (for the end of the commandment is charity;) (1 Tim. 1:5) whilst the elect, who are the stars of the sea, are looking on from afar, for, if it be possible, the very elect shall be offended.

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  Poor Pauline, who had manifested rigour enough to- wards him, seeing the extremity of his grief and the reason- ableness of his request, which was so moderate under such circumstances, could only reply by throwing herself in tears on his neck. So overcome was she that speech, sense, and motion failed her, and she fainted in his arms, whilst love, sorrow, and pity produced the same effect on him. One of Pauline's companions, who saw them fall, called for help, and they were recovered by force of remedies. Pauline, who wished to hide her affection, was ashamed when she was aware how vehemently she had suffered it to display itself; however, she found a good excuse in the commiseration she had felt for the gentleman. That heart-broken lover, unable to utter the words, " Farewell for ever !" hurried away to his chamber, fell like a corpse on his bed, and passed the night in such bitter lamenta- tions that his servant supposed he had lost all his rela- l8o THE HEPTAMERON OF THE {Nffvel x<^ tions and friends, and all he was worth in the world Next morning he commended himself to our Lord, and after dividing the little he possessed among his domes- tics, only retaining a very small sum of money for his immediate use, he forbade his servants to follow him, and wended his way alone to the convent of the Observ- ance, to ask for the monastic habit, with the determina- tion of wearing none other as long as he lived. The warden, who had known him formerly, thought at first that he was joking, or that he himself was dreaming ; indeed, there was not a man in all the country who had less the look of a Cordelier, or was better gifted with the graces and endowments which one could desire to see in a gentleman. But after having heard him, and seen him shed floods of tears, the source of which was unknown to him, the warden kindly received him as a guest, and soon afterwards, seeing his perseverance, he gave him. the robe of the order, which the poor gentle- man received with great devotion.

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  Next morning the duke's servants, not seeing or hearing anything of him, concluded that he had gone to see some lady ; but at last becoming uneasy at his long absence, they began to look for him in all directions. The poor duchess, who was beginning to love hmi greatly, was extremely distressed at hearing that he could not be found. The favourite also not making his appearance, some of the servants went for him to his house. They saw blood at his chamber door, but no one could give any account of him. The trace of blood led the duke's servants to the chamber where he lay, and finding the door locked, they broke it open at once, saw the floor covered with blood, drew the curtains, and be- held the duke stark dead on the bed. Picture to your- selves the affliction of these servants, as they carried the body to the palace. The bishop arrived there at the same time, and told them how the gentleman had fled in the night under pretence of going to see his brother. This was enough to lead every one to the conclusion that it was he who had done the deed. It clearly ap- peared that his sister had known nothing about it. Though she was surprised at so unexpected an event, she loved her brother for it, since, without regard to his own life, he had delivered her from a tyrant who was bent on the ruin of her honour. She continued always to lead the same virtuous life ; and though she was reduced to poverty by the confiscation of all the family property, hej- sister and she found husbands as honour* Second day.\ QUEEN OF NA VARRE. I jg able and wealthy as any in Italy. Both of them have always lived subsequently in the best repute.* Here is a fact, ladies, which should make you beware of that little god, who delights in tormenting princes and private persons, the strong and the weak, and who so infatuates them that they forget God and their con- science, and even the care of their own lives. Princes and those who are in authority ought to fear to outrage their inferiors. There is no man so insignificant but he can do mischief when it is God's will to inflict ven- geance on the sinner, nor any so great that he can do hurt to one whom God chooses to protect.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  On the contrary, Pity is a kind of sorrow. But a defect is the reason of sorrow, wherefore those who are in bad health give way to sorrow more easily, as we shall say further on ([2593]Q[35], A[1], ad 2). Therefore the reason why one takes pity is a defect in oneself. I answer that, Since pity is grief for another’s distress, as stated above [2594](A[1]), from the very fact that a person takes pity on anyone, it follows that another’s distress grieves him. And since sorrow or grief is about one’s own ills, one grieves or sorrows for another’s distress, in so far as one looks upon another’s distress as one’s own. Now this happens in two ways: first, through union of the affections, which is the effect of love. For, since he who loves another looks upon his friend as another self, he counts his friend’s hurt as his own, so that he grieves for his friend’s hurt as though he were hurt himself. Hence the Philosopher (Ethic. ix, 4) reckons “grieving with one’s friend” as being one of the signs of friendship, and the Apostle says (Rom. 12:15): “Rejoice with them that rejoice, weep with them that weep.” Secondly, it happens through real union, for instance when another’s evil comes near to us, so as to pass to us from him. Hence the Philosopher says (Rhet. ii, 8) that men pity such as are akin to them, and the like, because it makes them realize that the same may happen to themselves. This also explains why the old and the wise who consider that they may fall upon evil times, as also feeble and timorous persons, are more inclined to pity: whereas those who deem themselves happy, and so far powerful as to think themselves in no danger of suffering any hurt, are not so inclined to pity. Accordingly a defect is always the reason for taking pity, either because one looks upon another’s defect as one’s own, through being united to him by love, or on account of the possibility of suffering in the same way. Reply to Objection 1: God takes pity on us through love alone, in as much as He loves us as belonging to Him. Reply to Objection 2: Those who are already in infinite distress, do not fear to suffer more, wherefore they are without pity. In like manner this applies to those also who are in great fear, for they are so intent on their own passion, that they pay no attention to the suffering of others.

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  Poor Pauline, who had manifested rigour enough to- wards him, seeing the extremity of his grief and the reason- ableness of his request, which was so moderate under such circumstances, could only reply by throwing herself in tears on his neck. So overcome was she that speech, sense, and motion failed her, and she fainted in his arms, whilst love, sorrow, and pity produced the same effect on him. One of Pauline's companions, who saw them fall, called for help, and they were recovered by force of remedies. Pauline, who wished to hide her affection, was ashamed when she was aware how vehemently she had suffered it to display itself; however, she found a good excuse in the commiseration she had felt for the gentleman. That heart-broken lover, unable to utter the words, " Farewell for ever !" hurried away to his chamber, fell like a corpse on his bed, and passed the night in such bitter lamenta- tions that his servant supposed he had lost all his rela- l8o THE HEPTAMERON OF THE {Nffvel x<^ tions and friends, and all he was worth in the world Next morning he commended himself to our Lord, and after dividing the little he possessed among his domes- tics, only retaining a very small sum of money for his immediate use, he forbade his servants to follow him, and wended his way alone to the convent of the Observ- ance, to ask for the monastic habit, with the determina- tion of wearing none other as long as he lived. The warden, who had known him formerly, thought at first that he was joking, or that he himself was dreaming ; indeed, there was not a man in all the country who had less the look of a Cordelier, or was better gifted with the graces and endowments which one could desire to see in a gentleman. But after having heard him, and seen him shed floods of tears, the source of which was unknown to him, the warden kindly received him as a guest, and soon afterwards, seeing his perseverance, he gave him. the robe of the order, which the poor gentle- man received with great devotion.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  14. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned, herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. GREGORY. (Hom. xxv. in Evang.) Mary Magdalene, who had been the sinner in the city, and who had washed out the spots of her sins by her tears, whose soul burned with love, did not retire from the sepulchre when the others did: Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. AUGUSTINE. (Tr. cxxi. 1) i. e. To the place where they were lodging, and from which they had ran to the sepulchre. But though the men returned, the stronger love of the woman fixed her to the spot. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping. AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Ev. iii. xxiv. 69) i. e. Outside of the place where the stone sepulchre was, but yet within the garden. CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxxvi) Be not astonished that Mary wept for love at the sepulchre, and Peter did not; for the female sex is naturally tender, and inclined to weep. AUGUSTINE. (Tr. cxxi. 1) The eyes then which had sought our Lord, and found Him not, now wept without interruption; more for grief that our Lord had been removed, than for His death upon the cross. For now even all memorial of Him was taken away. AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Ev. iii. xxiv. 69) She then saw, with the other women, the Angel sitting on the right, on the stone which had been rolled away from the sepulchre, at whose words it was that she looked into the sepulchre. (Mat. 28:5.) CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxxvi) The sight of the sepulchre itself was some consolation. Nay, behold her, to console herself still more, stooping down, to see the very place where the body lay: And as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre. GREGORY. (Hom. xxv. ut supr.) For to have looked once is not enough for love. Love makes one desire to look over and over again. AUGUSTINE. (Tr. cxxi) In her too great grief she could believe neither her own eyes, nor the disciples’. Or was it a divine impulse which caused her to look in?

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  " Lord, receive the soul of him who has not spared his life for the exaltation of thy name." Jean, seeing him droop as he uttered these words, took him and his sword in his arms, wishing to succour him ; but a Turk cut both his thighs to the bone from behind. " Come, cap- tain," he cried, as he received the stroke, " let us go to Paradise to see him for whose sake we die." As he had been united with the captain in life, so was he also in death. The Turk, seeing that he could be of no use to either of them, and that he was pierced with arrows, made his way to the vessels by swimming ; and though he was the only one who escaped out of eighty, the per- fidious commander would not receive him. But being a good swimmer, he went from vessel to vessel, till at last he was taken on board a small one, where in the course of a little time he was cured of his wounds. It was through this foreigner that the truth became known respecting this event, glorious to the captain, and shameful to his companion in arms. The king, and all good people who heard of it, deemed the act of the latter so black towards God and man that there was no punishment too bad for him. But on his return he told so many lies, and made so many presents, that not only did his crime remain unpunished, but he succeeded to the post of him whose lacquey he was not worthy to be. When the sad news reached the court, the regent- mother, who highly esteemed the captain, greatly mourned his loss. So did the king, and all who had known him. When she, whom he had so passionately loved, heard of his strange, piteous, and Christian end, the obduracy she had felt towards him melted into tears, and her lamentations were shared by her husband, whose pilgrim hopes were frustrated by the catas- trophe. Second day. ] Q UEEN OF A 'A VARRE. 1 3 1