Il-Ktieb tas-Sigħat. Eżerċizzi Spiritwali mal-Istqarrijiet ta’ Santu Wistin written by Andres G. Niño OSA and translated to Maltese by Peter Paul Cachia OSA is published by Maltese Augustinian Province, Malta 2021
“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” It is only the very few who are not aware that this phrase is attributed to St Augustine of Hippo, the fourth-century North African bishop who after a life spent in adventure and debauchery, turned to the God of Jesus Christ, embraced the Christian faith, was ordained priest and bishop and became one of the greatest writers of Christianity. It is therefore not unexpected to come across publications focusing on his writings even in our present age.
Andres G. Niño’s book The Book of Hours. Spiritual Exercises with Augustine’s Confessions is one such book. Niño is a member of the Augustinian order, holding a doctorate in clinical psychology; he teaches at the Berth Israel Medical Centre in New York and is the author of various publications. The integration of religious experience within a holistic healing process is his field of expertise and this led him to introduce a new course at Harvard University, thus establishing himself as an expert in the field.
This book of his consists in a series of spiritual exercises covering seven days. It is intended for those who would like to spend a week in prayer doing a retreat accompanied by excerpts taken from St Augustine’s Confessions. In simple terms, it is the equivalent to a week of prayer from the official Liturgy of the Hours, but instead of featuring readings from the Holy Bible, it presents us with snippets from Augustine’s most famous classical work.
The author himself states in his foreword that this is not an official liturgical text but rather a book of prayer and holy wisdom earned by Augustine himself through his reflection on the Word of God. The user of the book will come across a lectio, a meditatio and an oratio on the Word of God as he moves from one day to the other during his week-long retreat from the world.
He provides a title for every day of the week, the titles being: Memory, Scattered Thoughts, the Interior Life, Ordained Love, God as Teacher, One Heart and the Pilgrimage.
At the end of the prayer section, there is long commentary of each and every title and the text constantly refers to citations from the Confessiones. After the bibliography, the author provides the reader with further notes for reflection.
This book of his consists in a series of spiritual exercises covering seven days
In order to appreciate this Maltese translation to which we now have access, it is important to cite what author Niño has to say about it: “In recent years, Popes St John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have emphasised the relevance of St Augustine’s teachings to guide the faithful through the Christian way of life.
“But to make it possible, it is necessary to disseminate his writings; scholars and translators play a role on that, and Fr Peter Paul Cachia has taken the task to his heart as a devout Augustinian offering this translation to a large audience in the Maltese language.”
Those who are interested in acquiring a copy of the book may obtain one from the nearest Augustinian monastery in Malta and Gozo. The author can be contacted via e-mail peterpaul53@hotmail.com.