THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
Observe, a man in poverty earnestly prays, his pleas not silent but heard. We are invited to discern his identity: is he not the one of whom the apostle declared, "Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be enriched" (2 Corinthians 8:9)? If this is indeed Him, why does He embody poverty? How can the One who is the source of all riches be considered poor? Who could surpass Him, the Creator of wealth, even that which does not qualify as true wealth? Through Him, we are granted those treasures such as capability, memory, virtue, bodily health, senses, and proper constitution; when these are safeguarded, even the destitute seem affluent. In Him dwells the immense wealth of virtues: faith, devotion, righteousness, love, purity, and uprightness; for none possess these unless through Him who justifies the unrighteous. Ah, what a treasure! How can we detect such wealth in this impoverished figure? "I ate ashes like bread, and mixed my drink with weeping." Have such vast treasures diminished to this? The first concern is exceedingly lofty, the latter needlessly low. Yet let us verify if this impoverished man is indeed He, who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Reflect upon these words, "I am your servant and the son of your servant." Notice, this servant, pure and holy, who is also a mother; for there He embraced our destitution by donning the form of a servant, humbling Himself, so we need not fear His opulence, nor hesitate to approach Him in our own state of need. There, He took on the semblance of a servant; therein He assumed our lack; there He rendered Himself poor, thus making us rich. We draw closer to comprehending these truths about Him, yet we must proceed with caution in our assertions.
Let Him then add poverty upon poverty; let Him transform our lowly bodies; let Him be our Head, and we His members, so that the two shall united be as one flesh (Philippians 3:21), for He has determined to hold us as His own members. The repentant also belong to His body, as they are not disconnected from His Church, and He would neither have made the Church His beloved without the words, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). Thus, let us heed the prayer of both the Head and the body, the Groom and the Bride, Christ and the Church, who constitute one being. The Word and the flesh are not simultaneously identical, yet the Father and the Word are one. Christ and the Church embody a singular existence, perfect as one whole in the manifestation of His essence. Therefore, let us earnestly listen to Christ, who resides in our poverty alongside us and for us, for His very title speaks of the destitute. Remember, I have discerned this poor man’s identity: let us heed His prayer and recognize Him; do not mistake anything that does not pertain to His Head; I preface this to clarify that whatever you hear regarding this description should be understood as emanating from the frailties of the body, recognizing the members' voice through the Head. The title is, ‘The Prayer of the Afflicted One,’ as he laid bare his heart before the Lord while enduring torment. This same poor man in another instance states, "From the ends of the earth I will call upon Thee when my heart is in travail." He suffers, for He is also Christ, who, as the Prophet states, identifies Himself as 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 named Himself the Bridegroom, as well as the Bride; for what is this unless the Bridegroom signifies the Head and the Bride connotes the body? Thus, they echo a unified voice, being one flesh. Let us listen and find ourselves reflected in these words, and if we discover ourselves to be outside, let us strive to enter in.
"Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to Thee" (Psalm 100:1). "Hear my prayer, Lord," is akin to: "Let my cry come to Thee": the urgency of the supplicant is expressed in this repetition. "Turn not away Thy face from me." When has God turned His face from His Son? When has the Father forsaken Christ? Yet due to my body's dearth, turn not Thy face away from me; on whatever day I lament, incline Thy ear unto me (Psalm 101:2). Presently, you are troubled, I am troubled; tomorrow, another will be troubled; I am troubled; after this age, those who will succeed your descendants will be troubled; I am troubled; to the end of the earth, anyone who is in anguish in my body, I am troubled... Peter prayed; Paul prayed; the other Apostles prayed; the Faithful of old prayed, the Faithful of times gone by prayed, the Faithful of the martyrs' days prayed, the Faithful now pray, and the Faithful of the future will pray. Swiftly: for I now request that which Thou art ready to bestow. I seek not earthly possessions as an earthly man, but redeeming at last from my former captivity, I yearn for the kingdom of heaven; "Hear me soon," for it is with such longing that Thou hast declared, "Even while Thou speakest, I will say, Here am I" (Isaiah 58:9). Why do you call out? In what anguish? In what lack? O destitute one, before the gates of the Almighty, in what longing do you beseech? From what need do you seek relief? From what necessity do you knock that the doors may open for you?
"My days have vanished like smoke" (Psalm 100:3). O days! If indeed they are days: for where the day is acknowledged, there the light is understood. My days, my times; therefore, as smoke, is it not due to the inflation of pride? Observe how smoke, resembling pride, ascends, expands, and ultimately fades; hence it rightly diminishes, unenduring. "And my bones are burnt as in a furnace." My bones and my vitality are not without sorrow, nor absent of anguish. Is there any strength surpassing that of Christ’s apostles? Yet, observe that even the bones burn. Who stands offended when I am unscathed? (2 Corinthians 11:29) They are valiant, faithful, adept interpreters and proclaimers of the Word, living as they profess, yet those who take offense kindle the furnace within. For there is love, more so within the bones. The bones are within all flesh, supporting all flesh. But if one suffers offense, and jeopardizes his soul; the bone burns in accordance with its engagements.
Consider Adam, from whom humanity emerged. From him, misery has spread; from him, this inherited destitution arose. May he who once wallowed in despair now declare with hope, "My heart is afflicted and withered like grass" (Psalm 101:4). Rightfully so, for "all flesh is grass" (Isaiah 40:6). But how did this transpire? Because I neglected my bread. For God commanded concerning the bread. What constitutes the bread of the soul? The serpent compelled, and the woman erred; she reached for the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6), forgetting the commandment: hence, his heart was struck as it deserved and withered like grass, due to forgetting to consume his bread. Forgetting to eat his bread, he drank poison; his heart is wounded and withered like grass... Now consume that bread you have forgotten. Yet that very Bread has come, in whose body you may recollect the call against your forgetfulness and cry out in your listlessness for abundance. Now partake, for you dwell within Him, saying, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:41). You have neglected your bread; but post His crucifixion, all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord. After forgetting, let memory be stirred, let us consume the bread from heaven, that we may thrive; not the manna, for they ate and perished (John 6:49); but that bread of which it is proclaimed, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).
"From the voice of my groaning my bones have cleaved to my flesh" (Psalm 101:5). For many groan, and so do I; I too groan over this because they lament over a misdeed. A man has lost a coin, he groans; he has lost faith, yet does not mourn. I weigh wealth against faith and find greater cause to lament for those who do not weep as they ought, or do not cry at all. He operates unlawfully yet revels. With what profit, with what detriment? He has gained wealth yet lost righteousness. For this cause, the one who knows how to lament, laments; he who is near the Head, who rightly clings to the body of Christ, groans. But the carnal do not groan for this reason and create their own groans; we cannot disdain them, even if they do not lament at all, or lament for misguided reasons. For we desire to correct them; we want to guide them, and in our inability, we groan; but in groaning, we remain united with them.
"I have become like a pelican in the wilderness and like an owl among the broken walls" (Psalm 100:6). Here we find three birds and three locations: the pelican, the owl, and the sparrow; and the wilderness, crumbling walls, and the roof of a house. The pelican inhabits the wilderness, while the owl seeks the ruins, and the sparrow settles on the roof. First, let us elucidate the pelican, born in a locale that renders it unrecognized. It is birthed in secluded regions, particularly along the banks of the Nile in Egypt. Whatever this bird may be, let us examine the Psalm's message concerning it. It states, it resides in the wilderness. Why question its form, its limbs, its call, its habits? According to the Psalm, it appears as a solitary bird. The owl is a creature of the night. The ruins, or dilapidations as we say, comprise walls devoid of roofs or inhabitants; this serves as the owl's habitat. As for roofs and sparrows, you are aware of them. Thus, I uncover someone from the body of Christ, a proclaimer of the Word, compassionate towards the weak, pursuing Christ's conquests, mindful of the Lord to come (Matthew 25:26). Let us consider these three aspects from the perspective of His stewardship. Did such an individual reach out to non-Christians? He is a pelican in the wilderness. Did he visit Christians and withdraw? He is an owl among ruined walls; for he does not abandon even the darkness of those who dwell in night, aspiring to find them as well. Has he not approached Christians residing in the house as if they held no belief, or if they forsook their faith yet walked comfortably in their belief? The sparrow’s call is directed not at those in the wilderness, for they are Christians; nor from the ruined walls, as they have not fallen; but because they are under the roof; rather beneath the roof, for they are encased in flesh. The sparrow above the flesh cries out, remaining undaunted by God’s commands, nor does it conform to the flesh of the roof. What you hear with the ear, proclaim from the rooftops (Matthew 10:27). There are three birds and three places; one individual might represent all three birds, while three distinct individuals may symbolize them separately; the three locations represent three groups of people; yet the wilderness, the crumbling walls, and the house's roof are but three divisions of humanity.