When I calmly reflect on what you are experiencing in Christ in your monastery, I see that although I too find rest in his love, I am actually quite busy with complicated tasks. My consolation is that we are one body under one head, and I feel that you are active in me and I can be contemplative in you.
In the Church, if one member suffers, all the others suffer; and if one member is honored, all the others rejoice. Therefore, I ask you to remember me in your prayers, which I am sure are more vigilant than mine. The darkness and chaos of the world weaken and exhaust me. Forced to deal with the seemingly endless problems of others, I can barely breathe. Only Jesus, with the help of your prayers, will deliver me.
I encourage you to remain steadfast in your commitment and persevere to the end. And if the Church needs your help, do not do it out of pride, nor avoid it out of laziness. Contemplation is not above the Church’s need for good ministers, without whom we would not even be here. Just as we live between water and fire without drowning or being burned, let neither pride nor laziness lead us astray. Love contemplation, but remember that there will be no perfect peace until Christ returns.
Do everything for the glory of God: when you act with dedication and courage; when you pray and fast; when you give alms and help the needy; when you forgive and control your bad habits; when you endure hardships and tolerate through love; when you overcome temptations and when you sing and praise the Lord…
Be fervent in spirit, fix your eyes on the Lord, who delivers our feet from snares and guides us to righteousness. Contemplation should be neither restless nor lazy, neither bold nor fleeting, neither hasty nor denied. And so the Lord of peace will be with you.
Augustine had received two monks in Hippo from the monastery of Eudoxus, located on what is now the island of Capraia in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Exchanges between communities were common. However, one of the two monks died suddenly. And when Augustine informed Eudoxus of this, he took the opportunity to open up to him.
The saint has been a bishop for two years and has already suffered the constant pressure to attend to the problems of others. His longing for the life he loved so much, the life he had chosen after converting to Catholicism, is undeniable. His dream had always been to withdraw into a community, dedicating himself to study, debate, prayer, and contemplation.
But the reality of the African Church led him down other paths. At the end of the fourth century, during a period of great expansion, the Church needed positions and ministers. Augustine was ordained a priest, then appointed preacher, bishop, defender of the Church against controversies, sects, and divisions; he had to act as administrator and judge to settle disputes…
Augustine contrasts his world with that of Eudoxus and acknowledges the life he once had, lost, and would have liked to continue having. Settled on an island, their ascetic ideal must have been quite radical, far removed from social noise and large cities and transportation routes.
The contradiction between the contemplative ideal and the obligations of a bishop is intense. Augustine even hints that he has less time to pray than he would like. But although the ascetic life is his ideal, he warns that if the time comes when the Church needs them, monks must not make excuses for not serving her.
This is the letter’s central idea: contemplation is a good thing, but it cannot take precedence over the needs of the Church. Ecclesiastical offices should neither be sought out of ambition, nor should they be shunned out of comfort, laziness, or to pursue a personal retreat, however worthy that may be.
