Catena Aurea The Gospel Of Mark A Commentary On The Gospel By St Thomas Aquinas

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Decapolis themselves; for He is not said to have crossed the sea, but rather to have come to the
borders of the sea, and to have reached quite up to the place, which was opposite to the midst of
the coasts of Decapolis, which were situated at a distance across the sea.
It goes on, "And they bring Him one that was deaf and dumb, and they besought Him to lay
hands upon him."
Theophylact: Which is rightly placed after the deliverance of one possessed with a [p. 143] devil,
for such an instance of suffering came from the devil.
There follows, "And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers into his ears."
Pseudo-Chrys., Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.: He takes the deaf and dumb man who was brought to
Him apart from the crowd, that He might not do His divine miracles openly; teaching us to cast
away vain glory and swelling of heart, for no one can work miracles as he can, who loves humility
and is lowly in his conduct. But He puts His fingers into his ears, when He might have cured him
with a word, to shew that His body, being united to Deity, was consecrated by Divine virtue, with
all that He did. For since on account of the transgression of Adam, human nature had incurred
much suffering and hurt in its members and senses, Christ coming into the world shewed the
perfection of human nature in Himself, and on this account opened ears, with His fingers, and
gave the power of speech by His spittle.
Wherefore it goes on, "And spit, and touched his tongue."
Theophylact: That He might shew that all the members of His sacred body are divine and holy,
even the spittle which loosed the string of the tongue. For the spittle is only the superflous
moisture of the body, but in the Lord, all things are divine.
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It goes on, "And looking up to heaven, He groaned, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be
opened."
Bede: He looked up to heaven, that He might teach us that thence is to be procured speech for
the dumb, hearing for the deaf, health for all who are sick. And He sighed, not that it was
necessary for Him to be any thing from His Father with groaning, for He, together with the Father,
gives all things to them who ask, but that He might give us an example of sighing, when for our
own errors and those of our neighbours, we invoke the guardianship of the Divine mercy.
Pseudo-Chrys., Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.: He at the same time also groaned, as taking our cause
upon Himself and pitying human nature, seeing the misery into which it had fallen.
Bede: But that which He says, "Ephphatha, that is, Be opened," belong properly to the ears, for
the ears are to be opened for hearing, but the tongue to be loosed from the bonds of its
impediment, that is may be able to speak.
Wherefore it goes on, "And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was
loosed, and he spake plain."
Where each nature of one and the same Christ [p. 144] is manifestly distinct, looking up indeed
into Heaven as man, praying unto God, He groaned, but presently with one word, as being strong
in the Divine Majesty, He healed.
It goes on, "And He charged them that they should tell no man."
Pseudo-Chrys., Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.: By which He has taught us not to boast in our powers,
but in the cross and humiliation. He also bade them conceal the miracle, lest He should excite the
Jews by envy to kill Him before the time.
Pseudo-Jerome: A city, however, placed on a hill cannot be hid, and lowliness always comes
before glory.
Wherefore it goes on, "but the more He charged them, so much the more a great deal they
published it."
Theophylact: By this we are taught, when we confer benefits on any, by no means to seek for
applause and praise; but when we have received benefits, to proclaim and praise our
benefactors, even though they be unwilling.
Augustine: If however He, as one Who knew the present and the future wills of men, knew that
they would proclaim Him the more in proportion as He forbade them, why did He give them this
command? If it were not that He wished to prove to men who are idle, how much more joyfully,
with how much greater obedience, they whom He commands to proclaim Him should preach,
when they who were forbidden could not hold their peace.
Gloss.: From the preaching however of those who were healed by Christ, the wonder of the
multitude, and their praise of the benefits of Christ, increased.
Wherefore it goes on, "And they were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all
things well; he maketh the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak."
Pseudo-Jerome: Mystically, Tyre is interpreted, narrowness, and signifies Judaea, to which the
Lord said, "For the bed is grown too narrow," [Isa 28:20] and from which He turns Himself to the
Gentiles. Sidon means, hunting, for our race is like an untamed beast, and "sea", which means a
wavering inconstancy. Again, the Saviour comes to save the Gentiles in the midst of the coasts of
Decapolis, which may be interpreted, as the commands of the Decalogue.
Further, the human race throughout its many members is reckoned as one man, eaten up by
varying pestilence, in the first created man; it is blinded, that is, its eye is evil; it becomes deaf,
when it listens to, and dumb when it speaks, evil. And they prayed Him to lay His hand upon him,
because many just men, and [p. 145] patriarchs, wished and longed for the time when the Lord
should come in the flesh.
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Bede: Or he is deaf and dumb, who neither has ears to hear the words of God, nor opens his
mouth to speak them, and such must be presented to the Lord for healing, by men who have
already learned to hear and speak the divine oracles.
Pseudo-Jerome: Further, he who obtains healing is always drawn aside from turbulent thoughts,
disorderly actions, and incoherent speeches. And the fingers which are put into the ears are the
words and the gifts of the Holy Ghost, of whom it is said, "This is the finger of God." [Ex 8:19;
Luke 11:20]
The spittle is heavenly wisdom, which loosens the sealed lips of the human race, so that it can
say, I believe in God, the Father Almighty, and the rest of the Creed. "And looking up to heaven,
he groaned," that is, He taught us to groan, and to raise up the treasures of our hearts to the
heavens; because by the groaning of hearty compunction, the silly joy of the flesh is purged
away. But the ears are opened to hymns, and songs, and psalms; and He looses the tongue, that
it may pour forth the good word, which neither threats nor stripes can restrain.
Gospel of Mark, Chapter 8
[p. 146]
1. In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His
disciples unto Him, and saith unto them,
2. "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with Me three days, and
have nothing to eat:
3. And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of
them came from far."
4. And His disciples answered Him, "From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here
in the wilderness."
5. And He asked them, "How many loaves have ye?" And they said, "Seven."
6. And He commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and He took the seven loaves, and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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