Confessions by Saint Augustine
Week 7: Book VI — Milan, Alypius, and the Weight of Habit
Read Book VI of The Confessions of Saint Augustine. Key themes: Monica's arrival, Ambrose's influence, the story of Alypius at the gladiatorial games, and Augustine's paralysis between desire and conversion.
Previewing Week 7 of Confessions
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
Augustine is tantalizingly close to conversion but cannot break free — weighed down by sexual habit, career ambition, and the allure of marriage — while around him we see vivid examples of both the power of sin to entrap and the power of grace to liberate.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Monica arrives in Milan and discovers her son is no longer a Manichaean — but not yet a Christian. Rather than overjoyed, she is "not overjoyed... because she was now assured concerning that part of my misery... as being assured, that Thou, Who hadst promised the whole, wouldest one day give the rest." What does Monica's response model about how to hold our hopes for others — neither despairing nor demanding?
2.Augustine observes Ambrose's unusual habit of reading silently to himself — without moving his lips — which was remarkable in the ancient world. He longs to ask Ambrose questions but can never get access because of the crowds. How does this portrait of a busy, inaccessible bishop still manage to influence Augustine deeply — and what does it suggest about how God works through those who are not even trying to influence us?
3.Augustine passes a drunken beggar on the street while preparing to deliver an anxiety-ridden panegyric to the Emperor. He sighs: "I was seeking one much less true" happiness than even the beggar had found. This is one of the most psychologically honest moments in the book — what does it reveal about the spiritual poverty that can hide behind professional success and intellectual sophistication?