Module 4 Notes: Saint Augustine of Hippo – A Man of Communion

Activity 1 – Saint Augustine of Hippo as a Man of Communion

  • Augustine exhorts us to live together in harmony, being of one mind and heart on the way to God.

  • Four elements common to the first four communities founded by Augustine:
    1) Physical presence and housing: Augustine lived in a house with companions, effectively a monastery; house is a physical structure and a home where community life begins.
    2) Physical presence: recognition of each member’s presence in the house; not just a structure, but the people who live there.
    3) Internal structures: prayer together, work together, discussion, study, etc.
    4) Leadership: a leader (overseer) who manages internal and external affairs; initially Augustine, later an overseer appointed.

  • Common property: all possessions were gathered into a common fund for the community; no member owned them individually.

  • Augustine’s view: community involves people (physical presence) who stay together in one house (physical structure) with rules (regula) and a leader to live in harmony while seeking truth.

  • After conversion, Augustine spiritualized community life. In The Rule, he wrote in the garden monastery about living together in harmony and oneness of mind and heart (utunanimes habitetis; anima una et cor unum in Deum).

  • The Rule emphasizes living in (1) harmony, (2) oneness of mind and heart, and (3) God. It promotes living toward a higher degree of holiness (excellenter perfectio / celsior sanctitatis gradus).

  • Key mechanisms for harmony:

    • Food and clothing distributed according to need, promoting respect for individual needs.

    • The nucleus of Augustine’s teaching on communion is oneness of mind and heart, realized through sharing of goods and spiritual riches.

    • Love (caritas) as the centerpiece; God is love, and love guides all actions; love is the air in which the community breathes.

  • The triad of Augustine’s Community Concept:

    • DYNAMISM: COMMUNITY: COMMUNION

    • ESSENCE: A STRUCTURE A VALUE

    • LOCATIONS: HOUSE vs HEART; PRESENCE OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE; A GROUP SEEKING GOD’S WILL; AUTHORITY WITH A LEADER (SUPERIOR) and CHRIST; ACTION; SHARING OF LIFE IN CHARITY (CARITAS)

  • Diagrammatic note: Figure 1 describes the Concept of Community and Communion in Saint Augustine of Hippo.

Activity 2A – The Rule of Saint Augustine of Hippo: Basis of Community Life and Communion

  • Saint Augustine is known as "the restless searcher for truth"; The Rule expresses enduring principles of religious community life.

  • George Lawless (1981) calls The Rule a Mirror of Perfection.

  • Basic principles of Augustinian spirituality of religious community life are found in The Rule.

  • The Rule of Saint Augustine was written around c.400c. 400. It is the oldest monastic rule we have today.

  • The Rule endures because it expresses enduring principles and understands the human condition; it is not about trivial daily details like furniture or food.

  • The Rule is one of the earliest guides for religious life, divided into eight chapters: ChapterIChapter I through ChapterVIIIChapter VIII.

    • Chapter I: Purpose and Basis of Common Life

    • Chapter II: Prayer

    • Chapter III: Moderation and Self Denial

    • Chapter IV: Safeguarding Chastity, and Fraternal Correction

    • Chapter V: The Care of Community Goods and Treatment of the Sick

    • Chapter VI: Asking Pardon and Forgiving Offenses

    • Chapter VII: Governance and Obedience

    • Chapter VIII: Observance of the Rule

Activity 2B – Brief Introduction and Description of The Rule

  • The Rule was written circa 396-397. Biblical and evangelical foundations form a permanent structure of The Rule.

  • It contains 3535 Biblical references: 2727 from the New Testament and 88 from the Old Testament.

  • According to TJ Van Bavel, The Rule is adopted by more than 4040 religious orders and 3030 clerical congregations.

  • Augustine wrote The Rule about ten years after his baptism by Bishop Ambrose in Milan (circa 397397).

  • Augustine’s early life: first foundation in 388388 at Tagaste; monastery for clerics in his bishop’s house in Hippo (395−396395-396).

  • The Rule stems from the early period of religious life; the desert of Egypt is the cradle of Western monastic life; monastic life began ~370370, about 30 years before the first extant Western monastic rule.

  • The Rule summarizes the oral conferences Augustine held for his monks; aims beyond external details toward the Gospel life.

  • Core idea: rooted in the Jerusalem community from Acts 4:32−354:32-35; love and community are central; emphasis on interiorization over external form; minimal emphasis on asceticism; life in community as victory over self-seeking.

  • The Rule governs charity, poverty, obedience, detachment from the world, labor distribution, care for the sick, fraternal correction, shared meals, silence, and reading during meals.

Activity 2C – The Fundamental Principles and Purpose of The Rule

1) Main purpose: to live harmoniously intent upon God in oneness of mind and heart; sharing everything in common according to each one’s need (Acts 4:32-34) Acts 4:32−34Acts\, 4:32-34.
2) The Rule provides important thoughts to inspire, not a comprehensive manual.
3) Fundamental ideas built around the Jerusalem community ideal from Acts 4:32−354:32-35.
4) Emphasis on the importance of community life.

Activity 2D – The Structure of The Rule

  • The basic ideal: LOVE AND COMMUNITY

  • Three fundamental principles of community life:

    • Live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God.

    • Share everything in common; personal property is not the norm; goods are held in common, with each receiving what they need.

    • Humility as the positive factor; pride as the negative factor.

  • Features of Community:

    • A WAY towards God, and with one another.

    • A free person detached from earthly goods to follow Christ faithfully.

  • The challenge: why is unity difficult among brothers and sisters who share a house?

  • Practical norms:

    • Fixed times for common prayer (Lectio Divina).

    • Opportunity for individual prayer.

    • The basic law of prayer: the heart in prayer; faithful perseverance in appointed hours; the heart of true prayer is faith, hope, and love.

    • During meals: silent reading and appropriate psalm/hymn singing.

  • The Rule also addresses:

    • Moderation in eating/drinking; reading during meals; differentiation in treatment; care for the sick; hunger for mercy.

    • Asceticism: self-denial as a means to strength for service; simple living as a sign of inner grandeur; possessions should serve charity, not greed.

Activity 2E – Brief Analysis of the Contents of the Rule

  • Concluding exhortation: desire for spiritual beauty, freedom under grace, and living as a mirror of Christ’s life.

  • Grace enables freedom to love one another as Jesus did and rejects sin; grace provides the freedom and responsibility to discover God in ourselves and others.

  • Spiritual beauty = the practice of love in daily life.

  • The Rule serves as a guide for those who wish to follow Christ in religious life; ends with a song of praise to the Lord.

  • Final sentence emphasizes three-fold structure: present (present actions matching the mirror), past (if failed, seek forgiveness), future (guard against temptation and seek forgiveness).

Conclusion

  • Augustine is a true man of communion.

  • The Rule focuses on love, humility, community life, care for one another, fraternal correction, and communion.

  • Everyone is called to fellowship and solidarity within the community; interaction should be harmonious, in faith, hope, and love.

  • Obedience is an act of compassion, not fear; care for the vulnerable; practice fraternal correction and forgiveness.

  • The ideal is to live together in harmony, one mind and heart, on the way to God.

  • Augustinian call to community remains a model for contemporary life.