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.
Facts Only
* A book containing writings and homilies of Father Robert Prevost was released on September 15.
* The book, “Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me,” contains writings and homilies from 2001 to 2013.
* The collection covers topics including prayer, interior life, the search for God, leadership, education, evangelization, and social justice.
* Father Prevost delivered homilies in Nigeria, Australia, Ireland, Spain, the United States, and other visited countries.
* Father Joseph L. Farrell wrote that unity is the most prominent theme in Prevost’s writings.
* A homily from October 2002 reflected on terrorism, war with Iraq, economic troubles, shootings in the Washington area, and upcoming elections.
* Father Prevost stated that prayer makes things make sense in an environment focused on economic return and political power.
* Prevost referred to the Augustinian nuns as beacons of light who participate in a school of prayer and invite others to learn from their example.
* An early homily following September 11, 2001, addressed the need for apostolic work to address the violence witnessed globally due to poverty and injustice.
* Father Prevost gave a welcome speech to Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.
* A letter in November 2002 urged friars to be a force against division and isolation.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative centers on the tension between spiritual interiority and external, chaotic realities—political conflict, economic instability, and violence. Prevost’s work frames this tension not as a retreat from the world, but as a way to find transcendent meaning within it. The shift in focus from immediate political turmoil (like 9/11) to the contemplative life of cloistered nuns illustrates a deliberate redirection: value is found in silent, active service rather than external power structures.
The implicit pattern involves positioning spiritual practices—prayer and communal witness—as necessary countermeasures against societal fragmentation rooted in injustice. The invocation of St. Augustine’s call for dissatisfaction ("Always be dissatisfied with what you are") provides the philosophical backbone for this approach: a state of perpetual striving that rejects settled, comfortable positions imposed by the world.
The implication is that true freedom resides not in political or economic spheres but in the disciplined interior life, which then generates a moral force capable of influencing the external world. The fact that Prevost explicitly links spiritual expression to social justice (through his focus on service and the nuns’ example) suggests a consistent model where the personal search for God is inextricably linked to engagement with the brokenness of the world. The pattern suggests that an effective response to systemic violence is achieved through cultivating an alternative, non-material source of value.
Bridge Questions: If the pursuit of "authentic life" requires constant dissatisfaction, how do contemporary structures—economic systems and political narratives—incentivize stagnation rather than striving? What specific mechanisms can be identified through Prevost's writings that translate internal unity into tangible resistance against external forces of division? What are the potential risks if the focus remains primarily on interior grace without sufficient engagement with the material structures described as sources of injustice?
Sentinel — Human
The text reads as a factual summary of a book release, skillfully weaving historical context with direct quotes, suggesting a human journalistic or editorial source.