Tuesday, February 08, 2011

St. Augustine: Heretics are Not in (Partial) Communion with the Church


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From the Mass of the Fifth Sunday After Epiphany: 

Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (13:24-30).

AT THAT time, Jesus spoke this parable to the multitudes: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field. But while men were asleep, his enemy came, and oversowed cockle among the wheat, and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the servants of the good man of the house coming, said to him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it cockle? And he said to them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him, Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? And he said, No: lest perhaps gathering up the cockle you root up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn.


Sequéntia sancti Evangélii secúndum Joánnem (13:24-30).

IN ILLO tempore: Dixit Jesus turbis parábolam hanc: Símile factum est regnum cælórum hómini, qui seminávit bonum semen in agro suo. Cum autem dormírent hómines, venit inimícus ejus, et superseminávit zizánia, in médio trítici, et ábiit. Cum autem crevísset herba, et fructum fecísset, tunc apparuérunt et zizánia. Accedéntes autem servi patrisfamílias, dixérunt ei: Dómine, nonne bonum semen seminásti in agro tuo? Unde ergo habet zizánia? Et ait illis: Inimícus homo hoc fecit. Servi autem dixérunt ei: Vis, imus, et collígimus ea? Et ait: Non: ne forte colligéntes zizánia, eradicétis simul cum eis et tríticum. Sínite útraque créscere usque ad messem et in témpore messis dicam messóribus: Collígite primum zizánia, et alligáte ea in fascículos ad comburéndum, tríticum autem congregáte in horreum meum.


῾Η παραβολὴ τῶν ζιζανίων

24 ῎Αλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ σπείραντι καλὸν σπέρμα ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ· 25 ἐν δὲ τῷ καθεύδειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐχθρὸς καὶ ἔσπειρε ζιζάνια ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σίτου καὶ ἀπῆλθεν. 26 ὅτε δὲ ἐβλάστησεν ὁ χόρτος καὶ καρπὸν ἐποίησε, τότε ἐφάνη καὶ τὰ ζιζάνια. 27 προσελθόντες δὲ οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου εἶπον αὐτῷ· κύριε, οὐχὶ καλὸν σπέρμα ἔσπειρας ἐν τῷ σῷ ἀγρῷ; πόθεν οὖν ἔχει ζιζάνια; 28 ὁ δὲ ἔφη αὐτοῖς· ἐχθρὸς ἄνθρωπος τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. οἱ δὲ δοῦλοι εἶπον αὐτῷ· θέλεις οὖν ἀπελθόντες συλλέξωμεν αὐτά; 29 ὁ δὲ ἔφη· οὔ, μήποτε συλλέγοντες τὰ ζιζάνια ἐκριζώσητε ἅμα αὐτοῖς τὸν σῖτον· 30 ἄφετε συναυξάνεσθαι ἀμφότερα μέχρι τοῦ θερισμοῦ, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ θερισμοῦ ἐρῶ τοῖς θερισταῖς· συλλέξατε πρῶτον τὰ ζιζάνια καὶ δήσατε αὐτὰ εἰς δέσμας πρὸς τὸ κατακαῦσαι αὐτά, τὸν δὲ σῖτον συναγάγετε εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην μου.



From Matins of the Fifth Sunday After Epiphany, 3rd Nocturn
Online Source: www.breviary.net 


Absolutio: A vínculis peccatórum nostrórum absólvat nos omnípotens et miséricors Dóminus.
R.  Amen.
Absolution:  May the Lord Almighty and merciful break the bonds of our sins and set us free.
R.  Amen.
V.  Jube domne, (Dómine) benedícere.
V.  Vouchsafe, Reverend Father (O Lord), thy blessing.
Benedíctio 7: Evangélica léctio sit nobis salus et protéctio.
R.  Amen.
Benediction 7:  May the Gospel's holy lection be our safeguard and protection.
R.  Amen.
Lesson vii
Léctio sancti Evangélii secúndum MatthæumThe Lesson is taken from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
Chap. 13, 24-30
In illo témpore : Dixit Jesus turbis parábolam hanc : Símile factum est regnum cælórum hómini, qui seminávit bonum semen in agro suo.   Et réliqua.
At that time : Jesus spake this parable unto the multitudes : The Kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field.  And so on, and that which followeth.
Homilía sancti Augustíni EpíscopiA Homily by St. Augustine the Bishop
Liber Quæst. Evang. in Matth. cap. 11, tom. 4
Cum negligéntius ágerent præpósiti Ecclésiæ, aut cum dormitiónem mortis accíperent Apóstoli, venit diábolus, et superseminávit eos, quos malos fílios Dóminus interpretátur.  Sed quæritur : utrum hærétici sint, an male vivéntes cathólici?  Possunt enim dici fílii mali étiam hærétici, quia ex eódem Evangélii sémine, et Christi nómine procreáti, pravis opiniónibus ad falsa dógmata convertúntur.
In this parable the Lord hath reference to the time when the Shepherds of the Church should begin to wax careless, (or, it may be, to the time when the Apostles should fall asleep in the sleep of death,) at which time, the devil would come and sow that which the Lord calleth a seed of evil-doers.  Now, is this seed of evil-doers a reference to hereticks or to Catholics of bad lives?  It certainly is not unjust to call the hereticks a seed of evil-doers, seeing that they have sprung up from the seed of the Gospel, and have been begotten in the Name of Christ, and afterwards have turned into crooked ways and lying doctrines.
V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.
V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.
R.  Ad te, Dómine, levávi ánimam meam : * Deus meus, in te confído, non erubéscam.V.  Custódi ánimam meam, et éripe me.
R.  Deus meus, in te confído, non erubéscam.
R.  Unto thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul ; My God, I have put my trust in thee, O let me never be confounded.V.  O keep my soul, and deliver me.
R.  My God, I have put my trust in thee, O let me never be confounded.

V.  Jube domne, (Dómine) benedícere.
V.  Vouchsafe, Reverend Father (O Lord), thy blessing.
Benedíctio 8: Divínum auxílium máneat semper nobíscum.
R.  Amen.
Benediction 8: May help divine be with us all, for ever abiding.
R.  Amen.
Lesson viii
Sed quod dicit eos in médio trítici seminátos, quasi vidéntur illi significári, qui uníus communiónis sunt.  Verúmtamen quóniam Dóminus agrum ipsum, non Ecclésiam, sed hunc mundum interpretátus est : bene intelligúntur hærétici, quia non societáte uníus Ecclésiæ, vel uníus fídei, sed societáte solíus nóminis christiáni in hoc mundo permiscéntur bonis.  At illi, qui in eádem fide mali sunt, pálea pótius quam zizánia reputántur : quia pálea étiam fundaméntum ipsum habet cum fruménto, radicémque commúnem.
But since it is written that this seed was sown in the midst of the wheat, we ought perhaps to understand thereby a reference to such as are of one Communion with the righteous.  However, inasmuch as the Lord saith : The field is the world : and doth not thereby directly speak of the Church, we may with good reason understand the seed of evil-doers to be the hereticks, since in this world they are mingled together with the good, not in one common Communion, but only under one common name of Christian.  And Catholics of bad lives, which nevertheless are of one Faith with the good seed, and yet are themselves worthless, may more fitly be likened to straw than to tares, since the straw springeth from one soil and one root with the good grain-bearing ear of corn.
V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.
V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.
R.  Duo Séraphim clamábant alter ad álterum : *Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dóminus Deus Sábaoth :* Plena est omnis terra glória ejus.V.  Tres sunt qui testimónium dant in cælo : Pater, Verbum, et Spíritus Sanctus : et hi tres unum sunt.
R.  Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dóminus Deus Sábaoth.V.  Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
R.  Plena est omnis terra glória ejus.
R.  The two Seraphim did cry the One to the Other : * Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts : * The whole earth is full of his glory.V.  For there are Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost : and these Three are One.
R.  Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts.V.  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R.  The whole earth is full of his glory.

V.  Jube domne, (Dómine) benedícere.
V.  Vouchsafe, Reverend Father (O Lord), thy blessing.
Benedíctio 9: Ad societátem cívium supernórum perdúcat nos Rex Angelórum.
R.  Amen.
Benediction 9: May the King of Angels give us fellowship with all the citizens of heaven.
R.  Amen.
Lesson ix
In illa plane sagéna, qua concludúntur et mali et boni pisces, non absúrde mali cathólici intelligúntur.  Aliud est enim mare, quod magis mundum istum signíficat : áliud sagéna, quæ uníus fídei, vel uníus Ecclésiæ communiónem vidétur osténdere.  Inter hæréticos et malos cathólicos hoc ínterest, quod hærétici falsa credunt : illi autem, vera credéntes, non vivunt ita ut credunt.
However, as touching the net cast into the sea, and enclosing a great multitude of fishes, both bad and good, we may well understand that by the bad are meant Catholics of bad lives.  For the sea is one thing whereby we may understand to be signified the world ; and the net another , which seemeth to signify our Faith, or the Communion of one Church.  Between hereticks and sinful Catholics there is this difference : hereticks believe a lie : sinful Catholics believe the truth, but live not what they believe.
V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.
V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.
TE DEUM LAUDAMUS
 
TE DEUM

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Professor Romero,

This is off-topic, but may I ask of you a question? What can you say about Dietrich Von Hildebrand's ethical system? I've heard that it is a bit off-kilter, at least from a Thomistic point of view. I tried reading what he wrote re: "value" but could get nowhere, as it was really so ill-defined. What would you say his overall ethical vision was, and does it have any basis in tradition? I am just so confused; I've heard from some Catholics that he is either the saving grace of the Church, or that his writings would be the end of Catholic philosophy. Thank you

Don Paco said...

That would be a great topic to discuss in the forum. Would you care to join us and post your question there, so that we can all discuss it?