December: Day 7: Teaching 2: Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan

December: Day 7: Teaching 2:
Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
 
(The Holiness of the Temple of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Ambrose of Milan, who is celebrated today, was the son of the ruler of Gaul and Spain. Even as an infant, Ambrose was already marked by a special incident: one day, while sleeping outdoors, a swarm of bees surrounded the sleeping infant, so much so that they even crawled into his half-open mouth. The swarm however flew away without causing the slightest harm to the child. 

After receiving an excellent education, Ambrose was appointed governor of the city of Milan. But his reign was short-lived. At the end of 374, the Bishop of Milan died, and a new bishop had to be elected. Disputes erupted; a crowd of people roared around the church where the bishop-electors had gathered. Ambrose, as a conscientious ruler, considered it his duty to pacify the popular unrest: he began to persuade the people, urging them to conduct the sacred task of electing a bishop peacefully and quietly. He was still speaking when a child's voice suddenly rang out from the hushed crowd: "Ambrose is the bishop!" And in response to this little voice, the entire congregation unanimously exclaimed: "Ambrose is the bishop!" In vain, astonished, perplexed, and frightened by such an unexpected election, Ambrose refused, saying that he had not yet been baptized (at that time, baptism was sometimes postponed until mature years, even old age), that he, as an official, could not abandon his position, that he had not even thought about the episcopacy... The people repeated one thing: "Ambrose is the bishop!" After much hesitation, Ambrose finally agreed to be the bishop.

December: Day 7: Teaching 1: Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan

December: Day 7: Teaching 1:
Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. The Need for Education From an Early Age;
b. Election to Serve the Church Is Not Done by Chance, But by God’s Command; and
c. One Must Obey the Church Hierarchy)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, whose memory is celebrated today, was born in 340 in Gaul, where his father was governor. Having lost his mother in childhood, he was carefully brought up by a pious sister. Having received an excellent education, he became governor of two Italian regions. The prefect Probus, sending him into the regions, said: "Govern them not as a judge, but as a bishop." Indeed Ambrose really ruled mercifully, and everyone loved him. In 374, a bishop was elected in Milan, and a disagreement arose on the occasion of this choice. Ambrose began to bring peace to the quarreling, and suddenly a child's voice was heard in the crowd: "Ambrose is Bishop!" These words were considered to be an inspiration from above and, despite the resistance, they chose Ambrose as bishop, who fully justified his election by his holy life and zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of the souls of his neighbors. The emperor and the people, who loved Ambrose as prefect, loved him even more as bishop. Ambrose zealously and very successfully fought against the Arian heretics and dying paganism: in his work On Faith, he thoroughly refuted all the objections of the Arians; he achieved in that the pagans were deprived of the estates that belonged to the temples, and the honors and privileges of their priests were abolished. Once, the emperor Theodosius, in a rage, ordered the death of several thousand rebellious Thessalonians. Ambrose wrote a letter to the emperor, reproaching him for his cruelty. When Theodosius, without revoking his cruel sentence, entered the cathedral to commune of the Holy Mysteries, Ambrose did not allow him to receive Communion. The emperor told Ambrose that David had also sinned, but had not lost God's mercy; but Ambrose replied: "You imitated David in sin, imitate him in repentance." The emperor repented and was allowed to receive communion. Saint Ambrose foresaw his death and died in 397. He founded many monasteries in the West and left many works. He is the author of the church hymn "Te Deum laudamus" (Latin for "Thee, God, we praise"). The relics of Saint Ambrose are kept in Milan. Part of the relics are on Mount Athos.