This summer I received a long email from a student who was in the wilds of Montana. To pass the time, he began reading Augustine's Confessions. He sent me this long list of questions about his reading of Augustine. Why did Augustine appear to be so troubled by sex? Isn't sex good? What was the deal with the stolen pears? Had he not an odd relationship with his mother?

I suggested, in my reply, that he not bog down in the details, rather, that he read the Confessions as one might read a love story. Augustine, was obsessed with the possibility that we might be alone in the world, on our own. And he was astounded to discover that we are not. He was astounded not only that there was a God, but this God was out looking for him, desired him even more than Augustine desired God. It changed his l…