7th December : St Ambrose

Today we are presented with a heartfelt prayer of Jesus:

It is not those who say ‘Lord, Lord’ who will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.

(Matt 7:21)

Jesus reminds us of the need to base our lives on solid foundations—indeed we can only build a viable future for ourselves and our loved ones, if we have that sold base on which we build our lives. Jesus tells the famous parable of the two houses: one built on sand, the other built on rock. Without those solid foundations, our lives will be ruined, especially in times of crisis and doubt.

TODAY: give thanks for all those who have helped to ground you in your faith: from your family and friends to your teachers and priests.

We can pray:

We pray for children, who sneak an ice lolly before tea,

Who can never do their spellings homework right.

Who put shoes on the wrong feet.

We pray for children born in places we would not be seen dead in,

Whose home is a detention centre on the border,

Who never seem to listen to a word I say.

We pray for children who hug us and for those who reject our care.

Who do not have enough food today,

Who cannot sit still.

We pray for children who inspire us,

Who are rainbows in an otherwise dark and cold world.

Who follow Jesus in all they do and say.

Today, Lord we pray and thank God for children.

(inspired by “We pray children” Ina Hughes)

The saint of today, fourth century, Ambrose shows that all problems can be overcome. As a committed lay Christian, he wanted to support the Church in Milan that was experiencing all kinds of difficulties. The people wanted him as their Bishop—however, there was slight problem: he was not baptised! Within a week, he was baptised, ordained a priest, and installed as Bishop of Milan on 7th December 374. There is no problem that cannot be faced once we have that love of God.