Saint Augustine of Hippo, the great African bishop and Doctor of the Church, departed this life on today’s date in the year A.D. 430. As he never tired of admitting out loud and in print, Augustine was spiritually dead in sin until the grace of God brought him back to life following his interior conversion, Baptism and entry into the Catholic Church at the age of 33. The Church honors him with the title “Doctor of Grace.” It cannot be a coincidence that the episode of Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire program which AM 1260 The Rock broadcast at 8:30 this morning deals directly with the way in which God does―and does not―dispense his grace to us in the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. In under 30 minutes, Bishop Barron explains the dangers to us all in believing the sacred Host to be a mere symbol instead of the Flesh and Blood of Jesus that It actually is, and why it is such a “big deal” when non-Catholics, as well as Catholics who have not been to the Sacrament of Confession recently, receive the sacred Host in Communion when they attend Mass. If you didn’t catch this morning’s important Word on Fire episode, you can listen to it here. Feel free to share this link with your friends, and Saint Augustine, pray for us!
Teachings for our Day on the Feast of St. Augustine
