NOVENA TO OUR FATHER SAINT AUGUSTINE

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Introduction

With St. Augustine we say “You have made us for Yourself O Lord, for you alone our God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

            As we begin our novena to our Father St. Augustine we pray for the grace to interiorize his spirit, on our journey towards our inner self.  We reflect on who we are and where we are going, as Augustinian Religious and devotees in the context of our time.  Move by the spirit of Augustine’s restless pursuit for truth, let us pause and allow these questions to touch our awareness.

            What motivates me to continue searching for God?

            Having found Him, how do I make Him ___alive in my relations to people I live with?  (Short Reflection)

Reading:  From the Book IF AUGUSTINE WERE ALIVE

            If there is one thing that Augustinian emphasizes over and over again in treating of the search of God, it is that we must begin by going with ourselves. The keyword is WITHIN.  There will find truth, light, joy in Christ Himself.  There we will be heard when we pray; there we will love and worship God.  But while this within signifies the very depths of our being.  This is only the first stage of the journeys Augustine urges us to keep moving on even to what is beyond ourselves, to the source of our inspiration and light to God Himself.  Augustine would tell us, “Do not go outside yourself, but turn back within, truth, dwells in the inner man; and if you find your nature given to frequent  change, go beyond yourself.  Move on, then to that source where the light of reason itself receives its light.  (End of the reading – Some moments of silence)

LITANY IN HONOR OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL: You have made for yourself O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.  We ask you to bless our restlessness in our search for you will live in our lives, and in the events confronting us.  Finding you, may we be faithful to you God of history, faithful to Christ our Lord and Savior, faithful to the Church and her teaching and faithful to our particular state of life which we have chosen to serve you.  This we ask of you loving Father, through Christ our Lord and through the intercession of Saint Augustine, our Father.  Amen.

DAY 2 – INTERIORITY

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Introduction

 “Enter, then, into your heart (IS 46:8) and if you have faith, you will find Christ there.  There he speaks to you, I, the preacher must raise his voice but he instruct you more effectively in silence.

How do we cultivate our interior life as followers of St. Augustine? (Moments of Silence)

Reading: From the Book IF AUGUSTINE WERE ALIVE

            Because Jesus instructs interiorly in silence, we must foster within ourselves an atmosphere of silence.  While it is a great help to be able to get away from the noise and confusion of the world around us, this is not always possible for many people.  What we must do however, is to know how to free ourselves form these disturbances within, in our hearts, so that we will have a chance to listen to Christ and not just t ourselves, with all our pains and feelings and built – in prejudices, “Let us leave a little room for reflection, room for silence.  Enter into yourself.  Look within yourself and see whether, there be some delightful hidden place in your consciousness where you can be free of noise and argument, where you need not be carrying on your disputes and planning to have your own stubborn way.  Hear the word in quietness, that you may understand it.  In order to understand Christ, Our interior master, we need an atmosphere of attentive inner silence when we seek to go deeper into ourselves along the way of interior prayer or contemplation.  We must also purify the eyes of the heart so that we will be able to see God.  Such purification is painful, but it is a necessary prelude to becoming more sensitive to the presence of God within.  (End of the reading – Some of Moments of Silence)

LITANY IN HONOR OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL: Loving Father, we desire to follow your son, Jesus more closely.  Allowed us to be formed by you in imitation of St. Augustine’s life of interiority.  Help us withdraw from transitory things of this world in order to have deeper desire to follow.  Strengthen our faith to discover your voice in the Scriptures: so that we may be able to find you in the realities of our life.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever.  Amen.

DAY 3 – ACTION, CONTEMPLATION AND ACTION

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Intrtoduction

 A particular state in life is a reflection of Martha and Mary in the Gospel.  Jesus called the attention of Martha who grumbled at Mary taking with Jesus.  This image of Martha and Mary had been upheld by St Augustine both as a monk and as someone actively involved in giving life to the Church through his writings and good works.

            How do I strive a healthy balance between my action, contemplation and action approach  to life? (Pause for a while)

Reading: From the Book “IF AUGUSTINE WERE ALIVE”

            Augustinian-oriented contemplation also demands that we put ourselves at the service of others through apostolate.  No one should be given to contemplation.  Augustine remarks, that they give no thought to their neighbor needs.  The search for truth in himself requires intense activity, but the truth, which may be discerned, is not to be considered a private possession.  It is to be shared with others.  This responsibility may weigh especially on those who have real talents for teaching or writing or counseling, even among those who live strictly contemplative life.  As Jesus, points out, no great fears are demand of anyone.  But all without exception will be judge by their concern or lack of it for God’s little one.  Therefore, Augustine tell us, “When you have found your way back to yourself, don’t stay locked within yourself…Turn to the one who made you. (Moments of Silence)

LITANY IN HONOR OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL: God our Father, we praise and thank you for giving the church a great Saint.  AS we strive to live his spirit and charism, grant us the grace to grow in our integration of prayer of prayer and action according to the example of Saint Augustine.  We ask this in the name of Jesus your Son, our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

DAY 4 – EANGELICAL POVERTY – SIMPLICITY OF LIFESTYLE

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

INTRODUCTION

            “Sometimes when the Church had no money, Saint Augustine informed the faithful that he had nothing more that he could give to the poor.  In order to help prisoners and a great number of poor people, he had some sacred vessels, broken up and melted down.  What he then received from the sale, he distributed to the needy.”

            Let us reflect on our personal values and attitudes, how far or how close are we to the values and attitudes of our Saint Augustine? (Pause)

READING: From the Book IF AUGUSTINE WERE ALIVE

            Religious poverty is not simply an economic condition, but an attitude of the heart based on love: it effects should also be felt beyond the walls of the religious community in an outgoing service to others.  Jesus Christ emptied Himself when He came among us; though abundantly rich, he became poor for our sake, so that through his poverty we ourselves might be enriched.  It is a challenge to give oneself to God’s little ones.  Augustine fully understood and accepted this self-offering in his own day and was a model to his followers to go and do the same.

            But beyond these material cares for the companions of his poverty, as He was accustomed to call all the poor, he also put himself out continually, to help people through various works of mercy, for he well understood that one does not leave on bread alone.  We can find a number of areas in which the poor of Christ can be better served in the world.  But this service cannot be achieved without a real spirit of self-sacrifice, a willingness to put oneself out.  Once again the challenge is laid down, to live that admirable simplicity which characterized Augustine’s life, to experience deeply within ourselves the need for God and one another, and to hunger for God and the coming of his kingdom.  The real gift that is being asked of us through evangelical poverty is nothing less than the gift of self.  Augustine challenges us to accept whole heartedly, not only the giving up of our possessions for the poor, but also in a very positive way, a meaningful following of Christ , who invites one: Come follow me. (Pause)

LITANY IN HONOR OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL: We praise you Lord by our commitment to share our resources to the poor, to give sanctuary to the people in need, to be in solidarity with one another and to line in simplicity and transparency with one another. 

            Give us the enduring strength to carry these in our life, so that we may be real witness to the great generosity of God.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

DAY 5 – FRIENDSHIP IN COMMUNITY

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

INTRODUCTION

“What drew me closest to my brothers and sisters was the delight of chatting and laughing together, of showing our affection for one another by kindly services, of reading together from books that spoke of pleasant things, of joking together amicably, of disputing now and then but without resentment, as one is wont to do with himself, of awakening by rare contest the pleasure of being one in mind, of mutually instructing on another, of longing for the absent one, and tasting joy of his return.  We loved each other with all our hearts, and these marks of our friendship that were shown in our faces, by our voices, in our eyes and a thousand other ways, were among us like ardent flames that fused our soul together, and of many made but one.”

            Let us reflect on our experience of friendship in our community.  Am I happy about it…?  Is there something that needs to be improved…? (Paused)

Reading: From the Book “IF ST. AUSGUSTINE WERE ALIVE”

            The idea of friendship is at the very heart of the Rule, for those who are one in heart and soul are clearly friends, in God above all, but through God, also in their love and care for one another.  True friendship is based on unselfish love, and surely this is what Augustine is truing to say, when he urges religious to grow in love by putting the common interest ahead of his own.  He makes very clear that when religious seek common interest first, they also are really seeking their own deepest interest, because they are committed to becoming one community in Christ.  The real proof of friendship 

will come only through our willingness to bear one another’s burden.  What are some of these burdens?  They could be illness, discouragement, misunderstanding, or as Augustine implies: anger, envy, impatience, pride and in other words, the very burden of sin itself, in our lives and in that of our fellow religious.

            Friendship requires frankness and truthfulness but also implies that we respect the human nature of our friends, than when we seek to help them, we do so with great gentleness and understanding.  According to Augustine’s view of things, there should be unspoken rule among those who live in community: they should want to be helped mutually, not only through necessary fraternal correction accomplished with love.  What a difference such an attitude could make among religious everywhere? (Moment of reflection)

LITANY IN HONOR OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL: Lord our God, you have revealed to St. Augustine the beauty of friendship that is rooted in you.  Grant that we, his friends be willing to grow in friendship with one another in the community.  May we achieved the perfection of such friendship in our heavenly home where you live and reign forever and ever.  Amen.

DAY 6 – AUGUSTINE MODEL OF HUMILITY

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

INTRTODUCTION

            Humility is attained only in battle.  The importance of tribulations in your spiritual life lies in the fact that only through such trials do you acquire true humility.  You see clearly the futility of your own efforts and the importance of God becoming your Savior…Prided is the ultimate temptation that is never conquered. (Pause)

READING: From the Book IF AUGUSTINE WERE ALIVE

            For Augustine, humility does not consist in putting ourselves down, having a poor self-image of ourselves, failing to appreciate or develop our God-given talents and other gifts.  Augustine even accuses people who act like immature adults “milk drinkers” instead of mature adults who take solid foods to nourish themselves and make progress in their faith. His description of humility is simple and straightforward, “No one is telling you: be less than you are, but to know that you are man, know yourself in sinner.  Know that it He (God) who frees you from blame; Know that you are tarnished.  Let your confession  reveal the stain of your heart, and you will belong to the flock of God” (end of the reading)

            Moments of reflection-If humility is truth, how do I make this come alive in terms of my relationship with others in community?

LITANY IN HONOR OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL: Incline our hearts to your goodness, O Lord and turn our eyes from vanities and pride that we may be followers of your words.  Learn from me because I am weak and humble of heart.  Grant that we may grow daily  in the virtue of humility so dear to the heart of our Father Saint Augustine.  Amen.

DAY 7 – PASTORAL CARE

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

INTRODUCTION

            “Let us love the Lord, let us love his Church…We received the Holy Spirit if we love the Church, if we are bound together by love, if we rejoice in the catholic name and faith.  Let us believe it, brothers and sisters; one will have the Holy Spirit in the same measures that he or she loves the Church…Morever, we love the Church when we stand fast in her membership and love.” (Pause)

READING: From LIVING IN FRREDOM UNDER GRACE

            The world needs our service, our generous activity, but not just any activity.  Of activity there is an abundance in the world and in holy leads to further confusion.  What we can and must offer the world, the people we serve, from our vantage points as Augustinian, is a view of life made wholesome by a true spirit of fraternity, community, friendship and union with God.

            Let us go forth with confidence in ourselves and in the accompanying help of our father Augustine.  Let us be living message of faith and hope to our brethen wherever we may go.  Let us not hesitate to give ourselves wholeheartedly to the various apostolates to which the Church calls us today, strengthened in our generosity by healthy community life after the model St. Augustine offers us (End of the reading).  Pause for reflection.

LITANY IN HONOR OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL: Loving Father, we thank you for the gift of St. Augustine to the Church.  Through his intercession, we his daughters, sons and friends, pray for light and courage to give ourselves unconditionally in humble and enduring service to the poorer members of flock whom you have entrusted to the church.  We ask this in the name of Jesus your Son, our Lord Savior.  Amen.

DAY 8 – RESPONSIVENESS TO THE NEEDS OF THE CHURCH

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

INTRODUCTION

            Religious are not only very much a part of this reality of the Church but as, Augustine puts it, a very honorable part, model part.  In the sane way that the members of the early Jerusalem community were closely jointed to the Apostles and instructed by them, so also must religious today, be closely united to the Church and concerned principally about her needs, not their own.  In the same way, very apostolic  work must be intimately related to the Church’s needs and reality, because everything the spirit gives us is at the service of the common good.  (Pause)

READING: From LIVING IN FREEDOM UNDER GRACE

            By our very nature as an apostolic community, we Augustinians ought always to be more open to the needs of the Church, both now and in the future.  Our apostolates is an integral part of our calling.  We cannot, however, be complacent simply because we continue to work as before.  We need to continually question ourselves whether our current apostolic commitments correspond adequately to the real needs of the church today.  End of the reading (Pause for reflection)

LITANY IN HONOR OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

CONCLUDING PRAYER

ALL:   Loving Father, we honor and glorify you for having given us Saint Augustine. Having committed ourselves to his teachings and spirituality, help us become authentic Augustinian religious for our time.  Direct all our efforts to work for a renewed Church as we are approaching the year 2000.  This we ask of you through Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

DAY 9 – OPENNESS TO THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE

In the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

INTRODUCTION

            Augustine was always mindful of his companions in poverty.  He gave to them by taking from what was set aside for his own use and that of those who lived with him, that is, the income from the goods of the Church and the offerings of the faithful.  Sometimes when the church had no money, he informed the faithful that he had nothing more that he could give to the poor.  In order to help a great number of poor people, he had some sacred vessels broken up and melted down.  What he then received from the sale, he distributed to the needy.

            Augustine’s solidarity with the people is felt keenly in these words.  My brothers, let your primary purpose, be openness with the needs of the poor…Focus your attention on Christ, who is hungry and suffering.

            Let us pause for some moments to allow these words of our patron Saint to enter into our consciousness and move our hearts and will to a compassionate response to the human condition of the people.

READING: From LIVING IN FREEDOM UNDER GRACE

            We are rightly urged to practice solidarity with the poor.  But this solidarity must not be limited to those materially poor.  As has been indicated above, it should also embrace the ignorant, the insecure, the lonely, the ill, those who suffer from failure sinners.  The whole area justice and peace comes to mind here, an area that has been brought more and more to the forefront of our awareness in recent years.  But as must be clear, we cannot attempt to speak out to others on this matter unless we have already set our own house in order.  Our whole attitude toward the under-privileged, the exceptional, minority groups, those who work with us and for us, needs to undergo close scrutiny, for it is precisely in this very personal area that the quest for the greater justice in the world must begin.  When we take this aspect of our lives seriously, then our solidarity with all the poor in the society, will take on a new and more significant meaning.  (End of the reading).

            Let us stay quiet for a moment and ask ourselves.  If Augustine were alive, how would he respond to the poor in our place of work, and in our own communities?

LITANY IN HONOR OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

CONCLUDING  PRAYER

ALL: Lord, renew in your Church the spirit you gave St. Augustine.  Filled with his spirit, may we thirst for you alone as fountain of wisdom and seek you as the source of eternal love so that we will be open to the needs of the people in our communities.  We ask you this through Christ our Lord, our friend and brother.  Amen.