St Augustine Pray For Us

St Augustine Pray For Us

Although his actual feast day was on Friday, it has been a tradition here at St Patrick’s, to remember St Augustine on the closest Sunday to his actual feast day, so today the prayers are in his memory.

St Augustine taught that we were made with a desire for God, and yet, that desire is often blinded and misdirected. Oftentimes, this teaching is used to explain sin: when we sin, we are seeking God in the wrong places. For example, the misdirected desire for God may express itself in a desire for power, causing from personal quarrels to wars among nations.

On the other hand, we can take the teaching of being made for God, and think of the many good, morally upright people who see God as irrelevant. I think St. Augustine would say that they ignore the transcendental aspect, namely, that they were made for God and we are mere pilgrims on this earth. The desire to be good, is itself a gift from God; and goodness itself is a divine attribute, but in taking the credit, we may be falling into pride or vainglory, which often lurk behind good actions.

The values that capture the Augustinian spirituality are Truth, Love, and Unity. The Truth, whom St Augustine sought all his life and who found him. The Love of God that inflamed St Augustine’s heart and he shared with others. The Unity he sought to preserve in the Church which was battered by schisms and heresies, as well as the unity he lived with the men in his monastery seeking to be, as the rule says “of one mind and one heart intent upon God.” The Augustinian values animate our parish mission statement, which is “To Praise the Holy Trinity, to care for our community, and to grow in faith and unity “.

Guided by our mission statement and the Augustinian values, I realized we could take advantage of technology and meet online where we can properly see each other without facemasks. I wonder if there is any interest in having weekly Zoom sessions where we can better see each other. Please visit the parish website and fill out the survey where you can indicate any of the following: time to gather, length of time, whether to reflect on Sunday readings or do a more formal “bookclub” or lecture series.

As Christians we are called to ongoing conversion of heart, which requires humility to accept our mistakes, and determination to follow Christ. Without Christ, social justice can easily become a quest where the oppressed become the new oppressors. As Christians we can help create a culture of justice where justice flows because Christ reigns and He is prince of peace and Lord of all. To join the last day of the Forum, please visit ‘My Church, My Story’.

God bless, Fr. Carlos Medina, OSA