Father Teodoro Baztán offers us in this book fifty reasons why meditate on the Gospel from the hand of Augustine. Of the great ecclesiastical writers, the bishop of Hippo, reunites characteristics that make him relevant for all times. He had a heart of a pastor, by which he felt very united to his faithful. There were only few like him, who expressed that there is a profound unity existing between the bishop and the faithful, who both trek the same path which is to be realized in the Church and with Christ. His ardent zeal for souls is shown not only in precise expressions, but in his extensive dedication to teaching and preaching.
Augustine is one of those who understood better when things ought to be explained. He did not refuse to communicate to the rest that which he had known to be his better good: the Truth of Jesus Christ. Moreover, God has endowed him with remarkable gifts to interpret the Sacred Scriptures and to make it understandable. He knew the heart of men because he knew himself; he knew the history of his time because he did not flee from it, rather he confronted it with all its greatness and problems; he knew God through whom he allowed himself to know and love.
To savor the Scripture
Its greatness is poured over the generations to come and so can a book like this. In it, the author meditates on some texts of the Scripture from the hand of Saint Augustine. The author did not only understand from the master teachings but also a method of savoring the Word of God, which is not another form of wisdom, but the only one which saves man. Somehow, he transmits to us what he has received. Thus, with his commentaries, which are suggestive and enriching, he does not presume to substitute personal meditation nor personal effort of each one, rather he tries to stimulate it. He suggests, just like Augustine in his time, to dedicate a time for personal prayers, at least, fifteen minutes every day. His reflections help us to identify ourselves with the Word of God, and to get ourselves accustomed to read it so that it may be that which fills us.
At a certain point, Augustine indicates that although we cannot know Jesus Christ in flesh, we have him in the Scriptures. But, it is nonetheless true, that oftentimes we need someone who can help us recognize Him in his beauty without any misrepresentation. This is what the great doctors do and those who learn from them. This is a book dedicated to prayer and that will be valid therefore, in the measure of the very purpose by which it was conceived. Also it is the best appreciation for the author, who bequeaths us this beautiful work, with the same spirit of the one who has inspired him: to know better Jesus Christ, the way, the truth and the life.