St Augustine

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Serrano 1 Julio Serrano ID 411 THL103 Prof. Bruce Griffin

The Confessions of Augustine Augustine in no way fits the traditional mold of saint. Quite the contrary, his life was full of sin. Some people can find it very easy to sympathize with Augustine’s story because of his humanity and similarity with today’s behavior. The social and spiritual perspectives displayed in the confession of St. Augustine are still the same today. While the social environment in Augustine’s era is different from now, the spiritual faith has remained constant over the years. Augustine does not place himself above anyone. He shows his life, as it was, a very confused and sinful life. But through his conversion he sets himself apart from the rest. Augustine was affected by many outside factors that lead to his change in point of view. The outside forces drove Augustine to look inward and see what exactly he was made of. The result was a total change in point of view; bringing him closer to God. Friendship played a crucial role throughout all of Augustine’s life. He loved having friends, and he loved being people’s friend. Augustine was always concerned that his friendships were equal in nature. There was always a perfect balance between give and take. His friendships and other love relationships were vital in his conversion and his final evolution. Childhood is normally filled with immature flights of fancy that are sinful in the hearts of the children, but when together they cannot resist the temptation. Augustine led a very similar type of childhood. When he was together with his friends he did many things that he knew were wrong. All of them were conscious of the wrong but felt that there was safety in numbers. In his confession he speaks of the incident with the pear tree, Augustine and his friends come across a

Serrano 2 pear tree and decide to steal from it. All of them know that what they are doing is stealing; yet the exhilaration is too much for them to handle. I stole something that I had in plenty and of much better My desire was not to enjoy what I sought by stealing but merely the excitement of thieving and the doing of what was wrong. The excitement is what drove them not the actual deed. Aristotle spoke of similar happenings in his Ethics. Aristotle says that these are the types of relationships that teenagers identify with. This is still very true on a modern college campus. Young students in a group are more likely to experiment with drugs and other evils. Although they have been taught their whole lives, the negative effects of drugs they still will try them when subjected to vast amount of peer pressure, for the sole purpose of fitting in. Augustine was always there when a friend needed him and was always careful to make sure that his friends were following the right path. Augustine was not a faultless person. It is for this reason that his confessions are so applicable. Not everyone can sympathize with the life of Saint Mary who lived her life devoid of sin. Yet everyone can relate to Augustine and his life of sin and displeasure. In many ways he represents how a modern saint would be defined today. A saint is not without sin; instead they are aware of sin and are forever learning from their mistakes. Augustine teaches respect for one s peers and how to be a good friend. Augustine was a perfect friend to all that he came to know. Friendship is not devoid of love; it is higher than love. Through friendship others can take Augustine s example and evolve in people worthy of sainthood. Friendship is a major part of everyone s life. Through friendships come many realizations about human nature. Augustine loved friendship. He loved caring for others and he loved being cared for.

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