Stolen Pears are Never Sweet: A Family Feast with St. Augustine
Stolen pears are never sweet.
In our family, we remember this principle every August, when we make pear crisp for the feast of Saint Augustine (recipe attached below). While we eat, we tell our children the story of Augustine as a teenager and his infamous theft of pears. It seemed fun at the time, but decades later, Augustine, by that point Bishop of Hippo, was still lamenting his sin!
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Augustine’s Pears
In one sense, the story of Augustine’s pear theft is short and straightforward. A pear tree was not far from his house, “laden with fruit, though attractive in neither color nor taste.” With a group of teenage friends, Augustine went at night, shook the tree, and “carried off a huge load of pears.” They did not eat many of the pears but instead threw them “to the pigs” (Confessions II.9).
Though his act was simple, it haunted Augustine for decades. Why? Because it was a crime committed without any good motive. “I had no motive for my wickedness except wickedness itself” (Confessions II.9).
Augustine explained that he already had his own pears, which were better:
“I had a quantity of better pears. But those I picked solely with the motive of stealing. I threw away what I had picked. My feasting was only on the wickedness which I took pleasure in enjoying.”
Confessions II.12
The Other Fruit-Theft
Augustine’s theft of pears should remind us of Adam and Eve and their first sin in the garden. For they also sinned by stealing fruit from a tree. And they also picked that fruit when they had everything else that was good to enjoy.
Tempted by the serpent, Eve, for a moment, believed that the fruit was appealing to sight and taste:
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Genesis 3:6
But shortly after eating the fruit, both Eve and Adam realized that it was bitter indeed:
Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.
Genesis 3:7
Only Folly Counsels Theft
Another scripture that we share with our family comes from Proverbs 9. In this passage, Wisdom and Folly are personified and contrasted. Where Wisdom offers bread and wine freely and without cost, Folly entices the simple to steal:
Stolen water is sweet,
Proverbs 9:17
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant
Only after their theft do they simply realize the truth:
But he does not know that the dead are there,
Proverbs 9:18
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Augustine learned this lesson the hard way. Decades later, he was still confessing it!
Good News & Pear Crisp
The good news is that God covers our sin and offers free forgiveness in Jesus Christ. We’ve all sinned, whether by stealing or otherwise, but we receive healing when we confess and come to Jesus:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
It’s like this: God takes the bitter pears of human theft and turns them into a pear crisp. Cooked in the fire of divine love, our sin becomes the occasion of divine forgiveness of redemption.
That’s why Augustine shared his story—not because he was worried about it anymore, but as a testimony to the grace of God he received.
And, of course, so that we can enjoy our pear crisp!
Pear Crisp Recipe
Place a generous layer of pear slices or cubes in an ungreased glass rectangular baking dish (such as Pyrex.)
For the crisp topping, use:
- 5 cups rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 3 heaping tablespoons light brown sugar (add more if you want it to be sweeter like a desert, less if you want it as a healthy breakfast item)
- 1/4 c walnut oil or avocado oil
Combine these ingredients and add them as a layer over the pear.
Bake at 350 F until bubbling.
Sprinkle sliced almonds on the top of the crisp for the last 5-8 minutes of baking.
Optional: Add yogurt or vanilla ice cream to taste.
Stolen pears are never sweet. But honestly, procured ones can’t be beat. Enjoy!
Image: Photo by Egor Myznik, courtesy of Unsplash.
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