On the Feast of St. Augustine (August 28), Father Luke Barder draws powerful parallels between the divisions Augustine faced in the early Church and contemporary religious and cultural debates. This timely homily explores how Augustine's journey of self-discovery and humility offers wisdom for navigating today's polarized world. Learn how Augustine learned to navigate through church divisions through honest self-reflection and how his example calls us to see with God's eyes in all humility rather than our with our own righteousness.
## Chapter Breakdown
### Chapter 1: "Modern Divisions" (0:00 - 1:01)
- Introduction to St. Augustine's feast day
- Contemporary debates within Jewish community
- Parallels to identity and righteousness questions
- Setting up the historical comparison
### Chapter 2: "Augustine's Historical Context" (1:01 - 1:42)
- Early church emerging from persecution
- Division over "real" Christian identity
- Questions about the lapsed and faithful
- Church debates Augustine navigated
### Chapter 3: "Augustine's Self-Discovery" (1:42 - 2:34)
- Augustine's personal journey and struggles
- "In my search for God, I discovered myself"
- Mind and heart conversion
- Honest self-reflection and humility
### Chapter 4: "Bridging Division Through Humility" (2:34 - 3:24)
- Seeing mixed motives in all groups
- Challenging self-righteousness on all sides
- Not letting good be enemy of better
- Striving for deeper integration
### Chapter 5: "Prayer for Modern Application" (3:24 - 4:07)
- Augustine and Monica as intercessors
- Prayer for discernment and God's perspective
- Call to be preachers of unity in today's world
- Integration of mind and heart
## Tags
#StAugustine #CatholicSaint #FeastDay #ReligiousDivision #ChurchUnity #Catholic Homily #StMonica #August28 #EarlyChurch #SelfReflection #Humility #FaithAndPolitics #ReligiousPolarization #ChristianUnity