The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass.
... at the beginning of the human race the woman was made of a rib taken from the side of the man while he slept; for it seemed fit that even then Christ and His Church should be foreshadowed in this event. For that sleep of the man was the death of Christ, whose side, as He hung lifeless upon the Cross, was pierced with a spear, and there flowed from it blood and water, and these we know to be the sacraments by which the Church is built up.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the creation of woman from man's rib, symbolizing unity and foreshadowing the relationship between Christ and His Church.
Saint Augustine's quote draws a profound connection between the biblical creation narrative and the symbolism of Christ's sacrifice. It describes how the creation of woman from man's side is not just a physical act but a spiritual one that represents the deep bond between humanity and divinity. The sleep of man is paralleled with Christ's death, and the resulting blood and water symbolize the sacraments essential for the building of the Church, emphasizing the importance of this divine relationship.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the unity of man and woman in marriage.
More from Saint Augustine
All quotes →There is no health in those who are displeased by an element in Your creation, just as there was none in me when I was displeased by many things You had made. Because my soul didn't dare to say that my God displeased me, it refused to attribute to You whatever was displeasing.
Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times: Such as we are, such are the times.
Who can map out the various forces at play in one soul? Man is a great depth, O Lord. The hairs of his head are easier by far to count than his feeling, the movements of his heart.
Whatever skills I have acquired, whatever gifts I have been given, I place them at Your service.
Everyone who observes himself doubting observes a truth, and about that which he observes he is certain; therefore he is certain about a truth. Everyone therefore who doubts whether truth exists has in himself a truth on which not to doubt.... Hence one who can doubt at all ought not to doubt the existence of truth.
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