Saint Augustine of Hippo:

Feast day : 28 August

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Doctor of the Church and one of the greatest theologians of the Catholic Church. He lived during the period 354-430. Though his early years were wasted in sin and pursuing his youthful passions, after his conversion he rose to become an influential figure of Christianity. He was ordained Bishop of Hippo and governed the diocese for 34 years. During this time he also vehemently defended the teachings of the Catholic Church through his powerful sermons and writings against the heresies of his time – the Manicheans, Donatists and later the Pelagians. He was a man who loved the truth intensely, whose whole life was spent in seeking out the secrets of nature and of Divine Revelation. His most famous literary works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions which are classics of Catholic Theology. He was canonized by popular acclaim and honoured with the title ‘Doctor of the Church in 1298 by Pope Boniface VIII. He is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, and a number of cities and dioceses

Early life:

Saint Augustine was born in Tagaste in 354 as the eldest child to Patricius, a pagan and Monica, a devout Christian, who was later raised to sainthood for her heroic Christian virtues. Patricius was known to be a man of violent temper and adulterous too. But Monica won his soul for God through her patient endurance and prayers. In the last year of his life Patricius had a true conversion of heart and remained a faithful Christian till his death. At the time of his death, Saint Augustine was studying at Carthage. There he fell into bad company and coupled with his youthful passions was led into the sins of impurity. At the age of 17, he entered into union with a girl with whom he lived for 14 years. Though the union was not a marriage, they were faithful to each other and had a son named Adeodatus who later died in his early teens. During this time he also joined the sect of the Manicheans, a heretical group that pleased his intellectual pride.

Conversion of Saint Augustine:

For nine long years, he continued in his sinful life much to the sorrow and disappointment of his mother, Saint Monica who continued to pray for him. Her prayers soon yielded results. Augustine ended his relationship with his lover though she left her son behind with him. He later travelled to Milan to preach his doctrines there but met with Saint Ambrose whose sermons greatly influenced him. One day a fellow countryman, Pontitian, came to Milan and recounted how some of his military officers had vowed a life of chastity after reading St. Athanasius’s book ‘Life of St. Antony of the Desert’. At that time, though he had sent away his faithful mistress, he had given in to his weakness again and taken a new one. But all through, he continued his prayers to overcome his vices “Lord make me pure, but not yet”. And one day, filled with anguish, he rushed out into the garden, flung himself under a fig tree and cried out : “How long, O Lord, how long? Remember not my former sins! Tomorrow and tomorrow...why not now?” Then he heard a child’s voice singing over and over again “Tolle, lege; tolle, lege” meaning “Take and read; take and read.” He had read that a random opening of the Bible guided St. Antony and took this as a sign for him to open the Bible. He opened it to read Romans 13:13-14 where it is written “let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy.” Following this he had a true conversion of heart and abandoned his sinful ways. The following Easter in 387 he was baptised by Saint Ambrose together with his companions. Saint Monica’s prayers were answered and having fulfilled her lifelong wish to see him converted, she died within a few months at Ostia.

Vocational life:

Following her death, Saint Augustine returned to Africa and lived a quiet monastic life. However, he was soon made bishop of Hippo in the year 396. He governed the diocese for 34 years lavishing all his gifts and graces for the spiritual growth and sustenance of his flock. He also wrote extensively, defending the Church against heresies and false teachings of the Manicheans, Donatists and later the Pelagians. He soon emerged as a leading figure of Christianity in Africa. In a great meeting at Carthage in 412, with 286 Catholic bishops and 279 Donatist bishops present, St. Augustine played a leading role in refuting the schimatics. He vehemently defended the unity of the Church in his sermons. He won the title ‘Doctor of Grace’ especially for combating the Pelagians who overstated the role of free will whilst St. Augustine made a strong case for grace and man’s complete dependence upon it. Owing to his great influential writings and oratory skills, he is most commonly recognised as the greatest single intellect that the Catholic Church had ever produced, with the possible exception of Saint Thomas Aquinas gaining him the title ‘Doctor of Doctors’.

He was a man who loved the truth intensely, whose whole life was spent in seeking out the secrets of nature and of Divine Revelation. His most famous literary works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions. Augustine imagined the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material Earthly City. In his autobiography, The Confessions, he wrote an account of his conversion wherein he confesses to God about his past life because he wanted men to know the sinful life he had led and how God’s mercy was what saved him. This became a classic of Catholic theology and remained a spiritual manual for generations. It is also an outpouring of thanksgiving.

Death and Sainthood:

In the year of his death the Vandals, a Germanic tribe that had converted to Arianism, invaded Roman Africa. In the August of 430, he fell sick and on his request, his friends hung on the wall of his room copies of the seven penitential psalms which he read over and over again. On August 28, 430, he died peacefully. His body was buried in Hippo and later moved to Pavia in Italy. He was canonized by popular acclaim and honoured with the title ‘Doctor of the Church in 1298 by Pope Boniface VIII. He is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, and a number of cities and dioceses