Confession and Self-Examination: Augustine: The Confessions as Spiritual Practice

Augustine's "Confessions" (written c. 397) is the first great autobiography in Western literature and remains the supreme example of confession as spiritual discipline. Augustine wrote: "My confessions praise You, my God. Let me confess then what I know of myself, and let me confess too what I do not know of myself." He understood that self-knowledge is always partial and that we need God to reveal what we cannot see on our own.

The Confessions demonstrate that confession is not merely admitting wrongdoing but telling the truth of one's whole life before God. Augustine confessed his sins, but he also confessed his gratitude, his questions, his struggles, and his moments of beauty. "You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You" is itself a confession -- of longing, of displacement, of hope.

Practical application: Write a "mini-confession" -- one page telling the truth of your current spiritual state. Include what you are grateful for, what you struggle with, what you long for, and where you have fallen short. Address it to God directly, as Augustine does. This practice of written confession often reveals patterns and dynamics that remain invisible in routine self-examination.