Word to the Wise
Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - Aug. 28 - St. Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church
[1 John 4:7-16 and Matt 23:8-12]Beloved,let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. [1John]
I don't often comment about particular saints because my focus is on the scripture of the day. However, St. Augustine has had and continues to have an enormous impact on our church and its theology. His autobiography, THE CONFESSIONS, is still as fresh in its impact as it was when he wrote it. I recommended it to students often who were going through the usual challenges to their faith and morals! His work, THE CITY OF GOD, remains a classic of political philosophy. Along with Thomas Aquinas, he has shaped the theological landscape of the "western Latin" church in ways that no one else has. He and Aquinas represent, respectively, the influence of the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle in Catholic theology. Occasionally these two currents of thought clash in theology with interesting results! One way that Augustine continues to influence the church is that our current pope, Benedict XVI, is strongly influenced in his outlook by the Augustinian vision of things.
Augustine is revered by the Dominican Order because he wrote a basic monastic rule for his community in Hippo, a city in North Africa where he was bishop. This rule has endured since his time (late 4th to early 5th centuries) and is the basic "rule" for Dominicans. St. Dominic and his early companions adopted it and it is printed in our constitutions at the beginning. When someone has this kind of influence, we have to give him his due on his feast day. His own words can inspire us: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts cannot rest until they rest in you!" I'm counting on that! AMEN
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