Augustinian Exercises

1. MEMORIA: Remembering One’s Story

1.1 Authentic Presence

"At the start of his narrative Augustine situates himself silently in the presence of God. He enters this fundamental exercise with a disposition towards authentic presence. A mere human, immersed in the mystery of his own self and God, he speaks in a way that establishes a relational ground for the unknown to be brought to light: “What are you, then, my God …. What indeed am I to you…?” (I, 4, 4-5; 6, 10). It is a question simultaneously humble and grand, as he attempts to bring his past and present into God’s presence. Augustine sets his mind upon the principal concern at the beginning of his journey: What is the meaning of God in my life? That is the critical question that marks spiritual development as well (Meissner,1987).

Augustine has a definite purpose: “I want to remember…” (II, 1, 1). He wants to reflect on the events surrounding his wandering relationship with God and to give a coherent account of his pursuit of a multitude of things that caused his moral and psychological fragmentation. Thus he enters his inner space, where the power of memory resides: “In my memory I come to meet myself. I recall myself, what I did, when and where I acted in a certain way, and how I felt about so acting” (X, 8, 14). Remembering is an engagement “that enables the individual to recognize himself in his recalled past and facilitates healing the discontinuity of the self” (Kohut, 1977, p. 82) caused by internal events, and by myriad interactions with others and the larger world. This effort to know and be known will throw light not only on his past experience but also on the horizons of his future. Here is a beginning prompted by the urgency to live meaningfully and the sense that the key to one’s psychological and spiritual survival is in memory."

-Andrés G. Niño Ph.D, OSA

Questions to consider:

Who taught me how to pray? What is my earliest memory of prayer? What are the events/times in my life when I especially felt God's help? How have I related to God throughout my life? How have I been towards those in need?

Posted by Carlos J. Medina, Novice