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December 07, 2006 Memorial of St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor Old Calendar: St. Ambrose
St. Ambrose (340-397) was born at Treves in Gaul, a territory which embraced modern France, Britain, Spain, and part of Africa. He studied in Rome and later became governor of Liguria and Aemelia with residence at Milan. While supervising the election of a new bishop of Milan in 374, he himself was suddenly acclaimed the bishop. He was only a catechumen at the time. He was ordained a priest and consecrated a bishop on Dec. 7. He wrote much on the Scriptures and Fathers, preached a homily every Sunday, resisted the interference of the secular powers with the rights of the Church, opposed the heretics, and was instrumental in bringing about the conversion of St. Augustine. He composed many hymns, promoted sacred chant, and took a great interest in the Liturgy.
Around the year 333 Ambrose was born at Trier, the child of a noble Roman family. After his father's death he went to Rome, and was soon appointed consul with residence at Milan. While attempting to settle a dispute between the Arians and Catholics over the choice of a bishop, he himself was chosen, although only a catechumen at the time. Thereupon he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the study of theology, and gave his possessions to the poor. He was an illustrious preacher, and through his sermons brought Augustine to the faith and baptized him. Candid and fearless no matter how strong the opposition, Ambrose was directed to confront Maximus, the murderer of the Emperor Gratian. When Maximus refused to do penance, Ambrose excommunicated him. Later he denied Emperor Theodosius entrance into church for his massacre of the inhabitants of Thessalonica. It was on this occasion that allusion was made to [King] David as a murderer and adulterer, and Ambrose retorted: "You have followed him in sin, now follow him in repentance." Humbly, Theodosius accepted the penance imposed. We often meet this saint in the Divine Office as a teacher and as an inspired composer of hyms (fourteen of the hymns attributed to him are definitely authentic, true pearls of religious poetry). His writings are vibrant with ancient Christian liturgical spirit, for his life was wholly rooted in mystery and sacrament. We can profit greatly by reading Ambrose's works. He is one of the four great Latin Doctors of the Church. Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch. Patron: bee keepers; bees; candlemakers; chandlers; domestic animals; French Commissariat; learning; Milan, Italy; schoolchildren; students; wax melters; wax refiners. Symbols: Scourge; beehive; tower; dove; cope and mitre; human bones; scroll with staff of music; pen book and pen; cross; chalice; bull; knotted scourge; two scourges; goose; writing tablet and stylus; heart surmounted with flame; scroll with quotation from writings. Things To Do:
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A Dynamite Meditation
Matthew 7:21, 24-27 Introductory Prayer:Lord Jesus, I want to enter the kingdom of heaven through this prayer. I need you to take me to bathe in your grace. I promise you a fighting spirit in this prayer and trust you will do the rest. Petition:Lord, may I prove my love for you by doing your will with perfection. 1. Lip Service. Imagine a boy who promises his mom he will complete his chores if she will buy him a candy bar at the checkout lane. You can see the mom putting the candy bar in the cart out of love, but at the end of the day little progress may have been made with the chores. Christ states, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Just as this mother might tell her son, No dinner tonight because your chores are not done, in our relationship with God, empty promises and simply going through the motions do not get us very far. But if we strive to do the will of the Father out of love, then we can reach heaven! 2. A Dynamite Meditation. It amazed me growing up to go downtown and see foundations being dug out for skyscrapers to be built. Sometimes the construction workers would use jackhammers or dynamite to break through the rocky ground and lay a deep foundation. Today those skyscrapers are standing strong in spite of winds, rains, and floods. For our spiritual life to be grounded in rock, sometimes we need to use the jackhammer of prayer and the dynamite of the sacraments to break through our own rocky ground. Then we will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. Building the house of our holiness is the best investment we can make because this house will stand the test of time, and we will be able to take it with us into eternity. 3. Listen and Act. Prayer is a foretaste of heaven. It consists in talking to Christ about what is on our heart, listening to what he wants to tell us, and then acting on what he tells us throughout the day. The difference between the wise man and the fool in the Gospel is not in the listening to Christs words, but in acting upon them. Today I have a great opportunity to put into practice what Christ is telling me in this meditation. Dialogue with Christ: Lord, I want to give you true love today. I dont want a love built on the sand of my emotions but on the rock of my will united unconditionally to your divine will. Help me to complete everything you ask of me today and let this fidelity bring many others to you. Resolution: I will do an act of charity for that person whom I find most difficult. |