§32Orantes autem non infructuosis nec nudis precibus ad Deum. ueniant.
But those who pray should not come to God with fruitless or bare prayers.
inefficax petitio est, cum precatur Deum sterilis oratio.
Ineffective is the petition when a sterile prayer supplicates God.
nam cum omnis arbor non faciens fructum excidatur et in ignem mittatur, utique et sermo non habens fructum promereri Deum non potest, quia nulla operatione fecundus est.
For since every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and cast into the fire, certainly also a speech that has no fruit cannot merit God's favor, because it is fertile by no deed.
et ideo scriptura diuina instruit dicens: bona est oratio cum ieiunio et eleemosyna. nam qui in die iudicii praemium pro operibus et eleemosynis redditurus est hodie quoque ad orationem cum operatione uenienti benignus auditor est.
And therefore divine Scripture instructs, saying: "Prayer is good with fasting and almsgiving." For He who on the day of judgment is to render a reward for deeds and alms, is today also a kind hearer to him who comes to prayer with deeds.
sic denique Cornelius centurio cum oraret, meruit audiri.
Thus, finally, Cornelius the centurion, when he prayed, merited to be heard.
fuit faciens multas eleemosynas in plebem et semper orans Deum.
He was doing many alms for the people and always praying to God.
huic circa horam nonam oranti adstitit angelus testimonium reddens sui operis et dicens: Corneli, orationes tuae et eleemosynae tuae ascenderunt ad memoriam coram Deo. §33Cito orationes ad Deum ascendunt quas ad Deum menta nostri operis inponunt.
To him praying about the ninth hour an angel stood by, bearing witness to his deed and saying: "Cornelius, thy prayers and thine alms have ascended for a memorial before God." Prayers quickly ascend to God, which the merits of our deed place before God.
sic et Raphael angelus Tobiae oranti semper et semper operanti adstitit dicens: opera Dei reuelare et confiteri honorificum est.
Thus also the angel Raphael stood by Tobias, who was always praying and always working, saying: "It is honorable to reveal and confess the works of God.
nam quando orabas tu et Sarra, ego optuli memoriam orationis uestrae in conspectu claritatis Dei: et cum sepelires tu mortuos simpliciter, et quia non es cunctatus exurgere et derelinquere prandium tuum, sed abisti et condidisti mortuum, et missus sum temptare te: et iterum me misit Deus curare te et Sarram nurum tuam.
For when thou and Sarah didst pray, I offered the memory of your prayer in the sight of the glory of God; and when thou didst bury the dead in simplicity, and because thou didst not hesitate to rise and leave thy dinner, but wentest and didst bury the dead, I was also sent to test thee; and again God sent me to heal thee and Sarah thy daughter-in-law.
ego enim sum Raphael, unus ex septem angelis iustis qui adsistimus et conuersamur ante claritatem Dei. per Esaiam quoque Dominus admonet et docet similia contestans, solue, inquit, omnem nodum iniustitiae, resolue suffocationes inpotentium commerciorum: dimitte quassatos in requiem et omnem consignationem iniustam dissipa: frange esurienti panem tuum et egenos sine tecto induc in domum tuam: si uideris nudum, uesti et domesticos seminis tui non despicies.
For I am Raphael, one of the seven righteous angels who stand and have our place before the glory of God." Through Isaiah also the Lord admonishes and teaches, bearing witness to similar things: "Loose," He says, "every bond of injustice, undo the choking constraints of oppressive dealings; let the broken go into rest, and tear up every unjust obligation; break thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy without shelter into thy house; if thou seest the naked, clothe him, and thou shalt not despise those of thine own seed.
tunc erumpet temporaneum lumen tuum et uestimenta tua cito orientur et praeibit ante te iustitia et claritas Dei circumdabit te.
Then shall thy timely light break forth, and thy garments shall quickly appear, and thy righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of God shall surround thee.
tunc exclamabis, et Deus exaudiet te: dum adhuc loqueris, dicit: ecce adsum. adesse se repromittit et audire ac protegere se eos dicit qui iniustitiae nodos de corde soluentes et eleemosynas circa domesticos Dei secundum eius praecepta facientes, dum audiunt quod Deus praecipit fieri, ipsi quoque a Deo merentur audiri.
Then shalt thou cry out, and God shall hear thee; while thou art yet speaking, He says: 'Behold, I am here.'" He promises in return that He is present, and says that He hears and protects those who, loosing the bonds of injustice from their heart and doing alms toward the household of God according to His precepts, since they hear what God commands to be done, themselves also merit to be heard by God.
beatus apostolus Paulus in necessitate pressurae adiutus a fratribus opera quae fiunt sacrificia Deo dixit esse.
The blessed Apostle Paul, helped by the brethren in the necessity of affliction, said that the works which are done are sacrifices to God.
saturatus sum, inquit, recipiens ab Epaphrodito ea quae a uobis missa sunt, odores suauitatis, sacrificium acceptum et placitum Deo. nam quando qui miseretur pauperi, Deo faenerat et qui dat minimis Deo donat, spiritaliter Deo suauitatis odores sacrificat.
"I am filled," he says, "receiving from Epaphroditus the things which were sent by you, an odor of sweetness, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." For when he who has pity on the poor lends to God, and he who gives to the least gives to God, he spiritually sacrifices odors of sweetness to God.
§34In orationibus uero celebrandis inuenimus obseruasse cum Daniele tres pueros in fide fortes et in captiuitate uictores horam tertiam sextam nonam sacramento scilicet trinitatis quae in nouissimis temporibus manifestari habebat.
Indeed, in celebrating prayers we find that the three youths, strong in faith and victors in captivity, observed with Daniel the third, sixth, and ninth hours, namely by the mystery of the Trinity which was to be manifested in the last times.
nam et prima hora in tertiam ueniens consummatum numerum trinitatis ostendit, itemque ad sextam quarta procedens declarat alteram trinitatem, et quando a septima nona conpletur, per ternas horas trinitas perfecta numeratur.
For also the first hour coming into the third shows the completed number of the Trinity; and likewise the fourth proceeding to the sixth declares a second trinity; and when from the seventh the ninth is completed, through spaces of three hours a perfect trinity is numbered.
quae horarum spatia iam pridem spiritaliter determinantes adoratores Dei statutis et legitimis ad precem temporibus seruiebant.
Worshipping God, they long ago spiritually determined these spaces of hours and served at the appointed and lawful times for prayer.
et manifestata postmodum res est sacramenta olim fuisse, quod ante sic iusti precabantur.
And afterwards the matter was manifested that it had been mysteries of old, that the righteous previously prayed thus.
nam super discipulos hora tertia descendit Spiritus sanctus qui gratiam dominicae promissionis inpleuit.
For upon the disciples at the third hour descended the Holy Spirit, who fulfilled the grace of the Lord's promise.
item Petrus hora sexta in tectum superius ascendens signo pariter et uoce Dei monentis instructus est, ut omnes ad gratiam salutis admitteret, cum de emundandis gentibus ante dubitaret.
Likewise Peter, ascending to the housetop at the sixth hour, was instructed equally by a sign and by the voice of God admonishing, that he should admit all to the grace of salvation, though he previously doubted concerning the cleansing of the Gentiles.
et Dominus hora sexta crucifixus ad nonam peccata nostra sanguine suo abluit et ut redimere et uiuificare nos posset, tunc uictoriam sua passione perfecit.
And the Lord, crucified at the sixth hour, washed away our sins with His blood until the ninth, and that He might be able to redeem and quicken us, then perfected the victory by His passion.