Saint Augustine Essay Research Paper SAINT AUGUSTINE

Saint Augustine Essay, Research Paper

SAINT AUGUSTINE Bishop of Hippo, Doctor of the Church, (A.D. 430)Introduction “And Thou, O Lord, how long. How long. Is it to be tomorrow and tomorrow. Why not now. Why not this very hour put an end to shame.”These words of repentance marked the beginning of Augustine’s newlife. A few years after he came in contact with God, he said, “Ourhearts, O Lord, were made for you, and they are restless until therest in you.”Saint Augustine is one of the greatest Fathers of the Church. Hewas an original thinker who became recognized as a remarkableleader of Christian faith. One of the guiding forces in SaintAugustine’s life was his Christian mother, Saint Monica. His Childhood and YouthSaint Augustine, who used commonly to be called Austin in English,was born on November 13, 354 at Tagaste, a small town of Numidia innorth Africa, not far from Hippo. His father, Patricius, was apagan and of a violent disposition; but through the example andprudent conduct of his wife, Saint Monica, he was baptized a littlebefore his death. As a child, Saint Monica instructed him in the Christian religionand taught him how to pray; falling dangerously ill, he desiredbaptism and his mother got everything ready for it: but he suddenlygrew better, and it was put off. His father wanted him to become a man of learning and cared verylittle about his character. In his writings, Augustine accuseshimself of often studying by constraint, disobeying his parents andmasters, not writing, reading, or minding his lessons so much aswas required of him; and this he did not for lack of wit or memory,but out of love of play. But he prayed to God with greatearnestness that he might escape punishment at school. He later ondid so well with his studies that he went to Carthage in 370 whenhe was still 17. He studied rhetoric with eagerness and pleasure;but his motives were vanity and ambition, and to them he joinedloose living. Years away from ChristAt Carthage, he entered into relations with a woman (to whom heremained faithful until he sent her away from him 15 years later). She bore him a son, Adeodatus, in 372. His father had died in 371,but he continued at Carthage and switched to philosophy and thesearch for the truth. He also studied the Scriptures but from asubjective attitude. He was offended with the simplicity of style,and could not relish their humility or penetrate their spirit. Thenhe fell into Manichaeism – a combination of pagan religions andphilosophy. The darkening of the understanding and clumsiness inthe use of the faculties helped to betray him into his company; andpride did the rest. “I sought with pride”, he says, “what onlyhumility could make me find. Fool that I was, I left the nest,imagining myself able to fly; and I fell to the ground.”For nine years he had his own schools of rhetoric and grammar inTagaste and Carthage, while his devoted mother, Saint Monica,spurred on by the assurance of a holy bishop that “the son of somany tears could not perish”, never ceased by prayer and gentlepersuasion to try to bring him to conversion and reform. In 383 he departed to Rome, secretly, lest his mother shouldprevent him from going to the big city. He opened a school orrhetoric, and then was appointed by the government as a teacher inMilan, where his mother, and his friend Alipius joined him. Saint’sMonica’s only ambition was to convert her son to Christianity. His RepentanceIn Milan, Saint Augustine came under the influence of Saint Ambrosethe bishop; he began to go to his sermons, not so much with anexpectation of profiting by them as to gratify his curiosity and toenjoy the eloquence. He found that the discourses more learned thanthe heresies he adopted and began to read the New Testamentespecially Saint Paul’s writings. In the same time, the mother ofAdeodatus his son left back to Africa leaving the child behind. Saint Augustine’s spiritual, moral and intellectual struggle wenton; he was convinced of the truth of Christianity, but his will wasweaker than the worldly temptations, and delayed his return toChrist for many months. “Soon, in a little while, I shall make upmy mind, but not right now” he kept telling himself. In his halfdesires of conversion he was accustomed to beg of God the grace ofchastity, but was at the same time in some measure afraid of beingheard too soon. He realized that his problem was a moral one. TheDivine truth for which he was seeking would never be his unless hefirst overcame his weakness. Soon after, Pontitian, an African, came to visit Saint Augustineand his friend Alipius; he told them about two men who had beensuddenly turned to the service of God by reading about the life ofSaint Anthony. His words had a powerful influence on the mind ofSaint Augustine. He was ashamed his will has been so weak and saidto Alipius: “What are we doing to let the unlearned seize Heaven by force, whilst we with all our knowledge remain behind, cowardly and

heartless, wallowing in our sins. Because they have outstripped us and gone before, are we ashamed to follow them. Is it not more shameful not even to follow them.”He rused to the garden, greatly upset; tears filling his eyes, hethrew himself on the grass under a fig tree and reproached himselfbitterly crying out: “And Thou, O Lord, how long. How long. Is it to be tomorrow and tomorrow. Why not now. Why not this very hour put an end to shame.”As he spoke these words he heard a child’s voice singing “Tollelege