Hello everyone, heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started! Today is Wednesday, May 27th, and the Gospel reading is Mark 10, 32-45, and the scripture to reflect on is Mark 10, 37. And they said to him, Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory. When you are in school and your teacher says something in class that you don’t understand, do you raise your hand and ask for help so that you can understand it better? Now, what would happen if the teacher said, No, you cannot ask me questions and I’m not answering them if you do? A teacher is there to do everything they can to help you learn. When James and John asked Jesus if they could be his favorite disciples, Jesus responds, answers their question, even if their question probably wasn’t what Jesus wanted them to be thinking about. He tells them that they were asking for a difficult thing and that it’s not Jesus who decides who his best students are, but for God to decide. He tells them this by saying, Whoever wishes to become a teacher among you must be your servant. Today’s Saint of the Day, Saint Augustine of Canterbury.
He was, birth is unknown, but he died in the year 604.
He is a patron saint of England. Augustine needed a second chance.
The Pope sent Augustine and 40 other monks to tell the good news about Jesus to the people who lived in England. The first time, Augustine and the other monks gave up when they heard how fierce the English people were.
Even the water around England is fierce and violent, Augustine was told. Augustine thought to himself, Maybe it’s not worth trying.
Even if we don’t die the way, we will be killed by people. But after they returned to Rome, the Pope told them to try again.
Augustine did not give up the second time.
He crossed the choppy waters between France and England, and within a year of his arrival, the King of England became a Christian. If you have a question about God, ask your mom or dad, ask your grandparents, ask your teacher, ask your priest.
And if we don’t know the answer, then we will go and ask others until we have something to share with you. It’s a good thing to ask each other questions about God, and it’s good to share our thoughts, because we learn more about God every day. We all get scared sometimes.
St.
Augustine of Canterbury felt that way a lot.
He was happy in being the prior leader of a Roman monastery, but Pope Gregory the Great had other plans.
He wanted Augustine to convert the people on England.
Easier said than done. On the way, Augustine heard stories all the way from violence there.
He got cold feet, turned around, and went back home.
Augustine was told to try again.
With God’s help, Augustine made it there safely.
He converted many people and is known as the patron saint of England.
How can we respond to things that are hard for us to deal with? Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Thank you, God, for always watching over me.
And help me to have new chances every day.
I don’t want to give up on obeying you.
St.
Augustine of Canterbury, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!