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JanSłomka
serviceofGod’slove.ThushefollowsGod’sloveandcaresforthefaithful
likeafathercaringforhischildren.
Fatherisprimarilyconcernedwithwelfareofhischildren.Eternalsal-
vationistheonlyultimategood.AugustineadoptsaRomanmodelof
afatherwhoisdemandingandisnotafraidtobehardonhisson.This
isthemainmanifestationoffather’slove.Soitisnotsurprisingthatstrict
Romanlaw,includingcoercivemeasuresappliedinordertoensurejustice
andpunishinjusticeconstitutesforAugustineamodelforunderstanding
God’sloveasaFather.
CallingtroopstocompeltheDonatiststoreturntotheCatholic
Churchdoesnotconstituteadeviationfromtheprincipleoflove,but
itsexecution.Itsunderlyingcauseisnotthelackoffaithinthegraceof
God,butallowingittotakeaction.
InthislightweshouldreadthefamouspassagefromAugustine’sser-
monsontheFirstEpistleofSt.John.Augustine’ssermonsareintended
tobetheanthempraisingGod’slove.ThisletterincludesSt.Augustine’s
favouritephrase:“Godislove”(1John4:16).Italsocontainsthefollow-
ingpassage:
Thiswehavesaidinthecasewherethethingsdonearesimilar.Inthecase
wheretheyarediverse,wefindamanbycharitymadefierce;andbyiniq-
uitymadewinninglygentle.Afatherbeatsaboy,andaboy-stealercaresses.
Ifthounamethetwothings,blowsandcaresses,whowouldnotchoose
thecaresses,anddeclinetheblows?Ifthoumarkthepersons,itischarity
thatbeats,iniquitythatcaresses.Seewhatweareinsistingupon;thatthe
deedsofmenareonlydiscernedbytherootofcharity.Formanythings
maybedonethathaveagoodappearance,andyetproceednotfromthe
rootofcharity.Forthornsalsohaveflowers:someactionstrulyseemrough,
seemsavage;howbeittheyaredonefordisciplineatthebiddingofcharity.
Onceforall,then,ashortpreceptisgiventhee:Love,anddowhatthou
wilt:whetherthouholdthypeace,throughloveholdthypeace;whether
thoucryout,throughlovecryout;whetherthoucorrect,throughlovecor-
rect;whetherthouspare,throughlovedothouspare:lettherootoflovebe
within,ofthisrootcannothingspringbutwhatisgood.3
Thus,itisshepherd’snegligenceifhedoesnottakeanyactionswhen
heseesthatpeoplepersistentlygowrong.Asashepherdhecannotjust
hopethatamanwilllearnthetruthhimselfandshouldnotleavehimon
hisownwhenhecanact.Itisbetterforthesakeofwrongdoer’ssalvation
3
AUGUSTIN:Homily7ontheFirstEpistleofJohn8.TranslatedbyH.BROWNe.
In:NiceneandPost-NiceneFathers,FirstSeries,Vol.7.EditedbyPh.SChAff.Bufalo,
NY:ChristianLiteraturePublishingCo.,1888.RevisedandeditedforNewAdventby
K.KNIGhT.
