Saint Ambrose
Feast day: December 7
Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church, who baptized Saint Augustine (07/12)
Who is he?
Saint Ambrose was Bishop of Milan (in Italy) at the end of the fourth century, and one of the four great Doctors of the Western Church. He was a loving shepherd, a gifted preacher and a writer of hymns.
Life story
Ambrose was born around 340 in the city of Trier, into a Christian family; his father was a high official of the Roman Empire. The story goes that when he was still in his cradle, a swarm of bees came and settled on his lips, then flew away without stinging him. His father took it as a sign that he would do great things.
When he grew up, he studied law and was appointed governor of the region that included the city of Milan. In 374, the Bishop of Milan died, and two groups in the city argued fiercely about who should succeed him. Ambrose went to the church to keep order. Suddenly a voice cried out to choose Ambrose as bishop, and all the people agreed with one voice. At that time he was still only a catechumen. Within about a week, he was baptized, ordained a priest and, on 7 December 374, consecrated a bishop.
He sold his possessions to help the poor and spent many hours studying Scripture and praying. He preached so well that the young Augustine, who was still far from God at the time, often came to listen. At the Easter Vigil in 387, Bishop Ambrose baptized Augustine, who later became a great saint too. He wrote hymns for the faithful to sing together, and he bravely demanded that even the Emperor Theodosius do public penance after ordering a massacre of the people of Thessalonica. That powerful emperor obeyed and repented.
He died on 4 April 397, on Holy Saturday.
Why is he a saint?
Saint Ambrose loved the Word of God and helped everyone discover its sweetness, as the Psalm says: “How sweet to my tongue is your promise, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps 119:103). He was not afraid of the powerful; he was only afraid of displeasing God.
A lesson for you
- Use your mouth to say good things: praise your friends, comfort those who are sad, and never lie.
- Sing the hymns at Mass with all your heart, like the faithful of Milan long ago.
- Pray for a relative who is far from God, and ask God to send people who will help them come close to him.
Identifying marks
- A beehive and bees: according to legend, when he was a baby, a swarm of bees settled on his lips and then flew away; people took it as a sign that he would preach God's word, sweet as honey.
- A bishop's mitre and crozier: he was Bishop of Milan.
- A white cloak with gold trim: a bishop's liturgical vesture.
- A beard touched with gray: as shown in the picture.
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