"Your goad was thrusting at my heart, giving me no peace until the eye of my soul could discern you without mistake. Under the secret touch of your healing hand my swelling pride subsided, and day by day the pain I suffered brought me health, like an ointment which stung but cleared the confusion and darkness from the eye of my mind" (Book VII, 8).
One thing I love about this book is Augustine's repeated belief that God was moving and working in his life. He knew God was drawing him closer to His own self, using Platonist works, job offers, and good Christian friends to lead Augustine to the truth. Augustine also recognized that God was wearing away the pride and selfishness that kept him from seeing who God was. In fact, I think Augustine would argue that without God guiding him, he could not have been saved. As he reasoned through the principles of the faith, Augustine reached a point where he needed revelation from God.
I loved Jannah's post comparing Augustine's search for truth with our own. I think I would add that God uses things in our lives to lead us to Him. We need His guidance if we hope to find His truth, His goodness, and His love. We could try to find it with our own logic and philosophy, but we need God to reveal Himself to us.
P.S. I commented on Amanda Gaster's post.
No comments:
Post a Comment