St. Augustine Confessions Essay
Conita Hendrix
Confessions
St. Augustine
In Augustine’s Confessions, he confesses many things of which we are all guilty; the greatest of which is his sadness of not having a relationship with God earlier in his life. He expressed to us that to neglect a relationship with God is far worse than the pity he felt for Dido. In reviewing his life, he had come to examine life and how there are temptations in this world that can keep us distracted. He tells to us how he became aware of this fact; everything is negligible except love for God, and his own guilt at not having found this truth sooner.
He cried over Dido’s death because he was moved in his heart for her loss; a death brought about by her love and loss of Aeneas. Augustine had not, at that time, considered that he should have been grieving for his own salvation. There was a sadness for which he has not cried; tears for himself. As he was studying, he was growing spiritually and increasing his understanding of God. He was learning that his life meant nothing without God.
He tells us that he was engaged in the pleasures of the world during his years as a young man and how conversion to Christianity and the study of the scriptures lead him to a deeper understanding of God’s love and expectations. It also leads him to confess a lot of guilt for his ungodly life which led to a closer spiritual bond for Augustine with God. The closer to God he became the less he cared for things of this world.
I think that he found imaginative literature to be somewhat of an offence because it created a genuine emotional response from a fictional reality. Augustine thought a better use of his time was to read God’s word; because it is beneficial to one’s spirit rather than one’s imagination. His lament to God was that he wished he had taken the time to delve deeper into the scriptures when he first became acquainted with them. His confessions were made with humility as he expresses to God how he has sinned against him.
Confessions
St. Augustine
In Augustine’s Confessions, he confesses many things of which we are all guilty; the greatest of which is his sadness of not having a relationship with God earlier in his life. He expressed to us that to neglect a relationship with God is far worse than the pity he felt for Dido. In reviewing his life, he had come to examine life and how there are temptations in this world that can keep us distracted. He tells to us how he became aware of this fact; everything is negligible except love for God, and his own guilt at not having found this truth sooner.
He cried over Dido’s death because he was moved in his heart for her loss; a death brought about by her love and loss of Aeneas. Augustine had not, at that time, considered that he should have been grieving for his own salvation. There was a sadness for which he has not cried; tears for himself. As he was studying, he was growing spiritually and increasing his understanding of God. He was learning that his life meant nothing without God.
He tells us that he was engaged in the pleasures of the world during his years as a young man and how conversion to Christianity and the study of the scriptures lead him to a deeper understanding of God’s love and expectations. It also leads him to confess a lot of guilt for his ungodly life which led to a closer spiritual bond for Augustine with God. The closer to God he became the less he cared for things of this world.
I think that he found imaginative literature to be somewhat of an offence because it created a genuine emotional response from a fictional reality. Augustine thought a better use of his time was to read God’s word; because it is beneficial to one’s spirit rather than one’s imagination. His lament to God was that he wished he had taken the time to delve deeper into the scriptures when he first became acquainted with them. His confessions were made with humility as he expresses to God how he has sinned against him.
Cited: The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York: American Bible Society: 1999; Bartleby.com, 2000.