[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fxWnZOjvliTHKw2VHTtGbIxRtuO5ILdTeCiTL9c-0lUQ":3,"$fbjkiT8J9MarZMDzg6cjAjfNwPHgvBWbbJ1cRa2xlqzY":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},19414,"Victor Lee Austin","V",9,null,"victor-lee-austin",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":138},[14,27,39,50,61,74,88,102,119],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},727452,"With hope for that ultimate intimacy, here are some rules for human beings in this life:Sexual relations outside marriage are wrong, without regard to class, gender, or other human differentiation.Human happiness and flourishing is thoroughly compatible with sexual abstinence.The flourishing of human beings does not lie in marriage but in being able to live with others as friends, and marriage itself should be understood, in its ultimate sense, as being oriented to friendship.",2,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[22],{"id":23,"tag":24},3533033,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},17562,"rules-of-life",{"id":28,"quote_text":29,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":30,"source":31,"quote_tag":32,"commentary":38},568861,"Prayer is our being placed within the being of God: the Spirit, within us, prays through Jesus to the Father.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[33],{"id":34,"tag":35},3052400,{"id":36,"tag_name":37},3176,"prayer","**The Backstory**\nThis quote is from Victor Lee Austin, an American theologian and philosopher, who wrote extensively on the nature of prayer and the Christian life. Austin's work often grappled with the complexities of human spirituality, and this quote reflects his emphasis on the intimate, ontological relationship between the believer and God. At the time of writing, Austin was likely reflecting on the classical Christian understanding of prayer as a participation in the life of the Trinity.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe counter-intuitive truth in this quote lies in the way it subverts our typical understanding of prayer as a human activity. Austin's statement reveals that prayer is not something we do, but rather something that happens to us, as the Spirit within us prays through Jesus to the Father. This means that our prayer life is not a matter of our own initiative or effort, but rather a response to the prior, divine initiative that has already taken place within us.\n\n**How to Use This**\nIn practical terms, this insight suggests that we should approach prayer not as a task to be accomplished, but rather as a surrender to the already-present reality of God's Spirit within us. By recognizing that our prayer life is not our own doing, but rather a participation in the divine life, we can approach prayer with a sense of receptivity and openness, rather than striving or straining to \"make it happen.\"",{"id":40,"quote_text":41,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":42,"source":43,"quote_tag":44,"commentary":9},546081,"...hearing is at the heart of obedience. The '-edi-' in 'obedience' is from audire, from which we also get 'audio': obedience is about hearing with someone else (in hippie jargon, being tuned in to the same wavelength)....True obedience is not so much a bending of the will as it is a work of the intellect leading the will.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[45],{"id":46,"tag":47},2964709,{"id":48,"tag_name":49},2833,"obedience",{"id":51,"quote_text":52,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":53,"source":54,"quote_tag":55,"commentary":9},530280,"I believe the book of Job does not show us an answer to the problem of evil but rather an answer to the question of human nature. What are we humans really? Job says: we are precious beings, capable of discourse with God, beings who should strive to accomplish friendship with each other.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[56],{"id":57,"tag":58},2910372,{"id":59,"tag_name":60},2558,"human-nature",{"id":62,"quote_text":63,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":64,"author":65,"source":66,"quote_tag":67,"commentary":73},108823,"Friendship is about the good, it leads us to the good, and it is good.",true,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[68],{"id":69,"tag":70},736409,{"id":71,"tag_name":72},89,"friendship","**The Backstory**\nVictor Lee Austin's philosophy emphasizes the importance of relationships and community, reflecting his Jesuit upbringing and educational background. While I couldn't pinpoint a specific origin for this quote, it resonates with his emphasis on interconnectedness and the pursuit of goodness. As a Jesuit scholar, he would have been deeply influenced by the spiritual traditions that underscore the value of human connection.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nAustin's statement highlights the inherent paradox in friendship: it is both a means to an end (leading us to the good) and an end in itself (being good). This subtle distinction reveals that friendships are not merely instrumental for achieving personal growth or happiness but also possess intrinsic value, deserving of our attention and cultivation.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, modern professionals and creatives can prioritize building meaningful relationships as a core aspect of their personal and professional development. By recognizing the inherent goodness in friendships, they can cultivate a sense of community and belonging that not only supports their individual pursuits but also enriches their lives with mutual support and encouragement.",{"id":75,"quote_text":76,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":77,"source":78,"quote_tag":79,"commentary":9},108820,"In this imperfect world, finite and mystifying, communications can be difficult. Sometimes friends need to tell us things that we don't want to hear but are good for us. Sometimes friends tell us things that they think we need to hear even though they are not good for us. No words are perfect, no communication perfect, in this world of ours.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[80,83],{"id":81,"tag":82},736403,{"id":71,"tag_name":72},{"id":84,"tag":85},736402,{"id":86,"tag_name":87},975,"communication",{"id":89,"quote_text":90,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":91,"source":92,"quote_tag":93,"commentary":9},108809,"Sex, apart from its casual use..., is a movement toward one other person to the exclusion of others. Friendship is a movement toward another person that does not exclude others.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[94,97],{"id":95,"tag":96},736331,{"id":71,"tag_name":72},{"id":98,"tag":99},736332,{"id":100,"tag_name":101},107,"sex",{"id":103,"quote_text":104,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":105,"source":106,"quote_tag":107,"commentary":9},108806,"It is a sex-saturated world out there, but some people would be open to hearing from the church that an alternative exists, something that is not negative (focusing on what you are not doing--namely, not having sex) but, to the contrary, positive (what you are doing--namely, building real intimacy in friendship).",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[108,111,114],{"id":109,"tag":110},736320,{"id":71,"tag_name":72},{"id":112,"tag":113},736321,{"id":100,"tag_name":101},{"id":115,"tag":116},736322,{"id":117,"tag_name":118},32699,"the-church",{"id":120,"quote_text":121,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":122,"source":123,"quote_tag":124,"commentary":9},85479,"Consider again the life of Jesus. He, according to all reliable testimony, did not experience sexual relations. Yet despite this, faith attests him as the one complete human being....To be faithful to the revelation in Jesus, we must say that the experience of sexual union is not needed for a full and complete human life.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[125,130,133],{"id":126,"tag":127},589863,{"id":128,"tag_name":129},91,"jesus",{"id":131,"tag":132},589862,{"id":59,"tag_name":60},{"id":134,"tag":135},589861,{"id":136,"tag_name":137},6411,"celibacy",{"currentPage":139,"totalPages":139,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":140},1,10]