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Wednesday, 27 August 2014

Saint Monica, Confession of Augustine, free-audio-book-saint-augustine-hippo-




http://www.truefreethinker.com/articles/free-audio-book-saint-augustine-hippo-%E2%80%9Cconfessions%E2%80%9D

Free audio book: Saint Augustine of Hippo, “Confessions”

Via this link you can download the audio book "Confessions" by Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) from LibriVox.

SECOND READING

From the Confessions of Saint Augustine, bishop
(Lib. 9, 10-11: CSEL 33, 215-219)

Let us gain eternal wisdom

The day was now approaching when my mother Monica would depart from this life; you know that day, Lord, though we did not. She and I happened to be standing by ourselves at a window that overlooked the garden in the courtyard of the house. At the time we were in Ostia on the Tiber. And so the two of us, all alone, were enjoying a very pleasant conversation, forgetting the past and pushing on to what is ahead. We were asking one another in the presence of the Truth—for you are the Truth—what it would be like to share the eternal life enjoyed by the saints, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, which has not even entered into the heart of man. We desired with all our hearts to drink from the streams of your heavenly fountain, the fountain of life.

That was the substance of our talk, though not the exact words. But you know, O Lord, that in the course of our conversation that day, the world and its pleasures lost all their attraction for us. My mother said, “Son, as far as I am concerned, nothing in this life now gives me any pleasure. I do not know why I am still here, since I have no further hopes in this world. I did have one reason for wanting to live a little longer: to see you become a Catholic Christian before I died. God has lavished his gifts on me in that respect, for I know that you have even renounced earthly happiness to be his servant. So what am I doing here?”

I do not really remember how I answered her. Shortly, within five days or thereabouts, she fell sick with a fever. Then one day during the course of her illness she became unconscious and for a while she was unaware of her surroundings. My brother and I rushed to her side, but she regained consciousness quickly. She looked at us as we stood there and asked in a puzzled voice: “Where was I?”

We were overwhelmed with grief, but she held her gaze steadily upon us, and spoke further: “Here you shall bury your mother.” I remained silent as I held back my tears. However, my brother haltingly expressed his hope that she might not die in a strange country but in her own land, since her end would be happier there. When she heard this, her face was filled with anxiety, and she reproached him with a glance because he had entertained such earthly thoughts. Then she looked at me and spoke: “Look what he is saying.” Thereupon she said to both of us, “Bury my body wherever you will; let not care of it cause you any concern. One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be.” Once our mother had expressed this desire as best she could, she fell silent as the pain of her illness increased.

RESPONSORY
1 Corinthians 7:29, 30, 31; 2:12

The time is growing short,
so we must rejoice as though we were not rejoicing;
we must work in the world yet without becoming immersed in it,
– for the world as we know it is passing away.

We have not adopted the spirit of the world. 
– For the world as we know it is passing away.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

God of mercy,
comfort of those in sorrow,
the tears of Saint Monica moved you
to convert her son Saint Augustine to the faith of Christ.
By her prayers, help us to turn from our sins
and to find your loving forgiveness.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with your and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
– Amen.
     ++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
COMMENT:

 Fw: Monica several uTubes
Sancta Maria Abbey: http://www.nunraw.com.uk (Website)    
Blogspot :http://www.nunraw.blogspot.co.uk |
domdonald.org.uk 
On Wednesday, 27 August 2014, 9:49, 
Donald wrote:
Dear Anne Marie,
Thank you. Good to explore your additional possibilities.
 At the moment, I am looking the lazy easy YOUTUBE.
Already I learned to insert on the Blogspot, brilliantly easy.
Saint Monica Youtube online not quite for I want. The iBreviary Reading is beautiful.
I ought to get Fr. Hugh to record his voice.

 Even more interesting is to discover about Saint Ninian Pilgrim Sunday 31 Aug 2014. 

Are you going????
See:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Aj71vqYEk  
Attached  
I'd love to stay in Ninian's Cave for the weekend.
fr. Donald



  COMMENT: Multiple-story
I can hardly travel thoughts and prayer are accompanied with these days of the St. Ninian Pilgrimage.
In fact, the whole scene of St. Ninian's Cave lying above the pebble beach, the sounds of the waves, the horizon of never  changing the skies, already is my place of feelings, sentiments, and uplifts in hermit's solitary (Ninian) cave.
 Roman Catholic Church Whithorn
  1997
The National Pilgrimage for us was a multiple-story.
1.      It was the 16th Centenary of St. Ninian, 1997.
2.      7 or 8 of Nunraw travelled to the celebration..
3.      The Presbytery of the Wigton Church welcomed to hospitality overnight.
4.      Early morning, on the drive, BBC Radio had the NEWS, “Diana, Princess of Wales, is killed after her car crashes in a Paris underpass - the driver and her friend Dodi Fayed are also dead”, Spoken by Cardinal Winning.
5.     That ‘story’ remains with us and the memory of Princess Diana. 

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