A leader praised for toleration; Angels: Day 285

Citing the instructions “to the angel of the church in Ephesus,”  St. Augustine says that toleration for the sake of unity earns us high praise.

In the Revelation of John (2:1-5) we read, “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lamp stands. “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false; I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.” ’ ”

Now, if he wanted us to understand that this was addressed to a heavenly angel, he would not go on to say, “But I have this against you, that you have aban- doned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent.” This could not be said about the heavenly angels, who keep their love unchanged, since the only beings that have left and fallen from their order are the devil and his angels. The “love you had at first” that it talks about here is the love that was proved when, for the sake of Christ’s name, they tolerated the false apostles. He commands them to return to them, and “do the works you did at first.”

Now, we are reproached with the crimes of bad people—not what we do, but what other people do, sometimes even when we don’t know them. Nevertheless, even if the crimes were actually committed right under our very eyes, if we bore with them for the sake of unity, leaving the tares alone on account of the wheat, whoever receives the Holy Scriptures with an open heart would say that we were not only free from blame, but worthy of considerable praise. –St. Augustine, Letter 43, 22

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .

When things that happen in the Church make me angry, do I become a force more for unity or for division? Like the angels in Heaven, do I keep my love unchanged?

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord, give peace to the multitudes of your people; put away  scandals, and bring divisions to an end. Let us be united in one Church on earth as your angels are united in Heaven.

Remember to subscribe to my feed so you will not miss a day! This recurring feature at The Catholic Blogger is possible through the cooperation of author Mike Aquilina and publisher Saint Benedict Press. To get your own copy of this book, click below.