Re-Discover Saint Augustine Through Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI is one of the great theological and intellectual powerhouses of the Catholic / Christian faith, unquestionably within the last century and also arguably in the history of the Church.  He played an important role in formulating documents of the Second Vatican Council.  He served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and as President of the Commission for Drafting the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  His body of written work is extensive including The Ratzinger Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church (1986), Truth and Tolerance: Christian Belief and World Religions (2004), the encyclical Deus caritas est (God is Love) (2005), and the three volume Jesus of Nazareth.  

Saint Augustine was a very important influence on the theological and intellectual development of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).   “When I read St Augustine's writings, I do not get the impression that he is a man who died more or less 1,600 years ago; I feel he is like a man of today:  a friend, a contemporary who speaks to me, who speaks to us with his fresh and timely faith,” said the Pope in his General Audience of 16 January 2008.

From January to February 2008, Pope Benedict XVI devoted five of his General Audiences to expounding on Saint Augustine.  In these five audiences, Pope Benedict XVI discussed Saint Augustine’s life, his writings, his conversion to Christianity, his life-long faith journey and his importance to Christianity.  Each General Audience has a specific theme.  Together, these Audiences present a concise and inspiring expose on this great Father / Doctor of the Church.  They can be found online on the Vatican’s website at https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2008.index.html#audiences 

In his First General Audience (9 January 2008), Pope Benedict XVI focuses on Saint Augustine’s life.  Fortunately, his spiritual masterpiece Confessions provides us with many great details about his conversion and faith journey.  Born and raised by a pagan father and a Christian mother in North Africa in 354 A.D., Augustine struggled through his early life in finding truth.  To do so, he studied rhetoric, philosophy, Holy Scripture, and the teachings of the Manicheans.  Moving to Northern Italy, Augustine met Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.  “Augustine soon realized that the allegorical interpretation of Scripture and the Neo-Platonic philosophy practiced by the Bishop of Milan enabled him to solve the intellectual difficulties which, when he was younger during his first approach to the biblical texts, had seemed insurmountable to him,” said Pope Benedict XVI.   Having been so enlightened, in just a few years, Augustine was baptized as a Christian, ordained as a priest and installed as Bishop of Hippo.  For the rest of his life, Augustine devoted his immense talents and knowledge to building the Church, inspiring the faithful and combating heresies.  He died in 430 and is considered one of the greatest Christian theologians.  See https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080109.html 

In his Second Audience (16 January 2008), Pope Benedict XVI focuses on the final years of Saint Augustine’s life.  This was a time of great intellectual output as Saint Augustine was finishing up various works.   This was also a time of great violence and strife as Vandal invaders were wreaking havoc across North Africa.  Even Saint Augustine’s own Hippo was not spared.  The great saint courageously rallied his flock and provided refuge to those fleeing the Vandals.  See https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080116.html 

In his Third Audience (30 January 2008), Pope Benedict XVI turns to the theme of faith and reason, one of the most important contributions of Saint Augustine to Christian theology.  In explaining Saint Augustine’s teachings on this matter, Pope Benedict XVI says “The harmony between faith and reason means above all that God is not remote: he is not far from our reason and our life; he is close to every human being, close to our hearts and to our reason, if we truly set out on the journey.”   See https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080130.html 

Saint Augustine was a great preacher and a great writer.  Pope Benedict XVI examines Saint Augustine’s writings in his Fourth Audience offered on 20 February 2008.  There are over 1,000 writings of Saint Augustine that have survived to this day out of a total of upwards of 4,000 total writings that he produced.  In this Audience, the Pope discusses several of the Saint’s most important works including Confessions, The City of God, The Trinity, and On Christian Doctrine.  “Yes, for us too it would have been beautiful to be able to hear him speaking,” said the Pope. “Nonetheless, he is truly alive in his writings and present in us, and so we too see the enduring vitality of the faith to which he devoted his entire life.”  See https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080220.html 

Pope Benedict XVI offered his Fifth and Final General Audience on Saint Augustine on 27 February 2008.  In this Audience, the Pope guides us through Saint Augustine’s faith journey, calling the various steps along the way as “one single great conversion.”  In fervently seeking truth, Saint Augustine found that truth is Jesus Christ.  “Augustine converted to Christ who is truth and love, followed him throughout his life and became a model for every human being, for all of us in search of God,” Pope Benedict XVI says.  See https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080227.html 

We have much to learn and emulate from the life and writings of Saint Augustine.  Many Popes and theologians have recognized this and sought to encourage this.  Throughout his life and especially during his Papacy, Pope Benedict XVI endeavored to promote faith in Christ and reason.  Our new Pope Leo XIV is doing so as well.