By Mel Jasmin
On August 28, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of one of its greatest saints. But I believe what makes this person great is not so much about his works as philosopher and theologian but on how he turned away from sin and the world and embraced God.
St. Augustine uses his focus on the fact that God may exists in the same extent which wisdom and truth exists, which is as concepts or ideas in the mind but not reality. He shows that there is evidence of God but not a powerful creator. To Augustine, God exists but requires him to exist for the basis of his argument. St. Augustine focuses on memory as an unconscious knowledge, which eventually leads him to his knowledge of God. Augustine is no longer telling events of the past, but only of present time.
Augustine starts his analysis of memory in a description of a house. The storehouse is a place where objects are retrieved, deposited, and re-stored; just like the memory where images are kept, and in need recovered. Augustine gives a characterization of memory as if it was materialistic; it is reliable, everything has its own place in it, and it can contain unlimited information.
His works challenge us to look into our memory and see the presence of God there. Augustine believes that God’s identity is intrinsically present in the mind. And so, he teaches us to reflect and to encounter God deep within our mind and soul. Saint Augustine, pray for us.
Comments