Friday, June 21 : Saint Augustine

God does not ask many things of you, for charity alone fulfills the whole Law. But that love is double: love of God and love of the neighbor… When God tells you to love your neighbor, he does not tell you to love him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. Rather, he tells you to love your neighbor as yourself. Thus, love God with all that you are, because he is greater than you are; love your neighbor as yourself, because he is what you are… Thus our love has three objects. But why are there only two commandments? I will tell you: God did not consider it necessary to commit you to loving yourself, since there is no one who doesn’t love himself. But many people lose themselves because they love themselves in a bad way. By telling you to love God with all that you are, God gave you a rule according to which you must love yourself. Without doubt you want to love yourself? So love God with all that you are. For it is in him that you will find yourself and avoid losing yourself in yourself… Therefore, the rule according to which you must love yourself is given to you: love the one who is greater than you and you will love yourself.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team