Thomas Aquinas

Here begins the epistle, in which the Apostle does two things. For first he excuses himself for not having gone to them, as he had promised; second, he pursues his intention, in chapter 3, where he says "we begin again," etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down his excuse for the delay; second he assigns the cause of the delay, in the second chapter, where he says "but I determined," etc.

Concerning the first he does two things. First he renders them well disposed; second he sets forth his excuse, where he says "and with this confidence," etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he wins their goodwill by relating certain things in general; second, certain things in particular, where he says "for not," etc. Now the Apostle wins their goodwill by showing that whatever he does, he does it all for their benefit. And concerning this he does two things. First he sets forth beforehand the benefit that comes to others from him; second he assigns the reason for these things, where he says "for as they abound," etc.

Concerning the first he does three things. First the act of thanksgiving is set down; second the manner of the thanksgiving, where he says "who comforts," etc.; third the cause, where he says "that we also may be able to comfort." He gives thanks, therefore, to the whole Trinity, from whom every good comes. And so he says "blessed be God," that is, the whole Trinity. Likewise to the person of the Father, when he says "and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," through whom, namely Christ, the Father has given us all things.

But it should be known that we bless God, and God blesses us, but in different ways. For God's speaking is his doing. Ps. 32:9: "He spoke, and they were made." Hence God's blessing is to do good and to pour in good, and thus it has the character of causality. Gen. 1:28, and 22:17: "Blessing I will bless you," etc. But our speaking is not causal, but recognitive or expressive. Hence our blessing is the same as recognizing the good. When therefore we give thanks to God, we bless him, that is, we recognize him as good and as the giver of all goods. Tob. 12:6: "Bless the God of heaven," etc. Dan. 3:57: "Bless, all ye works," etc.

Rightly, therefore, he gives thanks to the Father, because he is merciful, hence he says "Father of mercies," and because he is a comforter, hence he says "and God of all comfort." And he gives thanks for two things, of which men have the greatest need. For first they need evils to be taken away from them, and this mercy does, which takes away misery; and to have mercy is proper to a father. Ps. 102:13: "As a father has mercy on his children," etc. Second they need to be sustained in the evils that come upon them. And this is properly to be comforted, because unless a man had something in which his heart might rest, when evils came upon him, he would not endure. Then, therefore, someone comforts another, when he brings him some refreshment, in which he may rest amid evils. And although in some evils a man can be comforted and rest and be sustained by something, still God alone is he who comforts us in all evils.

And therefore he says "God of all comfort"; because if you sin, God comforts you, because he himself is merciful. If you are afflicted, he comforts you, either by rescuing you from the affliction through his power, or by judging through his justice. If you labor, he comforts you by rewarding, Gen. 15:1: "I am your reward," etc. And therefore it is said, Matth. 5:5: "Blessed are they that mourn," etc.

But he adds the matter of the thanksgiving, saying "who comforts," etc. As if he were to say: therefore blessed, because he comforts us in all tribulation. Below, 7:6: "who comforts," etc. But he sets down the cause of this, when he says "that we also may be able to comfort." Here it should be noted that there is an order in the divine gifts. For God gives special gifts to some for this purpose, that they may pour them out for the benefit of others. For he does not give light to the sun, that it may shine for itself alone, but for the whole world. Hence he wills that from all our goods, whether they be riches, or power, or knowledge, or wisdom, some benefit should accrue to others. 1 Pet. 4:10: "As every man has received grace," etc.

This, therefore, is what the Apostle says: "he comforts us in all tribulation." But why? Not that this alone should be for our good, but also that it may benefit others. Hence he says "that we also may be able to comfort them," etc. For we can comfort others by the example of our own comfort. For he who has not been comforted does not know how to comfort. Ecclus. 34:11: "He who has not been tempted, what does he know?" "Who are in all" - that is, in whatever distress. Is. 61:1f.: "The spirit of the Lord has sent me," etc., "that I might comfort all who mourn," etc.; Ecclus. 48:27: "he comforted them that mourn," etc.

We can, I say, comfort by exhortation to the endurance of sufferings, promising eternal rewards, by which, namely, we exhort you through the Scriptures and interior inspirations, that we may patiently endure, and exhort others by our example, and through the Scriptures themselves. 1 Cor. 11:23: "For I have received of the Lord," etc. Is. 21:10: "What I have heard from the Lord," etc.

Having set down the benefit that comes from the apostles to others, he consequently assigns the reason for what has been said, saying "for as they abound," etc. And because he had said two things, namely that God comforts us in all tribulation, and that we also may, etc., here he explains the reason for these two things, and first he shows how God comforts us in all tribulation; second, how our comfort is turned into the comfort of others, where he says "but whether we are in tribulation," etc.

He says, therefore: rightly I say that he comforts us in all our tribulation, because according as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, etc. He says "of Christ," that is, begun by Christ. Ez. 9:6: "Begin at my sanctuary." For in Christ the sufferings for our sins began, because he himself bore our sins in his body upon the tree, 1 Pet. 2:24, then through the apostles, who said "we are put to death all the day," Ps. 43:22, etc., then through the martyrs, who "were cut asunder, were tempted," etc., Heb. 11:37; lastly the sinners themselves will patiently bear the wrath of the Lord for their own sins, because they have sinned against him. Or, "sufferings of Christ," that is, those which we endure on account of Christ: Acts 5:41: "the apostles went rejoicing," etc. And Ps. 43:22: "For your sake we are put to death," etc. As, I say, sufferings of this kind abound, so through Christ our comfort abounds. Ps. 93:19: "According to the multitude of my sorrows," etc.