Sunday, January 28, 2007

Thinking Great Thoughts: Saint Augustine's Prayer

From time to time, we at AltTulsa like to do some serious contemplating. A certain amount of navel-gazing, we always say, can do wonders for mind and body.

Leafing through some works on Augustine recently, we were reminded of his Confessions, which the scholars tell us was the first "modern" autobiography. In it, Augustine recalls his childhood and writes about his mother. He also admits to his vigorous sexual activities as a young man and his struggle to control his sexual appetite.

Highly conflicted, Augustine admits then that he often said this less-than-consistent prayer: "Lord make me chaste, but not yet."

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