THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
Bless the Lord, my soul. Let all our souls, united in Christ, join in this proclamation. O Lord my God, You are greatly exalted! Psalm 102:1. Where have You magnified Yourself? You have adorned Yourself with glory and beauty. Confess so that you may be embellished, that He may clothe you. Clothed in light like a garment Psalm 103:2. Clothed in His church, which has become light in Him, previously immersed in darkness, as the Apostle teaches, "You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Ephesians 5:8. You spread the heavens like a canopy; or as easily as one would unfurl a fabric, if it were that easy to grasp the meaning conveyed in Holy Scripture, which is widespread as a covering, for mortality is symbolized by the skin, and all the authority of the Divine Scriptures has been entrusted to us through mortal beings, whose glory continues even beyond their earthly departure.
Who covers the heights of the heavens with water? Psalm 102:3. What is meant by the heights? Symbolically, this refers to the Divine Scriptures. What constitutes the upper parts of the Divine Scriptures? The commandment of love, which surpasses all else. Mark 12:31. Why is love likened to water? Because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us. Romans 5:5. Where does the Spirit originate? From water? For Jesus proclaimed: “Whoever believes in Me, out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38. How do we affirm that this was said about the Spirit? The evangelist clarifies by stating, “But this He spoke of the Spirit, which those who believed in Him were to receive.” He who surpasses the wings of the winds; that is, beyond the virtues of the soul. What is the soul's virtue? Self-love. But how does He surpass it? For God's love for us outweighs our love for God.
He creates spirits as His angels, and a blazing fire as His ministers Psalm 102:4. This refers to those who are already spirits, who are spiritual rather than carnal; He dispatches them to proclaim His gospel. The blazing fire serves Him. If the minister who preaches is not aflame with passion, he cannot ignite those to whom he ministers.
He set the earth upon its foundation Psalm 103:5. He established the Church upon its steadfastness. What is the Church's firmness but its foundation? What, then, is the foundation of the Church but what the Apostle declared: “No man can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 3:11. What, then, should it hear on such a foundation? It shall not be shaken forever. He set the earth on its steadfastness. In other words, He founded the Church on the foundation of Christ. The Church would tremble if the foundation were unstable; but when will Christ, through whom all things were made, and without whom nothing exists; John 1:3, who upholds all by His grandeur, Hebrews 1:3, and us by His goodness, be shaken? Because Christ is unchanging, she will not falter forever. Where are those who claim that the Church has vanished from the earth while she can scarcely be worshipped...
The abyss, like a garment, is her covering Psalm 102:6. Whose? Could it belong to God? Yet it has already been stated of His garment, “Clothed with light as a garment.” I hear of God cloaked in light, and that light, if we desire it, is us. What occurs if we genuinely wish for it? We cease to be darkness. Now, if God is draped in light, whose garment is the abyss? The vast body of water is called the abyss. All water, all moist nature and substance, flowing through seas, rivers, and hidden caverns, are collectively called the Abyss. Hence we discern the earth which He spoke of: “He founded the earth.” In considering the abyss, it can be stated: “The abyss, like a garment, is its garment.” Water encompasses the earth, surrounding and covering it...
The waters will rise above the mountains, signifying that the overwhelming garment of the abyss has increased so significantly that the waters now stand even above the mountains. We recall this happening during the flood... The prophet, intending to foretell the future rather than recount the past, stated this to suggest that the Church must endure a flood of persecution. There was a time when waves of persecution obscured God's earth, His Church, to such an extent that even the mightiest, represented as mountains, could not be seen. For when they were scattered, how could they vanish? And perhaps it is these very waters that voice, “Save me, O God, for the waters have reached even to my soul.” Particularly the waters that provoke turbulence and desolation. For any land covered by sea would, without fail, become barren rather than fertile. For there were also mountains submerged, since the waters were above the mountains... Why did the apostles flee? For the waters overtopped the mountains. Though the might of the waters was great, for how long? Observe what comes next.
“From Your rebuke they shall scatter.” Psalm 102:7. And it truly occurred, dear friends; by God's rebuke, the waters withdrew, returning from encroaching upon the mountains. And look at the mountains themselves, Peter and Paul; how they have been exalted! Those who once were oppressed by persecutors are now honored as pillars of authority. The waters have fled from the rebuke of God; since the hearts of kings are in the hand of God, He directs them as He desires; Proverbs 21:1 He has commanded peace for Christians; the authority of the Apostles has flourished and risen... The waters scattered at the rebuke of God. At the sound of Your thunder, they trembled. Who would not be awed by the voice of God through the apostles, through the Word of Scriptures, through His clouds? The sea calmed, the waters trembled, the mountains were revealed, and the emperor issued commands. But who would have spoken if God had not thundered? Because God willed it, they commanded, and it was achieved. Thus, let no one claim anything as their own.
The mountains ascend, and the valleys descend to the place You have established for them. Psalm 102:8. He continues to speak of the waters. Let us not interpret mountains merely as earth, nor valleys merely as earthly plains, but as massive waves comparable to mountains. The sea once surged, with waves resembling mountains, which could have engulfed the mountains attributed to the Apostles. But how long do the mountains raise and the valleys lower? They raged, and then they calmed. In their fury, they represented mountains; now, having found peace, they are like plains, for He has prepared a place for them. There is indeed a certain channel, as if a deep basin, into which all these once tumultuous hearts of mortals have retreated... Previously chaotic, now they are tranquil: but dear friends, even the stillness is a form of the sea. Why are they no longer fierce? Why aren’t they angry? Why do they not seek, even if they cannot overturn our land, at least to cover it? Why do they not?
Hear this: “You have set a boundary that they shall not cross, nor turn back to cover the earth.” Psalm 103:9. Therefore, since the fiercest waves have been measured, we are permitted to proclaim these truths in freedom; for they have their boundaries, which they cannot exceed, nor will they return to cloak the earth; what is transpiring on earth at this moment? What work is being undertaken now that the sea has left it bare? Even though the gentle waves lap at its shores, and the Gentiles continue to murmur about, I hear the noise of the shores, but I do not fear the flood. What then is occurring on the earth? “You send forth springs in the valleys.” Psalm 102:10. You send forth, it is said, springs in the valleys. You understand what valleys represent—low areas among the lands. Surely hills and mountains stand in contrast to valleys and dales. Hills and mountains signify the elevated regions of the earth, while valleys are defined as the low places. Do not belittle the lowly; springs flow forth from there. You send springs to the small valleys. Behold the mountain. The apostle relayed, “I labored more than all.” While greatness seems to be before us, he humbly made a valley for himself, declaring, “Not I, but the grace of God with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10. There is no contradiction in stating that mountains can also be valleys: for, named mountains by their spiritual stature, they are called valleys through the humility of their spirit. “Not I,” he asserts, “but the grace of God with me.”
What does it signify that “the waters shall flow through the midst of the mountains"? We have established who the mountains are—the great proclaimers of the Word, exalted Angels of God, although they still bear mortal flesh; elevated, not by their own merits, but by His grace; yet in humility, they embody valleys, pouring forth springs. In saying “in the midst of,” it suggests, “Between the mountains passes the preaching of the Word of Truth.” What lies in the center between the apostles? That which is common property. That commonality, which sustains all equally, resides in the middle and belongs neither to me nor you... For if things are not communal, they become private possessions, and both parties walk their own trails; this is not the proclamation of peace... Therefore, dear friends, let what we have shared serve to inspire your charity in relation to the springs: may they flow from you, being valleys, and communicate with all that you possess of God. Let the waters flow communally, envying none, drink deeply, be filled, and overflow with what you have received. Let the divine waters of God be honored everywhere, not the personal deceptions of men.
Thus, all the beasts of the forest shall drink. Psalm 103:11. We observe this in creation: the beasts of the forest drink from the springs and streams flowing between the mountains; yet, now that God has chosen to conceal His wisdom within such imagery, it is not withdrawn from those who earnestly seek it, but closed to the indifferent, while revealed to those who knock. God delights in urging you through us, so that in all these matters, which speak of the physical and visible creation, we aspire to uncover something spiritually hidden, which, when discovered, may bring us joy. By beasts of the forest, we allude to the Gentiles, as Scriptures affirm in multiple instances...
These creatures drink from the waters, but their consumption is transient; they do not remain, but pass through; for all teachings disseminated in this time are ephemeral... Unless your love considers the city to which it was said, “Praise the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion; for He has strengthened the bars of your gates”—when the gates are fortified and the city is secure, thus no friend shall depart, nor enemy enter—there we will explore a book to ponder, or a discourse to unfold as it is presented to you. This is why it is currently articulated, to be retained there; thus it is segmented into syllables, so that it may be contemplated wholly and entirely. There, the Word of God will lack nothing: neither letters, nor sounds, nor books, nor readers, nor interpreters. How, then? As it is written, “In the beginning was the Word,” etc. John 1:1. For He did not come among us to be removed from thence; for He was in the world, and the world was created through Him. The Word upon which we should meditate is eternal. For the God of gods will appear in Zion. But when? Following our pilgrimage, once the journey has concluded: unless, however, after we finish our journey, we stand before the Judge, so that He may send us to imprisonment. Yet if, when our journey is done, we reach our homeland—this is our hope, our desire, and our endeavor—there we shall witness that which we will eternally praise; and he who possesses, along with us who enjoy, shall never be fulfilled; nor shall he who consumes be satisfied, nor shall he who eats find contentment in what he consumes. Great and marvelous shall be this contemplation...