Word to the Wise
Saturday, August 28, 2010 - St. Augustine of Hippo - bishop and doctor of the church
[Colossians 3:12-17 and John 17:14-23.]Put on the, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another; if one has a grievance against another, as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. [Col.]
The feast of St. Augustine merits attention because of his importance to the Christian world, especially to the "western" Church. Because of his writings, he is a giant in the history of western moral, political and theological thought and practice! Millions - whether Christian or otherwise - have read his CONFESSIONS and THE CITY OF GOD. Within the Christian church - Catholic or Protestant - his influence is enormous, especially in the areas of moral theology and "systematic" theology [the study of the nature of God]. St. Thomas Aquinas quotes him over and over again in the SUMMA THEOLOGIAE. His CONFESSIONS have inspired many people to a conversion of life, and certain phrases of his continue to inspire: You have made us for yourself, O God; and our hearts shall not rest until they rest in you! His THE CITY OF GOD is one of the great classics in political theory. Augustine's importance for us Dominicans is fairly direct and daily! He wrote a "rule" of life for the community that gathered around him as Bishop of Hippo in North Africa. This "rule" is also a classic of Christian spirituality and is followed by many religious orders in the church, but it could serve any group of persons wishing to live in common. The lines at the beginning of the RULE are derived from the Acts of the Apostles 4:32, "The reason we come together is to live with one mind and one heart in the community." The entire RULE is printed at the front of the constitutions of the Dominican friars and the quotation is in the first lines of the constitutions. The Dominican charism of preaching must be first exercised by the way we live together and not initially by what we say from the pulpit. If our daily lives belie what we preach by word, all credibility is lost. So, today we honor this amazing person whose life and writings continue to influence and inspire the world, from teen to Pope! He was a passionate and controversial man and his positions on some subjects arouse strong argument. The amazing thing is that someone whose life straddled the 4th and 5th centuries can continue to live today! At least we can ask him to pray for us! AMEN
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