THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
Behold, there is a destitute man praying, and he does not do so quietly. This allows us to hear him and understand who he is. Could it be the one referred to by the apostle, who said, "Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be enriched." (2 Corinthians 8:9)? If it is He, why is He in such a state of poverty? In what way is He, who possesses all wealth, considered poor? Who is wealthier than He, the Creator of riches, even those that are not true wealth? Through Him, we obtain riches such as skill, memory, virtue, and health of body; when these are in order, even the destitute seem wealthy. Through Him, we also receive immense treasures: faith, godliness, justice, love, purity, and good conduct. Only through Him, who justifies the ungodly, do we possess them. Look at such wealth! How do we find these words in a man so rich? "I ate ashes as bread and mingled my drink with weeping." (Psalm 101:9). Has such great wealth led to this state? The former treasure is exceedingly high, while the latter is low. Test to see if this impoverished person is indeed He; for the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14). And consider His declaration: "I am Your servant and the son of Your servant." This servant is chaste, a virgin, and a mother; for in Him we see our poverty taken on as He clothed Himself in the likeness of a servant, humbling Himself so that you would not fear His abundance and be deterred from approaching Him in your destitution. In that moment, He took the form of a servant, made Himself lowly, and through His humility, enriched us. We are beginning to grasp these profound truths about Him, yet we are not yet ready to speak with certainty...
Let Him add further humility: let Him transform our lowly bodies to be like His; He is our Head, and we are His body, so that the two may become one flesh. (Philippians 3:21)... For He wishes to regard us as His members. The repentant are included among His members, for they are not isolated or alienated from His Church. He would not have made the Church His bride had it not been for the call to "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2). Therefore, let us listen to the prayers of both the Head and the body, the Bridegroom and the Bride, Christ and the Church, who are one entity; though the Word and the flesh are not the same at all times, the Father and the Word are one; Christ and the Church form a singular perfect being composed of His fullness. Let us therefore heed Christ, who shares our poverty and is present with us for our sake. For even the very term 'poor' points to Him. Lastly, remember my speculation about who this impoverished soul is: let us hear His prayer and recognize His identity; do not be misled when you hear anything that cannot apply to His Head; for this reason, I assert as I have stated, that anything you hear describing this state should be understood as emanating from the frailty of the body and recognizing the voice of the members in the Head. The title is "The Prayer of the Afflicted One," when he was tormented, and poured out his supplication to the Lord. This same poor man elsewhere proclaims, "From the ends of the earth I will call upon Thee when my heart is pained." He suffers because he is also Christ, who, in the prophets' words, identifies as both the Bridegroom and the Bride: "He hath put a diadem upon me as the bridegroom, and as the bride hath adorned me with jewels." (Isaiah 61:10). He calls Himself the Bridegroom and the Bride; what does this mean if not that the Bridegroom refers to the Head and the Bride to the body? Thus they form a singular voice since they are one flesh. Let us listen and recognize ourselves in these words; and if we find that we have strayed from them, let us strive to return.
"O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto Thee." (Psalm 100:1). "Hear my prayer, Lord" aligns with: "Let my cry come to Thee." The urgency of the supplicant is evident in the repetition. "Turn not Thy face away from me." When did the Father turn away from His Son? Is there any moment He turned away from Christ? But due to the insufficiency of my members, do not avert Your gaze: on the day I mourn, listen to me. (Psalm 101:2). You are in distress now; I am in distress; tomorrow, another will be in distress; I am in distress; even after this generation, those who come after will be in distress; I am in distress; to the end of time, whoever suffers in my body, I suffer with them.... Peter prayed, Paul prayed, the other apostles prayed; the faithful prayed in those days and will continue to pray in the future, even during the age of martyrs, the faithful still pray in our days, and the faithful will pray in the days of our descendants. Please respond swiftly, for I now seek what You are ready to provide. I am not asking for earthly things as one who is earthly; instead, having at last escaped my former bondage, I yearn for the kingdom of heaven. Please respond quickly; it is only with such longing that you have declared: "Even while you speak, I will say, Here am I." (Isaiah 58:9). What is the nature of your calling? In what distress? From what need do you seek aid? O destitute one, standing before the gates of the Almighty, what is your desire? From what want do you knock for relief?
"For my days have vanished like smoke." (Psalm 100:3). Oh, days! What is the meaning of days if there is no light? My days, my times; thus, as smoke, is it not the puffing up of arrogance? Behold how smoke rises and swells then dissipates: thus it fades away justly, proving ephemeral, not enduring. "And my bones are burnt as in a furnace." My bones, my strength, are accompanied by sorrow and scorched. The bones of Christ's body—the strength of His body—can anything surpass that of the holy apostles? Yet you witness the bones consumed by fire. Who is offended, and I remain unscathed? (2 Corinthians 11:29). They are courageous, faithful, skillful interpreters and proclaimers of the Word, living in accordance with their speech, articulating what they hear; they exhibit true courage, but all who take offense serve as a furnace to them. There exists love there, even more so in the bones, which lie encased within all flesh and support it all. However, if anyone experiences offense, and brings peril to their soul, the bone burns in proportion to its desire...
Look upon Adam, from whom humanity descended. From him, misery spread, and from him, this hereditary poverty ensued. Let him who once existed in despair, now placed within the body of Christ, declare with hope, "My heart is afflicted and withered like grass." (Psalm 101:4). This is deserved for all flesh is like grass (Isaiah 40:6). But how did this come to pass? It is because I neglected to partake of my bread. For God commanded concerning bread. What constitutes the bread for the soul? The serpent that enticed, and the woman who sinned, reached for the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6), causing him to forget the commandment; his heart was stricken as it deserved, withering like grass because he neglected his bread. By forgetting to consume his bread, he drank poison: his heart became afflicted and shriveled like grass... Now consume that bread you have ignored. That very Bread has come, in whose body you may recall the sound of your negligence and cry out in your poverty for abundance. Now eat, for you are in His body, declaring, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven." (John 6:41). You have forgotten to eat your bread; yet after His crucifixion, all ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. After the forgetfulness, let remembrance arise; let us partake of the bread from heaven to sustain our lives; not that manna which they consumed and perished (John 6:49), but of that bread which states, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness." (Matthew 5:6).
"From the voice of my groaning my bones have cleaved to my flesh." (Psalm 101:5). Many groan, and I groan as well; I even groan over this, as they lament their unjust actions. If a man loses a coin, he groans; he has lost his faith, yet does not mourn. I weigh currency and faith and discover more reason to mourn for him who does not grieve as he ought or does not lament at all. He engages in deceit, rejoicing. What has he gained, what has he lost? He has gained wealth but forfeited righteousness. For this reason, he who comprehends how to mourn does so; he who is near the Head, who clings righteously to the body of Christ, groans from this place. Yet the carnal do not groan for this reason, and they make themselves groan, not for this cause; and we cannot disregard them, even if they do not grieve at all, or lament for inappropriate reasons. For we desire to amend them, to guide them, to instruct them; when we cannot, we groan; and when we groan, we remain united to them...
"I have become like a pelican in the wilderness, and like an owl among the broken walls." (Psalm 100:6). Three birds in three places: the pelican, the owl, and the sparrow; and their respective locations: wilderness, ruined walls, and the rooftop. The pelican in the wilderness, the owl in the wasteland, and the sparrow upon the roof. First, we must explore what the pelican signifies: for it is born in a habitat that is unfamiliar to us. It inhabits secluded areas, especially along the banks of the Nile in Egypt. Whatever bird it may be, take note of what the Psalm says: it lives in the wilderness. Why inquire about its form, limbs, voice, or habits? As the Psalm indicates, it is a solitary creature. The owl is a bird inclined towards the night. Ruins, as we refer to them, are walls devoid of roofs and occupants; this is the dwelling of the owl. As for rooftops, sparrows are well known. Therefore, I find a person from the body of Christ, a preacher of the Word, compassionate towards the weak, pursuing the conquests of Christ, mindful of his future Lord. (Matthew 25:26). Consider these three figures in the context of His stewardship. Did such a person approach non-believers? He is a pelican in the wilderness. If he approached believers and withdrew, he is an owl amidst broken walls; for he does not abandon even those in darkness of the night, seeking to recover them as well. If he has not reached the believers who dwell in the house as if they have not believed, or have forsaken their beliefs, while confidently walking in their faith—the sparrow calls to them not from the wilderness, as they are Christians, nor from the ruins, as they are not collapsed, but from the rooftop; indeed, from the roof, as they dwell in the flesh. The sparrow calls out above the flesh, affirming the commandments of God, not succumbing to carnality beneath the roof. What you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim upon the rooftops. (Matthew 10:27). Three birds and three locations; one individual may embody all three birds, while three individuals may each represent one bird; and three types of places symbolize three classes of people. Yet the wilderness, the ruins, and the rooftops collectively represent three different groups of people...