In his human nature Jesus Christ is descended in the line of David

Treasures of Our Faith with Deacon Richard Vehige

On Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary time, our church invites us to reflect on a passage from the second book of Samuel (7: 1-25) entitled “The messianic prophecy of Nathan”. Our treasure is from a book on the Predestination of Saints by Saint Augustine, bishop.

The books of Samuel describe the rise and development of kingship in Israel. Samuel is a pivotal figure. He bridges the gap between the period of the Judges and the monarchy, and guides Israel’s transition to kingship.

Each section of these books focuses on a major figure in the development of the monarchy: Samuel, the reluctant king maker (1 Sm 1–12); Saul, the king whom the Lord rejects (1 Sm 13–31); David, the king after the Lord’s own heart (2 Sm 1–24). A common theme unites these narratives: Israel’s God acts justly, prospering those who remain faithful and destroying those who reject his ways (1 Sm 2:9). Along with the rest of the Deuteronomistic History, the Books of Samuel become an object lesson for biblical Israel as it tries to re-establish its religious identity after the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of its homeland (587/586 B.C.).

Saint Augustine was a late fourth century, theologian and philosopher, and Bishop of Hippo, Roman North Africa. He is also a preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Church. His writings influenced the development of western philosophy and western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period.

"Predestination of the Saints" is a theological work written by Saint Augustine, a prominent Christian theologian and philosopher of the 4th and 5th centuries. The book explores the concept of predestination, which is the idea that God has already determined the fate of every individual before they are born. Augustine argues that predestination is a fundamental aspect of Christian doctrine and that it is necessary for understanding God's sovereignty and the nature of salvation. He also discusses the role of free will in relation to predestination and emphasizes the importance of living a virtuous life. Overall, ""Predestination of the Saints"" is a complex and thought-provoking work that delves into some of the most fundamental questions of Christian theology.

What St Augustine is saying is that if a person comes to faith at some point in his or her life, then God sees the point that the person will do so. If God sees the point at which a person will put his or her faith in God, God is not interfering with the free will, he is just observing the will of the person. others are predestined to reject it.