Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 73
73.1 Again on the Same Passage PL 35, 1824
1. The Lord, by His promise, gave those whose hopes were resting on Himself a special ground of confidence, when He said, “For I go to the Father; and whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, I will do it.” His proceeding, therefore, to the Father, was not with any view of abandoning the needy, but of hearing and answering their petitions. But what is to be made of the words, “Whatsoever ye shall ask,” when we behold His faithful ones so often asking and not receiving? Is it, shall we say, for no other reason but that they ask amiss? For the Apostle James made this a ground of reproach when he said, “Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” What one, therefore, wishes to receive, in order to turn to an improper use, God in His mercy rather refuses to bestow. Nay, more, if a man asks what would, if answered, only tend to his injury, there is surely greater cause to fear, lest what God could not withhold with kindness, He should give in His anger. Do we not see how the Israelites got to their own hurt what their guilty lusting craved? For while it was raining manna on them from heaven, they desired to have flesh to eat. They disdained what they had, and shamelessly sought what they had not: as if it were not better for them to have asked not to have their unbecoming desires gratified with the food that was wanting, but to have their own dislike removed, and be made themselves to receive aright the food that was provided. For when evil becomes our delight, and what is good the reverse, we ought to be entreating God rather to win us back to the love of the good, than to grant us the evil. Not that it is wrong to eat flesh, for the apostle, speaking of this very thing, says, “Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused which is received with thanksgiving; but because, as he also says, “It is evil for that man who eateth with offense;” and if so, with offense to man, how much more so if to God, to whom it was no light offense, on the part of the Israelites, to reject what wisdom was supplying, and ask for that which lust was craving: although they would not actually make the request, but murmured because it was wanting. But to let us know that the wrong lies not with any creature of God, but with obstinate disobedience and inordinate desire, it was not in swine’s flesh that the first man found death, but in an apple; and it was not for a fowl, but for a dish of pottage, that Esau lost his birthright.
Magnam spem Dominus suis promisit sperantibus, dicens: Quia ego ad Patrem vado, et quodcumque petieritis in nomine meo, hoc faciam. Sic ergo perrexit ad Patrem, ut non relinqueret indigentes, sed exaudiret petentes. Sed quid est, quodcumque petieritis, cum videamus plerumque fideles ejus petere, et non accipere? An forte propterea quia male petunt? Nam hoc exprobravit apostolus Jacobus dicens: Petitis, et non accipitis, eo quod male petatis, ut in concupiscentiis vestris insumatis . Male ergo usurus eo quod vult accipere, Deo potius miserante non accipit. Proinde si hoc ab illo petitur unde homo laedatur exauditus, magis metuendum est ne quod posset non dare propitius, det iratus. An non videmus Israelitas malo suo impetrasse quod culpabili concupiscentia petierunt? Concupierant enim carnibus vesci , quibus pluebatur manna de coelo. Fastidiebant quippe quod habebant; et quod non habebant, impudenter petebant: quasi non melius peterent, non ut cibus qui deerat indecenti desiderio praestaretur, sed ut ille qui aderat sanato fastidio sumeretur. Quando enim nos delectant mala, et non delectant bona, rogare debemus potius Deum ut delectent bona, quam ut concedantur mala. Non quia malum est carne vesci, cum de hac re loquens Apostolus dicat, Omnis creatura Dei bona est, et nihil abjiciendum quod cum gratiarum actione accipitur : sed quia sicut item ipse ait, Malum est homini qui per offensionem manducat ; et si hominis offensionem, quanto magis Dei? Cujus in Israelitis non parva erat offensio, repudiare quod dabat sapientia, et petere id quod inhiabat concupiscentia: quamvis illi nec peterent, sed quia deerat murmurarent. Sed ut sciremus non Dei creaturam esse culpabilem, sed inobedientiam contumacem et inordinatam cupiditatem; non propter porcum, sed propter pomum mortem primus homo invenit , et Esau primatus suos non propter gallinam, sed propter lenticulam perdidit .
73.2 PL 35, 1824
2. How, then, are we to understand “Whatsoever ye shall ask, I will do it,” if there are some things which the faithful ask, and which God, even purposely on their behalf, leaves undone? Or ought we to suppose that the words were addressed only to the apostles? Surely not. For what He has got the length of now saying is in the very line of what He had said before: “He that believeth in me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;” which was the subject of our previous discourse. And that no one might attribute such power to himself, but rather to make it manifest that even these greater works were done by Himself, He proceeded to say, “For I go to the Father; and whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, I will do it.” Was it the apostles only that believed on Him? When, therefore, He said, “He that believeth on me,” He spake to those, among whom we also by His grace are included, who by no means receive everything that we ask. And if we turn our thoughts even to the most blessed apostles, we find that he who labored more than they all, yet not he, but the grace of God that was with him, besought the Lord thrice that the messenger of Satan might depart from him, and received not what he had asked. What shall we say, beloved? Are we to suppose that the promise here made, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, I will do it,” was not fulfilled by Him even to the apostles? And to whom, then, will ever His promise be fulfilled, if therein He has deceived His own apostles?
Quomodo ergo intelligendum est, Quodcumque petieritis, hoc faciam, si Deus aliqua petentibus fidelibus etiam consulendo non facit? An forte solis Apostolis dictum debemus accipere? Absit. Unde enim ad hoc venit ut diceret, superius dixerat, Qui credit in me, opera quae ego facio, faciet, et majora horum faciet: de qua re pristino sermone tractavimus. Et ne quisquam hoc sibi tribueret, ut etiam illa opera majora seipsum facere ostenderet, adjecit, atque ait: Quia ego ad Patrem vado; et quodcumque petieritis in nomine meo, hoc faciam. Numquid in eum soli Apostoli crediderunt? Ad eos itaque loquebatur dicendo, Qui credit in me, in quibus eo donante etiam nos sumus, qui utique non quodcumque petierimus accipimus. Ipsos quoque beatissimos si cogitemus Apostolos, invenimus eum qui plus omnibus laboravit, non autem ipse, sed gratia Dei cum ipso , ter Dominum rogasse ut ab eo discederet angelus satanae, nec tamen quod rogaverat accepisse . Quid dicemus, charissimi? Putabimusne hoc promissum ubi ait, Quodcumque petieritis, hoc faciam, nec Apostolis fuisse ab illo completum? Et cui tandem quod promittit implebit, si Apostolos suos in sua promissione fraudavit?
73.3 PL 35, 1825
3. Wake up, then, believer, and give careful heed to what is stated here, “in my name:” for in these words He does not say, “whatsoever ye shall ask” in any way; but, “in my name.” How, then, is He called, who promised so great a blessing? Christ Jesus, of course: Christ means King, and Jesus means Saviour! for certainly it is not any one who is a king that will save us, but only the Saviour-King; and therefore, whatsoever we ask that is adverse to the interests of salvation, we do not ask in the name of the Saviour. And yet He is the Saviour, not only when He does what we ask, but also when He refuses to do so; since by not doing what He sees to be contrary to our salvation, He manifests Himself the more fully as our Saviour. For the physician knows which of his patient’s requests will be favorable, and which will be adverse, to his safety; and therefore yields not to his wishes when asking what is prejudicial, that he may effect his recovery. Accordingly, when we wish Him to do whatsoever we ask, let it not be in any way, but in His name, that is, in the name of the Saviour, that we present our petition. Let us not, then, ask aught that is contrary to our own salvation; for if He do that, He does it not as the Saviour, which is the name He bears to His faithful disciples. For He who condescends to be the Saviour of the faithful, is also a Judge to condemn the ungodly. Whatsoever, therefore, any one that believeth on Him shall ask in that name which He bears to those who believe on Him, He will do it; for He will do it as the Saviour. But if one that believeth on Him asketh something through ignorance that is injurious to his salvation, he asketh it not in the name of the Saviour; for His Saviour He will no longer be if He do aught to impede his salvation. And hence, in such a case, in not doing what He is entreated to do, His way is kept the clearer for doing what His name imports. And on that account, not only as the Saviour, but also as the good Master, He taught us, in the very prayer He gave us, what we should ask, in order that, whatsoever we shall ask, He may do it; and that we, too, might thereby understand that we cannot be asking in the Master’s name anything that is inconsistent with the rule of His own instructions.
Evigila igitur, homo fidelis, et vigilanter audi quod illic positum est, in nomine meo: ipsum enim quodcumque, non ait, petieritis utcumque; sed, in nomine meo. Qui promisit ergo tam magnum beneficium, quid vocatur? Utique Christus Jesus: Christus significat regem, Jesus significat Salvatorem: non utique nos salvos faciet, quicumque rex, sed rex Salvator; ac per hoc quodcumque petimus adversus utilitatem salutis, non petimus in nomine Salvatoris. Et tamen ipse Salvator est, non solum quando facit quod petimus, verum etiam quando non facit; quoniam quod videt peti contra salutem, non faciendo potius se exhibet Salvatorem. Novit enim medicus quid pro sua, quid contra suam salutem poscat aegrotus; et ideo contraria poscentis non facit voluntatem, ut faciat sanitatem. Quapropter quando volumus ut faciat quodcumque petimus, non utcumque, sed in nomine ejus petamus, hoc est in nomine Salvatoris petamus. Non ergo contra nostram salutem petamus: quod si fecerit, non ut Salvator facit, quod est nomen ejus fidelibus ejus. Est quippe impiis et damnator, qui dignatur fidelibus esse Salvator. Qui ergo credit in eum, quodcumque petierit in eo nomine, quod est illis qui credunt in eum, hoc facit; quoniam hoc sicut Salvator facit. Si autem qui in eum credit, aliquid per ignorantiam contra suam salutem petit, non in nomine Salvatoris petit; quia Salvator ejus non erit, si quod ejus salutem impedit, fecerit. Unde tunc expedit potius ut non faciendo propter quod invocatur, faciat quod vocatur. Propterea non solum Salvator, sed etiam magister bonus, ut faciat quodcumque petierimus, in ipsa oratione quam nobis dedit, docuit quid petamus; ut etiam sic intelligamus non petere nos in nomine magistri, quod petimus praeter regulam ipsius magisterii.
73.4 PL 35, 1825
4. There are some things, indeed, which, although really asked in His name, that is, in harmony with His character as both Saviour and Master, He doeth not at the time we ask them, and yet He faileth not to do them. For when we pray that the kingdom of God may come, it does not imply that He is not doing what we ask, because we do not begin at once to reign with Him in the everlasting kingdom: for what we ask is delayed, but not denied. Nevertheless, let us not fail in pray ing, for in so doing we are as those that sow the seed; and in due season we shall reap. And even when we are asking aright, let us ask Him at the same time not to do what we ask amiss; for there is reference to this also in the Lord’s Prayer, when we say, “Lead us not into temptation.” For surely the temptation is no slight one if thine own request be hostile to thy cause. But we must not listen with indifference to the statement that the Lord (to prevent any from thinking that what He promised to do to those that asked, He would do without the Father, after saying, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, I will do it”) immediately added, “That the Father may be glorified in the Son: if ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.” In no respect, therefore, does the Son act without the Father, since He so acts for the very purpose that in Him the Father may be glorified. The Father, therefore, acts in the Son, that the Son may be glorified in the Father: and the Son acts in the Father, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; for the Father and the Son are one.
Sane quaedam quamvis in nomine ejus petamus, id est secundum Salvatorem et secundum magistrum petamus; non tunc quando petimus facit, sed tamen facit. Neque enim quia et illud petimus ut veniat regnum Dei, propterea non facit quod petimus, quia non statim cum illo in aeternitate regnamus: differtur enim quod petimus, non negatur. Verumtamen orantes tanquam seminantes non deficiamus; tempore enim proprio metemus . Et simul petamus quando bene petimus, ut non faciat quod non bene petimus; quia et ad hoc pertinet quod in eadem oratione dominica dicimus, Ne nos inferas in tentationem . Neque enim parva est tentatio, si contra tuam sit causam tua postulatio. Non autem negligenter audiendum est, quod Dominus, ne quisquam eum putaret quod se promisit facere petentibus, sine Patre esse facturum, cum dixisset, Quodcumque petieritis in nomine meo, hoc faciam, continuo subjecit, Ut glorificetur Pater in Filio, si quid petieritis in nomine meo, hoc faciam. Nullo modo igitur sine Patre hoc Filius facit, quandoquidem ut in illo Pater glorificetur, propterea facit. Facit ergo Pater in Filio, ut Filius glorificetur in Patre: et facit Filius in Patre, ut Pater glorificetur in Filio; quoniam unum sunt Pater et Filius.