Augustine’s Confessions

What makes me Catholic? If we are destined for God, how can we be with God? These are the main questions for the confused yet intelligent Augustine in this classical text. Augustine is taken through many experiences of his life, from his childhood to his last years. A big word that has come to my attention while reading this text, and that word is “conversion.” Many people have “second guesses” about themselves through their religion, views on life, and question about their existence. These questions have crossed my mind as especially have crossed Augustine’s mine as well.

In my view, to begin your life of being Catholic is how you are first raised by your parents or guardians. My parents are both of the Catholic faith and they taught me the teachings of the Bible when I was young. I was able to understand and follow those thoughts through my life. This was the same experience for Augustine. His mother, Monica raised him to be of the Catholic faith and believe in it heavily. As Augustine starts to mature by the years he starts to question about God and who God is. He starts to ask many philosophical and rhetorical questions. For instance, he speaks to God stating, “Lord God, tell me what you are to me.” (pg. 5). He wants to know how God is in this world around us. One thing that is implicit here is that we don’t “know” God. To “know” God you must search for or desire to be with God. It is describe to be that if you believe in God, God is then “within” you. A way to ask this is “if God is not in relationship with me then how could I exist?” I myself have questioned this before.

Once I started learning of other faiths through my friends, I asked if Catholicism was the faith for me. In more depth, I am stating that I too understood “parts” of others faith and those “parts” made me compare them to the Catholic faith. I went on for a while trying to “find” myself. Augustine came to the conclusion to “find” himself...