St Augustine (May 26)

First Archbishop of Canterbury 605

[Jesus said] “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” Matthew 13.33

Setting out

In 596, Pope Gregory the Great, eager to evangelize the British, sent Augustine, Prior of St Andrew’s monastery in Rome, with 40 monks to England. But as they journeyed through France, they were so disheartened by stories of the appalling religious situation in England that the monks despatched Augustine back to Rome to ask the Pope to abort the mission. Gregory, however, brushed Augustine’s plea aside, declaring: ‘Better not to set out on a mission, than to give up before that mission is accomplished!’ Duly chastened, Augustine returned to France and rejoined his monks, who were at least somewhat cheered that Gregory had persuaded in the meantime a group of French priests to swell the mission team.

The arrival

They sailed across the Channel, arriving in Kent in 597. Augustine was welcomed by King Ethelbert who was still a pagan although married to Bertha, the Christian daughter of the King of Paris. Within a short while, Ethelbert was baptized, and Augustine was consecrated Archbishop of the English. He set up his See at Canterbury, later founding two more Sees, London and Rochester.

He laboured for seven years in England, but at his death in 605 much of the land was still pagan, and some of the bishops in Wales and the south-west were refusing to alter their Celtic practices.

Little return

The seeds had been sown, and Augustine’s successors would see the great benefits that his labours had initiated. But he himself may have considered there was little visible return before his death – as can happen today. If we are battling in our Christian witness we need not assume that we are in the wrong place. Augustine had very convincingly been sent to England. He knew he was in the right area at the right time. Others would build on the foundations he laid; just as others will build on ours. The scale of the returns we see in our lifetime is not as important as the knowledge that we are where God has chosen.

Keeping on

It’s tempting, when we run up against problems, to turn back or take another direction, even to persuade ourselves that God is pointing us to another task. Had Augustine resumed his duties as Prior of St Andrews (assuming that Gregory had not appointed a successor immediately), no doubt he would have done a good work. But an even greater work was waiting for him at Canterbury. The devil knew that, and thus tried to prevent his continuing the journey to England. Very often a setback is the prelude to a success, as the devil pulls out all the stops in an effort to prevent us from doing Gods work. ‘Beware when all men speak well of you!’ warned Jesus at one point. When everything is going swimmingly, we may in fact pause to consider why Satan is not interested in rocking the boat!

Suggested hymns

For I’m building a people of power; Oft in danger, oft in woe; Put thou thy trust in God; Spirit of God, as strong as the wind.