“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.” (Matthew 24:45-48)
Yesterday we celebrated the feast of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine . Today we remember her son, St. Augustine , who became a Bishop and Doctor of the Church. St. Augustine was born in Algeria in 354 A.D. and lived to be almost 76 years old. He led a colorful and wayward life until he embraced Christianity and a deep spiritual life. St. Augustine claimed Christianity was not something external and visible; it was not to be found in obedience to certain clearly defined laws. Christianity meant spirit. Something inside people rather than a showy observance of laws. St. Augustine taught that the church was comprised of all Christians, sins and all. He is credited with saying, “In order to discover the character of people we have only to observe what they love.”
St. Augustine must have prayed and reflected often on the words of St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, "I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge ... so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ." He knew God would be faithful to him because it was in Jesus that God enriched him in every way. And St. Augustine showed his character by the love he had for Jesus.
First Corinthians 1:1-9 ∙ Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 • Matthew 24:42-51 or First John 4:7-16 • Matthew 23:8-12