Augustine (above) and 
Ambrose (below)

The adjacent windows of Saints Ambrose and Augustine teach a lesson about evangelization in the modern world. Even though Ambrose and Augustine met in 384 in Milan, Augustine was living a lifestyle very much like many young men today. He was a successful teacher of rhetoric and was obsessed with women. Rather than condemning Augustine for his worldly pursuits, Ambrose respected Augustine for his teaching ability and first reached out to him on a professional level. Likewise, Augustine initially enjoyed listening to Ambrose preach, not out of holy zeal for the Gospel, but because of the eloquence with which Ambrose spoke. Ambrose baptized Augustine at the Easter Vigil in 387. Hence, what began merely as professional admiration between two scholarly men eventually yielded great fruit in the life of Augustine and for the whole Church, as we now revere both men as Bishops and Doctors of the Church. Let us imitate Ambrose’s evangelization of Augustine with those around us. Before we preach the Gospel with words, we must preach it with our lives, by fostering good relationships with those around us on a human level. Let us also not forget the graces which were earned by Saint Monica for her son’s conversion. How marvelous is the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of the saints, such that the fervent prayers of Monica were answered, at least in part, through Ambrose!