Today is the Feast of St. Augustine, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church. St. Augustine is one of the most well-known saints, largely due to his incredibly influential book Confessions as well as his influence on theological thought throughout the centuries.
St. Augustine was born in 354 in Africa. His mother, St. Monica, was a devout Christian while his father, Patricius, was a pagan who converted on his deathbed. Augustine was raised Christian but left the faith at 17 to follow the Manichean religion. He lived a hedonistic lifestyle for a long time and prayed, “Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.”
Affair
During this time, he began an affair with a woman of Carthage and lived with her for over 13 years. They had a son together, but they never got married. Augustine was very well educated and taught at several different schools during this period. Several years later he won a very esteemed position to teach rhetoric to the imperial court of Milan.
When he moved to Milan, his mother followed him there, worried about the poor choices he was making. St. Monica prayed for St. Augustine’s conversion tirelessly for many years. God heard her prayers! After being in Milan, his friend convinced him to speak to St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, who was extremely intelligent and well versed in rhetoric like St. Augustine was. Ambrose had great sway with Augustine in his conversion.
Conversion
Ambrose, combined with a friend’s story of reading the life of St. Anthony of the Desert, ultimately led to his conversion. He also famously told of how he heard a child’s voice tell him “Take up and read” and flipped to the verses in the Bible that spoke of St. Paul telling how the disciples of Christ are transformed and able to control the flesh. This powerful experience greatly helped him to be chaste. Ambrose baptized Augustine and his son in 387. Augustine was ordained a priest in 391 and then Bishop of Hippo in 395. During his time as Bishop, St. Augustine was known for his excellent preaching and writings defending Christianity. He was an active bishop until he died 430.
Take heart on this feast of St. Augustine, that if we turn to Our Lord in prayer, He will also give us grace to overcome our sins and make us saints! St. Augustine, pray for us!
