Chapter XXIII. Question 21

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First ARTICLE

WHETHER IT IS BECOMING FOR CHRIST TO PRAY

Reply. The Gospel records that Christ prayed, and to pray befitted Him as man, because His human will was incapable of doing all things, and Christ knew that it was in accordance with His Father’s divine plan that He should receive certain things only by prayer. He also prayed so that He might give us an example of having recourse to God.

Doubt. Does Christ now in heaven truly and in the strict sense pray for us. Medina, Vasquez, and certain others, such as Father de la Taille, say that Christ now in heaven prays for us only in the broad sense of the term, showing His human nature and His past merits to the Father. i

The Thomists and many other theologians reply that Christ in heaven in the strict sense prays for us, interceding as our advocate so that at the favorable moment the fruits of His past merits and satisfaction may be applied to us.

Scriptural proof. St. Paul says: “Christ . . . who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” * Again he says of Christ: “Always living to make intercession for us.” * This prayer of Christ in heaven has its own particular name, being called “intercession.” Elsewhere it is said of Christ now in heaven that He is “our advocate,” and that “we have an advocate with the Father.” °

490 i CHRIST THE SAVIOR

Thus St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, and St. Thomas say that Christ also now in heaven prays for the Church. He can no more, indeed, either merit or satisfy for us, because He is no longer a wayfarer. But He can offer intercessory prayer for us; the saints pray for us in heaven, and the greater their charity is, the greater is their influence.‘

But if in the litanies of the Blessed Virgin Mary we do not say “Christ, pray for us,” but “Christ, hear us,” this is because Christ, as God, hears our prayers, and we also say “Christ, hear us” to avoid the error of Nestorianism. Finally, it is a more perfect act to hear a prayer than to pray.”

WHETHER IT PERTAINS TO CHRIST TO PRAY ACCORDING TO HIS SENSUALITY

In other words, what did Christ mean when He said in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Let this chalice pass from Me”? °

Reply. It means that then His prayer expressed to God the affection of His sensible nature, and in this His prayer was for our instruction in three things: (1) to show that He assumed a truly human nature with all its natural affections: (2) to show that we are permitted in accordance with our natural affection to request something conditionally from God; (3) to show that a man ought to subject his own affections to the divine will. Hence He said: “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” 1

WHETHER CHRIST PRAYED FOR HIMSELF

Reply. Christ prayed for Himself in two ways: (1) by expressing to God the desire of His sensual nature and of His will, considered as a nature, as when He said: “Let this chalice pass from Me”; $ (2) by expressing the desire of His deliberate will, which is regarded

5 Concerning this doubt, cf. St. Thomas, Com. in Ep. ad Rom. 8:34; also ad Heb., and the Salmanticenses in their commentaries.

T Ibid.

we CHRIST’S PRAYER 491 as reason, as when He asked for the glory of His resurrection, saying: “Father . . . glorify Thy Son.” °? Thus He showed us that the Father is the author of all the good that He possesses in the human nature.

WHETHER CHRIST'S PRAYER WAS ALWAYS HEARD

Reply. A distinction must be made: Christ’s prayer in the strict sense, namely, that which proceeded from His absolute will as the result of deliberate reason, was always heard, because His will was always in conformity with the divine will, so that by this prayer He willed or sought only what He knew God wills. The words that Martha addressed to our Lord are to be understood in this sense when she said: “I know that whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee.” 1° Also, when our Lord says: “And I knew that Thou hearest Me always.” *? And St. Paul says of Christ: “He was heard for His reverence.” 1?

Christ’s conditional prayer expressing the desire of His sensitive nature or of His will considered as nature, was not always heard, which is evident from His prayer in the Garden.

Second objection. Christ prayed that the sin of those who crucified Him might be forgiven.’* Yet not all were pardoned this sin, since the Jews were punished on account thereof.

Reply to second objection. St. Thomas says: “Our Lord did not pray for all those who crucified Him, nor for all those who would believe in Him, but for those only who were predestinated to obtain eternal life through Him.” 14

14 Certain professors of the Duacene theological faculty reviled this reply of St. Thomas as Jansenistic in their censure of August 22, 1722, which censure was condemned by Rome on June 18, 1726. These professors did not understand that St. Thomas in this reply to the second objection has in mind only efficacious prayer that is the result of what is simply willed; he is not speaking of conditional prayer that is in conformity with God’s conditional will to save all.