The Longing of the Heart

Augustine often falls outside the scope of people that look for prayers among famous spiritual masters. Presumably this is caused by the absence of a monograph on prayer by his hand. However, anyone who knows his writings, also knows that the force of this inspiring man was based on prayer. Who else than the celebrated authority on Augustine, T.J. van Bavel (1923-2007), can introduce us to this dimension of Augustine. In this book he shows how this passionate North African combined the inner self, prayer, intellectual effort and pastoral dedication to a harmonious whole. His Confessions, confessions of sin and gratitude, are monumental and belong to our religious heritage. His Sermons about the Psalms formed the right moments to incite his faithful to a life of prayer. One will hardly find in his other writings and sermons texts that do not mention the theme of prayer. Much of his ideas have influenced greatly religious leaders of later times.