ANCIENT CHRISTIAN GIANTS

St Augustine (354-430)

Bishop of Hippo – great doctor of the Latin Church.

Born in North Africa, son of a pagan father and devout mother.

At the age of 16 went to Carthage to complete his education in law, became interested in philosophy and abandoned his Christian heritage. Offered a professorship in Rome where he founded his own school of rhetoric.

Came under the influence of Plato and St Ambrose. After a long inner struggle, again embraced the Christian faith.

Returned to Africa and formed a religious community and in 391 was ordained as a priest.

In 34 years in this monastic community he wrote a vast number of books. Wonderful theological insights.

Thomas a’ Kempis (1380-1471)

In 1399 at the age of 19 Thomas became a monk in the Augustinian monastery where he stayed all his life. He was made Superior (A superior is the leader or head of an 'order' of religious persons) in 1429. His outer life was not significant; he lived and died a simple monk.

His inner life was deep and rich- the lasting achievement was when he edited Gerhard Groote’s diary and out of it came “The Imitation of Christ”

Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)

Born of a noble family in Spain. Belonged to a long line of nobility – he participated in the revelry of the royalty- gambling, duelling, romance..

In 1517 he did service in the army and in May 1521 received a serious leg wound from a cannonball. He underwent several surgical operations which left his right leg shorter than the left leg. Returned to Loyola to recuperate, and had nothing to do, so he read. When he read the book ‘The Life of Christ’, (Vita Christi) by Ludolph of Saxony(1374), he was converted. He also read ‘The Imitation of Christ’ by Thomas a Kempis, and stories of St Francis.

He became determined to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, disposed of all his worldly goods, and clothed himself in sackcloth.

His ship was detained for a year in Manresa (a town in Spain) and here he wrote a large portion of “The Spiritual Exercises” (1522-1524). These exercises became the standard for Jesuit retreats and are still in use today.