March 16
The leaves, the flowers, and the fruit
aturalists tell
us that of all the trees, only the fig tree bears its leaves, flowers,
and fruit at the same time. In like manner the Christian should have at
the same time all three signs of love and mercy: the leaves of words to
instruct the ignorant, the flowers of godly thoughts to love those who
offend him, and the fruit of good works to sustain the poor.
About such Christians the Lord said, Blessed are they who hunger for justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Justice means to give every person his due. Thus for consoling others, the penitent sinner brings truth to his own tongue; for loving enemies he applies the pledge of mercy to his heart; for sustaining his neighbor, he brings the works of charity to all his faculties; and all this particularly in the time of fasting. Gregory derives this beautifully from the gospel passage: "God approves that fast which lifts hands of almsgiving to his eyes, which is done with love of neighbor, which is built on mercy."
| Augustine Day By Day | The Augustinians - St. Thomas of Villanova Province |
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman