"Waters of your Grace"

What’s in the image?

This image shows Bishop Ambrose baptizing St. Augustine. Augustine’s mother, St. Monica, and his son, Adeodatus form a triangle around Augustine. In ancient times, people were baptized during adulthood. They walked into a large pool of water and stepped out, cleansed of their sins. Augustine’s baptism took place in an ancient church in Milan that has been recently excavated (see picture below.) In the entrance of the St. Thomas of Villanova Church, an octagonal arrangement of pink tiles approximates the size and shape of the ancient font in which Augustine’s baptism occurred. People who enter the church thus symbolically walk through the baptismal pool, emphasizing the importance of baptism in both Augustine’s life and the Christian faith.

What’s in Confessions?

In Confessions, Augustine’s changing understanding of baptism parallels his spiritual development. Augustine’s parents believed that baptism should be deferred as long as possible because Augustine would “inevitably soil [himself] again” (1.11.17). Augustine fulfills his parents' prediction by living a sinful life and adopts their distorted view of baptism. Even after witnessing the baptism of his sick friend, Augustine demonstrates an inability to embrace the transformation initiated by the sacrament because he remains consumed by money and status. Indeed, he mocks his friend, “making fun of the baptism he had undergone” (4.4.8). However, in time, Augustine converts and his thoughts about baptism transform as significantly as his behaviors and beliefs. He uses baptism to describe his sense of rebirth; he writes, “And so we were baptized and all the dread of all our earlier lives dropped away from us, during the days that followed I could not get enough of the wonderful sweetness that filled me" (9.6.14). Today, most baptisms happen in infancy or childhood. Augustine embodies the possibility of renewal at all ages. Still, Adeodatus is baptized at the same time as his father, which indicates that one should not delay discovering God and relinquishing sin. The conception of baptism becomes more important than the age at which it transpires.

What’s in it for us?

Villanova University aspires to enable students to grow intellectually and develop into enlightened, ethical people. Students may arrive with negative habits or ignorance resulting from living in a contained environment. College presents an opportunity for the rebirth of baptism. Augustine’s theme of baptism is important for young people of today because it sends the message that anyone can make changes for the better to improve their lives and relish the good that comes from it. Villanova in particular tries to ensure that the people who enter grow and change in a positive way before they leave.