Thursday, December 7, 2023

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

(Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7:21.24-27)

St. Ambrose of Milan exemplifies the wise and just man of today’s readings.  He saw the need to resist the Arian heresy as well as the interference of the state in church affairs.  Nor did he neglect the poor.  He once advised his people that if they had two shirts in their wardrobe, one belonged to the poor person who had none.

The reading from Isaiah indicates the strength of people like Ambrose who trust in the Lord.  They cannot be defeated forever.  If a mighty power seizes them, they will resist capitulation until they are rescued.  The gospel indicates that taking to heart Jesus’ words strengthens one to resist evil in all its forms.

We may tire of hearing Jesus’ words and celebrating him in the Eucharist.  As they say, we “have seen and heard it all before.”  But we have not likely taken him to heart.  The more we do, the closer we come to Jesus who makes us strong, wise, and just.

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

 

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

(Isaiah 40:1-11; Matthew 18:12-14)

If “all flesh is grass,” then a human being seems not very valuable.  Grass proliferates so that it is found everywhere and costs little.  Human beings likewise are plentiful – now numbering almost eight billion worldwide.  In some places human life seems readily disposable.  Widespread abortion testifies to this bitter fact.  The Scripture readings today give the contrary position.  Human lives mean much to God.

Isaiah refutes the naysayers.  He announces that God is making extraordinary efforts to save human life.  He cares for His people like a shepherd, his injured lamb.  The gospel takes up the image.  It says that as a shepherd goes after a lost sheep, Jesus searches for people who go astray.  Toward the end of all the gospels Jesus makes the ultimate sacrifice to save humans from their folly.

Today’s patron saint, Ambrose of Milan, showed a similar care for people.  He once had the emperor suffer a severe penance for having thousands of people murdered.  He especially cared for people’s spiritual welfare.  He struggled to keep the people free from paganism and the aberrant doctrine of Arianism.

Friday, December 7, 2018

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Isaiah 29:17-24; Matthew 9:27-31)

Saint Ambrose was not raised a Catholic.  His father was a Roman patrician who afforded Ambrose a classical education.  Ambrose became a government official and served as governor of the Roman province around Milan. While there, he decided to join the Christian catechumenate.  In this way he completed his intellectual formation from the perspective of faith in Jesus Christ.  It might be said that he was seeking a new way of seeing reality.  No longer would people be objects with only utilitarian value.  As a Christian, he would see them as images of the Creator worthy of respect and love.  Ambrose’s new way of seeing parallels the new sight Jesus gives to the two blind men in today’s gospel.  These cures are significant because they fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy in the first reading.

Isaiah prophesizes that in the fullness of time blind persons would no longer live in darkness.  Jesus again provides this blessing.  But his cures of blindness do not stop there as if seeing sunrays were the epitome of human desire.  More importantly, Jesus confirms the faith of the blind men in him as Lord.  This gift moves them beyond the challenges of life to the road to eternal happiness.

Like Ambrose we believe in order to see.  That is, we accept the truths of faith so that we can have a rightful understanding of the world.  We need not fear that faith conflicts with science as secularists say.  The two -- faith and science -- cover different realms of being and are compatible.  Belief even aids research as it provides scientists with increased motivation.  Faith-filled scientists do their research not just to make a living and to develop knowledge but for a higher purpose.  They fulfill the human task of praising the Creator by discovering the wonder of His work.

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7:21.24-27)

St. Ambrose was the Roman governor of the region around Milan before he became bishop of the city.  Although he had not even been baptized when elected bishop, he did have a fine sense of theology.  At least, he knew that the teaching of the Arians was mistaken.  The Arians believed that Christ was not God.  Such an idea not only runs contrary to much of the New Testament, it also compromises the efficacy of Baptism.  Ambrose was quickly baptized and ordained priest and bishop.  He continued to defend the teaching of the  Council of Nicea and the Church of Rome that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Word of God, equal with the Father and Holy Spirit.

Today’s first reading speaks of  a strong city that keeps faith.  Milan under the tutelage of St. Ambrose exemplifies this kind of city.  The gospel  compares Jesus’ words with a house built on rock.  By teaching Trinitarian doctrine, Ambrose was able to strengthen the foundation of biblical faith in his people.

The crisis produced by the Arian heresy is associated with the great feast that we are now anticipating.  On the twenty-fifth of the month we will celebrate the birth of the God-human.  It is nothing other than a mystery which invokes our attention and meditation.  Considering St. Ambrose, a great defender of the doctrine, should help us be more attentive to its meaning for us.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, bishop

(Isaiah 35:1-10; Luke 5:17-26)

It was said that the windows of St. John Paul II’s papal chambers were lighted until the midnight hour.  After spending his day in meeting with people and in prayer, the pope studied and wrote at night.  His work habits paralleled those of St. Ambrose.  The bishop of Milan was known for both his pastoral counselling and his eloquent preaching.  As an aspiring Catholic, St. Augustine wanted to confer with Ambrose but usually found him with a line of petitioners or deep in thought.  We see Jesus in a similarly committed ministry in today’s gospel.

A crowd surrounds Jesus as he both heals and teaches.  Determined believers gain access to him by opening a section of the roof.  They lower a man who is paralyzed for Jesus to see.  Evidently Jesus, who is said to know the thoughts of people, understands that the paralytic needs forgiveness more than mobility.  When he perceives also the Pharisees’ condemnation for saying that the paralytic sins are forgive, he heals the man as well.

We like to go to Jesus with our needs.  He is there to help us.  Perhaps we should ask ourselves if our greatest need is not also forgiveness.  Feeling sorry for ourselves, we try to manipulate attention from others.  Feeling annoyed by another’s mannerism, we react with an insult disguised as a joke.  Let us recognize these sins and then take comfort in the reconciliation Jesus offers us in the Eucharist.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Isaiah 29:17-24; Matthew 9:27-31)

Saint Ambrose was not raised a Catholic. Rather his father belonged to the governing class of Roman citizenry which afforded Ambrose a classical education. Ambrose joined the catechumenate in Milan where he was provincial governor. He chose to look from the perspective of faith which brought his intellectual formation to completion. The gospel today portrays Jesus as fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy of enabling sight in the root sense of the word.

Isaiah prophesizes that in the fullness of time blind persons like Helen Keller would be able to see flowers and butterflies. Jesus is able to provide that kind of blessing. But his cure does not stop there as if seeing beautiful things were all that humans desire. More importantly, Jesus confirms the faith of the blind men in him as Lord. This gift sees them past all the challenges on life on the road to salvation.

We believe in order to see. That is, we accept the truths of faith so that we can have a rightful understanding of the world. We need not fear that faith conflicts with science. They cover different realms and are compatible. Belief even aids research as it insures that investigation will serve humanity.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Memorial of St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Isaiah 40:1-11; Matthew 18:12-14)

Although a remarkable scholar and diplomat as bishop, St. Ambrose is equally remembered for his role in the conversion of St. Augustine. One biographer of Augustine tells the illustrative story of Ambrose going out of his way to assuage the worries of his convert.

Augustine’s mother, St. Monica, was visiting him in Milan where she noticed the people there not fasting on Saturdays in preparation for Sunday. She was so troubled by the practice that Augustine inquired of Ambrose the reason for not fasting. Ambrose told Augustine that he should do what he did himself: if he had a better reason for fasting than not, he would fast. Augustine went away thinking that Ambrose meant that he should dumbly follow authority. But that was incorrect. Ambrose followed Augustine to add that when he went to Rome, he fasted on Saturdays because that is what the people there do. Augustine remarked later that he took Ambrose’s advice “as an oracle from heaven.” Ambrose evidently meant that we should not follow prescriptions blindly but use both our heads to figure out their purpose and our discretion, when allowed, in applying them to ourselves.

Just as in Jesus’ parable the shepherd goes out of his way to find the lost sheep, the bishop Ambrose took pains to see that his people were well educated in the faith.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Memorial of St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Isaiah 35:1-10; Luke 5:17-26)

St. Augustine’s biographer Peter Brown makes an interesting note about St. Ambrose appropriate for Advent. Brown writes that Ambrose would frequently mention kissing in his homilies. According to Brown, Ambrose thought that the love poetry from the Song of Songs, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth” refers to the Church greeting Christ when he comes at the end of time. Evidently, after such a long wait the Church desires to be smothered with the love of her master.

It was not that Ambrose was a sensualist – anything but. He was a spiritual man who championed virginity and thought that the soul longed to cast away the body so that it might fly to God. Ambrose was also learned and wise. He was raised a patrician and served as a provincial governor before the clergy and laity of Milan elected him bishop. Since he was not yet baptized at the time, he had to receive the sacraments of initiation before being ordained and consecrated bishop. Once a bishop, he defended the Church against the jealous competitors of the imperial court.

Perhaps more than anything, Ambrose was the consummate man of the Church. A fine scholar, a great preacher, a capable administrator, and a saintly character, St. Ambrose epitomizes all that the Church needs to be to lead people on the way to the Lord.