Desire and Unity: Augustinian Spirituality for Today

Intellectual giant of the Christian West, Saint Augustine is also one of its greatest spiritual masters. To this man of desire and friendship, Christ taught to purify everything in charity, to direct everything towards God, to unify everything in communion. His thought profoundly influenced the history of Catholicism and the vigor of his view of the human heart responds to today's concerns.

Fr. Emmanuel-Marie presents beautiful insights into this timeliness message of desire and unity of Augustine, which offers us a living message charged with hope.

"A treasure of a book. He splendidly shows throughout his work how Augustine speaks to the heart and teaches us how to find God, not by exploring the outer dimensions of the universe but by plumbing the depths of our interior life so that we can reorder our desires in unity with God's love and find peace."

— Tim Gray, Ph.D., President, Augustine Institute; Author, Peter: Keys to Following Jesus

"Augustine calls the universal hope for happiness humanity's 'secret conspiracy'. In these pages Father Emmanuel-Marie blows open this conspiracy by showing how Augustine understood human nature and the God who becomes human in order to satisfy our restless hearts.":
— Father David Meconi, S.J., Editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review

"A marvelous point of entry into the life, teaching, and spiritual impact of the great Saint Augustine. Succinct and focused, it captures the wonder of the man—not just the theologian who has had enormous influence on Catholic thought, but the man of searching prayer and love for God, the Eucharist, and the Church."
— Father Donald Haggerty, Author, Saint John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation

"Because Augustine is such a towering giant in the history of Christian doctrine, it is easy to forget that he was also a master of the spiritual life. Desire and Unity is a beautiful and accessible introduction to the spirituality of Augustine. It invites you to know Augustine the mystic, and to meditate with this truly great saint."
— Brant Pitre, Author, Introduction to the Spiritual Life

"This beautiful book takes us on a breathtaking journey into the heart of the incomparable Saint Augustine. It makes accessible the perennially relevant teaching of this pillar of the Church, giving guidance and hope for our earthly pilgrimage today."
— John Cuddeback, Ph.D., Author, True Friendship: Where Virtue Becomes Happiness