The Ancient Witnesses

282 • The Ancient Witnesses: A Journey to Discover Our Sacred Roots

they said to him, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old ’” 31 “I remember,” I said. “And to whom was our Lord speaking at that time?” asked Augustine. “His disciples, I guess.” “Truly,” he agreed, “and so the kingdom has come, for this is when His scribes are trained for the kingdom.” “That makes sense,” I agreed. “Of course,” said the Bishop, “how else could the Church be called the kingdom of God if the kingdom had not already come?” Augustine “proved” his point by equating the Church with the kingdom of God, but that raised another question for me. “We were taught that the Church and the kingdom are not the same, right?” I asked Father Greg, who nodded in agreement. “What are they teaching at your school?” asked Augustine. “Our theology text says that the Church points to the kingdom,” explained Father Greg, “but is not identical with it.” “Do you recall the parables of the weeds?” Augustine asked me. 32

31 Matthew 13:51-52.

32 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.