This week, the Church celebrated two feast days, which are
intimately linked with the patron saint of our parish, Saint Ambrose: Saint Monica and Saint Augustine.
Saint Monica was the epitome of the patient wife and
mother. She also bore witness to the power
of prayer. Though it took many years,
her husband finally converted to Christianity about a year before he died. Monica’s prayers for her son, Augustine,
eventually led to his conversion and baptism as well.
Saint Augustine went on to lead a momentous life as
chronicled in his autobiography, Confessions. His book was the first of its kind, in that
it detailed his spiritual development.
It inspired future generations of saints to write similar books, such as
Saint Therese of Lisieux’s Story of a Soul. Augustine became a Catholic, a priest, and a
bishop in quick succession, and today is recognized as a Doctor of the Church.
Saint Ambrose featured in both Monica and Augustine’s life
quite prominently. He was Monica’s
spiritual director, and he was a key figure in Augustine’s conversion to
Catholicism. I think it is safe to say
that without Ambrose, there would be no Saint Augustine.
Let us all strive to be patient, like Monica, repentant like
Augustine, and fervent like Ambrose in our day-to-day lives.
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