brotherhood, which he had taken, to pray to God. And in fact, he gave us the
CHAPTER 1: The Calling and Preparation of the Twelve
brotherhood, which he had taken, to pray to God. And in fact, he gave us the example. For if we think that it was a pretense, and that he only showed what we must do without being touched on his part, there is no point. And we will see below that he prayed in earnest. For where will we find such vehemence and ardor that he sweated blood and water when we wish to invoke God? This will be related of him later. When we cry in our requests that we have to make to God, is this not a sign that we are moved, and that we are not only pretending, but that necessity presses us? Now the tears of Jesus are written to us in the eleventh chapter of John, when he raised Lazarus. In short, then, let us note when it is recited that our Lord Jesus Christ prayed, that in this we know how he not only humbled himself, but emptied himself for our salvation: as also Paul speaks of it, expressly using this word annihilate. If our Lord Jesus Christ had humbled himself only to some intermediate degree, it was already a lot: but when he wants to be subjected to all our infirmities, and he takes them on his person, except (as I said) that there has been no evil or disordered affection (for there has been nothing which contravenes the perfection of the justice and the Law of God, in short, he has been exempt from all things which can be called vicious or reckoned among sins): what sign of love has he shown us? and where is this going? And by this we see that he needed to pray. As now that he has to choose disciples, he asks God his Father to preside over and govern this choice. Because he did this as a man. For as he is God, this in no way befits him: but as he is our head, there is such a union that he has taken with us, that what belongs to us he transfers to himself, and serves as our pattern in every respect. It was therefore necessary that God govern this election he had to make. And that is why he prayed so carefully. Because it was not as usual, hurriedly or merely as a formality: but he worked on it all night. And this is still worth noting. Because it is to shame us in our cowardice and coldness. It will seem to us that we will do a lot when we pray to God in the morning and in the evening, that we will have some devotion, even though there are many obstacles to turn us away from it. Now here our Lord Jesus Christ gives us another example when he stays up until the morning, being in worry and anguish until he has rested in God, until he has handed over to him every care he bore for his church. And if we allege that this happened only to our Lord Jesus Christ, we see how David spoke of himself: we see how Paul, not for boasting, but to give instruction to all the faithful, says that he bowed his knees day and night before God. Let us therefore learn to correct ourselves when we feel such laziness in ourselves, and when we only pray half-heartedly: indeed, and with great difficulty is there the tenth part of what