Augustine reaches the spiritually hungry through media old and new

The Augustinian character of Villanova extends far past Lancaster Avenue to reach people whose contact with the University is primarily through its web site.

One of the most popular pages at www.villanova.edu is “Mission and Heritage. Among other topics, it highlights various aspects of the life and teaching of St. Augustine.

The Rev. Donald X. Burt, O.S.A ’52, who retired a few years ago from teaching philosophy, has attracted a worldwide web audience, interested in exploring an aspect of Augustine that is often overshadowed by his philosophical and theological side: his spirituality. 

“Reflections on Augustinian Spirituality” (www41.homepage.villanova.edu/donald.burt/) has become a sort of electronic apostolate, visited by more than 2,000 people at last count.

A most human of saints, but often overlooked for prayer

Unlike St. Anthony and St. Francis of Assisi or even an Augustinian saint like Rita, Augustine doesn’t always come to mind when someone prays and asks the intercession of a saint. He has no record of recovering misplaced car keys. His writings are not music lyrics. And this man who knew despair personally is not called upon as a last resort advocate. Yet he is the most human of saints and among the most willing to own up to his own frailty.

In his web site and in his latest book, “Let Me Know Myself . . .” Reflections  on the Prayer of St Augustine     (The Liturgical Press, 2002), Father Burt has turned to his own experience as an Augustinian preaching and giving retreats to teach Augustinian spirituality. He demonstrates that Augustine, the great doctor of the Church, has a great deal to say to engineers, lawyers, brick layers and others about the search for God that begins with the discovery of oneself.

Soon after his conversion, an event that filled him with wonder for the rest of his life, Augustine prayed: “Lord, let me know myself; let me know you.”  Note the order. Augustine was convinced that in order to discover God, each human had to explore his/her own humanity – cracks and all.  This necessitated facing and removing the obstacles and defenses that all humans like to erect to protect them from reality.

With Augustine as the guide, Father Burt leads the readers on a tour through the pitfalls that tripped up Augustine at the turn of the 5^th century and that still snag humans at the turn of the 21^st.  They still turn up regularly, albeit sometimes under more trendy names: earthly attachment, concupiscence of the flesh, avarice, concupiscence of the eyes, worldly ambition and the “make-belief” self.  Augustine himself knew these pitfalls; he never wrote or preached about them in the abstract.  The expression “Been there; done that” comes to mind.

A Roper survey conducted a few years ago indicated that Americans are deeply concerned about what they perceive erosion in moral values and ethics. Since Sept. 11, there has been a new interest in spirituality. Although does not necessarily translate into regular attendance at a house of worship, it does indicate that more people are looking for meaning in their life.

Father Burt’s new book and his web site, with a generous assist from Augustine, are helping to answer that need.