True confession—I didn’t want to study Augustine when I began graduate studies. An Augustine
seminar, however, was required in my very first semester! There, I was captivated by the great value his
preaching places on the lived Christian experience. Like the psalmist, he understands that those who
walk in God’s ways are truly blessed (cf. Ps 128:1).
Augustine takes St. Paul at his word when he teaches that the Church is the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27),
a theology echoed in today’s Prayer after Communion. Transformed in the Sacraments, Augustine
preaches, Christians bear a new identity, that of Christ. He tells Christians that in the Eucharist, “You
receive the mystery that you are.” It is to this mystery, he says, that they assent with their “Amen.” He
urges them to do more than assent with their words, though. He urges them to truly be members of the
Body of Christ in how they live (Sermon 272).
In today’s first reading, when the Thessalonians face challenges in their life together in Christ, they hear
of the importance of order and work for the good of the community. In his preaching, Augustine
highlights love as the primary hallmark of Christian living. To love, he says, is to participate in the very
life of Christ. This love takes action—seeking Christian unity, reconciling with enemies, offering works of
mercy. A high calling, but we do not undertake it alone. Nourished by the Eucharist, “the sign of unity
and the bond of charity” (Prayer over the Offerings), we go forth together, as Christ and with Christ. A
blessing, indeed.
Kimberly Baker
Kimberly Baker, PhD, is associate professor of patristics at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of
Theology and co-founder of Women of the Church, a Catholic leadership forum.
Kimberly Baker, “To Love as Christ,” from the August 2024 issue of Give Us This Day giveusthisday.org (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2024). Used with permission.