The church was locked in a conflict with the Arians (who insisted God the Father created Jesus the Son, thereby making Jesus a lesser being) over who would be elected the next bishop of Milan. Ambrose (ca. 339-397), who was Milan’s governor at the time, was on hand to keep the peace. A chant went up during the proceedings, “Ambrose, bishop.” Long story short: Ambrose went from unbaptized laymen to church bishop in eight days.
He took to his new calling seriously. He spent several hours in daily prayer and adopted an ascetic lifestyle, giving money and land away to the poor. He was willing to stand up to Roman Emperors when they interfered in church matters saying, “The emperor is in the church, not above the church.” His major work, De Fide (On Faith), established the Nicene Creed as the official church response to the Arian controversy. He used his diplomatic skills to settle debates about local church customs. He wrote, “When I am in Rome, I fast on Saturdays. When I am in Milan, I do not. Follow the custom in the church where you are.” This saying led to Ambrose’s legendary proverb, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
When Augustine was a teacher of rhetoric and still a skeptic, he went to hear Ambrose preach, more to critique his style than listen to his content. Augustine wrote later in his Confessions, “As I opened my heart to recognize how eloquent he was speaking, it occurred to me how truly he was speaking.” Augustine credited Ambrose with turning his heart to Scripture, resulting in his conversion.
Ambrose is eminently quotable. Here’s but a sample: “No one heals himself by wounding another.” “Our evil inclinations are far more dangerous than our external enemies.” “Love is like a shadow. One can catch it only by falling into it.”
It’s hard to choose one prayer by Ambrose. So many flow from his hand and heart: