18 October 2016
Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist
In the City of God, St. Augustine develops the notion of dual citizenship. This dual citizenship was split by two loyalties: one of the love of flesh, and the other of the love of Spirit directed to God. In his bipolar juxtaposition of the two cities, Augustine qualifies the notion of coexistence (permixtio)—the mixing of those in the earthly with those in the heavenly city. Citizens of the earthly city can belong to the city of God, and, conversely, members of the visible church may belong to the earthly city.
Today is the feast of St. Luke who was known as the author of the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. One of the major themes of his works is whether Christians can be good citizens of the Roman Empire. In his Gospel, Luke portrays Jesus teaching an ethical system that is entirely compatible with good citizenship of the Empire. Similarly, the hero of the Acts of the Apostles, Paul, also deals with whether a good Christian can simultaneously be a good citizen of the Roman Empire.
Let us pause for a moment and reflect on how we see ourselves in the midst of the tension of being a good Christian and a good citizen? Does it mean we have to live like lambs among wolves? Do you believe that if everyone abandons you because of your Christian faith, the Lord will stand by you and give you strength?