Saint Augustine is not only one of the intellectual giants of the Christian West, but also one of its great spiritual masters. A man of desire and of friendship, he learned from Christ to purify everything in charity, to direct everything toward God, to unify everything in communion with him. After almost two millennia, the saint's vigorous and expansive view of the human heart still speaks to Christians today.

Father Emmanuel-Marie Le Fébure du Bus walks readers through the world of Augustinian spirituality, giving an overview the saint's life and then unpacking his teachings on seven key points: happiness, love, prayer, Christ, the Church, community, and the kingdom of God. Each chapter gives prompts for meditation. Desire and Unity will help readers to discover Saint Augustine and, though him, to draw from the bottomless wells of God's love.

"When I read Saint Augustine's writings, I do not get the impression that he is a man who died 1,600 years ago. I feel he is like a man of today: a friend, a contemporary who speaks to me, who speaks to us with his fresh and timely faith. We see the everlasting timeliness of his faith; of the faith that comes from Christ, the Eternal Incarnate Word, Son of God and Son of Man."

—Pope Benedict XVI