From Illinois to Nigeria: Here are highlights from new book of Father Robert Prevost’s homilies

A new book containing the homilies and writings of Father Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, when he served as head of the Augustinians, was released in English Sept. 15. The book, “Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me,” contains writings and homilies from 2001 to 2013, when Father Prevost served as prior general of the Order of St. Augustine. The collection includes homilies and writings on prayer, the interior life and the search for God, as well as leadership, education, evangelization and social justice. It features homilies he delivered in Nigeria, Australia, Ireland, Spain, the United States and other countries he visited as head of the order. Father Joseph L. Farrell, the order’s current prior general, wrote in the book’s foreword that among the many themes in Prevost’s writings, the most prominent is unity — a theme he said takes many forms, from the communion of the faithful to the need for fraternity among Augustinians. In an October 2002 homily in the book from a Mass at the Monastery of the Augustinian Nuns in New Lenox, Illinois, Father Prevost opened with a reflection on the headlines of the day: terrorism, the prospect of war with Iraq, economic troubles, a string of shootings in the Washington area and upcoming elections. “And with all of that, here we are gathered together to celebrate the blessing of a new chapel of a small community of Augustinian cloistered nuns,” he said. He acknowledged that to some, the occasion might seem “irrelevant” or “out of touch” in a world focused on economic return and political power, but added that it was precisely in such an environment that the gathering “makes more sense than ever,” because the world needs to be reminded that “prayer is valuable, that service in silence is Christlike and Gospel inspired, and that our faith has meaning.” Of the cloistered nuns, Father Prevost said, “Through their lives, the sisters are like beacons of light in our troubled world. They are participants and teachers in a kind of school of prayer, in which they pray for so many others, and they invite others to learn from their example.” “The lives of these Augustinian nuns are the expression of the mystery of God’s presence, alive and active in our world today,” he added. The earliest homily in the book came shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, following Father Prevost’s election as prior general on Sept. 14, 2001, which was also his birthday. “The tragic events of September 11 in the United States cannot be forgotten as we come to the end of this General Chapter,” Father Prevost said in that homily. “The needs of the Church and of the world must determine the forms of our apostolic work. The violence that the world witnessed in the United States last week is a tragic reminder of a series of problems that are growing throughout our world. Hatred and violence will only grow as long as people continue to be forced to live in extreme poverty, oppressed by so many forms of injustice.” The book also includes the welcome speech Father Prevost gave to Pope Benedict XVI during a 2007 visit to pray at St. Augustine’s tomb in Pavia, Italy. “I wish to express profound gratitude for the beautiful homily Your Holiness gave us today in the celebration of the Eucharist,” Father Prevost told Benedict. “And we pledge our prayers for your difficult mission in the Church and in the world today.” In a November 2002 letter to friars of the order, Father Prevost wrote, “We must not only live our vocation within the security of our homes and monasteries, but rather we must be a force within our world that will tell others that there is an alternative to division and isolation.” Speaking about the order’s martyrs in July 2007, Father Prevost said, “May the martyrdom of our brothers encourage us not to fear death but to desire always authentic life, which is Christ.” In the foreword, Father Farrell wrote that nearly all of Father Prevost’s writings echo an admonition from St. Augustine: “Always be dissatisfied with what you are, if you want to arrive at what you are not yet. … Always add some more, always keep on walking, always forge ahead. Don’t stop on the road, don’t turn round and go back, don’t wander off the road.” The book is published by Image, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and is available in print, e-book and audiobook formats. The audiobook, produced by Penguin Random House Audio, features homilies and addresses read by comedian Stephen Colbert, with additional text narrated by Scott Brick. “Our prayer for you is that by reading ‘Freedom Under Grace,’ you will be drawn more deeply into the spirituality that formed Pope Leo, and as a result, you will carry its gifts and graces into your own life, your community, the Church, and a world hungry for the love of God,” Matthew Burdette, senior editor at Image Books, wrote in a note following the book’s introduction. Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News.