Augustine Aurelius was born on November 13, 354, in Tagaste, North Africa. His father was a pagan, his mother was a devout Catholic who we know today as St. Monica. As a young adult, he was yet unbaptized and seeking to find his place. He fell under the influence of the Manicheans, a belief system considered to be a Christian heresy, which caused his mother intense sorrow. Monica prayed and wept. A bishop consoled her by observing that a son of so many tears would never be lost. Yet Augustine fell deeper into moral degeneracy, pride, and stubbornness.
Restless is the heart until it rests in God. The fervent prayer of his mother, the preaching of Milan's Bishop (St.) Ambrose, the writings of St. Anthony the hermit, and sacred Scripture slowly guided his conversion, which was sealed by baptism on Easter night 387. Augustine's mother went to Milan with joy and witnessed her son's baptism.
In 388 he returned to Tagaste, where he lived a common life with his friends. In 391 he was ordained priest at Hippo, in 394 he was an assistant bishop. and then from 396 to 430, he was bishop of Hippo.
Augustine, numbered among the four great Doctors of the Western Church, was a major influence in Western philosophy and possessed one of the most penetrating minds of ancient Christendom. He was one of the Church's most influential theologians, especially regarding the dogmas of the Trinity, grace, and the Church. He was a great speaker, a prolific writer, and a saint with an inexhaustible spirituality.
A prayer by St. Augustine
Prayer:
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, That I always may be holy. Amen.
From catholicculture.org
