Literature

St. Augustine, Longfellow, and the Ladder of Love

The acclaimed poet acknowledges the saint’s order of things in our climb to reach ‘our higher destinies.’
St. Augustine, Longfellow, and the Ladder of Love
Jacob dreamt of a ladder to heaven, a goal humankind wishes to reach. "Jacob's Ladder," circa 1650, by Jacques Stella. Public Domain
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St. Augustine was once a notorious sinner. The incident of his stealing pears in his childhood is forever branded into the minds of readers of his “Confessions,” and he is famous for his prayer  “Give me chastity and continency, only not yet” (Book VIII, Ch. VII). It is precisely his former sinful life that makes him such a saint of hope: He shows that no one is beyond God’s mercy.

Circa A.D. 420, St. Augustine, also known as Augustine of Hippo (354–430), is considered the greatest of the Latin Church fathers. He became bishop of Hippo in 396. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Circa A.D. 420, St. Augustine, also known as Augustine of Hippo (354–430), is considered the greatest of the Latin Church fathers. He became bishop of Hippo in 396. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Marlena Figge
Marlena Figge
Author
Marlena Figge received her M.A. in Italian Literature from Middlebury College in 2021 and graduated from the University of Dallas in 2020 with a B.A. in Italian and English. She currently has a teaching fellowship and teaches English at a high school in Italy.