Saturday, July 10, 2010

Saint Augustine: A Few Excerpts

A few excerpts demonstrating my generalizations from the previous post:

"Whoever, then, thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up this two-fold love of God and our neighbor, does not yet understand them as he ought."

"'For we walk by faith, not by sight.' Now faith will totter if the authority of Scripture begin to shake. And then, if faith toter, love itself will grow cold. For if a man has fallen from faith, he must necessarily also fall from love; for he cannot love what he does not believe to exist."

"Accordingly the Holy Spirit has, with admirable wisdom and care for our welfare, so arranged the Holy Scriptures as by the plainer passages to satisfy our hunger, and by the more obscure to stimulate our appetite."

"And by this sign of the cross all Christian action is symbolized, viz., to do good works in Christ, to cling with constancy to Him, to hope for heaven, and not to desecrate the sacraments."

"Now Scripture enjoins nothing except charity, and condemns nothing except lust, and in that way fashions the lives of men. . . . Now Scripture asserts nothing but the catholic faith, in regard to things past, future, and present."

"For the Church, without spot or wrinkle, gathered out of all nations, and destined to reign for ever with Christ, is itself the land of the blessed, the land of the living . . ."

No comments:

Post a Comment