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| Reading |
From a discourse on the psalms
by Saint Augustine, Bishop |
The Easter Alleluia
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Our thoughts in this
present life should turn on the praise of God, because it is in praising
God that we shall rejoice for ever in the life to come; and no one can
be ready for the next life unless he trains himself for it now. So we
praise God during our earthly life, and at the same time we make our
petitions to him. Our praise is expressed with joy, our petitions with
yearning. We have been promised something we do not yet possess, and
because the promise was made by one who keeps his word, we trust him and
are glad; but insofar as possession is delayed, we can only long and
yearn for it. It is good for us to persevere in longing until we receive
what was promised, and yearning is over; then praise alone will remain.
Because there are these two periods of time – the one that now is, beset
with the trials and troubles of this life, and the other yet to come, a
life of everlasting serenity and joy – we are given two liturgical
seasons, one before Easter and the other after. The season before Easter
signifies the troubles in which we live here and now, while the time
after Easter which we are celebrating at present signifies the happiness
that will be ours in the future. What we commemorate before Easter is
what we experience in this life; what we celebrate after Easter points
to something we do not yet possess. This is why we keep the first season
with fasting and prayer; but now the fast is over and we devote the
present season to praise. Such is the meaning of the Alleluia we
sing.
Both these periods are represented and demonstrated for us in Christ our
head. The Lord’s passion depicts for us our present life of trial –
shows how we must suffer and be afflicted and finally die. The Lord’s
resurrection and glorification show us the life that will be given to us
in the future.
Now therefore, brethren, we urge you to praise God. That is what we are
all telling each other when we say Alleluia. You say to your
neighbour, “Praise the Lord!” and he says the same to you. We are all
urging one another to praise the Lord, and all thereby doing what each
of us urges the other to do. But see that your praise comes from your
whole being; in other words, see that you praise God not with your lips
and voices alone, but with your minds, your lives and all your actions.
We are praising God now, assembled as we are here in church; but when we
go on our various ways again, it seems as if we cease to praise God. But
provided we do not cease to live a good life, we shall always be
praising God. You cease to praise God only when you swerve from justice
and from what is pleasing to God. If you never turn aside from the good
life, your tongue may be silent but your actions will cry aloud, and God
will perceive your intentions; for as our ears hear each other’s voices,
so do God’s ears hear our thoughts. |
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