What We’re Reading

Augustine, The Confessions. Saint Augustine’s Confessions is a classic of literature, philosophy, and theology – in fact, we can just call it one of the classics of the humanities. The work is somewhat misleading insofar that many consider it an autobiography. In reality, God is the subject of the text as experienced and known by the person of Augustine. To make Augustine the subject is to strip away the very subject that led Augustine to writing the work! Nonetheless, the human themes of family, friendship, love, temptation, the meaning of life, how the desire for good things is ruined (sin) by human action, and the dichotomy of the strength of the heart and the weakness of the intellect and how it is susceptible to pride remain the enduring human concerns of the work. The richness of Augustine’s learning, the vast array of the subjects that he deals with, and the question of God in our lives remain the enduring features of the work. It is best said by noting that one always learns when they read and teach Augustine.

~ Paul Krause

Robert Frost, “New Hampshire.” Summer is rapidly disappearing, and autumn is approaching on the horizon. Frost encapsulates this transition as he remembers life in New Hampshire while living in Vermont. It appears that Frost is emotionally struggling while reliving conversations, experiences, and people from the blessed state. Each memory is also attached to a season, and his favorites are often from fall and winter. Why—because the cold freezes time, making said experience hold on for longer. This is why Frost remains in New England: because it’s the only area in the United States that makes the most unbearable season the most special times in one’s life. 

~ Sarah Tillard

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