Augustine and the Paradox of God
Today I would like to share some words with you from Augustine's Confessions, a book I picked up in the Durham Cathedral Library in England. I was interested in reading some of Augustine's writings for a while, so bought the book as soon as I stumbled upon it. While at my cousin Patricia's house, I was reading the first few pages and fell upon a passage that matched a recent idea of mine. Everything about the Christian faith and life is a paradox. Not to be confused with a negative contradiction, but rather a paradoxical nature that accentuates the mystery that is our faith and life with Jesus.
In particular, it is God's character that shows many of these seeming opposites. His nature is paradoxical in every sense. This passage, an excerpt from "Saint Augustine Confessions" will explain what I mean:
"Most high, utterly good, utterly powerful, most omnipotent, most merciful and most just, deeply hidden yet most intimately present, perfection of both beauty and strength, stable and incomprehensible, immutable and yet changing all things, never new, never old, making everything new and 'leading' the proud 'to be old without their knowledge' (Job 9:5); always active, always in repose, gathering to yourself but not in need, supporting and filling and protecting, creating and nurturing and bringing to maturity, searching even though to you nothing is lacking: you love without burning, you are jealous in a way that is free of anxiety, you 'repent' (Gen. 6:6) without the pain of regret, you are wrathful and remain tranquil. You will a change without any change in your design. You recover what you find, yet have never lost. Never in any need, you rejoice in your gains (Luke 15:7); you are never avaricious, yet you require interest (Matt. 25:27)."
God is a contradiction in the loveliest sense. There are so many other examples of lovely contradictions that I have run into during my time at the Bode, but at the moment I cannot recall any specific ones that I have remembered. All I know is that the biggest paradox is that God loves me even though I do not deserve it. Grace is the biggest contradiction, and the foundation of our faith. Without this, we have nothing.
Much love,
Mickeelie
In particular, it is God's character that shows many of these seeming opposites. His nature is paradoxical in every sense. This passage, an excerpt from "Saint Augustine Confessions" will explain what I mean:
"Most high, utterly good, utterly powerful, most omnipotent, most merciful and most just, deeply hidden yet most intimately present, perfection of both beauty and strength, stable and incomprehensible, immutable and yet changing all things, never new, never old, making everything new and 'leading' the proud 'to be old without their knowledge' (Job 9:5); always active, always in repose, gathering to yourself but not in need, supporting and filling and protecting, creating and nurturing and bringing to maturity, searching even though to you nothing is lacking: you love without burning, you are jealous in a way that is free of anxiety, you 'repent' (Gen. 6:6) without the pain of regret, you are wrathful and remain tranquil. You will a change without any change in your design. You recover what you find, yet have never lost. Never in any need, you rejoice in your gains (Luke 15:7); you are never avaricious, yet you require interest (Matt. 25:27)."
God is a contradiction in the loveliest sense. There are so many other examples of lovely contradictions that I have run into during my time at the Bode, but at the moment I cannot recall any specific ones that I have remembered. All I know is that the biggest paradox is that God loves me even though I do not deserve it. Grace is the biggest contradiction, and the foundation of our faith. Without this, we have nothing.
Much love,
Mickeelie
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