A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

436 A Source Book for Ancient Church HistoryWhen Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with violent fever,Peter and Andrew besought the Lord for her: “And He stood overher and commanded the fever and it left her, and immediatelyshe arose and ministered unto them.”…So Peter and Andrew prayed for the widow. Would that therewere some one who could so quickly pray for us, or better still,they who prayed for the mother-in-law—Peter and Andrew hisbrother. Then they could pray for one related to them, now theyare able to pray for us and for all. For you see that one boundby great sin is less fit to pray for herself, certainly less likely toobtain for herself. Let her then make use of others to pray forher to the Physician. For the sick, unless the Physician be calledto them by the prayers of others, cannot pray for themselves.The flesh is weak, the soul is sick and hindered by the chainsof sins, and cannot direct its feeble steps to the throne of thatgreat Physician. The angels must be entreated for us, who havebeen to us as guardians; the martyrs must be entreated whosepatronage we seem to claim by a sort of pledge, the possessionof their body. They can entreat for our sins, who, if they had anysins, washed them in their own blood; for they are the martyrs ofGod, our leaders, the beholders of our life and of our actions. Letus not be ashamed to take them as intercessors for our weakness,for they themselves knew the weakness of the body, even whenthey overcame.[398](b) Jerome, Contra Vigilantium, chs. 4 ff. (MSL, 23:357.)A defence of the worship and practice of the Church, especiallyin regard to veneration of relics against the criticism ofVigilantius.Jerome's attack on Vigilantius is in many respects a masterpieceof scurrility, and unworthy of the ability of the man.But it is invaluable as a statement of the opinions of the times