CHAPTER XI

OF THE SECOND PETITION

THY KINGDOM COME

QUESTION I

How often in Scripture the Preaching of the Kingdom of Heaven is recommended

The kingdom of heaven, which we pray for in this second petition, is the great end to which is referred, and in which terminates all the preaching of the gospel. For from it St. John the Baptist commenced his exhortation to penance, when he says: Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and with it the Saviour of the human kind opens his preaching. In that salutary discourse on the mount also, in which he pointed out to his disciples the way to everlasting life, having proposed, as it were, the subject-matter of his discourse, he commences with the kingdom of heaven: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven: nay more, to those who would have detained him with them, he assigned the same cause for his departure: To other cities also I must preach the kingdom of God; for therefore am I sent. This kingdom he afterwards commanded the apostles to preach; and to him who expressed a wish to go and bury his father, he replied: Go thou, and preach the kingdom of God; and after he had risen from the dead, during the forty days on which he appeared to his apostles, he discoursed of the kingdom of God. Pastors, therefore, will treat this second petition with the greatest attention, that faithful hearers may understand its great importance and necessity.

QUESTION II

What is comprehended in this Second Petition

In the first place, they will find its judicious and accurate exposition much facilitated by the reflection, that [the Redeemer] commanded this petition, although united with the others, to be also offered separately, to the end that we may seek with the greatest earnestness the object of our prayer: Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. And, indeed, so great is the efficacy and profusion of heavenly gifts contained in this petition, that it embodies all things necessary for the preservation of the life of soul and body. What king, who pays no attention to those things on which depends the safety of his kingdom, should we esteem worthy of the name? If, then, men are anxious for the safety of their kingdom, what must be the solicitude and providential care, with which we must believe that the King of kings guards the life and safety of man? In this petition, therefore, [Thy kingdom come,] are comprised all things that we stand in need of in our present pilgrimage, or rather exile; and this God graciously promises that he will grant us, for he immediately subjoins; All these things shall be added unto you; thus unequivocally declaring, that he is that king, who, with bounteous hand, bestows upon the race of man an abundance of all things; in the contemplation of whose infinite goodness David was enraptured, when he sang: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

QUESTION III

Means of obtaining what we ask in this Petition

But it is not enough, however, that we earnestly petition for the kingdom of God, unless we also employ in our petition all those instruments, as it were, by which it is sought and found. For the five foolish virgins uttered the same earnest petition in these words: Lord, Lord, open unto us; hut because they used not the means necessary to secure its attainment, therefore were they excluded; and not without good reason, for God himself has said: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

QUESTION IV

Of the Motives by which Men are incited to the Desire of the Kingdom of God

The priests, therefore, who are charged with the care of souls, will draw from the most abundant fountains of the sacred letters such considerations as are calculated to excite the faithful to the desire and pursuit of the kingdom of heaven; which set before their eyes our deplorable condition; and which should so affect them, that, reflecting, and coming to themselves, they may call to mind the supreme felicity and the unspeakable goods, with which the eternal abode of God our Father abounds. Here we are exiles, inhabitants of a land in which dwell demons; whose hatred to us cannot be mitigated; seeing they are the most malignant and implacable foes of mankind. What shall we say of those domestic and intestine battles, in which the soul and the body, the flesh and the spirit, are continually engaged against each other; in which we have always to apprehend defeat; nay, in which our instant defeat must be inevitable, were we not defended by the protecting right hand of God? Feeling this weight of misery, the apostle exclaims: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me. from the body of this death?

QUESTION V

How great is the Misery of Man, is shown by a Comparison of Other Things with Man

This misery of our condition, it is true, strikes us at once of itself, yet, by comparison with that of other natures and creatures, it may still more forcibly be understood. Whether irrational or even inanimate, they are seldom seen to depart from the acts proper to them, from the instinct, the movements innate in them by nature, so as to fail of obtaining their proposed and determinate end. This is so obvious in the beasts of the field, in fishes, birds, as not to require elucidation; but if we look to the heavens, do we not behold the verification of what is said by David? For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Constant in their motion, and uninterrupted in their revolution, they depart not in the least from the laws prescribed from above. If, moreover, we regard the earth, and the rest of the universe, one may at once perceive that they adhere strictly to, or at least deviate but very little [from the laws of their being.] But the most unhappy race of man is continually falling aside: he seldom realizes his good purposes, but generally abandons and despises what he has commenced well: his best resolutions, which pleased for a time, are suddenly abandoned; and after their rejection he plunges into projects at once degrading and pernicious.

QUESTION VI

Chief Cause of Man’s Misery

What then is the cause of this inconstancy and misery? Manifestly a contempt of the divine inspirations; for we close our ears to the admonitions of God, we are unwilling to raise our eyes to the divine lights which shine before us, nor do we hearken to our heavenly Father when he giveth precepts for our salvation. To depict to the eyes of the faithful people the miseries of man’s condition, to detail their various causes, and to point out the remedies for their removal, are therefore amongst the objects which should employ the zealous exertions of pastors; and in the discharge of this duty, their labour will be not a little facilitated, by employing what has been said on the subject by John Chrysostom and Augustine, men eminent for sanctity; but principally by consulting our exposition of the Creed. For who can be so abandoned a man as, with the knowledge of these truths, and aided by the preventing grace of God, not to endeavour, like the prodigal son mentioned in the gospel, to arise from his abasement, assume an erect attitude, and hasten into the presence of his heavenly Father and King?

QUESTION VII

Meaning of the words “Kingdom of God” in the Sacred Writings

Having explained these matters, [the pastor] will proceed to point out how salutary is this petition of the faithful, and the objects for which it sues: the declaration of which becomes the more necessary, as the words, kingdom of God, have a variety of significations, the exposition of which will not be found without advantage in elucidating other passages of Scripture, and is necessary to the knowledge of our present subject. The words, kingdom of God, then, ordinarily in Scripture, signify not only that power which he possesses over all men, and over universal creation, but also his providence, by which he rules and governs the world; and in this sense they frequently occur in Scripture: In his hands, says the prophet, are the ends of the earth. The word ends includes those things also that lie hidden and buried in the depths of the earth, and in the inmost recesses of all things; and in this sense Mardochæus exclaims, O Lord Lord, Almighty King, for the whole world is in thy power, and there is no man that can gainsay thee: and there is none that can resist thee, which art the Lord.

QUESTION VIII

Of what kind is the Kingdom of Christ towards the Pious

By the kingdom of God is also understood that special and singular system of providence, by which God protects, and watches over, pious and holy men; and of this peculiar and pre-eminent care David speaks, when he says: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; and Isaiah: The Lord is our king: he will save us. But although, even in this life, the pious and the holy are, as we have already observed, placed in an especial manner under this kingly power of God; yet did Christ our Lord inform Pilate, that his kingdom was not of this world, that is to say, had not its origin in this world, which both was created, and is doomed to perish. This is the tenure on which empire is held by emperors, kings, commonwealths, dukes, and all those who govern states and provinces at the desire and election of men, or who, by violent and unjust usurpation, have seized upon sovereign power. Not so Christ our Lord, who, as the prophet declares, is appointed king by God; whose kingdom, as the apostle says, is righteousness: the kingdom of God, says he, is righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

QUESTION IX

In what manner Christ reigns in his own Faithful

But Christ the Lord reigneth in us by the inward virtues, faith, hope, charity; virtues by which we are in some sort constituted a portion of his kingdom; and being in a peculiar manner subject to God, we are consecrated to his worship and veneration; that as the apostle said, I live, yet not I; but Christ liveth in me, so we too may say: I reign, yet not I; but Christ reigneth in me.

But this kingdom is called righteousness, because it is based on the righteousness of Christ our Lord; and of this kingdom our Lord saith in St. Luke: The kingdom of God is within you. For although Jesus Christ reigneth by faith in all who are within the bosom of our holy mother the Church, yet doth he in an especial manner reign over those who, endued with superior faith, hope, and charity, have yielded themselves as pure and living members unto God; and in these is said to consist the kingdom of grace.

QUESTION X

Of the Kingdom of Glory of Christ our Lord

By the words [kingdom of God] is also meant that kingdom of his glory, of which we hear Christ our Lord saying in St. Matthew: Come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. This same kingdom the thief in St. Luke, acknowledging his crimes, admirably begged of him in these words: Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom: of this kingdom St. John speaks: Except a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; and of it the apostle saith, in his epistle to the Ephesians: No whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man (who is an idolater), hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, and of God. To it also refer some of the parables made use of by our Lord, when speaking of the kingdom of heaven.

QUESTION XI

Of the Nature and Variety of the Kingdom of Grace and of Glory

But the kingdom of grace must necessarily precede that of glory, for the glory of God cannot reign in him, in whom his grace has not reigned. Grace, according to the saying of the Redeemer himself, is a well of water springing up into everlasting life, and how shall we designate glory otherwise than a certain perfect and absolute grace? for as long as we are clothed with this frail and mortal body, whilst, weak and wandering in this dark pilgrimage and exile, we are separated from the Lord, rejecting the aid of the kingdom of grace by which we were supported, we often stumble and fall; but when the light of the kingdom of glory, which is perfect, shall have shone upon us, we shall stand for ever firm and immoveable. Then shall every imperfection and inconvenience be utterly removed: then shall every infirmity be strengthened and invigorated; then, in a word, will God himself reign in our souls and bodies. But on this subject we treated at considerable length in [the exposition of] the Creed, when speaking of the resurrection of the flesh.

QUESTION XII

Objects of this Petition to God

Having thus explained what is meant by the ordinary acceptation of the words kingdom of God, we now come to point out the particular objects sought for in this petition. We beg, therefore, of God, that the kingdom of Christ, that is, his Church, may be propagated; that infidels and Jews may turn to embrace the faith of Christ our Lord, and the knowledge of the true God; that schismatics and heretics may return to soundness, and to the communion of the Church of God, which they have deserted; that thus may be fulfilled and realized the words of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of Isaiah: Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; for thy Maker is thine husband. And again: The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from afar, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

QUESTION XIII

Second Object of this Petition

But as in the Church of God, there are those who, confessing God in words, denying him in deed, exhibit a deformed faith, in whom, because of sin, the devil dwells and rules as in his proper abode, we also pray that to them may come the kingdom of God, by which the darkness of sins being dispelled, and [their minds] being illumined by the rays of the divine light, they may be restored to their former diguity of children of God; that, all heresy and schism being removed, and all offences and causes of wickedness eradicated from his kingdom, our heavenly Father may cleanse the floor of his Church; and that, worshipping God in piety and holiness, she may enjoy undisturbed and tranquil peace.

QUESTION XIV

Third Object

Finally, we pray that in us God alone may live, alone may reign; that death may no longer exist, but may be swallowed up in the victory of Christ our Lord, who, having broken and scattered every principality, power, and virtue of the enemy, may subject all things to his dominion.”

QUESTION XV

What are the Chief Duties and Matters for Contemplation presented to Christians by Occasion of this Petition

But pastors will take care to teach the faithful people, and this the nature of the petition demands, with what thoughts and meditations they should be impressed, in order to offer this prayer piously to God. And first they will exhort them to consider the force and import of that similitude brought forward by the Redeemer: The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all he hath, and buyeth that field; for he who knows the riches of Christ our Lord, will despise all things when compared to them; to him, wealth, riches, power, will appear as dross; for nothing can be compared to, or at all stand before, that invaluable treasure. Whoever, therefore, is blessed with this knowledge, will exclaim with the apostle: I count all things but loss, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. This is that precious jewel of the gospel, to purchase which he who sells all his earthly goods, shall enjoy eternal bliss.

QUESTION XVI

How desirable is the Kingdom of Christ through Grace in this World and through Glory in the World to come

O, happy we, should Jesus Christ shed on our path so much light, as that we may be able to discover this jewel of divine grace, by which he reigneth in those that are his; for then should we be prepared to sell all that we have on earth, and even ourselves, to purchase and secure its possession; for then in fine should we confidently say: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? But would we know the surpassing excellence of the kingdom of God’s glory, let us hear the concurrent language and sentiment of the prophet and of the apostle: Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

QUESTION XVII

To obtain the Objects of our Prayers, Humility is a Necessary Disposition

To obtain the object of our prayers, it will be found most available to reflect within ourselves who we are; that is, children of Adam, justly outcasts and exiles from paradise, and deserving, by our unworthiness and perversity, to become the objects of God’s supreme hatred, and be doomed to everlasting punishment. We should therefore be impressed with sentiments of deep humility and abasement: our prayers too should be replete with Christian humility; and mistrusting ourselves entirely, we shall seek refuge, like the publican, in the mercy of God; and, attributing all to his bounty, shall render immortal thanks to him who has imparted to us his spirit, relying on whom, we are emboldened to say, Abba, Father.

QUESTION XVIII

What Efforts should be made to attain the Kingdom of Heaven

we must also be careful to consider what is to be done, what avoided, in order to arrive at the kingdom of heaven; for we are not called by God to lead a life of ease and indolence: nay, he declares, that the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force; and: If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. It is not enough, therefore, that we pray for the kingdom of God, unless men also give their best attention and exertions to its attainment. For we must co-operate with the grace of God, in pursuing that course that leads to heaven. God, who has promised to be with us at all times, never abandons us; so that we have only not to forsake God, nor [abandon] ourselves. And indeed it is God who, in this kingdom of his Church, provides all those succours, by which he defends the life of man and accomplishes his eternal salvation, be they invisible to us; such as those which we receive from the hosts of angelic spirits, or visible, such as we receive from the sacraments, those most abundant sources of celestial virtue. In these, there is so great a safeguard, divinely ordained for us, that we not only may be secure from the dominion of our most determined enemies, but may even lay prostrate, and trample under-foot, the tyrant himself, with all his nefarious satellites.

QUESTION XIX

Conclusion of this Petition, and another Brief Exposition thereof

Wherefore, in conclusion, let us earnestly implore of the Spirit of God, that he command us to do all things in accordance with his will; that he overthrow the empire of Satan, so as that he may have no power over us on that last great day; that Christ may be victorious and triumphant; that his laws may be in effect throughout the world; that his decrees may be observed; that there be found no traitor to, or deserter from, his standard; but that all may so conduct themselves, as to come with confidence into the presence of God their king, and may attain the possession of the heavenly kingdom, prepared for them from all eternity, in the enjoyment of endless bliss with Christ.