Patristic Quote of the Day

He said, ‘Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name beginning from Jerusalem.’ The disciples could not see this. They could see Christ talking about the church that would be. When Christ said something they could not see, they believed him. They could see the head, but they could not see the body. We can see the body, but we believe about the head. They are two: husband wife, head and body, Christ and the church. He showed himself to the disciples and promised them the church. He showed us the church and ordered us to believe about himself. The apostles saw one thing, but they did not see the other. We also see one thing and do not see the other. Having the head there with them, they believed about the body. Having the body here with us, we believe about the head.—St. Augustine, Sermon 229.1