SAINT AUGUSTINE
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SAINT AUGUSTINE |
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OF HIPPO, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
( 354 - 430 )
The saint, who described himself publicly as a great sinner in his “Confessions”, was bishop Augustine, one of the greatest fathers of the Church, who shaped theology, from the fifth century on. He was born, Aurelius Augustine in Algeria, in 354. His father was a pagan, but his mother was a devout Christian. She was Saint Monica, who converted her pagan husband later, and by her care and tears saved Augustine, the prodigal son. She delayed his baptism until his penitence.
Augustine grew less interested in religion, and more interested in flesh desires. From intrusion, stealing the pears from neighboring gardens, to immerse in sex with typical friends, he ran his life in the fast lane. He took a concubine at age seventeen, after his formal education in law and rhetoric in Carthage, and had a son, named Adeodatus, to mean ‘given by God’. After about two years he started reading Cicero, and became interested in philosophy of ‘Plato’. He taught rhetoric for a short time in his hometown ‘Tagaste’, and then he moved back to Carthage in 376, to run his own school. He joined the ‘Manichees’, a strict religious sect, but he continued his restlessness.
St. Monica, his mother, reached her peak of worry, care, and despair when her beloved son Augustine, moved to Milan, a big city with its worldly attraction, where he was appointed a professor of rhetoric. But, she followed him with her prayers and tears, to find him moved to Rome, and then again back to Milan. She attempted to arrange a good marriage for him, but he refused. While she was in constant prayers and tears, he was on the other hand groaning in lamentations: “And Thou, O Lord, how long? How long? Is it to be tomorrow and tomorrow? Why not this very hour put an end to shame?”
At Milan, Augustine fell under the influence of Ambrose, who used also to comfort Monica saying that the tears of such a mother will not go in vain. Then, it was while walking in a garden, Augustine suddenly heard a child’s voice singing, “Take up and read”. He found on a table a collection of Paul’s epistles. He picked it up and read: “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissention and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” He rose up, wiped his tears, remembering that St. Anthony was converted by hearing a particular verse of the Gospel he heard in the church, as narrated by St. Athanasius, his biographer. By the grace of God, he was enlightened, and all the darkness in his life and confusion were gone. He ran with joy to his friend ‘Alipius’, who accompanied him to bring the good news to Monica, who rejoiced and praised the Lord. This was in 386, when Augustine was thirty-two.
In the "Confession", the reader will find Augustine's own touching words. "Too late have I loved Thee, O beauty ever ancient, ever new. Too late have I loved Thee. For behold Thou wert within, and I without, and there did I seek Thee. I, unlovely, rushed heedlessly among the things of beauty which thou madest." (Bk. 10, 27, 38).
Happy with his conversion, he told Ambrose, who baptized him. Then he resigned his teaching job, and retreated with his mother and friends to Thagaste to start a new life of prayer and study of the Scriptures. After his mother, and son died, he traveled in 391 to Hippo where he started preaching, and then ordained a priest. As a new creation in Christ he said “ Too late”, he prayed, “ have I loved thee.”, as quoted before in red.
Within five years Valerius, bishop of Hippo died, and Augustine became bishop of Hippo. While guarding the church from internal and external turmoil, and defending Christianity against heresy, he was able to write his famous “Confessions” and “The City of God”. His valued sermons, and other writings have proved more influential in heritor of Christianity, second only to Apostle Paul. He remained the bishop of Hippo for the rest of his life until he died in 430, at the age of 76. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1298 along with Ambrose, Jerome, and Gregory the Great.
Among his enduring sayings: “Do not try to understand in order to believe, but believe in on order to understand”. To his people he said: “ I do not wish to be saved without you. What shall I desire? ……? Only to live in Jesus Christ: but to live in him with you. This is my passion, my honor, my glory, my joy and my riches”. And, “ Many whom God has, the church does not have; and many whom the church has, God does not have.” (On Baptism)
Christ is the Word of Life Made Visible,
Feast of Saint John the Evangelist, December 27-The Third Day of Christmas
"Our message is the Word of life. We announce what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have touched with our own hands. Who could touch the Word with his hands unless the Word was made flesh and lived among us?
Now this Word, whose flesh was so real that he could be touched by human hands, began to be flesh in the Virgin Mary’s womb; but he did not begin to exist at that moment. We know this from what John says: What existed from the beginning. Notice how John’s letter bears witness to his Gospel, which you just heard a moment ago: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.
Someone might interpret the phrase the Word of life to mean a word about Christ, rather than Christ’s body itself which was touched by human hands. But consider what comes next: and life itself was revealed. Christ therefore is himself the Word of life.
And how was this life revealed? It existed from the beginning, but was not revealed to men, only to angels, who looked upon it and feasted upon it as their own spiritual bread. But what does Scripture say? Mankind ate the bread of angels.
Life itself was therefore revealed in the flesh. In this way what was visible to the heart alone could become visible also to the eye, and so heal men’s hearts. For the Word is visible to the heart alone, while flesh is visible to bodily eyes as well. We already possessed the means to see the flesh, but we had no means of seeing the Word. The Word was made flesh so that we could see it, to heal the part of us by which we could see the Word.
John continues: And we are witnesses and we proclaim to you that eternal life which was with the Father and has been revealed among us – one might say more simply “revealed to us”.
We proclaim to you what we have heard and seen. Make sure that you grasp the meaning of these words. The disciples saw our Lord in the flesh, face to face; they heard the words he spoke, and in turn they proclaimed the message to us. So we also have heard, although we have not seen.
Are we then less favored than those who both saw and heard? If that were so, why should John add: so that you too may have fellowship with us? They saw, and we have not seen; yet we have fellowship with them, because we and they share the same faith.
And our fellowship is with God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son. And we write this to you to make your joy complete – complete in that fellowship, in that love and in that unity."
Early Church Fathers, From Crossroads Initiative.From the City of God:
"So it is that two cities have been made by two loves: the earthly city by love of self to the exclusion of God, the heavenly by love of God to the exclusion of self. The one boasts in itself, the other in the Lord. The one seeks glory from men, the other finds its greatest glory in God's witness to its conscience. The one holds its head high in its own glory, the other calls its God "my glory who raises high my head"...Thus the one has men wise by human standards, who have made the good things of the body, of mind, or both their ultimate aim; even those of them who have been able to come to some knowledge of God did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they faded away in their own thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened, calling themselves wise, that is being eaten with pride and preening themselves on their wisdom, "they became foolish and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of corruptible man, and of birds and beasts, and creeping things," in that they either led or followed the populace in the worship of such idols; and they worshipped and served the creature instead of the Creator," who is blessed forever. ( City of God, 14, 28 ).
The Eucharist - The Holy Communion:
St. Augustine saw the Eucharistic bread and wine as it lay on the alter as the real Body and Blood of Christ. He called for external adoration to the consecrated elements already been transformed from the bread and wine. Believers should act as if they were in the presence of Christ as he walked on earth. He said:
"He took earth from earth, because flesh is from the earth, and he took Flesh of the flesh of Mary. He walked on earth in that same Flesh, and gave that same Flesh to us to be eaten for our salvation. Moreover no one eats that Flesh unless he has first adored it...and we sin by not adoring.
Who is the Bread of heaven except Christ? But in order that man might eat that bread of angels, the Lord of the angels became a man. If this had not happened, we would not have his Flesh: If we did not have his Flesh, we would not eat the bread of the alter."
Pertaining to what the reformers lost and what martyrs gave, St. Augustine sums this up in the following powerful sermon (# 329):
On the Cross, the Lord effected a great exchange; there the purse contained the price of our redemption was opened. When his side was opened by the lance of the soldier, there flowed forth from it the price that redeemed the whole world. The faithful and the martyrs were bought by it, and the faith of the martyrs has been tested. Their blood is witness. They have given back what was paid for them, and fulfilled what St. John said, "As Christ laid down his life for us, so should we lay down our lives for the brethren." It is said elsewhere, "You have sat down at a great table. Diligently consider what is set before you because it is necessary for you to prepare the same thing." The great table is that at which the Lord of the table is himself the food. Now no one feeds the guests with his very self, but that is what the Lord Christ does. He is the One who invites, and he is food and drink. Therefore the martyrs recognized what they ate and drank so that they might give back the same. viz. [their own lives].
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Saint Augustine
(354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
De Trinitate, VIII, 12 ; PL 42, 958B-959A
"This
is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it"
(Matt 22:38-39)
“Beloved, let us
love one another because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten of God and has knowledge of God. The man without love has known nothing of God, for God is love.” (1 Jn 4:7-8) In this text, the apostle John with his great authority shows clearly that fraternal love not only comes from God, but that this fraternal love, which causes us to love one another, is God himself.V V V
“The man got up and became his follower.”
"Late did I love you, o ancient and new Beauty; late did I love you. You were
within me, while I was outside of myself. I sought you outside; I flung myself
disgracefully onto the beautiful things of creation. You were with me, and I was
not with you. Those things that would not exist if they were not in you, held me
back, far away from you. You called, and your cry forced itself upon my
deafness. You shone, and your brilliance chased away my blindness. You gave
forth your perfume, I breathed it, and behold, now I long for you. I tasted you,
and I am hungry for you, I thirst for you. You touched me, and I have burned
with desire for the peace that you give.
When I am united with you with my whole being, I shall no longer feel pain or
fatigue. My life, utterly filled with you, will then be true life. You make
lighter the person whom you fill. Now, since I am not yet filled with you, I
weigh upon myself… Lord, have mercy on me! My bad sorrows fight with my good
joys. Will I come out of this battle victorious? Have mercy on me, Lord! Poor
being that I am! Here are my wounds. I do not hide them from you. You are the
doctor, I am ill. You are merciful, and I am wretched." Confessions X, 27
V V V
“We are going up to Jerusalem now.”
“It is vain for you to rise early.” (Ps 127:2 – LXX Ps 126:2)
What does that mean? … Christ, our Day, has risen. It is good for you to rise
after Christ and not before him. Who are those who rise before Christ? … Those
who want to be raised up here below, where he was humble. So may they be
humble in this world, if they want to be raised up where Christ is raised up.
For he said of those who adhered to him by faith – and we are among them:
“Father, all those you gave me I would have in my company where I am.” (Jn
17:24) A magnificent gift, a great grace, a glorious promise… Do you want to
be where he is raised up? Be humble where he was humble.
“No pupil outranks his teacher.” (Mt 10:24)… And yet, before undergoing
humiliation in conformity with the Lord’s Passion, the sons of Zebedee had
already chosen their places, one at his right side, the other at his left.
They wanted to “rise early”. That is why they were walking in vain. The Lord
called them back to humility by asking them: “Can you drink the chalice that I
must drink? I came to be humble, and you want to be raised up before me?
Follow me on the path where I am going, he said. For if you want to go by a
path where I am not going, it is in vain
V V V
Saint Augustine (354 – 430), Sermon 235
“Stay with us”
Brothers, when did the Lord let himself be recognized? When he
broke the bread. So we ourselves are assured: when we break the bread, we
recognize the Lord. If he only wanted to be recognized at that moment, that is
for us – for us who would not be seeing him in the flesh but who would be eating
his flesh. So you who believe in him, whoever you might be, you who do not bear
the name of Christian in vain, you who do not enter a church by chance, you who
listen to the word of God with fear and hope, for you the breaking of bread will
be a consolation. The Lord’s absence is not a real absence. Have faith, and he
will be with you, even though you do not see him.
When the Lord approached them, the disciples did not have faith. They did not
believe in his resurrection; they did not even hope that he might rise. They had
lost faith; they had lost hope. They were dead people walking with someone
alive; being dead, they walked with life. Life walked with them, but in their
heart, life had not yet been renewed.
And you, do you desire life? Imitate the disciples, and you will recognize the
Lord. They offered him hospitality. The Lord seemed to have decided to continue
on his way, but they held him back… You too, hold back the stranger if you want
to recognize your Lord… Learn where to seek the Lord, where to possess him,
where to recognize him: in sharing bread with him
“Whoever enters through me will be safe.”
“My solemn word is this: I am the sheep
gate.” Jesus just opened the gate that he had shown us to be closed. He
himself is that gate. Let us recognize him, let us enter and rejoice to have
entered.
“All who came before me were thieves and marauders.” We must understand:
“Those who came outside of me.” The prophets came before he arrived; were
they thieves and marauders? Not at all, for they did not come outside of
Christ; they were with him. He had sent them as messengers before him, and
he held in his hands the heart of these people whom he had sent… He said: “I
am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (Jn 14:6) If he is the truth,
those who were in the truth were with him. Those who, on the contrary, came
outside of him, are thieves and marauders, for they came only to plunder and
kill. Jesus said: “The sheep did not heed them.”…
But the righteous believed that he would come, just as we believe that he
has already come. Times have changed, faith is the same… One single faith
unites those who believed that he would come and those who believe that he
has come. We all see him at different times coming in by the same gate of
faith, that is to say, through Christ… Yes, all who believed in the past, at
the time of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, or of Moses or the other patriarchs
and prophets, who all announced Christ, were already his sheep. They heard
Christ himself through them; they did not hear a strange voice, but his own.
في 13 نوفمبر 354م بمدينة تاجست من أعمال نوميديا بأفريقيا الشمالية وُلد أغسطينوس، وكان والده باتريكبوس وثنيًا فظ الأخلاق، أما والدته مونيكا فكانت مسيحية تحتمل شرور زوجها وحماتها بصبر عجيب، وبطول أناتها كسبت الاثنين حتى أن رجلها قبل الإيمان واعتمد قبيل نياحته.
كان كل هم والده أن يرى ابنه رجلاً غنيًا ومثقفًا، وكان معلموه الوثنيين لا يهتمون بسلوك التلاميذ، فنشأ أغسطينوس مستهترًا في حياته ميالاً للكسل.
إذ بلغ السادسة عشرة من عمره أرسله أبوه إلى قرطاجنة ليتمهر في البيان، هناك التقى بأصدقاء أشرار، وصار قائدًا لهم يفتخر بالشر، فتحولت حياته إلى المسارح والفساد. أما عن دراسته فقد عكف على دراسة الفقه والقوانين مشتاقًا أن يرتقي إلى المحاماة والقضاء، وقد تضلع في اللاتينية حتى افتتح مدرسة لتعليم البيان وهو في التاسعة عشرة من عمره.
أعجب أغسطينوس بمذهب شيشرون، فقرأ كتابه "هورطانسيوس" الذي أثار فيه الشوق إلى العفة والبحث عن الحق. قرأ الكتاب المقدس لكن ليس بروح الإيمان والتواضع وإنما في كبرياء، فأغلق على نفسه وسقط في "المانوية".
إذ رأت مونيكا ابنها قد انحرف سلوكيًا وعقيديًا، وصار عثرة لكثيرين طردته من بيتها، لكن بمحبتها ردته ثانية، وكانت دموعها لا تجف طالبة خلاص نفسه.
رأت القديسة مونيكا في حلم أنها واقفة على قطعة خشبية (ترمز للإيمان) والكآبة تشملها، وإذ بفتي يلمع بهاؤه أمامها ويشع الفرح من محياه ينظر إليها ويسألها عن سبب حزنها، وإذ أجابت، قال لها: "تعزي ولا تخافي، فها ولدك هنا وهو معك". التفتت مونيكا لتجد ابنها واقف معها على الخشبة. فتأكدت أن اللَّه استجاب طلبتها.
في عام 382م أوعز إليه أصدقاءه بالسفر إلى روما لينال مجدًا وغني أعظم، فحاولت والدته صده وإذ لم تفلح عزمت على السفر معه. احتال عليها بقوله إنه ذاهب ليودع صديقًا له على السفينة، فسافر تاركًا إيّاها غارقة في دموعها.
أرسل حاكم ميلان إلى حاكم روما يطلب أستاذًا في البيان، فبعث إليه أغسطينوس، وقد دبرت له العناية الإلهية الالتقاء بالقديس أمبروسيوس أسقف ميلان، الذي شمله بحبه وحنانه فأحبه القديس أغسطينوس وأعجب بعظاته، وكان مداومًا على سماعها لما فيها ن قوة البيان دون اهتمام بالغذاء الروح الدسم.
سمع من القديس أمبروسيوس تفاسيره الروحية للعهد القديم الذي كان المانيّون يتجاهلونه، كما سمعه في رده على أتباع ماني وغيرهم من الهراطقة، فبدأ نور الحق ينكشف أمامه. هنا أدرك أغسطينوس ما للكنيسة من علامات أنها من اللَّه: فيها تتحقق نبوات العهد القديم، وفيها يتجلى الجمال الروحي، وتظهر المعجزات، وأخيرًا انتشارها بالرغم مما تعانيه من ضيق.
أبحرت مونيكا إلى ميلان ليلتقي بها ابنها ويبشرها بترك المانوية، لكن دون قبوله الإيمان الحق، إذ كان منهمكًا في الشهوات، حاسبًا حفظ العفة أمرًا مستحيلاً.
بدأ أغسطينوس يقرأ بعض كتب أفلاطون التي نقلت عن اليونانية بواسطة فيكتريانوس، التي انتفع بها ولم تقده إلى الإيمان.
عاد يقرأ الكتاب المقدس خاصة رسائل معلمنا بولس الرسول فأعجب بها، خاصة في ربطها العهد القديم بالعهد الجديد...
دبرت العناية الإلهية أن يزور سمبليانس حيث بدأ يخبره عن قراءته في كتب الفلسفة الأفلاطونية التي عنيَ بنشرها فيكتريانوس، فأظهر سمبليانس سروره بذلك، ثم عرف أغسطينوس أنه اعتناق فيكتريانوس للإيمان المسيحي بروح تقوي، فشبت فيه الغيرة للاقتداء به، لكنه كان لا يزال أسير العادات الشريرة.
زاره مؤمن حقيقي من كبار رجال الدولة يدعى بنسيانس، فوجده مع صديقه أليبوس وبجوارهما بعض رسائل معلمنا بولس الرسول، فظنها أحد الكتب الفلسفية، لكن أغسطينوس أخبره بأن له زمانًا لا يشغله سوى مطالعة هذه الأسفار، فدار الحديث بينهما حتى تطرق بنسيانس لسيرة أنبا أنطونيوس وكيف تأثر بها اثنان من أشراف البلاط فتركا كل شيء ليسيرا على منواله... وهنا التهب قلب أغسطينوس بالغيرة، كيف يغتصب البسطاء الأميّون الملكوت، ويبقى هو رغم علمه يتمرغ في الرجاسات. وإذ مضى بنسيانوس، قام أغسطينوس إلى البستان المجاور لمنزله وارتمى على جذع شجرة تين، وتمثلت أمامه كل شروره، فصار يصرخ: "عاصفة شديدة... دافع عني... وأنت فحتى متى؟ إلى متى يارب؟ أتغضب إلى الأبد؟ لا تذكر علينا ذنوب الأولين. فإنني أشعر بأنني قد اُستعبدت لها. إلى متى؟ إلى متى؟ أإلى الغد؟ ولما لا يكون الآن؟! لما لا تكن هذه الساعة حدًا فاصلاً لنجاستي؟" وبكى بمرارة...
كان ذلك في عام 386م، بالغًا من العمر 32 عامًا حين تغيرت حياته وتجددت بنعمة اللَّه، فتحولت القوة المحترقة شرًا إلى قوة ملتهبة حبًا...
عاد أغسطينوس إلى أليبوس ليذهبا إلى مونيكا يبشرانها أن صلواتها التي دامت قرابة 30 عامًا قد استجيبت، ونبوة القديس أمبروسيوس قد تحققت، هذا الذي سبق فرآها تبكي فقال لها: "ثقي يا امرأة أنه من المستحيل أن يهلك ابن هذه الدموع".
عزم أغسطينوس بنعمة اللَّه على ترك تدريس البيان وتكريس حياته للتأمل في كلمة اللَّه والخدمة، فاعتزل ومعه والدته وصديقه أليبوس وابنه أدياتس (غير الشرعي) وبعض أبناء عمه وأصدقاءه في كاسيكاسيوم Cassiciacum، بجوار ميلان حيث أقام ستة شهور يتأهب لنوال سرّ العماد، وفي ابتداء صوم الأربعين عام 387م ذهب إلى ميلان واعتمد على يدي الأسقف أمبروسيوس.
سافر القديس أغسطينوس مع ابنه ووالدته وأخيه وأليبوس إلى أوستيا منتظرين السفينة للعودة إلى وطنهم... وكانت الأم تتحدث مع أغسطينوس معلنة بأن رسالتها قد تحققت برؤيتها له كخادم أمين للرب.
بعد خمسة ايام مرضت مونيكا بحمى شديدة، وإذ أُغمى عليها وأفاقت قالت لابنيها: "أين كنت أنا؟... هنا تدفنان والدتكم"... قالت هذا ثم سلمت روحها في يدي اللَّه.
بعد نياحة القديسة مونيكا قرروا العودة إلى روما، حيث جاهد أغسطينوس هناك انطلق إلى أفريقيا حيث ذهب إلى قرطاجنة ثم إلى تاجست، فوزع كل ممتلكاته واختلى للعبادة والتأمل في كلمة اللَّه ثلاث سنوات، ووضع كتبًا كثيرة.
إذ كان أغسطينوس يزور رجل شريف بمدينة هيبو (تدعى حاليًا إيبونا من أعمال نوميديا) سامه الأسقف كاهنًا بالرغم من محاولته رفض السيامة بدموع... بل وجعله يعظ أكثر أيام الأسبوع. سكن في البستان ملك الكنيسة وجعله ديرًا حيث امتلأ بالرهبان الأتقياء، كما أنشأ ديرًا للراهبات تحت تدبير أخته.
أقيم أسقفًا مساعدًا لفاليروس عام 395م، الأمر الذي أفرح قلوب المؤمنين، وإن كان الهراطقة قد حزنوا وأثاروا شغبًا ضد الشعب وحاولوا قتله.
امتاز هذا الأسقف القديس بحبه الشديد للفقراء حتى كان يبيع أحيانًا ما للكنيسة ويوزعه على الفقراء ويحرر به المسجونين. واهتم بدحض أصحاب البدع. وحضر مجمع بأمر الملك أونريوس عام 421م ضم 275 أسقفًا مؤمنًا و279 من الدوناتيين... فقام يجادلهم ويردهم إلى الإيمان المستقيم.
إذ بلغ من العمر 72 عامًا استعان بأحد الكهنة في تدبير أمور الكنيسة راغبًا أن يكون خليفته، وبقى 4 أعوام يستعد للرحيل، وفي عام 430م تنيح وهو في سن السادسة والسبعين... وكانت دموعه لا تتوقف.
بلغت حوالي 232 كتابًا، منها كتبه التاريخية مثل "اعترافه" و"الاستدراكات"، ومقالاته الفلسفية مثل "الرد على الأكاديميين" و"الحياة السعيدة"، "خلود النفس"، "في الموسيقى"... وأيضًا أعماله الجدلية ضد اليهود والوثنيين، وضد أتباع ماني وضد الدوناتيين وضد البيلاجيين وضد الأوريجانيين، كما قدم كتبًا في تفسير التكوين والمزامير والرسالة الأولى ليوحنا، والموعظة على الجبل، وعن اتفاق الإنجيليين، وتعليقات على الرسالة إلى أعل غلاطية والرسالة إلى أهل رومية وإنجيل يوحنا. كما كتب كُتب في النسكيات والأخلاقيات...
القمص تادرس يعقوب ملطي: الموعظة على الجبل.
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