The Feast of St. Augustine of Hippo

At at mass at St. Francis Xavier College Church sometime in the past, the priest began his homily with a story that went something like this.

Recently, I was reminded of a friend of mine: One of the brightest young men I've ever known; his dad didn't have much to do with religion but his mom was an incredibly pious and faithful Catholic woman. Despite this, when my friend went to college, he got mixed up in some Eastern spirituality, started hanging out with the wrong crowd, moved in with his girlfriend and they had a child. . . But then, something miraculous happened. He started reading the Desert Fathers, had an incredible conversion experience, and now his faith is an inspiration to me.

My friend, by the way, is St. Augustine of Hippo...

The priest's (Fr. David Meconi, S.J.) creative summary of the life of St. Augustine had the attention of the entire congregation, and the moment we realized that this was the life of the great saint, we realized, together I hope, that the story of St. Augustine's life and conversion could be any of our stories.

So, in honor of the day, two prayers for the intercession of St. Augustine and the help of God:

Beloved Saint of our age, you were at first wholly human-centered and attached to false teachings. Finally converted through God's grace, you became a praying theologian -- God-centered, God-loving, and God-preaching.

Help theologians in their study of revealed truth. Let them always follow the Church Magisterium as they strive to communicate traditional teachings in a new form that will appeal to our contemporaries.

Amen.

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God of life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and wear us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening; when our lives have no music in them and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage. Flood the path with light, we beseech you; turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise.

Amen.

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Grace and Peace,

Jacob