St. Augustine

The Good Life with Eli F.J. Tajanlangit

Anyone of you who's been to an Augustinian school – and there are many – will remember this day as something special. In fact, schools bearing this name are celebrating it today.

It's that time of the year when the nuns, or priests, in the school would be extra busy, preparing for days, or weeks prior, to the big celeb that is today.

It is St. Augustine's feast day, the death anniversary of the man whose thinking and vision have helped shape Christianity and the Church itself. In fact, his influence has been so deep and so widespread it is not limited to the Catholic Church alone. I understand other Christian denominations have embraced him and his teachings as well.

For the Catholic Church, he is one of the 33 men and women whose teachings and writings have been deemed so powerful they illumined the teachings of the Church itself. Thus, he is not just called saint, he is also called a doctor of the Church. In Bacolod, among the more popular of these doctors are St. John of the Cross and St. Therese of Liseiux.

Augustine is known for two of his works, “City of God” and “Confessions” which, I must admit, are very difficult to read on our own. One needs to have an adviser or teacher beside one while reading through these works. I understand it was “City…” that helped sparked the teaching of the Church as a people of God, that it is not the building itself, but the community of worshippers who go there.

But my lesson on St. Augustine, taught to us since we were in kindergarten, had always been on the power of conversion and love – how this bright and highly-intelligent man lived wild days before saw the light, forsook all things of the world and became a follower of Christ.

I recall having fun with Sister A over the supposed prayer uttered by Augustine before his conversion: “Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.” In my simple mind, I had kidded the sister that this was a license to sin for a time and then seek forgiveness; one can even become a saint after that!

But jokes aside, as a child of the Order of St. Augustine sisters, with whom I spent my kindergarten to senior high school year, my personal Augustinian experience is around August 28, when things stirred in the small school where I went to for grade and high school. I think we also celebrated High School Day around this time, when there were sports as well as literary-musical and academic contests there.

I recall how regular classes would slow down as August 28 approached, how our days would begin with novena masses at the age-old church beside our school, and how we'd all rehearse the songs that were sung at the High Mass of this day.

One of those songs still ring in my ears like some last song syndrome refrain: Cante el mundo mil himnos de Gloria/desde el uno hasta el otro con fin/Bendiciendo la grata memoria/del eximio doctor Agustin…”

I don't know if I got the Spanish right; like many of the things in school, this song was drilled into our heads like an insidious refrain, never really fully understood but never to be forgotten again. I bet all ye who grew up with the Augustinian nuns and fathers will recall the song.

After all, we have very happy memories of this song, because the long and tedious days of practice always culminated today, when we'd walk out of the church singing this hymn, and the sisters, happy and cheerful unlike most days, would appear on the school balcony, throw candies and goodies at us, and almost always announce classes are suspended for the rest of the day so we can properly celebrate Augustine.*

For feedback, go to www.lifestylesbacolod.com, check Bacolod Lifestyles on Facebook and follow @bacolodtweets on Twitter

back to top