July 2025 Reading on St. Augustine

This summer the St. Augustine’s facul ty is working through the City of God, which Augustine called his opus magnum et arduum (a great and difficul t work). For some of us it is our first time, for others it is our fourth read. It is full of insight into the two cities- the City of Earth and the City of God. The two cities have two ends. One, the City of God, is destined for the eternal enjoyment of God, while the Earthly City is destined for everlasting estrangement from God. Augustine, ever the realist, doesn’t identify the Church as we know her on earth with the City of God. The Church on earth is a mixed body made up of citizens of both cities, while some outside the church will find themselves members of the City of God.

Augustine teaches that what determines our citizenship is our love. Members of the City of God love God to such an extent that they forget themsel ves, while members of the Earthly City love themselves so much that they forget God. In this journey of life, of course, things aren’t so clear cut. The main point seems to be, where is my love? What are my priorities? That will determine my citizenship.

So far we have gleaned insights from St. Augustine’s work on what it is to be human, on how to read scripture, on how the Church engages non-Christian cultures, and on the relationship of the Church to the political world.