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*H Let Samaria perish, because she hath stirred up her God to bitterness: let them perish by the sword, let their little ones be dashed, and let the women with child be ripped up.
Ver. 1. Perish, because she hath stirred up her God to bitterness. It is not a curse or imprecation, but a prophecy of what should come to pass (Ch). to Israel, in Assyria. Many such expressions occur. Ps. lxviii. 25. &c. S. Jer. — Sometimes they are the effects of zeal, conformable to divine justice. Ps. cxl. 6. W. — Heb. "Samaria has sinned, or shall perish." C. — Bitterness. Sept. "she hath resisted her God." H.
*H Take with you words, and return to the Lord, and say to him: Take away all iniquity, and receive the good: and we will render the calves of our lips.
Ver. 3. Words. In captivity, legal victims cannot be offered. C. — But a contrite heart is always acceptable. Ps. l. — Good. While engaged in sin, (H.) "we can offer thee nothing good." — Calves: victims of praise. S. Jer. — Heb. parim. Sept. omit m, (H.) and render fruit. They are followed by the Arab. and Syr. as well as by the apostle. Heb. xiii. 15. C. — We will offer what victims we please. E. Ps. lxix. 23. and lxv. 13.
* Summa
*S Part 3, Ques 83, Article 12
[II-II, Q. 83, Art. 12]
Whether Prayer Should Be Vocal?
Objection 1: It would seem that prayer ought not to be vocal. As stated above (A. 4), prayer is addressed chiefly to God. Now God knows the language of the heart. Therefore it is useless to employ vocal prayer.
Obj. 2: Further, prayer should lift man's mind to God, as stated above (A. 1, ad 2). But words, like other sensible objects, prevent man from ascending to God by contemplation. Therefore we should not use words in our prayers.
Obj. 3: Further, prayer should be offered to God in secret, according to Matt. 6:6, "But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret." But prayer loses its secrecy by being expressed vocally. Therefore prayer should not be vocal.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Ps. 141:2): "I cried to the Lord with my voice, with my voice I made supplication to the Lord."
_I answer that,_ Prayer is twofold, common and individual. Common prayer is that which is offered to God by the ministers of the Church representing the body of the faithful: wherefore such like prayer should come to the knowledge of the whole people for whom it is offered: and this would not be possible unless it were vocal prayer. Therefore it is reasonably ordained that the ministers of the Church should say these prayers even in a loud voice, so that they may come to the knowledge of all.
On the other hand individual prayer is that which is offered by any single person, whether he pray for himself or for others; and it is not essential to such a prayer as this that it be vocal. And yet the voice is employed in such like prayers for three reasons. First, in order to excite interior devotion, whereby the mind of the person praying is raised to God, because by means of external signs, whether of words or of deeds, the human mind is moved as regards apprehension, and consequently also as regards the affections. Hence Augustine says (ad Probam. Ep. cxxx, 9) that "by means of words and other signs we arouse ourselves more effectively to an increase of holy desires." Hence then alone should we use words and such like signs when they help to excite the mind internally. But if they distract or in any way impede the mind we should abstain from them; and this happens chiefly to those whose mind is sufficiently prepared for devotion without having recourse to those signs. Wherefore the Psalmist (Ps. 26:8) said: "My heart hath said to Thee: 'My face hath sought Thee,'" and we read of Anna (1 Kings 1:13) that "she spoke in her heart." Secondly, the voice is used in praying as though to pay a debt, so that man may serve God with all that he has from God, that is to say, not only with his mind, but also with his body: and this applies to prayer considered especially as satisfactory. Hence it is written (Osee 14:3): "Take away all iniquity, and receive the good: and we will render the calves of our lips." Thirdly, we have recourse to vocal prayer, through a certain overflow from the soul into the body, through excess of feeling, according to Ps. 15:9, "My heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced."
Reply Obj. 1: Vocal prayer is employed, not in order to tell God something He does not know, but in order to lift up the mind of the person praying or of other persons to God.
Reply Obj. 2: Words about other matters distract the mind and hinder the devotion of those who pray: but words signifying some object of devotion lift up the mind, especially one that is less devout.
Reply Obj. 3: As Chrysostom says [*Hom. xiii in the Opus Imperfectum falsely ascribed to St. John Chrysostom], "Our Lord forbids one to pray in presence of others in order that one may be seen by others. Hence when you pray, do nothing strange to draw men's attention, either by shouting so as to be heard by others, or by openly striking the heart, or extending the hands, so as to be seen by many. And yet, according to Augustine (De Serm. Dom. in Monte ii, 3), "it is not wrong to be seen by men, but to do this or that in order to be seen by men." _______________________
THIRTEENTH
*H Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more: The works of our hands are our gods: for thou wilt have mercy on the fatherless that is in thee.
Ver. 4. Gods. The Assyrians, instead of protecting, oppress us; while Egypt, famous for horses, sits unconcerned. C. — But the source of all our evils are the idols, which we will follow no more. — In thee: adheres to the true faith in practice. H. — Israel was like an orphan during the captivity. Lam. i. 1. C.
*H I will heal their breaches, I will love them freely: for my wrath is turned away from them.
Ver. 5. Breaches, when Israel shall be converted, as some were to Christ, and many will be at the end of the world. W. — Heb. "their return." Sept. "dwellings." They shall be purified. — Freely. I have been forced to chastise, My heart dilates. C. — Sept. "I will love them manifestly." Syr. "accept their free offerings." H.
*H I will be as the dew, Israel shall spring as the lily, and his root shall shoot forth as that of Libanus.
Ver. 6. Dew. Israel has been like a plant dried up. C. xiii. 15. — Libanus. The cedars were tall and bulky, being well rooted.
*H His branches shall spread, and his glory shall be as the olive tree: and his smell as that of Libanus.
Ver. 7. Glory. Sept. "he shall be as fruitful as the olive-tree." — Libanus, or incense. C. — The term has both meanings. H.
*H They shall be converted that sit under his shadow: they shall live upon wheat, and they shall blossom as a vine: his memorial shall be as the wine of Libanus.
Ver. 8. His. This may refer to the tree, or to God. The captives shall return, and be happy. But in a more sublime sense it refers to the nations which shall embrace the gospel. — Libanus, or fragrant. Such wine was esteemed in which certain odoriferous herbs were infused. Cant. vii. 2. C. — Libanus was also famous for generous wines. Siconita 11.
*H Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I will hear him, and I will make him flourish like a green fir tree: from me is thy fruit found.
Ver. 9. Idol? or God will no more reproach them, as their conversion is sincere. — Make. Heb. "be to him like," &c. C.
*H Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know these things? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall in them.
Ver. 10. Wise. This denotes the obscurity of the prophecy. Theod. — No human wit can explain the prophets: yet the just shall understand as much as shall be necessary. S. Jer. S. Aug. de Civ. Dei. xviii. 28. W. — Only few will make good use of these admonitions, and share in the promises. C.