Ambrose of Milan O Lord, who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore Thee, a heart to delight in Thee, to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christs sake, Amen. — Ambrose of Milan, 4th century bishop Inline image 1 In Christ the nature which we have in common with him, according to the flesh, has obtained the prerogative of the heavenly throne. (On the Faith, book 5, chapter 6, as quoted in Catalog of Testimonies, p. 227) It was the year 373 that the death of the bishop of Milan threatened the peace of that important city. Tensions remained between those who supported the Arian controversy (which said Christ was a created being not God incarnate) and the orthodox believers. The election of the new bishop could easily turn into a riot. In order to avoid a possible riot, Ambrose, the governor of the city, decided to attend the election. His efficient and fair rule had made him popular. He felt he must deal wisely with this potentially explosive situation in Milan. Therefore, he appeared at the church, where tempers were beginning to flare, and addressed the crowd, as he spoke calm was restored. Suddenly from the midst of the crowd, a child cried, Ambrose, bishop. This caught the fancy of the crowd, and the insistent cry was heard: Ambrose, bishop; Ambrose, Ambrose! Such an election was not part of Ambroses plans for his career, he had hoped for higher office in the Roman Empire. He sought to dissuade the people. When that strategy failed, he repeatedly attempted to escape from the city, but was unsuccessful. Finally, when it became clear that the emperor would be gratified with the election of his governor as bishop, he agreed to be made bishop of Milan. Since he was only a catechumen, and therefore was not even baptized, it was necessary to perform the that rite, and then to raise him through the various levels of ministerial orders. All this happened in eight days,and he was consecrated bishop of Milan on December 1, 373. Ambrose approached his new role with great dedication and became a gifted theologian and preacher. It was his preaching that converted St Augustine of Hippo to Christianity. Ambrose did not cower before secular power, the Roman emperor Theodosius ordered the slaughter of occupants of a town in Thessalonica that had been involved in the riot. Upon learning of these events, Ambrose resolved to demand clear signs of repentance from the emperor. The next time Theodosius went to church in Milan the bishop met him at the door, raised his hand before him, and said, Stop! A man such as you, stained with sin, whose hands are bathed in the blood of injustice, is unworthy, until he repents, to enter this holy place, and to partake of communion. The emperor acknowledged the truth in Ambroses words, and gave public signs of repentance. He also ordered that from that time on, if he ever decreed that someone be put to death, the execution be delayed for thirty days. After that clash, relations between Theodosius and Ambrose were increasingly cordial. Finally, when the emperor knew death was near, he called to his side the only man who had dared to censure him in public.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 00:22:59 +0000
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