Today, Wednesday 28, is the feast of a great Saint who has been aptly described by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as “a passionate seeker of truth”. I am certainly alluding to Saint Augustine of Hippo.
This illustrious man, adorned by the most brilliant intelligence the human mind can ever grasp and able to deliver, has marked the history of thought by its genius of interiorizing Christianity’s values and re-producing them into novel ideas and forms that were to serve as the backbone of forthcoming generations. In his inaugural speech at the Patristic Institute of the ‘Augustinianum’ given on 4 May 1970, Pope Paul VI emphasized that “it may be said that all the thought-currents of the past meet in his works and form the source which provides the whole doctrinal tradition of succeeding ages”. Moreover, Blessed John Paul II in his letter commemorating the 16th centenary of Augustine’s conversion, ‘Augustinum Hipponensem’, described this famous Bishop of Hippo as “gift that He [God] has made to the Church, and through her to the whole human race".
Who was this magnificent gift that Divine Providence endowed the world with? Augustine was born in Tagaste in the Roman Province of Numidia, Africa, on 13 November 354. His father, Patricius, was a pagan who eventually became a catechumen. His mother, Monica, was an ardent Christian. It was this passionate woman of outstanding faith whom the Church venerated her beloved memory yesterday who employed a huge influence on her son and raised him in her Christian faith.
Adolescence is a period of intensive questioning which might lead the adolescent to abandon his/her faith. Such was the fate of the young Augustine. To his mind Christianity was no longer tenable since by adhering to it he could not determine its reasonableness. His constant search for truth made him leave the Catholic faith and embrace Manichaeism. Manicheans offered a rational religion. For them the world was divided into two principles: good and evil. Thus the entire complexity of human history can now be explained. Their dualistic morals satisfied Augustine for a while because their teaching incorporated within itself a very high morality for the elect and seemed to have matched his life circumstances.
But when he realized that Manichaeism could no longer help him eliminate his persisting doubts Augustine completely rejected their religion. It was in Milan when God touched his heart, thanks to the moving preaching of Bishop Ambrose. The Milanese prelate aided Augustine to understand that the Old Testament was a journey which culminated in Jesus Christ. In Jesus Augustine found the key to comprehend the beauty and the philosophical profundity of the Old Testament together with the whole unity of the mystery of Christ in history. Consequently Augustine attained an extraordinary synthesis between philosophy, rationality and faith in the Logos, in Christ, the Eternal Word incarnate. To express the rational synthesis between faith and reason Augustine coined two formulae. The first one says ‘crede ut intelligas’ ("I believe in order to understand"). Here the act of believing prepares the believer to cross the doorstep of truth.
In the second formula ‘intellige ut credas’ ("I understand, the better to believe") the believer examines the truth in order to be able to discover God and surrender himself/herself in faith accordingly.
Are you interested in knowing the truth? Join me in one of the courses on Saint Augustine and his writings which the Augustinian Institute will be running from this October. If you are interested kindly contact the Institute either by writing to the following address:
Augustinian Institute, PO Box 61 Imsida PO MSD1000. Or phoning the director Rev Dr. Salvino Caruana OSA on 21249407 or 99402102. You can also contact the Institute’s secretary on 21313644 – 99450099.
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap