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Morning Devotion for the Season After Pentecost
August 28, 2023
Augustine of Hippo
The Invitatory
The mercy of the Lord is everlasting: O come, let us adore him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Reading: John 14:5-15
Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’
Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
Augustine of Hippos is recognized as one of the greatest Christian theologians. He played a crucial role in the Donatist and Pelagian controversies , contributing significantly to the doctrine of the Trinity. He was born in North Africa to Monica, his Christian mother and Patricius, his pagan father, who ultimately converted. Despite his attraction to Christ, he indulged in more worldly pursuits. He was a brilliant student, interested in philosophy and language. He became a teacher of rhetoric in Carthage. Attracted to Manichaeism, he moved to Rome where he prospered. As chief professor of rhetoric for Milan, he met Bishop Ambrose. Ambrose influenced him to convert to Christianity. Following his conversion Augustine returned to Africa in 387. He was ordained a priest in 391 and consecrated Bishop of Hippo in 396. He wrote prolifically on the church, sacraments, grace and sin.
Three years seem to me to be a rather short period of time in which to come to know someone, yet the disciples did spend most of their days with Jesus. Perhaps his expectation that they have grasped something of his nature and the way of life that he as God in Jesus Christ was revealing to them was reasonable. Unfortunately, they have not fully grasped this and still believe that it is a way for them, not the way of life of God. As fishermen and tax collectors, perhaps their grasp of metaphors is tenuous. Yet, given the nature of God, how could God be made more “concrete,” if you will, for them?
To add to their confusion the way of life that Jesus has lived in their presence is one that necessarily leads closer and closer to death. His words and actions testify to the truth of God. Phillip persists in misunderstanding what Jesus is revealing.This, too, will escape the rest of the disciples for a while, for they continue to rely on themselves to “understand,” rather than recognizing that what they want and/or need will be revealed and given to them. It is time for them to step back, to wait attentively, patiently, yet expectantly of something….divine, a precious gift
Augustine was of the mind that divine nature was joined with human nature - that included suffering. This expressed the totality of God’s essence. Augustine developed an interesting perspective that considered that human sins, the cheap imitations of divine characteristics, were ultimately perfected and expressed truly in God. For example, ambition pursues honor, but only God is to be honored. Philanthropy suggests generosity, but God is the most generous giver of all. All these attributes are perfected in God in Jesus Christ.
Biblical texts and human nature offer a variety of points of view, often contradictory. There is wisdom in the accumulation and juxtaposition of biblical narratives. They invite reinterpretation and re-engagement. Forgiveness involves striving — to find new meanings inside older ones, to uncover what we have overlooked, to revise inadequate conceptions.
When faced with the magnitude of God, we can articulate only what we know, which is limited and elementary — the rest is silent astonishment.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
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