Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
He teaches that the day of the Lord shall come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. Hence he exhorts them always to prepare themselves for it sober and vigilant through integrity of life and good works, especially of charity toward their superiors, of mercy, and of patience.
Then, at verse 16, he exhorts them always to rejoice, to pray, and to give thanks to God, and not to extinguish the Spirit, and to test the prophecies.
Finally, at verse 23, he wishes them complete sanctity in every way, and greets them all.
Vulgate Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-28
1. But concerning times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that we write to you. 2. For you yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night. 3. For when they shall say: Peace and security, then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as the pains upon her that is with child, and they shall not escape. 4. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief. 5. For all you are children of light, and children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do; but let us watch, and be sober. 7. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that are drunk, are drunk in the night. 8. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, having on the breastplate of faith and charity, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9. For God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but unto the purchasing of salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10. who died for us; that, whether we watch or sleep, we may live together with Him. 11. For which cause comfort one another; and edify one another, as also you do. 12. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, 13. that you esteem them more abundantly in charity, for their work's sake: have peace with them. 14. And we beseech you, brethren, rebuke the unquiet, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 15. See that none render evil for evil to any man: but ever follow that which is good toward each other, and toward all men. 16. Always rejoice. 17. Pray without ceasing. 18. In all things give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all. 19. Extinguish not the Spirit. 20. Despise not prophecies. 21. But prove all things: hold fast that which is good. 22. From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves. 23. And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you in all things: that your whole spirit, and soul, and body, may be preserved blameless in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24. He is faithful who hath called you, who also will do it. 25. Brethren, pray for us. 26. Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss. 27. I charge you by the Lord, that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren. 28. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Verse 1: Concerning Times and Seasons, Brethren, You Have No Need That We Write to You
1. Concerning times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that we write to you, — namely at what time and moment Christ shall come to judgment.
Verse 2: For You Yourselves Know Perfectly, That the Day of the Lord Shall So Come as a Thief in the Night
2. For you yourselves know perfectly (ἀκριβῶς, that is exactly, plainly, certainly), that the day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night, — as if to say: The day of judgment, sudden and unforeseen, with no one knowing or expecting it, will creep up secretly and overwhelm incautious and secure men; just as a thief by night when all are asleep invades and despoils the house.
You will say: From Daniel XII, 12, it is gathered that after the death of Antichrist 45 days will remain until judgment, which will be given to those who fell under Antichrist, that they may do penance; therefore the day of judgment can be known. I reply: It is certain from Daniel that there will remain (although few then will know or notice it) these 45 days; but it is uncertain whether not more will remain: indeed it is more probable that more days, indeed months and years, will remain until the day of judgment: for this is sufficiently signified by Ezekiel XXXIX, 9, where he teaches that, when Antichrist and his army are slain, namely Gog and Magog, there will be such spoils, spears and arms, that the Jews from all cities will flock together to plunder them, and for seven years will have enough to burn them, nor will they need other woodcutting or other forests. "They shall set them on fire," says Ezekiel, "for seven years, and they shall not bring wood out of the regions, nor cut down out of the forests, because they shall set the weapons on fire," etc. Seven years therefore after the death of Antichrist will be given to the fallen for penance, in which after the supreme persecution of Antichrist there seems to be coming the supreme peace of the Church. So Hector Pintus on Ezekiel XXXIX, and Francisco Ribera on Apocalypse XX, and Daniel insinuates this in the cited place, when he had said: "And from the time when the perpetual sacrifice (namely the Mass) shall be taken away (by Antichrist), and the abomination shall be set up (that is, the idol of Antichrist, who shall wish to be worshipped as God) unto desolation (that is, so that he may destroy and desolate all good things), there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days," that is three years and a half, as he said in chapter VII, verse 25, as if to say: From the beginning of Antichrist's persecution, to his end and death, there will be three years and a half. Then he adds: "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh unto the thousand three hundred thirty-five days," that is, blessed is he who attains to the 45 days after the death of Antichrist: for then there will be full quiet, peace, and liberty of the Church, doubtless to last for some time.
Elias Levita and the Jews thought that the world would end in the sixth millennium of years, and then would be the day of judgment: hence they pass around this saying: "Six thousand the world," supply, shall have years; so that, just as the world was created in six days, it should be consummated in six thousand years. They add that this is signified by the six aleph which are found in the Hebrew text of Genesis 1:1, where it says: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth;" as if six aleph signified six thousand years, in which heaven and earth shall stand: for aleph in Hebrew signifies a thousand, but these are cabalistic and Jewish.
Others have thought that as many years would come after Christ to the day of judgment as preceded Christ from the origin of the world, and that Habakkuk signifies this in chapter III, verse 2, when he says: "Lord, Thy work (of the incarnation and redemption of Christ) in the midst of the years quicken it." But the sense of Habakkuk is different, as I said there.
Thirdly, Cardinal Cusanus opined that the mystical body of Christ, that is the Christian Church, would have as many jubilees of years as Christ Himself completed years, namely 1700 years; for Christ lived 34 years, which if you multiply by 50, which is the number of the jubilee, you will find the 1700 already mentioned. But these things seem frivolous, and anyone could devise many such correspondences, which have no foundation in fact, except some arithmetical correspondence or convenience.
Christ refutes all these things, saying in Mark XIII, 32: "But of that day (of judgment), or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven." And Paul here teaches that one should not write about the times and seasons of the judgment, because the day of the Lord shall come like a thief in the night.
As a thief in the night, so shall it come, — namely unexpectedly and unforeseen, as I have already said. Some add that, as a thief comes by night, so Christ shall come by night to judgment; and this is signified in Matthew XXV, where it is said: "At midnight there was a cry made: Behold the bridegroom comes, go out to meet him." So Chrysostom and Euthymius. Indeed St. Jerome there says that this is an Apostolic tradition, that for this reason at Easter it is not permitted to dismiss the people before midnight (these were the vigils of the early Christians, whose name we still retain in the fasts and vigils): because Christ, just as formerly at the time of midnight came into Egypt for the slaughter of the firstborn and the liberation of the Hebrews, so at the same time was believed to be coming to judgment.
But these things are not so certain, and others more probably think that not by night, but in the morning Christ, who is light, and who shall come to bring all things into the light, shall come to judgment. Hence what is said in Matthew XXV: "At midnight there was a cry made," etc. is said parabolically: for it is a parable, as is plain, and seems to signify nothing else than that the bridegroom, that is Christ, shall come at midnight, that is unexpectedly, as Hilary, Gregory and others explain.
Chrysostom here, and from him Theophylact, gives many reasons why God willed the day of judgment, especially the particular one, to be uncertain to us: "The first," he says, "is that if a man knew his last day, he would attempt every kind of crime on the other days, then when the end of life approached he would be baptized. Then most, if they knew that they would die, for example, tomorrow, would meditate to afflict their enemies with countless evils, as if already despairing of themselves, and desiring to satiate themselves with the blood of their enemies: which now does not happen, the terror of death holding them back, and the desire of life. Moreover, those more in love with their own life would perish from too great despair and sadness, if they had ascertained the time and moment of their death. Besides, the just would not have so much reward when exposed to dangers, because they would have ascertained that they were not now to die, but after, for example, so many years. But now, since it is uncertain whether they shall escape the dangers or not, and yet not even thus do they labor to escape death, their virtue is evident. For just as the three boys deserve greater admiration for this reason, that, since they did not sufficiently know whether they were to escape from the fire or not, yet not even so did they adore the statue: therefore our death shall be as a thief in the night." So also St. Augustine, in the book On Christian Discipline: "The last day," he says, "is hidden, that all days may be observed. Remedies are prepared too late, when the danger of death is imminent." The same, in book II On Christian Doctrine: "Fear," he says, "of future death necessarily shakes the mind and like a nail of the flesh fastens all motions of pride to the wood of the cross. He who has lived well cannot die badly; and he who has lived badly scarcely dies well." So also St. Jerome to Heliodorus: "Nothing," he says, "will so help you to temperance in all things as the thought of life's brevity and uncertainty: whatever you do, look upon death."
Verse 3: For When They Shall Say: Peace and Security
3. For when they shall say: Peace and security. — That is, all things are safe, there is no danger, no fear; for this is what the Greek ἀσφάλεια signifies.
Then shall sudden destruction come upon them (Greek ἐφίσταται ὄλεθρος, that is, destruction stands at hand or threatens: for ἐφίσταται, that is "is at hand," is not of the future but of the present time, which more forcefully signifies sudden ruin and the onslaught of evil), as the pains upon her that is with child, — that is, in labor; for the pain of birth seizes her suddenly unawares: so the pain and anguish of the judge and the judgment, and destruction itself, that is both present and eternal death, both of body and soul, shall suddenly seize and strike men, that they cannot escape: for this is what the Greek μὴ ἐκφύγωσιν signifies, which Our Translator renders, they shall not escape.
Morally St. Anselm: "A pregnant woman," he says, "who has long carried in her womb with heaviness, finally casts forth with pain: because the reprobate also will manifest the evil, which has long lain hidden within their conscience and weighed it down, in the sight of the judge before all with grave torment. The woman conceives that burden with pleasure, but, as has been said, casts it forth with pain: because the reprobate also have willingly committed sin with pleasure, but unwillingly will manifest it before the strict judge with much bitterness. The woman, while she does not expect it, begins to be urged with sudden pains to give birth: because the reprobate also, while they do not foresee, begin to be compelled by sudden torments, to bring forth before the tribunal of the eternal judge for public display the hidden evils which they have within. So therefore they shall begin to be tormented inwardly with sudden pains like a pregnant woman, and shall not escape. For the woman escapes, but they shall not escape."
You will say: In Luke XXI, 26, it is said that on the day of judgment there shall be "a pressing together of nations, men withering for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world": how then does the Apostle here say that men shall then say: "Peace and security"? I reply, men shall wither with fear when they shall see the sun, moon, waters and all the elements thrown into confusion, and other terrible signs taking place, which shall immediately precede the judgment; but before these things happen, they shall say, "Peace and security," and then these signs, and the day of judgment itself which immediately follows these signs, shall overwhelm them, secure as they are, unexpectedly. Hence Luke adds at verse 34: "Take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly: for as a snare shall it come upon all that sit upon the face of the whole earth." The same, namely that men shall say "Peace and security" before these signs, is more clearly taught in Matthew XXIV, 37: "As," He says, "in the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be: for as they were in the days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even until that day in which Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away: so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be;" because, as I said, in His coming and the day of judgment, Christ understands and comprehends the preceding signs, which shall strike all, before which men shall eat, drink, marry, and shall say: "Peace and security."
Verse 4: But You, Brethren, Are Not in Darkness
4. But you, brethren, are not in darkness (that is, in the sins of ignorance, infidelity, lusts, drunkenness, fornication, and others which are done in darkness), that the day should overtake you as a thief, — as if to say: As a thief unexpectedly attacks a sleeping man: so the day of the Lord shall unexpectedly attack those sleeping in the darkness and slumber of sins; but it shall not attack the good and the just as a thief, but shall come as a friendly guest long foreseen and expected, while they are vigilant.
Verse 5: All You Are Children of Light, and Children of the Day
5. All you are children of light, and children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. — "Children of light," that is of Christ, says Anselm, who in John VIII, 12, says: "I am the light of the world." On the contrary, the children of the night are the children of the devil, of whom Job III, 6 (in the mystical sense): "Let a dark whirlwind seize that night."
Secondly, and more plainly, as if to say: After the night of paganism, in which you were born and brought up as children of darkness, you lived in unbelief; now the light of the Gospel and the day of Christianity has shone upon you, in which, reborn by baptism, you have been made as children of the Evangelical light, luminous by faith, charity, holy and Christian life, awaiting and preparing yourselves for the day of the Lord. Hence that day shall not come upon you unforeseen as a thief; but upon those who were children of the night, that is, who dwell in the darkness of unbelief, ignorance of God, and sins. So Chrysostom and Anselm. Concerning this light see what was said on Ephesians V, 8.
Hence it is clear that those who are truly Christians do not dread, but desire the coming, as well as the kingdom, of Christ: "It is altogether perverse," says St. Augustine, Psalm CXLVII, "to fear that He whom you love will come, and to pray daily, Thy kingdom come: which indeed seems to be nothing else than to pray that His kingdom may come, and yet to fear lest you be heard. Whence then is this fear? because the judge is to come: is He envious? malevolent? none of these at all. For who is to come to judge, but He who came to be judged for you?"
Verse 6: Therefore Let Us Not Sleep, But Let Us Watch and Be Sober
6. Therefore let us not sleep, — with the sleep of sins, sloth, ignorance of God and of salvation: because now the night of your unbelief has passed, and we are in the day of the faith and grace of Christ. Concerning this sleep see what was said on Romans XIII, 11.
But let us watch, — just as one who expects a thief and a robber: for the day of the Lord shall come as a thief; therefore we must keep watch, that He may find us vigilant and ready.
And be sober, — abstaining from too much food, pleasures and lusts, and being temperate and moderate in them: for this temperance and moderation is the increase and strength of vigils, says Theophylact, and makes a man attentive in his vigil, as if to say: Living soberly, let us do what is good vigilantly and attentively.
Therefore the life of mortals is a vigil. Hence Christ earnestly admonishes us, Matthew XXIV, 42: "Watch, because you know not at what hour the Lord shall come." On which words St. Hilary: "That we might know," he says, "that the ignorance of that day to all is silent not without good reason for the silence, the Lord admonished us to watch on account of the coming of the thief, and being engaged in assiduous prayers, to hold fast to all the works of His precepts. For He showed Zabulus (that is, the devil: for in the Aeolic dialect za is the same as δια) to be a thief, ever vigilant to take away spoils from us, and lying in wait for the houses of our bodies, that, while we are careless and given to sleep, he may pierce them with the darts of his counsels and allurements. We must therefore be ready, because the ignorance of the day stirs up the intent solicitude of suspended expectation."
Beautifully also St. Chrysostom, homily 22 to the People: "There is need," he says, "of vigilance, beloved; for even the soldier sleeps, not on a bed, but on the ground; the fisherman fishes not sleeping, but sometimes standing passes the night; the farmer keeps watch, lest his master's vineyard be harmed; and the shepherd standing under the open sky finishes the night, guarding the flock, as Jacob said: I was burned with heat and frost, and sleep fled from my eyes. And what is the reason for his vigil? lest any sheep be devoured by a wild beast. But if such great care is taken for an irrational beast, of what kind ought we to be in bearing solicitude for the rational soul? For this reason Jacob the laborer placed a stone for his head while sleeping, that he might more easily wake up, whence he saw the ladder reaching even unto the heavens. The Lord wishes us to be ready, and therefore He placed our end uncertain, that we might continually watch and fight."
The same Chrysostom here, tom. IX, after the middle, shows that the Christian must be vigilant by the example of sentinels: "I beseech you," he says, "let us do all things, that we may never fall asleep. Do you not see how the guards, often allowing themselves even a little sleep, lose all the fruit of great watchfulness? for through that little sleep, they lose everything, while they give opportunity and power to the one who wants to steal. For just as we do not see thieves as they themselves see us: so also the devil threatens all, envies, and gnashes his teeth."
Then he rouses us to the same vigil by the example of tightrope walkers: "Let us compose ourselves on every side, and just as it is not permitted to those walking on a stretched rope to be even a little negligent, for that little would generate a great evil for them; for they would soon be overthrown and fall and perish: so neither is it permitted to us to be sluggish. For we walk a narrow road, and on both sides exposed to precipices."
Verse 8: Putting on the Breastplate of Faith and Charity, and the Helmet of the Hope of Salvation
Putting on the breastplate of faith and charity, and the helmet of the hope of salvation. — It is not enough to keep watch, says Theophylact, and to be sober, but it is also necessary to be armed: for if someone is vigilant and sober but has no weapons, robbers and brigands will easily overpower him. Therefore the breastplate, with which we arm our breast and whole body, is faith and charity, that is, faith and a good life, says Theophylact, or faith and the good works of charity; and our helmet should be the hope of salvation. See concerning these weapons and the panoply of the Christian, what is said in Ephesians VI, 17 and the preceding verses.
Verse 9: For God Hath Not Appointed Us Unto Wrath, But to the Obtaining of Salvation
9. For God hath not appointed us unto wrath (that is, God did not create us, did not destine us for damnation, that He might display His wrath and vengeance upon us), but to the obtaining of salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, as if to say: But God created us, destined us, redeemed us, separated us from the unfaithful and called us to Christ, that through Him we might obtain salvation by working well and living according to the law of Christ.
Verse 10: Who Died for Us, That Whether We Watch or Sleep, We May Live Together with Him
10. Who died for us, that whether we watch (that is, live), or sleep (that is, die), we may live together with Him, — namely here in grace, but after death in glory. He therefore takes "sleep" and "watch" here in a different sense than in verses 6 and 7; for the Apostle is playing on these words. So say Theophylact and Anselm.
Verse 11: Edify One Another
11. Edify one another. — In Greek εἷς τὸν ἕνα, that is, one the one, another the other. It is a metaphor: for just as one who builds a wall, and gradually raises and elevates it, builds a house: so he who by his sobriety and humility raises up and stirs his neighbor, is said to build him up to similar things, so that he may become a house and holy and perfect temple to the Lord. Do not say, Theophylact says, I am not a teacher, I am not an instructor, I am not bound to teach and edify others. You are mistaken: teachers are not sufficient for the admonition of each and all; but God wills that each one instruct and edify the other, at least by his own example and good life.
Verses 12 and 13: To Know Them Who Labor Among You
12 and 13. And we beseech you, brethren, to know (that is, to take note of and have regard for them: it is a metalepsis) those who labor (in preaching the Gospel and procuring and promoting Christian affairs) among you, and are over you in the Lord (that is, in the Lord Christ's household, which is the Church), that you have them more abundantly in charity, — that you may love and cherish them more abundantly, as children their spiritual parents. So Theophylact. In Greek it is ἡγεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς ὑπερ ἐκπερισσοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ, that is, as Vatablus says, that you may hold them in highest esteem through charity, by ministering to them, namely, the necessities of life; Ambrose translates, that you may hold them in highest honor in charity.
Have peace with them. — Let those mark this who stir up quarrels with their Pastors and Prelates, or foster hatred against them.
Verse 14: Rebuke the Unquiet, Comfort the Feeble-Minded, Support the Weak
14. Rebuke the unquiet. — In Greek, in place of "rebuke" is νουθετεῖτε, that is, admonish them of their duty and as it were restore and replace in them the mind which they have lost. Second, instead of "unquiet," in Greek it is ἀτάκτους, disorderly, by which name Livy calls soldiers who do not keep their station. Thus Paul by this name marks here those who do not keep the Ecclesiastical discipline and order which God has appointed and defined for each one, says Theophylact; for such are intractable and unwilling to obey, and disturb all peace.
Support the weak. — ἀντέχεσθε τῶν ἀσθενῶν, that is, take up and prop up the weak. The Syriac translates, take up the burden of those who are weak; Ambrose, succor the weak: for ἀντέχεσθαι properly is to help one who is striving and trying but is not sufficient, nor has strength enough.
Be patient towards all men, — μακροθυμεῖτε, that is, as the Syriac says, be longsuffering toward each one.
Verse 15: Render Not Evil for Evil, But Ever Follow That Which Is Good
15. See that none render evil for evil to any man: but ever follow that which is good towards each other, and towards all men. — That is, do good to one another and to all: for he opposes "rendering evil" to that which is, "follow the good." "It is not enough," says Theophylact, "not to render evils for evils, but it is also worthwhile to repay the evildoer with goods; for this is what he indicates when he says: Follow that which is good, that is, earnestly strive to do good, and to one another, that is, towards the faithful; and to all, that is, even towards the unfaithful."
Verse 16: Always Rejoice
16. Always rejoice, — "even if," says Theophylact, "you fall into temptations. But observe that after having said that evil is not to be repaid with evil, He then commanded that we should rejoice: for he who is instructed not to take vengeance on anyone, but rather to repay with benefits the one who has saddened him, whence, I ask you, does he receive any sting of grief?"
Verses 17 and 18: Pray Without Ceasing; In All Things Give Thanks
17 and 18. Pray without ceasing: in all things give thanks. — "Here he shows," says Theophylact, "how it comes about that we always rejoice, namely by prayer that does not cease, and by the giving of thanks: for he who has accustomed himself to be with God and to give Him thanks in all things, as happening for our good, plainly will have perpetual joy."
Note: A Christian should pray constantly. For, as St. Ephrem says, in his treatise On Prayer: "Prayer is the guardian of temperance, the bridle of anger, the restraint of a haughty mind, the medicine of hatred, the right ordering of laws and right, the power of the kingdom, the trophy and standard of war, the protection of peace, the seal of virginity, the fidelity of marriages, the support of travelers, the guardian of those who sleep, the fertility of farmers, the safety of sailors, the patroness of the accused, the consolation of the mourning, the gladness of the rejoicing, the solace of those who lament, the burial of the dying." Then, confirming these very things by examples, he adds: "The prayer of the prophet Jonah granted the whale as a home, and brought back Hezekiah from the gates of death to life, and turned the flame of fire into a breath of dew for the three children themselves in Babylon." And from this he concludes: "There is no other possession in all human life more precious than prayer." How one ought always to pray, I said in Ephesians VI, 18.
Hear also Abbot Lucius, in the Lives of the Fathers: for when certain brothers had come to him, the elder asked them, saying: What are you accustomed to work with your hands? But they said: We work nothing with our hands, but according to what the Apostle says, we pray without ceasing. To whom the elder said: Do you not eat? And they professed: Yes, and he said to them: When therefore you eat, who prays for you? but they were silent, and again he asked them, saying: Do you not sleep? and when they said they slept, he said to them: When therefore you sleep, who prays for you? and they found nothing to answer him. Then he said to them: "Pardon me therefore, since you do not do as you say. But I will tell you how I work with my hands and pray without ceasing. For I sit from morning until the appointed hour, and I soak a few palm leaves, and from them I make cords, and meanwhile I pray, saying: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy, and according to the multitude of Thy mercies blot out my iniquity. And when I have completed the works of my hands, and have made some vessels, or a few cords, and have sold them for ten coins, of these very coins I give two to the poor, and I eat the rest. When therefore I eat or sleep, then they fulfill my prayer for my sins without ceasing." Thus in the Lives of the Fathers, Book III, page 531, number 212.
18. In all things give thanks. — Note: In all things thanks are to be given to God, namely both in sickness and in health; both in want and in abundance; both in desolation and in consolation; both in temptation and in peace; both in humiliation and in exaltation; both in adversity and in prosperity: because no less, indeed often more, is sickness, want, desolation, temptation, humility, adversity a gift and benefit of God than health, abundance, consolation, peace, exaltation, prosperity. And this is, as the most pleasant, so also the most holy way, by which through the troubles of this life we go joyfully and as if playfully to heaven; namely if in everything we sing with the Psalmist: "I will bless the Lord at all times." And with Paul: "In all things let us give thanks to God." Hence St. Augustine, on Psalm CXXXII, praises the custom of the ancient Religious, who frequently had this word in their mouth, "Thanks be to God"; and when they met one another, they greeted each other with it, as many still do. The Circumcellions carped at this, but Augustine defends it: "He who says," he says, "Thanks be to God, gives thanks to God. See whether a brother ought not to give thanks to God when he sees his brother. For is it not an occasion of congratulation when those who dwell in Christ see one another?" Likewise St. Augustine, epistle 77: "What better," he says, "can we both bear in mind, and utter with the mouth, and express with the pen, than Thanks be to God? This can neither be said more briefly, nor heard more gladly, nor understood more grandly, nor done more fruitfully. Thanks be to God, who has enriched you with so faithful a heart." See the noteworthy homily of St. Basil, which he wrote on the giving of thanks, where among other things he says thus: "Reclining at table, pray: eating bread, return thanks to the Giver. Do you put on a tunic? give thanks to the kind Giver. Are you clothed with a cloak? cause interior charity towards God to grow in you, who has freely bestowed garments suitable for winter and summer, by which both life is preserved, and disgraceful nakedness is covered. Has the day completed and gone for you? render thanks to Him, who without our deserving granted us the sun for the ministry of daily work; and gave fire for illuminating the night, and to serve the other comforts of life. If you have gazed up to heaven, when you have fixed the sharpness of your eyes more closely on the surpassing beauty of the stars, look out for God, and worship Him who founded all these things in wisdom. Nay, divide the night also between sleep and prayer, indeed let sleeps themselves be certain meditations for the exercise of piety." And below: "Are you struck by no penalty you deserve? let the hope of future things bring you joy. Are you handed over to a just punishment? give thanks that you pay your penalties here rather than in the future." And St. Bernard, sermon 13 on the Canticle, where among other things he says: "To the source from which they flow let the rivers of graces return, and flow again. Let the heavenly outflowing be sent back to its origin, by which it may be poured back more abundantly upon the earth. How, you ask? As the Apostle says: In all things giving thanks. Whatever of wisdom, whatever of virtue you trust yourself to have, attribute to God's virtue and to God's wisdom, to Christ."
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus (through Christ Jesus) concerning you all. — In Greek εἰς ὑμᾶς, towards you, as if to say: This is what God wills, through Christ, that is through Christ's law, doctrine, and grace, that we display, namely that we always rejoice, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all things, etc. Hence Theophylact takes "in Christ Jesus" to mean, he says, through the cooperation of Jesus Christ; "for Christ is our helper for giving thanks, who also taught us to do that in the Gospel." Note: "Will" is understood here as a sign. Hence rightly εὐδοκία (which the Vulgate interpreter renders as "will") you may render as the willed thing, or the thing willed by God, and pleasing and accepted by God. Hence Vatablus explains thus, as if to say: By doing these things you will please God through Christ, without whom nothing can please. Thirdly, others explain thus, as if the Apostle here meets a tacit objection. For someone will say: How shall I always rejoice and give thanks, when I am pressed by so many troubles? The Apostle answers that this is God's will, that is benevolence, that with Christ, through Christ, that is through Christ's grace we suffer all these things: for God, not out of hatred, but out of love and benevolence, just as He imposed the cross on Christ His Son, so He sends and imposes the cross on each Christian. But this sense is more remote, and adds and supplies much to the Apostle.
Verse 19: Extinguish Not the Spirit
19. Extinguish not the Spirit. — Some by "spirit" understand reason, or the higher portion in the soul; for this is called spirit in verse 23. But the Apostle takes the word "spirit" differently there from here. I say therefore: "The Spirit," that is the gifts, graces, lights, inspirations, impulses, and, as follows, prophecies of the Holy Spirit, who is as a lamp shining brightly in the night of this world, "do not" by sloth, by earthly cares, by carnal desires, or even by incredulity, as though by water cast or by dust, "extinguish"; for he who extinguishes these things, as far as in him lies, extinguishes the Holy Spirit in his heart: but rather close the doors, that is the senses, that the spirit of malice may not enter and extinguish this flame. So Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylact, Anselm.
Note: The Apostle forbids not only that in ourselves, but also that in others we extinguish these gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecies, whence as if explaining he adds:
Verse 20: Despise Not Prophecies
20. Despise not prophecies. — For there were then among the Christians many Prophets, who prophesied in the assembly and synaxis of the faithful, either properly or improperly, namely by interpreting Sacred Scripture, by teaching, by exhorting, as I said in 1 Corinthians XIV, 26: the Apostle here forbids that their spirit be blunted and suppressed; nay, he commands that their prophecies be received, heard, and tested. The same is clear from 1 Corinthians XIV, 26. Hence not without reason, nor against the mind of the Apostle: "He extinguishes the Spirit," says Ambrose, "who by his contradiction puts to sleep one beginning to speak spiritual things." So parents extinguish the spirit in their sons or daughters, when they smother (in them) the lily of chastity, of religious life or of more perfect life by a more licentious life, by which they compel them to pursue bodily adornment, dances, banquets, and other vanities of the world. How displeasing this is to God, the example of Praetextata in Jerome, epistle to Laeta, teaches: "Praetextata," he says, "once a most noble woman, at the order of her husband Hymetius, who was the uncle of the virgin Eustochium, changed her dress and adornment, and curled her neglected hair in worldly fashion, desiring to overcome both the virgin's resolve and the mother's desire; and behold, on the very same night she sees in dreams an angel come to her, threatening punishments with terrible voice, and breaking forth in these words: Have you dared to prefer the command of your husband to Christ! Have you dared to touch with your sacrilegious hands the head of God's virgin, which already now shall wither, that you may feel tormented what you have done: and at the end of the fifth month, to eternal punishments you shall be led; but if you persevere in the crime, you shall be bereft both of your husband and of your children at the same time. All things were fulfilled in order, and a swift death sealed the late repentance of the wretched woman. Thus Christ avenges violators of His temple, thus He defends the gems and most precious ornaments." We learn the same thing from daily examples, namely that such parents are gravely punished by God with many misfortunes, especially concerning those very children in whom they extinguished the spirit.
St. Ambrose narrates, at the end of Book I On Virginity, that a noble virgin, when she was being urged by her parents to marriage, fled to the altar, and said to them: "What are you doing? Are you offering a bridegroom? I have found a better one; pile up whatever riches, boast of nobility, proclaim power: I have one to whom no one compares himself, rich beyond the world, powerful in empire, noble in heaven. If you have such a one, I do not refuse the choice; if you do not find one, you are not providing for me, but envying me." And when she stood at the altar as the offering of God of modesty, the victim of chastity, one of them said more abruptly: "What if your father were alive, would he allow you to remain unmarried?" Then she with greater religion, with more moderate piety, answered: And perhaps for this reason he died, that no one might bring any impediment. That answer about her father, that oracle about himself, he proved by his own timely death. For shortly after he died. "So the others, fearing the same things, began to favor her, who had sought to hinder. Parents, beware of the example of offense:" thus far Ambrose.
Truly St. Jerome to Paula on the death of Blesilla: "Great," he says, "piety toward one's own family is impiety toward God;" and to Furia: "Let the father," he says, "fulfill his name; let him rejoice that he has begotten a daughter for Christ, not for the world;" and Gregory Nazianzen, in his Precepts to virgins:
Nay, if rather Christ has pierced your hearts,
And the immortal Father has filled you with divine love,
Let it not be a burden to present a maiden or a boy to Christ.
Morally St. Chrysostom teaches here that the spirit is extinguished by any sin; for just as a torch is extinguished either by the wind blowing it out, or by the lack of wax and tinder: so the spirit, as a lamp, is extinguished either by the wind of temptation, or by the dust of earthly cares, or by the failing of the oil of mercy and good works. "The spirit," he says, "is extinguished just as a lamp, if you have either little oil, or have not stopped up the hole, or have not closed the door. But what is this hole? Just as in a lamp it has, so also in us: the holes are the eyes and the ears. Do not allow a strong gust of malice to meet these, otherwise it will extinguish the lamp, but stop up the openings with the fear of God. The door is the mouth. Close it, that is, shut it so that it both displays the light and repels the external impulse." Soon by a familiar and daily example he makes the same point, saying: "Has anyone reviled you? has he abused you? close your mouth; for if you open it, you will stir up this wind more. Do you not see in houses, when two doors are opposite each other in the same direction, and a violent gust rushes in, if you close one, the blower can effect nothing, but very much of its strength is cut off?" And here there are two doors, your mouth and the mouth of him who reviles and reproaches you. If you close yours, and give no breath, you will extinguish all that wind; but if you open it, it will be made unbridled. Let us not therefore extinguish the spirit. But it often happens that the torch is extinguished even with no external impulse pressing upon it, when of course the oil is failing; when we do not show mercy, the spirit is extinguished; for it is from God's mercy that the spirit comes to you.
Then Chrysostom proceeds to teach that, just as robbers prowling in the darkness first extinguish the lamp, then rob and plunder with impunity: so the demons first extinguish this spirit as a lamp, so that the soul can neither see nor enter the way to heaven; and then they plunder it and prowl with impunity. Jerome agrees with Chrysostom in epistle 150 to Hedibia, Question XII, and adds that in this passage there is a meiosis, as if to say: "Extinguish not the spirit," that is, foster the spirit, and, as the Apostle says, Romans XII, 11, be "fervent in spirit." "For in him," says St. Jerome, "in whom the fervor of the spirit does not grow tepid through multiplied iniquity and the cold of charity, in him the spirit is in no way extinguished."
Verse 21: But Prove All Things; Hold Fast That Which Is Good
21. But prove all things, hold fast that which is good. — St. Augustine, Book I On Nature and Grace, chapter IX, and elsewhere reads thus, "read all things, hold fast those which are good": but paraphrastically, for word for word the Greek, Latin and Syriac have, "prove all things": understanding, those things which are doubtful and uncertain, and therefore need testing and examination, such as were the prophecies, of which he said in the preceding verse: "Despise not prophecies"; for these were spoken publicly of old in the assembly of the Church by individual private persons inspired by the Holy Spirit. Hence the Apostle wills that they be judged both here and in 1 Corinthians XIV, 24, whether they are true, whether they are conformable to Sacred Scripture and the doctrine of the Church, and whether they are prophecies, or instincts of a human spirit: especially because, as Chrysostom, Theodoret, and Theophylact note, some pseudo-prophets secretly insinuated themselves among them, as is clear from the following epistle, chapter II, where he refutes those who were prophesying that the day of judgment was at hand.
Therefore Chemnitz and the Novatians have nothing here for their examination of the Council of Trent and of other decrees of the Church or the Pontiff. They will also wrongly infer from this that the books of heretics are to be read and examined by anyone; for these have already been disapproved and condemned by the Church for certain heresy and ruin: for, as Chrysostom and Theophylact rightly say, the Lord does not wish even pseudo-prophets, who are known to be such, to be heard, in Deuteronomy XVIII, 3 and elsewhere.
Verse 22: Abstain from All Appearance of Evil
22. Abstain from all evil appearance. — Others read, from every appearance of evil. For the Greek can be translated either way: although the former reading is more genuine, and the interpreters follow it with St. Jerome. But the sense of both readings is the same.
Verse 23: And May the God of Peace Himself Sanctify You in All Things
23. And may the God (author) of peace Himself sanctify you in all things. — In Greek ὁλοτελεῖς, that is, wholly, that you may be holy and perfect in all things, namely in spirit, soul and body, as follows.
That your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. — "Whole" here is not the same as "incorrupt"; for in Greek it is ὁλόκληρον, as if to say: Wholly perfect, entire and complete in all its parts and endowments, in which the whole of its lot (for this is what κλῆρος means), or all that it has received by lot, is inherent and present, as if to say: Preserve until the day of judgment the whole grace and wholeness which you received by lot in baptism, that you may render and present to Christ the Judge such and so whole a spirit, soul, and body, as you received from Him in baptism.
Note with St. Augustine, treatise on the Creed: The whole man has three parts, spirit, soul and body; and so man is the image of the three persons of the Most Holy Trinity. First therefore Gregory of Nyssa, in Theophylact, takes "spirit" as the rational part of man; "soul" as the sensitive part; "body" as the vegetative.
Secondly and better, "spirit" is the rational part, or reason and the higher faculty of the soul, which is called the mind, especially if it is imbued with faith and the Spirit of God; "soul" is the lower portion common to us with beasts, from which a man is called animal and exercises animal operations, such as seeing, hearing, eating, generating; but "body" is the dwelling-place of both, namely both of spirit and of soul, as if to say, says Anselm: Let your spirit be whole, that is, let it be wounded by no heresy, error, distrust, malice, envy, or any consent to sin, so that it should be mutilated by some article of faith, hope, charity, or another virtue, as it were by a limb; but with full faith of all articles and dogmas, with whole hope and charity, and with all the parts and members of the other virtues, may it be whole and perfect. Let the soul also be whole, that is, not wounded by the delights of flesh and senses, in such a way that the wholeness and perfection that should be in the hearing, sight, and other external and internal senses of the soul be mutilated: but in all things let them be whole, as far as the infirmity of the human condition allows; for we cannot in this life attain to the wholeness of Adam and Christ.
Finally, let your body be whole, that is, let it not be harmed by the execution and perpetration of any sin; but let it remain inviolate, unharmed, whole, just as the spirit and soul: so that the body may be subject to and obey the soul, the soul the spirit, the spirit God plainly, and God may communicate His sanctity to the spirit, and through the spirit to the soul and body, that on the day of judgment you may present to Christ body and soul and spirit wholly and perfectly holy, such as you received in baptism, and may be able to say of them: "I have espoused you to one husband, that I might present you a chaste virgin to Christ."
Hence note secondly: This wholeness is opposed to the maimed and mutilated: for those are maimed and mutilated in faith who believe the Apostles' Creed, but deny other traditions, deny the invocation of the Saints and the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, etc. So in charity those are maimed who love friends, not enemies. So in soul those are maimed who guard their touch from disgraceful things, but not their ears, not their eyes; and so of others. To these the Apostle opposes wholeness, which a Christian ought to have both in faith, that he may believe all things to be believed, and in hope, that he may hope for all things to be hoped for, and in charity, that he may love all things to be loved, and in the other virtues. So Jerome, to Hedibia, Question XII.
Verse 24: God Is Faithful, Who Hath Called You
24. God is faithful, who hath called you: who also will do, — that is, will effect and perfect, that you may preserve the aforesaid wholeness, to which He has called you, and may attain to eternal salvation, if of course you do not fail His grace and cooperate with it. So Theophylact and Anselm.
Verse 26: With a Holy Kiss
26. With a holy kiss. — Concerning this kiss I spoke at 2 Corinthians XIII, 12.
Closing Benediction
Await the coming of Christ. Set up ETERNITY.