Word to the Wise
Friday, August 28, 2009 - St. Augustine of Hippo, bishop and doctor of the Church.
[1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 and Matthew 25:1-13]We earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God - and as you are conducting yourselves - you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. This is the will of God, your holiness: that you refrain from immorality......
Most Catholics in the "western tradition" of the Church probably do not think very often of St. Augustine of Hippo, but his teachings do have an impact on the way most Catholics in the "western tradition" of the Church DO think! This is especially true in the area of moral conduct. St. Augustine's vision of the human person was based on his own psychological and spiritual journey, and that journey made him very pessimistic about human nature, especially in regard to sexuality. He would definitely say a loud AMEN to the passage from St. Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians, today's first scripture. It's only fair that before we criticize someone who stands like a giant in the history of moral theology that we understand where he is "coming from," but I must content myself with recommending to everyone that they read his CONFESSIONS - a short, intense, and still very relevant account of his early life and conversion. To be fair even more, I must also say that his influence in the areas of sacramental and political theology is also very strong. Anyone wishing to understand the theological background and approach of our current pope, Benedict XVI, would have to be acquainted with the teachings of St. Augustine!!!! Almost anything that is taught in the realm of official church teaching is in some way touched by Augustine. Just check the footnotes in the Cathechism of the Catholic Church! For us Dominicans, his influence is a daily thing because his "rule," which he wrote for the community that gathered around him in North Africa, is printed in the front of our "Constitutions!" When Dominic founded the Order of Preachers, he was told he had to adopt an existing "rule" and he and his companions chose the Rule of St. Augustine. Even if any investigation of St. Augustine is not on our agenda, we could do no better on this feast than to remember a line from the CONFESSIONS: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts cannot find rest until they rest in you!" AMEN
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