Interior Catholic

  • City of God

    St. Augustine’s City of God was my 2024 “big book of the year.” At 1,000 pages, it required more strategic planning to read in a year than the Bible itself. I had no idea what to expect on going into it, having only read St. Augustine’s Confessions during my RCIA days. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not only deeply spiritual, but also humorous at times.

    According to the book’s description:

    It began as a reply to the charge that Christian other-worldliness was causing the decline of the Roman Empire. Augustine produced a wealth of evidence to prove that paganism bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction. Then he proceeded to his larger theme, a cosmic interpretation of history in terms of the struggle between good & evil: the City of God in conflict with the Earthly City or the City of the Devil. 

    He begins first with what the City of God is not, spending a very long time on trying to explain Roman gods. And I stress trying—these parts were honestly hilarious, with which god to pray for this or that, concluding with a blunt “this makes no sense.” Isn’t it easier to pray to one God, the God of Creation? It also delves into philosophy, of which I know little, but it’s explained in a way that’s easy for even us “non-intellectuals.” He also gives credit where credit is due—it’s not that Plato and the like are wrong. He agrees with much of what they say, to a point. But St. Augustine takes those philosophies one step further, filling in the missing pieces they didn’t quite get. That is, God.

    No one can summarize this magnum opus better than St. Augustine himself, so I offer some quotes from portions that really dig into the truth about why this tome was written at all:

    Let us therefore keep to the straight path, which is Christ, and, with Him as our Guide and Saviour, let us turn away in heart and mind from the unreal and futile cycles of the godless. —Book 7, chapter 20

    Who can scrutinize the inscrutable wisdom, wherewith God, without change of will, created man, who had never been, and gave him an existence in time, and increased the human race from one individual? —Book 12, chapter 14

    Accordingly, two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories itself, the latter in the Lord. —Book 14, chapter 28

    I won’t pretend I understood everything in this book. But humanity hasn’t changed, in its “futile cycles of the godless,” in its pagan rituals and idolatry. This book offers the answer, revealing the Truth with evidence to back it up, from someone who once lived and believed in that godless world.

  • Taizé

    I was first introduced to taizé-style prayer during Lent. I knew nothing about it—the nave was dark, illuminated by only candlelight; the music was meditative, offering a deep, spiritual contemplation. Later, when joining the church choir, I saw the word everywhere, and understood the hymns to be of a certain style. I knew the music would be resonant, echoing over the congregation, the kind of music that drowned out the world.

    It wasn’t until this year’s feast of St. Cecilia, and I attended a presentation on music in the spiritual journey, that I learned it’s not just a kind of prayer—it’s an entire faith community.

    Based in Taizé, France, the Taizé Community is comprised of both Catholic and Protestant brothers. According to their website:

    At the outbreak of the Second World War, Roger Schutz-Marsauche, the 25-year-old son of a Reformed pastor, leaves Switzerland to help people in difficult situations in France. In Taizé, near the demarcation line that cut the country in two, he welcomes refugees, particularly Jews, fleeing the war. At the same time, he develops the project of creating a community, conceived by him during a long period of pulmonary tuberculosis.

    This launched a thriving community and pilgrimage site, based in contemplating prayer, Bible studies, and—of course—music. Its melodies are simple and meditative, its lines from psalms and the scriptures. Put on one of Taizé’s official playlists during prayer and you’re immediately swept into a different mindset, a different place.

    The community has several week-long retreats throughout the year for young adults. Over 2,000 people attend these retreats, each day filled with prayer, workshops, and aiding the community, and culminates in evening song and prayer. The evening prayer is livestreamed so the rest of us can participate, too.

    I love how taizé music is both simple and complex. Anyone can participate, and its melodies can seem simple at first. But when you repeat those same lines over and over, there’s a depth only found in prayer. It’s an ideal meditation for those of us (likely many of us) who are not good at meditation—after focusing on getting down the notes, and then the words, both come easily so you can focus on the meaning instead. And imagine the resonance of all those voices coming together on a retreat! I’m glad we can experience that, too, without having to travel to Taizé ourselves.

And they said to him, “Inquire of God, we pray thee, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.”

And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD.”

—Judges 18:5–6

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