Tertia Pars
78. The Nativity of Christ: Born Without Pain, in Bethlehem, at the Fullness of Time (ST III, q.35, a.6–8)
Class of 2010-02-18
https://berquistcourse.com/course/theology/13-tertia-pars/078-the-nativity-of-christ-born-without-pain-in-bethlehem-at/

[0:01] God our enlightenment, guardian angels, strengthen the lights of our minds, order and illumine our images, and arouse us to consider more correctly. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelic Doctor. Amen. Help us to understand all the truth. So up to thirty-five, six, right?

[0:28] Question thirty-five, article six. Okay, whether Christ was born without the pain of his mother, right? On to, the six one goes forward. Thus, it seems that Christ was not born without the pain of his mother. For just as the death of men follows from the sin of the first parents, according to that of Genesis chapter two, in whatever day you eat, you will die by death. Huh?

[1:02] It's kind of double, definitely there. Morte moriemini. So also the pain of giving birth, according to that of Genesis three, in pain you will bear what sons. But Christ wished to undergo what death, right? Therefore, it seems that for like reason, his birth would be with what Sorrow. Sorrow. pain.

[1:32] Moreover, the end is proportional to the beginning, but the end of the life of Christ was with pain, according to that of Isaiah. Truly, he bore our pains. Therefore, it seems that also in his nativity there would be the pain of birth, right? Born another's pain, we died our own. Moreover, in the book about the origin the birth of the Savior, it is narrated that for the birth of Christ, obstetricians

[2:09] came, yeah, which seemed to be necessary to the one giving birth on account of the pain. Therefore, it seems that the Blessed Virgin brought forth with pain. But against all this is what Augustine says in his sermon on the nativity, speaking to the Virgin Mother. Neither in conception, he says, that she found without modesty, shall we say, nor in birth, which she found without what with with pain.

[2:44] He says the answer should be said that the pain of the one giving birth is caused from the opening of the muscles, I guess you'd say, huh? So we're going to word mite. I don't know. Yeah. Through which the.

[3:04] Offspring come forth. But it has been said above that Christ came forth from the closed womb of his mother, like he came through the wall there after the resurrection, and thus there was no opening of the muscles there. I think they say the channel, just the channel of the body. Yeah. And account of this, in that giving birth, there was no what pain, just as not some corruption, but there was there the greatest what joy.

[3:43] From this, that a man God was born into the what world, according to that of Isaiah 35, the one what germinating, will germinate like a lily, and will exalt with joy and praise.

[4:09] So my mother always said this is a marvelous kind of giving birth. She was quite taken up with this. To the first, therefore, it should be said that the pain of birth follows in the woman the what commixture, commixture with the male. When to Genesis 3: 16, after it has been said, "You will bring forth in pain," it joins to this, "You will be under the power of the man."

[4:42] But as Augustine says in the sermon on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, from this sentence, the Virgin Mother of God is what accepted, on account of her immaculate conception, right? Yeah. Because without the what

[5:03] colluvione sin, yeah, and without the detriment of the male commixture, she she received Christ, right? And without pain, she generated him, without violation of her integrity, with the modesty of virginity remaining intact. But Christ undertook death by a spontaneous or free will, that he might satisfy for us, not for the necessity of that sentence, because he himself was not in debt to to sin, but she wasn't in debt to.

[5:45] but a little bit, Bon Thomas. there, we can say that. Moreover, the the objection the second one now about the end corresponding to the beginning. To the second, should be said that Christ, by dying, destroyed our death. So by his pain he freed us from pains, huh? And thus he wished to die with pain, right? But the pain of the of the mother giving birth did not pertain to Christa himself, who for our sins came to satisfy him,

[6:27] and therefore it is not necessary that his mother bring forth with what pain. Now, what about these obstetricians? Well, there is some lack of authenticity, I guess, in that text. To third, should be said in Luke two seven that the blessed virgin herself, the boy whom she brought forth, right? She put him, she wrapped him around with the claws, and placed him in the crib, I guess.

[7:03] And from this is shown that the narration of that book, the Orto Salvatoris that you referred to, was apocryphal, which is apocryphal to be false, right? Hence Jerome says against Helvidius there was no obstetrician there, right? No care of woman, right, in procession, and she was both mother and the what obstetrician? If you want to say that. For he says with the claws he he wrapped the infant and placed him in the what?

[7:44] Yeah. Which opinion overcomes the delirious sayings of the apocryphal books? Okay. Now, whether Christ ought to be born in Bethlehem, right? To the seventh, one goes forward. Thus, it seems that Christ ought not to be born in Bethlehem, for it is said in Isaiah chapter two, from Zion the law comes forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. But Christ is truly the word of God.

[8:30] There, from from Jerusalem, he ought to go forth into the world. Moreover, Matthew two it is said to be written about Christ that he will be called the what Nazarene, which is taken from that which is written in Isaiah chapter eleven. The flower from its root will come forth or ascend, for Nazareth is interpreted the word I guess, blossom, flower.

[9:03] But most of all, someone is named from the place of nativity. Thomas Aquino, right? Augustine of Hippo. Okay, I guess he was born there. Hippo, Augustine—they always call the name of that technical Augustineum Hipponeum, yeah. Although not always Saint Anthony of Padua is not prepared. Okay. If you ask any Portuguese they'll tell you.

[9:32] Therefore, it seems that in Nazareth he ought to have been born, where also he was conceived and nourished. Right. Moreover, for this the Lord was born into the world that he might announce the truth, the faith of truth, according to that of John eighteen. For this was I born. For this I came into the world that I might give testimony unto. the truth, eh Saint Alphonsus saying he came in to make kindle fire, right?

[10:07] Right That's the only reason he came in. Saint Alphonsus didn't say, it Christ did. He's just quoting. Yeah, Intent Christ intent He's just quoting yeah. I got struck. out because Thomas quotes this in the Summa Contra Gentiles and Alphonsus is the beginning of the Summa College of Gentiles and Alphonsus at the beginning of the Meditations on the Passion. Yeah, it came for both these purposes. But the way the text, he says, the English text I have says, "You know, alone for this, right?"

[10:33] And not alone, he came also for this here. But but this could be what brought about more easily if he was born in the city of Rome, right? Which then had domination over the whole world. Whence Paul, writing to the Romans, says, "Our faith is announced to the whole world, right?" Therefore, it seems he ought not to have been born in Bethlehem. It was just a mistake.

[11:04] Yeah. So the baby king, yeah. But against this is what is said in Micah chapter five, "and you, Bethlehem, Ephrata, what does that mean?"

[11:22] Our Syriac scholar isn't here, so I can't tell you that. You know what he says when he opens up the mouth of somebody. And he said, Ephratah, Well, that's a different different word. A different word, yeah. It sounds like that. But it's some different words That does mean be open, yeah. From you will come forth, right? For me, the one who is the Lord in Israel. Well, Thomas says I answer.

[11:48] It should be said that Christ wished to be born in Bethlehem for a twofold reason, huh? Well, it's interesting that he should give two reasons for this. First, because he was made from the seed of David according to the flesh, as is said in Romans chapter one verse three. To whom also there was made a promise, a special promise about Christ, according to that of the second book of what?

[12:21] Kings, huh? Amen. What? To whom is constituted? Well, it must be a description of David. Yeah. David, the man to whom it was appointed concerning the Christ of the God of Jacob. Okay.

[12:49] And therefore, in Bethlehem, from whom or from which David was born, right? He wished to be what born, huh? That from the very place of his birth, the promise made to him to be fulfilled would be shown, right?

[13:10] And this the evangelist designates, saying, in that he was of the house and family of David, huh? What gives David a great deal of prominence, doesn't it, huh? You want to be born from the city that David was born of, huh? As the angel said to the shepherd, from the city David. Yeah. That's they announced a marriage too, don't they? You'll be. Yeah. The feeling of.

[13:46] Second reason, because as Gregory says in the homily, Bethlehem means what, the house of bread, huh? But Christ it is who said, "I am the living bread," comes down from heaven, huh? So it's in the very name, Bethlehem.

[14:10] House bread. As in the rest of those two reasons he gives. To the first, now what about the word coming forth from Jerusalem, right, in the law? To the first, therefore, should be said that just as David was born in Bethlehem, so also he chose what, Jerusalem, that in it he might constitute the seat of his kingdom, and he might build the temple of God, huh? And thus Jerusalem was a city at the same time royal and priestly, huh?

[15:03] Those two things, huh? But the priesthood, however, Christ and his kingdom were especially completed or consummated in his what, passion? And therefore, suitably, he chose Bethlehem for his nativity, Jerusalem for his what, passion, huh?

[15:27] At the same time, by this, the he refuted, you might say, right, confounded the glory of men, right, huh? Who glory from this that they are what, they from noble cities, huh? They draw their origin from noble cities, huh?

[15:50] Churchill was born in. Churchill was born in Blenheim, right? Okay. Uh Christover the reverse in a ignobile, huh? City, which to be born, right? And in a noble city to suffer opprobrium.

[16:13] He just goes against the grain all the time. Yeah, he's always mixing things up. Yeah, just backwards. Yeah, backwards. Choose to be to be put to death in an obscure place and and born in a famous place, you know. Town, yeah. That's what Chesterton said about his baptism. He said when I bowed my head because he was conditionally baptized, he said I bowed my head and the whole world came upright.

[16:44] Now he can see things right. Of course, my dad didn't want to get buried in the parish church, right? He wanted to be buried at the cathedral, a real church, as you said. Right, of course.

[17:07] So, the second one here. what about Nazareth? there? To the second it should be said that Christ wished to what Flower, right? Mm-hmm. according to um virtuous uh life life, yeah. But I guess it's life. Not according to the origin of his what flesh, and therefore, in the city of Nazareth, he wished to be educated and what nourished, huh? That he might flower there, right? Grow in wisdom and strength.

[17:48] Yeah. But in Bethlehem, he wished, as it were, a what? Away from home. Yeah, on a journey. Is it? Is it? Gregory has to go on a journey.

[18:06] Yeah, yeah, like that. A wanderer to be born. Because, as Gregory says, through the humanity that he assumed, he was born as were in an alien nature. Yeah. Not according to his power, but according to nature, right? And as also Bede says, huh?

[18:29] Through this that he what did in diverse places. He needed, I think, he needed diverse places. I think Diversorio was his lodging or inn or something.

[18:40] That's what it says. That he, in order that he who found no room at the inn might prepare many mansions for us in his father's house. No, no. Okay, Diversorio was an inn or a stopover place on the road. Okay.

[18:59] So, like a place there was no place for him almost, right? Yeah. Yeah, they prepare. Yeah, I think because that verb there in Latin, he needed something. Notice that he needed a place, but there

[19:18] wasn't any. To the third, should be said that, as is said in a certain sermon of the Council of Ephesus, right? In my footnotes is Theodorus and Sir. whatever his name is.

[19:37] If he had chosen the what great city of Rome, on account of the power of what its citizens, huh? They would have attributed the change of the whole work, right? If he was the son of an emperor, it would be described his power to. His usefulness to his power, right? But that his divinity might be known, that by that he transformed the world, right? He chose a poor mother, right?

[20:15] And a poor native country. For God chose the what? Infirm of the world that he might confound the strong, as is said in one Corinthians one. And therefore that he might more show his power, right? In Rome itself, which was the head of the world, right?

[20:41] He established the head of his church, right? In a sign of his perfect what? Victory. That from thence faith might be derived to the whole world, huh? According to that of Isaiah's chapter twenty-six, he humbled the sublime city. And under stamped on

[21:08] it, the foot of the poor one, right? That is Christ. The steps of the needy. That is the princes of the apostles, Peter and Paul. Okay, falls the rank of a apostle. I was mentioning I was looking at the the list of the saints, right? And they mentioned first Peter and Paul together, right? And the other apostles after that. But Paul, John, Paul II, called them the princes of the apostles, Peter and Paul.

[21:45] So that's interesting, huh? But actually, in the replies here, you see why he was in in born in Bethlehem, why he grew up in Nazareth, why he died in Jerusalem, or outside Jerusalem, and then why he established Peter eventually in Rome. Rome, huh?

[22:08] Was Peter supposed to be leaving Rome and meet Christ on the road? Oh yeah. What are you doing? And as it says, "I'm going to be crucified again." Christ said. So Peter turned back.

[22:27] Okay. Last article. To the eighth one goes forward. Thus, it seems that Christ was not born in a suitable what? Time. For for this reason Christ came that he might call back to liberty his own, right? But he was born in a time of slavery, he says, huh? In which the whole. World was the was tributary of Augustus, right?

[23:15] This is had in Luke two, right? And that's why he he went to Bethlehem, right? Therefore, it seems it was not a suitable time that Christ was born. I don't know; it's kind of a funny argument because it seems like he came to free us before we discover the time. When, but anyway, we'll see. We're saying I don't see there. Moreover, the promises of Christ to be born were not made to the Gentiles, according to that of Romans nine four.

[23:47] Of whom are the promises? It's speaking the Jews, right? But Christ was born in the time in which a alien king dominated him, as was clear in Matthew two when he was born, Jesus, in the days of Herod the king. Herod's not really a Jew, I guess. He's a. Edomite, I guess. Therefore, it seems he was not born in a suitable time.

[24:16] Moreover, the time of the presence of Christ is compared to in the world to the day, right? On account of this, that he is the light to the world, whence he himself says, "It's necessary for me to operate or to act. " My deeds, the deeds of the one who sent me, right? So long as it is day, but in the what?

[24:44] In the heat of summer, I guess, the day is longer than winter. Yeah. Therefore, since he was he was born in the depth of winter, right? Octavo Kalendas January. It seems that he was not born in a suitable time. Should have been born. I never understood how they calculate the thing, but I guess that means it was the octave before the beginning of January. Okay. Eight days before the beginning.

[25:12] Calendars they call the calendar beginning. But against all this is what is said in Galatians chapter four verse four. For when the fullness of time came, right, God sent His only Son, made from a woman, made under the what law? So it's like a suitable time, the fullness of time. Huh? It's very interesting expression, the fullness of time. Huh? How could time be more full? See the excellence of the time.

[25:48] He says, "Answer. " It should be said that this is a difference between Christ and other men. That other men are born subject to the necessity of time. But Christ, as the Lord and the Maker, you might say, right, of all times, chose for Himself a time in which to be born, just as He chose a mother and a place. And because this is Thomas's famous quote, the things which are from God are what ordered, right?

[26:23] He did all things in wisdom, and suitably disposed. Consequently, in a most suitable time, Christ was what born. It'd be easy to remember those two passages because they're both in the same reference, eight one. I know what I said. Romans eight one.

[26:48] Romans thirteen one for that. Was it thirteen? This one's eight. Well, no, for Sapientia it is, but it's at Romans thirteen one. Oh, this was this was a typo. They put eight one for both of them. Oh.

[27:03] Well, maybe check it out. You are right. This is a misprint. What do you guys have? I have eight one two, but he's got. We have Romans B A C. Yours is thirteen one for Roman. I don't have. Doesn't have any footnotes. Okay.

[27:26] Okay. To the first, therefore, it should be said that Christ came to lead us back, right, into the state of liberty from the status of what slavery, right? And therefore, just as our what mortal nature He took on, right, that He might bring us back to life, so as Bede says, in that time He what?

[27:55] Yeah, to be incarnate, in which once born, He would be written down under the census of Caesar, right? And from our what? For our liberation, for the sake of our liberation. Yeah, He would be subject to what servitude, right?

[28:17] Okay. In that time also, in which the whole world lived under one what prince, Maxime Pax Fuit mundo, Pax Romana. So Shakespeare said that in Anthony and Cleopatra, right? You know, the whole world is going to be now at peace once Augustus has come to big power.

[28:46] And therefore, it was suitable that in that time Christ be born, which is what who is our peace, making both one. It's said Ephesians two. That's us and Gentiles, I guess. So He was Gentiles.

[29:07] Whence Jerome says, "upon Isaiah? Looking over the old what histories, right? We'll find up to the what twenty-eighth year of the reign of Caesar Augustus. In the whole world, there was discord, right? But the Lord being born, all the wars what ceased. Now the Jesus octal. What about that number? Twenty-eight. Oh, is it the second person? Yeah. Why didn't he choose the first? That's not why. Not the first.

[29:42] Why the second? That's like a rabbinic question. They always ask, "Why does the Book of Genesis begin with Beth, not Aleph? " It begins with the second leg of the alphabet, not the first.

[29:56] Why? That's a rabbinic sort of conundrum stuff. What happened on the 28th The 28th. is the second perfect number Right, what why? It says here 28th year of the of the of the reign Oh twenty eighth year That's when the war is ceased, you know, and there's peace. According to that of Isaiah, right? Nation will not raise up against; it's the sword against nation, right?

[30:23] It was suitable also that in that time, in which one prince dominated the world, Christ should be born, who came to gather his own into one, that there might be one sheep, one ovile is what the sheep flock. Yeah. Okay.

[30:50] Interesting. The Pope there reigns from Rome, right? Huh? Kind of succeeding the Roman Emperor in a sense, in terms of unifying, huh? Yeah. So he gives what three reasons why that time was suitable. One in terms of. what? Freeing us. Yeah, He wanted to be born a slave to free us, right?

[31:23] And then peace, and then the unity, right? Mm-hmm. Kind of put together, those two, but... So you can't knock Augustus too much, right? can you? Yeah. Interesting. Those Roman plays of Shakespeare, huh? Yeah, I I've read well in high school. I read Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar. Not too long, ago I read Coriolanus. It's amazing the way. Caesar speaks of himself, you know, like the North Star, you know, that doesn't move.

[32:12] Everything else revolves around him. It's funny because I was just reading my re-reading my favorite book, the *Summa Contra Gentiles*, and you have the after the existence of God is shown, chapter thirteen. Then you have the God is altogether unchangeable, right, in the eternal, fourteen and fifteen, those two chapters. And I started thinking, gee, Caesar, you know, is kind of comparing himself to God, right? Everything revolves around him, but he doesn't move, right?

[32:39] And when they try to get him to, you know, to change somebody's exile, you know, he's going to not change, right? You know, but he's exile a man. That's it, right? You know, change the mind. So beautiful, Shakespeare does that though, huh? Just just marvelous. I got through rereading the. I was taking kind of a break from Shakespeare, so I was reading the seven plays that come down to us.

[33:01] Sophocles, right? Who, along with Sophocles, is the greatest of the Greek dramatists. And the old saying was, you know, that Sophocles is Homer writing tragedy, and Homer is Sophocles writing epic. So they saw the likeness of these two great men. But it's just marvelous to place things in them. And the, you know, reading first Ajax, and why does Ajax get in trouble with the gods?

[33:33] Yeah, well, he's out in the battle, and Athena comes down, you know, to help him. Right? He says, "Go away, I don't need you." You know, someone else. He does it a couple times. Yeah, yeah. And so there's kind of a Christian lesson for us, you know. I mean, you know, you know, the idea of Athena is kind of crazy, but but see things like that. And then and then you get to Antigone.

[33:55] There, you know, Antigone is trying to get her sister to bury the body of their brother who was killed, and Creon won't allow the burial, right? And so she says, "Fine, to Ismene, you know, "I cannot love a friend whose love is words." It's marvelously said, huh? And then uh, in Philoctetes, when Odysseus is trying to persuade the son of Achilles to kind of deceive this Philoctetes, right?

[34:23] How he's going against his nature, and how you begin to despise yourself. You do this beautiful, beautiful things in there, you know, beautiful things.

[34:34] Which ones? I know the the trilogy was Antigone. Well, there's three ones that set there, you know, but one is Oedipus, the king, and then you have. Yeah, but Oedipus at Colonus is not really so much a a tragic like the Antigone is and Oedipus the king, you know, because you might say it ends a kind of apotheosis of Oedipus right?

[35:04] And Colonus is where he came from. That was his birthplace, and so on. So he's he makes it a very sweet place, and where the you know the injustice done to poor Oedipus, you know, is covered. The gods take him over, you know. Beautiful, beautiful play, beautiful play,

[35:29] I can't go back and read Euripides anymore. Aeschylus. After I read Sophocles again, now All I can do is go back and read Homer, you know, and then I'll sing around, come back to Shakespeare. I'm always struck by this expression of orbis terrarum, at least from the Latin scripture and so forth it gives evidence that everybody figured the world was round, as an orb is round. The orb of the lands.

[36:02] The Greeks knew it The Greeks knew it, and the Latin knew so I don't know where they come up with this flat earth idea. Mhm. That came up in the dark ages. Must have been the non-Christian. Well, doesn't the Pope give that at Christmas time the Urbi et Orbi? You know, kind of the to the city and to the world.

[36:23] Coming out now, you know about John Paul II. You know, sleeping on the floor there in the Vatican. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah, he's Oh really Yeah He's what, he slept on the floor. Slept on the floor, yeah. Was that on a regular basis, or just sometimes, or? Quite a bit. Oh, really? Yeah, and of course he did penances too. You know. Really? Yeah. So. At least this is a new revelation.

[36:44] Yeah, it's coming out. He knew somebody had to. Yeah. Yeah. In his position, he must have known. That's what Francis de Sales, I wrote it to our bishop. once, I read it in one of his letters. he talked about accepting God's will. Where, no matter where you are, be cheerful about. Do your best to be cheerful about. He says, because if I knew before I became a bishop, if I knew what I know now, I wouldn't want to be a bishop.

[37:14] But I accept what you do with goodwill, good cheer. all of that So I wrote it to our bishop. Said we're praying for you. Well, Paul the Sixth used to wear kind of a hair shirt too, I guess. Really? Paul VI. I he, I was. he's really struck me as ascetic, and um, that's I remember Bishop McGee, his secretary, and he had said at the end of his life, he just kept getting thinner and thinner.

[37:38] He ate almost nothing. Paul the Sixth. Paul the Sixth. He said he ate almost nothing. That was when he, towards the end of his life, all these priests have been asking for dispensations, and he had to sign them all. You know, it was somebody, the Pope, and he said one of them that really broke his heart towards the end was like a priest. who was like in his seventies, and he wanted to get married.

[37:58] And he said, Paul, he just burst into tears. He couldn't believe it. You know. Because some of these generals are pretty tough, you know. This this McChrystal, who's in charge now of the of the American troops in Afghanistan, he he eats one meal a day, and he sleeps four hours at night. Wow! Is he Catholic? Huh? Is he Catholic? No, he's really just a man. I mean, yeah.

[38:26] It'd be ashamed to waste it. Make it supernatural. Make it purgatory. Otherwise, it's gee whiz. I told you that story about MacArthur and the general visiting him. It was during the war. The general was coming through the area, so he's you know MacArthur, so he stopped and had dinner with him. You know, so they're sitting you know at the table together, two of them, and he noticed that MacArthur's not eating anything.

[38:46] You know, he says, "Why aren't you eating? " He says, "I'm too tired to eat. " Too tired to eat. So the next morning, you know, the the guy got up, you know, and he was leaving, and he says. say goodbye to MacArthur but. I don't want to wake the guy up, you know. Wake him up, he says. He went to the front two hours ago. So I mean, these guys they would go, you know, for you know.

[39:05] Sometimes they're doing these battle things for a couple of days without sleep, you know. So how can they be that tough, you know? But McChrystal really impresses me. Far only one meal a day, they say, and and and four hours sleep at night. Yeah. So they really disciplined. It makes it, in that respect, more believable than some of these extraordinary penances the saints did. If a man who of course, you know, otherwise noble man and noble cause, and the cause being the truth and what, if he could do that, and no no suspicion of supernatural activity going on there, oh, why couldn't a saint do it under inspiration?

[39:42] Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay, now the second question is about being born under the foreigners, right? Alina Jena King, right? Says to the second should be said that Christ wished to be born in the time of an alien king, right? That he might fulfill the prophecy of Jacob, saying in Genesis that the scepter will not be taken away from Judah, and the king from its what thighs until comes the one who is to be sent.

[40:33] As if it will be taken away when the one who is going to come Because, as Chrysostom says upon Matthew, as long as the Jewish nation was under the Jewish kings, although they were sinners, it was what. It was held in its kingdom And the prophets were sent to its what, to its remedy. Now, however, when the law of God is under the power of a what wicked king, Christ was born.

[41:07] Because great and desperate was the infirmity requiring a more artful medical. medicine. I don't know if we translate it as artful" or not. Artificial. Because artificial, has got kind of a pejorative sense now, you know. But. uh... Yeah. Skillful. Skillful. Yeah.

[41:39] The third, it should be said About the time of year now. To the third, it should be said that as has been said in the book on the questions of the New and Old Testament, that's one of Augustine's great works, right? Then Christ wished to be born when the light of day began to take on its what increase. That might be shown that he came, that he came that men might grow in the light of God, right, in the divine light.

[42:13] According to that of of Luke one, this is I guess the father there, father of um, Zachary. right. Father of... Right, right, Father of Yeah. To illumine, when he has his little thing, To illumine those who are in darkness and who sit in the shadow of death.

[42:44] I guess that's the reason why they had these these solstices, you know, the ancients, because when the, when the days get shorter and shorter and the sun was less and less thing, you get a little bit worried about. Way things are going, right? And then all of a sudden it turns around and days start getting longer, right? You know, you you you're you're kind of thankful, right?

[43:05] So, even those pagan things there's something to be said for for they're they're celebrating that particular feast, right? Yeah. And you know, used to be leaving here and be dark out there, you know. Now it's kind of light until I get almost way down to the to Worcester, you know. So.

[43:26] Likewise, he says the harshness of winter. He chose the Nativity that he might undergo affliction of the flesh for us. Saint Alphonsus brings that out in his meditations on the incarnation. Now I was born on January 18th. I don't know why I can't apply some of this to me? You were coddled in a nice warm little bed. I always thought it was nice to be in the hospital because they keep you kind of warm, you know, and it was very cold January when I was born.

[43:58] So. Yeah. And that's what Saint Alphonsus brings up many aspects of the harshness of the conditions, because he said he wanted to suffer from the beginning. That's why he inspired his mother to put him down. Yeah. Well, I was thinking the four seasons. They just kind of playfully, you know, saying, "If you're going to read the four Gospels, you know, which season is the most appropriate to read each gospel?

[44:26] " Hmm. It's like during Lent, what gospel is most appropriately read? I think Mark. I don't know. I don't know why. Luke would be. Oh, for- Yeah, I would say Luke. Yeah. Luke is more explicit about the passion, for example, because you know he's shedding blood, right? He's you know. And the priesthood of Christ, yeah. The gospel of mercy. Yeah.

[44:50] Matthew might be most appropriate around uh, nativity then, right? Mm-hmm. You know. Luke has narration too, but but Matthew, If if you put Luke for Lent, you know, and put Matthew at. Lent would be. What else? Almost. No, that's. Don't you have a lot of Isaiah's like in Advent a lot of Isaiah's? In the office we do for the office. Yeah, yeah, and and Matthew and Isaiah, are the ones that are tied together, right?

[45:19] Of course, there's a chart there, you know, they had the four guys: Isaiah and Jeremiah and so on, and then the appropriate Gospel underneath above it, above it, you know. Yeah, so they had the four of them like that. So who was with Jeremiah? Ah, Luke, I think. Yeah. So was it? Yeah, I think was that. Yeah. The Daniel I guess would be John. Yeah. And but Isaiah was Matthew.

[45:53] Ezekiel, Ezekiel, or what? I got it wrong. Yeah, but it would be—I know Isaiah was Matthew because. Emmanuel is found only those two, you know, and there's all kinds of of connections there. but

[46:18] Okay. Okay So he's taking a nap A nap We could try. if you want Get a power nap in for a few Before you got a new question, that's the appropriate time to take you know rather than in the middle of a question. Sure All right, Take our break at this time. yeah.