Sermon 360C

Sermon 360/C

Sermon of Saint Augustine
"About those who complain that they are being forced into unity."
Against the Party of Donatus

Bear ye one another's burdens.

For nothing is sweeter than the unity of brothers, but nothing is more dangerous than the discord of peoples. Indeed, by the sound of our tongue, flesh and charity seem to be close: they are close by the sound of the tongue. For what sounds closer than flesh and charity? Nevertheless, they are very far apart from each other, especially in this time. How distant these two things that sound alike are, is clear to you, since indeed, where there is charity, the heart expands, and the flesh contracts. But because our charity also toils in the flesh, and you have not yet received the vast fields of divinity as long as the bond of weakness still holds, nevertheless, dearest ones, consider how broad the spaces of these buildings have become! Do you think those far away find it harder to hear? The journey of our voice is your quiet. See how quickly they hear, even what is not said with a loud voice! Therefore, help each other, and as it is written, bear one another's burdens, so that you may together receive what is given to all.

Why Augustine came later than he had planned.

We see after a long and enduring desire your love physically present; in spirit, neither you have ever departed from us, nor we from you. When we hold "up the heart," there you dwell with us, where no one oppresses themselves. Yet, we ask for forgiveness, brothers, if perhaps we seem to have come to you later than both we would have wanted and you. Great necessities held us in the summertime, and those necessities were certainly not unknown to you. For we have also been aided by your prayers, so that what were necessities turn into pleasures. In the city of Hippo where I serve my children, your brothers, we labored for a long time and finally saw unity. Again and again, help us with your vows and prayers, so that the Lord may confirm what he has worked in us. Now, however, although we were still doing these things there, and in the region of Hippo the people now began to be converted, unity is delayed as much as rusticity understands with difficulty. Now therefore we were not led, but were seized by your desire, to come again to those desired. Therefore accept the petition for forgiveness concerning the tardiness. For at that time my venerable brother and colleague, Maximinus, was converted to the catholic faith. Thus then in the catholic faith his newness, through which he crushed the hard reigns of oldness, could certainly not be deserted by me nor was it proper, nor was it suitable for him immediately to depart from there. When therefore the Lord deemed it opportune, He allowed us both to come. Therefore, I think you will easily forgive my tardiness, because afterward I came with him for whom I did not come at first.

Christ is our bread and peace.

Now therefore, beloved, receive what is now at hand. We have heard your desires though absent, and you have heard our fervors though absent. You love unity, you cherish peace, you guard peace, you hunger for peace. We approve and rejoice in the healing of your palate, by which you taste how sweet the Lord is. For good bread is good for the healthy. However, the sick person, though he can praise the bread seen as good, cannot eat what is offered. For who is our bread, if not He who said: I am the living bread that came down from heaven? Is it possible that there is bread, but no peace? Let us also prove that peace exists. For we have proven that there is bread by His most manifest testimony: I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Let the Apostle also say: For He Himself is our peace. Therefore, He who says: I am the living bread that came down from heaven, it is said of Him: He Himself is our peace. We therefore have the bread of peace, but let us eat if we are healthy.

Christ is the way to salvation.

You have heard the bread itself speaking, just now from the Gospel. The disciples were seeking the first and highest place, and there was a contention of honor among the children of charity. They were asking who among them was the greatest. Weakness was seeking the higher place, which certainly charity holds. They did not yet know by what way they should go, although they understood to what end they were going. Through humility one comes to loftiness. Christ is the way. He is that bread, He is that peace, He is also the way. Ask from Him where you wish to go, He answers: "To me." Ask by what way you wish to go, He answers: "By me." And He remained where we might go, and He came by the way we might go. Therefore, dearest ones, children of peace, children of light, children of charity, offspring of the catholic faith, if we are strong, let us serve the weak; if we are healthy, let us serve the sick. Our Lord served. Consider that the Lord serves; a sick servant is one to whom the Lord serves. Behold, let us praise our bread, with whatever strength we can. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity. Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

It is good for brothers to dwell together in unity.

It is indeed good, brothers, to live together in unity. All agree that it is good; not all grasp how pleasant it is. Ask anyone, even if he is still a heretic or already shows a defiant front, hiding his mind; ask, inquire of someone disdainful, refusing, rejecting the hands of a servant and pushing away the food he wants to eat in sickness; nevertheless, hold him, ask him: "Is unity good?" If he can, let him say: "It is evil." Absolutely not hesitating, I ask: "Is unity good?" He answers: "It is good." Whether he wants to or not, he answers this: "Unity is good." Are you silent? Even if you are silent, surely you are silent because you cannot say: "It is not good." Iniquity does not allow you to say it is good, but truth does not allow you to deny it is good. However, I insist to extract a voice, I will not cease, I will not retreat, you will not be relieved of me unless you say something. Finally, I have found your ears; if I do not hold you by your free will, I hold you out of fear. Speak, answer me. What I ask is easy, the question is brief. Is unity good? What will he do? By no means will he say: "It is not good." Therefore, to be rid of me, he will say: "It is good." And I reply: What you praise, if it is a possession, hold it with me; if it is a garment, wear it with me; if it is bread, eat it with me. "It is good," he says, "I do not deny it, but because I am forced into it, therefore I do not want it." Therefore, it is good, but why, if you are forced into it, do you not want the good: as if I would be troublesome in forcing, if you were eager in seeking. If it is good and you do not want it, therefore I compel you. For what you confess as good, you do not refuse out of verity, but out of weakness. I serve the weak: you are sick, I am your servant. I offer food, take the nourishment you praise. Perhaps, as sick people often refuse the food placed before them, do you find fault with how it is cooked? None of this can you say about the food I offer. Christ is the bread, Christ is the peace. This food was formed in the womb of virginity, cooked in the fire of passion. Take, brother; receive, brother, receive something lest you die. You certainly praise unity. Your weakness is against me, not your judgment. I offer food, not only to strengthen the sick, but also to sustain the sick. I am troublesome when I insist, but impious if I withhold. "Behold," he says, "I receive."

"God is Father and the Church is Mother."

What kind of illnesses do we suffer, brothers? "Behold," he says, "I receive." Some have come, distressed by the troubles of those serving, exhibiting the care of parents although troublesome, but nevertheless showing maternal affection. What do I say of parents, brothers? I do not speak of myself, nor of any human being. Our parents, feeding the healthy, restoring the sick, are God the Father and Mother Church. This pious mother, therefore, giving birth to her children both conceived and in danger, has not spurned the illness of her own; even if troublesome, even if importunate, she has come to those lying down; she has fed those refusing food. They hate the one restoring them, they more fear experiencing the one mourning. She restores the sick, she mourns the dead. Let her be troublesome in this ...