This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com '^rak\^ t SERMONS A UGUSTINIAN HERITAGE INSTITUTE Board of Advisors: Gerald Bonner, Maria Boulding, O.S.B. Gervase Corcoran, O.S.A., Robert Dodaro, O.S.A. Allan D. Fitzgerald, O.S.A., Edmund Hill, O.P. John Page, Joseph McGowan John Oldfield, O.A.R., Boniface Ramsey, O.P., Director: John E. Rotelle, O.S.A. THE WORKS OF SAINT A UGUSTINE A Translation for the 21st Century Part III — Sermons Volume 6: Sermons 184-229Z The English translation of the works of Saint Augustine has been made possible with contributions from the following: Order of Saint Augustine Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova (East) Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel (Midwest) Province of Saint Augustine (California) Province of Saint Joseph (Canada) Vice Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel (Ireland) Province of Saint John Stone (England and Scotland) Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel (Australia) The Augustinians of the Assumption (North America) The Sisters of Saint Thomas of Villanova Order of Augustinian Recollects Province of Saint Augustine Mr. and Mrs. James C. Crouse Mr. and Mrs. Paul Henkels Mr. and Mrs. Francis E. McGill, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Mariano J. Rotelle THE WORKS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE A Translation for the 21st Century SERMONS III/6 (184-229Z) on the Liturgical Seasons translation and notes Edmund Hill, O.P. editor John E. Rotelle, O.S.A. New City Press New Rochelle, New York Cj[VK<\ £- 5 Published in the United States by New City Press l<H© 86 Mayflower Avenue, New Rochelle, New York 10801 ©1993 Augustinian Heritage Institute ^2 V- 6 Cover design by Ben D'Angio Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publicalion Data: Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo. The works of Saint Augustine. "Augustinian Heritage Institute" Includes bibliographical references and indexes. Contents: — pt. 3. Sermons, v. 1. 1-19. Introduction / Michele Pellegrino — pt. 3. Sermons on the Old Testament, v. 2 20-50 — [etc.] — pt. 3, v. 6 Sermons on the liturgical seasons, 184-229Z. 1 . Theology — Early Church, ca. 30-600. I.Hill, Edmund. II. Rotelle, John E. HI. Augustinian Heritage Institute. IV. Title. BR65.A5E53 1990 270.2 89-28878 ISBN 1-56548-055-4 (series) ISBN 1-56548-050-3 (pt. 3, v. 6) Nihil Obstat: John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., S.T.L. Delegated Censor Imprimatur: Thomas V. Daily, D.D. Bishop of Brooklyn Brooklyn, New York: October 6, 1992 Printed in the United States 4reU CONTENTS Sermon 184 — On Christmas Day 17 Let the humble hold fast to the humility of God — 17; Rejoice, all Christians; it is the birthday of Christ — 18; The two births of Christ — 18 Sermon 185 — On Christmas Day 21 Truth has sprung from the earth — 21; Justice has looked forth from heaven — 21; See whether you can find anything but grace — 22 Sermon 186 — On Christmas Day 24 A virgin for ever — 24; One who was God became man — 24; The Word of God became man — 25 Sermon 187 — On Christmas Day 27 The greatness and the humility of Christ — 27; The human word and the divine Word — 27; Thought and Word — 28; Christ, God and man — 29 Sermon 188 — On Christmas Day 31 Small wonder if we human beings cannot explain in words the Word through which all things were made — 31; The eternal day — 31; The only thing which could lift you up was divine humility — 32; The virgin holy Church — 32 Sermon 189 — On Christmas Day 34 Who can this day from day be? — 34; What justice can there be without faith? — 34; Christ was born that we might be reborn — 35; The two births of Christ — 35 Sermon 190 — On Christmas Day 38 Even the day of Christ's birth contains the mystery of his light — 38; Christ wished to honor each sex in his birth — 39; Both speechless infant and Word — 39; That weakness might become strong — 40 Sermon 191 — On Christmas Day 42 Christ inserted himself into the passing procession of the years — 42; Mary's virginity — 42; The Church is virgin and mother — 43; What you marvel at in the flesh of Mary, perform in the depths of your soul — 43 Sermon 192 — On Christmas Day 46 We are filled with wonder at the virgin's bearing a child — 46; Mary is the mother of unity — 47; Christ bent down to pick us up — 47 Sermon 193 — On Christmas Day 50 Glory to God, and on earth peace — 5O; Christ's mercy gets in ahead of us every single time— 50 Sermon 194 — On Christmas Day 53 Love what you believe, proclaim what you love — 53; Both angels and human praise Christ — 53; The treasures of wisdom and knowledge — 54; Let us celebrate the birthday of the form of a slave — 55 Sermon 195 — On Christmas Day 57 His begetting who shall tell the tale of? — 57; The Son of holy Mary — 57; Christ came in the flesh — 58 Sermon 196 — On Christmas Day 60 Two births of our Lord Jesus Christ — 60; Three kinds of life in the Church — 61; We have Christ as an infant; let us grow up with him — 61; New Year's Day — 62 Sermon 196A 64 By Christ's justification we are circumcised in the heart — 64; The humility of Christ has conformed itself to us — 65; Let Christ start growing in your hearts — 66 Sermon 197 — Against the Pagans, On 1 January: Fragments, from a Se lection of Texts on Paul Compiled By Bede and Florus 68 From creature to Creator — 68; Hold on to Christ — 70; As against such pride the apostle stays down in humility — 70; Do not place any hopes in the apostle, but in truth — 70; Love of the head for his body — 7 1 ; Do not be deceived — 7 1 Sermon 198 — On 1 January, Against the Pagans 73 The pagan celebration of New Year — 73; Three sentiments of the soul: believing, hoping, loving — 73; Christians and Gentiles — 74 Sermon 198 A — On 1 January, Against the Pagans, Fragments 77 We are rightly called a royal and priestly race — 77; Christ entered, and there he still is — 77; The high priest offers up our prayers — 78 Sermon 199 — On the Lord's Epiphany 79 Christ the cornerstone — 79; The Jews did not understand the time of Christ's coming — 79; The Magi from among the Gentiles, the shepherds from among the Jews — 80 Sermon 200 — On the Lord's Epiphany 83 Epiphany means manifestation — 83; The nobility of the one being born lay in the virginity of the one giving birth — 83; The divine books and prophecy — 84; Christ has been manifested to Jews and Gentiles as the cornerstone — 85 Sermon 201 — On the Lord's Epiphany 87 Christ's manifestation to the Gentiles — 87; The Magi and Pilate — 88; The Jews carry around the divine testimonies, not for their own, but for the Gentiles' salvation and acceptance — 88 Sermon 202 — On the Lord's Epiphany 91 Magi, the firstfruits of the Gentiles — 91; He couldn't yet speak with his tongue on earth, so he spoke from heaven with a star — 91; Don't the Jews show the Gentiles the Christ whom they decline to worship with the Gentiles? — 92; Spread the good news about Christ by pursuing a new way, not returning by the way we came — 93 Sermon 203 — On the Lord's Epiphany 95 The world-renowned festival — 95; The humility of the Gentiles — 95; The Magi, firstfruits of the Gentiles — 96 Sermon 204 — On the Lord's Epiphany 98 Christmas and Epiphany belong to the manifestation of Christ — 98; A great sacrament and mystery with a twin festivity — 98; Christ the cornerstone, once upon a time laid in a manger, later lifted up to the summit of heaven — 99 Sermon 204A — On the Lord's Epiphany 101 Sermon 205 — On the Beginning of Lent 103 If you don't want your footsteps to sink in the earthly quagmire, don't come down from this cross — 103; Works of penance — 104; Fast from quarrels — 104 Sermon 206 — On the Beginning of Lent 106 Lent — these days of humbling ourselves — 106; Two sorts of almsgiving: giving and forgiving — 107; Prayer flies beautifully when it's supported on wings of such virtues — 107 Sermon 207— On the Beginning of Lent 109 Fasting without kindness and mercy is worth nothing to the one who's fasting — 109; Let your fasting be accompanied by frugality — 1 10; Prayer must be chaste — 110 Sermon 208 — On the Beginning of Lent 112 Lent, a time to be more alert than usual — 112; What self-restraint withdraws from pleasure, mercy may deposit with charity — 113 Sermon 209 — On the Beginning of Lent 115 Let charity be exercised by your living good lives — 115; We should add to alms what we subtract from ourselves by fasting and abstaining from our usual diet — 116; Nobody should take such pleasure in the goodness of being generous, as to forfeit the goodness of being humble — 116 Sermon 210 — On the Beginning of Lent 118 The meaning of Lent — 1 18; The time for fasting — 118; Christ's baptism and John's baptism — 119; Why we fast before Easter — 120; Why we have to fast and pray — 120; Special time for fasting — 121; The day of bringing forth — 1 22; The fast before the fifty days — 122; The daily fast — 123; Those who fast wrongly — 123; Those who seek new forms of self-indulgence — 124; Alms and forgiveness — 124 Sermon 211 — During Lent 128 Anger is one thing, hatred quite another — 128; Whoever hates his brother or sister is a murderer — 128; Pardon your brother or sister — 129; A friendly approach is a way of asking pardon — 130; If you are ready to forgive, you have already forgiven — 131; May we keep Easter without any anxiety — 1 32 Sermon 211 A — During Lent: a Fragment 133 Until the passion, penance; after the resurrection, praise — 1 33; Here we do one thing and another; there one thing — 133 Sermon 212 — At the Handing Over of the Creed 136 Brief exposition