Sinner to Saint ~ St. Augustine

Today, 28Aug is the feast of St. Augustine.

Born at Thagaste in North Africa in 354, Augustine was a brilliant young man whose early life was wild and unsettled. He was converted by the prayers of his mother. His many writings present a theology and a spirituality that are exceptional and have had great influence.


Looking into the early life of this guy, he was trained in rhetoric and was probably a practicing rhetorician. In those days rhetoric was ruled by speech, words, arguementation. The ability to coerce or to resort to misleading and misdirection in order to achieve desired outcomes in conversations or behavior or perceptions within others.

Else it's just the gift of the gap to out-talk others and leave them in dismay; that for all they've ever called or thought was faith was shaken by some joker out there who by life experiences and weaving of words leave the listener baffled without any rebuttal.

So, for someone to have such a background augmented with the wild and unsettled life he led, prior to reformation Augustine was probably a total terror. In the process of living the life he led and doing the things he did, the transformation allowed this unique skill set of his to be put to good use much later.

People do change.

If only they allow the things in their life that affect them to lead them to what they can truly be.