A TRULY GREAT SAINT AND THEOLOGIAN
Today
we celebrate the feast day of St. Augustine, a truly great saint and
theologian. As a young man, he was not known for his faith but for
virtually the opposite. Whatever Augustine did, he did with gusto. And
so, when he sinned, he did so greatly. He gave in to many of the sexual
pleasures of his time and kept a mistress for many years. He even had at
least one son that we know of. But when the time for his conversion
came, he eventually surrendered himself and his enormous intellect to
the grace of God. For me, he is probably the greatest of all the Church
theologians as he is the first to really comment on all the various
branches of theology in a systematic manner. He is the
most quoted of all the saints in both the Prayer of the Church and the
Catechism of the Catholic Church.
St. Augustine was baptized when he was 32 years old after arriving in
Milan and being enraptured by the preaching of St. Anselm, the bishop of
Milan at that time. A few years later, Augustine was ordained a priest.
By virtue of public acclamation, he was ordained a bishop after a few
years. And so began his long and distinguished service to the Church,
fighting heresy and error. Some people today blame the over-zealous
conscience of Augustine for the Church’s sometimes perceived negative
view of human nature — its proneness to sin. However, I believe they do
him an injustice.
Augustine was a realist and, thus, not worried with speaking out the
truth. He does so in a very frank manner in his autobiography — probably
the first ever written — and anyone who wants to understand the
spirituality of this man must begin with this epic work. It can be
difficult reading at times but well worth the effort. I recommend that
you read his Confessions and see that he is truly a man for whom the
love of God comes above all other things. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
REFLECTION QUESTION: What in St. Augustine’s life do you find admirable?
Holy
Spirit, help me to be inspired by St. Augustine’s love for God and his
fellow men and women. Lead me in the path of conversion so that my life
may inspire others to follow the Lord.
Hi Nil,
ReplyDeleteI think St. Augustin was in contact with St.Ambrose, the bishop of Milan... not St. Anselm