Catholics Only: For commentary-St Augustine on being a Pastor

[joymercy]

Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary)

From a sermon On Pastors by St. Augustine, bishop
Welcome or unwelcome, insist upon the message

The straying sheep you have not recalled; the lost sheep you have not sought. In one way or another, we go on living between the hands of robbers and the teeth of raging wolves, and in light of these present dangers we ask your prayers. The sheep moreover are insolent. The shepherd seeks out the straying sheep, but because they have wandered away and are lost they say that they are not ours. “Why do you want us? Why do you seek us?” they ask, as if their straying and being lost were not the very reason for our wanting them and seeking them out. “If I am straying,” he says, “if I am lost, why do you want me?” You are straying, that is why I wish to recall you. You have been lost, I wish to find you. “But I wish to stray,” he says: “I wish to be lost.”

So you wish to stray and be lost? How much better that I do not also wish this. Certainly, I dare say, I am unwelcome. But I listen to the Apostle who says: Preach the word; insist upon it, welcome and unwelcome. Welcome to whom? Unwelcome to whom? By all means welcome to those who desire it; unwelcome to those who do not. However unwelcome, I dare to say: “You wish to stray, you wish to be lost; but I do not want this.” For the one whom I fear does not wish this. And should I wish it, consider his words of reproach: The straying sheep you have not recalled; the lost sheep you have not sought. Shall I fear you rather than him? Remember, we must all present ourselves before the judgment seat of Christ.

I shall recall the straying; I shall seek the lost. Whether they wish it or not, I shall do it. And should the brambles of the forests tear at me when I seek them, I shall force myself through all straits; I shall put down all hedges. So far as the God whom I fear grants me the strength, I shall search everywhere. I shall recall the straying; I shall seek after those on the verge of being lost. If you do not want me to suffer, do not stray, do not become lost. It is enough that I lament your straying and loss. No, I fear that in neglecting you, I shall also kill what is strong. Consider the passage that follows: And what was strong you have destroyed. Should I neglect the straying and lost, the strong one will also take delight in straying and in being lost.

 

[fide]

Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary)

From a sermon On Pastors by St. Augustine, bishop
Welcome or unwelcome, insist upon the message

The straying sheep you have not recalled; the lost sheep you have not sought. In one way or another, we go on living between the hands of robbers and the teeth of raging wolves, and in light of these present dangers we ask your prayers. The sheep moreover are insolent. The shepherd seeks out the straying sheep, but because they have wandered away and are lost they say that they are not ours. “Why do you want us? Why do you seek us?” they ask, as if their straying and being lost were not the very reason for our wanting them and seeking them out. “If I am straying,” he says, “if I am lost, why do you want me?” You are straying, that is why I wish to recall you. You have been lost, I wish to find you. “But I wish to stray,” he says: “I wish to be lost.”

So you wish to stray and be lost? How much better that I do not also wish this. Certainly, I dare say, I am unwelcome. But I listen to the Apostle who says: Preach the word; insist upon it, welcome and unwelcome. Welcome to whom? Unwelcome to whom? By all means welcome to those who desire it; unwelcome to those who do not. However unwelcome, I dare to say: “You wish to stray, you wish to be lost; but I do not want this.” For the one whom I fear does not wish this. And should I wish it, consider his words of reproach: The straying sheep you have not recalled; the lost sheep you have not sought. Shall I fear you rather than him? Remember, we must all present ourselves before the judgment seat of Christ.

I shall recall the straying; I shall seek the lost. Whether they wish it or not, I shall do it. And should the brambles of the forests tear at me when I seek them, I shall force myself through all straits; I shall put down all hedges. So far as the God whom I fear grants me the strength, I shall search everywhere. I shall recall the straying; I shall seek after those on the verge of being lost. If you do not want me to suffer, do not stray, do not become lost. It is enough that I lament your straying and loss. No, I fear that in neglecting you, I shall also kill what is strong. Consider the passage that follows: And what was strong you have destroyed. Should I neglect the straying and lost, the strong one will also take delight in straying and in being lost.

The love of God for His own is a beautiful Truth to see lived in a man or a woman; and such a reversed tragedy to see, in all our modern sophistication, the pagan self-obsessed opposite. What do we have or are, that He did not create and set before us? Yet so little do so many care for the poor unknowing dying around us. No, it is we who are the poor ones, we who have so much, yet have so little.

 

[Bob Crowley]

Constantine converted to Christianity in 312 AD, give or take a few years. Augustine was born in 354, a mere 42 years later and died in 430, a bit over a century after the foundation of official Christendom.

He was preaching in an age when the church was still taking shape.

We live after 1700 years of Christianisation. I don't know what sorts of personal barriers he was facing (no doubt some research would help me to clarify his spiritual environment) but now we have the problem of rampant secualarity and the fact that to all outward appearances we are no different to the general population.

It wasn't all that long ago when cultural Christianity was considered the norm in western society (in Australia anyway, and probably even more so in the US). But that's all changed. Now the pastor has a more challenging role - whereas once the priest could assume the sheep would toe the line, now he would have a good chance of fractious bleating within the flock.

Although internal dissension has always affected the church. I've got Butler's "Saint of the Day" on my shelf. When I read the stories of various saints, I'm surprised by how often their worst opposition came from other members of the church and frequently from members of their own religious order.

So what's new?

 

[Bob Crowley]

... whereas once the priest could assume the sheep would toe the line, now he would have a good chance of fractious bleating within the flock.

I lifted this line from my post #3 above.

My old pastor put a humorous spin on this facet of pastoral life. He said he usuallly didn't accept dinner invitations from parishioners as he nearly always found the main course was "Roast Parson!"

 

[boughtwithaprice]

What I have found in many Catholic or Christian circles is that we have become respecters of persons, rather than welcome sound doctrine from someone we feel is beneath us.
This is part of American rugged individualism and the tribal mentality of society. “Oh he is a good guy, why do you talk to him like that?” “She is a nice lady, why are you so mean?”

Doctrine is hard in that it crushes the person. Our Lord said that to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross. A grain of wheat is nothing unless it dies, but it it dies it brings forth fruit 30, 60, 100 fold.

The worst thing a Christian can say to someone is don’t you know who I am? No I don’t, it’s irrelevant. If we argue of point of faith, I stick to the message and act as if your person does not exist. If you want to flame me? Fine, my person is dead and cannot be harmed. I may even help you flame myself, my person has not been too good over the years and could use a good flaming

We have to die to ourselves. Why is that good? It’s sets us free to do the will of God. South Park is a goofy show and often irreverent, but anything can be used by God. There was one of the greatest lines in that show, when they talked about World of Warcraft. This one player became so powerful and wreaked havoc in the game. They said in order to reach this level of power, he must be playing all the time and have absolutely no life, and how can you kill that which has no life? Funny but poignant.

As Christians, when our person is dead, we cannot be harmed. We are free to love our enemies and walk in the shadow of death and fear no evil. People will try to hurt us and fail, and we will be hated by all men for Jesus’ name sake.
Even other Christians want their ears tickled and personalities recognized. We get offended. Did you hear what he said to me? Brothers and sisters this is not right. We love our Lord, not ourselves, however we are to love each other

Loving each other does not mean flattery and tickling each others ears. It means following our Lord with our whole heart. People that do not have theirs persons respected will hate us because it does not make them feel good. We as humans all want recognition and forget that they all spoke well of the false prophets

I love my enemies because they keep me honest. Flattery will get us to believe our own press and then we can be deceived

Jesus says whoever saves his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for His name’s sake the same shall find it

Those who love not their life unto death will be given a crown of life

Peace be with you