By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Volume 1.
Advent.
Saint Ambrose.
Bishop.
Doctor Of The Church.
7 December.
This illustrious Pontiff was deservedly placed in the Calendar of The Church side by side with the glorious Bishop of Myra [Editor: Saint Nicholas].
Saint Nicholas confessed, at Nicæa, the Divinity of The Redeemer; Saint Ambrose, in his City of Milan, was the object of hatred of the Arians, and, by his invincible courage, triumphed over the enemies of Christ.
Let Ambrose, then, unite his voice, as Doctor of The Church, with that of Saint Peter Chrysologus, and Preach to the World the glories and humiliations of The Messias.
But, as Doctor of The Church, he has a special claim to our veneration; It is, that among the bright luminaries of The Latin Church, four great masters head the list of Sacred Interpreters of The Faith: Saint Gregory; Saint Augustine; Saint Jerome; and, then, our glorious Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, makes up the mystic number.
Ambrose owes his noble postion in the Calendar of The Church to the ancient custom of The Church, whereby, in the early ages, no Saint’s Feast was allowed to be kept in Lent.
The day of Ambrose’s departure from this World, and of his entrance into Heaven, was the fourth of April, which, more frequently than not, comes during Lent; so that it was requisite that the memory of his Sacred death should be solemnised on some other day, and the seventh of December naturally presented itself for such a Feast, inasmuch as it was the anniversary-day of Ambrose’s Consecration as Bishop.
But, independently of these considerations, the road which leads us to Bethlehem [Editor: “House of Bread”] could be perfumed by nothing so fragrant as this Feast of Saint Ambrose.
Does not the thought of this Saintly and amiable Bishop impress us with the image of dignity and sweetness combined, and of the strength of the Lion united with the gentleness of the Dove ?
Time removes the deepest human impressions; but the memory of Ambrose is as vivid and dear in men’s minds as though he were still among us. Who can ever forget the young, yet staid and learned Governor of Liguria and Emilia, who comes to Milan as a simple Catechumen, and finds himself forced, by the acclamations of the people, to ascend the Episcopal throne of this great City ?
And how indelibly impressed upon us are certain touching incidents of his early life ! For instance, that beautiful presage of his irresistible eloquence — the swarm of Bees coming round him as he was sleeping one day in his father’s garden, and entering into his mouth, as though they would tell us how sweet that babe’s words would be !
And the prophetic gravity with which Ambrose, when quite a boy, would hold out his hand to his mother and sister, bidding them kiss it, for that one day it would be the hand of a Bishop !
