The Fourth Sunday in Advent

Augustine on Psalm CI
Advent Four Home

O LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

Source: Bishop Gelasius of Rome Sacramentary [464 AD]. The 1662 edition added the "running the race that is before us" "Succor" is to run to help, while "sore let" is to thwart, hinder

Philippians iv. 4, Psalms 98, 99 | 101, 103   &  St. John i. 19.

Homily of Augustine on Psalm CI

Comment

Augustine examines Psalm 101 in today's homily. I very much commend it to all centurions.  I'd suggest a reading of the psalm first, and then the homily. It is all about breaking fellowship with those in the Church who have strayed apart from the teachings and practice of the Christian folk, those who do not heed the call of their brethren to walk straight. Many years ago I read somewhere in CS Lewis of the concept of Evil being opposite from that which is good, and the idea of bent or crooked folk. I think I know where he got it in reading Augustine here.

He wrote,

. "The wicked heart hath not cleaved unto me."...The heart of a man, who wisheth not anything contrary to any that God wisheth, is called straight....If therefore the righteous heart followeth God, the crooked heart resisteth God. Suppose something untoward happeneth to him, he crieth out, "God, what have I done unto Thee? What sin have I committed?" He wisheth himself to appear just, God unjust. What is so crooked as this? It is not enough that thou art crooked thyself: thou must think thy rule crooked also. Reform thyself, and thou findest Him straight, in departing from whom thou hast made thyself crooked. He doth justly, thou unjustly; and for this reason thou art perverse, since thou callest man just, and God unjust. What man dost thou call just? Thyself. For when thou sayest, "What have I done unto Thee?" thou thinkest thyself just. But let God answer thee: "Thou speakest truth: thou hast done nothing to Me: thou hast done all things unto thyself; for if thou hadst done anything for Me, thou wouldest have done good. For whatever is done well, is done unto Me; because it is done according to My commandment; but whatever of evil is done, is done unto thee, not unto Me; for the wicked man doth nothing except for his own sake, since it is not what I command." When ye see such men, brethren, reprove them, convince and correct them: and if ye cannot reprove or correct them, consent not to them. 

How true are his words this day! How bent and crooked have some become, so that they attempt to bend the rule of God to conform to their own corruption. I did a search on Google and found that in the Space Trilogy Lewis referred to Satan as the Bent One. I had recommended the Space Trilogy to one of our centurions this week for a bit of leisure reading and would recommend it to all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Space_Trilogy.   

 the Crooked shall be made straight....

I pray all have a very Merry Christmas this coming Friday.

finis

--
Released by Primus Pilus
Legio Christi-Ecclesia Militans
"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another" [St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans 14:19]

* ORDO CENTURIONUM * IN HOC SIGNO VINCES * TIME DEUM ET OPERARE IUSTITIAM