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 Friday, August 28th, and the Gospel reading is Matthew 25:1 through 13, and the scripture to reflect on is Matthew 25:6.
But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ In Minnesota, where we live, the first Wednesday of every month at 2 p.m., a tornado alarm resounds throughout each town.
It’s a practice alarm.
They are loud and annoying, and sometimes you forget that it’s the first Wednesday of the month until you hear that, and then we all say, ‘First Wednesday,’ and roll our eyes, because they sound those alarms as a drill for a way for us to stay prepared.
It’s important to be prepared when something unexpected happens.
It’s important to know the warning signals, where to go, and the signal that told them it was safe to return.
Being prepared can mean the difference between being safe or sorry.
Jesus once told a story that teaches us the importance of being prepared.
In Jesus’s story, ten bridesmaids took their oil lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Jesus said that five of them were foolish because they had their lamps, but they did not bring any extra oil to put in their lamps.
In this story, the bridegroom is Jesus, and we are the bridesmaids.
One day we’re going to meet Jesus, and we must be prepared because we don’t know exactly when he’s coming.
Today’s saint of the day is Saint Augustine.
He was born 354 and died 430.
He is a patron saint of brewers.
Augustine was born in Tagaste in North Africa in 354.
His father was a pagan who wanted his son to be a man of learning and cared little about his character.
His mother was Saint Monica, who urged his son to lead a good life.
It was a common practice among Christians at that time to delay baptism until later in life.
At 16 and still not baptized, Augustine fell into bad company.
He read bad books for 13 years and he led a very evil life.
Augustine often went to church to listen to Saint Ambrose, the Archbishop of Milan in Italy, but he was not converted.
His mother, Saint Monica, kept praying for her son.
One day while he was reading the letters of Saint Paul, he made up his mind to become a Christian.
His mother’s prayers were answered.
Augustine was baptized by Saint Ambrose at the age of 33.
Later Augustine became a priest and then a bishop.
He preached and wrote many books during 35 years as Bishop of North Africa.
Saint Augustine once wrote, Our hearts were made for you, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Dear Jesus, help us to be ready when you come again, and help us to renew your Church which you inspired Saint Augustine, your bishop.
Saint Augustine, 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 next week, scattering more flowers.
See ya.