St. Augusine unwrapped

----- Forwarded Message ---- From: William J  ... To: Donald  ... Sent: Thu, 26 August, 2010 20:46:57 Subject: Re: St. Augustine's words - unwrapped... Dear Father Donald,  - - - You present me with a challenging document indeed.. I have tried to 'unwrap' St. Augustine's words: "The chief reason for Christ's coming was so that we should know how much God loves us, and knowing this be on fire with love for him who loved us first, and for our neighbour at the bidding and after the example of him who became our neighbour by loving us when we were not his neighbours[D1] but had wandered far from him". Christ came that we should know how much God loves us, that we might truly love Him and our neighbour as He bids us and shows us by His example, for He became a loving neighbour to us even before we acknowledged Him. "Moreover, all inspired scripture written before the Lord's coming was written to foretell that coming, and all that was later committed to writing and ratified by divine authority speaks of Christ and teaches us to love". All of the ancient Scriptures foretell His coming and all subsequent writings speak of Him and teach us to love.    "It is clear therefore that upon these two commandments, love of God and of our neighbour, depend not only the whole of the law and the prophets, which was all that made up holy scripture when the Lord spoke these words, but also all the divinely inspired books which were later written for our salvation and handed down to us".   And therefore, everything that is written - the whole of the law and the prophets that foretell His coming, and alone existed at that time, together with all subsequent Scriptures depend upon the two commandments of love of God and of our neighbour.   I hope I may have managed to interpret and express the meaning that is wrapped in such complex construction!   With my love in Our Lord, William. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Hi, William, Thank you for successfully editing of these lines from the Reading from St. Augustine. On Wed. 25th we were 'elevated' in the usual Augustinian in mind and heart but at this point I was stumped by the second paragraph. For the moment, I was adrift in the long sentences. My comment was,  "I can’t unravel these lines".  Your Editing makes very good sense of it. You could be guaranteed a Proof Reading carear for your retirement.  I hope you did not burn midnight light when so other exciting thing have afoot. Thank you. Yours ... Donald %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%   Wednesday, 25 August 2010 Night Office First Nocturn: 1 Timothy 1:1-20  Second Nocturn: From the writings of Saint Augustine of Hippo (De catechizandis rudibus I, 6.8: CCL 46,124.126-128) Speak that by hearing those whom you address may believe, and that belief may give them hope, and hope inspire them to love    In everything we say we should bear in mind that the purpose of our instruction is to arouse the love that comes from a pure heart, and clear conscience, and a genuine faith. (1Tim. 1:5). This is the end to which we should relate all our words, and toward which we should also move and direct the thoughts of those for whose instruction we are speaking.   Christ came that we should know how much God loves us, that we might truly love Him and our neighbour as He bids us and shows us by His example, for He became a loving neighbour to us even before we acknowledged Him.  All of the ancient Scriptures foretell His coming and all subsequent writings speak of Him and teach us to love. And therefore, everything that is written - the whole of the law and the prophets that foretell His coming, and alone existed at that time, together with all subsequent Scriptures depend upon the two commandments of love of God and of our neighbour.     In the Old Testament, then, the New is concealed, and in the New the Old is revealed. Insofar as the New Testament is concealed, worldly people, who interpret scripture in a worldly way, are now as in the past subject to the fear of punishment. But insofar the Old Testament has been revealed, spiritual people, who interpret scripture spiritually, are set free by the gift of love; that is to say, both those of old to whose devout knocking hidden things were made known, and those of today who seek without pride, for fear that even what is manifest may be hidden from them. And so, since nothing is more contrary to love than envy, and the mother of envy is pride, to cure our boundless conceit by a more powerful antidote, the Lord Jesus Christ, God and man, became both the proof of God's love for us, and the example of humility among us. Great is the misery of human pride, but even greater is the mercy of divine humility.  With this love before you, then, is the end to which you may relate everything you say, so speak that by hearing those whom you address may believe, and that belief may give them hope, and hope inspire them to love.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  St. Augustine - RESARCH Teaching Unlearned - 01 Augustine In about the year 403, Augustine wrote De catechizandis rudibus ("On Cathechizing Beginners in Faith" or "The First Catechetical Instruction" ).                      He did so at the request of Deogratias, a deacon at Carthage, who asked help from Augustine, who was a very talented instructor in the Faith. People ever afterwards have been pleased that Deogratias asked, and that Augustine responded by writing a treatise of fifty five chapters - what today would more likely be described as extended paragraphs. The written response by Augustine to Deogratias is described by Frans Van der Meer in his magnificent biography, Augustine the Bishop, as "the best thought of a great spirit in its simplest form". Although relatively brief, De catechizandis rudibus is an important work of Augustine, and very pastoral in its intention. De catechizandis rudibus is among the first texts on the practice of Christian religious instruction. Augustine even thought to include the content of a sample catechetical teaching session. Links For an English translation of the text of De catechizandis rudibus on the Internet, click here. For a page in Augnet that lists many translations of the writings of Augustine into the English language, click here.