Augustine

This week in my early church history course we are studying Augustine and the Desert Fathers and Mothers. In our reading I came across a thought that many people have been talking about in the past couple of weeks with their own voices and words. Here is Augustine's:

"Why are you relying on yourself, only to find yourself unreliable? Cast yourself upon him [God], and do not be afraid. Make the leap without anxiety; he will catch you and heal you." [8.27]

It is getting to be the time of the semester where some of us are finding ourselves overwhelmed. Some by coursework, some by problems in their relationships they did not foresee, some by scheduling conflicts. Questions are rising up... how do I pass my classes while working, while being away from home, while being separated from my children, while doing field education, while doing traditional or non-traditional ministry, while retaining my own sense of identity, while dealing with issues in therapy, while keeping my relationship with God healthy, while finding time to exercise, while adjusting to living in New Jersey, while attending services, while, while, while... everyone has their own questions.

Many of us are getting caught up in the 'how' instead of the 'why', and many of us are staying balanced. I find myself drawing on parallels in my course readings that I see reflected in the life of the community, such as Augustine's quote above. How wonderful it is to know that we are unreliable! How freeing! We are free to be ourselves and free to allow God to be God in our hearts.

Picture: "Saint Augustine and Monica" (1846), Ary Scheffe
[Monica was Augustine's mother.]