154. Love faith. For by his devotion
and faith Josiah 2 [4] Kings
xxiii. 21 ff. won great love for
himself from his enemies. For he celebrated the Lord’s
passover when he was eighteen years old, as no one had done it before
him. As then in zeal he was superior to those who went before
him, so do ye, my sons, show zeal for God. Let zeal for God
search you through, and devour you, so that each one of you may
say: “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
” Ps. lxix.
[lxviii.] 9. An apostle of Christ was called the
zealot. S. Luke vi. 15. But why do I speak of an
apostle? The Lord Himself said: “The zeal of thine
house hath eaten Me up.” S. John ii. 17. St. John, however, only
says: “The disciples remembered that it was
written.” Let it then
be real zeal for God, not mean earthy zeal, for that causes
jealousy.