Augustine -The comfort of the Holy Spirit, commentary on 1 John 5:13-21

On the First Letter of John by Saint Augustine: 

Our Heart Longs for God

A better translation.
A Word in Season, Readings for the Liturgy of the Hours - Easter,  
Augustine Press 2001.

Night Office

Sixth Week of Easter  MONDAY Year I

First Reading           1 John 5:13-21

Responsory                                             1 In 5:20i In 1:17

We know that the Son of God has come + and has given us the dis­cernment to recognize the true God, alleluia.

V. No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is nearest the Fa­ther's heart, has made him known, + and has given ...

Second Reading

From a homily by Saint Augustine of Hippo (In. Joh., 94,1-3: CCl 36, 561-563)

The comfort of the Holy Spirit

When the Lord Jesus had forewarned his disciples about the persecutions they would be called upon to suffer after he had left them, he went on to say: I did not tell you these things at first, because I was still with you. But now it is time for me to leave you and return to him that sent me. It is clear from the context that our Lord is referring to his teaching on the coming of the Holy Spirit, who would bear witness to him when the time came for his disciples to endure the trials of which he had spoken.

This advocate or comforter was going to be greatly needed by the disciples after Christ had left them. While he was still among them there had been no cause for him to mention the Holy Spirit, for then they drew their strength from the presence of the Lord himself. But when his departure was at hand, then it was necessary for him to tell them of the coming of the one who would so kindle the fire of love within their hearts as to enable them to proclaim the word of God with boldness. He would be within them, bearing witness to Christ. The disciples themselves would also bear witness to him; nor would they be shaken or discouraged when the Jewish leaders threw them out of their synagogues and even put them to death in the belief that they were acting in defense of God's own interests. Throughout all this the disciples would be sustained and strengthened by an all-enduring love poured into their hearts by the gift of the Holy Spirit. From this we see how Christ intended his disciples to become martyrs, that is, witnesses to him, by means of the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit at work within them they would be able to endure every kind of persecution and hardship, never allowing their zeal to cool but, with the divine fire ablaze in their breasts, continuing to preach the gospel openly.

But now I have forewarned you of these things, so that when the time comes you may remember that I did indeed speak to YOU of them. I have spoken to you of these things, namely that you will not only have suffering to endure but that you will have an Advocate who will be my witness when he comes, so that you may not be cowed by fear and reduced to silence, but may add your testimony to his. Yet I refrained from telling you these things at first, because you still had me with you, and I could then uphold you with my bodily presence, which your senses could appreciate and your simple minds could grasp.

Responsory                                            In 14:16-17i 16:7

I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate, the Spirit of truth, + to remain with you forever, alleluia.

V. If I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you, + to remain with ...

"God is love"? If "love is God," whoever loves love loves God. Homily 9 on the First Epistle of John (Augustine)

Homilies on the First Letter of John (Works of Saint Augustine A Translation for the 21st Century) [Paperback]

Saint Augustine (Author), Boniface Ramsey (Translator)

  

FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER SATURDAY

At the Night Office, Novice Br. S... prepared the Second Reading and found the challenge of Augustine’s vocabulary. He counted the number of occurrences of the word ‘LOVE’, found the number of 62 uses in passage of only 593 words.

[Review: Amazon, Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fourth Century View of God's Love for Us December 12, 2010

By Dennis J. Koupal Jr.

Format:Paperback|

Of the numerous published works by St. Augustine, "Homilies on the First Epistle of John" must be regarded as one of his easiest to read and understand. Unlike works such as "City of God" and "On Genesis" which tend to be highly rhetorical and somewhat verbose, "Homilies" is succinct, insightful, and lead one to a better understanding of God's love for His children. Using the actual text of First John, Augustine uses the Scripture to address contemporary issues that began creeping into the dogma of Christ's visible Church soon after Emperor Constantine gave the Church legal status within the hierarchy of Rome's political structure in the early fourth century.
For example, in The First Homily Augustine quotes 1 Jn. 2:1-2, "And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and He is the propitiator for our sins." The doctrinal trend he addresses is the growing belief that "Bishops and leaders... petition exclusively on behalf of the people." In other words, that individual believer needs the Clergy to intercede on their behalf in order to know God and His salvation. He applies the scriptural Truth that "we have an advocate with the Father" by stating that "We (Bishops, Pastors, Deacons etc.) pray on behalf of you, brothers, but you yourselves pray as well on behalf of us." Clear references to New Testament passages such as 1 Peter 2:9 on the "priesthood of all believers" are interwoven into his sermons on 1 John. That Christ's Church is comprised of individual believers who have access to God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a spoken message, and unspoken theme throughout this great book.]

First Reading;

I John 4:11-21

FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER SATURDAY

Second Alternative Reading

From a homily by Saint Augustine of Hippo

(In John. 9,10: SC 75, 400-402)

Everyone who loves his brother or sister also loves God

If anyone says, "I love God." (4:20) Who is this God? Why do we love him? Because he first loved us, and gave us the grace to love him. He loved us in our godlessness to make us godly; he loved us as sinners to make us just; he loved us even in our infirmities to make us well. Question each of your brothers; let him tell you if he loves God. He cries out and confesses aloud: "I love, God knows it."

There is another question to be asked: If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.(4:20) How do you prove that he is a liar? Listen: How can one who has no love for the brother he has seen love the God he has not seen?(4:20) What then? Does the man who loves his brother love God also? He must of necessity love God, must of necessity love him who is Love itself. Can one love his brother without loving love itself? Of necessity he must love love itself. What then? Because he loves love, does it follow that he loves God? Certainly it follows!

In loving love, he loves God. Or have you forgotten what you said a little while ago, "God is love"? If "love is God," whoever loves love loves God. Hence, love your brother and rest assured. You cannot say: I love my brother, but I do not love God." Just as you lie if you say: "I love God," when you do not love your brother, so you are deceived when you say: "I love my brother," if you think that you do not love God. Of necessity must you who love your brother love love itself; but "love is God" - therefore of necessity must whoever loves his brother also love God.

                    But if you do not love your brother whom you see, how can you love God whom you do not see? Why does he not see God? Because he has not love itself. That he does not see God is because he does not have love; that he does not have love is because he does not love his brother. The reason then why he does not see God is that he has not love. For if he had love, he would see God, for "love is God"; and his inner eye is becoming more and more purged by love, to see that unchangeable substance, in whose presence he will always rejoice and which he will enjoy to everlasting, when he is joined with the angels.

Only let him run now, that he may at last have gladness in his own country. Let him not love his pilgrimage, not love the way; let all be bitter for us save him that called us, until we hold him fast, and say what is said in the psalm: You destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you (Ps. 73:27) - and who are they who are unfaithful? Those who go and love the world. But what shall you do? He goes on and says: But for me, to be near God is my good.(Ps. 73:28)

All your good consists in clinging to God freely. For if you question him and say: Why do you cling to him? and he should respond: That he may give me ... Give you what? It is he that made the heavens and he that made the earth; what shall he give you? Already -you are clinging to him: find something better and he shall give it to you.

Responsory                                                        1 In 3:16; 4:19

By this we have come to know what love is: + Christ laid down his life for us, alleluia.

V. Let us love God, because he loved us first. + Christ laid down ...

A Word in Season, Readings for the Liturgy of the Hours - Easter,
Augustine Press 2001.

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Homily 9 on the First Epistle of John