What better way to celebrate this great feast of St. Augustine, than to let him speak for himself. This excerpt from his classic book "Confessions" is by far my favorite of his, and one of my favorite writings from all of the saints. Learn more about his amazing story at American Catholic's link here.
"Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace. "
- St. Augustine of Hippo
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Augustine's Restless Heart
What better way to celebrate this great feast of St. Augustine, than to let him speak for himself. This excerpt from his classic book "Confessions" is by far my favorite of his, and one of my favorite writings from all of the saints. Learn more about his amazing story at American Catholic's link here.
"Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace. "
- St. Augustine of Hippo
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4 comments:
Is this the same St. Augustine that originally opposed the coercion of individuals into Christianity but later changed his mind when he saw how effective fines, beatings, imprisonment, and executions were against non-Christians? He even managed to find scriptural justification ("parable of the tares" from the Gospel of Matthew) for the persecution of any religious sect that wasn't sanctioned by the state. What a stunning moralist and role model--I guess the ends do in fact justify the means when one is talking about eternal salvation!
Hello, thanks for taking time to post a comment. I've never heard this story about Augustine. Could you post a resource or web link for me to study and comment on?
Thanks.
+ Bill
The book "How the Idea of Religious Toleration Came to the West" by the distinguished historian Perez Zagorin explores the aforementioned ideas most notably in the second chapter entitled 'the Christian theory of persecution'.
thank you
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