The spirituality of the augustinian order can be compared to a large tree. Augustine easter joy easter, which we are celebrating at present, signifies the happiness that will be ours in the future. Augustine s spirituality was well expressed in the rule he wrote for his community. The person who will not be satisfied with the augustinian manual is one hard to please in a prayerbook. Augustinian spirituality the spiritual legacy associated with augustine of hippo can be considered from a twofold perspective. While living and working within the community, augustinian seculars live their faith, hope and love through community, following christ through augustinian spirituality. 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. Augustinian prayer and spirituality the nf temperament named in honor of st. Augustinians international promotes participation and dialogue as a means of responding to the great questions of our time.
What follows is the editing of a talk delivered in april 1986 by a nowdeceased expert on augustine. Augustine, published in augustinian spirituality and the charism of the. Augustine lived throughout his early life in a state of confusion, grief, restlessness and without direction. The key word is projection, using creative imagination to transpose scripture to todays situation. 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. Especially used by nfs who are usually creative, optimistic, verbal. Augustinian spirituality and the life of the laity clare priory.
Christian religion, it is christ himself around whom all doctrines are woven and in. The root of augustinian spirituality can be traced to augustine s dramatic conversion to christianity. He was a searcher always asking questions about life and the meaning of life. Before all else, dear brothers, love god and then your neighbor, because these are the chief commandments given to us. It sounds a very simple answer, but, to understand the depth of what that means, we need to probe rather more deeply. The center of his system is in the holy scriptures, as they ordered and moved his heart and mind. 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. This god, present through grace, is the backdrop and the horizon for the believers everyday. 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. Augustinian spirituality is based on the life, writings, and teachings of saint augustine of hippo, located in presentday algeria. Augustinian spirituality sisters of the sacred hearts of. Before talking about augustinian spirituality, it might help if i make a few remarks about spirituality in general.
It was originally written for the community which he established in the grounds of the bishops house at hippo before becoming bishop there. A spiritual leader characterizes genuineness and encourages those in. Most of us have our favorite traditional foods, like turkey, chocolate chips, and egg nog. 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.
The community was founded on october 16, 1981 in amarillo, texas by four augustinian recollects friars from the order of augustinian. Aumunn 2 6 spirituality of the middle ages medieval piety military orders st. For augustine the heart is a metaphor for all that is deepest, truest and personal in ones self. Within the catholic church there is a rich variety of spiritualities. 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. Yet, even in his role as summator of tradition, he was no mere eclectic. The spirituality of the augustinian order can be compared to a large tree whose branches spread to various countries over the years. It seeks to stimulate a deeper understanding of augustinian spirituality and assure that it is more widely disseminated. The words pneumatology and spirituality, which together constitute my. 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. What we commemorate before easter is what we experience in this life. There are special decorations we bring out of storage, television shows and movies we look forward to, a schedule of customary visits to.
Roots of augustinian spirituality midwest augustinians. The spiritual legacy associated with augustine of hippo can be considered from a twofold perspective. Augustine s seminary is proposing to structure a spiritual year around four main goals. 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. 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. Augustine, and subsequent traditions of spirituality associated with and based upon the figure and thought of augustine. 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. Curia generalizia agostiniana augustinians international. Augustine to promote the spiritual formation of the augustinian family. 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 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 friends, an online home for augustinian. Dominican, franciscan, benedictine, vincentian, augustinian, ignatian, carmelite the church is a mine of great spiritual traditions.
St augustine, in the 5 th century described a sacrament as an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace. The appeal of an orders spirituality is often what attracts a person to join it. Devotion to study and the pursuit of truth exercised in freedom that matures in community. It was in scripture that, first and last, augustine found the focus of his religious authority.
More precisely, is it possible to identify some components or features of. Augustinians are members of christian religious orders that follow the rule of saint augustine, written about 400 by augustine of hippo. Augustinian spirituality, then, rests not on asceticism or methods of religious observance, not on meditation or ritual practice, not on the rarified knowledge of. Ministries of our province are located on the east coast of the united states, with missions in japan and peru. 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. Martin 2000, widening the scope of augustinian spirituality. 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. As a result, i too wanted to share in this spiritual encounter. Christian spirituality in the catholic tradition j. The augustinian way is the way of a love that has been verified in interiority, humility and 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. Harmony linked to understanding the self, god, and others.
Theological foundations for augustinian education villanova. 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. The heart, which artists have often portrayed augustine holding, is a key to this spirituality. 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.
As we begin the third week of advent, we too are called to search for bits and pieces of the coming of the lord. We speak, for instance, of benedictine spirituality, dominican spirituality, or franciscan spirituality to name a few. Franciscan theology, tradition and spirituality 4122011 page 4 of 30 st. Augustine who developed rules of spirituality for the monks and convents in north africa. A longing, or desire, for a deeper meaning to life, a kind of homesickness for god is interwoven with our lives. The rule of st augustine according to present evidence, the rule of augustine is the oldest monastic rule in the western church. Only when a person enquires about god, seeks him, desires him, and goes towards him, does he find meaning and fulfillment. Augustinian spirituality characteristics of augustinian spirituality cor unum one heart 1. Many of them are highlighted in the following pages. The relevance of augustine for young adults today duration.
These spiritualities have their origin in great spiritual leaders after whom they are generally named. Only when a person enquires about god, seeks him, desires him, and goes towards him, does he find meaning and fulfillment for his life. Corpus of augustines texts and those of augustinian spirituality. 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. 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. The constitutions said the principal document of our spirituality is the rule. The society of saint augustine societas sancti augustini, also known as the augustinians of kansas is a roman catholic institute of consecrated life which takes as its pattern of living, the way of life delineated in the rule of saint augustine of hippo.
Augustinian spirituality augustine was born in thagaste, in eastern algeria in 352. The basic principles of the augustinian spirituality of religious community life can be found in augustine s rule. Recognising the importance of the propaedeutic year, st. 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. This brief document presents augustine s vision of the values that underlie the life of a vibrant and holy religious community. First, seminarians are introduced to fundamental aspects of christian life. Its orientation is thus exclusively augustinian, and it intends to describe those elements of augustinian spirituality which would characterize us in any historical or. It is a polished work, and is likely the reflective compilation of a number of conversations.
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