Thomas Aquinas

Above he set forth the matter of the thanksgiving, showing for what goods he gave thanks; here he shows the prayer, indicating what he asks for them. And first he sets forth beforehand the conditions of prayer; second he adds the goods sought, at the place "that you may be filled."

Prayer has three conditions. First, that it be timely; hence he adds "from the day," etc., supply: we began to pray. Jer. 31:20: "Since I have spoken of him, I will still remember him," etc. Second, that it be continuous, at "we do not cease," etc. 1 Kings 12:23: "But far be this sin from me before the Lord, that I should cease to pray for you." Rom. 1:9: "Without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers." Third, that it be manifold and perfect, at "praying and asking."

Prayer is the ascent of the mind into God. Petition is the asking for things. Prayer ought to go before, so that one asking devoutly may be heard, just as those who petition put forward persuasion beforehand so as to incline the one petitioned; but we ought to put forward devotion and meditation on God and on divine things, not so that we may bend him, but so that we may raise ourselves up to him.

Now he asks three things: namely, knowledge of the truth, at "that you may be filled"; the working of virtue, at "that you may walk"; the endurance of evils, at "in all patience." He desires, moreover, a threefold knowledge: namely, of things to be done; hence he says "that you may be filled with the knowledge," etc., that is, that you may fully know the will of God. 1 Thess. 4:3: "This is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain," etc. He therefore knows the will of God who lives in holiness. He therefore who sins does not know the will of God, because everyone who sins is ignorant. Rom. 12:2: "That you may prove what is the will of God," etc.

Likewise, knowledge of divine things, at "in all wisdom," which is the knowledge of divine things, according to Augustine. Wis. 1:1: "Think of the Lord in goodness." Likewise of spiritual gifts, at "and spiritual understanding," that is, not of these bodily things. 1 Cor. 2:12: "But we have not received the spirit of this world, but the spirit that is of God." And these two, wisdom and understanding, are fittingly joined together, because wisdom is lesser if it lacks understanding, as Gregory says; and understanding is useless without wisdom, because wisdom judges and understanding grasps, and it is not able to grasp unless it judges, and conversely. The Gloss says that the first is taken generally; the second pertains to the active life; the third to the contemplative.

Nor does it suffice to know, because "to him who knows the good and does not do it, it is sin for him," as it is said in James 4:17. Hence it is necessary that there be present a virtuous working, which he touches on first, at "that you may walk worthily of God." For he walks unworthily who does not live as befits a son of God. 2 Cor. 6:4: "In all things let us exhibit ourselves as ministers of God in much patience," etc. 1 Thess. 4:6: "As we have foretold and testified."

Second he touches on right intention, at "pleasing in all things." Wis. 4:10: "Having become pleasing to God, he was made beloved." Third, zeal for advancing, at "in every good work," etc. For man ought always to strive toward a further good. Ecclus. 24:23: "My flowers are the fruit of honor and honesty." Rom. 6:22: "You have your fruit unto sanctification," etc. Upon fruit-bearing follows the increase of knowledge; therefore he says "and increasing," etc. For from the fact that someone strives to fulfill the commandments, he is disposed toward knowledge. Ps. 118:100: "I have understood more than the aged, because I have sought your commandments." Wis. 1:4: "It will not dwell in a body subject to sins." And he says "of God," not of the world. Wis. 10:10: "He gave him the knowledge of the saints," etc.

Then he touches on the endurance of evils, because for virtue it does not suffice to know or to will, unless one acts unmovably, which cannot be without patience and the endurance of evils. And therefore he says "strengthened in all virtue." Ecclus. 47: "Rich in virtue, having a zeal for beauty." Which virtue is from God; hence he says "according to the power of his glory." Eph. 6:10: "Be strengthened in the Lord." But he adds "of his glory," that is, of Christ, who is the glory of the Father, because to proceed toward sin is to proceed toward darkness. Wis. 7:25: "For she is a vapor of the power of God, and a certain pure emanation of the glory of the almighty God."

Then when he says "in all patience," etc., he asks for them endurance in adversities. For some fail either on account of the difficulty of adversities, and therefore it is necessary to have patience. Lk. 21:19: "In your patience you will possess your souls." Or on account of the delay of the reward, and therefore he says "and longsuffering," which makes one sustain the thing promised. Hab. 2:3: "If it makes a delay, wait for it," etc. Heb. 6:15: "Bearing patiently, he obtained the promise." But some avoid these two, yet with sadness. Against this he says "with joy." James 1:2: "Count it all joy, brothers, when you fall into various temptations," etc.

Then when he says "giving thanks," etc., he gives thanks for the benefits shown to all the faithful. And this, first, for the benefit of grace, which he sets forth first; second, for the fruit of grace, at "who has delivered." He says therefore: we pray for you, giving thanks to God — namely as creator — and to the Father — namely as adopter — who worthy, etc.

Some have said that the gifts of graces are given for merits, and that God gives grace to the worthy, but not to the unworthy; therefore the Apostle excludes this, because whatever worthiness and grace you have, God has made this in you: therefore the effect of grace as well. And therefore he says "who has made us worthy," etc. 2 Cor. 3:5: "Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves," etc.

"Unto the part of the lot of the saints," etc. All men of the world are, according to nature, good; and therefore it is just that they have some part of God. The wicked, indeed, have as their part pleasures and temporal things. Wis. 2:9: "This is our part, and this our lot." The saints, however, have God himself as their part. Lam. 3:24: "The Lord is my part." Ps. 15:5: "The Lord is the part of my inheritance." And therefore he says "who worthy," etc.

And he adds "of the lot," because a thing is divided in two ways: sometimes by choice, when one chooses this part, another that part; sometimes by lot. Prov. 18:18: "The lot suppresses contradictions." But this part falls to the saints not by their own choice. Jn. 15:16: "You did not choose me, but I chose you" — but because God himself has chosen you. For a lot is nothing other than to commit something to divine judgment. Now a lot is threefold: namely consultative, divinatory, and divisory. The first, in temporal matters, is not evil; the second is vain and evil; the third, in cases of necessity, is sometimes to be permitted.

But this is of itself the possession of light. 1 Tim., last chapter: "He dwells in unapproachable light." Job 36:32: "In his hands he hides the light," etc. And from this part follows the effect of grace, namely the translation from darkness into light. And therefore he first sets forth the translation, second the manner in which men before grace are slaves of sin.

For since sin is darkness, therefore they are in the power of darkness, whether of demons or of sins. Eph., last chapter: "against the rulers of the world of this darkness," etc. Isa. 49:25: "The captivity is taken away from the strong," etc. "And he has translated," etc., that is, that we might be the kingdom of God. Jn. 19: "My kingdom is not of this world," etc. And this happens when we are freed from sin. Apoc. 5:10: "You have made us a kingdom to our God," etc. Or, according to the letter, that we might obtain eternal life. Matt. 3:2: "The kingdom of heaven will draw near."

And this is what he says: "the kingdom of the Son of his love." Love, as Augustine says in the Gloss, is sometimes said to be the Holy Spirit, who is the love of the Father and the Son. But if love were always to be taken thus personally, then the Son would be the son of the Holy Spirit; but sometimes it is said essentially, as it is said in the Gloss. "The Son of his love" is therefore said, that is, his beloved Son, or the son of his essence.

But is this true: the Son is the son of the essence of the Father? It must be said that if the genitive designates the relation of an efficient cause, it is false, because essence does not generate, nor is it generated. But if it designates form, that is, one having his essence as it were materially — just as something is said to be "of outstanding form," that is, having an outstanding form — thus it is true. Jn. 3:35: "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand."

Then when he says "in whom we have," etc., he shows the manner of the translation. For man existing in sin was held subject in two ways: namely through slavery. Jn. 8:34: "He who commits sin is the slave of sin." Also he was guilty of punishment, and turned away from God. Isa. 59:2: "Your iniquities have divided between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, lest he hear." Christ removes these two things, because, insofar as he is man, he was made a sacrifice for us and redeemed us in his blood. And therefore he says "in whom we have redemption." 1 Cor. 6:20: "You are bought with a great price." But insofar as he is God, we have through him the remission of sins, because the guilt of sin was loosed through him.