The month of August is a special time for Augustinians and for the people we serve.
On the 27th of August, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine. And on the 28th, the Augustinian family, in unity with the whole Church, celebrates the solemnity of our holy father Saint Augustine.
Augustine is for us a source of great wisdom and inspiration, as his life and his many writings give us greater understanding into the mystery of God’s love, as well as a very human insight into the many ways in which our human relationships (family and friends) can indeed be the lived experience of God’s love in our own lives. Augustine shows us in very concrete ways how we can lead lives that will lead us toward the Kingdom of God.
Through his mother’s love, prayer and example, and after much searching, St. Augustine converted to the Catholic Church and became one of the great Doctors of the Church. Augustine’s human struggles, even after so many centuries, are still very relevant to the kinds of conflicts and problems that young people encounter today. His desire to grow in faith and his open sharing of how he was always looking for God, especially as we find in the Confessions, give us some very down-to-earth ideas of what it means to be disciples of Jesus who are always looking for the Kingdom of God.
From an Augustinian perspective...
Every parish activity, from prayer to adult or youth education; from the celebration of the sacraments to fund-raising activities to help feed the poor; all that we are doing when we are united as a Christian community is an expression of the one Body of Christ (St. Augustine often referred to the “Christus Totuus”, the Whole Christ), who is present in our world in and through the Church.
So we celebrate this month of August, and we continue to grow in our faith and in our willingness to serve others, as we too long for the coming of God’s Kingdom. With Saint Augustine we pray:
“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”
Throughout the rest of this month...
Many of our blog's readers have mentioned that they are interested in learning more about the life of Saint Augustine and other Augustinian saints. And so, we'll focus on six particular Augustinian saints and blesseds this month:
August 2: Blessed John of Rieti
August 17: Saint Clare of Montefalco
August 19: Saint Ezekiel Moreno
August 26: Augustinian Martyrs of Gafsa (Africa)
August 27: Saint Monica
August 28: Saint Augustine of Hippo
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