Word to the Wise
Thursday, August 28, 2008 - St. Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church
[1orinthians 1:1-9 and Matthew 24:42-51]I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and knowledge....
Few theologians can claim to have had the impact on Roman Catholic teaching, especially in dogmatic and moral theology, that St. Augustine has had and continues to have. He is the authority most quoted by St. Thomas Aquinas O.P. in his own SUMMA THEOLOGIAE. Yet, Augustine may have had his most important impact in the realm of personal spirituality and in political theory! Two of his works, THE CONFESSIONS and THE CITY OF GOD are classics in those areas and have appealed to broad audiences down through the ages. When one realizes that Augustine lived from 360 to 430AD, that means a long period of influence. In THE CITY OF GOD, Augustine adopted the insights of Plato and Aristotle, especially in the important area of moral virtues: prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude - which then served not only as a guide to political life but also as the foundation for all Roman Catholic moral theology. In THE CONFESSIONS, it is Augustine's struggle to come to terms with faith that has inspired men and women over and over again. We Dominicans use the "Rule" which he wrote for the community that he gathered around him in Northern Africa where he served as Bishop of Hippo. This "rule" is practical and flexible and serves many religious orders as a fundamental framework for community life. I will share a few lines from THE CONFESSIONS. They show the passion and humanity and faith of the man, remembering his conversion from paganism to Christianity. Too late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new, too late have I loved you! Behold you were withinme, while I was outside; it was there that I sought you, and, a deformed, creature, rushed headlong upon these things of beauty which you have made, You were with me, but I was not with you. They kept me far from you, those fair things which, if they were not in you, would not exist at all. You have called to me, and have cried out, and have shattered my deafness. You have blazed forth with light, and have shone upon me,and you have put my blindness to flight! You have sent forth fragrance, and I have drawn in my breath,and I pant after you. I have tasted you, and I hunger and thirst after you. You have touched me, and I have burned for your peace. Even if one may disagree with one or another of Augustine's teachings in theology, one cannot deny the charm and depth of the man who remains a giant in the history of the Church. AMEN
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