August 28--St. Augustine of Hippo, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

      

Sinner, heretic, gambler, playboy, philosopher, teacher, penitent, monk, priest, bishop, saint.  All these describe the same person, St. Augustine.  St. Augustine was the most influential person in developing and explaining Church doctrine in the first millennia after the first century.  He helped make clear the doctrines of Original Sin, the Trinity, grace, free will, Baptism, and more.  He was one of the four original Doctors of the Latin Church along with St. Ambrose, St. Gregory, and St. Jerome.

However, before he converted he was an opponent of the Catholic Church, belonging to a heretical group that said we have two wills, one good and one evil.  He had a mistress and an illegitimate son.  He was ambitious for fame and glory.  But he was also a searcher for truth.  That commitment to the truth eventually led him back to the faith of his mother, St. Monica.  All this is recorded in his great autobiography, The Confessions, which tells of his sinful youth and eventual conversion.

One of his famous lines from The Confessions is, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O God."  God plants in our hearts the desire for God.  If we are faithful to that desire; if we are honestly searching for truth, we will find God already in our hearts.

September 13—St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

The Greek word “Chrysostom” means Golden-mouth.  St. John Chrysostom had a golden mouth, meaning that he spoke with great eloquence.  He started out as a monk in Antioch and became very popular due to his homilies.  He was ordained Patriarch, or Archbishop, of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire in 398.  Constantinople was a place of intrigue and luxury.  Once ordained he began to reform the discipline of the church in Constantinople.  He also preached for better morals among the elite of government, including the empress.  Others, including some bishops in the East, feared his power in deposing corrupt bishops, and wanted him out.  Eventually, the displeasure of the empress along with those who opposed him in the Eastern Church led to his exile and ultimately to his death.

St. John Chrysostom’s homilies, writings, and letters were extensive and influential in supporting Church dogma and doctrine.  Thus, he is a Doctor of the Church.  They were also what led him to his exile because he spoke for greater moral behavior, especially among the rich, who were told to share their wealth with the poor, as befits Christians who should care for others.  In other words, St. John spoke truth, earning him enemies among the powerful.

We are called to seek truth.  We are called to live truth.  We are called to speak truth.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  When we seek Him; when we live the truth of his love; when we speak the truth of caring for others, especially the poor, even at the risk of sacrificing money, comfort, possessions, and reputation, we will also make enemies among those who think we go too far.  But love also means standing up for the truths of the faith.  We cannot have a “social” Gospel and leave it at that.  Jesus was not a social worker.  He is our Savior.  We must have the fullness of the Gospel and the fullness of the truth it contains.  The Catholic Church teaches the fullness of the Gospel and has been blessed with a magisterium that, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, can guide us in truth.  St. John Chrysostom was a preeminent member of the magisterium because of his words, but also because of his deeds.  We would do well to follow our bishop and pray for him.

January 28--St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

St. Thomas Aquinas—January 28

St. Thomas Aquinas lived in the thirteenth century, during the High Middle Ages in Europe.  St. Thomas was a Dominican priest who found his calling writing and teaching theology.  He is considered by many to be the greatest theologian in Catholicism.  He believed that as God gave us intellect, we need to use it in order to know who God is; as God gave us free will, we need to use it to choose to love God with all our hearts.  In order to help us know, love, and serve God more, God gives us his grace.  Grace builds on nature.  He also taught that the truths of faith cannot contradict the truths of reason for both are from God.  This can help us as we note that the natural moral law that is written in our hearts by God cannot conflict with the guidance in morals that the Church’s Magisterium offers us as we strive to become holier in our daily lives.  When our consciences come into conflict with the authoritative truths of the Church we should look at ourselves and pray for a willing and faithful submission to truth, the truth that Jesus gives to us through our shepherds, the pope and bishops.

St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of Catholic schools, an appropriate saint during Catholic Schools Week because of his extensive scholarship and teaching.  As we celebrate the gift of Catholic schools, it is appropriate to keep in mind that Catholic schools teach the truths of faith and morals that St. Thomas expounded on so long ago; the truths of revelation that cannot, and do not, conflict with the truths of reason.