Word to the Wise
Saturday, August 28, 2021 - Saturday in the 21th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Thess 4:9-11 and Matt 25:14-30]On the subject of fraternal charity you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. [1 Thess.]
AUGUST 28 ST. AUGUSTINE, bishop and doctor of the church
St. Augustine probably felt differently than St. Paul about writing to instruct others on the subject of fraternal charity! His "Rule," written for the community he established, is the fundamental rule of life for many religious orders, including the Dominican family. The Rule of St. Augustine is printed at the beginning of our Constitutions. When we make profession of vows, we place our hands on top of a copy of the "Rule and Constitutions of the Order of Friars Preachers."
However, it is not just religious orders who are impacted by his writings. Most of the theological structure of the church draws inspiration from him, especially in moral theology. His "Confessions" is still read by millions of Christians and others. Some of the quotations from that work resonate everywhere. "Late have I loved you.." and "You have made us for yourself O Lord....." He combined his passionate nature with considerable education in rhetoric to produce an enormous amount of writing on scripture and theology. The idea of "original sin" finds its origin in him, for example.
His own life was one of conversion, aided by the tears of his mother, St. Monica. He was a good example of Oscar Wilde's famous comment, "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future." His life impacts ours every day in the theological heritage of the church, and we rightly celebrate his life and ministry today. AMEN