Pope: St. Augustine's Faith Is Fresh and Modern

Notes That in Bishop's Writings We Find a Contemporary

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 16, 2008 (Zenit.org).-

Reading the writings of St. Augustine, the bishop of Hippo who died in the fifth century, one finds a man with a fresh and modern faith, says Benedict XVI.

"When I read St. Augustine's works, I don't have the impression that he died more or less 1,600 years ago," the Pope said today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. "I feel he is a modern man: a friend, a contemporary who speaks to me, he speaks to us with his fresh and modern faith."

The Holy Father dedicated his address to the figure of St. Augustine (354-430), the bishop of Hippo. Last week he commented on Augustine's road to conversion, this week he spoke of the bishop's last years of life and his death, which took place during the barbarian invasion of Hippo.

The Pontiff summed up the life of Augustine with a quotation from the bishop's biographer, Possidius: "He left a large clergy to the Church, as well as male and female monasteries with people dedicated to the obedience of their superiors.

"He left us libraries with books and speeches by him and other holy men from which, with God's grace, we can deduce his merit and stature in the Church, and in which the faithful always rediscover him."

"We can associate ourselves with this judgment," Benedict XVI added. "In his writings we also 'rediscover him.'"

The Pope added: "In St. Augustine, who speaks to us -- who speaks to me at us in his writings -- we see the permanent actuality of his faith; of the faith that comes from Christ, eternal word made flesh, Son of God and son of man.

"This faith does not belong to yesterday, though it was preached yesterday. It is always of today, because Christ is truly yesterday, today and always. He is the way, the truth and the life.

"St. Augustine encourages to entrust ourselves to the living Christ and to find through him the way to life."