Saint Ambrose

Ambrose was born in Trier around 335, the son of the praetorian prefect of the Gauls. He studied in Rome and built a career: at just over thirty he was governor of the province whose seat was Milan, which at the time was an imperial capital. In 374 the Arian bishop of Milan died and the city split over the succession. Ambrose went to the basilica to keep public order — that was his job — and the crowd began shouting his name. He wasn’t baptized: he was only a catechumen. Within eight days he was baptized, ordained a priest and consecrated bishop. He was one of the most powerful figures of his century, and he used that power in a way no one had ever dared. In 390 the emperor Theodosius had seven thousand people massacred in the circus of Thessalonica to punish a revolt; Ambrose wrote to him that he would not admit him to the Eucharist until he had done public penance. And Theodosius did it. It’s the first time in history that a bishop stood up to an emperor and won. He was the one who baptized Augustine, on Easter night in 387. And he wrote hymns, simple and memorable, for his people to sing during the siege of the basilica by the imperial troops: that’s where Ambrosian chant comes from, and the Ambrosian rite still used in Milan. He died in Milan on April 4, 397. December 7 is the anniversary of his consecration, and it’s the city’s feast day. If your name is Ambrose, today is your name day.