The world is filled with empty promises of happiness, satisfaction, and calmness. Peace and joy have taken on a different meaning, too far from what it was meant to be.
Because of this, it is so easy to fall into the trap of worldly pleasures – that which only answers to the desires of the flesh, the desires of being satisfied by temporary things that only leave us wanting for more, yearning and running towards things that we rely to for happiness.
There is no satisfaction in the temporary things, your life made it very clear, dear Saint Augustine. You had everything – the intellect, the talent, youth, the material possessions, people’s approval and admiration – but all these things did not complete you. Instead, you only found deep sorrow and disappointment.
Sometimes, I also struggle with wanting more. I struggled with acquiring the things of this world, thinking that these things will make my life meaningful. But they only offer false sense of security, and I am only left with a taunted heart and a disturbed conscience.
I keep running after things and people that I thought will complete me. To my dismay, I only become more and more restless each day.
And even when I’m surrounded by good people that show good examples of the unwavering faith, it is still difficult for me to live a life of obedience to the will of the Lord, to turn away from sins, and ignore this world’s distorted definition of happiness.
But your life reminds me that it is not impossible. Temptations of the flesh and the allure of sin may sound appealing, but the rewards of accepting His invitation to change is forever priceless. The pleasures this world can offer may make me happy for a while, but cannot truly fill the void that is sitting in my heart for a long time.
Thank you for showing me that our good and faithful Lord loves me and accepts wholeheartedly, but He will not allow me to stay in the pit of darkness, that He will make a way for me so that I can live a life of fullness and peace in His presence.
Thank you for reminding me that my heart will also long for something more and will remain in constant restlessness, until it rests in Jesus, the one true Peace, the greatest source of Joy and Delight. I may continue to search outside of His grace, but I will only find more emptiness and more confusions, because ultimately, it is only in His love that I will find satisfaction and true security.
Your life shows me that it is not too late to open my heart and answer God’s call to repentance. Like the father of the prodigal son, our Father in heaven waits for me to come back to Him. And once I decide to do so, He will come running towards me, enveloping me in His warm and welcoming embrace, rejoicing with all the angels and saints that I have finally come back to His Kingdom.
Pray for me, St. Augustine, that I may not rely on worldly pleasures for peace and joy. That my heart may be set to only what is right and pure, to what is just and true – to what is of God.
Intercede for me, so that all the bonds of sin, shame, and addiction will come to an end that I may pursue seeking the Almighty Lord, and allow myself to be pursued by this loving, constant, and faithful God.
Saint Augustine, pray for me to the Lord, our good God, that I may not be enslaved by passions, that I may be purged from chasing after honor, wealth, or pleasure.
Help me, through your intercession, to remember the goodness of my God, His mercy and compassion towards an unworthy sinner like me. That I may have turned away from Him many times, but His heart is always yearning and waiting for me to welcome Him to my life, that I may receive true fullness, true satisfaction. That despite my sin and shame, He still calls me by my name, and He calls me His own.
Nothing in this world can truly fill my thirst, but the Living Water to which all good and beautiful things spring from, that I will need nothing else because in Him, I am truly complete and whole.
May truly live a life relying to the Lord’s supplication. May I be always assured that because He is the Bread of Life, I will no longer be hungry, and in His presence, there will never be any lack, and all my needs are met without fail.
May I consecrate my heart to God, as you did, and walk the journey of constantly listening to His leading.
May I genuinely surrender to His will, and allow myself be changed and purified by His Holy Fire, that my life may be a humble and acceptable offering to His glory.
Just like you did, may I honor the Lord with my life, and may I give Him the truest form of service to His people all the days of my life. Pray for me to have the heart that is completely reliant to His grace and mercy, so that I may allow Him to sanctify me and make me new.
St. Augustine, you who is boundless in wisdom, teach me true humility, so that true change can also begin in my heart. May your examples help me recognize and discern the will of God for my life, and submit to Him in accordance to what He planned for me.
May I be reminded, again and again, that I am everlastingly made for the Lord, I am set apart for His beautiful purpose. And believing this truth, I will only be at peace and in deep joy when I am in His presence.
Amen.
