Dec 7 – Memorial for St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church
St. Ambrose (c.340–397) was born to the Roman nobility. He was the brother of St. Marcellina and St. Satyrus. He was educated in the classics, Greek, and philosophy at Rome, Italy. He was a poet and a noted orator. He was a convert to Christianity, and governor of Milan, Italy.
When the Bishop of Milan died, a dispute over his replacement led to violence. Ambrose intervened to calm both sides; he impressed everyone involved so much that though he was still an unbaptized catechumen, he was chosen as the new bishop. He resisted, claiming that he was not worthy, but he assented to prevent further violence. On Dec 7, 374, he was baptized, ordained as a priest, and consecrated as bishop. He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church and the poor, both for the good it did, and as an example to his flock.
He was a noted preacher and teacher, a Bible student of renown, and writer of liturgical hymns. He stood firm against paganism and Arianism. His preaching helped convert St. Augustine of Hippo, whom Ambrose baptized and brought into the Church. Ambrose’s preaching brought Emperor Theodosius to do public penance for his sins.
During his time as bishop, he also called and chaired several theological councils, many devoted to fighting heresy. He welcomed St. Ursus and St. Alban of Mainz when they fled Naxos to escape Arian persecution, and then sent them on to evangelize in Gaul and Germany. He was proclaimed a great Doctor of the Latin Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298.
The title ‘Honey Tongued Doctor’ was initially bestowed on Ambrose because of his speaking and preaching ability; this led to the use of a beehive and bees in his iconography, symbols which also indicate wisdom. This led to his association with bees, beekeepers, chandlers, wax refiners, etc.
- Patron Saint Index
Is 26:1-6
Mt 7:21, 24-27
“Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall…”
Can our faith be the size of a mustard seed yet be able to move mountains? Are we able to withstand the heavy downpours, the floods and gales, and remain steadfast in the face of a disaster or crisis? The question is, how much faith do we have? It is not enough just saying that “I’m a Catholic and I go to church every Sunday.” Other than that, I don’t really pray, and it feels like God is somewhere far, far away, up in the sky.
Certainly, our faith does not guarantee a place in heaven. Just as Jesus said to his disciples, it is not enough to say to him, “Lord, Lord” and then expect to enter the kingdom of heaven. Do we know him? How much do we really know him? What Jesus is trying to warn us in today’s Gospel is that we should try to build our house, that is our life and our faith, on rock and not on sand. The rock that is our God, calls to mind our first commandment to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)
It is still not too late to start getting to know our Lord. For me, God was that image of this fatherly figure up in heaven, beyond reach. Jesus was someone I came to know who died on the cross. When I prayed, I didn’t know that they were really listening to me and are in fact really close by. The God I grew up with was not someone I could call ‘Abba’ (like ‘ah pa’), or someone I could call friend, counsellor, confidante, saviour, or lover. After knowing that Jesus is the Son of the living God, he who wants so much to be a part of our lives, to show us how much we are loved, I can now trust that my house will not fall so easily.
Brothers and sisters, the more we know and understand this love of God, the more we will be able to grow our mustard seed-sized faith to one of a mountain.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Cynthia Chew)
Prayer: Dear Abba Father, do not let the rain, flood or gale crumble our house down. We want to build our faith on rock and not on sand. Please continue to guide us, show us, and shower us with your graces so that we can move mountains with our little faith. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Jesus, for being our Saviour, brother, friend, counsel, and above all, for loving us even when we don’t know what love is.
OXYGEN 
Leave a comment