Let Me Know You... - by Donald X Burt (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

One of Augustine's earliest prayers after his conversion was a prayer to understand himself and to discover God. He came to realize that all of us follow more or less the same path of discovery, a path that begins in darkness and moves toward wisdom. Although few achieve the perfection of wisdom, we can be certain that we are showing our love for God by reaching out in love to our fellow human beings. In "Let Me Know You" Father Burt offers a rare reflection on the seven steps in Augustine's journey towards the vision of God and suggests that they are also the stages we must go through in order to finally "see" the God of love for ourselves.

Chapters are "Darkness," "Pious Listening," "Knowledge: The Path out of Darkness," "Fortitude," "Love," "The Need for Purification," and "Loving a Still Hidden God."

Donald X. Burt, OSA, PhD, professor emeritus of philosophy at Villanova University, has published widely on the philosophy of St. Augustine. His most recent books include "Let Me Know Myself. . .," The Pilgrim God, and The River: Augustinian Reflections On a Flowing Life, published by Liturgical Press.

Review Quotes

Father Burt subtitles this book "Augustine's Search for God." But the author has written in such an effective way that the reader quickly finds Augustine's search to be his or her own search for God. A great amount of human experience - both Augustine's and the author's - has been packed into this short, but very uplifting work. It reassures us that God wants to be found, not just in eternity, but in the here and now. This book offers us an inspiring way to make that search come to life.Theodore E. Tack, O.S.A., Professor of Ethics, Cascia Hall, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Fr. Donald X. Burt is on a very short list of the finest biblical and patristic spirituality writers in the Church of the last half century. He has rendered a tremendous service to the Church in making St. Augustine accessible to the person unable to pore through his voluminous writings. Fr. Burt's penetrating, down-to-earth style is music to the reader's ear and heart. Free of ideological tentacles and platitudes, his writings address many of today's pressing personal, relational, and pastoral issues. His books are ideal for spiritual reading as well as lectio divina, the Church's model of holistic, contemplative reading that continues to assume greater prominence in Catholic life. Having read his books since the early 1980s, I can attest to their fresh, enduring qualities and their uncanny capacity to speak to the needs of the day. Very highly and personally recommended.Karl A. Schultz, National Speaker and author of eleven books

In this brief, accessible volume, Burt contributes a personally engaging and informative examination of Augustine's spirituality.Interpretation

With humor, humility, warmth and a lyricism reminiscent of the Song of Songs, Don Burt breathes abundant, new life into classical categories of Christian spirituality. He mines the works of St. Augustine, including the fifth century bishop's many sermons, with an ease that belies the long and careful scholarship necessary for such a task. Father Burt applies his own considerable philosophical mind and opens his vast and vulnerable heart to entice the reader to join him, and Augustine, in a lifelong search for God.Joseph T. Kelley, Vice President of Mission Effectiveness, Director, Center for Augustinian Study and Legacy, Merrimack College