I Thessalonians 2: 1-8 (Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Feast of St. Augustine)

Yesterday, we celebrated the feast of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine. We learnt how Monica persevered in prayer and eventually was able to help Augustine receive baptism. Augustine was baptized at the age of 33, became a priest at the age of 36 and eventually a bishop at the age of 41. Augustine gave up a Manichean lifestyle of love for the flesh and took on a new life of love for God. Augustine’s conversion experience led him towards becoming the person that God wants him to be. This new found love made him truly a Eucharistic person. Augustine would instruct those approaching first holy communion that, “you yourself are what you receive.” Our reception of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist makes us one with Jesus, and this one-ness should help us to become Christ-like people in the world. In Augustine, we learn that the Eucharist empowers us to become Christ-like people.

As we share in the Eucharist today, there are many habits in our lives that we have been struggling to rid ourselves of. Let us identify those things and ask Jesus of the grace to overcome them. If he could help Augustine overcome his life of the flesh, Jesus can help you too.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, we come to you today with our different sins of the flesh: Adultery, fornication, masturbation, pornography, alcoholism, drugs, over indulging ourselves in food. We ask you Lord to give us the power to overcome these, that we may be truly the people you want us to be.