30. But the Lord prayed and besought not for Himself—for why should He who was guiltless pray on His own behalf?—but for our sins, as He Himself declared, when He said to Peter, “Behold, Satan hath desired that he might sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.”82 Luke xxii. 31. And subsequently He beseeches the Father for all, saying, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us.”83 John xvii. 20. The Lord’s loving-kindness, no less than His mercy, is great in respect of our salvation, in that, not content to redeem us with His blood, He in addition also prayed for us. Behold now what was the desire of His petition, that like as the Father and Son are one, so also we should abide in absolute unity; so that from this it may be understood how greatly he sins who divides unity and peace, since for this same thing even the Lord besought, desirous doubtless that His people should thus be saved and live in peace, since He knew that discord cannot come into the kingdom of God.84 [Unity again enforced.]
XXX. Orabat autem Dominus et rogabat, non pro se, quid enim pro se innocens precaretur? sed pro delictis nostris, sicut et ipse declarat, cum dicit ad Petrum: Ecce Satanas postulavit ut vos vexaret 0539A quomodo triticum. Ego autem rogavi pro te, ne deficiat fides tua (Luc. XXII, 31, 32). Et postmodum pro omnibus Patrem deprecatur dicens: Non pro his autem rogo solis, sed et pro illis qui credituri sunt per verbum ipsorum in me, ut omnes unum sint, sicut tu Pater, in me et ego in te, ut et ipsi in nobis unum sint (Joan. XVII, 20). Magna Domini propter salutem nostram benignitas pariter et pietas, ut non contentus quod nos sanguine suo redimeret, adhuc pro nobis amplius et rogaret. Rogantis autem desiderium videte quod fuerit, ut, quomodo unum sunt pater et filius, sic et nos in ipsa unitate maneamus. Ut hinc quoque possit intelligi quantum delinquat qui unitatem scindit et pacem, cum pro hoc et rogaverit Dominus, volens scilicet sic plebem suam salvam fieri et in pace vivere , cum sciret ad regnum 0539B Dei discordiam non venire.