Pius Library
I spent the last few days before the ordination/first Mass tour at Saint Louis University’s Pius XII Memorial Library. It’s a fantastic resource, and I honestly don’t know whether I can go back to doing research at Kenrick. It was so nice to be able to get to up-to-date patristic collections like Corpus Christianorum (Kenrick has only a handful of volumes), CSEL, etc. Even the Patrologia Latina at Kenrick is under lock and key in the rare book room1.
I found some good references that I can use, but I definitely need to go back many times before this is all over.
Here are a few of over a hundred references that I found which I may be able to use:
From an uncertain author. De salutaribus documentis. PL 40:
Pasce, quaeso, animam tuam spiritualibus cibis, id est, fide, spe, charitate, et reliquis virtutibus per quas intelligas Deum amare, et ejus praecepta servare: ut cum extrema dies tibi venerit, Angeli pacis te suscipiant, et de potestate diaboli eripiant, et merearis sanctorum consortio in beata requie perfrui, et vitam aeternam cum omnibus sanctis possidere.
My translation:
Feed, I ask, your soul with spiritual food, that is, with faith, hope, charity, and the rest of the virtues through which you may learn to love God, and to keep his precepts: so that when that last day comes to you, the Angels of peace might receive you, and snatch you from the power of the devil, and you might merit to enjoy the company of the saints in blessed peace and to enjoy eternal life with all the saints.
And, from St. Hilary’s Tract on the Psalms. PL 9:
Nec non et Eliseus absolutissime docuit, humanas infirmitates angelorum auxiliis defendi, et in omnibus periculis, si fides maneat in nobis, adesse spiritalium virtutum defensionem.
My translation:
And also Elisha has absolutely taught that human weaknesses are defended by the aid of angels, and in all dangers, if faith remains in us, the defense of spiritual powers is present.
And again:
Quemadmodum enim haec faciant Angeli, vel potius Deus quemadmodum haec faciat per Angelos suos, et quantum fieri velit etiam per angelos malos
My translation:
For just as the Angels should do these things, or rather just as God does these things through his Angels, and wills as much to be done even through bad angels,
These are just few samples, not even the best ones. Now I need to sit down and sort through all this information.
1 To be fair, it is over a hundred years old and kind of a fragile set of books.