Tiffany stained-glass window of St. Augustine, in the Lightner Museum, St. Augustine, Florida. (Detail) - Image from Wiki.
Padre Mickey is the go-to man for the early saints of the church, and he has a wonderful post on Augustine of Hippo, with several illustrations. Born in North Africa to a Christian mother, Monnica, in 354, Augustine became a Christian after many years of struggle, to the great joy of his mother, who had prayed for him for many years.
Augustine wrote this beautiful prayer-poem after his conversion:
Late have I loved Thee, O Lord; and behold,
Thou wast within and I without, and there I sought Thee.
Thou was with me when I was not with Thee.
Thou didst call, and cry, and burst my deafness.
Thou didst gleam, and glow, and dispell my blindness.
Thou didst touch me, and I burned for Thy peace.
For Thyself Thou hast made us,
and restless our hearts until in Thee they find their ease.
Late have I loved Thee, Thou Beauty ever old and ever new.
Thou hast burst my bonds asunder;
unto Thee will I offer up an offering of praise.
PRAYER
Lord God, the light of the minds that know you, the life of the souls that love you, and the strength of the hearts that serve you: Help us, following the example of your servant Augustine of Hippo, so to know you that we may truly love you, and so to love you that we may fully serve you, whom to serve is perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
READINGS:
Psalm 87 or 84:7-12
Hebrews 12:22-24,28-29
John 14:6-15
If you want some philosphical musings on Augustine and Wittgenstein, check out my friend Joe Walker here
ReplyDeleteTim, I'm afraid that you give me far too much credit for being able to absorb complex philosophical ideas. That was too deep for me. I tried, but I'm left with only the vaguest notion of what your friend was writing about. I don't have that kind of mind.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, it was a good intellectual exercise.
He often leaves me behind, too. He's a classical scholar, and has been known to apologise for speaking New Testament Greek with an Attic accent...
ReplyDeleteBut he's also a wicked guitar player and was for five years one of the most effective university chaplains in Edmonton (and that had more to do with him having the spiritual gift of 'hanging out' than it did with his ability to discuss Augustine and Wittgenstein!).
Thank you for the wonderful quote from *Confessions*--it never fails to lift my spirits.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Tim, I think it was his hangin' out and guitar playing skills that made him such a good chaplain.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a few of the bright lights among the students discussed Augustine and Wittgenstein with him.
Mother Laura, I love those words, too. Thanks for visiting.
Augustine's words, "Give me chastity and continence, but not yet." make me smile, because they're so very human.