Question 171. How does she comprehend in herself the blessing given to Zebulun?

QUESTION 171. How does she comprehend in herself the blessing given to Zebulun?

The blessing of Zebulun follows. Genesis 49:13: Zebulun will dwell on the shore of the sea, and in the station of ships, reaching as far as Sidon.

By Zebulun, according to Master Richard of Saint Victor, zeal for souls is understood; concerning this he speaks thus: “After Issachar, Zebulun, that is, the dwelling-place of fortitude, is born, because through the tasting of inward sweetness, hatred of vices is generated and the strength of true fortitude is acquired. This is Zebulun, who by being angry is accustomed to placate the anger of God, who, by piously raging while he strikes human vices, by as it were not sparing them spares them better. Without doubt nothing so pleases God, nothing so placates God, as zeal for souls ¹.” And below: “How many do we see today poor in spirit, rejoicing in hope, fervent in charity, much abstaining, exceedingly patient, yet too lukewarm for zeal for souls, and greatly sluggish. Some, as if for the guarding of humility, do not presume to rebuke delinquents. Others, lest they seem to disturb brotherly charity, fear to accuse sinners. Thus others also, in other and still other ways, pretend that what they are unwilling to be zealous for on behalf of the Lord is a matter of virtue, or believe it to be a matter of virtue. On the contrary, many suppose that what they without doubt do in the spirit of fury, they do by zeal for rectitude; and what they truly pursue from hatred of human beings, they think or pretend that they practice from hatred of vices ².” And below: “Those are to be believed to pursue delinquents by piety rather than cruelty, who know by experience those inward joys to which they invite them by so many pains.” And below: “Zebulun ought also not only to correct delinquents, but also in time of tribulation to defend them against persecutors. Zebulun ought also to be readier, indeed always more prepared, to endure evils than to inflict evils. And because it is necessary for him sometimes to be angry at subjects because of fault, he certainly grieves more when he is compelled to strike them because of fault than when he is compelled to be punished in their defense. Therefore he gladly casts himself before dangers that occur, and of his own accord sets himself against the storms of raging tempests. Otherwise he dwells in vain on the shore of the sea; in vain he prepares a dwelling in the station of ships, if he trembles before the maritime dangers of worldly oppression, unless he gently receives those long wearied by tempests and finally cast onto the shores, and kindly cherishes them ³.” And below: “We know that this sort of hunting of souls is done as far as Sidon, sometimes through the hidden suggestion of demons, sometimes through the open persuasion of human beings. Nevertheless Zebulun knows how cautiously to detect both and disclose them to the incautious. Therefore he fixes the dwelling-place of his fortitude over against the sea on the border of Sidon, so that from this side he may keep watch against the savagery of persecutors, and from that side against the fraudulence of those plotting ambush ⁴.” And below ⁵: “I do not know if a human being can receive anything greater from God in life; I am ignorant whether God can meanwhile confer any greater grace upon a human being than that through his ministry perverse human beings are changed for the better, so that from sons of the devil they may be made sons of God. Or perhaps will it seem to anyone greater to raise the dead? Therefore will it be greater to raise flesh that is to die again than a soul that is to live eternally? Therefore will it be greater to recall flesh to the joys of the world than to restore to the soul the joys of heaven? O what a dowry, how great a dignity, to receive such grace from God! The spouse of God ought not to have received any other dowry from her spouse; it was not fitting for the heavenly bridegroom to give any other dowry to his spouse than that through the grace of adoption she could beget many sons for God, and enroll sons of wrath and sons of gehenna as heirs of the heavenly kingdom. Therefore, when Zebulun was born, his mother Leah rightly cries out: God has endowed me with a good dowry ⁶.”

From these things it is understood that through Zebulun zeal for souls is described, of which there are ten properties. The first is that it hates sin. The second, that it placates God most greatly. The third, that by not sparing it spares more. The fourth, that nothing pleases God more. The fifth, that it is readier to endure evils than to inflict them. The sixth, that it gently receives the penitent. The seventh, that it watches against persecutors and makes manifest ambushes. The eighth, that a human being cannot receive a greater gift. The ninth, that it is the dowry which the heavenly bridegroom gives to his bride. The tenth, that it generates sons of God.

Therefore these are the properties of zeal, in which the blessing of Zebulun consists. But nobler effects follow upon a nobler substance. Therefore whoever has zeal for souls in the highest degree will consequently have the blessing of Zebulun in the highest degree. But the blessed Virgin had zeal for souls in the highest degree; therefore she had the blessing of Zebulun in the highest degree. The minor is clear through what is posited at the beginning, namely that zeal for souls is generated from the tasting of inward sweetness. But she had that tasting in the highest degree; therefore zeal for souls with its properties was also in the highest degree in the blessed Virgin; therefore she had the blessing of Zebulun in the highest degree.