(Vatican Radio) Together with Augustinians from throughout the world, Pope Francis
celebrated the Feast of Saint Augustine, which falls on August 28th.
The Pope
lead the celebration of Mass at the Church of Saint Augustine in Rome. The occasion
also marks the opening of the Order’s 184th General Chapter.
As
the Prior of the Augustinians, Father Robert Prevost explains, ninety friars from
various countries, who constitute the membership of the Chapter, will gather in the
succeeding days and weeks to discuss the state of the Order, decide questions of special
importance, formulate a programme for the next six years, and elect a new Prior General
and the members of his Council.
But first he tells us why Augustinian spirituality
is relevant to today’s society…
Listen to Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni’s
interview…
Throughout
his life, Father Prevost says, Saint Augustine continued to search for God and wrote
about it in a way that was understandable to people of his time, and in which in many
ways is still understandable for people who are searching today: “he made very clear
how important it is for people to use the intellect, to use the God-given gift of
being able to think: the gift of reason, and at the same time he was a man of heart,
a man who knew what it meant to feel deeply, to feel compassion, to live passionately
and to be able share both the struggles and the joys that he experienced”. Struggles
and joys that he recounts in his book ‘The Confessions’. “Precisely in the struggle
of humanity God is present, God wants to be found, God makes himself a part of our
human lives”. Augustine – Father Prevost says - continues to be a man of our times.
And explain the importance of the General Chapter that opens today, Father
Prevost says that one of the elements of the consecrated life is when the friars
gather in Chapters: “we make decisions in a style that is born out of a dialogue of
listening, of working and planning together” with a view towards the future. In this
particular Chapter – he points out – “our 184th General Chapter since the
juridical institution of the Order – men of the Order will be gathering together to
reflect upon the reality of the Order today, to evaluate different things that have
been going on in the Order in recent times”; and to plan for the future: “where do
we want to go from here?”.
This particular Chapter is important - Father Prevost
points out – because we are living a very particular time in the Church: “2013 will
be remembered for many years to come for the very courageous decision of Pope Benedict
to step down, and for the prophetic leadership that Pope Francis is already offering
for the whole Church and for the world. This Chapter takes place within that context
and I am sure we will be reflecting upon those ecclesial events and understanding
that a General Chapter is also a Church event”.
And referring to Pope Francis
who is the first Jesuit Pope in history, Father Prevost talks about the similarities
that exist between the Augustinian Order and the Jesuit Order pointing out that they
are both institutes of consecrated life: “we are all religious who profess the same
vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, so there are some elements of our lives that
are very similar”. But he points out there also elements that are quite different,
and he explains that Augustinians place more emphasis on the value of fraternity
and community life, whist the Jesuits put more emphasis on the apostolic dimension.
Both orders he says are dedicated to education.
And the Prior General goes
on to talk about Augustinians in the world today, what kind of missions they are mainly
committed to, in what parts of the world they are most present, how the Order is structured
and how many Augustinians there are in the world today, and he comes to the end of
his second six-year term in office, he also explains what the duties of the Prior
General are.
On September 28th Pope Francis will ascend the steep
steps that lead to the Church of Saint Augustine very close to Rome’s famous Piazza
Navona, to celebrate the opening Eucharist of the General Chapter . Thus, Father Prevost
speaks of the Church which contains many art treasures and points out that the Church
itself has a long history in the Order as up until the late 19th century
it is where the General Curia of the Order was located. He points out that it is
also the Church where the tomb of Saint Monica is found, “and many people have devotion
to Saint Monica, including Pope Francis who used to frequent the Church when he was
Cardinal Bergoglio who would come to the Church to pray to Saint Monica who is the
mother of Saint Augustine and whose feast falls on the 27th August”.
Father Prevost then speaks about the importance of the cultural aspect within
Augustinian spirituality; he speaks of the ancient library that stands next to the
Church: “the first public library in Rome, founded by an Augustinian and its work
continues today – “so there is that cultural element side by side with the religious
element which are two aspects of what Augustinian life is about and what we believe
Church life should be about”.
Speaking about Pope Francis, Father Prevost
highlights his dedication to expressing the dimension of the Gospel that focuses on
“that special closeness, that care, that love, that mercy that God has for all of
us,” and especially for the poor and the marginalized. He says this takes nothing
away from what has been said and done until this moment. He points out that as Augustinians
“we feel filled with gratitude for all that Pope Francis is doing, and at the same
time challenged, and on some very deep levels because of what the Pope is saying
in general to priests and religious; of how we all need to look for ways to live simpler
lives, to be closer to the people and especially to the poor, to reach out to those
who are suffering, to be that ‘merciful, loving and compassionate face of God’ to
the people who are longing for consolation, pardon, mercy”.
“Pope Francis is
calling us to be more authentic, more faithful, more dedicated to living this life
that we have professed…”