AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD - February 2001

The love involved in friendship must be gratuitous

The love involved in friendship ought to be gratuitous, I mean, the reason you have a friend, or love one, ought not to be so that he can do something for you; if that's why you love him, so that he can get you some money, or some temporal advantage, then you aren't really loving him, but the thing he gets for you. A friend is to be loved freely, for his own sake, not for the sake of something else. If the rule of friendship urges you to love human beings freely for their own sakes, how much more freely is God to be loved, who bids you to love other people! I mean, in people there are always things that cause offense; still, through friendship you force yourself to put up with things that offend you in a person, for the sake of friendship. So if you ought not to break the ties of friendship with a human being just because of some things in him you have to put up with, what things should ever force you to break the ties of friendship with God? You can find nothing more delightful than God. God is not something that can ever offend you, if you don't offend him; there is nothing more beautiful, nothing more full of light than he is.

Sermon 385, 4

1. Rest in Peace - Bishop John Torpie (former Bishop of Cairns) affiliate and good friend of the Augustinians died 30 December 2000. Your prayers for Bishop John are requested.
2. 30 January - 11 February the Provincial will visit Korea where he will give talks on Augustine and Augustinian Spirituality to the Augustinians and laity associated with the Order.
3. Meeting of the Priors and Superiors of Augustinian communities: 20 - 21 February Manly Vale.
4. 24 February - Episcopal Ordination of James Daman osa (formerly Vice Provincial of Nigeria) as Bishop of Jalingo, Nigeria. Congratulations to James upon the occasion of his ordination. .

Date claimers for 2001

1. The First National Augustinian Lay Congress, Echuca, Victoria 27-29 April. This occasion is planned for all and promises to be a wonderful Spiritual and Social event. Keynote speaker is Fr. Ted Tack OSA, past Prior General of the Order, who is coming solely for the Congress. He has lectured and published widely on lay Augustinian spirituality and will be joined by speakers from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. A great opportunity to celebrate Friendship and Faith.
   Registration $150.00 covers 3 day Congress attendance, Social Events & meals. Excluding Breakfast and overnight accommodation. Home Billets available. Enquiries an be made to:
   
   Anne Halloway
   PO Box 679
   Brookvale NSW 2100
   Phone: (02) 9949 1758
   Email: halloway@intercoast.com.au
   
   
2. The Australian Augustinian Youth Festival, Harrietville Victoria 5-8 July. Theme "Set the Course" Age 18 - 35 years approx. (For more details contact Mrs Kay Stenner at the Provincial Office - 02 9905 3049).
   
   
3. Augustinian Friends National Congress. "An Augustinian Spirituality for Our Times". Friday 27th to Sunday 29th April.

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