Memorial of Saint Augustine

Todeay's Mass Readings

The saint whose feast we celebrate today, St. Augustine, is a doctor of the Church who is known for his profound and dramatic conversion, captured in his autobiographical Confessions. All of Western theology, it has been said, is a footnote to Augustine; his work is among the most influential in the Catholic tradition. Augustine’s conversion provides a wonderful example of the importance of others in the faith. Intellectually, Augustine was guided by St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, among others. But perhaps the most profound spiritual influence on Augustine’s life was his mother Monica, whose memorial was celebrated yesterday. Though married to a non-Christian, Monica’s faith remained steady, and her devotion to her son in the form of prayer, visits, and discussions was truly exemplary. Monica was constantly vigilant, watching out for her son. She never gave up on him, and so we have her to thank for his memorial today, as well as his many theological works. Augustine’s conversion, though dramatic, was not quick in the way of St. Paul. Augustine was not knocked to the ground by a booming voice. Rather he gradually came to accept the intellectual truth of Christianity and then slowly, with the grace of God, convinced himself to commit to Christianity. For Augustine, Christianity presented a great challenge inasmuch as he knew it would change his life and challenge his sinful behaviors. Hence we have his famous pre-conversion prayer, “Give me chastity, but do not give it yet.”

In today’s gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus tells yet another parable that has constant vigilance as its theme. Today’s reading boldly compares the Son of Man to a thief in the night; the point is that, like an unexpected thief, we cannot know when the Son of Man will come. The other comparison is to an absentee master of the house; the servant left in charge must continue to do his duty well, lest the master return to find abuse.

This need for attentive watchfulness and responsible service even without supervision presents some of the challenges of which Augustine was well aware. The truth is that it’s difficult to “stay awake” all of the time. It’s hard always to be nice to our “fellow servants.” But to live as a Christian is to commit oneself to trying. Again, we do not do this on our own. Just as Augustine had Ambrose, Monica and others, we see in the first reading the support of Paul for the church in Corinth. It is good to know that as difficult as the Christian life can be, we have the help and support of others, along with the grace of God.

Today, spend some time thanking God for those who have made a difference in your life as a Christian. In particular, try to be grateful for those people who help you to “stay awake” and keep trying to live a holier life. Maria Morrow