Phil. 4, 4-7.
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice. Let your joy be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious; but in all things let your petition be made known in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving before God. And the peace of God, which is higher than all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
This is a short epistle, but an important and rich teaching of the Christian faith. First, it teaches how to keep oneself against God, then against one's neighbor, saying:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
2. this joy is a fruit and consequence of faith, as he says Gal. 5, 22. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, trust, litter, temperance, and love.
time." For it is not possible that a heart should rejoice in God that does not first believe in Him. Where there is no faith, there is vain fear, flight, timidity and sadness, if only God is thought of or mentioned; yes, hatred and enmity against God is in such a heart. This is the cause: for the heart finds itself guilty in its conscience, and does not have the confidence that God will be merciful and favorable to it, because it knows that God is hostile to sin and punishes it horribly.
3 Because the two are in the heart, conscience of sin and knowledge of God's punishment, it must always be saddened, despondent and frightened, worrying every moment that God is behind it with a club; as Solomon says Prov. 28, 1: "The wicked fleeeth, and no man chaseth him"; and Deut. 28, 65: "God shall give thee a despondent heart, and thy life shall float before him" *) etc. To tell these hearts much about the joys of God is like telling water to burn: it does not occur to them, for they feel the hand of God pressing them in their conscience. That is why the prophet Ps. 32:II says: "Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and be glad, ye upright in heart." It must be the righteous and the right who are to rejoice in the Lord. Therefore this epistle is not written to sinners, but to saints. The sinners must be told beforehand how they get rid of sin and overcome a gracious God, so the joy follows of itself when they are rid of the evil conscience.
(4) But how does one get rid of an evil conscience and come upon a gracious God? Answer: This has been sufficiently said above in previous posts and will be said many times hereafter: that whoever wants to have a good conscience and find a gracious God, must not begin this with works, as the deceivers do, and torture the hearts even more and make the hatred of God greater; but he must despair of himself in all works, and take hold of God in Christ, grasp the gospel, and believe the same' as it promises.
*) Instead of "float" have a c d "pad". D. Red.
(5) What does the gospel promise but that Christ has been given to us, that he should take our sin upon himself, that he should be our bishop, mediator, and intercessor before God, and that therefore through Christ and Christ's work alone sin should be forgiven, God should be reconciled, and the conscience should be settled and raised? If this faith of the gospel is right in the heart, then God is sweet and lovely; for the heart feels all favor and grace with him in all confidence, and is not afraid of his punishment, and is sure and of good cheer that God has thus done him abundant grace and good in Christ. Therefore, love, joy, peace, singing, thanksgiving, and praise must follow from such faith, and man must have a very hearty pleasure in God, as in his most loving and gracious Father, who acts so fatherly with him and pours out his goodness on him so abundantly without any merit.
Behold, of such joy St. Paul speaks here, there is no sin, no fear of death or hell, but a joyful, almighty confidence in God and His grace. Therefore it is called joy in the Lord, not in silver nor gold, not in eating nor drinking, not in pleasure nor singing, not in strength nor health, not in art nor wisdom, not in violence nor honor, not in friendship nor favor, yes, not even in good works and holiness; for these are vain deceitful, false joys, which never touch nor feel the reason of the heart, whereof it may well be said, He rejoiceth, and his heart knoweth it not. But to rejoice in the Lord is to abandon, to boast, to defy, and to insist on the Lord as on a gracious father: such joy despises everything that is not the Lord, even one's own holiness; of this Jeremiah speaks Cap. 9:24."Let not the mighty man boast of his strength, nor the rich man of his riches, nor the wise man of his wisdom: but let him that will boast boast of this, that he knoweth and knoweth me." item, Paul 1 Cor. 1:31: "Let him that boasteth boast of the Lord."
007 He saith also, Rejoice always: for he meeteth them that rejoice in God, and praiseth and thanketh him in the half of the time, that is, when they are well, but when they are evil.
the joy is gone. Of which Ps. 48: "He will praise thee when thou doest good unto him." But not so David Ps. 34:2: "I will praise the Lord always, and his praise shall be in my mouth continually." He has good reason to do so, for he who has a gracious God, who will hurt or harm him? Sin does not harm him, nor death, nor hell; as David sings Ps. 23:4: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear, for thou art with me"; and Paul Rom. 8:35, 38, 39: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall it be adversity, or fear, or hunger, or nakedness, or peril, or persecution, or the sword? I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor strength, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
And again I say, rejoice.
8 The repetition of the apostle strengthens his exhortation, which is necessary. For though we live in the midst of sins and evils, which both drive us to sadness, the apostle wants us to rise up against them; and though we sometimes fall into sin, yet let the joy in God be stronger than the sadness in sin. It is true that sin naturally brings with it sorrow and trembling of conscience, and that we may not always be without sin: yet we should let joy reign, and let Christ be greater than our sin, as John says 1 John. 2, 1: "If any man sin, we have an advocate with God, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins"; as, 1 John 3, 20: "If our heart punish us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things."
Let your gentleness be known to all people.
(9) Therefore, when he instructs them how to keep themselves against God, so that they may serve him with a joyful heart, he follows and understands recently how they should keep themselves against men, and says, "Let your gentleness
be known to all men. This is said as much: In the sight of God be joyful always, but in the sight of men be gentle, and so direct your lives that you do all things, suffer and soften whatsoever will suffer, without promise of God's commandments, that you may be acceptable to all men: not only do not offend anyone, but also take kindly and turn to the best everything that others do, so that people may see publicly that you are the ones to whom all things are equal; that you put up with what comes to and from you, and do not cling to any thing about which you might come to work and disagree with someone. Be rich with the rich, poor with the poor, merry with the merry, weeping with the weeping. And finally, be all things to all men, that all may confess that ye are not grievous to any, but that ye are according to all, even and common.
(10) Such an opinion has the little word which the apostle uses here, epiikia, aequitas, clementia, commoditas, which I do not know how to give in German in any other way than by the word "Gelindigkeit," [which is a virtue, *] that one directs himself and is suitable, according to and even with another, and is one like another and equal to everyone who does not make himself the rule and the rule, and wants everyone to direct himself, send himself and moderate himself according to him. Therefore, law is also divided into strict and lenient law, and what is too strict is mitigated, that is, aequitas, moderatio, clementia juris. The Latin interpreter has interpreted it modestiam, moderation; and would be fine if moderation were not commonly understood to mean eating, drinking, and dressing. This, however, is to be a moderation of life, which moderates, presumes, and directs itself according to another's ability and propriety, that it slackens, holds too well, follows, yields, does, leaves, suffers, as it sees that the neighbor is able and can come to, even if it must bear harm or loss of goods, honor, and body.
(11) We must prove this with examples so that he may be understood more clearly. Paul 1 Cor. 9, 20. 21. 22.: "I am with the
*) [a]
I became a Jew with the Jews, a Gentile with the Gentiles, and under the law with those who were under the law, though I was not under the law; and with those who were not under the law, I was not under the law, though I was not without the law of Christ. I became all things to all men, that I might win them all." This is so much that he ate, drank, and prayed with the Jews under the law, though he had no need of it; and with the Gentiles he ate, drank, and prayed without the law, as the Gentiles do; since faith and love alone are necessary, and all the rest is free to leave and keep. Therefore all these things can be held to the will of one, and left to the will of another, and thus made even to each. If a blind and obstinate man were to appear here, wanting to leave or keep one thing, as some Jews did, as if it had to be, and everyone should be guided by him and he by no one, then equality, even Christian freedom and faith, would be violated; one should not give way to this, as St. Paul did, so that freedom and truth may remain.
(12) Christ, Matt. 12:1 and Marc. 2, made his disciples break the Sabbath, and often broke it himself where it was necessary; but where it was not necessary, he kept it, and gave the cause, saying, "The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. That is, the Sabbath is free, one may break it for the love and service of another; again, keep it for the love of another.
13 Thus St. Paul circumcised Timothy for the sake of the Jews, says Lucas; but he would not have Titum circumcised, because they insisted on it, and would not leave circumcision free. He would have it done both ways, for the service of others; but would not have it done either way, for the sake of works unto himself, as it ought to be.
14 So that we come to ours: If the pope commands to confess, to receive the sacrament, to fast, to eat fish, and all other his commandments, and wants to insist that one should do it out of obedience to the church, then one should only trample freshly on it, and for this very reason do the contradiction that he has commanded, so that freedom may remain. If
But if it be not commanded, let it be kept at his will with them that keep it, and again let it be kept with them that let it, saying, as Christ saith, The Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath, let alone of such laws of men. For keeping out of such liberty does no harm either to the faith or to the gospel: but keeping out of necessity and obedience destroys both faith and gospel.
15 Thus, one should keep the vows, rules and statutes of the monasteries out of love *) and freedom to the will of others with whom one is, so that one rhymes and conforms with them. But if they urge that one must and should keep it in obedience, as necessary for salvation, then one should leave monasteries, plates, caps, vows, rules and statutes, everything and do the contradiction, to prove that nothing is necessary for a Christian, but only faith and love; the other everything left free of love, to keep and leave, as society demands. For to keep such things out of love and freedom does no harm; but to keep them out of necessity and obedience is damnable. This is also to be understood in the endowed masses,**) singing, prayers, and all other ordinances of the collegiate churches,†) as long as one does this out of love and freedom: only for the service and will of the society that is there is it to be kept, where it is otherwise a work in itself not evil. But if one insists that it must be so, one should immediately desist and do against it, in order to preserve the freedom of faith.
16 And in this you see what a devilish thing it is about monasteries, convents, and the whole papacy, that it does no more than make necessity and obedience out of freedom and love, so that the gospel and the faith are rejected; not to mention the pity that the common people do such things for the sake of the faith.
for the sake of the belly. For how many now go to the choir and pray Horas for God's sake? A common disturbance of all monasteries and convents would be the best reformation in this respect, for they are of no use to Christianity and can well be dispensed with. And before such freedom can be brought into a monastery or convent, all too many hundred thousand souls are lost in the others. Therefore, what is not useful and necessary, and yet does such unspeakable harm, and cannot be corrected, would be much better destroyed altogether.
(17) Further, when the temporal authorities enjoin their laws and demand their protection, they are to be served voluntarily, even though they compel it; for here there is no danger to freedom or faith, since they do not say that it is necessary for salvation to keep their laws, but only for temporal rule, protection and government. Therefore, conscience remains free here, and it does not harm faith to do so. But whatever is not harmful to us in the faith and is useful to others, we should send ourselves into it and let it be found equal and even. But if they urge that it is necessary for salvation to keep their laws, one should do just as is now said of the laws of the pope and monasteries.
(18) Now according to these examples every man, even in all other things, and as St. Paul says here, should be even and equal to all men, or willing, that no man should look to or follow his own right, but to the will or use of another. For St. Paul has here abolished all rights in one word. If thou hast a right, and thy neighbor may well think that thou wilt indulge him in it, then thou doest contrary to love and this equality, if thou seekest and requireth it; since no harm is done thee in thy faith thereby, and thou doest thy neighbor a service thereby, then thou art guilty; for thou wilt have done such things to thyself, as the natural law saith. Yes, in this it is understood, if someone does you wrong or damages you, that you hold it against him, turn it to the best, and think like that holy martyr: when all his goods were taken from him, he said, "They will never take Christ from me. So you also say, "It does me no harm to my faith,
Why then should I not hold it too well for him, and yield to him, and direct myself after him?
(19) I could not better model this play than by two good friends: as you see them holding one another, so we should hold ourselves to all men. But what do they do? Each does what pleases the other, each relents, gives way, suffers, does, lets what he sees be useful or pleasing to the other, and yet everything freely, without constraint. Thus each one directs and sends himself after the other, and no one forces the other to his own liking; and if one of them took hold of the other's property, the other held it finely too well for him. And recently, there is no law, no right, no compulsion, no necessity, but only freedom and favor, and yet everything happens so abundantly that otherwise one would not demand the hundredth part in any law or compulsion.
20) But the stiff-necked and the unjust, who hold nothing against anyone, but want to direct and carry out everything according to their own head, they make all the world go astray and are the cause of all war and misery on earth, saying that they have done what is right for the sake of what is right; that even the heathen has said: Summum jus, summa injustitia: The highest right is the highest wrong; item Solomon Ecclesiastes 7:17: "Do not be too righteous, and do not be too wise. For as the highest right is the highest wrong, so also the highest wisdom is the highest folly. This is also what the proverb wants: When the wise fool, they fool too grossly. If God were to execute strict justice at all times, we would not live a moment. But now St. Paul praises such gentleness in Christ, saying in 2 Cor. 10:1: "I exhort you by the gentleness and gentleness of Christ," that we also should keep a measure of our sense, rightness, wisdom and prudence, and temper ourselves according to the other occasion in all things.
21 But look at the words, how finely they are set: "Let your wisdom be known to all men." Wouldst thou say, How can a man be made known unto all men? Shall we then boast of our excellence and make it known to all men? There
be before God! He does not say, "Praise and proclaim them," but: Let it be known or experienced by all men, that is, let it be demonstrated by deed before men, so that you do not think or speak of it, but prove it by your life and work, so that everyone may see it, grasp it and experience it; so that no one could say anything else about you, except that you are gentle, overcome by public experience, although he would like to say something else about you; so that his mouth may be shut with everyone's knowledge of your efficiency; as Christ also says Matt. 5, 16: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven"; and 1 Pet. 2, 12: "Lead a good walk among the Gentiles, that in it they may speak evil of you, as of the workers of iniquity, at the last praising God in the day of visitation." For it is not in our power to please all men with our leniency. But we do enough to show it to everyone and let them experience it in our lives.
(22) "All men" is not to be understood here as all people on earth, but all kinds of men, both friends and enemies, great and small, masters and servants, rich and poor, native and non-native, own and foreign. For there are those who are most kind and gentle toward strangers, but toward their own or toward their own, whom they are accustomed to, there is a stubborn and gnarled nature about them. How many there are who hold all things in favor of the great and the rich, and interpret, turn, and amend what they do and say in the best way; but to the servants, or to the poor and lowly, they are severe and hard, or turn all their things to the worst. Item, the children, parents, friends and blood friends everyone is inclined to interpret all things in the best and tolerate. How often one friend praises another, which is a public vice, and spares him, and is most delicately guided by him; but to his enemy and adversary he does the opposite: there he can find no good, there is no understanding nor good interpretation; but as it lies in reputation, so he reproves.
23. against such unequal and piecewise
St. Paul speaks of gentleness here, and wants a Christian gentleness to be round and whole; to one as to another, whether friend or foe, everyone tolerates and holds it too well, without any regard to person or merit. For it is good by reason, and unmade naturally mild. Just as gold remains gold, whether the pious or the wicked get it. For silver was not ashes when it overcame Judas the Betrayer. So all creatures that are of God are true and remain the same toward everyone. So also gentleness, which is attained in the spirit, remains gentile, whether it be before friend or foe, rich or poor.
(24) But the blasphemous nature acts as if the gold in St. Peter's hand remained gold and became ashes in Judah's hand. So the reasonable and natural piety is lime against the rich, great, strangers and friends, and not against all men; therefore it is false, vain, lying, glittering, and all blasphemy, and a jugglery before God. Therefore see how impossible it is for nature to keep this round and spiritual leniency, and how few people are aware of such an affliction before the beautiful and fine leniency they have toward some people, and make believe that they are doing well and right that they are unkind to some people. For thus teacheth the foul and foul nature with her fair reason, which always reasoneth and acteth contrary to the spirit and the things that are of the spirit. As Paul says in Romans 8:5, "The conceit of the flesh holds back that which is even to the flesh."
(25) In these brief words Paul has understood the whole Christian conduct toward his neighbor. For he who is gentle does good to everyone in body and soul, in word and deed, and also tolerates everyone's evil and wickedness; which is nothing else than love, peace, patience, gentleness, longsuffering, kindness, weariness, and everything that the fruit of the Spirit teaches, Gal. 5:22.
26 Then you say: Yes, who would be sure to keep a morsel of bread from evil men, who would abuse such of our equality, taking all that we have, not leaving it on earth?
Then hear St. Paulum, how abundantly he answers, to the end of the epistle. To the first he speaks:
The Lord is near.
(27) If there were no God, you would be justly afraid of the wicked. But now there is not only a God, but he "is near," he will not forget thee, nor leave thee: only be thou kind to all men, and let him take care of thee, as he feedeth and keepeth thee. If he has given thee Christ, the eternal good, how shall he not also give thee the necessities of the belly? He has much more than can be taken away from you: you already have more than all the world's goods, because you have Christ; of which Ps. 55:23 says: "Cast your concern on the Lord, and he will provide for you"; and 1 Pet. 5:7: "Cast all your care on him, for he cares for you"; and Christ Matth. 6:25 ff: Behold the lilies of the field, and the fowls of the air etc. All this is said, "The Lord is near"; and follows:
Do not worry.
(28) Have not one care for yourselves, let him care; he can care, whom ye have now known. Gentiles care who do not know that they have a God; as Christ also says Matth. 6, 31. 32.: "Do not care for your soul what you eat or what you drink, nor for your body what you do. For all these things the Gentiles seek: but your Father which is in heaven knoweth that ye have need of these things." Therefore let the whole world take and do wrong; thou shalt have enough, and shalt not sooner die of hunger or freeze, because thy God which careth for thee is taken away from thee. But who will take him away from you, if you do not let him go yourself? Therefore we have no cause to be anxious, because we have him for our Father and Creator, who has all things in his hand, even those who take and damage us, with all their goods; but always rejoice in him, and be kind to all men, as they are sure that we shall have enough in body and soul, and most of all that we have a gracious God: to those who have not, they must well take care. Our care should be that we do not worry, and
only God be glad and man be kind. The 37th Psalm, v. 25, says: "I have been young and have grown old, and have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children going after food"; and the 40th Psalm, v. 18: "The Lord cares for me.
But in all things let your petition be made known in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving before God.
29. Here he teaches how our concern should be cast upon God, and is of the opinion: "Do not worry about anything; but if something comes that wants to worry you, as it must be that you have to have much trouble on earth, then face it: Do not oppress yourselves at all with your worries, no matter what they may be, but leave your worries and turn to God with prayer and supplication, and ask Him for everything that you want to have arranged with worries, so that He may arrange it; and do this with thanksgiving that you have such a God who cares for you and to whom you may boldly send all your concerns. But he who does not so set himself when something comes to him, but wants to measure it first with reason and rule with his own counsel, and takes care of the worries: he mixes himself in many miseries, loses joy and peace in God; and yet creates nothing, but only digs the sand, and sinks further into it and does not come out; as we then learn daily in our own and other people's experience.
(30) And this is said, that Amand should not resolve to let all things so go, and put them in God's hands, that he should do nothing, be wholly idle, nor pray for them; for he shall soon be overthrown, and fall into sorrow: but it must be contended. And for this very reason many things fall upon us, which make us anxious, that we may be driven thereby to prayer from anxiety; and the apostle did not put it in vain against one another, Take heed to nothing, and, in all things, flee unto God. Nothing and everything are contrary to one another; so that he sufficiently shows that there are many things that drive us to worry; but in all these we should worry nothing, but keep to prayer, and command and ask God for what we lack.
31. here we must now see how the
Prayer should be designed and what is a good way to pray. He gives four kinds of prayer, namely, prayer, supplication, thanksgiving and petition. Prayer is nothing other than words or conversation, such as the Lord's Prayer, psalms and the like, in which sometimes something is said other than what is asked for. Supplication is when one drives and strengthens prayer by something else. As when I ask a man by his father's will, or by something he holds dear and cherishes. So when we ask God through His Son, through His saints, through His promise, through His name; as Solomon does Ps. 132, 1: "Lord, remember David, and all his miseries." So also Paul does Rom. 12, 1: "I exhort you through the mercy of God"; and 2 Cor. 10, 1: "I beseech you through the meekness and gentleness of Christ" etc. The request is when one calls that which is at hand and which one desires with prayer and supplication; as, in the Lord's Prayer, there is one prayer and there are seven requests in it, as Christ says Matth. 7, 7. 8: "Ask, and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For whosoever asketh receiveth; whosoever seeketh findeth; whosoever knocketh, it shall be opened unto him." The thanksgiving is to tell of the benefits received, and thereby strengthen the confidence to wait for what is asked for.
(32) Thus prayer becomes strong and penetrating through supplication, but sweet and pleasant through thanksgiving, and so, together with strength and sweetness, it overcomes and receives what it asks. And we see such a way of praying in the custom of the Church and all the holy fathers in the Old Testament, who always plead and give thanks in prayer. So also, the Our Father begins with praise, thanks and confesses God as a Father, and reaches Him through fatherly and filial love; whose supplication has no equal. Therefore, it is the highest and noblest prayer under the sun.
(33) And with these words St. Paul finely disguised the golden censer and revealed its secret, much of which was written in the Old Testament by Moses, how the priest should burn incense in the temple. For
We are all priests and our prayer is the censer. The first is the golden vessel, which means the words of prayer, which are precious and valuable; as there are the words of the Lord's Prayer, the Psalms and other prayers. For in all Scripture the vessel is taken for the words, because in and with the words the meaning is composed, given, and taken; as with the vessel the wine, water, coals, and whatsoever else is taken. So also the golden cup of Babylon, Revelation 17:4, is understood to be the doctrine of men, and the cup with Christ's blood in it is understood to be the gospel.
34) The coals of fire are the thanksgiving and the narration of the good deed in the prayer; for that the coals mean good deed, Paul testifies Rom. 12, 20. when he leads the saying of Solomon, Prov. 25, 21. 22.: "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, water him. If thou do this, thou shalt load coals of fire upon his head." But they are coals of fire and burning coals; for the benefits overcome and set fire to the heart with violence. But in the law it was commanded that one should not take the coals of fire but from the altar, that is, in prayer we should not put on our works and merit, as the Pharisee did in the Gospel, Luc. 18, 11. but receive the benefit in Christ; who is our altar on which we are sacrificed, on the benefit we must give thanks and pray in it; as St. Paul says to the Colossians Cap. 3, 17: "Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and give thanks to God the Father through him"; for he can suffer nothing else, as he proves in Deut. 10, 1, when he set Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu on fire before the altar, because they took coals into the censer from elsewhere than from the altar.
35 The petition is the incense, as the incense or thymes, which is put on it, so that the prayer is completed. And when St. Paul says here, "Let your petition be made known to God," he is looking at the smoke from the censer and meaning it, as if to say, "If you want to burn incense so that it will smell good and be sweet before God, let your petition be made known through supplication and thanksgiving; this is the fine sweet smoke that makes itself known to God.
and rises up before God like a candle and a straight rod, just as natural smoke rises up from the censer. Such prayer penetrates through heaven. For thanksgiving and good deeds make us pray boldly and strongly, and also lightly, cheerfully and sweetly; as coals of fire make the smoke strong: otherwise prayer is cold, idle and heavy, unless the heart is first kindled with coals of good deeds.
(36) But how is our prayer made known before God, if it is not only made known before Him before we begin, but He Himself also comes first and gives us an opportunity to ask? Answer: St. Paul says this to teach how righteous prayer should be, namely, that it does not go to the wind and is prayed for adventurously; as those do who do not consider whether God will hear or not, they always remain uncertain, yes, more importantly, they are not heard. This is not praying or asking, but tempting and mocking God. For if someone should ask me for a penny, and believe or think that I would not give it to him, I would not hear him; I would think that he mocked me or was not in earnest: how much more will God not hear such whining? For a prayer shall be made known before God, that is, we shall not doubt that God hears us, and it comes before Him that we may surely obtain it. For if we do not believe that God hears or comes before God, it will certainly not come before Him. As we believe, so it comes. Therefore, the rising smoke is nothing else than faith in prayer, that we believe that our prayer will come before Him and be heard. And with these words, St. Paul meets what is often referred to in the Psalter: "My prayer has entered his ears," Psalm 18:7; item, Psalm 141:2: "Let my prayer come before you," and the like. Christ says Matth. 21, 22. and Marc. 11, 24.: "All that you ask in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and it will be done"; and Jac. 1, 6.: "But ask with faith, and do not doubt; for he who doubts does not think that he will receive anything from God."
37 Therefore, it is easy to notice that all over the world, the whispering in pens and monasteries is a great problem.
stern is a loud mockery and temptation of God. For such prayer is well known before men: they almost cry out, whine and bleat; but God knows nothing about it, none comes before Him, because they themselves do not believe nor are certain that it will come before Him. As they believe, so it goes; that it might be time that God's mockery and temptation were made less, and such mocking houses destroyed, as Amos calls them in the seventh. Oh, if we were to pray in such a way, what would we be unable to do? But now we pray much, and have nothing; for our prayers do not answer God. Woe to unbelief and mistrust!
And the peace of God, which is higher than all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ.
See how properly and finely St. Paul teaches a Christian. First, he should be joyful in God through faith, and then gentle and kind to men. But if he says, "How can I? He answers, "The Lord is near." But how if I were persecuted, and every man robbed me? He says, "Do not worry, ask God, and let Him worry. Yes, I will become weary and desolate in the meantime? Not; the peace of God will keep you safe. Let us now see.
39. This peace of God is not to be understood as peace, so that God may be quiet and satisfied with Himself, but which He gives us in our hearts so that we may be satisfied. Just as the word of God is called, which we speak, hear and believe from Him. It is God's gift, therefore his peace is hot, even to make peace with God, whether we have strife with men.
40 This same peace transcends all senses, reason and understanding. You must not understand this in such a way that no one may feel it or sense it; for if we are to have peace with God, we must ever feel it in our hearts and consciences; otherwise, how could our hearts and minds be preserved by it? When tribulation and adversity come upon those who know not how to flee to God with prayer, and are careful, they also go to and seek peace, but only that which is
reason comprehends and attains. Reason, however, knows of no peace except when evil ceases. This peace does not hover over reason, but is according to it. That is why they rage and strive after reason, until they attain the same peace by doing away with evil, whether by force or by cunning. So he who has a wound understands and seeks health. But those who rejoice in God are content that they have peace with God, remain manly in affliction, do not desire the peace that reason determines, namely, the cessation of evil; but stand firm and wait for the inner strength through faith, do not ask whether the evil is and remains short, long, temporal or eternal; also do not think and worry how the end will be, still let God rule, do not want to know when, how, where and by whom. That is why God does them the grace again, and creates such an end to their evil, with such a great benefit that no man could have thought and wished for.
(41) Behold, this is the peace of the cross, the peace of God, the peace of conscience, the Christian peace, which makes a man also quiet by heart and content with everyone, and troubles no one. For no reason can comprehend that a man should have pleasure under the cross and peace under strife. It is a work of God which is known to no one except to him who has experienced it; of which also it is said above, on the other Sunday, in the epistle: "May God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing." That which he calls "peace in faith" there, he calls here "the peace of God."
(42) Thus St. Paul indicates that whoever wants to rejoice in God and live in peace, the devil will put a cross on him.
He must be prepared to put his peace where the devil cannot get it, that is, in God. Therefore, he must be prepared to place his peace where the devil cannot obtain it, namely, in God, and must not think how he can get rid of the devil's impetus on him; but must let him exercise his will of courage until God Himself comes and puts an end to it; in this way, his heart, mind and opinion will be preserved and kept in peace. For even patience would not last long if the heart were not at peace with itself and content to be at peace with God.
Heart and mind are not to be understood here as natural will and understanding, but as Paul himself interprets them, heart and mind in Christ, that is, the will and mind that one has and leads in Christ, and from Christ, and under Christ. This is the faith and love with all its essence, as he is minded and inclined towards God and man. This is nothing else than that he trusts and loves God from the heart, and is inclined with heart and mind to do what and more than he can for God and his neighbor. Such a mind and heart the devil seeks to avert with fear, terror, death and all misfortune, and to raise up human affairs, so that man seeks comfort and help from himself and from men; thus he has already fallen from God's care.
44 This epistle, then, is in the briefest terms an instruction of a Christian life toward God and men, namely, that he may let God be all things to him, and so be all things to all men; that he may be to men what God is to him, receiving from God and giving to men: this is summa summarum, faith and love.