Badda Bing, Badda Boom

Saint Monica   and    St. Augustine
My "cloistered brothers" and I were discussing Augustine's Confessions, Book 8, in Dominican Study Group, tonight.   Attention was called on Augustine's process of conversion.  He resisted.  He wrestled with himself.  He even came to the conclusion that the Church was true, but hesitated about joining.  He dragged his feet about converting.  He suffered from inertia.
You know the rest of the story.  The child's voice telling him to "Take up and read."
badda bing, badda boom
Although, the child's voice was the impetus to get Augustine up off his duff, his conversion process is not that unusual.    One of my "cloistered brothers" pointed out that most of us move into a deeper spiritual direction, in much the same way.  We don't look for a bolt of lightning, or a voice, but something moves us.  We're open.  We know the Church is true.  But we're too content with our own life styles to think too much about how, or whether we should, commit ourselves into a closer relationship with God.
Maybe we're too busy with our teen age lives.  Maybe we're just beginning our careers.  Our young families keep us very busy.  Whatever...we know the Church is there...but we put it on hold.
Then one day, we have an empty nest, and it's quiet.  It's quiet enough to hear the voice of God.
badda bing, badda boom
Maybe one day a friend takes us to a Life in the Spirit Seminar.
badda bing, badda boom
Maybe a relative takes us to a Cursillo.
badda bing, badda boom
Perhaps, curiosity takes us to a charismatic healing service.
badda bing, badda boom
We go to Medjugorje to see what all the hoopla is about.
badda bing, badda boom
A bolt of lightning could knock you off your donkey.
badda bing, badda boom
And then again, a child could tell you, "Take up and read."


              

Hardwired for God

You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless, until they rest in You.  This famous quote is from St. Augustine's Confessions.  My Dominican Study Group is reading Confessions.  This quote is in the beginning, when Augustine starts to prove that his entire life was a search for God.

He begins in infancy and describes the self absorbed baby.  Childhood proves to be selfish and instant gratifying, also.  Sounds like kids today.

Augustine is showing his readers that he might have thought he was happy, but he wasn't.  One has no idea what happiness is, until they've fallen in love with God.  That's the only thing that will satisfy us.

We get it.  I get it.