“Our hearts are restless until they rest in you” – St. Augustine
This famous son of St. Monica was born in 354 AD. He died in 430.
St. Augustine was a master preacher, writer, and defender of the faith who’s considered one of the greatest minds in the history of Western thought and one of the greatest theologians in the history of the Church. St. Augustine is considered one of the greatest Christian philosophers, shaping concepts of free will and original sin.
Despite all of his theological contributions – all of his books, his sermons, and his writings, he’s best known for his personal story of conversion in “The Confessions. What we find in “The Confessions” is Augustine before he became a saint and theologian. The Augustine who’s a punk teenager getting into trouble and looking for girls. The Augustine who finds himself in a long-term illicit relationship. The Augustine who wants to convert, but who struggles so hard to commit. The Augustine who’s a restless heart, just like the rest of us who are looking for love and truth, but so many times in the wrong places and in the wrong ways.
His sins of impurity and pride darkened his mind so much that he could not see the Divine Truth, despite his brilliance.
Through the prayers of his holy mother and the preaching of St. Ambrose, Augustine came to see that Christianity was the one true faith. Still, he hesitated, thinking he could never live a pure life. One day he heard the story of two men suddenly converted after reading the life of St. Antony of the Desert. Deeply ashamed, he cried out to his friend Alipius: “What are we doing? Unlearned people are taking Heaven by force, while we, with all our knowledge, remain bound in the mud of our sins!”
Full of sorrow, Augustine rushed into a garden and begged God for help. Suddenly he heard the voice of a child singing, “Take up and read!” Believing these words were from God, he opened the Letters of St. Paul and read the first passage he saw—a call to abandon impurity and live in imitation of Christ. That moment changed his life forever.
Augustine was baptized, became a priest, and then Bishop of Hippo Regius (modern Annaba, Algeria). He spent the rest of his life serving the Church as a preacher, defender of the faith, and one of the greatest Catholic writers in history. He founded a religious community, supported the poor, practiced great humility, and fought against powerful heresies.
It’s this Augustine who people have fallen in love with over and over.
No matter where you find yourself on the path to holiness, St. Augustine reminds us that every saint has a past and every sinner hasa future.
As we journey together along our Road of Faith, St. Augustine shows us that sainthood is possible. Because if reckless, restless, rebellious Augustine can become a saint, so can you.