#st. ambrose

[momentsbeforemass]

Alone

One of the saddest things is giving up. And falling into despair.

When the hard stuff of life hits – whether it’s death or divorce, illness or addiction, betrayal or money problems. And you’ve been praying and waiting, hoping and believing for someone or something to make it all go away. Or at least be with you in it.

But often the hard stuff doesn’t go away. And if no one comes, it’s hard not to give up. It’s hard not to fall into despair.

I’ve talked with a lot of people who have given up. They’re good people. People who care, people who try. People who would help you in a heartbeat if they knew you were hurting.

For most of them, the reason they gave up wasn’t the hard stuff they were facing.

They gave up because they felt isolated. Like no one else knew or cared about what they were dealing with.

They gave up because they felt alone.

Which makes giving up even more tragic. Because none of us are ever alone.

Which is why today’s Feast of the Guardian Angels is so important. To remind us that before we were ever born, God gave each of us a guardian angel.

An angel to be with you, every step of the way. In good times and bad.

To support you, to strengthen you, no matter how hard life hits you.

Even if you don’t really believe in angels. Even if you’re not sure you have a guardian angel. You do. That’s how much God loves you.

No matter what you’ve done. Or how far you think you’ve run. Your angel is there. Now.

Watching over you. Ready to support you, to strengthen you, to be with you. All for the asking.

If you’ve never done it before. And even if you have. Take a moment today to follow the advice of St. Ambrose. “Pray to the angels, for they are given to us as guardians.”

Ask your angel to be with you. In whatever you’re dealing with.

And ask God for the grace to know in your heart – no matter what you’re going through, no matter how hard life hits you – that you are never alone.

Today’s Readings

#Alone #Give Up #God #Jesus #Catholic #Christian #Church #Not Alone #Guardian Angels #Hard stuff #St. Ambrose #Moments Before Mass

[hymnsofheresy]

"Nature has poured forth all things for the common use of all men. And God has ordained that all things should be produced that there might be food in common for all. Nature created common rights, but usurpation has transformed them into private rights."

St. Ambrose of Milan | On the Duties of the Clergy, Book I.132.

#church fathers #st. ambrose

[pinkyringprvnce]

Chapters: 18/?

Fandom: Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Addison Montgomery/Jake Reilly, Meredith Grey/Derek Shepherd, Addison Montgomery/Derek Shepherd, Arizona Robbins/Callie Torres, Lexie Grey/Mark Sloan, Owen Hunt/Cristina Yang, Alex Karev/Jo Wilson, Cooper Freedman/Charlotte King

Characters: Addison Montgomery, Meredith Grey, Derek Shepherd, Derek Bailey Shepherd, Zola Shepherd, Jake Reilly (Private Practice), Angela Reilly, Amelia Shepherd, Owen Hunt, Jackson Avery, Cristina Yang, Mark Sloan (Grey's Anatomy), Lexie Grey, Leah Murphy, Heather Brooks, Shane Ross, Jo Wilson, Alex Karev, Henry Montgomery, April Kepner, Archer Forbes Montgomery, Nancy Shepherd, "The Captain" Montgomery, Kathleen Shepherd, Lizzie Shepherd, Callie Torres, Arizona Robbins, Richard Webber, Miranda Bailey (Grey's Anatomy), Sofia Sloan-Torres, Original Characters, Charlotte King, Cooper Freedman, Sheldon Wallace, Violet Turner, Pete Wilder, James Peterson, Sam Bennett (Private Practice), Naomi Bennett, Mason Warner, Sloan Riley, Carolyn Shepherd, Stephanie Edwards

Additional tags: Second chances, Love, Family, Children, Family Reunions, Trauma, past relationships, Alternate Universe, Blended family, if addek had a kid, what if, MerDer, addek, jolex, Calzona, Crowen, addimelia, charcoop, charmelia, Kidnapping, Jaddison - Freeform, slexie - Freeform

Summary: A 15-year-old girl walks into the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic with her parents to get her mom the chemotherapy she needs. While there, she meets Dr. Mark Sloan, who can’t shake the feeling that he knows her. When Mark discovers who she really is, it changes everything.

Chapter summary: Amelia stays with the Montgomery-Reilly’s after her breakup with James while Audrey gets settled in her new life at her new school with her new friends.

#derek shepherd #cooper freedman #charlotte king #addison montgomery #addison forbes montgomery #fanfiction #fanfic #amelia shepherd #naomi bennett #private practice #addek #jaddison #jake reilly #henry montgomery #henry montgomery reilly #angela reilly #addimelia #james peterson #st. ambrose #oceaside wellness #seaside wellness #writing #ao3 #meredith grey #zola shepherd #zola grey-shepherd #grey's anatomy #pete wilder #violet turner #sam bennett

[lionofchaeronea]

St. Ambrose, Francisco de Zurbarán, 1626-27 

#art #art history #Zurbaran #Francisco de Zurbaran #portrait #portrait painting #historical portrait #imaginary portrait #St. Ambrose #Ambrose of Milan #religious art #Christian art #Christianity #Catholicism #Roman Catholicism #Baroque #Baroque art #Spanish Baroque #Tenebrism #Caravaggism #Caravaggisti #Spanish art #17th century art #Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla

[frc-ambaradan]

Today's St. Ambrose, patron of Milan, and as per tradition is also the day on which La Scala's season opens.

Double Duck - Prima della Prima (2008)

Originally called "Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro Alla Scala" (New Royal Ducal Alla Scala Theatre), it was inaugurated on 3rd August 1778 after the old Ducal Theatre was completely destroyed by a fire. To make space for the new building, the church of Santa Maria alla Scala was demolished and the new theatre built in its place (hence the name).

Alla Scala Theatre is the main italian opera theatre and one of the most illustrious in the world.

Topolino #2767 cover

For many years now, the season opening of La Scala is broadcasted live on national tv main channel (yes, we get 3 hours non stop opera on the state tv channel 1... so what?), this year's gonna be "Boris Godunov"... and I've gotta go 'cause it's starting!!! :D

#la scala #prima #la scala seaso opening #donald duck #double duck #milan #st. ambrose #la scala theatre #topolino magazine #boris godunov

[eternal-echoes]

"An unworthy receiver of Christ is a slayer of Christ.”

- St. Ambrose

#Catholic #Christianity #quotes #St. Ambrose

[dramoor]

“Do not be greatly disturbed by the arrangement of your fate. Have only the unwavering desire for salvation and, standing before God, await His help until the time comes.”

~St. Ambrose of Optina 

(Photo © dramoor 2021)

#Orthodox Christian #saints #St. Ambrose #Optina Elders #fate #desire salvation #await God's help

[gratiae-mirabilia]

Embrace Him Whom you have sought. Approach Him and be illuminated. Hold Him and ask Him not to go away quickly.

St. Ambrose

#st. ambrose #catholic #catholicism #adoration #file under caroline

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (December 7)

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the memory of St. Ambrose, the brilliant Bishop of Milan who influenced St. Augustine's conversion and was named a Doctor of the Church.

Like Augustine himself, the older Ambrose, born around 340, was a highly educated man who sought to harmonize Greek and Roman intellectual culture with the Catholic faith.

Trained in literature, law, and rhetoric, he eventually became the governor of Liguria and Emilia, with headquarters at Milan.

He manifested his intellectual gifts in defense of Christian doctrine even before his baptism.

While Ambrose was serving as governor, a bishop named Auxentius was leading the diocese.

Although he was an excellent public speaker with a forceful personality, Auxentius also followed the heresy of Arius, which denied the divinity of Christ.

Although the Council of Nicaea had reasserted the traditional teaching on Jesus' deity, many educated members of the Church – including, at one time, a majority of the world's bishops – looked to Arianism as a more sophisticated and cosmopolitan version of Christianity.

Bishop Auxentius became notorious for forcing clergy throughout the region to accept Arian creeds.

At the time of Auxentius' death, Ambrose had not yet even been baptized.

But his deep understanding and love of the traditional faith were already clear to the faithful of Milan.

They considered him the most logical choice to succeed Auxentius, even though he was still just a catechumen.

With the help of Emperor Valentinan II, who ruled the Western Roman Empire at the time, a mob of Milanese Catholics virtually forced Ambrose to become their bishop against his own will.

Eight days after his baptism, Ambrose received episcopal consecration on 7 December 374.

The date would eventually become his liturgical feast.

Bishop Ambrose did not disappoint those who had clamored for his appointment and consecration.

He began his ministry by giving everything he owned to the poor and to the Church.

He looked to the writings of Greek theologians like St. Basil for help in explaining the Church's traditional teachings to the people during times of doctrinal confusion.

Like the fathers of the Eastern Church, Ambrose drew from the intellectual reserves of pre-Christian philosophy and literature to make the faith more comprehensible to his hearers.

This harmony of faith with other sources of knowledge served to attract, among others, the young professor Aurelius Augustinus – a man Ambrose taught and baptized, whom history knows as St. Augustine of Hippo.

Ambrose himself lived simply, wrote prolifically, and celebrated Mass each day.

He found time to counsel an amazing range of public officials, pagan inquirers, confused Catholics, and penitent sinners.

His popularity, in fact, served to keep at bay those who would have preferred to force him from the diocese, including the Western Empress Justina and a group of her advisers, who sought to rid the West of adherence to the Nicene Creed, pushing instead for strict Arianism.

Ambrose heroically refused her attempts to impose heretical bishops in Italy, along with her efforts to seize churches in the name of Arianism.

Ambrose also displayed remarkable courage when he publicly denied communion to the Emperor Theodosius, who had ordered the massacre of 7,000 citizens in Thessalonica leading to his excommunication by Ambrose.

The chastened emperor took Ambrose's rebuke to heart, publicly repenting of the massacre, and doing penance for the murders.

“Nor was there afterwards a day on which he did not grieve for his mistake,” Ambrose himself noted when he spoke at the emperor's funeral.

The rebuke spurred a profound change in Emperor Theodosius.

He reconciled himself with the Church and the bishop, who attended to the emperor on his deathbed.

St. Ambrose died in 397.

His 23 years of diligent service had turned a deeply troubled diocese into an exemplary outpost for the faith.

His writings remained an important point of reference for the Church, well into the medieval era and beyond.

St. Ambrose has been named one of the “holy fathers of the Church, whose teaching all bishops should in every way follow.”

#Saint of the Day #St. Ambrose

[catholicsaintquotes33ad]

A kindness received should be returned with a freer hand. - St. Ambrose

#st. ambrose #catholicism #free hand #instruction #saint quotes #st. ambrose quotes #catholic saint quotes #quotes from the saints #tradlr #trad #oremus #kyrie eleison #gold #statue #roman #doctor of the church

[orthodoxicons]

#judging #videos #Orthodox Christianity #Christianity #orthodoxy #Gregory Decapolite (youtube) #St. Ambrose #St. Ambrose of Optina #laziness #anxiety #humility #perfection #repentance #self-love #egoism

[saint-ambrosef]

anyways having a patron saint does not violate the "no mediator but Jesus" law. its the equivalent of asking your cool older sibling to pray for you to pass the exam that they already aced. they dont have any authority themselves to pass me. just praying for me to study well, like my living family and friends, except they're already in heaven so they can literally pray unceasingly for my soul.

#mea #these late night thoughts brought 2 u by: thinking of my boi St Ambrose

[ashen-crest]

Happy STS! Ah, spring. How are your characters faring? Who's dressing for the warm weather and loving it? Who has allergies? Who refuses to take off their jacket no matter how hot they get? Who picks flowers they probably shouldn't?

(First off, how is it already almost April? Nothing makes sense anymore)

But this ask is very timely since I just swapped out my winter clothing for my summer clothing! Goodbye, wonderful hoodies. Sleep well.

Cal, Eli, Dawn, and Aspen all love the warm weather! In the Scar, it’s when all the flowers around the chasm pop up, and picnics in the fields become a favorite activity. It’s also prime flower crown season for Aspen.

For Emry and Ambrose, they prefer winter and fall respectively. Emry doesn’t mind all the picnics and whimsy, but Ambrose absolutely does. Ambrose is the one sitting stubbornly with his jacket under the shade trying not to get a sunburn and wishing he was at home under a blanket.

(Aspen makes him a flower crown anyway. He looks so cute with it on.)

#sts #storyteller saturday #dammit now I gotta draw Ambrose with a flower crown

[pinkyringprvnce]

Chapters: 19/?

Fandom: Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Addison Montgomery/Jake Reilly, Meredith Grey/Derek Shepherd, Addison Montgomery/Derek Shepherd, Arizona Robbins/Callie Torres, Lexie Grey/Mark Sloan, Owen Hunt/Cristina Yang, Alex Karev/Jo Wilson, Cooper Freedman/Charlotte King

Characters: Addison Montgomery, Meredith Grey, Derek Shepherd, Derek Bailey Shepherd, Zola Shepherd, Jake Reilly (Private Practice), Angela Reilly, Amelia Shepherd, Owen Hunt, Jackson Avery, Cristina Yang, Mark Sloan (Grey's Anatomy), Lexie Grey, Leah Murphy, Heather Brooks, Shane Ross, Jo Wilson, Alex Karev, Henry Montgomery, April Kepner, Archer Forbes Montgomery, Nancy Shepherd, "The Captain" Montgomery, Kathleen Shepherd, Lizzie Shepherd, Callie Torres, Arizona Robbins, Richard Webber, Miranda Bailey (Grey's Anatomy), Sofia Sloan-Torres, Original Characters, Charlotte King, Cooper Freedman, Sheldon Wallace, Violet Turner, Pete Wilder, James Peterson, Sam Bennett (Private Practice), Naomi Bennett, Mason Warner, Sloan Riley, Carolyn Shepherd, Stephanie Edwards

Additional tags: Second chances, Love, Family, Children, Family Reunions, Trauma, past relationships, Alternate Universe, Blended family, if addek had a kid, what if, MerDer, addek, jolex, Calzona, Crowen, addimelia, charcoop, charmelia, Kidnapping, Jaddison - Freeform, slexie - Freeform

Summary: A 15-year-old girl walks into the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic with her parents to get her mom the chemotherapy she needs. While there, she meets Dr. Mark Sloan, who can’t shake the feeling that he knows her. When Mark discovers who she really is, it changes everything.

Chapter summary: Derek celebrates Audrey’s new spot on the volleyball team by taking her and her friends out for ice cream with a little surprise of his own while everyone marvels at how well Audrey’s adjusting to her new life and newfound family. 

#derek shepherd #cooper freedman #charlotte king #addison montgomery #addison forbes montgomery #fanfiction #fanfic #amelia shepherd #naomi bennett #private practice #addek #jaddison #jake reilly #henry montgomery #henry montgomery reilly #angela reilly #addimelia #james peterson #st. ambrose #oceaside wellness #seaside wellness #writing #ao3 #meredith grey #zola shepherd #zola grey-shepherd #grey's anatomy #pete wilder #violet turner #sam bennett

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Ambrose Doctor of the Church 337-397 Feast day: December 7 Patronage: Beekeeping

Saint Ambrose, an early “Father” and Doctor of the Church, was an educated lawyer and a Roman governor of Milan, with wealth and prestige. In 374 he was elected Bishop by popular demand, even though he was just a catechumen. From that point on he gave his wealth to the poor and for ransom. He learned theology and scripture from St. Simplican. At one point, he even excommunicated the Emperor Theodosius. He fought the Arian heresy and pursued sanctity throughout his life.  St. Augustine’s conversion is attributed to St. Ambrose’s reasoning and logic. {website}

#St Ambrose #Doctor of the Church #Father of the Church #Saint for Beekeepers #Saint for artist

[eternal-echoes]

“When we find ourselves in some grave danger, we must not lose courage but firmly trust in God, for where there is the greatest danger, there is also the greatest help from Him who wants to be called our Help in times of peace and in times of tribulation.”

- St. Ambrose

#Catholic #Christianity #quotes #St. Ambrose