St. Augustine Teaches Us to Trust in Christ

Weekly General Audience January 16, 2008

January 27- February 2, 2008 Issue | Posted 1/22/08 at 10:23 AM

Pope Benedict XVI continued his catechesis on St. Augustine of Hippo during his general audience on Jan. 16. The world, the doctor of the Church said, is growing old and failing, yet Christ remains eternally young and brings renewed youth to those who put their faith in him.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today, like last Wednesday, I would like to speak about St. Augustine, the great bishop of Hippo. Four years before he died, he decided to name his successor. Consequently, on Sept. 26 of 426, he gathered the faithful together in the Basilica of Peace in Hippo in order to present to them his choice for this task.

“In this life, we all are mortal,” he said, “and every individual is uncertain of his last day. In childhood we hope to reach adolescence, in adolescence we hope to reach adulthood, in adulthood we hope to teach middle age and in middle age we hope to attain old age. We are never sure of getting there, but that is our hope. However, old age is not followed by any other stage in life that we can hope for and its own duration is uncertain. ... Through God’s grace, I arrived in this city in the vigor of my life, but now my youth is gone and I am an old man” (see Epistola 213:1).

At this point, Augustine revealed the name of his chosen successor, a priest named Heraclius. The assembly of people burst into an applause that expressed their approval and repeated over and over some 23 times, “Thanks be to God! Christ be praised!”

More cries of approval followed when Augustine then told them of his future plans: He wanted to devote his remaining years to a deeper study of sacred Scripture (see Epistola 213:6).

Indeed, the following four years were four years of extraordinary intellectual activity. Augustine was able to accomplish some important work and began other initiatives that were equally demanding.

He held public debates with heretics (with whom he always sought dialogue) and he worked to promote peace in those African provinces that were prey to the barbarian tribes in the South.

In this regard, he wrote to Count Darius, who had come to Africa to put an end to the disagreement between Count Boniface and the Imperial Court that the Mauri tribes were using to their advantage for raids.

“A greater title for glory,” he wrote in his letter, “is to kill war with words, rather than to kill men with the sword, and to procure or maintain peace through peace rather than through war. Of course, those who wage battle, provided they are good, are undoubtedly seeking peace, but at the cost of shedding blood. You, on the contrary, have been sent to prevent blood being spilled on any side” (see Epistola 229:2).

Unfortunately, any hopes for peace in these African territories were dashed. In May of 429 the Vandals, whom Boniface himself had invited to Africa out of spite, crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and entered Mauritania. The invasion rapidly spread to other wealthy provinces of Africa.

In May or June of 430, “the destroyers of the Roman Empire,” as Possidius called these barbarians (see Vita 30:1), laid siege to Hippo. Boniface, having reconciled too late with the court, sought refuge in the town and tried in vain to stop the invaders.

Possidius, Augustine’s biographer, described Augustine’s pain: “More than usual, his tears became his bread day and night, and having now come to the end of his life, he was, more than others, facing bitterness and mourning in his old age” (see Vita 28:6).

He goes on to explain: “This man of God was actually witnessing massacres and the destruction of cities. Homes were being destroyed in the countryside and their residents were being killed by the enemy or forced to flee. Churches were being deprived of their priests and ministers and sacred virgins and monks were being displaced everywhere. Some were tortured and killed; others were slain by the sword; yet others taken as prisoners. They completely lost their bodies and souls as well as their faith and they were reduced by their enemies to a grievous and long slavery” (see Vita 28:8).

Even though he was old and worn out, Augustine remained strong, providing comfort for himself and others through prayer and by meditating on the mysterious plans of God’s providence.

In this regard, he spoke about “the world’s old age” — and the Roman world truly was old — and he spoke about this old age in the same terms that he had spoken about it years earlier to console the refugees who came from Italy when Alaric’s Goths had invaded the city of Rome.

In old age, he said, sickness abounds: coughs, stomach ailments, rheumatism, anxiety and exhaustion. Even though the world grows old, Christ is forever young.

So he extended the following invitation to them: “Don’t refuse to be rejuvenated and united to Christ — even in an old world — who says to you, ‘Do not fear. Your youth will be renewed like that of the eagle’” (see Sermone 81:8).

Therefore, a Christian should not feel dejected when faced with difficult situations, but should make every effort to help those in need. This is the advice that this great doctor of the Church gave to Honoratus, the bishop of Tiabe, when Honoratus asked him whether a bishop, a priest or any man of the Church could flee to save his life when faced with the invasion of barbarians.

“When the danger is shared by all — bishops, clergymen and laymen — those in need of others should not be abandoned by those of whom they have need. In such cases, everyone should move to a safe place. But if some need to stay, they should not be abandoned by those who have the duty to assist them through their sacred ministry. They should either seek safety together or together bear the disaster that the Father of the family wants them to suffer” (see Epistola 228:2).

He concluded with these words: “This is the ultimate test of charity” (see Epistola 228:3).

How can we not recognize in these words the heroic message that many priests have embraced and identified with throughout the centuries?

Meanwhile, the town of Hippo held fast. Augustine’s house-monastery had opened its doors in order to receive any colleagues in the episcopate who were seeking refuge. Among them was Possidius, who had already become his disciple and thus able to leave us an eyewitness account of those final, tragic days.

“In the third month of that siege,” he tells us, “he was struck by fever that was his final illness” (see Vita 29:3).

This holy and venerable old man took advantage of his remaining time to devote himself to more assiduous prayer. He used to say that no one, bishop, monk or layman, however irreproachable his conduct may have been, could face death without adequate penance. For this reason, he continually and tearfully repeated the penitential psalms that he had so often recited with his people (see Vita 31:2).

As his condition worsened, the dying bishop more and more felt the need for solitude and prayer: “So that no one would disturb him in this time of recollection, about 10 days before he gave up his spirit, he begged us to not let anyone enter his room outside of those times when the doctors visited him or when they brought him his food. His wishes were carried out as specified and during that time he devoted himself to prayer” (see Vita 31:3).

He died on Aug. 28, 430. His great heart finally rested in God.

“For his burial,” Possidius tells us, “the sacrifice of the Mass was offered to God in which we all took part and then he was buried” (see Vita 31:5). At a certain point — the date is unknown — his body was transferred to Sardinia and thence, around 725, to Pavia to the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d’oro, where he rests today.

Possidius, his first biographer, left the following final assessment of him: “He left a large number of clergymen to the Church as well as monasteries of men and women full of people who were dedicated to chastity and who were under obedience to their superiors. He left us libraries with his books and speeches as well as those of other holy men from which we can know with God’s grace his merits and his great stature within the Church and in which the faithful always rediscover him living in his writings” (see Vita 31: 8).

We ourselves can relate with this assessment. In his writings, we too “rediscover the man living in his writings.”

When I read St. Augustine’s works, I do not have the impression that he died some 1,600 years ago. Rather, I feel he is a man of today — a friend and a contemporary — who speaks to me and to us through his faith, which is both fresh and relevant.

In St. Augustine, who speaks to me and to us in his writings, we see the ongoing relevance of his faith — of a faith that comes from Christ, the eternal Word made flesh, the Son of God and the Son of man.

We see that this faith is not yesterday’s faith, even though it was preached yesterday. It is relevant today because Christ is truly yesterday, today and forever. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Thus, St. Augustine encourages to entrust ourselves to Christ who lives forever and, in this way, to find the way to life.

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