• Home
  • About
    • Management >
      • Annual Reports
    • Membership
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact & Donations
  • Events
    • Events in Perth
    • Events in the SouthWest
    • The Stitt Oration
  • Resources
    • Videos
    • Daily Prayer >
      • Preface
      • Introduction to Daily Prayer
      • Short Forms of Daily Prayer >
        • Short Morning Prayer
        • Short Midday Prayer
        • Short Midday Prayer with Eucharist
        • Short Evening Prayer
        • Short Prayer at the End of the Day
      • Daily Prayer for the Week >
        • Sunday Morning Prayer
        • Sunday Evening Prayer
        • Monday Morning Prayer
        • Monday Evening Prayer
        • Tuesday Morning Prayer
        • Tuesday Evening Prayer
        • Wednesday Morning Prayer
        • Wednesday Evening Prayer
        • Thursday Morning Prayer
        • Thursday Evening Prayer
        • Friday Morning Prayer
        • Friday Evening Prayer
        • Saturday Morning Prayer
        • Saturday Evening Prayer
      • Pilgrims >
        • First Week of the Month
        • Second Week of the Month
        • Third Week of the Month
        • Fourth Week of the Month
        • Fifth Week of the Month
        • Pilgrims' Resources
  • Spiritual Direction
    • Spiritual Direction Training
    • Dayspring Library
  • Reflections
    • Poetry
  • Dayspring Shop

Confession

7/10/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Throughout the history of the Church, words of confession have often divided Christians and have led to many violent and shocking deaths. If only they had listened carefully to Augustine’s sixth homily on the First Epistle of John where, a mere three hundred years after Jesus’ death, he explain what it means to confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. God becoming human flesh, says Augustine, the incarnation, is motivated by the one thing – love. Therefore, we confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, not by words, but by actions of love. It is on this point, he says, we should test believers,
Give the earthen vessels a tap, put them to the proof, whether haply they be cracked and give a dull sound: see whether they ring full and clear, see whether love be there.

Augustine is adamant,
This then is the Spirit of God, which says that Jesus has come in the flesh which says, not in tongue but in deeds; which says, not by making a noise but by loving. And that spirit is not of God, which denies that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; denies, here also, not in tongue but in life; not in words but in deeds.
What freedom and joy Augustine’s message brings, and I imagine tapping myself to see if “love be there.” May you find your faith lived out this week, “not by making a noise but by loving,” for God first loved us and came to dwell amongst us.
 
Brian Holliday
Photo by Monstera on Pexels
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Selected members of the Dayspring Community make contributions to this page on a regular basis.

    If you would like to make a contribution, please email to [email protected] and we will moderate your contribution.

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    May 2023
    February 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    November 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture
Dayspring acknowledges the role of First Nations people as the traditional custodians of the land on which Dayspring Events are held. Dayspring recognizes their unbroken continuing connection to land, water and community​, their efforts to preserve and strengthen their culture and language and pays respects to elders past present and emerging who share in this work.


Except as permitted by the copyright law applicable to you, you may not reproduce or communicate any of the content on this website, including files downloadable from this website without the permission of the copyright owner.
EMAIL: [email protected]
​

© Dayspring Community (WA) Inc.  2023

Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
    • Management >
      • Annual Reports
    • Membership
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact & Donations
  • Events
    • Events in Perth
    • Events in the SouthWest
    • The Stitt Oration
  • Resources
    • Videos
    • Daily Prayer >
      • Preface
      • Introduction to Daily Prayer
      • Short Forms of Daily Prayer >
        • Short Morning Prayer
        • Short Midday Prayer
        • Short Midday Prayer with Eucharist
        • Short Evening Prayer
        • Short Prayer at the End of the Day
      • Daily Prayer for the Week >
        • Sunday Morning Prayer
        • Sunday Evening Prayer
        • Monday Morning Prayer
        • Monday Evening Prayer
        • Tuesday Morning Prayer
        • Tuesday Evening Prayer
        • Wednesday Morning Prayer
        • Wednesday Evening Prayer
        • Thursday Morning Prayer
        • Thursday Evening Prayer
        • Friday Morning Prayer
        • Friday Evening Prayer
        • Saturday Morning Prayer
        • Saturday Evening Prayer
      • Pilgrims >
        • First Week of the Month
        • Second Week of the Month
        • Third Week of the Month
        • Fourth Week of the Month
        • Fifth Week of the Month
        • Pilgrims' Resources
  • Spiritual Direction
    • Spiritual Direction Training
    • Dayspring Library
  • Reflections
    • Poetry
  • Dayspring Shop