Spiritual Warfare and Six Other Spiritual Writings by Peter of John Olivi

Chapter I: The Prayer of Thanksgiving

Chapter i: the prayer Of thankSgiving editOr’S intrOduCtiOn Peter of John Olivi has constructed this brief treatise to thank the Lord, to give instruction on the Creed, and to inspire a change of life. As he offers prayers of thanksgiving, Peter of John Olivi treats the mysteries of the faith: creation and re-creation (nn. 1-2), the Old Testament Law and Promises (n. 3), the incarnation (n. 4), Christ’s life, especially his life of poverty (n. 5), the Eucharist (nn. 6-7), Christ’s passion (nn. 8-11), resurrection (n. 12), ascension (n. 13), Pentecost (n. 14). During his thanksgivings about the gifts of these mysteries Peter of John Olivi offers hints on how one might personally assimilate the mystery considered. In nn. 15-20 Peter of John Olivi recounts his own personal thanksgivings and once again invites his fellow pray-ers to use his prayers as a springboard for their own. Peter of John Olivi’s Franciscan roots are evident in these prayers of thanksgiving, as he accentuates Christ’s poverty (n. 5 and 14), his gift of the Eucharist (nn. 6-7) and his passion (nn. 8-11). His own reforming orientation towards the church of his time finds expression especially in n. 14: “Lord, may it please you to restore to your Church your true disciples who are zealous lovers of souls…. May they be filled with a spirit of poverty, a spirit of humility, a spirit of justice and love of souls, and charity since it is obvious that those who are in charge now seem to be more mercenaries than pastors.” PETER OF JOHN OLIVI 10 peter Of JOhn Olivi On the prayer Of thankSgiving: hOW an individual Can render thankS tO gOd fOr giftS reCeived4 1) I thank you, my Lord and God. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning without a beginning, the end without an end. You have created heaven and earth and all things in them. It has pleased you, my Lord and God, to create and form creatures in the image and likeness of your most holy Trinity so that they might participate in your wonderful grace. 2) Above all we renew our thanks to you, Holy Trinity, one God, living and true since it has pleased you to create human beings from such lowly material and to inspirit in them a soul in your image and likeness. We also thank you since it is your pleasure to ordain for human service all that you have created. We further give you thanks because it has pleased you to re-create and restore human beings after their fall. You did not abandon them and punish them forever with the devil. So without your ineffable goodness what are we? 3) I give you thanks, O Lord, because it was your pleasure to give us the Law and remedies, faith and hope. You have given these to your friends, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the patriarchs and prophets. For our sake you have given them certain and dear promises about your Son. You showed 4 See Appendix I in Raoul Manselli, Spirituali e Beghini in Provenza, Istituto storico italiano per il medio evo, studi storici fasc. 31-34 (Rome: Nella sede dell’istituto, 1959), 274-78. The Prayer of Thanksgiving 11 him to them in the spirit and also showed them all the things that were to happen to and be fulfilled about him as well as the tribulations he would suffer for our benefit and protection . 4) I render you thanks, Lord eternal God, for the union of our humanity with your holy divinity. O Lord, what tongues and what hearts could be sufficient to voice thanks for your benefits? I plead with you, Lord, my God, that you not allow my sins to blind me to and make me forgetful of and ungrateful for your many and outstanding gifts. I beg above all that these gifts may shine most brilliantly, like the brightness of dawn, in my soul as I hear about them, think about them, and speak about them. 5) I give you thanks, Lord God, for your holy birth, your virtuous life, and your life of poverty filled with labors and trials. Ah, Lord Jesus Christ, you well considered what great labors and bitter sorrows your life would consist of. Woe to me, a sinner. I am the cause of all...