THEO reading the books of Platonists.

(31
years old). Augustine talks with
Conspectus (Life) of St. Augustine
Simplicianus.
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH
386 (autumn) – converted to
November 13, 354 – Born at Thagaste, CHRISTIANITY. (32 years old). “Tolle,
North Africa lege” (take up and read) scene.
365-369 – Studied Grammar at 387 – Returned to Milan.
Madaura. (11-15 years old)
387 (March) – The immortality of the
369-370 – Year of Idleness. Became a Soul. (33 years old)
pear theft. (15 years old)
April 24/25, 387 – Baptized by Bishop
371 – Studied at Carthage; Patricius Ambrose together with Alypius and
died. (17 years old) Adeodatus.
371-372 – Takes concubine. Birth of 387-389 – On Music (De Musica)
Adeodatus. (18 years old)
March 387 – Left Milan for Rome. Death
370-373 – Studied Rhetoric at Carthage. of Monica at Ostia at the age of 54. (33
years old)
373 – Converted to Philosophy through
reading Cicero’s HORTENSIUS. (19 years 387 – Second sojourn in Rome.
old) Observed Monasteries. “THE
CONFESSIONS” ends.
373-374 – Taught Grammar at Thagaste.
(19 years old) 388 (spring) – The Greatness of the Soul
374-383 – Taught Rhetoric at Carthage. 388-390 – The Practices of the Catholic
383 – Introduced to the Manichean Church and the Practices of the
Bishop Faustus. (29 years old) Manicheans.
383-384 – Taught Rhetoric in Rome. (29 388 (autumn) – Returned to North
years old) Africa. Set up a community for lay
monks at Thagaste. (34 years old)
384 (autumn) – Appointed public
teacher of Rhetoric in Milan. 388-389 – 1st Monastery at Thagaste.
385 – Monica arrives in Milan; Meets 388-395 – The Free Will
Ambrose.
388 – On Genesis Against the
385-386 – Dismissal of his concubine. Manicheans
Conversion to Platonism through
389 – The Teacher
389 – Death of Adeodatus. (35 years old) 418 - Visited Caesarea in Mauretania, On
the Grace of Christ and Origin
390 – True Religion
419 - The Soul and its Origin
380-395 – 83 Various Questions
420 - Against the Two Letters of the
The Priest
Pelagians
391 – Ordained priest at Hippo. (37
422 - The Eight Questions of Dulcitius
years old)
423 - Letter 211 to Nuns at Hippo
392 – Against the Manichean
Conception of Two Souls. 425 - Grace and Free Will
394 – The Sermon of our Lord on the 426 - Named his Successor to the See of
Mount. Hippo. Christian Education.
Bishop of Hippo 426 – 427 - Review Retractationes
397 – 398 – Against Faustus the 428 – 429 - The Predestination of Saints
Manichean.
May 430 - Hippo besieged by the
399 – The Instruction of the Vandals
Uninstructured.
386 – 430 - Letter (Epistulae).
399-416 – The Trinity Benedictine editors in four Books: Book
1, A.D.386-395; Book 2, A.D.396-410;
401-414 – The Literal Interpretation of
Book 3, A.D.411-430; Book 4, undated
Genesis.
letter.
400-402 – Against the Letter of Petelian
391 – 430 – Sermons
405-406 – Against Cresconius the
391 – 430 - Expositions of the Psalms
Donatist Grammarian
426 – 427 - Grace and Free Will.
405 – On the Nature of the Good
Admonition and Grace sent to Abbot
407 – Communion on Psalm Valentine and the monks at
Hadrumentum.
413-427 – The City of God
430 Aug. 28 - DEATH of Augustine in
414 – The Excellence of Widowhood
HIPPO (Annaba). (76 years old)
415 – Letter 166 to Jerome, On the
NOTES ON AGUSTINIAN SPIRITUALITY
Origin of the Soul
1. Augustinian Spirituality is the
416 – 417 - Tracts on St. John’s Gospel
ideal of Christian life.
 The dominant characteristics of 7. Augustinian Spirituality is
Augustinian Spirituality are: interior and social, involving the
a. thirst for GOD individual and society.
b. delight in searching for HIM Like the Trinity, man’s life
c. joy in the TRUTH with God - is interior while being
d. commitment to wholly relational.
contemplation 8. Hallmark of Augustinian
e. responsiveness to neighbor’s Spirituality is centered on the
needs Trinitarian God and experienced
f. unity with all in CHARITY in human existence.
9. Augustinian Spirituality is
properly called Scriptural
2. Augustine’s Spirituality is a Spirituality because…
spiritual conversion. It can never a. it is centered on Christ who is
be understood apart from his encountered in Scripture
Confessions. b. it is not an emphasis upon one
3. Augustine’s Spirituality aspect of Christianity
developed as a religious life – He c. it is a participation in the
proceeded from EXTERIOR to Trinitarian life
INTERIOR – from INTERIOR to
BASIC ELEMENTS of AUGUSTINIAN
SUPERIOR.
SPIRITUALITY
4. Augustine’s Spirituality is rooted
in the LIFE of the MIND and 1. Community Life / Life in
grows by the LOVE of the HEART. Common.
5. Augustinian Spirituality is the • Friendship
LIVING EXPERIENCE of a • Solidarity with others
relationship with GOD and with • Concern for justice
His PEOPLE. God is a personal- • Dialogue
relating GOD. Our response of • Sharing of common goods
FAITH to a relationship is • Simplicity of life
spirituality.
6. Augustinian Spirituality is that
kind of personal life with GOD 2. One Mind and One Heart on the
which Augustine had so Way to God / Search for God.
abundantly shared through his • Interiority
writings. • Spirituality
• Love for contemplation
 • Love for silence expressing our love for God. To
• Strong prayer life love God is the first
• Sensitivity to human commandment but love of
dignity neighbour comes first in actual
• Importance of study / Love practice.
for Scriptures
2. Christi in His Fullness (CHRISTUS
3. Service to the Church TOTUS)
1. Readiness for mission (ad Together One Body
intra or ad extra) Christ stands in universal
2. Disponibility to be assigned relationship with all humanity. ‘I
3. Collaboration with the local am the vine you are the branches,
Church abide in me and I in you’.
4. Responsible leadership Augustine refers to this
union as ‘Christus totus’ - the
THE SPIRITUAL LEGACY OF SAINT Whole Christ, comprising Christ
AUGUSTINE as head of the body and all of us
1. Augustine’s Search for GOD- For as part of his body: the union is as
Meaning and Happiness intimate as the union of the parts
Christian spirituality: truth in a living body.
and love of God the Christ in the Poor and the Option
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. for the Poor
The Primacy of Love
Christianity for Augustine Augustine had great
is about the true happiness found compassion and concern for the
in loving God. poor and oppressed.

Love: the fullness of the Christian

Ethic 3. AUGUSTINE AND FRIENDSHIP
Love of God and love of • Augustine saw friendship as a
our neighbour sum up all that great natural treasure and
God wants of us: God reveals cherished it throughout his life.
Himself to be love and desires us True friendship is not the passing
to be loving as He is. advantage one finds but
But love of neighbour is unconditional love founded on a
the true test of our love of God, coming together of characters, of
the most concrete way of ideas, of interests, of
commitments.
 ▪ He saw the danger of the
4. THE RULE OF ST. AUGUSTINE solitary contemplative life:
An emphasis on interiority: he once considered a life
the outward life must be of study in the treasury of
animated from within: prayer of the Lord as ‘more
the heart, hunger for God’s word, agreeable than anything
forgiveness, pleasing inner else’ but then realised
conduct. The final victory over others needed his help as
self-love is to be found by living in he saw around him ‘the
community as equals. accumulation of injustices
which cools off the love of
5. CONTEMPLATION AND ACTION
many people’.
The active life, the
▪ Pastoral work is impossible
contemplative life and the
without a life of
balance of the two: Mary and
contemplation, prayer and
Martha
study. A good person must
• We must be unself-seeking: both listen carefully to the
our prayer and our projects must word before he utters it.
contribute to the well-being of
▪ He must live as he speaks
others.
and speak as he listens.
▪ ‘What is it that I want, Listening to God’s word is
what do I desire, what do I one aspect of
wish for you? What do contemplation.
you think is my purpose…?
▪ At the summit of the
Is it not that we should
mountain, the labourer
live, all of us, with Jesus
will receive the light and
Christ? There you have my
the nourishment to be
entire ambition, all my
passed on to others.
honour, all my glory, all
my joy, all my riches.’ AUGUSTINIAN VALUES for Peoples of
All Walks of Life
▪ Augustine saw the danger
of the ‘active’ life: the 1. Love
danger of pursuing our
2. Interiority
own interests and
recognition and a position 3. Prayer
above others.
4. Humility
 5. Friendship from being wicked. ‘Have
charity, and you will have
6. Community
them all; because without
Whenever we talk of "Augustinian charity, whatever you have
values" we refer to: will be of no benefit.’
• Values which are Christian and • Augustine defines true love as
which Augustine of Hippo has "charity," that love by which
colored with his saintly life and we love what we ought to
deepened with his teaching. love.
• Love, to be true, must respect
• A "value" is a "good that a hierarchy of goods (=values)
contributes to the perfection of wherein God alone is to be
being (not having or doing)”. enjoyed for His sake, oneself
• "Christian values" are values and neighbor to be enjoyed
based on the Gospel proclaimed for the sake of God ("in Deo")
by Christ and handed on to us by and things are to be used.
the apostles. False love, on the other hand,
is that love which does not
• "Augustinian values" are respect this order.
"Christian values" which • Love, for Augustine, is not a
Augustine lived and taught in the static reality but a dynamic
conviction that such values force. It is a movement that
contribute to the fulfillment of pulls the person from within
the Lord’s two-fold towards the object loved.
commandment of love in the "My love is my weight"
spirit of the Beatitudes. Augustine says. It is like the
1. Love force which draws the falling
• The primacy of love, or leaves to rest on the ground.
charity, in the thought of St. • This mysterious force is
Augustine is described by experienced by man as a
John Paul II in these words: restlessness, a longing. But
• Augustine located the there is, according to
essence and the norm of Augustine, a false love and a
Christian perfection in true love.
charity, because it is the gift • Related to this is the idea that
of the Holy Spirit and the a person’s love makes him
reality which prevents one what he/she is. "I am what I
 love", Augustine would say. • The identification of Christ with
In the end, the person’s love the hungry, the thirsty, the
will determine whether prisoner, the sick, the naked, in
he/she will belong to the such a way that one’s actions
"sheep" or to the "goats”. towards these are acts towards
• Freedom is completed by Him.
love. Augustine would say:
2. PRAYER
"Love and do what your
will.” If you are silent, be For Augustine, prayer is NOT:
silent for love.
• A ritual to be carried out daily
from a sense of obligation.
Augustine seriously took 1 Jn.
• Some kind of extra duty imposed
3:17: "If anyone has a
to a person.
brother in need but has no
pity in him, how can the love Rather, it is:
of God be in him?" Augustine
• it is the breath of the soul, the
knew the demands of love:
spontaneous expression of his
• Progress in love is actually
faith, hope and love in which he
measured in terms of one’s shakes off the limits placed on
growth in commitment to the him by time and duties to enjoy
needs of the other, and the liberating embrace of the God
towards the common good. who dwells in the most intimate
And any sin against love is sin core of his being.
against God, for "God is
• It is as natural and necessary as
love".
breathing.
• Two biblical text that
illustrates the identification When we pray, it is the spirit who
between Man and God that moves us in prayer. According to St.
moved Augustine: Augustine, “The Holy Spirit urges the
saints to pray with sighs too deep
Matt. 25: 41.45 “Whatever you for words inspiring in them the
did to the least of my brothers, desire for a good so great that it is
you did to me... Whatever you as yet unknown but for which we
refused to do for one of these wait on in hope”.
least ones, you refused to do to
me.”
3. INTERIORITY
- Interiority – inwardness
- Augustinian interiority is - For St. Augustine: friendship is
enshrined in the Augustinian participation in the life of God.
imperative: Return into yourself - - “We can consider a person a
- Transcend /Go beyond yourself. friend if we dare to entrust all
our ideas to him”. By “Ideas”
POSITIVELY: it is attachment to Being
means all that is going on in our
itself, God, who is discovered in
hearts.
one’s own being.
- Augustine sees the heart of all
NEGATIVELY: it involves a movement love: The desire for the well-
away from a mode of existence that being of the other (amor
is overly preoccupied with ‘having’ benevolentiae).
and ‘doing’.
1st step: Return into yourself
6. COMMUNITY
nd
2 step: Transcend yourself - The Augustinian Community is a
group of persons who live their
4. HUMILITY
faith, hope, and love.
- The obedience of faith requires
- A place where the search for
humble submission.
truth takes place in a climate of
- Humility is the mode by which
love and friendship.
God came to reach man; it will
- It is in community where one can
also be the way by which man
experience that truth "is not
reaches God.
yours nor mine, so that it can
belong to both of us”.
5. FRIENDSHIP
- No friends are true friends unless
God binds them fast to each
other through love which is sown
into their hearts by the Holy
Spirit.
- The heart of Augustinian concept
of friendship: God alone unites
two persons; friendship is not
under the control of man; it is a
gift of grace.
- What unites of true friendship is
the Holy Spirit and the memory of
the Lord.