Trust

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.

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• From The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014)

  Do you feel basically comfortable with this therapist? Does he or she seem to feel comfortable in his or her own skin and with you as a fellow human being? Feeling safe is a necessary condition for you to confront your fears and anxieties. Someone who is stern, judgmental, agitated, or harsh is likely to leave you feeling scared, abandoned, and humiliated, and that won’t help you resolve your traumatic stress. There may be times as old feelings from the past are stirred up, when you become suspicious that the therapist resembles someone who once hurt or abused you. Hopefully, this is something you can work through together, because in my experience patients get better only if they develop deep positive feelings for their therapists. I also don’t think that you can grow and change unless you feel that you have some impact on the person who is treating you. The critical question is this: Do you feel that your therapist is curious to find out who you are and what you, not some generic “PTSD patient,” need? Are you just a list of symptoms on some diagnostic questionnaire, or does your therapist take the time to find out why you do what you do and think what you think? Therapy is a collaborative process—a mutual exploration of your self. Patients who have been brutalized by their caregivers as children often do not feel safe with anyone. I often ask my patients if they can think of any person they felt safe with while they were growing up. Many of them hold tight to the memory of that one teacher, neighbor, shopkeeper, coach, or minister who showed that he or she cared, and that memory is often the seed of learning to reengage. We are a hopeful species. Working with trauma is as much about remembering how we survived as it is about what is broken. I also ask my patients to imagine what they were like as newborns—whether they were lovable and filled with spunk. All of them believe they were and have some image of what they must have been like before they were hurt. Some people don’t remember anybody they felt safe with. For them, engaging with horses or dogs may be much safer than dealing with human beings. This principle is currently being applied in many therapeutic settings to great effect, including in jails, residential treatment programs, and veterans’ rehabilitation. Jennifer, a member of the first graduating class of the Van der Kolk Center,[23] who had come to the program as an out-of-control, mute fourteen-year-old, said during her graduation ceremony that having been entrusted with the responsibility of caring for a horse was the critical first step for her. Her growing bond with her horse helped her feel safe enough to begin to relate to the staff of the center and then to focus on her classes, take her SATs, and be accepted to college.[24]

• From In an Unspoken Voice (2010)

  Similarly, in deep sleep, we surrender ourselves profoundly to the interoceptive world. Automatic visceral activities regulate and sustain life far outside our realm of awareness. Respiration, heartbeat, temperature and blood chemistry are all maintained within the narrow range that supports life. This internal world usually resides at or beyond the outer reaches of conscious awareness. While awake we may not be aware of this inner world, but it is possible to entice it from far background to near background and then gently seduce it, if only fleetingly, into the foreground of our awareness. Let us proceed. Going Inside: Adventures in InteroceptionPreface It takes one to stand in the dark alone. It takes two to let the light shine through. —Motown song The following few exercises can be done alone, but as mammals the very stability of our nervous systems depends on the support from a safe other. This was the case of the pediatrician attending to my desperate need right after my grave misfortune described in Chapter 1. By myself, I could have possibly done some of what I did to recover my equilibrium after the accident, but it made an enormous difference to have her sitting quietly by my side. Her stable presence made it more possible for me to stay focused and not swallowed in fear, bereft in sorrow and utterly alone. The following exercises can be practiced alone but are more fruitfully practiced in the presence of another person. Exercise 1: Wandering InwardAwareness on the body as a whole is the object of this initial exercise. Let your attention leisurely wander through every part of your body. Without judgment of good/bad or right/wrong, simply note what parts you are able to feel. To what degree does your body exist for you? Initially, you may be surprised that you do not actually feel a part of your body, even an area as large as your pelvis or legs. Of the parts of the body that you do feel, you will, at first, probably be mostly aware of uncomfortable, tight and painful areas. You may also feel twinges and twitches; these uncomfortable feelings may turn out to be an entry to the deeper sensing of your body.

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

  Reply to Objection 1: It is not on account of any defect in God’s power that He works by means of second causes, but it is for the perfection of the order of the universe, and the more manifold outpouring of His goodness on things, through His bestowing on them not only the goodness which is proper to them, but also the faculty of causing goodness in others. Even so it is not through any defect in His mercy, that we need to bespeak His clemency through the prayers of the saints, but to the end that the aforesaid order in things be observed. Reply to Objection 2: Although the greater saints are more acceptable to God than the lesser, it is sometimes profitable to pray to the lesser; and this for five reasons. First, because sometimes one has greater devotion for a lesser saint than for a greater, and the effect of prayer depends very much on one’s devotion. Secondly, in order to avoid tediousness, for continual attention to one thing makes a person weary; whereas by praying to different saints, the fervor of our devotion is aroused anew as it were. Thirdly, because it is granted to some saints to exercise their patronage in certain special cases, for instance to Saint Anthony against the fire of hell. Fourthly, that due honor be given by us to all. Fifthly, because the prayers of several sometimes obtain that which would not have been obtained by the prayers of one. Reply to Objection 3: Prayer is an act, and acts belong to particular persons [supposita]. Hence, were we to say: “Christ, pray for us,” except we added something, this would seem to refer to Christ’s person, and consequently to agree with the error either of Nestorius, who distinguished in Christ the person of the son of man from the person of the Son of God, or of Arius, who asserted that the person of the Son is less than the Father. Wherefore to avoid these errors the Church says not: “Christ, pray for us,” but “Christ, hear us,” or “have mercy on us.” Reply to Objection 4: As we shall state further on [5046](A[3]) the saints are said to present our prayers to God, not as though they notified things unknown to Him, but because they ask God to grant those prayers a gracious hearing, or because they seek the Divine truth about them, namely what ought to be done according to His providence. Reply to Objection 5: A person is rendered worthy of a saint’s prayers for him by the very fact that in his need he has recourse to him with pure devotion. Hence it is not unnecessary to pray to the saints.

• From The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014)

  I asked my favorite bodywork practitioner, Licia Sky, about her practice with traumatized individuals. Here is some of what she told me: “I never begin a bodywork session without establishing a personal connection. I’m not taking a history; I’m not finding out how traumatized a person is or what happened to them. I check in where they are in their body right now. I ask them if there is anything they want me to pay attention to. All the while, I’m assessing their posture; whether they look me in the eye; how tense or relaxed they seem; are they connecting with me or not. “The first decision I make is if they will feel safer face up or face down. If I don’t know them, I usually start face up. I am very careful about draping; very careful to let them feel safe with whatever clothing they want to leave on. These are important boundaries to set up right at the beginning. “Then, with my first touch, I make firm, safe contact. Nothing forced or sharp. Nothing too fast. The touch is slow, easy for the client to follow, gently rhythmic. It can be as strong as a handshake. The first place I might touch is their hand and forearm, because that’s the safest place to touch anybody, the place where they can touch you back. “You have to meet their point of resistance—the place that has the most tension—and meet it with an equal amount of energy. That releases the frozen tension. You can’t hesitate; hesitation communicates a lack of trust in yourself. Slow movement, careful attuning to the client is different from hesitation. You have to meet them with tremendous confidence and empathy, let the pressure of your touch meet the tension they are holding in their bodies.” What does bodywork do for people? Licia’s reply: “Just like you can thirst for water, you can thirst for touch. It is a comfort to be met confidently, deeply, firmly, gently, responsively. Mindful touch and movement grounds people and allows them to discover tensions that they may have held for so long that they are no longer even aware of them. When you are touched, you wake up to the part of your body that is being touched. “The body is physically restricted when emotions are bound up inside. People’s shoulders tighten; their facial muscles tense. They spend enormous energy on holding back their tears—or any sound or movement that might betray their inner state. When the physical tension is released, the feelings can be released. Movement helps breathing to become deeper, and as the tensions are released, expressive sounds can be discharged. The body becomes freer—breathing freer, being in flow. Touch makes it possible to live in a body that can move in response to being moved.

• From The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014)

  Human beings are astoundingly attuned to subtle emotional shifts in the people (and animals) around them. Slight changes in the tension of the brow, wrinkles around the eyes, curvature of the lips, and angle of the neck quickly signal to us how comfortable, suspicious, relaxed, or frightened someone is.[11] Our mirror neurons register their inner experience, and our own bodies make internal adjustments to whatever we notice. Just so, the muscles of our own faces give others clues about how calm or excited we feel, whether our heart is racing or quiet, and whether we’re ready to pounce on them or run away. When the message we receive from another person is “You’re safe with me,” we relax. If we’re lucky in our relationships, we also feel nourished, supported, and restored as we look into the face and eyes of the other. Our culture teaches us to focus on personal uniqueness, but at a deeper level we barely exist as individual organisms. Our brains are built to help us function as members of a tribe. We are part of that tribe even when we are by ourselves, whether listening to music (that other people created), watching a basketball game on television (our own muscles tensing as the players run and jump), or preparing a spreadsheet for a sales meeting (anticipating the boss’s reactions). Most of our energy is devoted to connecting with others. If we look beyond the list of specific symptoms that entail formal psychiatric diagnoses, we find that almost all mental suffering involves either trouble in creating workable and satisfying relationships or difficulties in regulating arousal (as in the case of habitually becoming enraged, shut down, overexcited, or disorganized). Usually it’s a combination of both. The standard medical focus on trying to discover the right drug to treat a particular “disorder” tends to distract us from grappling with how our problems interfere with our functioning as members of our tribe. Safety and ReciprocityA few years ago I heard Jerome Kagan, a distinguished emeritus professor of child psychology at Harvard, say to the Dalai Lama that for every act of cruelty in this world there are hundreds of small acts of kindness and connection. His conclusion: “To be benevolent rather than malevolent is probably a true feature of our species.” Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives. Numerous studies of disaster response around the globe have shown that social support is the most powerful protection against becoming overwhelmed by stress and trauma.

• From The Day the Revolution Began (2016)

  As far as he was concerned, as he explains in Romans 6, someone who had been baptized into the Messiah had already died, been buried, and been raised to new life. That had happened to Jesus, and what was true of him was true of his people. That is why (for instance) Martin Luther, the great German Reformer, could say, Baptizatus sum , “I have been baptized!” as his ultimate protection against the power of evil. He had been brought into the protection of Jesus’s victory. That doesn’t mean of course that no harm can come to baptized persons or that they can no longer fall into grievous sin. Part of Paul’s point in that same chapter, Romans 6, is that those who have come into the Messiah’s family must constantly make it real, in thought and deed: “Calculate yourselves as being dead to sin, and alive to God in the Messiah, Jesus,” and “Don’t allow sin to rule in your mortal body” (6:11, 12). A similar warning is given in 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Anyone who reckons they are standing upright should watch out in case they fall over”! Like the Israelites leaving Egypt, just because you have escaped the life of total slavery, that doesn’t mean you won’t have to work hard to translate your newfound freedom into actual life. This brings us to the other major sacrament, the “breaking of bread,” the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, or the Mass. (The fact that the church has developed different names for this event is an indication that we all know it’s important and are anxious to interpret it appropriately, but that, like everything to do with Jesus’s death, it remains contested territory.) Paul seems to be aware of the point we made earlier, that Jesus used his final meal with his followers not only as a way of explaining what his forthcoming death would mean, but as a way of enabling them to share in that death, making it quite literally part of their life through eating the bread and drinking the wine. Paul addresses the situation in Corinth, where, as he says in 1 Corinthians 8:5, there were “many gods and many lords,” all doing their best to lure the young Christians away from Jesus. “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup,” he says, “you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes” (11:26). He doesn’t mean that the ceremony of the Lord’s Supper is a good occasion for a sermon on the meaning of Jesus’s death, though no doubt that will sometimes be true as well.

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

  PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) He has recorded the name on account of the Jews of that time, that it might mark the miracle. It goes on, And when he saw him, he fell at his feet, and besought him greatly, &c. Matthew indeed relates that the chief of the synagogue reported that his daughter was dead, but Mark says that she was very sick, and that afterwards it was told to the ruler of the synagogue, when our Lord was about to go with him, that she was dead. The fact then, which Matthew implies, is the same, namely, that He raised her from the dead; and it is for the sake of brevity, that he says that she was dead, which was evident from her being raised. AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) For he attaches himself not to the words of the father, but to what is of most importance, his wishes; for he was in such despair, that his wish was that she should return to life, not thinking that she could be found alive, whom he had left dying. THEOPHYLACT. Now this man was faithful in part, inasmuch as he fell at the feet of Jesus, but in that he begged of Him to come, he did not shew as much faith as he ought. For he ought to have said, Speak the word only, and my daughter shall be healed. There follows, And he went away with him, and much people followed him, and thronged him; and a woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, &c. CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. in Mat. 31) This woman, who was celebrated and known to all, did not dare to approach the Saviour openly, nor to come to Him, because, according to the law, she was unclean; for this reason she touched Him behind, and not in front, for that she durst not do, but only ventured to touch the hem of His garment. It was not however the hem of the garment, but her frame of mind that made her whole. There follows, For she said, If I may but touch his clothes, I shall be whole. THEOPHYLACT. Most faithful indeed is this woman, who hoped for healing from His garments. For which reason she obtains health; wherefore it goes on, And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed.

• From The Pillar of Salt (1953)

  And he would listen to me, smoking his pipe and smiling. Through his teeth, stained yellow from tobacco, that tightly gripped the stem of his pipe, he would mumble: “Yes, of course, of course, I guess that’s reasonable...” I do not know how he managed to reconcile this unlimited approval with his merciless critical intelligence that was unbelievably sure in its judgments. Because he viewed the world with an open mind, everything seemed clear and translucent to him. Mysteries, complexes, and difficulties all resolved themselves, in his presence, into clear notions that one could grasp and analyze with wondrous facility. That is how I learned to see conventions, habits, and prejudices clearly, so that I was no longer scared of them. After his last morning class, when he was weary of answering the questions of the students, he would beckon me with his hand. The rest of the class had finally admitted that this was my privilege. We would leave the school building together, walking slowly in the sun as he smoked and I thought aloud, reporting to him all the latest news of my intellectual progress. I was straightening out everything between myself and my surroundings. Certainly, one’s social duty should also imply some personal freedom, otherwise it becomes mere tyranny devoid of any ethical value; naturally, tradition must be examined anew and either rejected or accepted, and a revival of mysticism implies, of course, the bankruptcy of philosophical speculation in a society that has succumbed to sickness. I was proud to discover that I was in agreement with all the great thinkers he quoted to me as references in order to supply my stammering discoveries with the right foundations. He had read everything, thought of everything, understood everything, and I could come to him for assistance in any field of human knowledge. He knew more about Judaism, for instance, than any Jewish scholar, and about Islam than any student of Mohammedanism. All national, religious, and colonial barriers collapsed before him when he smiled with benevolence and irony. In his presence, I forgot to defend bitterly all the obviously lost causes and to praise all that clearly deserved no praise. Yes, he helped me place things in their right context, because it had never occurred to him to be unjust. I thus felt strong, with the strength that comes of a mind that is serene, as I walked beside him. And when I was weary, scared, and ready to let myself be submerged, I would leave our Passage, go through the suburban neighborhood, and climb the eastern hill that was covered with flowers all the year round. There I would find him in his study, the window open on the garden, surrounded by his books and his furniture made of light-colored wood, with his numerous pipes beside him, his two cats and his pet chameleon.

• From Bluets (2009)

  Think of an object’s capacity to emit, reflect, absorb, transmit, or scatter light; think of “the operation of light on a feather.” Ask yourself, what is the color of a puddle? Is your blue sofa still blue when you stumble past it on your way to the kitchen for water in the middle of the night; is it still blue if you don’t get up, and no one enters the room to see it? Fifteen days after we are born, we begin to discriminate between colors. For the rest of our lives, barring blunted or blinded sight, we find ourselves face-to-face with all these phenomena at once, and we call the whole shimmering mess “color.” You might even say that it is the business of the eye to make colored forms out of what is essentially shimmering. This is how we “get around” in the world. Some might also call it the source of our suffering. 53. “We mainly suppose the experiential quality to be an intrinsic quality of the physical object”—this is the so-called systematic illusion of color. Perhaps it is also that of love. But I am not willing to go there—not just yet. I believed in you. 54. Long before either wave or particle, some (Pythagoras, Euclid, Hipparchus) thought that our eyes emitted some kind of substance that illuminated, or “felt,” what we saw. (Aristotle pointed out that this hypothesis runs into trouble at night, as objects become invisible despite the eyes’ purported power.) Others, like Epicurus, proposed the inverse—that objects themselves project a kind of ray that reaches out toward the eye, as if they were looking at us (and surely some of them are). Plato split the difference, and postulated that a “visual fire” burns between our eyes and that which they behold. This still seems fair enough. 55. One image of the intellectual: a man who loses his eyesight not out of shame (Oedipus) but in order to think more clearly (Milton). I try to avoid generalities when it comes to the business of gender, but in all honesty I must admit that I simply cannot conceive of a version of female intelligence that would advocate such a thing. An “abortion of the mind, this purity” (W. C. Williams). 56. There are, however, many stories of women—particularly saints—blinding themselves in order to maintain their chastity, to prove that they “only have eyes” for God or Christ. Consider, for example, the legend of Saint Lucy, patron saint of the blind, whose name means “clear, radiant, understandable.” What seems clear enough: in 304 AD Lucy was tortured and put to death by the Roman emperor Diocletian, and thus martyred for her Christianity. What is unclear: why, exactly, she runs around Gothic and Renaissance paintings holding a golden dish with her blue eyes staring weirdly out from it.

• From My Life and Loves, Vol. 1 (of 4) (1922)

  I soon made friends with Curtis; got into the habit of dining with him and when he found that my handwriting was very good, he gave me the day-book to keep and in a couple of months had taught me bookkeeping while entrusting me with a good deal of it. He was not lazy; but most men of forty like to have a capable assistant. By Christmas that year I was keeping all the books except the ledger and I knew, as I thought, the whole business of the hotel. The dining-room, it seemed to me was very badly managed; but as luck would have it, I was first to get control of the office. As soon as Curtis found out that I could safely be trusted to do his work, he began going out at dinner time and often stayed away the whole day. About New Year he was away for five days and confided in me when he returned, that he had been on a “bust.” He wasn’t happy with his wife, it appeared, and he used to drink to drown her temper. In February he was away for ten days; but as he had given me the key of the safe I kept everything going. One day Kendrick found me in the office working and wanted to know about Curtis: “how long had he been away!” “A day or two,” I replied. Kendrick looked at me and asked for the ledger: “it’s written right up!” he exclaimed, “did you do it?” I had to say I did; but at once I sent a bellboy for Curtis. The boy didn’t find him at his house and next day I was brought up before Mr. Cotton. I couldn’t deny that I had kept the books and Cotton soon saw that I was shielding Curtis out of loyalty. When Curtis came in next day, he gave the whole show away; he was half-drunk still and rude to boot. He had been unwell, he said; but his work was in order. He was ‘fired’ there and then by Mr. Cotton and that evening Kendrick asked me to keep things going properly till he could persuade his uncle that I was trustworthy and older than I looked. In a couple of days I saw Mr. Cotton and Mr. Kendrick together. “Can you keep the books and be night-clerk and take care of the billiard-room?” Mr. Cotton asked me sharply. “I think so” I replied, “I’ll do my best.” “Hm!” he grunted: “what pay do you think you ought to have?” “I’ll leave that to you sir,” I said, “I shall be satisfied whatever you give me.” “The devil you will,” he said grumpily, “suppose I said, keep on at your present rate?” I smiled; “O.K. Sir.”

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  11 Give us help against the enemy, For the help of man is worthless (ineffectual, without purpose). 12 Through God we will have victory, For He will trample down our enemies. Psalm 61 Confidence in God’s Protection. To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. 1 H EAR MY cry, O God; Listen to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and weak; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I [a rock that is too high to reach without Your help]. 3 For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me, A strong tower against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah. 5 For You have heard my vows, O God; You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name [with reverence]. 6 You will prolong the king’s life [adding days upon days]; His years will be like many generations. 7 He will sit enthroned forever before [the face of] God; Appoint lovingkindness and truth to watch over and preserve him. 8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever, Paying my vows day by day. Psalm 62 God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression. To the Chief Musician; to Jeduthun [Ethan, the noted musician, founder of an official musical family]. A Psalm of David. 1 F OR GOD alone my soul waits in silence; From Him comes my salvation. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, My defense and my strong tower; I will not be shaken or disheartened. 3 How long will you attack a man So that you may murder him, all of you, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? 4 They consult only to throw him down from his high position [to dishonor him]; They delight in lies. They bless with [the words of] their mouths, But inwardly they curse. Selah. 5 For God alone my soul waits in silence and quietly submits to Him, For my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation; My fortress and my defense, I will not be shaken or discouraged. 7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; He is my rock of [unyielding] strength, my refuge is in God. 8 Trust [confidently] in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us. Selah. 9 Men of low degree are only a breath (emptiness), and men of [high] rank are a lie (delusion). In the balances they go up [because they have no measurable weight or value]; They are together lighter than a breath. 10 Do not trust in oppression, And do not vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart on them. 11 God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.

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

  BEDE. Rightly then by the centurion is the faith of the Church signified, which in the silence of the synagogue bears witness to the Son of God. And now is fulfilled that complaint which the Lord makes to His Father, neighbour and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance because of misery. (Ps. 88:18.) Hence it follows, And all his acquaintance stood afar off. THEOPHYLACT. But the race of women formerly cursed remains and sees all these things; for it follows, And the women which followed him from Galilee, seeing these things. And thus they are the first to be renewed by justification, or by the blessing which flows from His passion, as also from His resurrection. 23:50–5650. And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: 51. (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathæa, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. 52. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 53. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. 54. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. 55. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 56. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. GREEK EXPOSITOR. (Photius.) Joseph had been at one time a secret disciple of Christ, but at length bursting through the bonds of fear, and become very zealous, he took down the body of our Lord, basely hanging on the cross; thus gaining a precious jewel by the meekness of His words. Hence it follows, And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor. BEDE. A counsellor, or decurio, is so called because he is of the order of the curia or council, and administers the office of the curia. He is also wont to be called curialis, from his management of civil duties. Joseph then is said to have been of high rank in the world, but of still higher estimation before God; as it follows, A good man, and a just, of Arimathæa, a city of the Jews, &c. Arimathæa is the same as Ramatha, the city of Helcanah and Samuel.

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

  GLOSS. (non occ.) The Evangelist, having shewn the danger which the disciples had sustained in their passage, and their deliverance from it, now shews the place to which they sailed, saying, And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. THEOPHYLACT. The Lord remained at the above-mentioned place for some time. Therefore the Evangelist subjoins, And when they had come out of the ship, straightway they knew him, that is, the inhabitants of the country. BEDE. (ubi sup.) But they knew Him by report, not by His features; or through the greatness of His miracles, even His person was known to some. See too how great was the faith of the men of the land of Gennesaret, so that they were not content with the healing of those who were present, but sent to other towns round about, that all might hasten to the Physician; wherefore there follows, And ran through the whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was. THEOPHYLACT. For they did not call Him to their houses that He might heal them, but rather the sick themselves were brought to Him. Wherefore it also follows, And whithersoever he entered into villages, or cities, or country, &c. For the miracle which had been wrought on the woman with an issue of blood, had reached the ears of many, and caused in them that great faith, by which they were healed. It goes on, And as many as touched him were made whole. BEDE. (ubi sup.) Again, in a mystical sense, do thou understand by the hem of His garment the slightest of His commandments, for whosoever shall transgress it shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, (Matt. 5:19) or else His assumption of our flesh, by which we have come to the Word of God, and afterwards, shall have the enjoyment of His majesty. PSEUDO-JEROME. Furthermore that which is said, And as many as touched him were made whole, shall be fulfilled, when grief and mourning shall fly away. CHAPTER 7 7:1–131. Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the Scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. 5. Then the Pharisees and Scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  [Gen 10:2 ; 25:13 ; Jer 49:28 , 29 ] 6 Too long my soul has had its dwelling With those who hate peace. 7 I am for peace, but when I speak, They are for war. Psalm 121 The LORD the Keeper of Israel. A Song of a Ascents. 1 I WILL lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]— From where shall my help come? [Jer 3:23 ] 2 My help comes from the LORD , Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. [1 Sam 2:9 ; Ps 127:1 ; Prov 3:23 , 26 ; Is 27:3 ] 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly]. 5 The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. [Is 25:4 ] 6 The sun will not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. [Ps 91:5 ; Is 49:10 ; Rev 7:16 ] 7 The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your life. 8 The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in [everything that you do] From this time forth and forever. [Deut 28:6 ; Prov 2:8 ; 3:6 ] Psalm 122 Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem. A Song of a Ascents. Of David. 1 I WAS glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD .” [Is 2:3 ; Zech 8:21 ] 2 Our feet are standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem, 3 Jerusalem, that is built As a city that is firmly joined together; 4 To which the [twelve] tribes go up, even the tribes of the LORD , [As was decreed as] an ordinance for Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD . 5 For there the thrones of judgment were set, The thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you [holy city]. 7 “May peace be within your walls And prosperity within your palaces.” 8 For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, “May peace be within you.” 9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God [which is Jerusalem], I will seek your (the city’s) good. Psalm 123 Prayer for the LORD ’s Help. A Song of a Ascents. 1 U NTO YOU I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens! 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, And as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He is gracious and favorable toward us. 3 Be gracious to us, O LORD , be gracious and favorable toward us, For we are greatly filled with contempt.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  [Jer 38:7–13 ] 18 “For I will certainly rescue you; and you will not fall by the sword, but you will have your [own] life as a reward of battle, because you have placed your trust in Me,” says the LORD .’ ” Jeremiah 40 Jeremiah Remains in Judah 1 T HE WORD which came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being taken as exiles to Babylon. 2 And the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The LORD your God promised this disaster on this place. 3 “Now the LORD has brought it about and has done just as He promised. Because you [people of Judah] have sinned against the LORD and did not listen to and honor His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you. 4 “But now, listen carefully, [because of your innocence] I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you [carefully]; but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, then do not do so. Look, all the land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right (convenient) for you to go.” 5 While Jeremiah was still hesitating, the captain of the bodyguard said, “Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed [governor] over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go wherever it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him an allowance of food and a gift and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land. 7 Now when all the commanders of the forces that were [scattered] in the open country [of Judah] and their men heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land [of Judah] and had put him in charge of the men, women, and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon, 8 they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 9 Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans; stay in this land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you.

• From Amplified Holy Bible (2015)

  6 I said to the LORD , “You are my God; Listen to the voice of my supplications, O LORD . 7 “O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle. 8 “Do not grant, O LORD , the desires of the wicked; Do not further their evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah. 9 “Those who surround me raise their heads; May the mischief of their own lips come upon them. 10 “Let burning coals fall upon them; Let them be thrown into the fire, Into deep [water] pits from which they cannot rise. 11 “Do not let a slanderer be established in the earth; Let evil quickly hunt the violent man [to overthrow him and stop his evil acts].” 12 I know [with confidence] that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And [will secure] justice for the poor. 13 Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence. Psalm 141 An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection. A Psalm of David. 1 LORD , I call upon You; hurry to me. Listen to my voice when I call to You. 2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. [1 Tim 2:8 ; Rev 8:3 , 4 ] 3 Set a guard, O LORD , over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips [to keep me from speaking thoughtlessly]. 4 Do not incline my heart to [consent to or tolerate] any evil thing, Or to practice deeds of wickedness With men who plan and do evil; And let me not eat of their delicacies (be tempted by their gain). 5 Let the righteous [thoughtfully] strike (correct) me—it is a kindness [done to encourage my spiritual maturity]. It is [the choicest anointing] oil on the head; Let my head not refuse [to accept and acknowledge and learn from] it; For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds. [Prov 9:8 ; 19:25 ; 25:12 ; Gal 6:1 ] 6 Their [wicked, godless] judges are thrown down the sides of the rocky cliff, And they [who followed them] will hear my words, for they are pleasant (just). 7 As when the one plows and breaks open the ground [and the soil scatters behind him], Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol [by the injustices of the wicked]. [2 Cor 1:9 ] 8 For my eyes are toward You, O GOD , the Lord; In You I take refuge; do not pour out my life nor leave me defenseless. 9 Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me, And from the snares of those who do evil. 10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I pass by and safely escape [from danger]. Psalm 142 Prayer for Help in Trouble.

• From Paul and Palestinian Judaism (40th Anniversary Edition) (2017)

  The debates about how to obey reveal the concern to obey. Further, the concern to obey, when studied, turns out to show a reliance on God's fidelity to the covenant which contains the laws, not an anxious concern to learn how, by obedience, to win God's favour. Perhaps most telling are the debates about which means of atonement atone for which sins. Rather than revealing a concern for externalistic observance, these debates and differences of opinion reveal three things: (1) that there was a means of atonement for every transgression; (2) that the Rabbis were concerned with atonement as a living religious issue; (3) that, since atonement for individual sins restores the penitent sinner to the right relationship with God, he originally had a right relationship with God, a relationship established by God's mercy and maintained by the individual's obedience and repentance and by God's forgiveness. Dne could learn simply by studying the discussions about Tannaitic Literature [I which means of atonement atone for which sins that the Rabbis believed in the enduring validity of the covenant relationship, that they did not count and weigh merits against demerits (but rather atoned for transgression), and that they believed that God has provided for the salvation of all faithful members of I srae/ -all those who maintain their place in the covenant by obedience and by employing the means of atonement provided by the covenant, especially repentance, for transgression. On the question of atonement, the debates about the means cover all periods and schools, and there are no exceptions to the general view of the significance of atonement which we just outlined. We conclude, then, that there is a generally prevalent and pervasive pattern of religion to be found in Rabbinic literature. The pattern is based on election and atonement for transgressions, it being understood that God gave commandments in connection with the election and that obedience to them, or atonement and repentance for transgression, was expected as the condi- tion for remaining in the covenant community.

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

  PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Now the virtues of Christ are by His own will imparted to those men, who touch Him by faith. Wherefore there follows, And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? The virtues indeed of the Saviour do not go out of Him locally or corporally, nor in any respect pass away from Him. For being incorporeal, they go forth to others and are given to others; they are not however separated from Him, from whom they are said to go forth, in the same way as sciences are given by the teacher to his pupils. Therefore it says, Jesus, knowing in himself the virtue which had gone out of him, to shew that with His knowledge, and not without His being aware of it, the woman was healed. But He asked, Who touched me? although He knew her who touched Him, that He might bring to light the woman, by her coming forward, and proclaim her faith, and lest the virtue of His miraculons work should be consigned to oblivion. It goes on, And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? But the Lord asked, Who touched me, that is in thought and faith, for the crowds who throng Me cannot be said to touch Me, for they do not come near to Me in thought and in faith. There follows, And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. THEOPHYLACT. For the Lord wished to declare the woman, first to give His approbation to her faith, secondly to urge the chief of the synagogue to a confident hope that He could thus cure his child, and also to free the woman from fear. For the woman feared because she had stolen health; wherefore there follows, But the woman, fearing and trembling, &c. BEDE. (in Marc. ii. 22) Observe that the object of His question was that the woman should confess the truth of her long 1want of faith, of her sudden belief and healing, and so herself be confirmed in faith, and afford an example to others. But he said to her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. He said not, Thy faith is about to make thee whole, but has made thee whole, that is, in that thou hast believed, thou hast already been made whole. CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Macr. v. Chrys. Hom. in Mat. 31.) He calls her daughter because she was saved by her faith; for faith in Christ makes us His children. THEOPHYLACT. But He saith to her, Go in peace, that is, in rest, which means, go and have rest, for up to this time thou hast been in pains and torture.

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

  On the contrary, It is written (Eph. 2:8,9): “By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves . . . that no man may glory . . . for it is the gift of God.” I answer that, Two things are requisite for faith. First, that the things which are of faith should be proposed to man: this is necessary in order that man believe anything explicitly. The second thing requisite for faith is the assent of the believer to the things which are proposed to him. Accordingly, as regards the first of these, faith must needs be from God. Because those things which are of faith surpass human reason, hence they do not come to man’s knowledge, unless God reveal them. To some, indeed, they are revealed by God immediately, as those things which were revealed to the apostles and prophets, while to some they are proposed by God in sending preachers of the faith, according to Rom. 10:15: “How shall they preach, unless they be sent?” As regards the second, viz. man’s assent to the things which are of faith, we may observe a twofold cause, one of external inducement, such as seeing a miracle, or being persuaded by someone to embrace the faith: neither of which is a sufficient cause, since of those who see the same miracle, or who hear the same sermon, some believe, and some do not. Hence we must assert another internal cause, which moves man inwardly to assent to matters of faith. The Pelagians held that this cause was nothing else than man’s free-will: and consequently they said that the beginning of faith is from ourselves, inasmuch as, to wit, it is in our power to be ready to assent to things which are of faith, but that the consummation of faith is from God, Who proposes to us the things we have to believe. But this is false, for, since man, by assenting to matters of faith, is raised above his nature, this must needs accrue to him from some supernatural principle moving him inwardly; and this is God. Therefore faith, as regards the assent which is the chief act of faith, is from God moving man inwardly by grace. Reply to Objection 1: Science begets and nourishes faith, by way of external persuasion afforded by science; but the chief and proper cause of faith is that which moves man inwardly to assent. Reply to Objection 2: This argument again refers to the cause that proposes outwardly the things that are of faith, or persuades man to believe by words or deeds. Reply to Objection 3: To believe does indeed depend on the will of the believer: but man’s will needs to be prepared by God with grace, in order that he may be raised to things which are above his nature, as stated above ([2347]Q[2] , A[3]).

• From Martin Luther (2016)

  An early portrait of 1509 shows Spalatin with delec- table curls, dressed in a simple grey gown with a black lining which combines academic reserve with courtly display. A woodcut from 1515 depicts a serious young man in sober garb, meditating on the Cross. But Spalatin was not a courtier by birth. His father was a tanner, and he came from Spalt near Nuremberg. One of the ‘new men’, he had risen through education. He joined the court but knew that, as a - commoner, he was not an aristocrat’s equal; there was also specula- tion that he may have been illegitimate. While he was a trusted servant and important advisor — and on occasion intimate enough to be present when the Elector did his toilette before dinner — he was not invited to join the table afterwards.* Spalatin seems to have had a sure touch for negotiation and manoeuvre, a grasp of the possible and a sense of realism which Luther lacked. Like Luther he was educated in Greek as well as Latin, and he became part of the humanist circles around Conrad Mutian and Nikolaus Marschalk at the University of Erfurt. He did not possess Luther’s abrasive self-confidence, and was a poor speaker. But the two men formed a hugely creative partnership. Spalatin bought books for the university library and supported university reforms that brought in biblical studies and those of the Church Fathers. Together they made a series of brilliant appointments, of whom Melanchthon was the star. Repeatedly Luther would recommend people to Spalatin, asking for small favours, pensions from Friedrich or seeking posts for them. Spalatin worked tirelessly in the service of the Elector, often late into the night; he nevertheless found time to translate Luther’s Latin works into German, and did so with a fine musical sense.? We have just Luther’s side of the friendship, because it is only his letters that have survived — carefully catalogued and reverentially THE DIET OF WORMS 175 34. Lucas Cranach the Elder, Georg Spalatin Honouring the Cross, 1515. annotated, often in Greek, by Spalatin.° As the sheer number of Luther’s letter indicates — over 400 — this was perhaps the central rela- tionship in his life in between 1518 and 1525: he wrote more letters to Spalatin than to anyone else, even though they saw each other regularly.