Bible Diary

Daily Reading

Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

LECTIONARY
429

FIRST READING

1 COR 1:17-25

Brothers and sisters:
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.

Where is the wise one?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
For since in the wisdom of God
the world did not come to know God through wisdom,
it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation
to save those who have faith.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

PSALM

33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11

Response: The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord

Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.

For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.

GOSPEL

MT 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
‘Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.’
But the wise ones replied,
‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’
But he said in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Daily Reflection

One often wonders, how the Cross can be the center of our Christian faith. How can a symbol of defeat and death become one of wisdom and strength? St Paul instructs the Corinthians that it is foolish to solve this illogic using philosophical words or theories. Only an experience of it can open up this power that “makes God’s foolishness wiser than human wisdom.”

Saint Augustine’s life is an apt testimony of this. Remembered as one of the greatest thinkers on the Christian faith, the young Augustine had earlier subscribed to many worldly and heretical philosophies. Only after seventeen years of prayer and sacrifice by his mother, St. Monica, and encounters with the saintly bishop Ambrose, was Augustine able to surrender himself to the mystery of the cross.

Augustine’s life has forever inspired those trying to break a bad habit, which often constitutes a cross. From a life of loose living, parties and worldly ambitions, Augustine made a complete turnaround — becoming a faithful Christian, a priest, a bishop and a saint. His later life was spent repenting over his former life to ensure never to offend God again. Although Augustine’s fervent prayer was “Too late have I loved you O Lord”, his life gives us hope that we can never be too late for God.