Today's meditation: The truth has sprouted from the earth

Awake, man: for you God has become man. "Awake, or you who sleep, awake from the dead and Christ will enlighten you" (Eph 5:14). For you, I say, God became man.
You would have died forever if he hadn't been born over time. He would not have freed your nature from sin if he had not assumed a nature similar to that of sin. Perpetual misery would have possessed you if this mercy had not been bestowed. You wouldn't have got your life back if he hadn't met with your own death. You would have failed if he hadn't helped you. You would have perished if he hadn't come.
Let us prepare ourselves to celebrate in joy the coming of our salvation, of our redemption; to celebrate the feast day on which the great and eternal day came from its great and eternal day on our temporary day so short. "He has become for us justice, sanctification and redemption because, as it is written, those who boast boast in the Lord" (1 Cor 1: 30-31).
"The truth has sprouted from the earth" (Ps 84, 12): it is born of the Virgin Christ, who said: "I am the truth" (Jn 14: 6). "And justice has appeared from heaven" (Ps 84, 12). The man who believes in Christ, born for us, does not receive salvation from himself, but from God. "The truth has sprouted from the earth", because "the Word became flesh" (Jn 1:14). "And justice appeared from heaven", because "every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above" (Jn 1:17). "The truth has sprouted from the earth": the flesh from Mary. "And justice appeared from heaven", because "man cannot receive anything if it has not been given to him by heaven" (Jn 3:27).
"Justified by faith, we are at peace with God" (Rom 5: 1) because "justice and peace kissed each other" (Ps 84: 11) "for our Lord Jesus Christ", because "the truth is sprouted from the earth "(Ps 84, 12). "Through him we have access to this grace in which we find ourselves and of which we boast in the hope of the glory of God" (Rom 5: 2). It does not say "of our glory", but "of the glory of God", because justice did not come to us, but it "appeared from heaven". Therefore "he who is glory" should glory in the Lord, not in himself.
From heaven, in fact, for the birth of the Lord from the Virgin ... the hymn of angels was heard: "Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth to men of good will" (Lk 2:14). How could peace on earth come, if not because the truth sprouted from the earth, that is, Christ was born of the flesh? "He is our peace, he who made only one of two peoples" (Eph 2:14) so ​​that we could be men of good will, gently bound by the bond of unity.
Let us therefore rejoice in this grace so that our glory may be the testimony of good conscience. We do not glory in ourselves, but in the Lord. It has been said: "You are my glory and raise my head" (Ps 3: 4): and what greater grace from God could shine to us? By having a only-begotten Son, God made him the son of man, and so vice versa he made the son of man the son of God. Look for the merit, the cause, the justice of this, and see if you ever find anything but grace.

of St. Augustine, bishop