Confessions Session VII Flashcards
What “addiction” does Augustine recount that Monica, his mother, struggled with? How was this apparent?
Augustine says that Monica, his mother, struggled with alcohol. Apparently, when she went down to go get wine for dinner, she sipped it from the barrel. One of the servants eventually told her that she was getting addicted, and she ended up repenting.
How does Augustine seek to fill the void of his soul?
He mainly filled it with lust and wealth. Augustine wanted to fill it with everything, though: fame, money, his popularity, and pretty much everything.
To what does Augustine compare ambition? Does ambition compare favorably or unfavorably to this vice?
He compares it to drunkenness. He says drunkenness is a lesser sin, because drunkenness wears off, but people who are ambitious never wake up from their insanity. This is an unfavorable comparison.
In what sin was Augustine’s friend Alpius trapped and how did this happen?
He was addicted to the gladiator games. He denied it, though. He was trapped by going with his friends. Eventually, he couldn’t stop going to the games because his friends kept pressuring him into doing it.
To what sin was Augustine in bondage to?
Augustine was mainly in bondage to lust, but also pride, wealth, and many others.
What proved Augustine was in bondage?
He didn’t want to get married, but just wanted to have a relationship. He didn’t want to have to commit, or take responsibility for a family. Eventually he got married and repented his sin, though.
How does our culture treat addictions?
Our culture treats addictions like something that they need to fix immediately, and something they need to be scared of or something like that. It’s actually really sad. They treat it like a problem that has to be solved immediately or something bad will happen, like it will destroy all of us.
How does our culture treat addicts?
Our culture treats addicts like they are broken. They treat them like a glass plate with a crack in it. They are scared that, if they make one wrong move, the addict will shatter. They seem to think that the addict is like a ticking time bomb or something. They think that if they do anything wrong, the addict will just turn right back to their addiction.
How should the church treat addicts?
Addicts are not necessarily something that we need to be afraid of. Sometimes that is the case, but not all the time. They are sinners, just like the rest of us, but instead of rejecting them because they are sinners, we should take them in and help them. We should give them the chance that Jesus Christ gave us when he died on the cross. We should go after them, not run away from them.
