4 minute read
St. Augustine's Feast Day
By Tom Dennehy
The great story of Saint Augustine gives hope to all of us, and it is amazing what can be achieved by prayer, as was the case of Saint Augustine.
The famous son of St. Monica was born in Africa and spent many years living a life of immoral values and false beliefs. He lived a life centred on parties, entertainment, and worldly ambitions. His mother, Saint Monica, was praying for 17 years for his conversion. God never gives up on us. He is constantly waiting for an opportunity to reveal Himself to us, even up until the last moments of our lives.
Saint Monica’s prayers were answered. Her son underwent a conversion and completely changed his life for the better. He realized that he had been living a life of misery and his soul “was tethered by the love of things that cannot last”.
His complete turn around and conversion has been an inspiration to many who struggle with their faith and finding the right path God has chosen for them. He tells us that God’s mercy is infinite. Though he was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived and though he had been brought up a Christian, his sins of impurity and his pride darkened his mind so much that he could not see or understand the Divine Truth anymore. Through the prayers of his holy mother and the marvellous preaching of St. Ambrose, Augustine finally became convinced that being a Christian was the only way to live his life. Yet he did not become a Christian straight away, because he thought he could not live a pure life.
In frustration, he cried out to God; “How long more, O Lord? Why does not this hour put an end to my sins?” Just then he heard a voice which said; “Take up and read”.
Thinking that God intended him to hear those words, he picked up the book of the letters of St. Paul and read the first passage his gaze fell on. In the passage, he read; “put away all impurity and live in imitation of Jesus”. This affected him deeply.
From there on, Augustine led a new life. He said, “It is God who always calls us, who looks for us, who always takes care of each one of us personally”.
He was baptized, became a priest, a famous Catholic writer, founder of an order of religious priests, and one of the greatest saints that ever lived. He became very devout and charitable too. On the wall of his room, he had the following sentence written in large letters; “Here we do not speak evil of anyone”.
St. Augustine overcame strong heresies, practised great poverty and supported the poor, preached constantly, and prayed with great fervour right up until his death. He said that God can only be found by “the humble, the meek, and the small”.
“Too late have I loved You”, he once cried to God, but with his holy life, he certainly made up for the sins he committed before his conversion.
He died aged 75 years and for months before he died, he had the seven penitential psalms penned on his bedroom wall and allowed no visitors, only medics and those who cared for him. He was conscious of his sins, and in his humility understood the need for the mercy and forgiveness of God. He was canonized in 1303 by Pope Boniface V111. He is patron saint of brewers, printers, and theologians.
His numerous written works, the most important being The Confessions of St. Augustine and The City of God helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought. He is recognized as a doctor of the Church, which means the Church believes his insights and writings are essential contributions to Church teachings, such as original sin, free will, and the Trinity. His writings consolidated many of the Church’s beliefs and teaching in the face of many heresies.
Above all, Augustine was a defender of truth and a good shepherd of his people. “Thou has made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until it finds rest in thee”
