Prologue

Every abundance of graces comes forth from the fullness of the divine treasure, which is hidden in the mystery of God’s riches; no one can know about it unless God reveals it. (Hence St. Paul’s warning in Colossians 2:4 not to be deceived by specious arguments. So we can only know about it through faith, not through philosophy: ST I.1.1, obj. 1; II-II.2.3, obj. 3. See also Sermon 13, Someone Made a Great Dinner, section 2.2.) Therefore, Moses asked for the revelation of it, saying: reveal to me, O Lord, your treasure, the fountain of living water (Num 20:6 [Vg]; cf. John 7:38, Rev 21:6). (We do not find this text in the standard version of the Vulgate. But Thomas’s version of the Vulgate reads: clamaveruntque ad Dominum, atque dixerunt: Domine Deus, audi clamorem huius populi, et aperi eis thesaurum tuum fontem aquae vitae, ut satiati, cesset murmuratio eorum.) Hence, because the words [of Christ in the Gospel] focus our attention on the divine riches, let us take refuge with him in whom all hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge are (Col 2:3) and let us ask, et cetera.