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Gospel: Matthew 23: 8-12
Jesus spoke to his disciples:
“Do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today we celebrate one of the greatest intellects the Church has ever known: Saint Augustine.
Augustine has garnered more attention lately because of Pope Leo, who was formerly the head of the Augustinians, a religious order devoted to Augustine’s theology and spirituality.
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But who, exactly, was he?
Augustine was the son of Saint Monica, whose feast day we celebrated yesterday. Like many adults today, Monica prayed tearfully for the conversion of her son, as well as her husband, Patrick.
Fortunately, she never gave up.
After two decades of marriage, Patrick converted to Christianity, a mere two years before his death. However, he’d never live to see Augustine’s accomplishments. It’d take a few more years of searching before Augustine surrendered to Christ.
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Almost two-thousand years later, we can still tell Augustine’s story because of his autobiography, Confessions. It was the first autobiography written in the Western world, and perhaps, the first in history.
With stunning honesty and humility, he retraces the mistakes of his youth, how he dabbled in pagan philosophies, indulged in worldly pleasures, and finally experienced a dramatic conversion.
The last section of his autobiography focuses on philosophy, theology, and his understanding of the human heart. His most famous line being: “Our hearts are restless, until they rest in you, O LORD.”
Interestingly, Augustine wrote Confessions shortly after becoming a bishop! Imagine having a storied history, then sharing it with the world while also carrying the yoke of public ministry.
But he understood his life in the context of service to God and the Church. As he later said, “With you I am a Christian. For you I am a bishop.”
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May he intercede for us today, that we would all accept the truth: “Our hearts are restless, until they rest in you, O LORD.” And live accordingly.
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Image credits: (1) Word on Fire (2) Ibid. (3) Redbubble