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Happy feast day to us all!
“Renew, Lord, in your Church, the spirit with which you filled the bishop Saint Augustine, so that, filled with this same spirit, we may thirst only for you, source of true wisdom, and seek only you, author of eternal love.” (Prayer proposed in the Breviary for the feast (solemnity) of Saint Augustine).
It's been a hot summer here in Rome, and I've just come back from the Congo (canonical visit) where it was cool, so you can really feel the difference. The brothers in the Rome community are starting to return. Some from vacations, others from a retreat, and still others from a short rest after the pilgrimage to Lourdes. The news coming in from everywhere tells of meetings, sessions, assemblies... It's a good thing. I have no doubt that these various meetings and sessions reflect the good desire to move forward on our journey as a religious family. My prayer is that all these efforts will be motivated by a thirst for God, source of true wisdom and author of eternal love.
The celebration of August 28th is an opportunity to return to this wisdom, to this love. I know that many of you are celebrating the anniversary of your first religious profession on this feast of Saint Augustine. May this celebration renew our commitment and our search for that which does not pass away. It's a challenge, and not the least, in a world where the search for “things above” seems to be a thing of the past.
The search for that which does not pass can be long, very long indeed. But when God himself is the driving force, we have no reason to be discouraged. Our choices will be directed towards Him because He will set us free. I've always thought that the purpose of formation is also this: to set us free to make good choices. “The truth will set you free.” These words come from the Gospel according to Saint John (Jn 8:31-33). In this passage, Jesus speaks to the Jews who believed in him. I can only imagine that Jesus was calling them to follow him, and he knew that these people needed help to become his true disciples. Now, according to Jesus, help consisted in exposing them to the Truth.
So, I just want to wish you a very happy feast of Saint Augustine. May you, wherever you are, be filled with the spirit that makes the thirst for God insatiable. As we begin a new pastoral year, and for the years to come, let us be imbued with that spirit that will make us say with St. Augustine: “You have made us for yourself Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you”. Happy feast day!
Fr. Ngoa Ya Tshihemba