The Confessions of St. Augustine

1. Title: Saint Augustine's The Confessions - Exploring the Eternal Goodness of God

2. Context: In "The Confessions," a masterpiece by Saint Augustine, he reflects on his past sins and ponders the nature of goodness and evil in relation to God.

3. Core Idea: Despite humans being capable of both good and evil, only God is eternally good.

4. Key Insights:
- Humans can do good after conceiving it through the Spirit, but are also capable of forsaking God and doing evil.
- God, as the Good, never ceases to do good, even when humans do not.
- Humans have some good works, but these are temporary; our ultimate rest is in God's great hallowing.
- God does not need to be good because His rest is Himself.
- Understanding the nature of God surpasses human and angelic comprehension.

5. Practical Applications:
- Seek understanding of God through prayer, reflection, and study.
- Recognize our temporary good works as gifts from God.
- Acknowledge that God's rest is in Himself, not in our human endeavors.
- Strive to do good after conceiving it through the Spirit.
- Turn away from sin and forsaking God.

6. Memorable Quote: "Let it be asked of Thee, sought in Thee, knocked for at Thee; so, so shall it be received, so shall it be found, so shall it be opened." (Amen)

7. Final Takeaway: Augustine's 'Confessions' underscore the eternal goodness of God and emphasize the human need to seek understanding and grow closer to Him through prayer and reflection.