of mind after his conversion, after he had seen the light, sounds genuine enough; and his account of his sense of communion with his mother is most moving. But all this means is that without doubt celibacy was right for Augustine. It does not mean that celibacy is right for anyone else. Indeed if one puts oneself into the position of God, looking for a man who would co-operate with him in this great adventure of solving this classic problem of man reconciling God and a wife, the last person one would be inclined to choose is a scallywag who had blotted his copybook by putting young girls in the family way for his own amusement. This was what Augustine had done. However great a saint he became afterwards, his sexual life would disgrace anybody. A ploughboy, frolicking in the hayloft with the milkmaid, is expected to behave better. God would have had difficulty in persuading his people that brother Augustine was an example to follow!
Looking through God's eyes illuminates the whole problem. If God is agreeable to the man reconciling his love for God, with his love for his wife, then the problem is soluble. In fact half the problem is solved. All that remains is for the man to persuade his wife-to-be to agree similarly to a menage a trois; and everyone will be happy. The problem then will be completely solved. The man will love God more than his wife, because he is more lovable. The woman will love God more than she loves her 'husband, because he is more lovable. And husband and wife will be devoted to each other. Nothing could be simpler.
The trouble is that it means treating God as a real person; in fact it means actually putting religion into practice, and hoping that it works. At the time of writing this I had never met a girl who was prepared to do so, nor a girl who was more than vaguely interested in religion (save one, who was going into a nunnery). Even if he meets a few, the chances of a young man falling in love with a woman who treats God as a person are infinitely small. If a man is…