Saint Augustine On Contemplation And Action

Contemplation occupies a very important place in Augustinian Spirituality. It is a spirit that echoes in all the letters, sermons, books and other works of Saint Augustine. It is in this sense that Saint Augustine is referred to as the teacher of interiority.

In the Rule of Saint Augustine, the chapter on prayer (Numbers 10-12) enjoins: “In the Oratory, no one should do anything other than that for which it was intended and from which it also takes its name. Consequently, if some might wish to pray there during their free time, even outside the hours appointed, they should not be hindered by those who think something else must be done there. And when you pray to God in Psalms and hymns, think over in your hearts the words that come from your lips.” The phrase “think over in your hearts the words that come from your lips” speaks of contemplation, which should be part of both public and private prayers.

The Constitutions of the Order of Saint Augustine teaches that contemplation along with common prayer, reading, and study are indispensable requirements for the apostolate: “Study is an essential formative element in this period and constitutes the specific task of the candidates. It is an expression of our religious nature according to the example of Saint Augustine and the tradition of the Order. Therefore, candidates must be helped to acquire serious and orderly study habits in such a way that through a knowledge of philosophy, theology and other human sciences, they will arrive at an authentic understanding of Christ and will be proficient to work in the apostolate. At the same time, reading, study, and contemplation are indispensable requirements for the apostolate.” (No. 194) This text gives contemplation the same significance it gives to studies.

Contemplative Experiences in the Confessions

Apart from injunctions on contemplation in the Rule and Constitutions of the Order, there are three particular scenes in the Confessions where Augustine had profound experiences of contemplation. This shows that contemplation was not just part of his teachings, but his experiences as well, and that his teachings about God were borne out of real experiences of God. These moments include:

a. On God, Christ and Evil

In Chapter VII of the Confessions, Saint Augustine describes his attempts to reflect on God, Christ and evil. When he read through works on Platonism, he saw Christ reflected on the pages of these works. Thus, relying on the Platonic framework, he moved upward through material things to the contemplation of the immaterial divine. Through this contemplation, he comprehended that to God, there is no evil as the entire creation is harmonious and good, seen within the context of God’s eternity. He also understood that sin is a rejection of the higher good, God, for the lower goods of material things. The contemplation of these truths was too much for Augustine’s strength, however, by the mediation of Christ between the material and immaterial, understanding is possible. With a good understanding of Platonism, Augustine was able to study the Scripture with a clearer understanding.

b. Scene of Final Conversion 

Chapter VIII of the Confessions tells the famous story of the final conversion of Saint Augustine. At this point, several stories of Christian victory were told to him, especially that of Victorinus- the converted Orator who was moved to convert publicly on the advice of Simplicianus, and the story of the conversion of St. Anthony. After hearing all these stories, Augustine’s sinful life left him frustrated. Overcome with shame at his inability to follow their example, he retreated to the garden in the house. His will is divided, but Augustine observes that both contrary wills were his own.

In the garden, he breaks down in tears beneath a fig tree. There he hears a voice saying, “Take and read.” Interpreting this as a message from God, he picks up his copy of the letters of St. Paul and read a passage from the Letter to the Romans (13:13-14). This text put his mind at rest. It instructed him to “wear the flesh of Christ”.

The entire text reads: “Let us conduct ourselves properly as people who live in the light of day- no orgies or drunkenness, no immorality or indecency, no fighting or jealousy. But wear the flesh of Christ and stop paying attention to your sinful nature and satisfying its desires”. Immediately he felt his heart filled and secured by divine light and resolved to dedicate his entire life to God, and Alypius joined him in this resolve.

c. At the Port of Ostia with Monica

In Chapter IX of the Confessions, Augustine presents the account of the vision he had with his mother Monica while waiting at the port in Ostia. It is a story as famous as that of his actual conversion. The story has clear parallels to his mystical vision at the height of the Platonic ascent in Chapter VII of the Confessions. Augustine was discussing eternal life with his mother when the two of them experienced the direct, unmediated contact of the higher human mind with the divine. In this immaterial realm, the physical senses receive no impressions, and the mind itself is silent. Language, which always stands in between the mind and the external world, obscuring understanding, was no longer necessary. They experienced at this point the true reality, the eternal, perfect, and unchanging realm of God, which is the true home of all human souls.

Takeaways from Augustinian Contemplation  

Contemplation in the Augustinian tradition is a thing of the heart. In the works and speeches of Saint Augustine, the term ‘heart’ is used in the Scriptural sense, in which it indicates our whole interior and spiritual life, and all its faculties. It signifies, then, not only the heart but the mind as well. In contemplation, therefore, it is the whole person that reaches out to the divine. It is a moment of encounter with God. It is a moment when “deep is calling on deep” (Ps 42: 7).

It is in reaching out to God through contemplation that we find true peace and happiness. Saint Augustine writes in the Confessions, “Our hearts are restless until it rests in God”. We cannot enjoy the satisfaction of true happiness except in God, because we are made in his image and likeness. We are his image for the very reason that we are capable of possessing him and able to share his being. This alikeness to God is what makes reaching out to him in contemplation a possibility.

In contemplation that takes place from within ourselves, we learn that ‍God is found within and not in things outside of ourselves. And it is through contemplation that we reach out to God who is within. Saint Augustine writes: ‘Do not go outside yourself, but turn back within; truth dwells in the inner man; and if you find your nature given to frequent change, go beyond yourself. Move on, then, to that source where the light of reason itself receives the light.’

Contemplation in Augustine is the articulation of our love for God. He writes that: ‘Prayer is not the reverberation of sound; it is the articulation of love. It is with the heart rather than the lips that we pray... Therefore, whether we cry to the Lord with the voice of the body - where occasion demands it - or in silence, we must cry from the heart.’ In contemplation, we also meet the one we love in the space where he speaks to us and there the yearning of our hearts speaks to Him even before any words are uttered. In contemplation, we reach out to the one that we love in silence and peace.