On Saturday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the letter of the apostle Jude (1-8, 12-13,7-25) entitled  "The punishment of the evil and an exhortation to the faithful". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop. Saint Augustine was born at Tagaste in Africa in 354. He was unsettled and restlessly searched for the truth until he was converted to the faith at Milan and baptized by Ambrose. Returning to his homeland, he embraced an ascetic life and subsequently was elected bishop of Hippo. For thirty-four years he guided his flock, instructing it with sermons and many writings. He fought bravely against the errors of his time and explained the faith carefully and cogently through his writings. Augustine is perhaps the most significant Christian thinker after St. Paul. He adapted Classical teaching and created a powerful theological system of lasting influence. He also shaped the practice of biblical exegesis and helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought. Augustine is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran churches, and the Anglican Communion. Saint Augustine is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period. He is also a preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Church and the patron of the Augustinians. He died in 430. The Letter of Jude warns against false teachers who distort God's grace and urge believers to "contend earnestly for the faith". Jude the author was a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, likely a leader in the early church.         

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