The Spirituality of Saint Augustine

Augustine has put an important mark on later Christian thinking. Moreover, he composed a lot of writings: more than eight hundred sermons, some three hundred letters, and a hundred works in which he unfolds his theological vision.

This book presents some basic thoughts on the spirituality of this great church father. In different ways the author clarifies in which sense the spirituality of Augustine can be a breath of fresh air for our times. The conversion experience that Augustine went through ultimately became the experience of a growing trust in God who first loved us. Step by step, Augustine unfolded Christ in his many sermons and writings as a humble physician, mediator, and shepherd. Augustine developed a spirituality of togetherness: inner life is intrinsically linked to community life and apostolate. The spirituality of the Church as the Whole Christ is expressed in the loving care of the poor and vulnerable. His lived experience of the value of friendship and hospitality, the precious treasure of faith in Christ, the humble Physician, his concept of the Pilgrim-Church, and his vision of Mary, the dignity of the earth remain invaluable for the twenty-first century.

Gabriel Quicke, priest of the diocese Bruges (Belgium), studied classic philology and obtained a doctorate with a dissertation entitled: Saint Augustine: A Spiritual Guide for Ecumenism Today: A Study of the ‘Tractatus in Iohannis Evangelium’. He lived as Fidei Donum priest in Lebanon. From 2009 to 2018 he was official at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and was responsible for the ecumenical dialogue among the Christians in the Middle East. He was professor at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies (KU Leuven). Currently, he is Rector of the Royal Belgian Church and Foundation of Saint Julian of the Flemings. In addition to an academic appointment, he continues to work for Christians in the Middle East, and more specifically for orphans in Iraq, a commitment that moves him deeply and which he experiences as an ‘inclusion of gratitude’ and a ‘fulfilment in life’.