Memorial of St. Augustine, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
Today we hear from I Thessalonians, the oldest writing in the New Testament (49 CE). The oldest verse in the entire New Testament is, I Thessalonians 1:1: “Paul, Sylvanus, & Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians…” The three missionaries named were leaders of the early Church. But there are many early leaders whose names never landed in the scriptures or in the writings of the early Church Fathers.
Clement, Jerome, Ambrose, Athanasius, Chrysostom, Irenaeus. These are some of the Fathers of the Church from early times. But perhaps none have been quoted through the centuries like Augustine, whose feast we keep today. We might shine the light more directly on Saint Augustine’s Day in 2025 now that we have an Augustinian pope (Leo XIV).
Here are some of the many inspiring sayings from today’s saint:
There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future.
God provides the wind, humankind must provide the sail.
Patience is the companion of wisdom.
Learn to dance so that when you get to heaven the angels know what to do with you.
Sin is looking for the right thing in the wrong place.
All who belong to Jesus Christ are fastened with him to the cross.
In my deepest wound I saw your glory and it dazzled me.
Anger is a weed. Hate is a tree.
Attract non believers not by argument but by the way you live.
Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending.
When we sing we pray twice.
It was pride that turned angels into devils. It is humility that changes men into angels.
Beware of despairing about yourself. You are commanded to put your trust in God and not in yourself.
To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek God the greatest adventure; to find God the greatest achievement.
There are also early “Mothers of the Church,” such as Catherine of Alexandria, Perpetua, Felicity, Monica (mother of Augustine), and our own Helen. As a matter of fact, the church owes St. Augustine to the prayers of his mother St. Monica for his conversion. But that’s for another time.
—Timothy J. Cronin