St. Augustine

            Many of the things that we read in class do not always seem to apply to our current lives, and it can be very hard to pull things and relate to them well. Often, when we read something that was written strictly for people from such a different time, it is hard to overlook the cultural differences and we end up missing the important teachings that it might offer. When reading texts from writers like Aristotle, we often focus on the societal differences and do not pay attention to what is still able to apply to us. In St. Augustine’s confessions, I found his words to be very relatable. While you are able to tell that he is in a different setting, I had little trouble connecting with what he had to say.

            One thing that I found very to be very true was Augustine’s thoughts on the hunger that plagues all of humanity. On page 51 and 52 Augustine says that his “heart was sighing for you (God)” and “hungry for you (God)”. He continues to describe how “they” gave him their best illusions of satisfaction, but he was consistently left unsatisfied. Augustine does a very good job of describing the constant pursuit that we, as humans, are in for something to fill the void that only God can fill. We reach out to the world for the best that it has to offer, and while these things may seem filling, “it would have been better to love the sun, which is at least real to the eyes” (52). As St. Augustine describes it, these things are only pleasing to the eyes and are really only empty illusions. I found it applicable how he discussed this struggle and said that we should instead be pursuing a relationship with God.

            In contrast to some of the other readings such as that of St. Benedict, I found it interesting how Augustine compared good works to the offerings of the world, considering them insufficient in the end. In texts like St. Benedict’s rule, deeds were focused on and even described as enough to determine our faith. Overall, Augustine seemed to value a relationship with God much more than he did good works. He states that only having God in your life is enough to satisfy the hunger that we have, and good works will follow that relationship rather than determining it.

            I found it very refreshing that St. Augustine offered words that were very easy to apply to my own life, and I liked his view on the hunger that we all have. It was different from our other readings, and I could relate to his feelings on many subjects, and I found his Confessions very interesting.