Saturday, May 30, 2015

St. Augustine and the Greatest Commandment

You are commanded to love God "with all thy heart," that your whole thoughts--"with all thy soul," that your whole life--"with all thy mind," that your whole understanding--may be given to Him from whom you have that you give. Thus He has left no part of our life which may be unfilled by him, or give place to the desire after any other final good...For man is then the most perfect when his whole life tends towards the life unchangeable, and clings to it with the whole purpose of his soul.

--St. Augustine, on Matthew 22:37: "Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

If we love God truly, with heart, soul, and mind, then all our being longs to find union with God. There is not room for any other love, should we truly follow the Lord's commandment.

Augustine again: [F]or it is the selfsame affection by which we love God, and by which we love our neighbour, save that we love God for Himself, but ourselves and our neighbour for God's sake.

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