Desire and Unity: Augustinian Spirituality for Today

by Emmanuel-Marie Le Fébure Du Bus

Overview

Intellectual giant of the Christian West, Saint Augustine is also one of its greatest spiritual masters. To this man of desire and friendship, Christ taught to purify everything in charity, to direct everything towards God, to unify everything in communion. His thought profoundly influenced the history of Catholicism and the vigor of his view of the human heart responds to today's concerns. Fr. Emmanuel-Marie presents beautiful insights into this timeliness message of desire and unity of Augustine, which offers us a living message charged with hope.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621644446
Publisher:	Ignatius Press
Publication date:	08/25/2022
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Fr. Emmanuel-Marie Le Fébure is a member of the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine. He received his Ph.D. in Theology from the  Angelicum University in Rome, and was elected Abbot of the Abbey of Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse in 2006.

Table of Contents

Introduction 13

Part 1 A Saint for Today 15

1 Augustine, the African 17

Sun and Sea, Wealth and Woe 17

A Young Man with an Oversized Talent 20

Meditate with Saint Augustine: The Theft of the Pears 22

2 Toward Baptism 24

First Conversion 24

The Manichean Error 25

His Dazzling Discovery of Platonism 27

Saint Monica 30

Saint Ambrose 30

"The Contagion of Example" 32

The Supreme Mediation: The Humble Jesus Christ 34

In the Garden of Milan 36

Conversion: Spiritual Event and Gift of God 38

Meditate with Saint Augustine: The Joy of Conversion 39

3 The Man "Consumed" by His Pastoral Duties (391-430) 41

A Priest "in Spite of Himself" 41

The Man "Consumed": A "Second Conversion" 43

Bishop and Monk: "Ordinary" Holiness? 47

Final Stages in Humility and Renunciation (427-430) 48

Meditate with Saint Augustine: The Bishop, the Good Shepherd, Modeled on Saint Peter 51

4 Fruitfulness in Time 52

An Immense Theological and Spiritual Heritage 52

Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas 54

The Renaissance and the Reformation 56

The Seventeenth Century, "Saint Augustine's Century" 57

Augustine and His Influence in Religious Life 58

Cultural Influence 61

Part 2 Seven Gateways for an Augustinian Spiritual Journey 63

5 The Quest for Happiness 67

Dead Ends and Dissatisfactions 68

The Dynamism of Restlessness 69

Augustinian Interiority: "Return to Your Heart" 70

"Believe in Order to Understand" 72

To Know in Love 74

When God Makes Himself Present to the Human Heart 75

Meditate with Saint Augustine: "Ardently Seek the Face of God" 78

6 The Doctor of Love 80

"Your Love Is Your Weight" 80

"Love and Do What You Will" 82

Knowing and Loving Oneself: Augustinian Optimism 84

Loving All Things in Good: Uti et Frui 86

Expanding Desire 90

Meditate with Saint Augustine: The Joy of Loving 92

7 "Your Desire Is Your Prayer" 94

Prayer, Surge of the Heart 94

"Ask God for God Alone" 96

Thanksgiving and Praise 99

Meditate with Saint Augustine: "Sing by Your Actions" 101

8 Christ, "Way and Fatherland" 102

The Experience of Christ the Savior 102

Christ Our "Sacrament" 105

Christ, Our Friend and Interior Teacher 108

Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word 111

Becoming a Source of Mercy 112

Meditate with Saint Augustine: The Greatest Mercy 114

9 Love Both Christ and His Church 116

The Church, "Fullness of Christ" 116

Building up the Church in Unity 118

Mary, Mother of Unity and Model of the Church 122

Praying as Church 124

"Singing Is a Lover's Thing" 125

Meditate with Saint Augustine: Preserving Unity Despite Scandals 127

10 The Community, "Sacrament" of the Trinity 129

The Community, Manifestation of Trinitarian Unity 129

The Eucharist, Sacrament of Our Unity 132

Friendship in Christ 134

A Rule for Communities 136

Meditate with Saint Augustine: Justice and Forgiveness 139

11 En Route to the Kingdom 141

Holiness of Harmony 141

"The Times Are What We Are" 144

Toward the City of God 146

Meditate with Saint Augustine: The Alleluia of the Road and the Alleluia of the Fatherland 148

Conclusion 149

Appendix: Augustine among Us 151

Saint Augustine: Where Can We Read Him? 151

Saint Augustine: Where Can We Study Him? 153

Saint Augustine: Where Can We See Him and Experience Him? 154

Editorial Reviews

"A treasure of a book. He splendidly shows throughout his work how Augustine speaks to the heart and teaches us how to find God, not by exploring the outer dimensions of the universe but by plumbing the depths of our interior life so that we can reorder our desires in unity with God's love and find peace."
— Tim Gray, Ph.D., President, Augustine Institute; Author, Peter: Keys to Following Jesus

"Augustine calls the universal hope for happiness humanity's 'secret conspiracy'. In these pages Father Emmanuel-Marie blows open this conspiracy by showing how Augustine understood human nature and the God who becomes human in order to satisfy our restless hearts.":
— Father David Meconi, S.J., Editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review

"A marvelous point of entry into the life, teaching, and spiritual impact of the great Saint Augustine. Succinct and focused, it captures the wonder of the man—not just the theologian who has had enormous influence on Catholic thought, but the man of searching prayer and love for God, the Eucharist, and the Church."
— Father Donald Haggerty, Author, Saint John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation

"Because Augustine is such a towering giant in the history of Christian doctrine, it is easy to forget that he was also a master of the spiritual life. Desire and Unity is a beautiful and accessible introduction to the spirituality of Augustine. It invites you to know Augustine the mystic, and to meditate with this truly great saint."
— Brant Pitre, Author, Introduction to the Spiritual Life

"This beautiful book takes us on a breathtaking journey into the heart of the incomparable Saint Augustine. It makes accessible the perennially relevant teaching of this pillar of the Church, giving guidance and hope for our earthly pilgrimage today."
— John Cuddeback, Ph.D., Author, True Friendship: Where Virtue Becomes Happiness

From the Publisher