attained through the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is certain, provided one has made a proper confession. It is this truth and the rest of it, the fullness of truth which has now been transmitted by the Catholic Church for twenty-centuries, that drew St. Augustine away from the heretical teaching of the Manicheans toward the unsurpassable beauty of the consummation of God's revelation: the Person of Jesus Christ.

The Truth and Unity of The Catholic Church

If there is any message which can be drawn from St. Augustine's life, and there are many, it is the message of repentance and conversion so eloquently written in the short excerpt above. This is a message the world desperately needs to hear today. It is one of heartfelt dedication to Christ as Master, Teacher and Savior, which cultivates and nourishes change; it is one of sincere commitment to love in freedom and obedience; it is one of abandonment in trust and ardent devotion to the Other: the source and origin of our being and life.

Further, as a thirst for truth develops in which God's revelation is sought after as if it is as important as life itself, the soul is led to the truth and unity of the Catholic Church. There, we rest in the knowledge of certainty, removed from those contradictions which otherwise so often plague us, and find our peace in the Word of God who speaks through his Church. Thus St. Augustine became an ardent defender of the truth and beauty of the Catholic Church:

"The Church is spread throughout the whole world: all nations have the Church. Let no one deceive you; it is true, it is the Catholic Church. Christ we have not seen, but we have her; let us believe as regards Him. The Apostles, on the contrary, saw Him, but they believed as regards her" (Sermon 238).

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F. K. Bartels is a Catholic writer who knows his Catholic Faith is one of the greatest gifts a man could ever receive. He is a contributing writer for Catholic Online. Visit him also at joyintruth.com