THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
Observe, a humble man is praying, and he does not do so quietly. Thus, we may perceive Him and understand who He is: could He be the one to whom the apostle refers, that "Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be enriched" (2 Corinthians 8:9)? If so, why does He seem impoverished? How can the one who cannot lack anything be considered poor? Who possesses more than He who is the origin of all wealth, even those that aren't true riches? Through Him, we also have various forms of wealth: ability, memory, character, health, senses, and physicality; when these gifts are secure, even those in poverty possess richness. Additionally, He offers us great treasures: faith, godliness, righteousness, love, purity, and good conduct; for no one possesses these virtues except through Him who redeems the unrighteous. Observe the abundance! How can we discern such treasures in a man considered impoverished? "I ate ashes as bread, and mingled my drink with weeping." Has such profound wealth fallen to this? The highest station is indeed lofty, while this is profoundly low. Yet let us test whether this wretched soul is He, for indeed the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Reflect on His words, "I am Your servant and the son of your servant." This servant is pure, a virgin, and a mother; for it is here that He embraced our poverty, taking on the likeness of a servant and emptying Himself. This was to reassure that we should not fear His abundance, lest in our destitution we hesitate to approach Him. Here, He donned the form of a servant, accepting our barrenness; there, He became poor so that we might be enriched. We are now coming to a greater understanding of these matters concerning Him, yet we cannot yet boldly proclaim...
Let Him then add poverty to poverty: may He transform our humble bodies into His own; may He be our Head, while we remain His members, and may the two become one flesh (Philippians 3:21). For He has chosen to regard us as His members. The penitent are also counted among His members, for they are neither isolated nor separated from His Church, and He would not have called the Church His bride had it not been for those words, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). Let us thus hear what the Head and the body—Bridegroom and bride, Christ and the Church, both viewed as one Person—pray together; although the Word and the flesh are not at the same time one and the same, the Father and the Word are indeed one. Christ and the Church form one Person, one complete individual manifesting His fullness. Therefore, let us listen to Christ, who is poor among us, with us, and for us. For the very title points to the impoverished. Finally, recognize whom I believe that poor man to be; let us hear His prayer and identify His person. Be not misled when you hear anything that might not pertain to His Head; recognize that this is a voice arising from the frailty of the body, and discern the voice of the members within the Head. The title reads, "The Prayer of the Suffering Man," who cried out in anguish before the Lord. This is the same poor man who elsewhere states, "From the ends of the earth will I call upon Thee when my heart is overwhelmed." He suffers because he is also Christ; who, according to the Words of the Prophet, calls Himself both Bridegroom and Bride: "He hath put a diadem upon me as the bridegroom, and as the bride hath adorned me with jewels" (Isaiah 61:10). He designates Himself as both Bridegroom and Bride; what is this, if not that the Bridegroom pertains to the Head and the Bride to the body? Thus, they share one voice, as they are one flesh. Let us heed and find ourselves in these declarations; and should we find ourselves on the outside, let us strive to enter in.
"O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto Thee" (Psalm 100:1). "Hear my prayer, Lord," is synonymous with "Let my cry come unto Thee," as the petitioner's sentiments are expressed through repetition. "Turn not Thy face away from me." When did the Lord turn His face from His Son? When did the Father abandon Christ? But for the sake of my limited members, turn not Thy face away from me; on whatever day I grieve, incline Thy ear unto me (Psalm 101:2). You are in distress now, I am in distress; tomorrow another will be in turmoil, I am in distress; after this generation, other descendants who will follow your line will be troubled, I am in distress; to the end of the earth, anyone afflicted in my body, I am in distress... Peter prayed, Paul prayed, the other Apostles prayed; the faithful prayed in those days, the faithful will pray in days still to come, and among martyrs, the faithful pray. Soon, very soon: for I ask that which You are eager to provide. I do not seek earthly possessions, as one bound by earthly desires; but now freed from my former captivity, I yearn for the kingdom of heaven. Hear me swiftly: for it is only through such desire that You proclaimed, "Before you call, I will answer; and while you are yet speaking, I will say, Here am I" (Isaiah 58:9). What calls you? What sorrow? What need? O destitute one, before the gates of the All-Rich, what do you seek? From what necessity do you ask for relief? From what desperation do you knock so that the doors may open to you?
"For my days have vanished like smoke" (Psalm 100:3). O days! Where days exist, there light is comprehended. My days, my times; therefore, like smoke, is it not the inflation of pride? Observe how pride, like smoke, rises, swells, and fades away; thus, it justly passes, not lingering. "And my bones are consumed like a furnace." My bones are not without sorrow, nor devoid of burning. The bones of Christ's body, the strength of His body; is there anywhere greater than that of the holy apostles? Yet you see that their bones are burned. Who is offended and I am not set ablaze? (2 Corinthians 11:29). They are courageous, faithful interpreters and proclaimers of truth, living as they preach, speaking as they hear; they are indeed brave, but those who take offense become like a furnace to them. For in them resides love, and even more so within the bones. The bones are within all flesh and support all flesh. However, if anyone suffers any offense and endangers their soul, the bone burns in proportion to the enjoyment of it...
Consider Adam, the origin from which humanity flowed. For from him arose discontent. From him came this inherited poverty. Let him who once despaired in his body, now placed within the body of Christ, declare with hope, "My heart is afflicted and withered like grass" (Psalm 101:4). Deservedly so, for all flesh is grass (Isaiah 40:6). But how did this befall you? Because I neglected to partake of my bread. For God entrusted the directive regarding bread. What is the bread of the soul? The serpent imposed temptation, and the woman transgressed; he grasped the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:6), forgetting the commandment: his heart was struck as deserved and withered like grass because he neglected to partake of his bread. Forgetting to partake of this bread, he ingests poison; his heart is wounded and withered like grass... Now consume that which you have overlooked. For that very Bread has come, in whose body you will recall the sound of your neglect and cry out in your destitution for riches. Now partake, for you are within Him, declaring, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:41). You have forgotten your bread; however, following His crucifixion, all the ends of the earth will recollect and turn to the Lord. After forgetting, let memory return; let us eat the bread from heaven, that we may live—not manna, since they ate and passed away (John 6:49); that bread which declares, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).
"From the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my flesh" (Psalm 101:5). For many groan, I too groan; I groan for this and for those who lament over wrongdoing. Should a man lose a coin, he mourns—he has lost faith, yet does not lament; I weigh money against faith and find substantial cause to lament for him who does not groan as he should, or does not groan at all. He commits injustice and takes pleasure in it. What gain has he, and what loss? He has gained gold but lost righteousness. It is for this reason that he who knows how to groan does so; he who is close to the Head, adhering justly to the body of Christ, is thus moved to groan. Yet the carnal do not groan for this and thus feign it; we cannot dismiss them, even if they do not groan or groan for an improper cause. We desire to correct them; when we cannot, we groan; and in our groaning, we remain united with them...
"I have become like a pelican in the wilderness and like an owl among the ruins" (Psalm 100:6). Here you have three birds and three locations: the pelican, the owl, and the sparrow; and these three locations: the wilderness, the ruins, and the rooftop. The pelican dwells in the wilderness, while the owl inhabits the ruins, and the sparrow resides atop the house. Initially, we must clarify what the pelican signifies; it is born in a region that keeps it hidden from us. It is birthed in secluded places, primarily along the banks of the Nile in Egypt. Whatever bird it may be, let us examine what the Psalm conveys about it: it states it lives in isolation. Why inquire about its shape, limbs, voice, or behaviors? As far as the Psalm presents, it is a solitary bird. The owl is a creature that thrives in darkness. Ruins, or barren walls, signify habitat devoid of a covering, without inhabitants—this is where the owl resides. And as for roofs and sparrows, you are familiar with them. Therefore, I find one from the body of Christ, a preacher of the Word, compassionate to the weak, seeking conversions for Christ, mindful of his eventual Master (Matthew 25:26). Let us examine these three aspects from His stewardship. Did such a person approach non-believers? He is a pelican in the wilderness. If he arrived among Christians and then withdrew, he is an owl among the ruins; for he does not abandon the darkness of those dwelling in night, desiring to rescue them too. If he has not come to Christians dwelling within the house, as if they no longer believed, or as if they had forsaken what they believed, walking warm in what they profess: the sparrow calls to them not in the wilderness, for they are Christians; nor amidst the ruins, because they have not collapsed; rather, because they are within the roof, that is, beneath the flesh. The sparrow above the flesh calls out, unafraid of God’s edicts, nor yielding to become carnal to conform to the roof. What you hear whispered, proclaim it from the rooftops (Matthew 10:27). There are three birds and three places; one individual may symbolize three birds, and three individuals may each embody a bird; these three types of locations represent three groups of people; yet, the wilderness, the ruins, and the rooftop represent merely three categories of humanity.