Tolle, Lege

(August 28, 2013; CNS/Reuters/Max Rossi)

I missed Pope Francis yesterday giving an address to the opening of the General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine in Rome, in which he called on Christians to be "restless for God" and that we should love each other "to the point of shedding tears."  I truly am in awe of our new Holy Father, who said Mass in Rio de Janeiro in front of 3.7 million people at Copacabana Beach at the close of World Youth Day in July.  He has found ways to appeal to young and old alike, not stepping on traditional toes while reaching out to moderate and progressive Catholics to capture their spirits of helping those less fortunate.  I admire the fusion he embodies in his background:  Argentine by birth, Italian by ethnicity, totally encapsulating the immigrant spirit of the Western Hemisphere.

Beautiful as it was, there is another kind of inspiration that I would like to pull from today:  the inspiration of St. Augustine himself.  For those of you who don't know, St. Augustine is a deeply revered figure in the intellectual tradition of the Church (we call them Doctors of the Church), and many Christian denominations beyond the Roman Catholic Church honor him in their respective calendars.  One of his principal works, City of God, is a socio-philosophical work still cited in Political Theory classes around the world, as it lays out a harsh critique of the Roman Empire and firmly establishes the difference between Rome and the ideal Christian society (the book can be found here).  Although the Roman Empire at the time had accepted Christianity as its state religion, St. Augustine pushed Christian intellectuals and leaders at the time to work closer to his ideal picture of a Civitate Dei.

St. Augustine's conversion to Christianity (although his mother, St. Monica, was Christian, his father was a pagan) involved a vision and a divine command, where a voice told him to "take up and read (Latin:  Tolle, Lege.)."  A teacher and intellectual pre-conversion, he then found inspiration and faith through a thorough reading of Scripture.  After baptism by St. Ambrose of Milan, Augustine became a priest, and then a bishop.  Until his death in AD 430, he fought tirelessly for the conversion of souls of the Diocese of Hippo, in modern-day Algeria.  Augustine's skills as a teacher and orator remain an important aspect of the Order of St. Augustine today, as its members (known colloquially as Augustinians) commit themselves to a religious life which focuses heavily on teaching.

I must apologize for abbreviating the life of this philosophical giant of the Roman Catholic Church, but I want to try to get to some sort of inspiration of the day.  I could go for paragraphs about his contributions to philosophy, theology, education, brewery culture, and beyond; however, I want to hit on something for today. Yesterday I called on readers to commit to "Learn.  Teach.  Inspire," and today certainly hits on all three of those once again.  If we truly wish to find truth in life, we must take St. Augustine's inspiration to heart.  We cannot find any sort of truth and happiness in arguing blindly over Facebook forums and water coolers:  that inspiration needs to come from a commitment to studies.  Whether in the university or out, religious or non-religious, child or adult, professor or burger flipper, nothing serves as a valid excuse to not pick up a book.  Your "call" in life does not need to be a conversion (though those are among the most profound!); however, you will find far more happiness in life if you are always seeking something.  "Tolle, Lege" may be the inspiration for today, but it should be the call for tomorrow, and the day after that as well.

Finally, a note about reading:  I came across a really great TED talk this morning while writing.  The speaker is Danny Brassell, dubbed "America's Leading Reading Ambassador," and he's speaking about getting people interested in reading.  While I hold that part of my job today is to get you interested in reading and study, I realize that in some cases I'm preaching to the choir.  If that is the case, your task today is to bring "Tolle, Lege" to another person.  They can be young, old, learned, dyslexic, American, Vietnamese, whatever:  the point is to inspire them to read.  Danny Brassell gives some great tips in the TED video.  Find what you like, and find what others like.  Read ten minutes a day, then read fifteen the next (if you have time).  Your search for truth and happiness will become that much more attainable if you start to navigate where exactly that will be.  Books are a great place to start.