Tertia Pars
79. The Manifestation of the Newborn Christ: To Whom, Why Hidden, Shepherds and Magi (ST III, q.36, a.1–4)
Class of 2010-02-18
https://berquistcourse.com/course/theology/13-tertia-pars/079-the-manifestation-of-the-newborn-christ-to-whom-why-hidden/

[0:00] The manifestation of of Christ. Then, we're not to consider about the making known, right, of the Christ who has been born, right? And about this, eight things are asked.

[0:15] Didn't all these things are asked, did you? I wouldn't know. But they've all been asked by the church fathers before him, right? Cajetan says Thomas so venerated the church fathers, that he seems to have inherited the mind of all of them, right? He inherited the questions of all of them. Yeah. You don't think he just out of the blue came up with all these things? First, whether the birth of Christ ought to have been made known to all, right?

[0:49] Then, whether it ought to have been made known to what? Some, right? And then to whom it ought to have been made made known?

[1:03] And whether he ought to have manifested himself, or rather, to have been made known to others? And to whom what? Others ought to be manifested, huh? For other things, man, that's obvious. And six about the order of the making known, huh? And then about the star, through whom was made known his intivity, huh? Of course, the modern scholars don't think that star was, you know. I want to get this idea.

[1:38] And then the about the veneration of the Magi, who knew through the star the birth of what Christ, huh? We used to have when I was a kid there in the Christmas tree. We cut the wonder star, you see them, and had you know, glass coming out in various parts. You know, which is my favorite decoration. I'd never be able to see it. I'd never find it again in store.

[2:00] But but we would put up you know above the we used to put the crib right underneath the tree you know and center there and put this you know wonder star above there you know it is a marvelous thing to have in your Christmas tree you know but never seen it before you know.

[2:22] To the first, then one goes forward. Thus, it seems that the birth of Christ ought to be made known to all, right? For the implicatio, the fulfilling, right, ought to respond or correspond to the promise, huh? But about the promise of the coming of Christ, is said in Psalm forty-nine: God manifestly comes, but he comes through the nativity of his flesh. Therefore, it seems that his nativity ought to have been made known to the whole world, huh?

[3:00] Came to save all of us, right? So, yeah. Moreover, in the first epistle to Timothy, Christ in this world came that he might make what sinners saved. But this would not come about except in so far as the grace of Christ was made known to them, according to that of the epistle to Titus. There appears the grace of our Savior God, right, to all men, instructing them, right, instructing us that giving up, or you know, or denying the impiety and worldly desires, we might live with sobriety and piously and justly in this world.

[3:54] Thomas doesn't have an explanation of that phrase, but anyway, I can't remember right now. Therefore, it seems that the nativity of Christ ought to have been made known to all, right?

[4:08] Moreover, God is more prone to misery over all, right? According to that of Psalm one forty-four, His mercies are on all of His works, right? But in the second coming, by which He judges, judges, justices, He comes manifest to all, according to that of Matthew twenty-four seven, as the what lightning from the east and stretches to the orient to the west. So the coming of the Son of Man, right?

[4:44] Therefore, much more the first, by which He was born into the world according to the flesh, ought to have been what manifest. So, saying His mercy is more than His justice, in a sense, right? And therefore, if He becomes a justice, He He comes to the whole world. we'll beware of this. So, when He came in mercy, He first saw. It's a good argument, right? Good arguments.

[5:12] But against this is what is said in Isaiah chapter forty-five: "You are hidden, what God." Ad vota, vota, Latin's deitas, holy Israel, Savior, Isaiah chapter fifty-three, as it were hidden, right? Is His face and despised.

[5:42] Now it's got Thomas says. I don't see how I get around this here. I answer it should be said that the birth of Christ ought not to be what. Commonly made known to what all.

[6:01] First, because by this human redemption would be impeded, which was what accomplished by his cross, as is said in one Corinthians two eight. If they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of Glory, right? That's kind of a silly reason,

[6:28] huh? Never thought of that, huh? Secondly, because this would diminish the merit of faith, by which he came to what justify men according to that of Romans chapter three, the justice of God through faith in Jesus Christ, huh?

[6:52] For if by most manifest appearances or signs, Christ being born, his nativity would appear to all. Already, there would be taken away the notion of what, which is the argument of things that had not appeared, right?

[7:21] Makes it difficult, right? Diminishes the merit of faith. Third, because through this there would come in doubt the truth of his what humanity, right? Whence Augustine says in the epistle to Volusianum, if what,

[7:43] if he did not change, right? Yeah, ages and grow again. Yeah, from parvulo, a little to youth. No foods, no what? He took no sleep, no food. He would confirm. Would he not confirm the opinion of the error, right? That neither a true man in any way he would believe to have taken on, right? And when all things were marvelously done, it would take away that he what what he mercifully did, huh?

[8:31] So then we have to weigh, this huh? Doctoral thesis on this article. Now the first text from Psalm forty nine says that authority should be understood about the coming of Christ to judgment, right? According to the what Gloss, and it says from Augustine, my text says, that. So intellectum valde amma, as Augustine says. right? He misunderstood what that's referring to. Right.

[9:09] Now, to the second about instructing us and so on. To second, should be said that of the grace or about the grace of God the Savior in instructing all men should be instructed. Right, for salvation, not in the beginning of his birth. Right, but afterwards, time proceeding, after he had what worked salvation in the middle of the earth, blessed by his death. Right. Whence, after the passion and resurrection, he said to the apostles, "Going, teach all nations."

[9:49] Right. So he's not, in a sense, denying the premise, right? But he's saying it was not to be done at the time of his nativity, but after he had accomplished his, yeah.

[10:16] Which would have been prevented if he'd been known to everybody. Yeah. Even the devils would know about it. Now, to the third, it should be said that for judgment is required that the authority of the judge be known, right? An account of this is necessary that the coming of Christ to judgment be manifest, right? But the first coming was for the what? Salvation of all, which is through faith, which is of what is not seen, and therefore the advent of Christ first ought to be what?

[10:56] Hidden, right? The first coming of Christ, therefore, ought to be hidden, right? Because of what? Faith. Interesting. I was looking for a text there in my in my computer there, and ran across something I'd put in there for some time. I guess some letter that got out of Einstein, right? he was not a believer, you know. He thought he thought that even the Jewish things were all puerile, you know, all these things, you know.

[11:30] So a lot of times they kind of hid his his contempt in some sense for these things, right? You know, so he just just.

[11:44] a lot of his great scientists are like that. I remember when I was I might have been in college when Niels Bohr came to Twin Cities and spoke, you know, I was kind of scandalized by his, you know, agnosticism I want to call it you know Well the more that you admire, when you see then the difficulty Augustine had to submit to baptism, because he's a great intellectual sort of, yeah, but then he's submitted to it.

[12:08] Yeah, yeah, And then that's when it flowered. There's so much about faith there in that Adoro te devote, right? I mean, eventually you get to you know open charity, but I mean the first ones are almost dealing with. In cruce latebat sola deitas at hic latet simul et humanitas ambo tamen credens atque confitens peto quod petiit latro poenitens I was like that, Yeah, It must have been hard for him to believe, right, that this other man dying on the cross.

[12:51] Yeah. Well, that's how John Chrysostom takes that up in terms not just of the thief but of the centurion, Because he's. He's expounding the scripture when our Lord cried out with a loud voice when he died, and he says, "Well, this was a sign that he was choosing this moment to die. Yeah, because most men, most men who just die of ordinary causes don't have any strength to cry out at the moment of death.

[13:15] Yeah, let alone someone who's been tortured to the extent he was. Yeah, and he says, and so that his death was not like any other man's death because his death alone provoked the centurion to believe in his divinity. Yeah, and that that's a different kind of death. Yeah, yeah. But the good thief didn't see that. I mean, you were seeing Christ. You know, just hanging there. Yeah, that's.

[13:40] I again, I I like to refer to that anytime people make the case. It's one thing to say that you know capital punishment is something we should use carefully and prudently and discreetly and you know make judgments very carefully and all the rest. And the other thing that people start bantering about, oh, it's unjust. Well, you might say it's unmerciful, but you can't say it's unjust, at least in theory.

[14:08] So, practice this or that case might be different. And again, I always use the good thief's response right in the gospel. He says, "We deserve? We got the just reward for our deeds. and Christ doesn't object. Oh, no, he didn't. No, you shouldn't be here. We shouldn't be here. No, he doesn't say it. Okay, Well the birth of Christ should be made known to what? To some, right?

[14:42] Huh? To the second, one goes forward. Thus, it seems that the birth of Christ ought not to be should should not should be manifest to no one, right? No.

[14:56] Because, as has been said, this was suitable to human salvation that the first coming of Christ was a hidden. But Christ came that he might what save all. According to that, one Timothy, who is the savior of all men, but most of all the faithful. Therefore, the nativity of Christ ought to be made known to no one.

[15:26] that's why scholars would say no one, knew it, scholars would say, no one knew it. Moreover, before the birth of Christ, the nativity, the future birth of Christ, was made known to the Blessed Virgin, right, and to Joseph. Therefore, it was not necessary Christ's being born that it be made known the same to others. Huh.

[15:56] Moreover, no one wise makes known that from which disturbance arises, right, and detriment of others. But made known the mystery of the nativity of Christ the nativity of Christ. There follows what disturbance? Huh? Because the King Herod, hearing this, the nativity of Christ, became disturbed in all Jerusalem with them.

[16:22] Um, but this gives, right, to the detriment of others, huh? Because from this occasion, Herod killed the boys in Bethlehem, and in its environments from two and a half, I guess. huh? About two. About two and a half, I guess. About two years, Two years was it, and under the by matu. Two years. Two years, yeah. Therefore, it seems it was not suitable for the nativity of Christ to be made known.

[16:54] That's all. These poor little babies, huh? Yeah. Their poor mothers. Terrible thing. How do you get out of this now? Houdini is tight. But against this is that the nativity of Christ would be what profitable to no one if it was hidden from all, right? But it's necessary that the birth of Christ be proficient, right? Otherwise, in vain he'd be born. Therefore, it seems that to some ought to be manifested in the nativity of Christ.

[17:33] Well, I answer, it should be said that as the apostle says, Romans thirteen one. Huh? You got that now? Now it says thirteen one. Yeah. Okay. Correct. The things that are from from God are ordered, right?

[17:50] So we Aristotelians love that, huh? Because Aristotle says that it is the sixth act of the wise man to order the wise man. He orders all things. So God made all things in wisdom. Therefore, quae a Deo sunt ordinata sunt And she goes on to speak of divine wisdom, right? It belongs, however, to the order of divine wisdom that the gifts of God, right, and the secrets of His wisdom,

[18:19] not equally to all, right, but immediately to some they come, and through them they are what derived to others. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any order, right? Whence, as regards the mystery of resurrection, it is said, Acts ten, that God gave Christ rising, right, to be made manifest, not to the whole people, right, but to the witnesses ordered, right, and pre-ordered by God.

[19:01] Whence this also ought to be observed to positivity, that not to all Christ is made known, but to some through which, through whom, it can arrive at others, right? So they can share in a sense in in the role of teacher, right? Mm-hmm. Like the shepherds.

[19:30] that just as it would be prejudicial to human salvation, right, if to all men the nativity of God was made known, huh? It wouldn't be the merit of faith, and so on. So also, if it was made known to what to none, for in both ways faith would be taken away.

[19:59] Both through this that something is as a whole made manifest, right? As also through this that by no one is it known from whom testimony can be heard, right? Because faith is ex auditu right? That's the other one Visus tactus gustus inter fallitur et auditu solo creditur. Now, to the second about Mary and Joseph, were they enough? Did they made known? Did Mary and Joseph ought to be instructed about the birth of Christ before he was born?

[20:42] Because to them it pertains to have what reverence for the offspring conceived in the womb, and to serve the one born. But their testimony, an account of the fact that it was what domestic, huh? It would be had the suspect concerning the beneficence of Christ. Isn't my son Barbara? Yeah, That's my boy. And therefore, it's, necessary that it be made known to others extraneous, right, from the family, whose testimony could not be suspect.

[21:28] huh? I see. no prophet is on his own country, other than the testimony of the fair interest. Yeah. Now, what about this disturbance, though? This is the third objection, right?

[21:52] To the third, it should be said that that disturbance that follows from the birth of Christ, that that would what? Disturbing the mother, right? Yeah.

[22:13] First, because through this is made known the dignity or worth of the celestial worth of Christ. the celestial worth of Christ. Whence Gregory says in the homily, "Huh, to the King of Heaven born, right? The King of Earth is disturbed. Huh.

[22:44] For the earthly altitude is exceedingly confounded when the heavenly heights are opened. Huh. Secondly, because by this is figured the judicial power of Christ. Now, whence Augustine says in a certain sermon on the Epiphany,

[23:13] "What will be the tribunal of the one judging when the proud kings feared the what? What's cuna there? Cradle. The what? Cradle. Yeah, the cradle of the one of the infant, right? Huh.

[23:33] Yeah, no. We fear the judgment of the last judgment or the judgment after death, right? Yeah. When even these kings, sure. The Augustine says in his sermon on the Epiphany.

[23:59] Third, through this is figured the dejection of the kingdom of the devil, right? Because, as Leo Papa says in the sermon on the Epiphany, not only Herod in himself was disturbed, right?

[24:19] Or not so much was Herod himself disturbed as the devil in Herod, right? Okay. For Herod, I estimated him a man, or thought him a man. But the devil, what? God.

[24:34] So, the devil in Herod was more disturbed by this than Herod himself, and both feared a successor of his what? Kingdom, huh? The devil, a celestial one, but Herod, a what? Earthly one, huh? Yeah we have the feast of Saint Leo today on our calendar. What? Today is the feast of Saint Leo. Papa yeah. Superfluously however, because Christ did not come on earth to have a earthly kingdom, right?

[25:09] As Leo Papa says, saying to Herod, "Huh? Christ is not going to what? Take your kingdoms, nor the Lord of the world, right? Is content with the narrowness of your power, right, dear Scepter?

[25:32] That the Jews, however, were disturbed when they nevertheless ought more to what? Rejoice. Either this is because, as Chrysostom says, about the advent or coming of the Just One, the iniquity, the wicked ones were not able to rejoice, huh? Or wishing to what favor Herod, whom they feared, huh? The people more than the what? Plus justo.

[26:07] To the just, those who are who sustain. What is this quote at the end of that? At the end of they, the Jews wanting to favor Herod, whom they feared, for the people, the people more favored. What does it say?

[26:37] The people more favored the than the just, right? Those who. Is this from um, the Sermon on the Epiphany? Uh, it's from Chrysostom. This is from Chrysostom. Chrysostom.

[26:51] It's the second to the last paragraph. Yeah, it's after the Apapha. All right, Chrysostom says, "Wicked men could not rejoice at the coming of the Holy One, or because they wished to court favor with Herod, whom they feared, for the populace is inclined to favor too much those whose cruelty it endures. And the just. So father justus, and he probably say favor this more than that. plus justo, more than the just, They favor those who who they favor more.

[27:30] though what is it say? It doesn't make sense to me. for the populace is inclined to favor too much those whose cruelty it endures. Oh yeah. but that's the foolishness of the pop. Yeah, but favor more than the just, right? Yeah, yeah. Post just of who said doesn't bring out, but so they so it's sort of like the way well.

[27:56] Don't use current politics. Yeah, yeah. But but it's perfect. Yeah. now that the boys, the the Holy Innocents, were killed by what Herod, right? Did not give rise to their what detriment, but to their progress, right, their perfection. For Augustine says in the sermon about the Epiphany,

[28:25] be it absent, right? Far be it, yeah, far be it, that Christ coming to what liberate men. About those, about the reward of those who were killed for him, right? He did nothing. Who hanging the cross, prayed for those by whom he was what killed, right? So if he prayed for those by whom he was killed, how much for those who died for him, right? Yeah, yeah.

[28:59] But no, it's not beautiful that that if you look at that text there, you got Leo Papa and Augustine and Chrysostom, right? You see how Thomas is inheriting the mind of Leo Papa and Chrysostom and Augustine as he brings them all in in his answer to the subjection from the disturbance, right? Whether it be the disturbance of Herod or the disturbance of the Jews or disturbance in a sense more the disturbance killing the Holy Innocents?

[29:29] Huh. My first born there, Paul was baptized on the feast of the Holy Innocents because December twenty eighth there, which is the feast of the Holy Innocents, fell on Sunday, you know. So. What day was he born? But I requested a you know not a baptism of blood, but a baptism of water. You know, I I spelled I spelled that out to the father. Get water get water please Just what?

[29:55] What day was he born? December first. Oh really? Yeah. That's a good day. Okay. Now, to the third one goes forward. Thus, it seems that not suitably were chosen those to whom the birth of Christ was made what known.

[30:34] For the Lord says, Matthew ten five, He commanded the apostles, do not go in the road of the Gentiles, right? That He might be first made known to the Jews and to the Gentiles. Therefore, it seems that much less from the beginning, Christ ought the birth of Christ ought to have been revealed to the Gentiles who came from the what East, as is had Matthew two one, right?

[31:12] Secondly, moreover, the making known of divine truth especially ought to come to be to the friends of what God, according to that of Job chapter thirty seven, he announces about himself to his friend, huh, or about it to his friend. But the Magi seem to be enemies of God, for it is said in Levite chapter nineteen, do not turn aside to the Magi, right?

[31:48] Nor. From those kind of divinization, divination, or something about diviners or something. Yeah, not taking anything. I don't know the exact. Therefore, Christ not the divinity of Christ ought not to be made known to the Magi, right? Of course,

[32:08] the Magi. It doesn't matter the Magi, huh? Moreover, Christ came to liberate the whole world from the power of the devil. Whence it is said in Malachi one, from the rising of the sun to its setting, right? Great is my name in the nations. Therefore, not only in the Orient or the East, um, ought he be what made known, huh, to those who are placed in the East, but also everywhere on the earth, he ought to be made manifest, huh?

[32:47] Thomas, what an objector! I don't say objectionable, but so you can clear the objections. I ran across another text. I was looking at the the one of Einstein, you know, but the one of Weizsäcker you know,

[33:17] Beautiful passage. It's called the myth of Galileo. Now, Weizsäcker you know is a pupil of Heisenberg, right? And he he explained why the sun doesn't burn out; it takes a long to burn out, and he's kind of famous for that. But it's kind of interesting when he says the myth of Galileo. No, I should read the text sometimes. Very interesting. No, that's two things can bring us now.

[33:46] Gertrude. I'm just keeping track. Moreover, all the sacraments of the old law were figures of Christ, but the sacraments of the old law were dispensed through the ministry of the legal priests, right? Therefore, it seems that more the birth of Christ ought to be made known to the priests in the temple than to the pastors in the field. In the field, huh? That's something we priests now have to take into consideration if I watch out.

[34:27] Yeah. The. Yeah, but who is it? You know, I mean, you know, the lords and the pharmacists on there, kind of, not if they're. and the last line Many of them as a shepherd, actually shepherd. Yeah, on the field, yeah.

[34:47] Rather than the city, even you. Yeah. Quite a few of the women in the city. Moreover, Christ, from his virgin mother, was born, and in age he was little, right? Therefore, it's more suitable that Christ be made known to youths and virgins than to old men and to those married and or to widows, as to Simeon and Anna. Never seen that again. Yeah. But against this is what is said in John 13: I know whom I have chosen.

[35:30] So that sells. That sells the best. Right there. Which, however, come about according those things which come about according to the wisdom of God are suitably come about. Therefore, suitably are chosen those to whom was made known the nativity of Christ. That does away with that. Yeah, nonsense. Final objections. You see,

[35:57] Thomas standing there, he's putting his fingers out because of the final objections, you know. Then, as he answers them, you know, he pulls his fingers down.

[36:09] Answer should be said that the salvation which was in the future through Christ. pertains to every diversity of men, because as is said in Colossians three eleven, in Christ there is neither male and female, Gentile and Jew, slave and free, and thus about others of this sort. And that this might be in the birth of Christ. Christ prefigured, right? He was made known to all the conditions of what men.

[36:47] Because, as Augustine says in his sermon on the Epiphany, the pastors were Israelites, the Magi were Gentiles. These near those from a distance, but both are run together to the cornerstone.

[37:10] There was also among them another diversity, for the Magi were wise and powerful, the pastors simple and vile, lowly. It is manifest, however, he is manifest made made known also to what? Yes. Just to Simeon and what? Anna and to sinners, to what the Magi?

[37:43] He is made known also to men and to women to Anna, right? So that through this might be shown that no condition of of men are excluded from the salvation of Christ. Yeah, that settles the matter, right. Okay. I'll see how he's going to fight each one of these particular objections, though. Yeah. Well.

[38:16] So you're not supposed to go into the way of the Gentiles, right? What? Don't go there. To the first, therefore, should be said that that making known of the nativity or birth of Christ was a certain foretaste, right, of the full making known which would be in the future. And just as in the second manifestation,

[38:48] first was announced the grace of Christ through Christ, right, and his apostles to the Jews, right, and afterwards the Gentiles, right. So also to Christ, first the pastors or the shepherds, huh, came, right, who were the first fruits, you might say, of the Jews, huh, as it were near existing, right, existing here. and afterwards came the Magi from remote, who were the first fruits of the Gentiles, as Augustine says.

[39:22] So the apostles, I mean the shepherds, are there on the night, I guess, of the birth, right? Yeah, and then the magic come on the epiphany, right? So that's two weeks, isn't it? Something. Yeah, but but later, yeah, right? Because they said that they found them in the house. Where is that? To

[39:49] the second should be said. The second is about the making known to your friends and not to enemies, right? To the second, it should be said, as Augustine says in the Sermon on the Epiphany, just as that prevails the what lack of experience is it in the rusticity of the of the shepherds, huh? So that prevails the impiety in the sacrileges of the what magi, right?

[40:25] But nevertheless, both to himself that what cornerstone he attributes of. Because who came to choose the stupid, right? They might confound the wise and not to call the just, but to call what sinners, right? So he should call the the stupid, which is the shepherds, right? Not the wise and the sinners, not the what just, which are the the magi, right? Huh?

[41:08] That no one great should be proud, and no one weak should what despair. So he came to call sinners, right? That's that's clear enough, right? Because the objection seemed to be more there against the magi, right, in the objection, huh? But it's also touching upon the fact that he's calling the stulta stupid rather than the the wise, huh?

[41:55] Some authors say that these magi were not malefici, not evildoers, right? But wise astronomers, right? Who among the Persians and the Chaldeans were called what magi, right? It's not clear if they were peccatores, right?

[42:16] But it's true they were what Gentiles, right? So maybe even Sophocles can be right in here a little bit, huh? To the third should be said, huh?

[42:39] Why about coming from the east and not from the west and the south and the north and so on? To the third, it should be said that Chrysostom says from the east came the magi, right? Because whence the day is born, right? Huh? There, the what beginning of faith proceeds, because faith is the light of what souls, right?

[43:15] Huh? The psalms have the what the the people waiting, the guards are waiting for the sun to rise. Yeah. Is the is the watchman waiting for daybreak? Yeah. Yeah. Or because all who come to Christ, huh? From him and through him they come, right? Like he says in the

[43:44] Last Supper, there, Saint John. Whence is said Zachary six? Ah, behold a man, and the east is his what name? That's in the other Zachary too, right? The Orient's exalted. Yeah. Yeah. Is said they are said to what from the Orient ad litteram right? Huh? To have come either because from the last parts of the Orient, right? They came, according to some, or because from some parts near Judea, right?

[44:23] They came, which nevertheless are to the east of the region the Jews, huh? But it is believable that also in other parts of the world some what signs nativity of Christ appeared, right? Just as in Rome there flowed what? Oh my goodness. The three Eusebius they could put. Eusebius has a account of that, yeah. And in Spain there appeared three suns, huh? Gradually come together in one.

[44:56] No, I haven't heard of these things. Yeah. Same, same. Well, Shakespeare has that in the history plays, right? The three suns, you know. it's kind of a, you know appearance of three suns, and they come together in one, you know, to unite them, you know, to overcome the House of York, you know, to get the kingdom there, Edward, because they don't stay united. One of them is Richard the

[45:33] Hunchback, and so on. I remember Thomas signs quoting what is it, the signs in Egypt, eclipse, you know, about the signs in Egypt there when Christ died.

[45:55] Yeah, I've seen Thomas quote that. But anyway. Now, what about the priest there, right? To the fourth, it should be said that, as Chrysostom says, the angel making known the nativity of Christ did not what go to Jerusalem, did not what? Sir John described the Pharisees. Yeah, described the Pharisees, for they were corrupt, and on account of envy, they what? Were tortured or something? They crucified him, right?

[46:40] Oh, crucified him. They crucified him, or what? Oh, yeah. I guess it would be. Yeah. So envy is capital vice, but you know, you see, this is kind of a supreme example of the evil of envy, right? Though God brought some good out of it. Out of good. But the pastors, the the shepherds, right, who were sincere, right, um,

[47:09] worshiping the what, or cultivating the ancient way of the patriarchs and Moses, huh? Yeah, we just read that in. We just said for Lent we begin reading. Yesterday they had Moses there in the Durham there giving them, you know, two ways they can go, you know, and what's going to be the result of going one way or the other. Well, we just for Lent we start reading the Book of Genesis, and immediately the division Cain and Abel.

[47:45] Cain was a man who, like he said, dwelt in tents or something, and he kept the animals. What did they say? That that was Cain. Cain was the yeah the animals and Abel was was the fruits or something. Oh is that the other way around. No, it's the other way around. Oh, right. That's right. This I was going to say, yeah, because Abel was the shepherd, so was Isaac or Jacob Benisa.

[48:09] Jacob was a man who kept the tents, he kept his tents, he stayed, whereas we saw the open field all the time, running around. So that's like the ancient way.

[48:24] Oh, that's what you mean. That's oh, I see what you mean. Yeah. Sort of this division all the while, because it says it's the ancient way of the fathers, the patriarchs. This whole tradition of pastoral poetry there in England, you know, I'm interested. The innocence of it, because our Shakespeare's play there.

[48:51] Okay, through these shepherds are signified the doctors of the church, right? To whom the mysteries of Christ are revealed, which are hidden from the what Jews, huh? So he's talking about the pastor there in the parish.

[49:09] Pastoral son, they call the place there pastoral son. And that's a letter that John Paul wrote about priests, quoting from Ezekiel, apostates out of the Lord. I will give you shepherds, because the Lord is fed up with the wicked

[49:33] one. Now, to the fifth, it should be said that, as Ambrose says, the generation of the Lord not only by shepherds but also by the old men, right, and just, ought to receive testimony. Whose testimony and account of justice is more what believed? Yeah, but don't trust anybody over thirty. That was a new slogan. Isn't that the slogan in the nineteen sixties? Can't trust anybody over thirty.

[50:16] That's when you realize that not many men are wise, especially the ones under thirty. Well, that's the saying: no fool worse than an old fool. Yeah. But you know, the clown says to to Lear, "You're old before your time." And Lear said, "What do you mean by that? You're old before your wise." Well said, you know. Yeah.

[50:49] You're growing old, but you haven't picked up any wisdom. You're old before your time. There's an old saying like that to my dad. He used to say it once in a while. He'd say, "Too soon I get old, too late I get smart." Yeah. Mister, good. The first barbers in Worcester there used to have a little sign like that on his wall. You know, get too soon, you know, old, yeah.

[51:15] Too late, wise. Let's see if we have time to do one more article. Okay. To the fourth, one goes forward. Thus, it seems that Christ, to himself, ought to make known his birth. Huh?

[51:41] Now it's funny. This thing showing up here. The cause, which is per se, right, is always more potent than that which is through another, as is said in the eighth book of Natural Hearing. There. But Christ makes known his birth to others, through the shepherds, through the angels, and the magi, through the star. Therefore, much more ought he to make known to himself his birth. Huh? It's funny these things show up here.

[52:12] you know Aristotle says that the per se is always before the per accidens in the beginning of it. Huh? Moreover, in Ecclesiastes chapter twenty, it is said, "The Wisdom that is hidden and a treasure that is not seen, what usefulness is in either?" Huh? But Christ, from the beginning of his conception, had fully a treasure of wisdom and grace. Huh?

[52:52] Therefore, unless he made known this fullness through his doings and his words. In vain would be given to him wisdom and grace. That's pretty good. Like his his brothers said to him, "Go down. Why don't you show yourself? Show yourself." Yeah. Which is not suitable because God and nature do nothing in vain, as Aristotle says in the first book about the universe. Pretty good, Aristotle. Moreover, in the book about the infancy of the Savior, now what about this book here?

[53:31] Apocryphal book. Is read that Christ in his youth did many miracles, right? I think Thomas is going to challenge this authority here. And therefore, it seems that he made known his nativity by himself. Well, that isn't a fact. It's the facts, man.

[53:51] But against this is what Leo Papa says that the what magi found the boy, baby boy Jesus, in no way right different from the generality of humans. Yeah. Human infancy, but other infants do not manifest themselves, right? I would be great. Little baby standing. Okay. Some friends of ours had a little boy, they're Italian, and they called him John Paul. John Paul. And they said, ever since he was born, he started doing this.

[54:39] Therefore, other okay, therefore, never was it suitable that Christ, through himself, make known his nativity. I answer: It should be said, Thomas says, that the birth of Christ is ordered to human salvation, which is through what faith. But a saving faith, right, confesses the divinity and the humanity of Christ.

[55:10] So it is necessary that the nativity of Christ be made known, so that the showing of his divinity does not prejudice the faith in his what humanity, right?

[55:28] But this was done when Christ, in himself, showed what the likeness of human infirmity, right? And nevertheless, through what the creatures of God, he showed in himself the power of his what divinity. And therefore, Christ, not through himself, made known his nativity, but through some other what creatures, huh? So it would detract from his humanity, right? Okay.

[56:07] Now what about hiding these things, right? To the second, it should be said that oh, it's going to get the first objection. Yeah. To the first, therefore, it should be said that in the way of generation and motion is necessary to arrive through the imperfect to the perfect, and therefore Christ is before is made known to other creatures, and afterwards he makes known himself to himself by a perfect what manifestation.

[56:44] huh Yeah. To the second, it should be said that although wisdom hidden is useless, nevertheless it does not pertain to the wise one that in every time he makes known himself, but in a what suitable time, right? For it is said Ecclesiasticus twenty six. Um, there is what.

[57:24] Not having the sense of what speech, and there is one being silent, knowing the time for an apt an apt time, right? Thus, therefore, the wisdom of giving to Christ was not useless because he made known himself in a what suitable time,

[57:56] and this very fact that he what was hidden for a suitable time is a sign of his what. Yeah. I mean, the last course I had from Monsignor Dionne, you know, he was he was talking about the role of the appetite there in the life of the mind and so on, and he was illustrating it from Augustine's Confessions, and I remember talking about the one time when I guess Monica wanted the bishop to talk to Augustine, and the bishop said he's not ready yet, you know.

[58:31] That's kind of interesting, you know, huh? Because you have to be a certain you know docility there before you could talk to Augustine, and that's kind of interesting, you know. Sometimes there's a. When she delays

[58:49] saying something to some people. Yeah, and we've seen it with people who become Catholic but like too soon, so then they get disillusioned and they leave, and because they weren't they weren't really prepared to become Catholic. That's what the priest and we had some articles about a missionary priest when people wanted to become Catholic. He always, they got closer to baptism, he would stop them and say, "Now, if you stop now and walk away, then become Catholic, do you think you can save your soul?"

[59:22] And he says, "If they say yes, he says you're not ready to be Catholic. You have to be convinced that this is the only way."

[59:32] So my mother was always saying to my father, who was not a Catholic, you know, to not come in until he was you know convinced.

[59:51] Okay. Now that book about the infancy of the savior is apocryphal I thought he'd say this. Yeah. And therefore, Chrysostom upon John says that Christ did not make miracles before he converted water into wine. huh? Isn't it marvelous that that should be the first miracle of Christ For me, it's a wine lover, you know. And you'll save the better wine until now, you know. It was better than the wine that was uh,

[1:00:25] first served, huh? And that was intentional, right? He made a better wine. According to that which is said in John two eleven, this Christ made this as the beginning of his what signs? I guess they say that John was back earlier to the public life of Christ than the the three gospels before him, right? And so we get the count of the first miracle. Yeah, it was very important.

[1:00:56] This was seen. I used to use that as kind of a miracle that not only you know convinced the apostles, you know, they began to believe in him, right? But the kind of a miracle that disposes for believing in the Eucharist later on, right? But he didn't, you know, keep the accidents the water. Yeah. Because that would then you cannot see the miracle that had taken place, right?

[1:01:22] Huh? Why in the case of you know the Eucharist you keep the accidents of the of the wine, you know, you don't see the blood, but but you prepare it, you know, it kind of prepares you know the to believe that miracle, huh?

[1:01:40] Because in a sense, the Eucharist is kind of the greatest of the sacraments, right? In some ways, one of the you know really kind of supreme test for faith, you might say, right? To believe this, and

[1:01:57] you see people now sometimes mocking this, you know, that they can believe this, you know. I was hearing Father Groeschel on EWTN there, you know, and uh uh he's telling me he has some friends who are apparently atheists, right? Huh? And sometimes they say in all kind of seriousness, "How can you believe all that stuff?" You know.

[1:02:19] He says it's a gift. It's kind of you know a simple answer, right? Rather go and try and you know show the reasonableness of it, which would be a long discussion. Now, it's a gift, and it kind of he says kind of stops them, you know. Especially with the Eucharist, I think it was something in Chesterton that it's one of the things for an unbeliever, at least an unbeliever in the Eucharist, he doesn't have Catholic faith in the Eucharist.

[1:02:52] It seems blasphemous to assert this, but for a believer, it's blasphemous to deny it. Yeah. Yeah. That's the same way you can say the incarnation or the virgin birth or the mother of God. any of these. if you really look at it, say if you're not a believer in one or the other or all of them, it seems stupid or foolish or more even blasphemous. Certainly, to the Jews, the incarnation is blasphemous.

[1:03:14] That's what we do it. We're talking about, and but for us, it's blasphemy. That's the division. So, age right? He had done miracles. These rights would not have needed another one manifesting him. Whence John the Baptist says that he might be made known to Israel on account of that, I have come baptizing in water. Suitably he did not begin to make signs in his first age, but they would what think that the incarnation was a phantasm and an image, right?

[1:04:12] and before the opportune time, they would have what Turned toward the cross, melted by what envy This gives for people who would have thought the incarnation to be unreal. Yeah. And out of sheer spite, would have crucified him before the proper time. Yeah. The word there is "phantasm." Actually, you know that. Yeah. So should we stop or we get? Yeah. Understand? Okay.

[1:04:53] I was reading him earlier from the.