A Year Later: On Reading Augustine

Well, today I've finished up a couple of books and have quickly decided to move on to St. Augustine's Confessions. This decision has given me occasion to take stock of life because I bought this book, according to librarything, on 30 July 2010—precisely nearly a year ago. Back then, I was obsessing over a writing sample for my PhD applications. And I bought several works by Augustine in order to develop Bill Cavanaugh's work in Being Consumed. Today, a year later, I have embraced the desire to stay local in Nashville; reading Will Campbell has made me okay with stability and not-having-a-PhD. Also, my community at RMSI has me feeling especially rooted and has given me a sense of purpose more and more in the past year. Third, I've realized how very important friendships are, and I have no desire to suspend my treasured friendships in order to pursue another debt-dealing degree.*

Back to Augustine: I've decided to read Confessions not for "research purposes" (though I'm sure learning will occur) but for the sheer pleasure of joining Augustine as he recounts his journey. Confessions is one of the most beloved Spiritual classics in the Christian tradition, and I want to read it as a Spiritual classic (i.e., not as a means to an academic end).

If you're unfamiliar with Augustine's Confessions, here's the blurb from the back cover:

Augustine tells of his wrestling to master his sexual drive, his rare ascent from a humble Algerian farm to the edge of the corridors of high power at the imperial court of Milan, and his renunciation of secular ambition as he recovered the faith that his mother had taught him. It was in a Milan garden that Augustine finally achieved the act of will to Christian conversion, which he compared to a lazy man in bed finally deciding it is time to get up and face the day.

Considering things from my past and where I am as a person today, I think it's the perfect time to dive into this book. I suspect I'll be blogging quotes from this for the next several weeks. Stay tuned!

Peace to y'all.

* Of course, I've also had the chance to get to know some faculty in the Div School at Vandy and would be very happy to study there should the opportunity present itself in the coming years.