Bear wrongs patiently

Saint Augustin lived in Africa between the 4th and 5th centuries. He is a very famous writer for his various sayings and works. During Easter of the year 416 he delivered a series of sermons about the First Epistle of the Apostle Saint John, whose main theme is love. It speaks of how absurd it is to say that we love God but at the same time despise men, who are members of the Church and therefore, members of Christ. Saint Augustin gives the example of how silly it would be if someone wanted to give somebody else a kiss on the forehead, and whilst doing this, they stepped on that person’s feet with spiked boots. In other words, it is ridiculous to criticise others and at the same time pretend to be close to God. We must patiently tolerate other people’s defects, as they often have to put up with our own.