Great are You, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Your power, and of Your wisdom there is no end. And man, being a part of Your creation, desires to praise You—man, who bears about with him his mortality, the witness of his sin, the witness that You resist the proud—yet man, this part of Your creation, desires to praise You.
You stir man to take pleasure in praising You, because You have made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.
Grant me, Lord, to know and understand which is first—to call upon You or to praise You; and likewise, to know You or to call upon You. But who calls upon You without knowing You? For he who does not know You may call upon You as something other than You are. Or is it rather that we call upon You in order that we may know You?
Now let me call upon You, my God, my mercy, who made me and did not forget me when I forgot You. Let me call upon You into my soul, which You prepare for Your reception by the desire You inspire. Do not forsake me now as I call upon You, You who sought me before I sought You.
Let me seek You, Lord, by calling upon You, and call upon You by believing in You; for You have been preached to us. My faith calls upon You, that faith which You have given me, which You have inspired in me through the humanity of Your Son, through the ministry of the preacher.
How then shall I call upon my God, my God and Lord, since when I call for Him I am calling Him into myself? And what place is there in me into which my God can come? Where can God come into me—God who made heaven and earth?
Is there, indeed, O Lord my God, anything in me that can contain You? Do heaven and earth, which You have made and in which You have made me, contain You? Or because nothing which exists could exist without You, does whatever exists contain You?
Since, then, I exist, why do I ask You to come into me, who would not exist if You were not in me? I do not yet exist in hell, and yet You are there also. Therefore, I would not exist at all unless You were in me.
Or rather, I would not exist unless I were in You, of whom are all things, through whom are all things, in whom are all things. - St. Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo (354–430) was a North African early Christian pastor, theologian, and bishop whose writings have shaped Christian faith for over sixteen centuries. After years of intellectual pursuit and moral struggle, Augustine experienced a profound conversion to Christ, which he later recorded in his spiritual autobiography, Confessions. His life and work explored themes of sin and grace, restlessness and redemption, and the deep longing of the human heart for God. Augustine reminds the church that repentance is not merely turning from sin, but turning toward the God who alone can give true rest.