Papa Leo XIV receives the San Agustín Medal: Being Augustine is an honor that I keep very close to the heart

Pope Leo XIV deeply thanked the delivery of the San Agustín Medal, granted by the Augustinian province of San Tomás de Villanueva (United States), and assured that the spirituality of this doctor of the Church has marked his life and ministry.

“Being recognized as Agustino is an honor that I keep very close to the heart. Much of what I am owed to the spirit and the teachings of St. Augustine, ”said the Holy Father in the video store broadcast on August 28, at the Bishop of Hipona party.

The Augustinian province itself highlighted in its social networks that “this award is the maximum honor that it can grant, and is granted to those who embody the spirit and teachings of St. Augustine, living with a deep commitment to truth, unity and charity.”

On Pope Leo XIV, they added: “From their first years of training to their decades of service in Peru, his leadership as a general prior and, now, as the first Augustinian Pope, he has given testimony of a life of generosity, faith and service. In him, we see a true son of Agustín, dedicated to building the unity in the church, teaching with wisdom and grazing with a heart rooted in love.

From Castel Gandolfo, where he spends a few days of prayer and rest, Leo XIV recalled that the life of St. Augustine still inspires the faithful today. “His life was full of many evidence and errors, such as our own lives. However, by the grace of God, for the prayers of his mother, Monica, and the community of good people who surrounded him, Agustín could find the way to peace for his restless heart.”

The Holy Father stressed that the example of St. Augustine invites us to put the talents at the service of others: “The life of St. Augustine and his call to leadership in the service remind us that We all have gifts and talents received from Godand that our purpose, fullness and joy come from offering them again in loving service to God and neighbor. ”

In this regard, he assured the members of the Agustinian province that they are called to continue the legacy of the first Augustinians in the United States – as Fr. Matthew Carr and Fr. John Rossiter – whose missionary spirit led them to announce the gospel to immigrants in Philadelphia: “Jesus reminds us in the Gospel to love the neighbor, and this call challenges us today to see us today to see us today to see us today. With the eyes of Christ: all created in the image and likeness of God. ”

He also encouraged to become instruments of reconciliation in today’s society. “As a community of believers, inspired by the Augustinian charism, we are called to come out as Peace builders in our families and neighborhoodstruly recognizing God’s presence in others. ”

The Pope emphasized the importance of listening, following the council of St. Augustine: “It is in our heart that God speaks to us“And he added:” The world is full of noise, and our mind and our heart can be flooded with many different messages. These messages can feed our concern and steal the joy. As a community of faith (…) Let’s open our being to everyday invitations to know God better and his love. ”

Finally, the Pontiff hoped that, like Agustín, every believer can find in God the strength to overcome the evidence. “As Augustine, we arrive with our moments of anxiety, darkness and doubt and, like him, by the grace of God we can discover that His love is truly healer. Ourselves to build a community where that love becomes visible.”

Leo XIV concluded asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, mother of good advice, and raising a prayer for the Church: “May God bless everyone, give peace to their restless hearts and help them continue to build a community of love, united in mind and heart, put in God.”