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Home / Bible Commentaries / The Great Biblical Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide/ Matthew
The Great Biblical Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide
Matthew Matthew 10
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Passed over: that is, sailed across the sea of Galilee, to its western side. And came into his own city. Sedulius thinks Bethlehem is meant because he was born there. S. Jerome, with more probability, understands Nazareth, where He was brought up. The best opinion is that of S. Chrysostom, Theophylact, Maldonatus, and many others, who say, Capernaum is to be understood, in which Christ often dwelt. And (chap. iv13) S. Matthew says that, leaving Nazareth, Christ dwelt there. And S. Mark teaches that the healing of the paralytic, which is now to be related, look place at Capernaum. (Mark ii3.) As Christ ennobled Bethlehem by His birth, Nazareth by his education, Egypt by His flight, Jerusalem by His Passion, so he adorned Capernaum, by His dwelling, preaching, and working miracles there.
And, behold, they brought to him, &c. S. Mark says, the paralytic man was carried by four bearers. Learn from this to care not only for thine own salvation, but for that of thy neighbours, and that earnestly, as well because charity demands it, as because God often chastises the good as well as the bad, because the good neglect to chastise and amend the faults of the bad.
And seeing their faith, &c. The faith of those who brought the paralytic to Christ. For when they were not able to bring him into the house to Christ, they carried him up upon the roof. The roofs of the houses in Palestine are not steep, as they are in Germany, but flat, more so than they are in Italy. They uncovered the roof: that is, they broke through it, by taking away the tiles. S. Mark says, thy laid bare the roof: and thus they let down the sick man by means of ropes before Christ. All these things showed their great faith and devotion to Christ.
Their refers to those who brought him, say SS. Ambrose and Jerome. S. Chrysostom adds, that the faith of the paralytic himself is included, for through this faith he wished himself to be carried, and let down through the roof before Christ. Neither would he have heard the words, "Thy sins are forgiven thee," unless he had had faith. Moreover this faith was the faith of miracles. Learn from him that the measure of prayer is faith and hope. For what thou hopest from Christ that shalt thou obtain of Him. For the more thou enlargest the lap of thy soul by hope, the more capacious thou makest it, and the more worthy that God should fill it, according to these words in the Psalm, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." And, "I opened my mouth and drew in my breath." ( Psalm 119:131.)
Wherefore Christ said to this man, Son, be of good cheer. "Trust that thou shalt be by Me miraculously healed, first in thy soul from sin, then in thy body from palsy. For because of sin, God has afflicted thee with this disease. Observe, this paralytic already had faith and hope in Christ as I have just shown, but Christ bids him confirm and increase his faith. Moreover, by these outward words, Be of good cheer, but more by the inward afflatus of His grace, Christ stirred up the paralytic to an act of great faith, hope, and sorrow for the sins which he had committed, and firm determination to enter upon a new and holy life, and love God above all things, that by this means he might be in a fit state to receive remission of his sins. For such are the dispositions which Scripture in other places requires, Christ, however, here and elsewhere, names and requires faith alone, and attributes salvation, more especially of the body, to faith, because faith is the prime origin and root of hope, fear, sorrow, and love of God. And faith in Christ was the thing, at that time, to be especially insisted on.
The heretics, therefore, can find nothing in this passage to prove that faith only properly justifies; especially since what is here treated of is miraculous faith, which they themselves distinguish from justifying faith. I may add that Christ here speaks of the faith of the bearers as much, or more than he does of the faith of the paralytic, and their faith could not justify the sick man.
Son. For he truly is a son of God, whose sins are forgiven, says Haymo. Observe here the kindness of Christ, addressing the sick man with these most sweet words. Hence S. Jerome exclamns, "0 wondrous humility. He calls this despised and feeble one, all the joints of whose limbs were loosed, Son, a man whom the priests would not deign to touch."
Thy sins are forgiven thee: Gr. α̉φέωνται, have been forgiven. This Is a Hebraism for are forgiven.
S. Chrysostom observes that Christ first forgave the paralytic his sins, and then healed him, that from the calumnious remarks of the Pharisees, which he foresaw would follow upon what he had said and done, He might take occasion to prove His Divinity. This He did by a triple miracle, as an irrefragable proof, first by declaring openly their secret thoughts and murmurs against Him, secondly by healing the paralytic, thirdly by performing the miracle with this end in view, that, by it, He might demonstrate He had the power of forgiving sins.
Taken, however, literally, the more patent reason was, that He might show that palsies, and other diseases often arise, not so much from natural causes, as from sin. For He forgives the sins first, and then He heals the paralytic; showing that when the cause was taken away, the effect followed.
This is why it is ordered by the canon law that physicians should seek the health of a sick man"s soul before that of his body. (See chap. Cum infirm. de pniten. et remiss.) This rule is strictly observed at Rome, where physicians after the third day of illness, especially when there is peril of death, may not go near a sick person, except he forthwith cleanse his soul from sin by sacramental confession. For, as S. Basil says (Reg55), "Oftentimes are diseases the scourges of sins, which are sent for no other purpose than that we should amend our lives."
Again, expositors collect from this passage that those who were corporeally healed by Christ were usually spiritually healed also by Him, and justified, as was the case with the paralytic. And this is consonant with Christ"s liberality, that He should not bestow a half-healing, but whole and perfect salvation. For the works of God are perfect. And we must remember that Christ came into the world chiefly to bestow spiritual health. This is what he says of another paralytic, "I have made a whole man sound upon the sabbath." ( John 7:23, Vulg.)
And, behold, certain of the scribes, &c. Within themselves. Syr., in their soul; because He takes away God"s special prerogative of pardoning sin, and claims it for Himself, which would be a grave dishonour done to God, and therefore blasphemy. Thus they thought, supposing Christ was not God, but a mere man. This was their perpetual and obstinate error, which led them perpetually to persecute Him, even unto the death of the Cross. Wherefore S. Mark adds, that they said, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" For sin is an offence against God, a violation of the Divine Majesty, so that no one can pardon it, except God Himself.
And Jesus knowing their thoughts, &c. S. Mark adds that Jesus knew in His Spirit. This was not because another revealed to Him the thoughts and blasphemies of the Scribes, as the prophets knew such things, but by Himself and His own Spirit, pervading and penetrating all things. From this the Fathers rightly prove the Divinity of Christ against the Arians. For He searches the hearts, a thing which God alone can do. Thus S. Jerome, who adds, "Even when keeping silence, He speaks. As though He said, "By the same power and majesty by which I behold your thoughts, I am able also to forgive men their sins."" So too S. Chrysostom and others. Whence Chrysologus says, "Receive the tokens of Christ"s Divinity: behold Him come to the secret hiding-places of thy thoughts."
You may say, the Scribes might have raised the following objection:—"Thou, 0 Jesus, indeed knowest and revealest our secret thoughts, but not by Thine own Spirit, for that Thou in no way rnakest plain to us, but by the Spirit of God. Therefore Thou art a prophet and not God, that thou shouldst remit sins." I reply, if the Scribes acknowledged Jesus to be a prophet, then surely they ought to have believed that He was speaking the truth when He said that He had, of Himself, power to forgive sins, and therefore that He was God. Again, in the Old Testament, the power of remitting sins was given to none of the prophets, but it was promised to Messiah alone by the prophets. Therefore, they ought to have acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah, and consequently God, as is plain from many passages of Scripture.
Lastly, Christ by His command alone, and proper authority, both healed the paralytic, and forgave him his sins, and so in this, as in all His other miracles, He had this end in view, that He might convince them He was the Messiah—that is, the Son of God, who had come in the flesh, the Saviour of the world, the Redeemer of sinners, who had been foretold by Moses and the prophets.
Whether is easier, &c. You may ask, whether of these two is absolutely the more difficult? I answer—
1. It is, per se, more difficult to forgive sins than to heal a paralytic person, yea, than to create heaven and earth. And there is à priori reason for this: first, because sin, as an enemy of God, is far further away from God than a paralytic, yea, than any created thing, forasmuch as these are in themselves good: yea, further than nothingness, out of which all things were made, itself, for nothingness is only negatively and privatively opposed to entity and God; but sin is diametrically opposed and repugnant to God. For there are no contraries which are so mutually opposed as supreme goodness and supreme badness—that is to say, God and sin.
2. Because remission of sins is something of a higher order than the natural order. It has to do with the supernatural order of grace. Grace is the highest communion with the Divine Nature: for by grace "we are made partakers of the divine nature," as S. Peter says ( 2 Peter 1:4).
I observe, however, secondly: on the contrary, Christ here seems to speak of remission of sins as being easier than the healing of the paralytic. This was so, because the latter was more difficult in respect of the Jews, and it was a more perilous thing besides. For he who saith, I forgive thee thy sins, cannot be convicted of falsehood, whether he remits them or not. For neither sin, nor its remission, are things that can be seen. But he who saith to a paralytic, Arise and walk, exposes both himself and his good name to great peril, if the sick man does not arise. Such a one will be convicted by all of imposture and falsehood. Just as we are accustomed to say, It is easier to write a history of Tartary than a history of Italy: because here a man might be convicted of falsehood by multitudes; but there by no one.
Lastly, the healing of paralysis is a physical operation, and, physically speaking, more difficult than the remission of sins, which is, per se, a moral act, of like nature with sin itself.
Jansen adds, With respect to God, both are equally easy and divine, for both are miraculous, and both require exercise of omnipotent power.
Moreover, although of itself the healing of the paralytic was a less work than the remission of sins, yet Christ conclusively proves by it that He had the power of forgiving sins.
Ver6.—But that ye may know, &c. Observe the expression, Son of Man, for Christ forgave sins, not only as He was God, but in that He was man, authoritatively and meritoriously. Because His Humanity was hypostatically united to His Divinity, and subsisted in the Divine Person of the Son of God, therefore He was able to make full satisfaction for the sins of the whole world.
Wherefore this primary power and authority of forgiving sins was given unto Him, next unto God, which power He is able to grant unto others likewise, such as priests, who are instituted by Him, as His ministers, that they too should forgive sins. Whence S. Thomas says (3part. quæst63 , art3), "The power of the excellence of Christ standeth in four things1. Because His merit, and the virtue of His Passion, operate in the sacraments2. Because by His Name the sacraments are sanctified3. Because He Himself, who gives virtue to the sacraments, had power to institute them4. Because the effect of the sacraments—in other words, the remission of sins, and grace—Christ is able to confer without the sacraments. This power is peculiar to Christ alone, quâ man; and therefore it has been communicated neither to priest nor pontiff, nor to S. Peter."
Arise, take up thy bed, &c. Rise: be sound and healed of thy palsy; and to show to the Scribes and all the people that thou art healed, take up thy bed, that now thou mayest bear that which has lately borne thee, as Sedulius says in this place, "He himself, with grateful thanks, repaid his hire." Instead of bed (lectum), Mark has grabatum. Grabatus, says Sipontius, is a narrow sort of couch on which we recline at noon, as if from carabatus, something on which we lay our head, from καρὰ, the head, and, βατὸν, passing. Whence the line of Martial—
"Went the three-legged grabatus, went the three-legged table."
And he arose, &c. He arose at once, for what Christ said was straightway done. And the man walked off with the bed upon his shoulders.
S. Simon Stylites followed the example of this miracle of Christ, as may be seen in his Life, taken by Surius out of Theodoret. "A certain Saracen prince brought to him a paralytic domestic, and asked him to heal him. The holy man commanded him to be brought into the midst, and bade him abjure the impiety of his ancestors. After the man had done this, he asked him if he believed in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. He replied that he did believe. "If thou believest," said he, "rise up." As soon as he had arisen, he bade him take up and carry the before-named prince, who was an excessively fat man, upon his shoulders, as far as his tent. And he immediately raised him up, and carried him whither he was bidden. All the spectators were amazed at this miracle, and glorified God." In a similar manner S. Bernard, at the request of the King of France, healed a man sick of the palsy, with the sign of the Cross, and bade him take up his bed.
Tropologically; by the sick man"s taking up, and carrying his bed is meant, that by the just judgment of God it cometh to pass that the sinner who aforetime willingly consented to temptation, after he has repented, feels temptation against his will. For repentance truly takes away sin, but not sinful habits and depraved inclinations, which the sinner of his own will contracted and put on. Thus S. Mary of Egypt, after her conversion, felt for seventeen years the sharp goads of lust, because for so many years she had shamefully lived in lust.
But when the multitudes saw it they marvelled, &c. Instead of marvelled, the Latin Vulgate has, they feared. S. Mark adds, that the multitude said, We never saw it after this fashion. S. Luke, We have seen strange things today. For this man"s whole body was paralysed. S. Mark says that, he was borne of four, which shows that the palsy had affected every limb. He was a different paralytic from the one of whom S. John makes mention ( John 5:2), who was healed in the Sheep-market at Jerusalem. That man had no one carrying him: neither did he believe, as this one did, to whom it was said, Son, be of good cheer.
Tropologically; paralysis is any disease of the soul whatsoever, but especially of fleshly lust, and the carelessness and indifference to spiritual things which it generates. For it so entirely prostrates the soul, that it is without power to lift itself up to virtue, to heaven, to God. Wherefore the man that labours under this disease must be carried by bearers, that is, by pastors, preachers, confessors, up upon the housetop, that is, to the desire of salvation and heavenly things; and then must be let down through the roof to the feet of Christ; and they must ask of Him by earnest prayer to heal him by His grace, and restore to him the power of motion, and the sense of spiritual things. Then when he is healed, let him give thanks to Christ his Saviour, and let him not be slothful, but let him go away to the house of his mind and conscience, and sweep it clean of vices, and adorn it with all virtuous actions. Thus ought the soul to trust in the Lord, because He alone is able to supply all her wants. She ought to arise from the sleep of sin, and the bed of depraved habits, by calling to mind into what a state she has fallen, which she doth by confession; for as he who arises, so also does he who confesses, come forth: she ought to take up her bed, which pertains to satisfaction, for when that is enjoined in confession, it is a sort of burden to be borne, for the flesh which, as a bed, gave pleasure, and as it were carried the dead soul, ought, after remission and satisfaction. to be a burden to a man, as it was to him who cried out, "0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" So Salmeron, Jansen, Toletus, and others, expound this passage.
Anagogically, understand it of the celestial glory, concerning which the Psalmist speaks, "I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord." ( Psalm 122:1.) For, in the resurrection, the Lord will say, "Arise, that is, from death; and take up thy bed, that is, resume thy body, endowed with glorious gifts; and go into thine house, that is, into the eternal and heavenly mansion."
And as Jesus passed forth from thence, &c. Custom, in Greek, τελος, means revenue; from which telonium, the word here used by S. Matthew, means the house, or place where the sailors and merchants paid the tribute and customs dues upon their ships and merchandise. Here sat the publicans, who were the farmers and collectors of these dues. Hence the Persian version, instead of telonium has, in the house of payment; the Ethiopic has, in the forum, or market-place. Matthew was one of these publicans; whence it is probable that his house was at Capernaum, by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, at a point where the vessels touched. The Roman Senate and the people were accustomed to let the tribute which was due to them from their subjects for a stipulated sum.
Jansen, in his Harmony of the Gospels, says, that persons who have carefully surveyed the Holy Land, assert that the spot where Matthew was called is still pointed out, outside of Capernaum, near the Sea. Mark and Luke say that Matthew was sitting at the telonium, because, by this word, they seem to mean not a house, but a table, on which they were counting the tribute money.
Named Matthew. Matthew names himself, both out of humility, that he might confess to the whole world that he had been a publican and a sinner, and also out of gratitude, that he might make known abroad the exceeding grace of Christ towards him, just as S. Paul does: "It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief," ( 1 Timothy 1:15.)
Follow me: Whom in Capernaum thou hast heard preaching heavenly doctrine, and confirming it by many miracles, and especially by that recent healing of the paralytic. He calls Matthew, already subdued by the fame of His miracles, says Chrysostom. Observe the condescension of Christ who calls Matthew, the publican, and so a man infamous among the Jews, not only to grace but to His family and intimate friendship and Apostleship.
And he arose, &c. Note here the efficacy of Christ"s vocation, and the ready obedience of Matthew. Hear what S. Jerome says about it. "Porphyry and Julian find fault in this place, either with the lying unskilfulness of the historian, or else with the folly of those persons who immediately followed the Saviour, as though they irrationally followed the first person who called them. But they do not consider that great miracles and mighty signs had preceded this calling. And there can be no doubt that the Apostles had witnessed these things before they believed. This at least is certain, the very refulgence and majesty of the hidden Divinity, which shone even in His human countenance, was able to attract to Him those who saw Him as soon as they beheld Him. For if there be in a magnet, which is but a stone, such force that it is able to attract, and join unto itself rings and straws, how much more is the Lord of all creatures able to draw unto Himself whom He will."
Thus then as a magnet draws iron unto it, so did Christ draw Matthew, and by His drawing, gave him his virtues, and chiefly his exceeding love of God, zeal for souls, ardour in preaching. Listen to the account of S. Matthew"s conversion, which he himself gave to S. Bridget, when praying at his tomb at Malphi: "It was my desire at the time I was a publican to defraud no man, and I wished to find out a way by which I might abandon that employment, and cleave to God alone with my whole heart. When therefore He who loved me, even Jesus Christ was preaching, His call was a flame of fire in my heart; and so sweet were His words unto my taste, that I thought no more of riches than of straws: yea, it was delightful to me to weep for joy, that my God had deigned to call one of such small account, and so great a sinner as I to His grace. And as I clave unto my Lord, His burning words became fixed in my heart, and day and night I fed upon them by meditation, as upon sweetest food."
And it came to pass as he sat at meat, &c. This was in Matthew"s own house, for he is silent about his virtues, outspoken about his errors. This appears from what Luke says, Levi, that is, Matthew, made him a great feast in his own house: to this feast he invited many of his companions, publicans like himself, and sinners, that they might be drawn by the kindness of Christ to follow Him, as he had done. It is indeed a sign of true conversion to be anxious that others also should be converted from their sins. For good is self-diffusive, and charity instigates men to seek the salvation of other lost sinners.
The office of a publican, although a just one in itself, and one that could be exercised without sin, yet, because avaricious men frequently undertook it from love of gain, who extorted unjust dues, especially from the poor, publicans were accounted infamous among the Jews, and public sinners, as public usurers are similarly accounted among Christians. There was this also, that the Jews maintained that they, as a people dedicated to God, ought not to pay tribute to the Romans, who were Gentiles and idolaters: for this was contrary to the liberty and dignity of the children of God. Thus they detested the publicans, who exacted the tribute.
Sinners are here distinguished from publican. These sinners seem to have been dissolute Jews, who cared little for the law and religion of the Jews, and lived in a heathenish manner, or who had apostatized to heathenism.
And when the Pharisees saw it, &c. These are the words, not of those who asked a question, but of those who were making an accusation. As much as to say, "Your Master Christ acts contrary to the law of God and the traditions of the Fathers. Why do you listen to Him, and follow Him? He associates with sinners. He is bringing the stain of their sins and infamy upon you."
But when Jesus heard that, &c. from the report of His disciples. For even the Pharisees did not dare to make this charge to Christ Himself. He saith, not to His disciples, but to the Pharisees, for He turned Himself to those from whom the complaint proceeded, as is clear from what follows. They that are whole, &c. As a physician is not infected by the diseases of those who are sick, but rather overcometh diseases, and drives them away, and therefore it is not a disgrace, but an honour to a physician to be associated with the sick, so in like manner I, who have been sent from heaven to earth by God the Father, to be a physician of sin-sick souls, am not contaminated by their sins when I associate with them, but rather heal them, which is the highest praise to Me, and the greatest benefit to them. I therefore am the Physician, not the companion of sinners.
But go ye: that is, go away from Me; depart out of My sight. They are the words of one repudiating them. And learn, what Hosea says (vi6), I will have mercy and not sacrifice: i.e., I prefer mercy to sacrifice, although sacrifice is the noblest act of religion. Therefore follow mercy, even as I do, that ye may save sinners. For I prefer mercy, and to have pity upon miserable sinners, rather than with you to offer victims to God. See what I have said upon Hosea 6:6, where I have commented upon the dignity and surpassing excellency of mercy.
Well does S. Bernard (Serm16 in Cant.).exclaim, "0 Wisdom, with what art of healing, by wine and oil, dost Thou restore health to my soul! Thou art bravely sweet, and sweetly brave, brave for me, sweet to me. Thy name is oil poured forth, not wine. For I would not that Thou shouldst enter into judgment with Thy servant. It is oil, because thou crownest me with mercy and loving kindness. It is indeed oil; for oil floats at the top of all liquids with which it is mingled: and thus it is a lively figure of that Name which is above every name."
For I came not to call the just but sinners. So it is in the Vulgate. The Greek adds, ει̉ς μετανοίαν, to repentance. So too S. Luke, and the Arabic Version. This must be either expressed or understood. For Christ also called Nathanael, who was a just man. Also He called the Blessed Virgin, S. John, and Elizabeth, who were saints, to still greater sanctity and perfection.
Hilary, Jerome, Bede, &c., take the words differently, I came not to call the righteous, that is, those who proudly, but falsely esteem and boast themselves to be righteous, when they are in very truth sinners and hypocrites, such as ye are, 0 ye Pharisees.
Then came to him the disciples of John, &c. Then, signifies that it was shortly afterwards. The Pharisees being, therefore, upon just grounds, refuted by Christ, here frame another accusation against Him. They suborn the disciples of John, that by the occasion of fasting, practised by them in common with themselves, they might bring it as a charge against Christ, that neither He, nor His disciples fasted. Now this particular fast to which they refer was not prescribed by the Law, for Christ and His disciples observed the fasts as well as all the other requirements of the Law: but it was a fast, either appointed by the Jewish doctors, or else voluntarily taken up by their disciples at the exhortation of the doctors. Wherefore S. Luke relates that they said, Why do the disciples of John fast oft, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees, but Thine eat and drink? It is as much as to say, "Thou wishest to be our Reformer, and a master of perfection. Why then do we fast, when Thou and Thine lead a genial life?" S. Mark speaks of the disciples of John, in connection with those of the Pharisees. This was because the Pharisees instigated John"s disciples to propose this question to Christ. And this is the reason why S. Matthew in this place makes mention only of John"s disciples. They therefore press Christ with the authority of John the Baptist, which was very great among the Jews, but they do it in an unwarrantable and presumptuous manner. "This was a haughty interrogation," says the Interlinear, "and full of Pharisaic pride." "Therefore," says S. Jerome, "John"s disciples are to be blamed, because of their boasting about their fasting, as because of their uniting themselves to the Pharisees, whom John had condemned; also because they were calumniating Him of whom John had preached." Moreover, the disciples of John said these things out of zeal for their master, and out of envy of Christ, preferring John to Him. This may be gathered from S. John iii26. We may perceive a like jealousy in certain good men, even now, who busy themselves in extolling their own founder or patron above everybody else: but in this they are carnal and childish, and betray their own secret vanity and arrogance. For in thus extolling their master above others, they are really seeking to exalt themselves. Such were the Corinthians, who said, "I am of Paul, I of Cephas." Such the Apostle sharply rebukes, saying, "When there is envy and contention among you, are ye not carnal and walk as men?" ( 1 Corinthians 3:3.)
And Jesus saith unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber, &c. The Bridegroom is Christ, because He hath betrothed human nature, and by it the Church, unto Himself, in the Incarnation, and hath united them unto Himself by a perpetual bond of marriage. This marriage Christ hath begun by grace on earth ( Matthew 22:2), but He will consummate it in glory with His elect in heaven, where there shall be celebrated the endless marriage feast of the Lamb ( Revelation 9:7). Hence John the Baptist calls himself the friend of the Bridegroom ( John 3:29). And Christ"s disciples, hearing this, knew that He was the Bridegroom.
Children of the bridechamber. So it is in the Greek. But the Latin Vulgate has, sons of the bridegroom. The meaning of children of the bridechamher, is that they rejoice in the Bridegroom"s marriage, and are accounted His familiar friends, and are admitted to His chamber and hear His secret counsels. By a similar Hebraism, they are called sons of obedience, who love obedience; sons of pride, who delight in pride.
Mourn, by catachresis, for fast, because in mourning, men fast, and fasting makes men sad; just as, on the contrary, food and wine make men jovial and cheerful. The meaning is, "It is not wonderful that My disciples do not mourn and fast whilst they are enjoying Me and My nuptials. For at a wedding, modest banquets are becoming, fasting is unbecoming. But the sons of the Servant—that is, My servant John Baptist, who leads an austere life to bring men to repentance, and imposes the burdensome law of Moses upon his followers because it is still binding—grief and fasting, I say, become them; for they, by means of sorrow and austere deeds of penance, are preparing the way for sinners to the joyful marriage supper of the Bridegroom, Christ. But Christ shall die, and be taken from them, and then shall His disciples mourn and fast. He alludes to the ancient custom of mourning for the dead, accompanied by fasting. Thus the Hebrews mourned for Saul, fasting seven days.
Christ here intimates that novices in the faith and in religious orders must be gently and blandly treated, as being tender and but children in spirit, until they become matured in virtue, lest they should despair, or forsake the path of virtue on which they have entered. Thus S. Pachomius, who received the rule of his Order from an angel, directed novices to be instructed in it for three years, even as Christ fed His Apostles with milk, and instructed them in His school for three years.
We are here reminded of that ancient good Abbot, who used to receive his guests to dine before the canonical hour for refection. When asked the reason, he said, "Fasting, my brethren, is always with me, but since I am about to send you away, I cannot have you with me always. Since, therefore, I receive Christ in you, I ought to refresh you; and when I shall have set you on your way, I shall be able, by myself, to make up for deferring my fasting." So Cassian and Sulpitius relate.
Moreover, after Christ"s death, the Apostles often fasted, and suffered from hunger and thirst, as S. Paul relates at length, 2Cor. xi. So in the Life of S. Peter we read that he did severe penance, and ate only bread with olives.
Hence, also, in the Eastern Church, says S. Epiphanius (Hres75), Christians fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. So they still do in Greece, Poland, and Holland. In other parts of the Western Church they abstain from flesh on Fridays and Saturdays. These customs arose because on Wednesday the Bridegroom was betrayed to the Jews by Judas, on Friday He was crucified, and on Saturday He lay in the tomb. Epiphanius adds that formerly on fasting days Christians ate nothing but bread and salt, with water, and that this was enjoined by a decree of the Apostles.
Tropologically, S. Jerome says, "When Christ the Bridegroom departed from us on account of sins, then especially must grief and fasting be undergone."
But SS. Hilary and Ambrose say, we have Christ the Bridegroom with us, and we continually feed on His Body in the Eucharist. But those to whom the Bridegroom is not present, present, that is, by grace, such as those who are living in deadly sin, keep a perpetual fast, because they lack the Bread of Life. S. Ambrose, explaining the words of Christ, The Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, says, "No one can take Christ from thee, unless thou takest thyself away from Him."
No man putteth a piece of new cloth, &c. Note1 , for piece of cloth, the Greek has ε̉πιβλήμα, an addition, a patch. S. Augustine and Fertullian call it plagula. Others call it a little rag, what is called in Italian, un pezzo. Whence S. Francis desired his Brothers to wear patched garments, like paupers. For thus we see beggars wearing clothes made of many and divers-coloured patches, which you might reckon up to the number of a hundred. Hence they are called centos.
Of new, α̉γναφος, cloth, that is, unfulled, uncombed, uncarded cloth—cloth such as is brought by the weavers to be prepared and dyed. S. Luke has, commissuram a nova vestimento, "a patch off a new garment." For such is a new and rough rag. Whence the Italians call clothes, rags.
That which is put in to fill it up. The Greek and the Vulgate have, its plenitude; by which Christ means, its integrity. For if you sew a piece of new cloth on to an old garment, you will take away its integrity, so that it will no longer seem one garment but two, partly old, partly new.
Note2 , the meaning of the parable is this: If an ancient garment be torn, it should be mended with the like old cloth, not with new. For if the new patch be sewed on to the old cloth, the garment is no longer whole and homogeneous, but multiform and heterogeneous, and so deformed and spoilt
And the rent is made worse, that is, than it was before, when the garment was torn; worse, because of the division of the old parts from the other old parts, by the intervention of the new patch. Therefore the rent is made worse, because what has been added to it to mend it, tears it still more. Thus it is again cut out, and so there is a still greater rent.
In a similar way, Cicero said of Julius Csar, when he wished to decorate certain unworthy persons with Senatorial dignity, "Them he did not adorn, but brought disgrace upon the honours themselves."
Note3 , the parable is connected with the matter in hand, as follows: "As no one sews a new patch on an old garment, but attaches new to new, old to old, so I, who am the most prudent Physician of souls, perceiving the ancient and ingrained habits of My disciples, as it were an old garment, and their infirmity as old bottles, do not, as yet, impose upon them hard and rigid penances and fasts, since they are not prescribed by the Law, but are voluntary, lest also the fruit of My teaching should be lost to them, and they, being moved to despair, should forsake Me and My teaching: but I am waiting until they shall be renewed by the Heavenly Spirit, whom I will send down at Pentecost, that, oldness and weakness being laid aside, they may undertake new austerities and new fasts. And this they shall do, not by compulsion, or from fear of punishment, like the Jews, but voluntarily, and out of love. For the New Law of Christ is one of liberty and love, as the Old Law was one of fear and servitude." That the Apostles, after Pentecost, kept frequent fasts, is plain from Acts 13:2-3; 2 Corinthians 9:27; Acts 27:9, &c. So Euthymius, Theophylact, Maldonatus, Jansen, and others explain this passage. Less appositely Tertullian, (lib. de Orat. c1 , and lib3contra Marc. c15) by old garments and old skins understands the Old Law, by the rough and new patch the New Law, or the Gospel. For the New Law hath reformed the Old, and as it were made it new. For precisely and adequately, by the old garment and the new, the Apostles are meant, who as yet, from their old habit of eating and living freely, were old, but were to be renewed at Pentecost by the spirit of temperance and austerity.
Neither do men put new wine, &c. Christ shows by a threefold similitude, that His disciples must not fast when He was present1. By the parable of the Spouse and the wedding2. Of the old and new garment3. Of the new wine, and the old bottles of skin. The sense is this: "As new wine, or must, by the violence of its fermenting spirit, and its heat, bursts the old skins, because they are worn and weak, and so there is a double loss, both of wine and skins; therefore new wine must be poured into new skins, that being strong, they may be able to bear the force of the must: so in like manner, new austerities and fasts must not be imposed as yet upon My disciples, lest their spirits should be broken, and they depart from Me. But I wait for the coming of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost."
Truly, saith Horace, "Unless the vessel be clean, it will taint whatever you pour into it." So also a pure and perfect life agrees not except with a mind cleansed from vices, pure and renewed. Otherwise both the austerity and the mind itself are full of sourness and bitterness.
An old proverb is similar to this parable, "A new sieve, a new peg," which Nonias quotes from Varro"s Eumenides, where Zeno is said to have first hung a new sect upon a new peg, because Zeno founded at Athens a new sect of the Stoics, which he did by new reasonings and paradoxes. There is also the proverb, "A new swallow, a new spring." Whence the Rhodians, on the testimony of Theognis, by yearly public proclamation, invite the swallows in the springtime, "Come, come, 0 swallow, and bring us a good season and a Prosperous year."
While he spake these things, &c. A ruler, namely of the synagogue, as Luke adds, who presided over the synagogue in Capernaum. For these things took place by the shore of the sea of Galilee, near Capernaum, as is plain from Mark 5:21-22. Mark speaks of him as one of the rulers of the synagogue, for there were several rulers of the same synagogue, who taught and guided the people who assembled in it, in the same way that priests do now in churches. His name was Jairus, as Mark records. This is the same as the Hebrew Jair, meaning, that which shall be resplendent, or shall give light, from the root אור or, "he hath shone." For Jairus, as the ruler of the synagogue, illuminated the people, and taught the Law.
Worshipped him, that is, fell at his feet, as Mark and Luke have it.
My daughter, twelve years old, as Luke says, is even now dead, but come. Matthew, studying brevity, relates in substance what was done, rather than the exact historical sequence. For, as is plain from Mark and Luke, the child was not yet dead when her father first came to Christ and said, Come and lay thine hand upon her, and she shall live. As Christ and Jairus were going together, some one ran, and told Jairus that his daughter was dead, and that, the case being now desperate, he should come away from Christ. Then Christ, as it would seem, confirms his wavering faith, and Jairus hopefully leads Him to his house, and then, either by implication, or else in express words, asks Him to raise his daughter from death, as Matthew here relates.
S. Chrysostom and Theophylact explain differently. She is dead, i.e., she is near death, for in this way those who are wretched, are wont to exaggerate their miseries, that they may more easily obtain the aid for which they seek. S. Austin (lib2de Consens. ,Evang. c28), adds, that the father by reckoning the time which his journey had taken, might suppose that she, whom he had left in her last agony, was now dead.
But come, lay thine hand. Jairus had seen, or heard of many sick who had been healed at Capernaum by the laying on of hands; and he hoped that Christ would do the same for his daughter. The faith of Jairus was less than that of the centurion, for he believed that Christ, even when absent, could heal his servant by a word.
And Jesus arose. It is probable that Christ was sitting and teaching the multitude when He rose up at the request of Jairus. Observe the readiness and promptitude of Christ to succour the afflicted. Let Christians imitate Him in this. S. Chrysostom adds, that when Christ first went with Jairus, He proceeded somewhat slowly, and conversed for some time with the woman with the issue of blood, that in the meantime the girl might die, and that there might be a manifest proof of the resurrection.
Behold, a woman, &c. She was from Csarea, a place called Dan, afterwards Paneas. We learn this from Eusebius (H. E714). S. Mark relates at greater length this history of the healing of the woman. It will therefore be more convenient to speak of it in the Commentary upon his Gospel (chap. v.).
And when Jesus came, &c. Minstrels were persons who, as S. Ambrose says (in S. Luc. c852), were hired at funerals, to chant doleful ditties, by which they moved the relations and neighbours to sobbing and tears. There were women minstrels as well as men. Jeremiah speaks of the former ( Jeremiah 9:17), "Call for the mourning women, that they may come, and let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with water." This was not only a Jewish custom: it was also common among the Gentiles.
Minstrels. Gr. flute-players. Theophylact says, that the ancients at the funerals of men sounded with trumpets; but at the funerals of boys and virgins played upon flutes, as in this case of the daughter of Jairus. This was done, he says, in token of their virginity.
He said, Give place, &c. The girl was really dead, as is plain from verse18 ( Matthew 9:18). Christ, however, denied this, and said that she was asleep1. Because as S. Jerome says, to God and Himself, to whom all things live, she was not dead, and because she was to be raised again at the Judgment Day. Wherefore the dead are continually called in the Scriptures, those who sleep2. And better, because this girl was not dead in the sense in which the multitude thought her dead, namely, altogether and absolutely dead, as though it were not possible for her to be recalled to life, when by the extraordinary providence of God that very thing was shortly about to be done. Thus she was not so much really dead, as sleeping for a little while. Thus too, when Lazarus was dead, Christ speaks of him as sleeping. ( John 11:11.) So Maldonatus, Jansen, and others explain. Moreover the soul of this deceased girl, like the souls of others whom Christ and His saints have raised from the dead, was not yet judged, or condemned to hell, or purgatory. But God"s judgment was suspended, because it was His will to bring her back to life.
S. Chrysostom adds, Christ shows by this expression that it was as easy to Him to raise the dead, as to awake men out of sleep, and therefore we should not fear death, for when He comes nigh, it is no longer death but sleep.
And they laughed him to scorn, &c. Christ, says Chrysostom, permitted this, that the girl"s death might be better attested, and so the greater the belief in Him when He did raise her from death.
But when the people were put forth, he went in, with, says S. Mark, the parents of the child, and Peter, James, and John. Christ put forth the crowd, because they were not worthy, says the Interlinear, to see that which they would not believe. S. Jerome says, they were unworthy to behold the mystery of the resurrection, who had derided Him who was about to raise. Christ teaches us when we are doing some great work, to avoid multitudes and tumult, which distract the mind, that we may give the full force of our mind to our work and to prayer.
Tropologically, S. Gregory says, "That the dead soul may arise, the multitude of worldly cares must be cast out of the heart."
Symbolically, the Gloss says, "When the scornful deriders have been rejected, Christ enters into the minds of the elect."
Anagogically, S. Hilary: "How few are the elect may be understood from the multitude being cast out."
Took her by the hand. That is, like a magistrate He laid His hand upon the corpse, as upon one who was guilty. He seizes it, and conquers it, and, as though it were a captive, He subjugates it to Himself. The Greek is ε̉κράτησε, and the word denotes the efficacy of the power and empire of Christ. He held the hand of the dead body, as though ruling and commanding it, and so mightily operating upon it as to raise it from death unto life. For by His hand He raised the body from the earth, and recalled the soul into it from the unseen world, saying to it in Syriac, Talitha cumi—that is, Maid, arise. "For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son giveth life to whom he will." ( John 5:21.)
And the maid arose. Greek η̉γέρθη—i.e., was roused up, and awoke. Christ raised her to life, as easily as if He were waking one who was asleep.
Mark adds, And he commanded that something should be given her to eat. This was that the resurrection might be seen to be real.
And the fame hereof . . . into all that land—that is, into the whole of Galilee. All men spread abroad the news, and celebrated this resurrection of the maid by Christ, speaking of it as a new, unheard of, and Divine work. And in so doing they preached Christ, that He was a prophet—yea, the Messiah.
SS. Hilary, Ambrose, and Jerome say that these things are an allegory of the Church. The woman with the issue of blood, who received health and the salvation of her soul before the daughter of the chief of the synagogue, or the Jews, is the people of the Gentiles; for after the fulness of the Gentiles has entered into the Church, the Jews shall be converted, and saved at the end of the world. Whence the Gloss says, Jairus—i.e., illuminating, or illuminated, is Moses who, beholding the Lord about to come in the flesh, prays for his daughter—that is, the Synagogue, who, brought up by the Law and the Prophets, languishing in error, is dead in sins, but nevertheless is in the house—that is, in the worship of God. And S. Jerome says, "Even until this day, the Synagogue lies dead, and they who seem to be teachers—the Jewish Rabbin—are flute-players and minstrels, singing a mournful chant; and the Jews are not a multitude of believers, but of people making a noise."
Tropologically, both the woman healed of the issue of blood, and Jairus" daughter raised from the dead, denote the sinful soul, which Christ raises from the death of sin to the life of grace; but first, the friends and minstrels must be driven out—that is, the depraved companions and the wicked spirits; for they soothe the soul with their ditties, and detain it in the death of sin. They make flattering suggestions. They chant that sin is not deadly, or that some indulgence must be granted to youth, that all may be atoned for by repentance when old, and so on. Thus Christ touches the soul. By His mighty power He takes her by the hand, gives her life, and raises her up from the deep of death to the summit of life. By-and-by she is bidden to walk, that is, do good works; and to eat, that is, to feed on the Eucharist, that it may strengthen and confirm her life.
Only the three chief Apostles are present, that it may be signified that Christ, by the Apostles and their successors, will raise sinners from death; and that this is the prime and chief power of the Apostles, concerning which Christ saith, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." ( John 20:23.)
Lastly, Christ is recorded to have raised three dead persons only to life—first, this maid of twelve years old, whom He raised immediately upon her decease. The second was the young man, the widow"s son, whom He raised as he was being carried to the tomb. The third was Lazarus, whom He called out of his sepulchre, after he had lain there four days.
First, the young girl denotes those who from age—for young people are fervid and inexperienced—or from frailness, or from infirmity, fall into sin, but very soon, being touched by God, see their fall, and easily repent, and rise again. Secondly, the young man denotes those who have fallen repeatedly into sin, and are verging upon a habit of sin. These are with more difficulty recalled to life. They need more powerful and efficacious grace. So it came to pass that Christ commanded the bearers of the young man to stand still. And touching the bier, He said in a commanding manner, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. Thirdly, Lazarus denotes those who have grown old in sin. These are with great difficulty recalled. They need the most efficacious grace and vocation of God. And the symbol or indication of this, was Christ"s groaning, weeping, and crying with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. Therefore Rabanus and others think that, symbolically, by the raising of the girl is meant the repentance of one who has only sinned in thought: by the young man, the repentance of those who have sinned in deed as well as in thought: by Lazarus, their repentance, who have contracted a habit and practice of sin. Lastly, Christ here teaches that secret and light sins are blotted out by secret repentance, and therefore the girl was raised in the house. But public sins need a public remedy, therefore, he recalled the young man and Lazarus to life publicly, before multitudes.
And passing on from thence, i.e, from Jairus" house, two blind men, &c. These blind men had conceived the hope of recovering their sight from Christ from the many and great miracles which they had heard were done by Him. Therefore they said, have mercy upon us, pity our blindness, which is the greatest misery, and restore to us the light of the sun. We believe that Thou art the Son of David, that is, the Messiah, to whom this healing of blindness and other diseases has been promised by the Prophets. ( Isaiah 35:5; Isaiah 61:1.) For Messiah had been promised to David as his Son, that He should be sprung from his posterity. Wherefore Messiah was always called by the Jews, the Son of David. Therefore these men, whose bodily eyes were blind, had sharp-sighted minds, as a certain writer exclaims, "0 that darkness brighter than any light: 0 those most piercing eyes of blindness!"
And when he was come into the house, &c. The house, that is to say, His own, which Christ had hired at Capernaum, as I have said on chap. iv13. Christ did not answer the blind men as they cried unto Him in the way, and asked their sight. He put them off until He came into the house, 1. That He might prove them, and kindle their faith and desire of healing2. That He might teach the necessity of persevering in prayer. Believe ye, He says, that I am able to do this? He does not say, that I am about to do it, but, that I am able to do it? For faith is properly in the Omnipotence of God. This is why we say in the Creed, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth." This faith then gave rise to hope, insomuch that these blind men conceived the hope that what Christ was able to do, that He would do. Away then with the faith of the Innovators, by which they believe, that their sins have been forgiven to themselves in particular, for the merits of Christ, and, that they are justified, and sons of God. They believe, I say, in their own false imagination, by which they say that they most firmly believe it by Divine faith, when they only imagine it, and dream of it. For nothing can be believed, except what has been revealed by God. But it has not been revealed to thee, 0 Luther, that thou art justified (justum), therefore thou canst not believe it.
Then he touched their eyes, &c. Christ heals them by the touch of His hands, to manifest their saving power. "The confession of their mouth is requited by the touch of kindness," says the Gloss.
And Jesus straitly charged them. The Greek is, ε̉νεβριμήσατο, the Vulgate comminatus est: which means literally, He sharply and sternly threatened them. He did this to show His strong dislike of ostentation in His miracles, and of vain glory, and to teach us to dislike it.
But they spread abroad his fame in all that country. These blind men did not offend against the strict charge of Christ by publishing His miracle, as Calvin would have it, for they persuaded themselves that Christ had done so, not by an absolute precept, but only out of modesty, for the reason I have given. And no wonder that the blind men thought so, for the Fathers are persuaded that, Christ spoke in this sense. Hear S. Chrysostom: "To another He says, Declare the glory of God; surely He teaches that they are to be rebuked, who wish to praise us for our own sakes, but not if they do so for the glory of God." And S. Jerome says, "The Lord, because of humility, avoiding the glory of boasting, gave this command; but they, in remembrance of His grace, were not able to keep silent about His kindness."
Thy brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. Gr. κωφὸν, which rather means deaf than dumb, but the word, says S. Jerome, is used indifferently, in both senses, in Scripture. For they who are deaf from their birth, are usually dumb; for they who cannot hear anything, are not able to learn sounds and words, so as to speak them. For we only learn what we hear. Wherefore Christ did not require faith from this man as He did from others. So S. Chrysostom, Theophylact.
Moreover, the word dumb is not to be referred to the devil, as Cajetan thinks, but to the man, as is clear from the Greek δαιμονιζόμενον. The Syriac translation makes this plain, They offered unto him a dumb man, in whom was a demon. This was a different demoniac from the one of whom Luke speaks ( Luke 11:14), for of this latter Matthew speaks below ( Matthew 12:22). Here Christ fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning Him ( Isaiah 35:4-6), "Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing."
And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake. From this it appears that the demon made this man deaf and dumb, who was not so naturally. He did this by hindering the use of his tongue and ears, so that, when he was cast out, the dumb man both spake and heard. How wonderful was the benignity and mercy of Christ by which He made whole a man who neither asked nor thought about it—yea, who was unable either to speak or think, for he was possessed by a devil—simply at the prayer of those who brought him. Verily, wheresoever there is greatest affliction, there-are most nigh the mercy and help of Christ, according to the words, "The abyss" of our misery, "calls to the abyss" of the Divine mercy. ( Psalm 47:7.)
The multitudes marvelled, saying, &c. Neither Moses, nor Elias, nor Isaiah, nor any other of the prophets, performed so many and so great miracles as Jesus did. Therefore He was greater than they, and so was the Messias, or Christ. They preferred Christ, says S. Chrysostom, to all others, because He quickly healed an infinite number of incurable diseases.
But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. As among the angels, so also among the devils, some are lower, others higher in rank, and princes, viz., those of the higher orders who fell, who were of a grander nature; for that which was theirs naturally remained in the devils after their fall. Thus those who fell of the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the Thrones are princes among the lower orders of the Dominions, the Principalities, and the Powers; and these again are princes over the inferior fallen orders of Virtues, Archangels, and Angels. Thus even among rebel soldiers there are standard-bearers, colonels, captains. For without these an army cannot be marshalled and governed. Lucifer is the prince of all the devils, as S. Michael is of all the angels, as I have said on Apoc. xii. Observe the different dispositions of the Pharisees and the multitude. The multitude, with artless candour, magnified the miracles of Christ as done by a Divine Person, even the Messiah. But the Pharisees were envious of Christ, and had indignation against Him, and said that He was a magician, and had a familiar demon, by whose magic art He did these wonderful things. This was the awful blasphemy which Christ refutes in chap xii25. But now, meekly bearing and despising their charges, He proceeds in His course of doing good, and confutes their blasphemies by fresh miracles.
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, &c. Villages, in the Vulgate, castella. Castrum is a place surrounded by walls, and is greater than a castle and less than a town, from whence the diminutive castellum means a little town. These castella, then, were forts, or small walled towns; and the meaning became extended to signify villages without walls, which the Greeks call κώμας.
Christ visited not only inhabitants of cities, and those who were had in honour, but poor men and rustics dwelling in villages, and taught and healed them. Let priests and religious imitate this example of Christ. Desire not, 0 preacher, to hold forth in the magnificent cathedrals of great cities, for Christ taught in villages, as well as in cities, and thus He was the Catechist and Preacher, as well as the Redeemer, of the sparsely scattered and poor rustics.
But when he saw the multitudes, &c. Had compassion, the Greek is ε̉σπλαγχνίσθη, that is. pitied them from His inmost bowels. This is the same word, as to its use, as the Hebrew רחם rechem, "bowels," and so, mercifulness.
As sheep having no shepherd. There is no animal so simple, careless, improvident, so exposed to be the prey of wolves and other wild beasts, and therefore so needing a keeper, as a sheep. Christ takes notice that the Scribes and priests, did not care for the good of the people, to lead them in the way of salvation. And so they were not pastors, but shearers of the sheep, who only cared for the milk and the fleece, that is, for what profit they could make out of the people. The Scribes, says S. Chrysostom, were not so much shepherds of the sheep as wolves, for in word they taught them false and perverse doctrines, and by their example they destroyed the souls of the simple ones, especially in that they called Christ a magician, and so alienated from Him the minds of those who were well disposed to Him.
The harvest truly is plenteous, &c. The harvest He calls the multitude of the people prepared to receive the Gospel, the seeds of which the Prophets had sown. Whence, as S. Austin saith, "the holy Apostles reaped among the Jews, but sowed among the Gentiles, because they delivered to them the first doctrines of the faith, as it were seed."
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, &c., namely, that He would send you, 0 ye Apostles, and your co-adjutors and successors, and inspire them with the spirit of wisdom and zeal, assiduously to preach and to labour, that this so copious a harvest perish not.
The Lord of the harvest. Thus, tacitly, Christ calls Himself. As S. Chrysostom says, the Lord sent His Apostles to reap that which He Himself had sown by the Prophets. Remigius adds, The number or labourers was increased by the appointment of seventy-two other disciples.
Here ends the early manhood of Christ and His Acts from His Baptism and first Passover until His second Passover. That is to say, it is the history of one year and some months. This was the thirty-first year of Christ"s age.
Lapide, Cornelius. "Commentary on Matthew 9:4". The Great Biblical Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide. http://odl.studylight.org/commentaries/clc/matthew-9.html. 1890.


If you sail regularly offshore, you know the absolute importance of a good, warm, dry pair of seaboots. There are plenty on the market, most of which are very good, and -- like ski boots -- a lot comes down to individual fit, but if your foot is a fairly common size, you'll go far to find a better pair than the Dubarry Ultimas. These Gore-Tex-lined leather boots were designed for the grueling rigors of the Southern Ocean, but breathe well enough to be used in all but the hottest weather. I've used my pair in a wide variety of conditions, ranging from a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island, to various ocean races, passages, and deliveries, and they have quickly made it onto my "must-have" list of sailing gear.
At first thought, leather sea boots sound like an oxymoron. Exposure leather to the sun, salt, and wetness of an offshore boat? Huh? I was a doubter at first as well, until I tried the boots. Since they are Gore-Tex-lined, there's no worry of your feet getting wet. This took a little getting used to, especially when I'd gaze down at my feet, hanging over the rail, and see that the leather appeared to be saturated. This is only the outer layer, and, with proper treatment sprays (available from Dubarry), is easily prevented. I've used these boots for almost two weeks straight, and I've never once had wet or sodden socks or feet, even when the outer surface looks saturated. I have, however, found that the boots are happier if I give them a quick fresh-water rising when I get back ashore.
Once I got over the disbelief that leather works at sea, I started to notice very little in the way of information coming from my feet to my sensory system. No feelings of frosty toes or soggy arches; no feelings of cramped toes or discomfort anywhere. Instead, all I felt were warm, dry, happy feet. As someone who spends a lot of time both offshore and in the mountains, this is a highly-prized feeling, and one that is worth its weight in gold, especially on longer trips.
One small annoyance that I discovered, and which is purely cosmetic, is that the leather has a tendency to scuff up a little bit, especially if you're on a raceboat with a sharp deck. Provided that you can remember not to sit Indian-style, this isn't a problem, but I did find myself wondering how I had managed to sand down the boots after a couple of years, but even after this wet sanding, my Ultimas are still warm, toasty, and comfortable.
As far as traction goes, the Ultimas do a good job. Sure, they could use some of the stickier rubbers that become grippier when wet, but these compounds always seem to wear down fast. Instead, the rubber that Dubarry specs performs well in all situations and on all deck surfaces.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of the Ultimas is the ankle, foot and lower leg protection that they offer. No more scratched or scrapped ankles; no more worry that a lashing lazy sheet could end your running season. Dubarry uses high-quality, sturdy leather that's more than capable of serving as a buffer between hard, sharp surfaces and your feet.


text:
PowerManagementInfrastructure
New Data Center Standards For Electrical Enclosures
New recognition certification for access hardware components used in electrical enclosures accelerates market access.
By Chris Waite
Until recently, electrical enclosure manufacturers faced a challenge: In order to build enclosures that were UL 50E Type rated, additional testing and evaluation of the enclosure was almost always required due to the unknown compliance status of components, such as hinges and latches used in these enclosures.
However, UL recently released FTTA2/FTTA8, a new Recognition Certification for the U.S. and Canada. This new Recognition Certification for enclosure accessories assists manufacturers who wish to utilize Type or rated hinging and latching accessories in enclosures complying with the requirements of UL 50E, respectively.
UL 50 and UL 50E are two UL Standards for electrical enclosures. UL 50 applies to enclosures for electrical equipment intended to be installed and used in non-hazardous locations in accordance with the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I, CSA C22.1, the provisions of the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, and the provisions of Mexico's Electrical Installations. UL 50E covers additional environmental construction and performance requirements for these types of enclosures.
With the new FTTA2/FTTA8 certification, enclosure manufacturers may be able to reduce the significant time and cost associated with having to put their enclosure through all facets of UL 50E testing (e.g., corrosion resistance, gasket integrity, and plastic concerns such as UV, water exposure and immersion, and flammability requirements). By properly and pre-emptively selecting registered components under FTTA2/FTTA8 and leveraging exemptions for other materials used to construct the enclosure, enclosure designers can achieve their desired Type Rating with a final hosedown test of the end-item.
This makes it possible for enclosure manufacturers to accelerate market access efficiently without compromising product safety. Risks from sourced components are mitigated, as there are no latching and hinging hardware corrosion protection and plastic requirements, gasket testing, and traceability issues that the enclosure manufacturer must test for and document on their own. Although a final hosedown test is always required, latching and hinging hardware is also vetted for different levels of water ingress testing in isolation.
UNDERSTANDING UL RECOGNITION CERTIFICATION
To understand FTTA2/FTTA8, it is useful to understand how UL evaluates and certifies components according to UL standards. A complete product is ultimately an assembly of components, often thought of as building blocks. Components can be either Listed or Recognized by UL. The simplest method by which to comply, on a component level, is to start with certified components.
With UL's component recognition service, UL determines that a manufacturer has demonstrated the ability to produce a component for use in an end product that complies with UL's requirements. This type of investigation takes into account the performance and construction characteristics of the end product and how the component will be used in that product.
The new FTTA2/FTTA8 Recognition Certification covers a broad range of enclosure accessories, including:
Three-point handles
Butt and concealed hinges
Draw latches and compression latches
Captive fasteners
Quarter-turn fasteners
Swing handles
The environmental testing and certification provided by UL can potentially eliminate common "pain points" that enclosure manufacturers can encounter when trying to comply with UL 50E, most notably during the product development process.
If component products do not comply with UL 50 and/or UL 50E, the entire enclosure needs to be refitted and tested again, which can lead to a continuous loop of cost and testing time. To illustrate the cumulative impact of this loop, it can add up to 50 days or more to the timeline for completing one FTTA2/FTTA8 corrosion test — a major disruption of a manufacturer's development plans.
Testing can range in complexity, manufacturers may not have the equipment needed to test under certain environments, or may not have the manpower to perform these tests. Ultimately, this type of testing can exhaust the resources of the enclosure manufacturer and extend their end product's time to market.
Using components that already comply with FTTA2/FTTA8 provides added peace of mind to the manufacturer's end customer, in that the functionality of that enclosure will not be affected when used by operators in the field. For instance, using certified hardware in electric utilities enclosures can safeguard against the possibility of equipment failure, helping to prevent power outages, upset residential and commercial customers, and expensive repairs.
UL TESTING AND EVALUATION PROCESS
UL conducted three highly rigorous environmental exposure tests to assess the samples selected from the hinges, latches, and other products submitted.
A 25-day/600-hour salt spray test where the test sample is compared to G90 galvanized steel
A 50-day/1,200-hour moist air carbon dioxide (CO2)/sulfur dioxide (SO2) test where the test samples are subjected to moist carbon dioxide-sulfur dioxide-air exposure in an assessment protocol, which includes numerous compliance criteria for determination of the test results
A 200-hour salt spray test where the test sample is compared to 304 series stainless steel
For the moist air CO2/SO2 test, samples are immersed in the test chamber with the prescribed mix of gases and moisture for the required time period. Once the exposure is completed, samples are evaluated by performing a visual inspection. The UL Lab technicians look for certain levels of corrosion and pitting, and perform blister analysis and creepage analysis.
The test simulates a long-term exposure to the environment for a particular material, which corresponds to simulating a 20- to 30-year lifecycle of the product. The test is designed to assess if the hinge or latching hardware can withstand this kind of exposure over multiple years in outdoor applications. The testing and evaluation for the other two tests follows a similar process. The 600-hour salt spray test also benchmarks the test sample against G90 galvanized sheet steel. Passing both the 600-hour and the 1,200-hour test is required to achieve a UL 50E Type Rating suitable for outdoor applications.
In the case of the 200-hour salt spray comparison, the bar is set higher as the products tested are compared with standard 304 series stainless steel to assess that zero pitting, cracking, bubbling, or scaling has occurred during exposure. Passing all three tests earns an extra degree of corrosion resistance, designated by an "X" in the Type Rating (e.g., 3RX, 4X).
UL also conducted testing on gasket materials that are typically included in latch kits. Instead of corrosion, the testing evaluates the deterioration of the gasket when it's exposed to certain environments: elevated temperature and oil-based contaminants.
Flange gaskets and O-rings are critical components contributing to the sealing features of latches and fasteners. Naturally, the gasket swelling, shrinking, or losing its elasticity may be a problem. To rule this out, oil immersion at room temperature as well as tensile strength and elongation tests are performed before and after oven aging to evaluate gasket materials and their ability to provide secure latching over a long period of use and exposure to environmental conditions.
SIMPLIFYING ENCLOSURE CERTIFICATION
Enclosure accessories that receive the FTTA2/FTTA8 Recognition Certification can be used by manufacturers who create or use Type rated enclosures that comply with UL 50 and UL 50E, which streamlines the process of bringing Type rated enclosures to market.
For example: Type 4X rated enclosures are certified for outdoor use, providing an established degree of protection against hosedown, splashing water, windblown dust, rain, snow and sleet, and are constructed of materials and components that remain undamaged by the formation of ice on the enclosure.
So, if all the other Type 4X conditions are met — constructing the enclosure out of materials exempt from corrosion testing such as 304 or 316 stainless steel, using pre-qualified UL approved gaskets to line the enclosure, and choosing accessories with the new FTTA2/FTTA8 recognition — all enclosure manufacturers will need to do perform a hosedown test to document that their enclosure can be Type 4X rated by UL. By pre-qualifying the enclosure for outdoor applications, it's been estimated the manufacturer will save at least 50 days of testing time as well as the cost of test samples.
RESULTS OF UL EVALUATION
Upon completion of testing, UL will post information about products that have received the FTTA2/FTTA8 Recognition Certification in the UL Online Certifications Directory. Products that have received the Recognition will be listed by company and categorized by product category, and the Type rating for which the components can be used.
Once an enclosure manufacturer establishes a need for a UL 50E Type rated accessory, they can review the available options in the online directory. It makes sense to do this early in the design process while other design considerations are being addressed, such as panel thickness, grip, enclosure color, and style.
Working with an accessories supplier that understands compliance requirements, and has proven experience in meeting the core functional needs of the application, can help ensure that the design is successful; for example, suppliers can help manufacturers avoid future testing and design issues.
It is important to note that selecting accessories with FTTA2/FTTA8 Recognition does not mean the enclosure manufacturer can bypass final testing of a completed enclosure. It simply means that the accessories themselves do not require additional testing. The manufacturer must still work with UL to complete the required testing of the enclosure as a whole under UL 50/50E.
However, selecting recognized accessories can save significant design, testing, and certification costs, enabling faster market access for new enclosure designs that satisfy enduser requirements for Type rated applications. n
1. UL 50, Section 1.1
KEYWORDS: data center reliability data center standards data centers
Chris Waite is an engineer, Diversified Technologies, Southco, Inc.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


1. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a deeply touching, hugely successful 2006 New York Times best-selling memoir based on Walls's unconventional childhood and upbringing. Born in Phoenix, she was raised by an alcoholic father and an eccentric and free-spirited mother who were both incapable of providing stability, financially or otherwise, for their children. But the novel is not about Walls's parents' deficiencies—it focuses instead on how being brought up in a somewhat peculiar way was the reason for her successes. Walls describes her parents with great affection and expresses gratitude for the nonconformist values they instilled in her by following their own dreams. It is a celebration of parenthood.
2. For the tech-savvy mom who's on the go, Bottega Veneta's Intrecciato Leather iPad Sleeve is a must-have. The Italian brand is best known for its signature luxury leather goods, so you can bet that this is no ordinary iPad sleeve. The intricately woven black leather and closing strap will ensure that her gadgetry is transported in style. This sleeve is ideal for the practical-thinking mom who loves having the best of the best. Find it and other gorgeous leather carriers at the Bottega Veneta boutique at Scottsdale Fashion Square at 7014 East Camelback Road, Scottsdale.
3. Mother's Day is always extra-special for new moms. And a new mom will love anything that will save her time and be healthy for her baby. Babycook by beaba is a compact kitchen counter appliance that functions as a blender, a steamer, a warmer, and a defroster all in one package, making it simpler and easier than ever to whip up nutritious baby food right at home. In fifteen minutes or less from start to finish, all the vegetables, meats, or fruits will be ready to go, preserving all their natural flavor and nutritional value. You can even include the Babycook travel bag for easy transportation or the Babycook cookbook as add-ons when gifting to a new or expecting mom. Pick it up at local baby store Healthy Baby Happy Earth at 7149 N. 57th Drive in Glendale.
4. Family recipes are sacred. If your mom keeps her cookbook scribbled in an old spiral notebook that's hidden in the back of the pantry, it's time for an upgrade. This year, buy Mom this recipe box and card kit at uncommongoods.com. The maple wood square box holds 450 recipe cards and helps Mom get organized! In fact, sitting down to write out your recipes would make for a great activity for both of you to do together. The recipe box's sleek design makes it a decorating piece for a kitchen that's filled with your family's memories.
5. If your mother is the entertaining type, she'll love this Oxo Good Grips Uplift Tea Kettle. The stainless steel tea kettle come in a variety of bright colors, and it has a unique handle that, when lifted, opens the spout automatically. The handle is heat resistant and slip-proof, and the kettle can hold up to two quarts, which makes preparing tea for a group of guests a breeze. It's the kind of kitchen accessory that's she'll love to have on hand whenever she needs it.
6. The Spa at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale is offering a Mother's Day special from April 23 to May 31. When you select three or more spa services, you'll receive 15 percent off each one. Choose services from the huge selection of massage therapies, facials, and nail treatments from the experts who know all the tricks to release tension and stress from the body. The Spa uses the best and purest of products made with ingredients they harvest in their own gardens. The relaxing ambience with its white pristine lounge and magnificent views from floor-to-ceiling windows will surely be a long-overdue day of respite for a busy, hardworking mother.
7. You can never go wrong with jewelry for Mother's Day. Find the perfect piece at Treasures Jewelers, where you'll find a great selection of high-quality jewelry. Whether your mother loves classic and elegant pieces or modern and feminine designs, something is bound to catch her eye here. Surprise her with something like this two carat heart-shaped pink-sapphire ring accented with diamonds in white gold. And if your mother is picky about her gems, bring her in to the Glendale store to view the selection of rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings, and bracelets so she can take her pick.
9. If Mom's been talking about getting a dog, a cat, or a rabbit for a while, now's the time for a very special outing. Don't go to the shelter and pick one up for her—this event should be as special and blessed as you were when you first joined the family. Create on your computer or by hand a certificate or coupon entitling Mom to a trip with you to the nearest shelter or rescue to choose a new family member. A pet adoption will be as wonderful for the homeless animal as it will be for your mother. Oh, and one thing more: Just because it's Mom's pet doesn't mean that you can't help take care of it!
10. A great bouquet of flowers is the perfect way to brighten up Mom's day this year. Try a bouquet from organicbouquet.com, the largest online provider of ecofriendly and organic floral gifts. This mission-based company only sells flowers that are grown in a manner that is not only environmentally friendly but also serves as a resource for farmworkers and artisans. The flowers come from Certified Sustainable Farms, where women from surrounding villages are employed with decent wages and benefits. They are also a carbon-neutral company, meaning that the work toward having a zero carbon emission footprint. These gerbera daisies are a thoughtful, meaningful gift for any mom who's always looking for ways to care for others.


Facebook Account Creator - On the Fourth February Facebook turned 14 years old. Now one of the largest business in the world, it's come to be a day-to-day fixture of millions of lives all over the world.
Organisations, as well, have actually found their place from industry titans to the enchanting cafe in a little town of a couple of hundred people.
So how did one young United States pupil go from coding in his dorm room to the head of one of the most important and also influential tech companies in history?
Mark Zuckerberg took the first steps of his course at an early age. Plainly recognizing the significance of coding, Zuckerberg's dad Edward instructed him Atari BASIC computer programming. It didn't take long for his skills to become noticeable. When he was 11, his moms and dads hired a software developer called David Newman to tutor him. Newman to this day calls Zuckerberg a "prodigy".
Within a few years, Zuckerberg created an extremely useful program: ZuckNet. His daddy ran a dental experts outdoors as well as wanted a basic means for the receptionist to contact him without yelling via their home. ZuckNet, which functioned like an interior immediate messaging system, did just that.
While participating in Phillips Exeter Academy, an elite boarding institution, his drive to develop did not ease off. He attracted passion from AOL and Microsoft. The wished to acquire Synapse, an item of software that discovered a customer's songs taste with AI as well as paying attention habits he created with a good friend, and provide him a work.
Ultimately, he transformed it down and set his websites on Harvard. It's here where the beginnings of Facebook can be located. It's a decision he unlikely regrets now.
Having rejected two of the greatest tech companies in the world, Zuckerberg avoided to Harvard in 2002. Clearly he had bigger plans. He chose to major in psychology, but took plenty of computer technology classes together with it. Initially the psychology selection seems unusual. Why not major in programs or something comparable?
But when you think of Facebook's nature, the meant 'habit forming' nature of the sort, comments, as well as pokes, the psychology component becomes clearer. Facebook from the off pulls you in to share personal information and seek interaction from other individuals. Having the ability to make something such as this needs to involve some understanding of the human mind.
Zukerberg attracts his initial large controversy in October, 2003. He develops and released Facemash, a website that allows Harvard trainees judge the appearance of each other to produce positions (just like the Hot or otherwise site that introduced in 2000). As he really did not in fact obtain authorization to use student photos, unsurprisingly lots of were not satisfied with his work.
Within a couple of hrs the website had actually seen 22k picture sights, yet within a few days it was closed down. He was hauled in front of the Harvard Administration Board. With the danger of expulsion on the table, the board finally determined to let him remain. After a public apology he carried on from his first brush with authority and also established his sights on his following task.
After that, finally, in December, 2009, Facebook strikes a major turning point. With 350m registered customers as well as 132m unique month-to-month individuals, it becomes the most popular social system in the world. Certainly, the company wasn't preparing to leave it at that.
The list below year saw lots more tweaking and also modifications, such as the ability to such as comments as well as renovations to image tagging. July saw the variety of signed up customers hit 500m, while completion of the year saw a large evaluation of the firm.
In November, 2010 Facebook was valued at a substantial $41bn. On the other hand it became the Third biggest internet firm in the United States, resting behind Google as well as Amazon.com. All this being achieved in under five years without indicator of progress slowing down.
An additional substantial turning point was gotten to the list below year. June, 2011 saw Facebook reach 1 trillion page sights, according to a research study by DoubleClick. Then, for the year generally, Nielsen found the site was the Second most seen in the United States.
Facebook had currently come to be a huge name, an internationally made use of website, and ahead of the social media sites transformation. Not too shabby from somebody that was still in institution simply a few years prior.


The best way to reduce company productivity, stability and continuity in a business is to lose employees. When an employee leaves, there are unexpected consequences. For example, who is picking up the work that needs to be done by the leaving employee?
Chances are you are farming out the work to other employees. The important tasks get done, but a lot of work will drop through the cracks. The result? Lost productivity.
Another unexpected consequence of an employee leaving is that the employees who are picking up the slack become dissatisfied with their job because they are asked to do more every day.
And chances are good they are not being compensated for the extra work they perform. If it goes on too long, they may also start looking for greener pastures in another company and leave as well.
And as employees leave, you are losing knowledge which affects your business stability and continuity. It?s not just the tasks that they perform; it?s the history, people, traditions and location of information.
It?s all the stuff that people learn as they stay with an organization for a long time. That?s hard to capture and teach others, especially if there is no documentation and your employees are not cross-trained.
Here are 3 proven ways for you to enjoy more productivity, stability and continuity in your business.
Before you can enjoy more productivity in the organization, it?s important to understand how the work is being done. It?s not just about documenting the tasks, it?s also important to document why that task is important.
For example, your organization may be great at documenting the steps to use specific computer software. Most forget to document the background and history of how and why the software was chosen. That knowledge can be valuable as you hire new employees and make decisions in the future.
Everyone in the organization should be documenting their procedures. That includes executives, managers, and supervisors. We often think that only the work of front-line employees needs to be documented. It?s easier to document a task than knowledge work. But if a task or knowledge is important, it should be documented.
Once you have your processes documented, only then can you conduct an analysis and make improvements. It? s so easy to start tinkering with a process as you are documenting the current state. Make a note of the potential change, and wait until you have finished the current state documentation. You will have a better understanding of what a change in processes will mean to the entire organization.
As you analyze how the work is accomplished, you should begin to see where there are redundancies and bottlenecks. Some may come from work that was assigned when someone left the organization. Others are remnants of old procedures that are no longer necessary because of changes in technology.
Make incremental changes to your procedures and be sure to document the changes. This will improve the company?s stability.
The way many organizations conduct training is to have someone sit with the new person, and tell them what they need to do. Without documentation to follow, the new employee may be learning the bad habits of the trainer. If the new employee is replacing someone who left a while ago, then tasks may be missed altogether.
Having documentation available that provides the steps to follow, and the reasoning for each task, can go a long way in providing business continuity. You will also have the documentation you need if someone has to step into a role unexpectedly.


You can simplify your life by learning to develop trust in God. Far too often, we don't allow ourselves to trust. Maybe your trust has been betrayed too many times in the past, or maybe you're just a very independent person. Even so, it's so critical to learn to trust God.
It's easy to get stressed-out and run-down trying to make your life work on your own, but that never works. And God's plan is always better than your own. The person who trusts God knows that His way is best.
Now, trust won't just magically happen. Trust grows as we take steps of faith and experience God's faithfulness. You have to resist doubt, fear, insecurity, or maybe even your fierce independence so you can pursue a life of trusting God completely. When you do that, you won't have to struggle so much to make your life work.
Trusting God brings a supernatural rest to our souls, allowing us to live simply and freely, the way He wants us to live. So even when it doesn't make sense, trust Him, and experience His freedom and rest.


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So, with my sister-in-law as my Whole30 guide, I successfully followed the program for the entire month of November. The beginning was really bumpy for me — I am truly an emotional eater and I am absolutely addicted to sugar. But once it was done, it was clear to me that the benefits outweighed the challenges. I now have a whole new understanding and respect for my body and a newfound control over the food I put in my mouth. Full disclosure that the Whole30 diet affects everyone differently, but here are the seven biggest changes I saw in myself after 30 days:
For the handstand push-up, prior to the start of the workout, athletes must measure out and mark a box measuring 36in wide by 24in from the floor. This is for the athlete's hand placement. The athlete's palms may not extend beyond this box over the course of any handstand push-up repetition, however, their fingers may. The box must be marked out clearly to be visible in the video. Each repetition begins with the kicking upside down, onto the wall, with the athlete's hands clearly inside of the box, arms and shoulders locked out, body vertically aligned, with feet in contact with the wall. Once this position is established, the athlete may lower their body down to bring their head in contact with the ground. From here, the athlete may use any style of handstand push-up, including kipping or strict, to press and finish with their body vertically aligned, arms and shoulders locked out, and feet in contact with the wall. Each rep must have the athlete's head make contact with the floor, and finish in this extended position. If at any point in time an athlete kicks off the wall, they must first establish the locked out finish position, with body vertically aligned before lowering down to begin repetitions. If over the course of a repetition, the athlete's hands leave the marked box, that rep shall not count. However, if the athlete is resting with their head on the floor, they may adjust their hands (which may have them come out of the box,) but must return them to the box before attempting to complete another repetition. If head cushioning is used, please ensure the head is still level with the hands, or your score will not count
BOXROX – Competitive Fitness Magazine is the world's most widely reaching magazine for Crossfitters and fans of functional fitness. With 730.000 monthly readers from more than 180 countries it connects the worldwide fitness community. The magazine and its 200+ active contributors currently cover many topics including CrossFit®, weightlifting, nutrition, lifestyle and community related news. Everything that a fitness fan is searching for.
On Ramp/Elements – If you're interested in joining the regular CrossFit workout, you'll most likely be required to go through the On Ramp/Elements course. The purpose of these is to teach you the nine foundational movements of CrossFit and all about proper form. No matter how experienced you are, these are valuable and worth the time and money. Even if you think you have perfect form on your squats, deadlifts and/or overhead presses, it's amazing what can be fixed when you have a trained set of eyes watching you do them.
Generally speaking, dieters are advised to eat between 20-30 grams of carbohydrates per day in order to maintain ketosis. To put this into perspective, a quarter cup of steel cut oats has 29 grams of carbs and a banana has roughly 27 grams of carbs. So if you have a few bites of oatmeal or a small piece of fruit, whoops! That's your carb intake for the day.
It should be noted that U.S. News & World Report just released its annual ranking of diets, and Whole30 ranked dead last. Why? Essentially, the expert panel of over 20 registered dietitians, academics, and medical doctors found the program unsustainable and potentially unhealthy, since, among other issues, it restricts certain food groups and is high in sodium and cholesterol. But, Whole30's co-creator Melissa Hartwig stands behind the program, telling Cosmopolitan.com that its animal protein recommendations are in line with government recommendations, and that there are no nutrients in temporarily restricted foods, like grains and legumes, that you can't find in fruits and vegetables.
The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick reveals that high cholesterol levels do not cause heart disease; that high-fat diets–saturated or otherwise–do not affect blood cholesterol levels; and that for most men and all women the benefits offered by statins are negligible at best. Other data is also provided that shows that statins have many more side affects than is often acknowledged.
The WHO trial (so named because the international team of principal investigators contained World Health Organization members) tested the potential of clofibrate, a "pre-statin" cholesterol-lowering agent, to reduce heart attack morbidity and mortality. The investigators ultimately concluded that clofibrate "cannot be recommended as a lipid-lowering drug for community-wide primary prevention of ischaemic heart disease." Nevertheless, clofibrate remained in use until 2002, when it was pulled for increasing cancer rates. In their review of studies such as the WHO trial, Uffe Ravnskov and David Diamond observe, "Despite the largely disappointing findings from 50 years of cholesterol lower[ing] trials, the indictment and conviction of cholesterol as the causal agent in CVD [cardiovascular disease] has stood the test of time. … [Yet] the grand effort to reduce cholesterol as a strategy to improve health has failed."


Sunday 23 July 2017 - 14.30 u.
"It is with great pleasure that I send you the Blessing of the Merciful God for the Symposium ' From adoration to evangelisation' "
Mgr P Hoogmartens, third bishop of Hasselt since 2004. His coat of arms is 'not to judge but to save'. In 2016-2017 the diocese of Hasselt celebrates under his guidance its 50th anniversary, with as theme: 'Not as wanderers, but as pilgrims'.
Dutch hispanist and historian, and author of several audacious books, e.g. 'Jesuits, the rise and descent', 'Pope Benedict XVI and the rise of Eurabia', and 'Lawrence, herald of the Caliphate'. He introduced masterworks of banned prophets as Joseph de Maistre, Léon Bloy, and others. For his translation works he got the Martinus Nijhoff price.
He will speak on the origins of the crisis in the European Church.
Mgr. Dominique Rey: Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon in France. The diocese of Fréjus-Toulon is one of the most vibrant of France. It has a joyful and large seminary. Mgr Rey is also the founder of the Observatoire Sociopolitique, an institution that organises summer courses, and has to help the laity to bring a Catholic answer to the questions in society. There is also a large pluriformity of new movements and congregations in this diocese: e.g. the missionary fraternity of Jean Paul II and the missionaries of the Divine Mercifulness. He organised the congresses of ADORATIO and SACRALITURGIA. He has written several books, including a little booklet 'from adoration to evangelisation'.
He will speak on that subject: 'from adoration to evangelisation'.
Mgr. Philip Egan: Bishop of Portsmouth. The diocese of Portsmouth is in the South of the United Kingdom. He is tirelessly working on the evangelisation of his diocese after his appointment in 2012. One of the important points in this effort, is the improvement and encouragement of the Catholic Schools. He writes impressive pastoral letters, that outline e.g. the total renewal of the Catholic Education in his Diocese. For his efforts, the Catholic Herald elected him as Catholic of the Year 2017.
He will speak on the 'Eucharist, highlight of the Church and source of evangelisation'.
Rev Father Prof Dr Karl Wallner: rector of Benedict XVI Highschool, in the Stift Heiligenkreuz in Austria. For years he was involved in the pastoral of the youth. He organised many conferences, e.g. also on Gott & Humor. The seminary attached to the High School, is the largest seminary in the German-speaking world. The school counts today more than 300 students coming from across the globe.
He will speak on 'Europe needs a new spring of evangelisation'.