“Comfort, give comfort to my people,” says the Lord. Isaiah tells us that a voice cries out to us, calling us to prepare the way for the Lord in the wilderness, to make straight a way for the Lord in the desert. The prophecy of a voice crying out in the desert is fulfilled in the time of Jesus by his cousin John the Baptist, who literally comes out of the desert to proclaim Jesus’ presence to the world.
Perhaps we feel like we are traveling through the desert in our lives at this very moment, especially with all the issues we have had to deal with in the pandemic, how we have had to adapt to a new reality and to people around us reacting in different ways to this new reality. Perhaps we are struggling with things such as our faith in this new reality or all the personal issues that face us. Perhaps we are struggling to incorporate God into our daily lives, wondering where God is in this midst of the violence and social unrest and division we see around us. Yet, this voice is indeed crying out to us, telling us to take a moment out of our busy lives to recognize that God’s presence indeed with us regardless of whatever else is going on. Isaiah was called to bring comfort to the people of Israel when many were still in exile in Babylon. This message is relevant to us today.
The saint we celebrate today is St Ambrose. He was bishop of Milan, Italy in the 4th century, an important theologian and Church leader in that era of the early Church. His influential in the Church is shown by his selection as one of the original four Doctors of the Church in 1298, which also included Gregory the Great, Jerome, and the man he mentored when he entered the Church, Augustine of Hippo. Ambrose was born into an aristocratic Roman family and was educated in the classical tradition. His father was the governor of Gaul, present-day France. He was an administrator of two provinces in northern Italy as a young man. He was a believer in the faith, but at this time, was not formerly baptized. When the Bishop of Milan died, he was chosen as Bishop. He did not want that position, but finally accepted and was baptized and ordained Bishop. This was a critical time for the Church. Christianity had been formally recognized by Rome, but there were many Bishops and believers who adhered to the Arian heresy. Ambrose was strong enough and connected enough to stand up to this heresy. When need, he also stood up to the emperors of Rome, reminded them that they were not above the Church in matters of faith. When different Christian communities and dioceses had different feast days, Ambrose was asked what feast days a believe should follow. This is his famous response: “When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the church where you are.” This sage advice seems to be the source of the saying: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” The Holy Spirit calls forth the leaders the Church needs at different times in history. Ambrose was certainly needed to give the Church authority and direction.
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