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Office Of Readings | Monday Of Holy Week | A Reading From The Sermons Of Saint Augustine
‘Let us also boast in the cross of the Lord.’
At the heart of Saint Augustine’s sermon is a paradox that stands at the center of our faith: that the suffering and death of Jesus is not a defeat, but a triumph; not a cause for shame, but a reason to boast.
The Cross As Ground Of Hope
Saint Augustine begins by naming the Passion of Christ as ‘the hope of glory and a lesson in patience’. In other words, it is both a promise and a pattern. The Cross, he tells us, is not only what saves us—it also teaches us how to live. It shows us how God loves, and how we are called to love in return: not with power or prestige, but with endurance, humility, and self-giving.
This is not simply pious sentiment. It’s a bold statement. The crucifixion was the most humiliating and brutal form of death in the ancient world. It was reserved for the lowest and the worst—criminals, rebels, and slaves. That God would choose to enter into that place of suffering is staggering. And yet, Augustine says, this is precisely the foundation of our hope.
‘What may not the hearts of believers promise themselves,’ he asks, ‘when for their sake God’s only Son… even died at the hands of the men he had created?’
The sheer generosity of God’s love is on full display. Christ died not because we deserved it, but because we needed it. And because he did, we now have the surest reason to trust that he will not withhold anything else—not even eternal life.
The ‘Wonderful Exchange’
One of the most moving parts of the sermon is Augustine’s reflection on what later theology would call the admirable exchange—the idea that Christ took on what is ours, so that we might receive what is his:
‘Of ourselves we had no power to live, nor did he of himself have the power to die… Through us, he died; through him, we shall live.’
Augustine paints a beautiful picture of this divine trade. Christ had to take on our mortal flesh in order to die, because by nature, as God, he is immortal. He does not die by compulsion, but by choice—entering into the full experience of human frailty so that we might share in the power of divine life. In this, the Passion becomes more than a historical event. It becomes a door, an exchange, a gift freely given and waiting to be received.
No Longer A Scandal, But A Glory
The Cross, then, is no longer something to be hidden or apologized for. It becomes the center of Christian identity. Augustine points us to Saint Paul, who wrote in Galatians: ‘Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ For both Paul and Augustine, the Cross is not just the instrument of salvation—it is the shape of the Christian life.
Augustine urges us to embrace this with boldness. The world may see the Cross as weakness or folly, but faith reveals it as glory. It is the place where love goes to its furthest end, where God himself is most fully revealed—not in triumph over others, but in suffering for them.
‘Let us confess [the Cross], not in fear but in joy, not in shame but in glory.’
This is a powerful word, especially as we begin Holy Week. The liturgies of these days draw us deeply into the Passion of Christ—not as spectators, but as participants. In the Cross, we see the measure of God’s love. We see the cost of our salvation. But we also see the pattern we are called to follow: to give ourselves, as Christ did, in love.
Looking Forward With Confidence
Augustine closes his reflection by turning our eyes to the future. If Christ was willing to suffer for us while we were still sinners, how much more will he be faithful in giving us the reward of righteousness? If he gave us his death, will he not also give us his life?
This is not optimism. It is confidence rooted in the character of God—his mercy, his constancy, and his love. As we walk with Christ through the events of Holy Week—his betrayal, his suffering, his crucifixion—Augustine reminds us that this journey ends in glory. The Cross is not the end, but the beginning. It is the seed from which resurrection grows.
A Reading From The Sermons Of Saint Augustine
The passion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the hope of glory and a lesson in patience.
What may not the hearts of believers promise themselves as the gift of God’s grace, when for their sake God’s only Son, co-eternal with the Father, was not content only to be born as man from human stock but even died at the hands of the men he had created?
It is a great thing that we are promised by the Lord, but far greater is what has already been done for us, and which we now commemorate. Where were the sinners, what were they, when Christ died for them? When Christ has already given us the gift of his death, who is to doubt that he will give the saints the gift of his own life? Why does our human frailty hesitate to believe that mankind will one day live with God?
Who is Christ if not the Word of God: in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God? This Word of God was made flesh and dwelt among us. He had no power of himself to die for us: he had to take from us our mortal flesh. This was the way in which, though immortal, he was able to die; the way in which he chose to give life to mortal men: he would first share with us, and then enable us to share with him. Of ourselves we had no power to live, nor did he of himself have the power to die.
In other words, he performed the most wonderful exchange with us. Through us, he died; through him, we shall live.
The death of the Lord our God should not be a cause of shame for us; rather, it should be our greatest hope, our greatest glory. In taking upon himself the death that he found in us, he has most faithfully promised to give us life in him, such as we cannot have of ourselves.
He loved us so much that, sinless himself, he suffered for us sinners the punishment we deserved for our sins. How then can he fail to give us the reward we deserve for our righteousness, for he is the source of righteousness? How can he, whose promises are true, fail to reward the saints when he bore the punishment of sinners, though without sin himself?
Brethren, let us then fearlessly acknowledge, and even openly proclaim, that Christ was crucified for us; let us confess it, not in fear but in joy, not in shame but in glory.
The apostle Paul saw Christ, and extolled his claim to glory. He had many great and inspired things to say about Christ, but he did not say that he boasted in Christ’s wonderful works: in creating the world, since he was God with the Father, or in ruling the world, though he was also a man like us. Rather, he said: Let me not boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Many Christians live in places that are hostile to Christianity. This hostility takes different forms. In the United Kingdom, there is significant but often banal hostility to Christianity, including on the part of those who term themselves notionally Christian, but who really never want to gather to worship God. Christians in the United Kingdom are not generally at risk of physical harm. It is a sickening truth that where there is such risk, it is most often sectarian, for example in Belfast or Glasgow [ … ]
In the Bible, a miracle is an event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency. Miracles are often seen as a sign of the intervention of God in the affairs of human beings. In the Old Testament, the most famous miracles are the Ten Plagues of Egypt, in which God punished the Pharaoh for refusing to release the Israelites from slavery, and the parting of the Red Sea, in which God allowed the Israelites to escape from the pursuing Egyptians by opening a path through the sea. In the New Testament, the miracles of Jesus are a central part of his ministry and are seen as evidence of his divinity. These include healings, such as the restoration of sight to the blind and the raising of the dead, and acts of nature, such as turning water into wine and walking on water. Is There A Theological Significance To Jesus’ Miracles? In the Christian tradition, the miracles performed by Jesus are seen as a manifestation of his divinity and as proof of his authority to teach and heal. Many of these miracles are described in the Gospels of the New Testament, which are the primary source of information about the life and teachings of Jesus. The purpose of the miracles, according to the Gospels, was to demonstrate Jesus’ power over natural forces and to show that he had the authority to forgive sins and offer salvation to those who believed in him. Why Did Jesus Ask To Keep His Miracles Secret? ‘Tell No One Of This.’ In the Gospels, there are a few instances where Jesus tells people not to tell others about what he has done for them. For example, in the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus healed a man who was possessed by demons, he told the man, ‘See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a proof to them’ (Matthew 8:4). In this case, it seems that Jesus was concerned that the man’s testimony might not be believed or might be misunderstood, and so he asked him to keep the experience to himself for the time being. It is difficult to say for sure why Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle without knowing the specific context in which the request was made. However, some possible reasons that come to mind include: To avoid drawing unnecessary attention to himself. In the Gospels, Jesus often tries to avoid drawing too much attention to himself, especially from the authorities who are hostile to him. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might be one way of avoiding unwanted attention and allowing Jesus to continue his ministry without interference. To allow the person who was healed to experience the transformation for themselves. In some cases, the person who was healed might have been skeptical or unsure of what had happened to them. Asking them to keep quiet about the miracle might have given them time to reflect on the experience and come to their own understanding of it without being influenced by others. To test the person’s faith. In some cases, Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle as a test of their faith. If they were truly grateful for what Jesus had done for them, they would be willing to follow his instructions and trust that he had a good reason for asking them to keep quiet. These are just a few possible reasons why Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle. It is important to remember that the Gospels are ancient texts and that we must be careful not to impose our own interpretations on them without considering the historical and cultural context in which they were written. To avoid creating conflict or division. In the Gospels, Jesus often encounters people who are skeptical or hostile to his teachings, and he sometimes tries to avoid confrontations with them. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might be one way of avoiding a confrontation or a heated debate that could disrupt his ministry. To avoid being misunderstood or misrepresented. In some cases, the person who was healed might not have understood the full significance of what Jesus had done for them, and they might have tried to explain it in a way that distorted or misrepresented the truth. Asking them to keep quiet might have given Jesus time to explain things to them more fully and help them to understand the true meaning of the miracle. To avoid becoming a spectacle. In the Gospels, there are many instances where people are amazed by the miracles that Jesus performs, and they often try to make him into a kind of celebrity or showman. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might have been one way of avoiding this kind of attention and keeping the focus on the message that Jesus was trying to convey. What Is The Significance Of Miracle Of The Wedding At Cana? In the Christian tradition, the wedding at Cana is significant because it is the first of the miracles performed by Jesus that is recorded in the Gospels of the New Testament. This event is described in the Gospel of John, where it is said that Jesus, along with his mother Mary and his disciples, attended a wedding in the town of Cana. At the wedding, the host ran out of wine, and Mary asked Jesus to help. In response, Jesus turned water into wine, which is seen as a miraculous act that demonstrated his power and authority. In the Gospel of John, after Mary asks Jesus to help with the wine at the wedding in Cana, he replies, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). This statement is often seen as indicating that Jesus was aware […]
