Homily- Friday of the 21st Week of Ord. Time
Yr. B/Memorial of St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
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1 Cor 1:17-25
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Ps 33:1-2,4-5,10-11
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Matt 25:1-13
Tasting, Searching and Living the True Wisdom Like St.
Augustine
Yesterday we celebrated the memorial of St. Monica, St.
Augustine’ mother. Today, is the memorial of St. Augustine himself. Like her
Mother, Monica, St. Augustine was born in Tagaste in North Africa around the
year 354 AD. He live through the year 387 AD. Though born by a Christian
mother, who cherished the wisdom of God, Augustine at some point in his life
lived a licentious and heretical life. As I mentioned yesterday, it took the
prayers, hope and patience divine devotion of Monica, to have her son finally
converted from Manicheanism and other heresies, to Christianity. Augustine
received baptism from St. Ambrose of Milan, and later became a Bishop of Hippo
in his native Africa.
Like St. Paul of Acts of the Apostles chapter 9, after
his conversion, Augustine devoted his life to preaching, teaching, writing and
promoting the true wisdom (Sophia), found in God alone, and not in Hellenism of
Greek philosophy, St. Paul warned against in the first reading. He is one of the greatest Doctors of the
Church today. Many of us have read his works such as his Confessions, City
of God and many other works that touched on the sacramental life of the Church.
In the light of today’s Bible readings, which I referred
to earlier, one could say, that St. Augustine devoted his life, after his
conversion to pursuing unity of the church, spreading God’s wisdom and divine
plan of salvation.
Augustine values, such as God’s wisdom and patience
waiting for Christ, through the cross and the power of Gospel, is truly heard
in today’s first reading, 1 Corinthian 1:17-25. Written in Ephesus (I Cor 16:8)
in the early 50sAD, Paul persuaded the Corinthian church in a number of ways to
follow the teachings of Christ. He not only challenge, corruption, their lack
of faith in the day of the Lord, immorality and disunity among them, but their
absolute reliance on Greek philosophy and human wisdom (Sophia) of doing
things, or on Manicheanism, that Augustine pursued initially, prior to his
conversion, rather than in the power of the Gospel and of the cross of Christ crucified
(cf. Romans 1:16-17). For Paul, God’s seeming foolishness, that is the Cross, his
divine of plan of salvation, is wiser than human and Greek Sophia (wisdom),
usually empty arguments, and eloquence without ethics, mercy, unity and love of
God.
Think of how often we humans today, run around and do
things that does not fit into God’s plan of salvation. Including, racism,
ethnocentrism, secularism, and anthropocentric mistreatment of the planet and
other non-human creatures of God. Remember, God can “write on a crooked line.” Think of Rehab in the Book of Joshua. Think of
some of Israel’s Judges and Kings? God
has a way of doing things that surpasses human philosophy. God among other
things, in his relationship with us,
requires us to have courage, endurance, hope, practice mercy, peace,
faith, perseverance, and patience-waiting for the Lord, the master of the
house, the allegorical bridegroom of today’s Gospel, Matthew 25:1-13.
In the Apocalyptic parable of the ten virgin of this Gospel
(Matt 25:1-13), God, through his Son, Jesus exhorts, the community of Matthew,
and emerging Jewish- Christian community, and in fact, each and every of us
today, not to lose hope, or patience and to remain prepared. Among these ten virgins,
five were wise by being patience, sticking with God’s plan of salvation, while
the other five were foolish, because the followed the part of human wisdom,
reasoning, arguments and impatience!
Conversion, including that of St. Augustine which we
celebrate today requires, hope, patience from everyone, like the wise virgin,
and like Monica, Augustine’s mother.
For the times we have been impatience with ourselves, and
with one another, Augustine’s life and the readings of today challenge us to
rethink and reconsider the Wisdom, true love, true sense tolerance of one
another, true ways of speaking good about our neighbors and forgiving those who
may have offended us; true ways of
hoping, and trusting in the Lord as St. Augustine did throughout his years
teaching, preaching and defending the Christian faith and the power of the
Gospel of Christ’s cross, crucified, the Messiah!
Reflection Questions
1.
How often do we always allow our
plans to fit into God’s plan?
2.
How often do we in making decisions
and choices in life, discern and seek true wisdom form God who is Wisdom himself?
3.
Can we identify with St. Augustine
and how?
4.
How are prepared, like the five virgins
for the coming of the Lord, the bridegroom?
