14 August 2006

Patristic Quote for the Day

Our city is different from theirs as heaven from earth, as everlasting life from passing pleasure, as solid glory from empty praise, as the company of angels from the companionship of mortals, as the Light of him who made the sun and moon is brighter than the light of sun and moon. We can learn from this, too, that the remission of sins which makes us citizens of the Eternal City was faintly adumbrated when Romulus gathered the first citizens of his city by providing sanctuary and immunity for a multitude of criminals. - St. Augustine, *The City of God* Book V, Chapter 17

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great quote. Thanks so much.

I wish to humbly add to the saint's thought that the feast which makes us stronger and sustains was ever "faintly adumbrated" ... when Romulus was suckled from the side by a creature like him of fleshly dust, yet wonderously different, too.

A lupine beast, in "eternal city" myth; one more than matched by the crucified Lion of Judah, in eternal Reality.

William Weedon said...

Dr. Anderson,

You're making me nervous! ; ) Our Lady is sometimes called a Heifer by the Orthodox; now I'll have to be thinking of her as the friendly She-Wolf!!!!