COPYRIGHT - Saint of the Day - American Catholic: Augustine of Canterbury comes across today as a very human saint, one who could suffer like many of us from a failure of nerve. For example, his first venture to England ended in a big U-turn back to Rome. He made mistakes and met failure in his peacemaking attempts with the Briton Christians. He often wrote to Rome for decisions on matters he could have decided on his own had he been more self-assured. He even received mild warnings against pride from Pope Gregory, who cautioned him to “fear lest, amidst the wonders that are done, the weak mind be puffed up by self-esteem.” Augustine’s perseverance amidst obstacles and only partial success teaches today’s apostles and pioneers to struggle on despite frustrations and be satisfied with gradual advances.
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In a letter to Augustine, Pope Gregory the Great wrote: 'He who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps.'
Did you know Canterbury in Kent and Our Lady's Shrine in Walsingham in Norfolk were two of the holiest Christian shrines before the Reformation? Today again they are attracting pilgrims from all faiths and are especially a focus of ecumenical gathering. The late Pope John Paul the Second prayed with the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, at the shrine of Saint Thomas á Beckett in Canterbury in 1982.
