Augustinian spirituality, then, rests not on asceticism or methods of religious observance, not on meditation or ritual practice, not on the rarified knowledge of. Roots of augustinian spirituality midwest augustinians. We speak, for instance, of benedictine spirituality, dominican spirituality, or franciscan spirituality to name a few. The spirituality of the augustinian order can be compared to a large tree. It is a polished work, and is likely the reflective compilation of a number of conversations. The augustinian way is the way of a love that has been verified in interiority, humility and the. Augustine who developed rules of spirituality for the monks and convents in north africa.
The center of his system is in the holy scriptures, as they ordered and moved his heart and mind. Augustine lived throughout his early life in a state of confusion, grief, restlessness and without direction. The spiritual legacy associated with augustine of hippo can be considered from a twofold perspective. Augustinian spirituality sisters of the sacred hearts of.
Yet, even in his role as summator of tradition, he was no mere eclectic. Augustine s spirituality was well expressed in the rule he wrote for his community. Augustinian spirituality the spiritual legacy associated with augustine of hippo can be considered from a twofold perspective. Augustinians are members of christian religious orders that follow the rule of saint augustine, written about 400 by augustine of hippo. Dominican, franciscan, benedictine, vincentian, augustinian, ignatian, carmelite the church is a mine of great spiritual traditions. Ministries of our province are located on the east coast of the united states, with missions in japan and peru. The rule of st augustine according to present evidence, the rule of augustine is the oldest monastic rule in the western church. Our work as catholic priests and brothers is in the community, and it is with the support and friendship of each community, that we join the international community of augustinians in serving the world. The relevance of augustine for young adults today duration. The spirituality of the augustinian order can be compared to a large tree whose branches spread to various countries over the years. First, seminarians are introduced to fundamental aspects of christian life. Theodore tack, osa, will present a cogent argument for why the life of augustine is still relevant to villanova university and every member of the campus community.
Augustine, and subsequent traditions of spirituality associated with and based upon the figure and thought of augustine. The heart, which artists have often portrayed augustine holding, is a key to this spirituality. It can be described as a state of mind that provides their values and influences how they live their lives and exercise their judgment in such things as deciding between right and wrong. The spiritual identity of a religious order is usually acquired from that aspect of the christian message which strongly influenced the formation of its founders spirituality. It sounds a very simple answer, but, to understand the depth of what that means, we need to probe rather more deeply. Augustinian seculars are lay men and women who bind themselves by formal promises to share in the augustinian way of life, being of one mind, and one heart, intent upon god.
The constitutions said the principal document of our spirituality is the rule. He was a searcher always asking questions about life and the meaning of life. Days and seasons the passing hours of the day and night, the changing seasons of the year, and days of particular significance all affect the. Catholic spiritual direction personal spiritual direction and answers to questions on the catholic faith through email, as well as general spiritual direction from the teachings of the church and the writings of the saints through articles and links on the website. The appeal of an orders spirituality is often what attracts a person to join it. It was in scripture that, first and last, augustine found the focus of his religious authority. There are special decorations we bring out of storage, television shows and movies we look forward to, a schedule of customary visits to. Before talking about augustinian spirituality, it might help if i make a few remarks about spirituality in general. The evaluations and commentaries, gathered after these experiences, have confirmed the fact that augustine continues to be an inspiring spiritual master in modern times. The root of augustinian spirituality can be traced to augustine s dramatic conversion to christianity. Augustine to promote the spiritual formation of the augustinian family. Many of them are highlighted in the following pages.
Harmony linked to understanding the self, god, and others. People who have traveled to the holy land have often described their pilgrimage as one of the most spiritual experiences that they have ever had. Aumunn 2 6 spirituality of the middle ages medieval piety military orders st. What we commemorate before easter is what we experience in this life. The term spirituality be it augustinian or lay is understood to be the relationship between man and god and to speak of christian spirituality is to affirm the incarnation. Augustinian spirituality is based on the life, writings, and teachings of saint augustine of hippo, located in presentday algeria. More precisely, is it possible to identify some components or features of.
Augustinian friends, an online home for augustinian. Concerning the relationship of pneumatology and spirituality in augustine joseph ratzinger becoming a christian means becoming communio and thereby entering into the mode of being of the holy spirit. Franciscan theology, tradition and spirituality 4122011 page 4 of 30 st. Only when a person inquires about god, seeks him, desires him, and goes towards him. According to augustine s confessions, on the teacher is based on the type of dialogues in which augustine and adeodatus engaged. Before all else, dear brothers, love god and then your neighbor, because these are the chief commandments given to us. It was originally written for the community which he established in the grounds of the bishops house at hippo before becoming bishop there. Christian religion, it is christ himself around whom all doctrines are woven and in. Augustinian spirituality and the life of the laity foa clare priory meeting september and october 2010 topics compiled from the works of santiago insunza osa. For augustine the heart is a metaphor for all that is deepest, truest and personal in ones self. A longing, or desire, for a deeper meaning to life, a kind of homesickness for god is interwoven with our lives. Recognising the importance of the propaedeutic year, st. As a result, i too wanted to share in this spiritual encounter.
As we begin the third week of advent, we too are called to search for bits and pieces of the coming of the lord. Most of us have our favorite traditional foods, like turkey, chocolate chips, and egg nog. Devotion to study and the pursuit of truth exercised in freedom that matures in community. The search for god a longing, or desire, for a deeper meaning to life, a kind of homesickness for god is interwoven with our lives. Augustinian spirituality augustine was born in thagaste, in eastern algeria in 352. The person who will not be satisfied with the augustinian manual is one hard to please in a prayerbook. The community was founded on october 16, 1981 in amarillo, texas by four augustinian recollects friars from the order of augustinian. St augustine, in the 5 th century described a sacrament as an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace. Augustinian spirituality and the life of the laity clare priory.
Martin 2000, widening the scope of augustinian spirituality. Augustinian spirituality, then, rests not on asceticism or methods of religious observance, not on meditation or ritual practice, not on the rarified knowledge of religious ideas or secrets, but simply on love. Augustinians international promotes participation and dialogue as a means of responding to the great questions of our time. Only when a person enquires about god, seeks him, desires him, and goes towards him, does he find meaning and fulfillment. Augustine though much of st augustine s writing is based on seeing god as love, he still had an emphasis on the fall of man characterized by original sin this foundation places our focus. Within the catholic church there is a rich variety of spiritualities. Theological foundations for augustinian education villanova. Only when a person enquires about god, seeks him, desires him, and goes towards him, does he find meaning and fulfillment for his life. Augustine easter joy easter, which we are celebrating at present, signifies the happiness that will be ours in the future. Augustine s seminary is proposing to structure a spiritual year around four main goals. Its orientation is thus exclusively augustinian, and it intends to describe those elements of augustinian spirituality which would characterize us in any historical or.
What follows is the editing of a talk delivered in april 1986 by a nowdeceased expert on augustine. The key word is projection, using creative imagination to transpose scripture to todays situation. Therefore to speak of augustinian lay spirituality is a way of talking about living according to the spirit of jesus christ together with st augustine in the heart of the. There are two distinct types of augustinians in catholic religious orders dating back to the 12thth centuries several orders of friars who live a mixed religious life of contemplation and apostolic ministry. The words pneumatology and spirituality, which together constitute my. Especially used by nfs who are usually creative, optimistic, verbal. This god, present through grace, is the backdrop and the horizon for the believers everyday. It seeks to stimulate a deeper understanding of augustinian spirituality and assure that it is more widely disseminated. We have looked through its many pages with the view of finding some usual practice of devotion unprovided for, and we failed to end any omission. A spiritual leader characterizes genuineness and encourages those in. This brief document presents augustine s vision of the values that underlie the life of a vibrant and holy religious community. Corpus of augustines texts and those of augustinian spirituality. The basic principles of the augustinian spirituality of religious community life can be found in augustine s rule.
Augustinian prayer and spirituality the nf temperament named in honor of st. These spiritualities have their origin in great spiritual leaders after whom they are generally named. The role of spirituality 5 blackaby and blackaby 2001 and vaill 1991 further define spiritual leadership as the desire to develop and improve spirituality, and this would be exhibited in external actions. Christian spirituality in the catholic tradition j. Augustine, published in augustinian spirituality and the charism of the. Curia generalizia agostiniana augustinians international. Augustinian spirituality characteristics of augustinian spirituality cor unum one heart 1. While living and working within the community, augustinian seculars live their faith, hope and love through community, following christ through augustinian spirituality.
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