It was also necessary to deduct often from the quotations borrowed from the holy Fathers for more brevity and clarity; as also, for the intelligence of the text, I sometimes had to change the order of the sentences. Sometimes I left the text to give only meaning, especially in the homilies of St. Chrysostom, whose translation is defective. The aim I have set for myself in this work has been not only to seek the literal meaning, but also to expose the mystical sense, to destroy the path of making errors, and to add new evidence to Catholic truth; which seemed to me indispensable, because it is especially in the Gospel that we find the form, the perfection of the Catholic faith, and the rule of the whole Christian life. May this work seem too long to anyone. It has been impossible for me to pursue such an extensive plan without abbreviating much, having to quote so many holy teachers, which I have tried to do with the utmost brevity. May your holiness deign to accept this work, of which I submit the examination and correction to your judgment. This work is the fruit of our solicitude and my obedience; it was you who imposed it on me, it is up to you to judge it in the end. The rivers return to the place from which they came out (Si 1,7).

   - St. Thomas Aquinas