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December 7, 2009
St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church

Read

Read about St. Ambrose, the “fighter of emperors,” who also inspired and guided St. Augustine in his conversion to Christianity. Learn about this passionate, scholarly man who willingly stood up for his faith and the Church in the face of heresy and political challenge.

Daily Readings

Pray

Prayer for Evangelization
We ask Mary, the one through whom Jesus entered our world, to guide us in presenting Jesus to those who live in our land. May her prayers help us to share in her courage and faithfulness. May they lead us to imitate her discipleship, her turning to Jesus, her love for God and for all. May the compassion that Mary has always reflected be present in our hearts.

We also pray that, like the disciples walking that Easter morning to Emmaus, all Catholics may feel their hearts burning through the presence of Jesus.  As those two disciples felt the presence of Jesus in their journey, we ask that the ministry of evangelizing help believers feel anew the presence of Jesus and that it help others discover his gracious presence.

We pray that the fire of Jesus enkindled in us by God's Spirit may lead more and more people in our land to become disciples, formed in the image of Christ our Savior.

--From “Go and Make  Disciples,” 139-141.

Reflect

Pope Benedict XVI , Saints, p. 41 (c. 340–397; December 7)
Ambrosian Catechesis
[St. Augustine tells us that] Ambrose read the Scriptures with his mouth shut, only with his eyes (cf. Confessions, 6, 3). Indeed, in the early Christian centuries reading was conceived of strictly for proclamation, and reading aloud also facilitated the reader’s understanding. That Ambrose could scan the pages with his eyes alone suggested to the admiring Augustine a rare ability for reading and familiarity with the Scriptures. Well, in that “reading under one’s breath,” where the heart is committed to achieving knowledge of the Word of God . . . one can glimpse the method of Ambrosian catechesis; it is Scripture itself, intimately assimilated, which suggests the content to proclaim that will lead to the conversion of hearts. Thus, with regard to the magisterium of Ambrose and of Augustine, catechesis is inseparable from witness of life. What I wrote on the theologian in the Introduction to Christianity might also be useful to the catechist. An educator in the faith cannot risk appearing like a sort of clown who recites a part “by profession.” Rather—to use an image dear to Origen, a writer who was particularly appreciated by Ambrose—he must be like the beloved disciple who rested his head against his Master’s heart and there learned the way to think, speak and act. The true disciple is ultimately the one whose proclamation of the Gospel is the most credible and effective.

General Audience
October 24, 2007

Act