Within the August with A for Augustine campaign, we discover the power of Augustinian preaching: more than 400 sermons that continue to speak to the heart of the believer, such as the famous Sermon 272, where the bishop of Hippo invites us to “be what you receive” in the Eucharist.
A pastor who spoke to the heart
St. Augustine did not preach for experts. His sermons were not academic treatises, but words that were close, direct and profoundly biblical. He spoke to the heart of his people. He himself said so:
“I am a bishop, but with you I am a Christian.” (s. 162C,2).
In his homilies one breathes the voice of the shepherd who loves his flock.
A living treasure of the Church
Today we preserve more than 400 sermons of St. Augustine. In them we find a wealth of pastoral teaching, incarnational spirituality and love for the Church. His themes are universal: love, humility, ecclesial unity, the mystery of Christ, charity.
To preach, for Augustine, was to set the heart on fire. He summed it up as follows:
“Let the flame of love burn within you” (Ps. 33:2,6). (in Ps. 33,2,6).
His sermons were short, clear, full of everyday examples. They not only taught: they inflamed the soul.
Sermon 272: “Be what you see, receive what you are”.
Among his sermons, Sermon 272 is one of the best known. It is addressed to the neophytes, the newly baptized, to explain the mystery of the Eucharist.
On the altar, says Augustine, we see bread and wine. But, according to faith, they are the Body and Blood of Christ. And here he introduces his most famous teaching:
“You are the body of Christ and its members. On the table of the Lord is the mystery that you yourselves are: you receive the mystery that you are”.
The bread, made up of many grains; the wine, the fruit of many grapes. Both signs express the unity of believers in Christ. Therefore, whoever receives the Body of Christ must live in the bond of peace and communion.
A preaching that continues to respond today
Why do his sermons still speak to us after 1,600 years?
Because they touch the same wounds and searches that we carry in our souls today:
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Loneliness.
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Sin and the desire for reconciliation.
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The thirst for meaning and communion.
In every sentence, St. Augustine unites the Word of God with real life. He invites us to look at our history as salvation history and to let grace transform our lives.
August with A for Agustín: a month to listen to his voice
In this month of St. Augustine, his sermons are an opportunity to return to the essentials: to live the faith with simplicity, with ardor and in communion.
In Agustín’s own words:
“Be what you see, receive what you are.”
A reminder that the Eucharist is not just a sacrament we receive, but a call to be the Body of Christ in the world.