Inquiring After God when Meditating on Scripture
Homilies on the First Epistle of John
St Augustine
JDL Summary
Charity is the root from which the lives of Christians
should grow. God is love and if
believers do not love then they sin against God and others. The love of an enemy is for the ultimate
purpose in moving that person from an enemy to a brother. God does not see people for what they are. Instead, God sees them for what they can and
should be. Go and do likewise
Homilies on the First Epistle of John
Introduction
- sermon
introduction – sets the scene using a fire analogy
- oil on
the flame – increase the flame / further nourish what is already there
- flame
to firewood – if not already burning, the touch of the word may kindle it
Seventh Homily (on 1 John 4:4-12)
- violation
of charity deny Jesus’ coming in the flesh
- overcoming
is not a result of man’s efforts which leads to pride but due to the one
in you who overcomes which leads to humility (proper recognition of the
agent)
- world
speaks of revenge
- Jesus
– had the power but used no threatenings, why should you?
- person
who responds to God’s word knows God, the one who doesn’t respond does not
know God
- p. 213
– Scripture speaks for itself
- to act
contrary to love is to act contrary to God – God is love
- Actions
- assess
not on the actions themselves but on the source
- Example
1 – boy struck by his father
- Example
2 – slave-dealer offers fair words
- look
for the root of charity
- Sought
with the heart not the eye
- bodily
eye must be clear to see the physical
- must
cleanse the eye with which God can be seen
- Matt
5:8 – bless are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
- praise
of charity elicits a response but it is not a response to something that
is seen
- one
does not love what one cannot see – if even not physically seen
Eighth Homily (on 1 John 4:12-16)
- why
does John only appear to focus on brotherly love?
- what
about love for God? love for
enemy?
- carnal
love
- selfish
- aim
is to consume
- partridge
– “I love partridges” – object of his love being the killing and eating
of them.
- goal
is consumption and our own refreshment
- contrast
– aim is friendship and goodwill, leads to benefit of those we love
- providing
– pride vs charity
- we
should not want there to be unfortunates so that we may exericse works of
mercy
- you
give bread to the hungry but it would be better that no one should hunger
- truest
love is for a happy man, on whom you have nothing to bestow
- temptation
to exalt oneself over a person is always present
- temptation
to assume superiority over the object of your benefaction
- goal
– you should want him to be your equal
- Equality
- you
ought to wish all men equal to yourself
- Apostle
Paul in 1 Cor 7:7 – “I would that all men were such as I myself”
- teacher
/ learner example
- unless
you want him to be your equal you will always have him as your learner
- that
is pride
- Pride
/ Charity
- fine
line between them
- the
same actions can be for either one
- charity
feeds the hungry, so does pride, etc
- must
look to God as the witness. See,
as he sees the intention of your acts
- fear
only to act so that you may have praise for yourself; let the other see,
so that God may have the praise
- Two
Hungers
- “Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be
filled” (Matt 5:6)
- one
for bread
- one
for righteousness
- for
while one looks for food, the other looks for an example to follow
- feed
– you have enabled the one to give thanks for the ending of his hunger,
the other to imitate the example shown him