The foundation of a theological system with lasting influence
The foundation of a theological system with lasting influence is Saint Augustine's view of serious reflection on Christian worldview. His many written works, including the Confessions, have had a significant impact on the practice of theological and biblical understanding, as well as helping to lay the groundwork for Christian life.
Augustine's writings are truly extraordinary
Augustine's writings are truly extraordinary. His books are still relevant today, thanks to his membership in a religious group that is still relevant today. Augustine, in fact, owes a great deal to Christiania because of his Christian work and dedication to Christian teachings.
Examining my life experience as well as Augustine's teachings
In this paper, I will relate my personal experiences to Saint Augustine's, particularly his book Confessions (Augustine 5). In his book, he talks about virtues such as friendship, integrity, repentance, and forgivingness. When I was still in middle school, I cherished my friends and always cared for them. However, I never realized that some friends have ill motives in our lives. Later in my early adolescence age, one of my friends introduced me to smoking and drinking alcohol. I hardly saw the positive side of life. Fortunately, I came across an article about the confession of Saint Augustine. Therefore, I read the book, and with the help of my parents, I realized that I should live the positive life. Hence this paper seeks to examine my life experience as well as that of entire humanity concerning Augustine's teachings. The paper will argue that Augustine's teachings are vital and relevant to today's life.
The importance of friendship
Friendship is an essential element in our lives. St. Augustine had the belief that friendship and life are the most essential ingredients for human beings. Through healthy friendship and interaction, people tend to feel friends in their environment. Occasionally, I have failed to heed to the calls of my parents to go church and always remember to pray. For me, I thought it was something that was tiresome. It is true that humans are born from parents; they are expected to live up to the teachings of their parents and share the love as they respect their parents. It is by this, Augustine believes that human beings can get the blessing from their parents. He contends that from childhood, he used to ignore his mother's tearful pleas for him to serve God. He walked the opposite direction; only because he believed that God cannot be seen (Augustine 8). Additionally, he always has the rebellious attitude towards God. Even today, most youths find it difficult to heed the call of their friends to serve God. Most of them do not heed this call since they have several plans that they want to accomplish. Sometimes, our parents' warnings only stirred up our rebellion, and most youth can only think of escaping from the constraints of faith so that they can live freely. However, from my experience, our parents mean well for us, for instance, Augustine's parents bothered him to serve God, but he hesitated at the beginning. Later he established that there is joy and individual happiness that comes with serving God. Saint Augustine devoted himself in Christianity and taught other Christians how to serve God.
Repentance and finding the righteous path
Just like all of us today, Saint Augustine was once a youth; he resisted anything that could block his quest for happiness. He committed sins like any other person. However, the most important thing for us is to realize our mistakes and repent our sins so that we can be accepted by God. In his book, Confessions claims that he listened to no one, and through bad friends, he slipped into fornication that troubled his mother. Other sins that Augustine indulged in include theft and dissipation. Notably, he never thought of quitting his bad behavior and fornication or even thought of finding a new way to live a righteous life. He says that he misguided his friends. Even today, we are called upon to change our evil ways and seek the righteous path. In fact, it is not too late to change our bad behaviors to create a present and future self.
Enduring suffering and finding faith in God
In his philosophical as well Christian journey, St. Augustine experienced pain and anguish in his life. As a teenager, he went through stages of severe depression as well as debilitating grief. Moreover, he witnessed a lot of things that could not be reconciled with the theological doctrine. Although Augustine was destined to become a great person of faith, he presently struggled with the understandable pain and suffering. Therefore, today, in our pursuit of true Christianity, we are encouraged to endure sufferings. In his adulthood, Saint Augustine's life got a transformation by his adaptation to the assurance in Jesus Christ (Augustine 12). He no longer views the world as merely material. The actual reality can be understood when we are acquainted with the knowledge of God who is magnificent. Once converted, Augustine gathered his friends together and told them about God. The implication is that it is important to bring one friend to follow the right thing after discovering the truth.
The relevancy of Augustine's Confessions
St. Augustine's book, Confessions, remains to be one of the profound, documented, and extensively read books within the history of Christian. The relevancy Augustine recorded in his book is still mainly found within the social customs as well as the world affairs. The Confessions is regarded as the autobiography as well as the memoir of Saint Augustine himself. Therefore, confessions are a kind of a prayer directed to God.
The importance of seeking peace and understanding from God
Augustine believes that the peace and wealth that come from God are enough. He argues that humans should seek peace and understanding from God Himself. Currently, a number of individuals have abandoned things that provide for them and are now confused with additional issues like money. Moreover, it is vital to acknowledge that money can impact a person's happiness, except that it is up to a particular point. In the opinion of Augustine's teachings, riches can occasionally hinder a person's joy (Augustine 11). Therefore, we are expectant to appreciate all that we own as well as maximize it to attain our pleasure. Thus, perseverance and hard work remain the only means we can realize success, even though, not the success is not entirely concentrated on making money. In general, wealth ought to remain to be the bi-product of our hard work but not the primary place to channel all our focus.
Life as a journey and a spiritual adventure
Indeed, life is a journey and a spiritual adventure. As a matter of fact, human beings may experience peaceful times and sometimes tremendously challenging along the path. Therefore, as on every venture, we strive to make forward progress and face severe setbacks. Just like Augustine did, he faced difficulties. He struggled with teenage life. Even today, we are encouraged to strive and have faith when confronted with difficult moments. Moreover, we should read the Bible so that we can get the truth. After discovering the truth, Augustine invited his friends so that he could share the good news from the salvation of God. We should remember that along with every move on the way, we tend cross new terrain. In his book, Augustine presents a whole human life as the voyage (Augustine 9). He believes that we should make the very step that takes us closer to God. In his Confessions, Saint Augustine gives detailed information about his pilgrimage. He narrates how he ran away from God many times despite the call from his mother that he should serve God. He never believed that believing in God brings eternal peace. In the view of Augustine, only God's grace can be able to redeem humankind and set us in the right direction. Additionally, Augustine offers to emphasize that the entire Christian life needs faith.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Augustine is one of the prolific writers whose books have inspired many people. In his book, Confessions, he narrates his autobiography and his memoir. He tells people how his life as a youth was full of sin. However, later after discovering the truth, he invited people including his friend to come and share in the services of God. He believes that serving God is one of the best practices that human beings should indulge in. Overall, it is true that some people may have faulted on the way, but they can still stand up and make their way towards the voyage to Christianity. Augustine advises people to hold onto Christian virtues such as friendship, love, among other virtues.
Works Cited
Saint Augustine (Bishop of Hippo.). The Confessions of Saint Augustine. Ed. Temple Scott. Modern Library, 1949.
;
