Our human desire for God, with the Augustine scholar James K.A. Smith

James Martin, S.J., is joined by James K.A. Smith on the “The Spiritual Life” podcast. Jamie is a leading scholar of St. Augustine, and a professor of philosophy at Calvin University. He’s written several books—including Desiring the Kingdom, You Are What You Love, On the Road with Saint Augustine, and his latest, Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark: Mysticism, Art, and the Path of Unknowing. Together, they chart the contours of St. Augustine’s life, spirituality, and theological patrimony in the Church, along with Jamie’s own spiritual life.  

Timecodes:

0:00 Adopting a refugee spirituality

1:40 Introducing James K.A. Smith and Augustinian spirituality

6:39 Jamie meets God through his wife’s family

11:00 How St. Augustine became a spiritual lifeline for Jamie

13:30 A thumbnail sketch of St. Augustine’s life

19:10 “Everybody’s got a hungry heart” 

30:40 Praying with the German mystic Meister Eckhart

33:46 Tracking your desires in the spiritual life

36:10 The relationship between Pope Leo XIV, the Augustianians, and Augustine
45:15 Audience Question: How can we reconcile the "two churches" of today: a church that follows Jesus and a more "worldy church"?

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected]

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