“Enter the Joy of Your Lord”

What's in the Image?

In the upper right hand corner of the stained glass window with St. Augustine and St. Monica, we can see a subtle but important detail that symbolizes a mystical visiton that they shared by shortly before Monica's death. Augustine writes that, during the vision, they were “leaning against a window which looked out on a garden within the house” (9:10:23). The garden in the text is symbolic of the Garden of Eden in the Bible and the garden where Augustine had his “Tolle Lege” conversion.  

What's in Confessions?

The vision in Ostia is Augustine’s second vision. Augustine first has a vision in Milan, but he fails to reach God because of his attachment to worldly desires. This differs from what Augustine experiences in his second vision, which he shares with Monica. This vision portrays the importance of God’s guidance in achieving enlightenment and shows the final step in Augustine’s development of faith. It occurs after his conversion to Christianity, unlike his first vision which happened before conversion he converted. In the vision at Ostia, God’s guidance enlightens Augustine and Monica. Augustine writes that he and Monica are “forgetting what lay in the past and stretching out to what was ahead” (9.10.23). This demonstrates how Augustine progresses in Christianity rather than remaining entrenched in sin. Due to God’s guidance, Augustine achieves a state “where the pleasures of the body’s senses, however intense and in brilliant a material light enjoyed, seemed unworthy not merely of comparison but even of remembrance beside the joy of that light” (9.12.24). Augustine’s experience allows him to see joy in nothing but God. Additionally, in contrast to the first vision, he experiences a gentler and peaceful descending in this second vision. Monica and Augustine “just touched the edge of it by the upmost leap of their hearts; then sighing and unsatisfied, they…returned to the noise of articulate speech” (9.10.24). Augustine is neither frustrated nor angry after this descent but at peace with himself and God.
 

What's in it for us?

Although very few people experience a similar religious vision, Augustine’s story offers hope that making positive changes can lead to gratifying and rewarding experiences. College students can embrace this theme by making good life decisions and attempting to relinquish bad habits. For example, students may choose to give up negative priorities such as valuing material goods, procrastinating, or getting too little sleep. As Augustine demonstrates, making life changes such as these is certainly not easy. Despite the difficulty, Augustine’s vision at Ostia proved worthwhile as it lead him to God and divine knowledge. Although correcting misdirected desires may prove challenging, these decisions have the potential to create opportunities for a better life.