[Salvation]

Doctors of the Catholic Church

Saint Augustine is the Doctor of Grace. He was a genius, although a genius to God means nothing. However, a holy genius means everything to God's mystical body. Grace enabled him to become a great spiritual lover and teacher. His conversion reveals God's bountiful grace. One of his famous sayings is: "Lord, give me what you ask of me and ask me what you will."

He is called the Doctor of Grace because of his miraculous transformation out of sin to the service of God's creatures. He served the church in Africa for many years as bishop with genuine love. His mother, St Monica, never stopped praying for him; a great model.

Those addicted to sin, fleeing from the church or decent principles or associated with immoral people, have a marvelous example to learn from in this great sinner turned saint. He discovered through prayer, change of heart and the holy influence of St Ambrose and others, to capture authentic a life of love and service toward others instead of a selfish love of life for himself.

"Augustine received a Christian education. His mother had him signed with the cross and enrolled among the catechumens. Once, when very ill, he asked for baptism, but, all danger being soon passed, he deferred receiving the sacrament, thus yielding to a deplorable custom of the times. His association with "men of prayer" left three great ideas deeply engraven upon his soul: a Divine Providence, the future life with terrible sanctions, and, above all, Christ the Saviour. "From my tenderest infancy, I had in a manner sucked with my mother's milk that name of my Saviour, Thy Son; I kept it in the recesses of my heart; and all that presented itself to me without that Divine Name, though it might be elegant, well written, and even replete with truth, did not altogether carry me away" (Confessions, I, iv). Quote taken from New Advent taken below, at the end.

St Augustine, 354-430. Doctor of Grace, Feast Aug 28th.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

 

Meditation: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, 14-17

“Stand firm and hold fast.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

Have your children ever boarded an amusement park ride where the passengers are tilted and whirled all around? If they are seated, you want to be sure they fasten their seat belts and stay in their seats. “Hang on tight!” you admonish. If they are still standing up, you may even jump onto the ride at the last minute and put your arms around them to make sure they are safe.

St. Paul has been on this part of the ride before. He knows the young believers to whom he is writing. He wants to make sure they keep a firm grip on some unshakable truths, no matter how frightening the vibra­tions along the way may be. It seems that the Thessalonians were getting unnerved by talk of Jesus’ Second Coming—to the point that they were losing sight of Jesus and thinking only about the final judgment!

Just as a ballet dancer can use a focal point to avoid dizziness despite numerous pirouettes, we can main­tain our balance as long as we remember one simple fact: God is in charge. No matter what the Second Coming actually looks like, no mat­ter when it happens, our heavenly Father will never abandon us or stop loving us. With the Lord by our side, we can face anything, even the final judgment.

Every age has seen its own end-of­the-world prophecies. “Get ready!” the prophets tell us. The cataclysm is coming tomorrow, a month from now, in 1981. God will destroy all evildoers, and you’d better be on the right side if you want to survive.

But Paul admonishes us: “Don’t be alarmed.” The ultimate Day of the Lord holds no terror if we see every day as the Lord’s day, a day to spend in his presence. He reminds us that God our Father “has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace.” If we cling to his Spirit, he will “strengthen [us] in every good deed and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:17).

So stand firm! Hold on! But also relax. God has jumped onto the ride with you. His strong arms are around you.

“Father, thank you for your presence and protection. Help me to trust you more.”

Psalm 96:10-13; Matthew 23:23-26