Saint of the day August 28: Saint Augustine. Catholic Saints

Every August 28, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430), the famous bishop of antiquity who guided philosophy and theology along the route of cooperation, in such a way that the structure and the way of developing Christian doctrine as a depository of truth – that which disturbs the heart of the human being and that is revealed, ultimately, in the encounter with the divine.

Possessed of extraordinary spiritual finesse and intellectual depth, Augustine of Hippo has not only left an indelible mark on the Latin ecclesiastical tradition, but his thought produced a decisive impact on Western science and learning.

In Saint Augustine every soul that longs to reach the truth finds a safe and reliable friend, in whom there are no ambiguities. For this reason, he is the patron saint of “those who seek God”, either because they never knew him or because they erred along the way.

Saint Augustine of Hippo is considered among the Fathers of the Church, and is part of the select list of Doctors of the Church. He was a brilliant orator, philosopher and theologian, author of famous texts among which are the Confessions y The city of God. He served the Church as a priest and bishop.

“Late I loved you” (Saint Augustine)

Saint Augustine of Hippo was born on November 13, 354 in the city of Tagaste, located in North Africa, in territory that today belongs to Algeria. Her parents were Patricio Aurelius, a Roman citizen, and Monica, a Christian woman of proven virtue who would achieve sainthood through her self-denial and perseverance, praying and fighting for the conversion of her husband and her son.

In his youth, Augustine devoted himself to a libertine life, given to worldly pleasures. He lived with a woman for fourteen years, with whom he had a son named Adeodato, who would die very young.

Before his conversion to Christianity, Augustine sought to gain fame and prestige: he first spent time in Carthage (an ancient city in North Africa) and then moved to Rome, capital of the empire. No doubt, both his exceptional brilliance and intelligence helped him become a ‘great orator’ (something like today’s defense lawyers). He embraced various types of doctrines and beliefs, and for many years he was linked to the sect of the Manichaeans, one of the many variants of Gnosticism.

Things began to change in his life when he was appointed as the emperor’s orator (retort) in Milan. There he met Saint Ambrose, bishop of the city, whose testimony of wisdom and discursive skill left him impressed in a way he had never been before. Providentially, Augustine was able to recognize, thanks to that holy man, both the light of Truth – thus, with a capital letter -, something that he had been searching for years, and, by contrast, the darkness in which his erratic existence was found.

One day, when Augustine was in a garden, immersed in a deep melancholy, he heard the voice of a child telling him: “Take and read; take and read” (Great, lay; great, lay). The saint opened, at random, a Bible that he had on hand. His eyes fell on the first thing he saw: chapter 13 of Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans, which literally said:

“No feasting or drunkenness; no lust and debauchery… put on the Lord Jesus Christ and do not worry about the flesh to satisfy its lusts” (Rom 13:13-14).

The text and the circumstances touched his soul and that accelerated his conversion process. He resolved to change his life according to Christ, and began by renouncing pleasures of all kinds that clouded his soul and living chastely.

When this finally happened, Augustine was no longer a young man. Hence his famous lament: “Late did I love you, oh Beauty always ancient, always new. Late I loved you” (Confessionsbook VII).

An exceptional mother: Santa Monica

In the year 387, Augustine was baptized in Milan with his son; He was 33 years old. He always considered that his conversion was late and that he wasted a good part of his life seeking the greatest in things that are pure appearance. The death of his mother, Santa Monica, that same year, left him with great disappointment regarding the knowledge acquired and that he used to display.

He had finally become aware of all the love and effort that his mother had put into helping him change his life and receive Christ. Never before had he perceived so clearly that his mother had been a woman of deep love for her family, because she was a woman full of love for God. This harsh experience, which was combined with unfathomable gratitude, would mark Augustine for the rest of his life.

Africa again: Hippo

Returning to Africa, the saint proposed to lead a life of meditation and prayer. However, God had other plans for him.

One day, while attending the Eucharist in Hippo, he was questioned by Bishop Valerius, who had already received news about his conversion. Then, Valerio told him that he urgently needed a priest to assist him in his pastoral work. Although he did not like the idea initially, Augustine took that question as a call from the Lord.

Thus, after the indicated time and preparation, he is ordained a priest; and, five years later, bishop. He ruled the diocese of Hippo for 34 years, using his intellectual and spiritual gifts to minister to the needs of the flock God had entrusted to him.

He fought the heresies of his time, debated currents contrary to the faith, attended several councils of bishops in Africa and traveled constantly with the purpose of speaking correctly about the Gospel. Although he had discovered himself, some time ago, called to a silent life away from the applause of the people, his work as bishop prevented him from doing so in several ways. He could not prevent his episcopal work from contributing to increasing his prestige inside and outside the Church, thanks to his lucidity, courage and wisdom.

In August 430, the bishop fell ill and on the 28th he died. His body was initially buried in Hippo, but was later transferred to Pavia (Italy).

Augustine, a saint for our time

In recent decades, the pontiffs have constantly returned to the figure of this great saint and have presented him as an example and inspiration for Christians of our time. Saint John Paul II in 1986, on the occasion of the XVI Centenary of the Conversion of Saint Augustine, published the apostolic letter Augustine of Hippo (Saint Augustine of Hippo) with the purpose of disseminating the life and work of the Doctor of the Church.

In January 2008, Pope Benedict XVI referred to him as “a man of passion and faith, of the highest intelligence and of tireless pastoral care… he left a profound mark on the cultural life of the West and the entire world.” Benedict XVI used to say that Augustine was a “good traveling companion” in his life and ministry.

In August 2013, Pope Francis, during the opening Mass of the General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine (Augustine), also referred to him in these terms: “He is the man who makes mistakes, also takes wrong paths, sins.” -he is a sinner-, but he does not lose the restlessness of the spiritual search. And in this way he discovers that God was waiting for him; even more so, that he had never stopped seeking Him first.”

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If you want to access more information, we recommend that you review the following material offered by the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Agustin_of_Hippona.

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