Today's Feast: St. Ambrose

Ave Maria! Today we remember St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (AD 339-397). At first glance, he seems to have been an unlikely candidate for this ecclesiastical office. He was a young lawyer with a successful career, not yet even baptized, when the Bishop of Milan died and, amidst much tumult, the crowds elected Ambrose bishop. These were harrowing times for the church, so it's not all that surprising that his response was to run away. But God's grace prevailed and transformed Ambrose. Go here and here and here and here and here to learn more about this extraordinary man who became the first of the 33 Doctors of the Church.

One of the best known prayers of St. Ambrose follows:

Lord, teach me to seek You, and reveal Yourself to me when I seek You. For I cannot seek You unless You first teach me, nor find You, unless You first reveal Yourself to me. Let me seek You in longing, and long for You in seeking. Let me find You in love, and love You in finding. Amen.

Another prayer of St. Ambrose that I particularly like, especially when I am preparing for the sacrament of confession, is this one:

O Lord, who has mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of Your Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore You, a heart to delight in You, to follow and enjoy You, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Dear Mary, Virgin of Advent, when I start to run away from Your Son, come after me, please, and bring me back to Him. Amen.