The Feast of St Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop

 
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will tell of your name to my kin. This is today’s responsorial psalm. With grateful hearts we approach His altar of love and rejoice for the triumph of grace in the life of Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop, whose feast we celebrate today.

‘When Christianity in Britain was submerged by the pagan Anglo-Saxon invasion, Pope Gregory the great sent monks to England to evangelize the country. Saint Augustine of Canterbury was the leader of the Thirty Monks he sent. After his consecration as the Archbishop of England, Saint Augustine returned from France to Canterbury. Their mission was so successful that the pagan places and temples were converted and consecrated for Christian worship. They made sure that Christian celebrations superseded the pagan ones. Although it took several generations for the whole of Great Britain to be Christianised, to a great extent, they laid the foundation of the faith we now enjoy in this country’. 

St Augustine died in the year 604 or 605 but the fruits of his labour for the salvation of souls remain.  And this confirms Jesus said in John 5:36, because Saint Augustine’s works bear witness to his faithfulness to God.

Knowing the sufferings they had to go through just to bring us the Good News, with grateful hearts, we rejoice and join our voices with today’s entrance antiphon and say “we will praise the Lord, among the nations;  and will tell of his name to my kin”. 

Today’s first reading hinted to the fact that what we celebrate today is the triumph of grace. It says, it was God who gives us courage to proclaim his good news in the face of great oppositions. Indeed, great were the oppositions Saints Augustine and his friends experienced, but with the courage that comes from God alone, they selflessly remained faithful to God. Like a mother feeding and looking after her children, they were willing to risk their own lives that this country may come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved.

As we now rejoice for the outcome of Saint Augustine’s life, today’s responsorial psalm reminds us that we too are called to go out to the whole world proclaiming the Good news. Just like Jesus sent out the seventy-two others to the towns and villages, so are we sent to bring the message of the truth we have received to others.

But we must remember that we are sent as lambs among wolves as Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel. And what this means is that, we must not rely on our own strength, our protection and the success of our mission and ministry will depend so much on our obedience and docility.  Like the lamb, if we follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus said in John 10:9 we will go in and out and find pastures for, indeed, the harvest is rich.

Fortunately, we live in a time that desperately needs evangelization or re-evangelisation. So, we may not need to travel far to proclaim the Good News. The mission is right in our homes, streets and cities.  But what the world needs are people, who in trust, are striving and walking in faithfulness and self-abandonment to God’s providence, to God who provides and care for us more than we can ever care for ourselves.  This is probably what Jesus meant when he said to his disciples in today’s Gospel, as he sent them out, Carry no purse, no haversack.

In faithful submission to God as saint Augustine did, we become to others channels of the grace of conversions. For we are indeed privileged instruments in his hands.

Perhaps, I could invite us to start by asking the Holy Spirit to help us submit every aspect of our lives to the Holy spirit, so that we become channels of his grace of conversion. Just listen to him, as he makes know to us the areas of our lives that need more freedom. May the lord fill us afresh with his spirit, the living water that flows from the hearts of believers John 7:38. Now let us bring before the Father those, for whose conversion we have been praying. For the Father is the one who draws us to Jesus (John 6:44).  

Let us pray

Eternal Father, as you have sent us to bring good news to all people, fill us with your Holy Spirit with which you filled Saint Augustine of Canterbury, so that we may become channels of your grace of conversion. Protect us from all harm as we do our best to witness to your great Love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen

The Lord be with you

May the Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Go in peace and happy Sunday