"Here
Christ is hungered, here He is athirst, is naked, is a stranger, is sick, is in
prison. For whatsoever His Body suffereth here, He hath said that Himself
suffereth; and at the end, severing off this His Body to the right hand, and
severing the rest by whom He is now trodden under foot to the left, He will say
to those on the right hand, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, receive the kingdom
which hath been prepared for you from the beginning of the world.” For what
deservings? “For I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat;” and so He goes over
the rest, as if He had Himself received; to such a degree that they, not
understanding it, make answer and say, “Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, a
stranger, and in prison?” And He saith to them, “Forasmuch as ye have done it
to one of the least of Mine, ye have done it unto Me.” So also in our own body,
the head is above, the feet are on the earth; yet in any crowding and throng of
men, when any one treads on your foot, does not the head say, “You are treading
upon me?” No one has trodden on your head, or on your tongue; it is above, in
safety, no harm has happened unto it; and yet because by the bond of charity
there is unity from the head even to the feet, the tongue does not separate
itself therefrom, but says, “You are treading upon me;” when no one has touched
it. As then the tongue, which no one has touched, says, “You are treading upon
me;” so Christ, the Head, which no one treadeth on, said, “I was an hungred,
and ye gave Me meat.” And to them who did not so, He said, “I was an hungred,
and ye gave Me no meat.” And how did He finish? Thus; “These shall go into
everlasting burning, but the righteous into life eternal.”
— Augustine of Hippo. (1888). Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament
— Augustine of Hippo. (1888). Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament
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