Our Goal Is Heaven:

Walking the Pilgrim Way with Saint Augustine

There is a line, simple yet profound, that stretches through centuries of Christian faith: “Our goal is Heaven.” For countless pilgrims, saints, and seekers, those words are not just an aspiration but a daily summons to live with purpose. At Journeys of Faith, inspired by the life and legacy of Saint Augustine and the faithful mission of our Augustinian communities, we invite you to explore this journey—a sacred adventure marked by longing, transformation, and hope.

In the shadowed halls of Montefalco, Italy, cloistered Augustinian Nuns keep vigil in prayer, echoing the ancient cry of the human heart for its Creator. Their witness, rooted in a life of contemplation, sacrifice, and devotion, resonates with all who long for something greater than the distractions of modern life. In much the same spirit, our mission is to lead you, dear reader, along a path trodden by the saints—a path where faith meets history, where suffering is touched by grace, and where every step brings us closer to Heaven.

This is not simply about reaching a destination, but about embracing a way of life—what Augustine called the “pilgrim way.” It’s the willingness to journey with restless hearts, to welcome the unknown, and to trust in God’s providence. Through encounters with holy places, stories of miracles, and the testimony of those gone before, we discover anew that Heaven is not only our ultimate goal, but the horizon guiding our choices here and now.

Join us as we walk with Saint Augustine and generations of faithful pilgrims who remind us that “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” At Journeys of Faith, we invite you to take the next step, fueled by inspiration and anchored in the rich tradition of the Church. Our goal is Heaven—and we walk this way together.

Books by Saint Augustine

Augustine’s Restless Heart Points Us Toward the Heavenly Homeland

From his youth marked by searching and longing, Saint Augustine teaches us an enduring lesson: our souls are made for something beyond the passing comforts of this world. In his famous words, "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You," Augustine reveals a deep truth about the human journey. His spiritual restlessness wasn’t an obstacle—it was the compass pointing him home.

Augustine’s life was a pilgrim’s path—a tapestry of questioning, wandering, and at last, surrendering to the grace of God. Amidst worldly ambitions and transient pleasures, he discovered that every desire at its root was a yearning for the eternal, for God Himself. This recognition fueled his relentless pursuit of holiness, and it continues to inspire those who walk the pilgrim way today.

He invites us to lift our gaze from the Earth to Heaven, urging us to set aside things that distract and to focus on our true destination. For Augustine, Our Goal is Heaven—not just as a distant hope, but as the anchor of our daily choices. His writings overflow with a longing for communion with God, echoing the ancient cry of the Church: we are “citizens of Heaven,” called to journey—sometimes stumbling, always yearning—toward the fullness of life with Christ.

As we accompany Augustine along this path, we’re reminded that while our hearts may still be restless today, this very yearning is a sign: we were made for the Heavenly Homeland. Every prayer, every act of love, every step on our pilgrimage brings us closer to the embrace of the God who waits for us on the other side.

What It Means to Be Earthly Pilgrims on the Way to Eternal Joy

To be an earthly pilgrim is to recognize that our lives are a sacred journey, deeply marked by longing, struggle, and hope. Saint Augustine famously wrote, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” This restless journey—this pilgrimage—guides us toward our true homeland in Heaven. Each day, as we navigate joys and sorrows, we are reminded that this world is not our final destination; rather, it is the road that leads us home.

The pilgrim life calls us to walk not alone, but in communion with Christ and His Church. Augustine teaches us that the struggles we encounter—temptations, doubts, losses, and even moments of spiritual dryness—are not obstacles meant to defeat us, but gifts that shape our hearts for God. Along the way, we encounter people and experiences that either draw us closer to or farther from our ultimate goal. Every Mass, every moment of prayer, every act of forgiveness becomes a stepping stone on the path to Heaven.

Augustine saw earthly pilgrimage as an act of hope. When the world feels uncertain, when darkness and conflict threaten our sense of direction, the pilgrim heart trusts that God’s promises are unshakable. Our journey is animated by the light of Christ, sustained by the sacraments, and strengthened by the intercession of the saints who have gone before us. Just as Israel wandered toward the Promised Land or as Augustine himself moved from confusion to the joy of conversion, we are invited to embrace the mystery of faith—confident that, with every humble step, we are being led towards the joy that never ends.

 

Grace and Free Will in the Ascent to Heaven

Saint Augustine, the spiritual giant whose restless heart found its rest in God, reminds us that our journey toward heaven is neither a solitary climb nor a passive drifting. On the road to our eternal homeland, he teaches that it is grace—God’s freely given love and transforming help—that shapes each step we take. Yet, Augustine never lets us forget our own responsibility. Grace does not override our humanity; instead, it ennobles our freedom, urging our hearts to choose what is right and holy.

For Augustine, to say “Our Goal is Heaven” is to recognize a dynamic partnership: God’s initiative and our response. Grace is like the gentle hand that lifts a weary pilgrim, but it is the pilgrim’s will that must accept the hand and move forward. Augustine’s own life—riddled with restless searching, doubts, and eventual surrender—shows us the mystery of this cooperation. He insists that our free will, itself a gift from God, is called to respond daily to the voice of the Lord. Our cooperation with grace doesn’t earn heaven, but it opens us to the transforming work God longs to accomplish in our souls.

This path is not easy. Temptations and weariness press on all sides. But Augustine encourages us not to lose heart. We stumble, we fall, and yet grace always seeks us out, inviting us to rise, to confess, and to keep walking. Each choice for truth, humility, and charity—each “yes” to God’s call—is another step closer to our goal. In every Eucharist received, every moment of prayer, and each act of forgiveness, the interplay of grace and free will guides us with hope toward the gates of heaven, where, as Augustine promises, “our hearts shall rest and rejoice at last.”

 

The Eucharist as Food for the Journey

Saint Augustine, whose restless heart found its rest in God, understood the Eucharist not merely as a symbol but as the very heart of our pilgrimage toward heaven. For him, the sacred Host was no empty ritual—it was Living Bread, given to nurture us as we journey, to transform hearts grown weary in the struggle for holiness.

Augustine's teachings remind us that as pilgrim people, we do not walk alone or unfed. At each Mass, Christ Himself meets us on the road, inviting us to His table. When we receive the Eucharist, we do not just remember Christ—we encounter Him, body, blood, soul, and divinity, woven into the fiber of our own humanity. This encounter is not passive; it is meant to change us from within, fortifying us for the trials and the joys of the Christian path.

Like travelers gathering strength at a humble inn, we approach the altar seeking what Augustine called viaticum—food for the journey. Each Communion is a reminder that our ultimate destination is not in this world, but in the embrace of the Father. The hunger of our hearts is matched, and answered, by Christ’s desire to give Himself wholly to us.

In receiving the Eucharist, we are united not only with Christ but with all those walking the same road—the saints who have gone before, and the faithful who accompany us now. This sacrament becomes the pulse of our pilgrimage, the steady reassurance that, in the midst of wandering, our goal is heaven, and heaven reaches down to meet us each time we receive the Body of Christ.

 

Confession and Conversion: Starting Again on the Pilgrim Path

Saint Augustine’s life story is a living map for those who journey toward Heaven—full of detours, struggles, and unexpected moments of grace. Augustine knew well the restless ache of the human heart; his famous words echo in every soul seeking its true home: "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You." Yet, before he became a saint, Augustine wandered far from God's path, his life marked by longing and missteps.

But it’s precisely here—amidst weakness and longing—that the way to Heaven opens wide through the gifts of confession and conversion. Augustine’s transformation did not come through sudden perfection, but through the humble, hope-filled choice to start again. Whenever his spirit faltered, he sought the mercy of God, returning to confession as a pilgrim retracing his steps, trusting that the Father’s arms were always open.

Confession is more than a ritual; it is the lifeline for souls on pilgrimage. In laying our burdens at the feet of Christ, we make room for His healing grace. Augustine teaches us that real change begins with honesty—with facing what separates us from God, and then letting go. Every confession is an invitation to begin anew, no matter how far we have wandered. Like seasoned travelers, we pack light as we go, leaving sin and shame behind at the Lord’s feet.

To walk the pilgrim way is to acknowledge the need for continual conversion. Augustine never ceased striving for holiness, no matter how often he stumbled. The sacraments, especially confession, became his compass. It was in the confessional that he discovered not only forgiveness, but courage to take the next step toward the heavenly goal. In his witness, we find assurance: no setback is final, and the gate to Heaven stands open for every repentant heart.

In this sacred rhythm of falling and rising again, confession marks a new start—time and again. To follow Augustine is to embrace this grace, to trust that each sincere return sets our feet once more on the pilgrim path, with Heaven as our true and certain destination.

 

Wearing the Garments of Charity and Humility

Saint Augustine famously wrote, "You are what you love." For the pilgrim setting his heart on heaven, this means taking up the garments of charity and humility every day. Augustine’s journey was not just one of intellect, but of the heart—stripped of pride and clothed in compassion. Walking the pilgrim way, we are called to imitate Christ, who, though He was God, humbled Himself for our sake.

Humility is our foundation on this road. It is not self-deprecation, but pure honesty before God: recognizing our need for Him and our kinship with every fellow traveler. Augustine teaches that humility unlocks all other virtues. Without it, charity becomes hollow, and truth is lost.

Charity, meanwhile, is the garment that makes us radiant. It is love that is mindful, active, and sacrificial—a love that endures. Through prayer, forgiveness, and acts of mercy, our lives echo Augustine’s: transformed by grace, compelled by love. To seek heaven is to let every word and deed build up the Body of Christ, quietly radiating the love that draws all souls home.

Each step on the pilgrim way, wrapped in these virtues, shapes us for our true homeland. We do not travel alone; heaven is our goal, but charity and humility are the path we walk to get there.

 

Companions on the Road: Saints and the Communion of Believers

Saint Augustine teaches us that our journey toward heaven is never solitary. We walk a well-trodden path, guided and strengthened by a communion far greater than ourselves. The Church, in her wisdom, gives us not only the visible support of our parish communities but also the invisible, ever-present companionship of the saints.

For Augustine, the saints are not distant icons but fellow travelers—brothers and sisters who have run the race before us and now cheer us on from their place in glory. Their lives show us infinite ways to love, strive, repent, and hope. Whether it is Monica’s steadfast prayer, Rita’s courageous forgiveness, or Augustine’s own restless search for truth, the saints’ stories echo our own questions, struggles, and deepest desires.

To be Catholic is to belong to a living mosaic—a communion that spans time and space, linking us to the holy men and women who have carried the light of faith through every age. Through their intercession, we receive real help for real struggles. We are reminded that holiness is possible—even in our mess and weakness—because God’s grace transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. The road to heaven, marked by the footsteps of saints, invites us to walk together, heart to heart, until we finally arrive home.

 

The Role of Prayer and Contemplation in Daily Pilgrimage

For Saint Augustine, the journey toward our ultimate goal—Heaven—was not simply a matter of grand gestures or occasional acts of devotion. It was a daily pilgrimage, marked by the humble and persistent rhythm of prayer and contemplation. In his writings, Augustine returns again and again to the theme that prayer is the breath of the soul, the ongoing conversation between the pilgrim heart and God. Each day, whether in moments of triumph or trial, the soul is invited to turn its gaze heavenward, seeking union with the One who calls us home.

Contemplation, for Augustine, means much more than quiet reflection. It is the deep, interior movement by which we allow the truths of faith, the mysteries of Christ’s love, and the presence of the Eucharist to transform our thoughts, desires, and actions. This isn’t reserved for the cloister—it’s an invitation extended to everyone, in whatever circumstances they find themselves. Prayer is not simply something we schedule; it is something we live. In the busy rush and the quiet of everyday life, Augustine encourages us to center our minds and hearts in Christ, letting every joy and sorrow become an offering, every moment an opportunity for encounter.

When we make space for prayer and contemplation, we walk in step with the saints who have gone before us. Like Augustine, we journey with hearts restless until they rest in God. We discover that each ordinary moment, illuminated by grace, becomes part of our path toward Heaven. The discipline of daily prayer transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, slowly reshaping the soul and preparing us, step by step, for our final home.

 

Searching for Purpose through the Light of Truth

Books by Saint Augustine

In the hushed corridors of our hearts, the question echoes: Why am I here? Saint Augustine, restless in soul and longing for answers, wandered the world searching for meaning—but discovered that all wisdom flows only from the Light of Truth itself. For Augustine, and for every pilgrim following his way, life is not an aimless journey, but a purposeful quest, a pilgrimage toward the heavenly homeland that our souls quietly remember.

Scripture tells us, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Yet that freedom is not found in the distractions and fleeting pleasures that so often tempt us from the path. Augustine’s Confessions stand as a testament to the struggle: again and again, he turned toward created things, seeking fulfillment, only to encounter disappointment and sorrow. In his spiritual night, it was the gentle, persistent light of God’s truth that beckoned him home—an invitation all are given, however lost we may feel.

To search for purpose is to hunger for more than this world can offer. The heart is restless until it rests in God, Augustine insists. Whatever our vocation or state in life—whether on the winding roads of pilgrimage or amid the quiet duties of daily living—the longing within us signals a deeper destiny, one tied to heaven itself. Each step taken in search of truth becomes, in Christ, a step away from darkness and toward the radiance of God’s love. Through Sacrament, prayer, and the example of the saints, the pilgrim discovers that our ultimate end is not power, success, or recognition, but the eternal embrace of the Father.

The journey can be daunting. There are moments of doubt, times when the voice of Truth seems drowned out by the world’s noise. But Augustine shows that it is precisely in persevering after the Light—in seeking, questioning, and knocking—that we are drawn closer to the heart of God. It is here we find our purpose, illumined by grace, guiding us ever onward with eyes fixed on our true goal: heaven.

 

Discipleship That Evangelizes Along the Way

Discipleship, when seen through the lens of Saint Augustine, is not a solitary ascent, but a shared journey—one heart speaking to another, one soul inviting another to seek the higher things. Augustine’s own pilgrim path, filled with searching, longing, and unexpected grace, reminds us that every step we take toward Our Goal is Heaven becomes an occasion to invite others to walk with us.

We evangelize not merely with words, but through the witness of our lived faith. Augustine teaches that true discipleship draws its energy from the interior transformation wrought by Christ. When our hearts are set on heaven, the peace and joy that flow from that orientation cannot help but overflow. Strangers become companions; neighbors become fellow seekers. Even our struggles, when offered to God, become signposts for others pointing heavenward.

Augustine loved to say, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” The restlessness he speaks of is not just an interior ache but a gentle urge to bring others to the Divine Rest. Our conversations, works of mercy, and daily fidelity—however humble—become living sermons on the road to heaven.

Disciples who walk in the footsteps of the saints naturally become evangelists. As we open our minds to the teachings of the Church and let the Eucharist shape our hearts, our very lives become an invitation. On the pilgrim way, we discover that faith is not a private treasure to hoard, but a fire meant to be shared—until, by God’s grace, many more may join us in saying: Our Goal is Heaven.

 

Conclusion: Our Goal Is Heaven—The Pilgrim’s Heartbeat

As we walk the pilgrim way with Saint Augustine, our hearts are gently yet persistently called homeward—to Christ, to the source of all joy, to Heaven itself. The journey is not always easy; there are winding roads, doubts, and struggles, just as Augustine himself faced questions and restless longing. Yet, his life reminds us of a profound truth: Our Goal is Heaven. Every Mass, every moment of prayer, every act of love for neighbor brings us one step closer to the eternal embrace our souls were truly made for.

At Journeys of Faith, we embrace this mission wholeheartedly. Like Augustine, we seek to inspire, educate, and travel together as one—One Heart, One Mind, One Spirit, With One Vision. Through your pilgrimage—spiritual or physical—you belong to a communion of saints, a worldwide family bound by faith, hope, and love. Let Augustine’s passionate search for God rekindle your own longing for Heaven. May your journey, sustained by the Eucharist and the wisdom of the Church, daily echo the saint’s cry: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You, O Lord.” Heaven is not just our destination—it is our destiny. Let us go forth together, never losing sight of our ultimate Goal.

 

 

FAQs About "Our Goal Is Heaven: Walking the Pilgrim Way with Saint Augustine"

What is the main message of Our Goal Is Heaven: Walking the Pilgrim Way with Saint Augustine?

The heart of the book centers on the ultimate Christian aspiration—union with God in Heaven. Guided by Saint Augustine’s profound insights, it invites readers to view life as a sacred pilgrimage, drawing closer to God through faith, hope, and charity. The message is one of encouragement: no matter where you are on your journey, Heaven is the destination that gives meaning and purpose to every step.

Books by Saint Augustine

Who is the target audience for this book?

This book is crafted for Catholics seeking spiritual enrichment, inspiration, and education. It resonates especially with those devoted to the lives of the saints, Eucharistic miracles, and Marian apparitions, as well as anyone involved in Catholic media or pilgrimage. Both laypersons hungering for deeper faith and seasoned Catholics committed to spiritual formation will find it invaluable.

What inspired the author to write this book?

"Our Goal Is Heaven" was born out of a passionate desire to ignite a renewed love for the Catholic faith—rooted in tradition and personal encounter with Christ. Inspired by the spiritual legacy of Saint Augustine and fueled by the mission of Journeys of Faith, the book is a continuation of decades-long work: bringing authentic Catholic spirituality, shaped by both joy and suffering, to all who seek Heaven as their home.

How does the book draw from Saint Augustine’s life and teachings?

The book weaves Augustine’s own remarkable journey—from restless searching to peace in God—into a roadmap for modern pilgrims. Rich passages from Augustine’s Confessions and sermons illuminate timeless truths: the necessity of God’s grace, the power of conversion, and the call to charity and unity. Readers are invited to see their struggles reflected in Augustine’s and to embrace his spirit of humility, gratitude, and trust.

Is this book suitable for group study or individual reflection?

Absolutely. "Our Goal Is Heaven" lends itself beautifully to both group and personal settings. Each chapter includes thought-provoking questions, space for reflection, and practical takeaways that serve both small faith communities and readers discovering the pilgrim way on their own. Parishes, families, and study groups will discover a powerful companion for communal spiritual growth.

What spiritual practices does the book recommend?

Drawing deeply from Augustinian tradition, the book encourages practices such as Lectio Divina (prayerful reading of Scripture), regular participation in the Eucharist, confession of sins, and devotion to Mary and the saints. It emphasizes contemplation, thanksgiving, and loving service as vital disciplines that keep our gaze fixed on our final goal—Heaven.

How does Saint Augustine’s concept of pilgrimage apply to modern life?

Saint Augustine taught that all Christians are pilgrims, journeying toward God even amidst distraction and weariness. The book makes this ancient vision remarkably accessible: whether you’re navigating family life, struggles with faith, or the trials of a secular world, Augustine’s wisdom lights the way. Every joy, suffering, and act of love becomes a step closer to our true homeland.

Does the book include prayers or meditations?

Yes. "Our Goal Is Heaven" features a treasury of Augustinian prayers and time-honored Catholic devotions to support pilgrims along the way. Meditations inspired by Augustine’s writings offer daily nourishment and open new pathways for God’s grace to work within the heart of every reader.

Books by Saint Augustine