St. Augustine - A Model of Repentance

In the late fourth century in North Africa, a boy who would one day become a saint was born. The path of sanctity, however, was not paved with simplicity or virtue for St. Augustine in the beginning.

Born in a Roman family of moderate standing, St. Augustine's parents highly valued education for their son. They did everything within their means to make sure that he went to the best schools and was able to receive the training he needed to be a highly successful rhetorician when he graduated. Though St. Augustine wasn't terribly interested in his education, he did what his parents required of him. 

Image from Orthodoxwiki

What Augustine was interested in doing during his "college years" was getting by and having a good time with his friends. In his Confessions, Augustine admits that he felt that his parents were willing to turn a blind eye to his social and moral decisions so long as he completed his education. So while he was completing his studies, Augustine was also spending his time partying with his friends, satisfying his lusts, and pulling mindless pranks. When his mother finally realized a little of what was going on and warned him against certain behaviors, especially with women, Augustine scoffed at her reprimands and continued on his destructive path.

As a student and citizen of Rome, Augustine was also exposed to a variety of philosophies and religions. It was around the time of his late-teens and early-twenties when Augustine joined the ranks of the Gnostic sect, the Manicheans, turning away from the little bit of Christian upbringing that he had been given. He also dabbled in astrology for many years and later when he had abandoned Manicheaism, was interested in the philosophy of Neoplatonism.

How to Be a Church Member and Not Just a Church-Goer

When I was an OCFer at Texas A&M University, my friends and I all attended a local mission parish, and I mean, this was a small parish—small as in we met in the back room of the priest’s house and a typical Sunday liturgy consisted of less than 15 people, most of whom were college students. In a parish that small, everyone lives by an unspoken rule: everyone does everything.

It's Really Just about Everything

As we reach the conclusion of our series on stewardship, I know that I've left many stones unturned. We could have talked about our role as stewards of the environment, or stewards of our particular talents, or stewards of our relationships. The truth is, each of us will have to figure out exactly what the Lord expects from us as a steward in the time we have in this life.

The secret is to remember that it’s really just about everything.