Let Me Know Myself...

Soon after his conversion Augustine prayed "O God, let me know myself; let me know you." He was convinced that the eventual discovery of God began with a discovery of one's self. In “Let Me Know Myself . . .”, Donald Burt, OSA, offers reflections on what Augustine said about the nature of the “self,” obstacles standing in the way of discovery, and some of what one can learn about oneself from experience and faith.

Chapters in Part One: Setting the Scene are: “The Mystery of My Self,” “The Inner and Outer Self,” “Adam’s Loss of Self,” “The Old Man and New Man,” “The Cracked Self,” and “The Need for Honesty.” Chapters in Part Two: Obstacles to Self-Discovery are “Earthly Attachment,” “Concupiscence of the Flesh,” “Avarice,” “Concupiscence of the Eyes,” “Worldly Ambition,” and “The ‘Make-Believe’ Self.” Chapters in Part Three: On the Road to Discoveryare: “The Grace-Filled Self,” “The Fragile Self: Rising Smoke,” “The Imperishable Self,” “The Inner Self and the Flow of Time,” “The Beauty of the Inner Self,” “The Value of My Self,” “The Love of Self,” “Forgetting the Self,” and “Escaping Self.”

Donald X. Burt, OSA, PhD, professor emeritus in philosophy at Villanova University, has published widely on the philosophy of St. Augustine. His most recent books include The Pilgrim God, and The River: Augustinian Reflections On a Flowing Life, published by The Liturgical Press.