Gospel in Art: Saint Augustine, Bishop, Doctor

St Augustine in His Study, by Alexandre Cabanel © Milwaukee Art Museum

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 28 August 2025
Matthew 24:42-51

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

'Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, "My master is delayed", and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Reflection on the painting

Today's painting by Alexandra Cabanel is the pair to the painting of his mother, Saint Monica, which we featured yesterday. Again, Cabanel painted these paintings when he was only 22 years old. Truly remarkable. In this companion piece, Saint Augustine appears as a bishop seated in his study. The canvas captures Augustine as both thinker and pastor. The saint holds a pen poised against his chest, as if weighing the words that will soon flow onto the letter in his other hand. Beside him rests his crosier, the curved staff that marks his episcopal office. Cabanel conveys Augustine's stature as a foundational figure of Christian thought through his composed yet intense expression. Subtle symbols enrich the scene: a skull and hourglass on the shelf behind him speak of the passing of time and the vanity of earthly pursuits. These hint at Augustine's own long, restless search for truth, a journey that made his eventual conversion and devotion all the more profound.

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was born in Tagaste, in present-day Algeria, to a pagan father, Patricius, and a devout Christian mother, Saint Monica (who we celebrated yesterday). Gifted with a brilliant mind, he excelled in rhetoric and philosophy, studying first in Madaurus and later in Carthage. In his youth he led a morally restless life, taking a concubine with whom he had a son, Adeodatus. Drawn to the Manichaean religion for nearly a decade, Augustine sought answers in philosophy, but remained unsatisfied. He was restless to get more answers. His quest took him to Rome and then to Milan as a professor of rhetoric, where he encountered the powerful preaching of Saint Ambrose. Influenced by Ambrose's teaching, his mother's unceasing prayers, and his own growing disillusionment with his former way of life, Augustine experienced a profound conversion in 386. He was baptised by Ambrose at the Easter Vigil of 387, alongside Adeodatus.

After returning to North Africa, Augustine sold his inheritance, formed a small monastic community, and dedicated himself to study, prayer, and writing. Ordained a priest in 391, he became Bishop of Hippo in 395, a position he held for 35 years. He wrote prolifically, over 100 works, including his Confessions, an autobiographical account of his spiritual journey, and The City of God, a monumental defence of Christianity against pagan critics after the sack of Rome in 410. His theological writings shaped Western Christianity for centuries. He died in 430 during the Vandal siege of Hippo. Declared a Doctor of the Church, he is remembered as one of the greatest theologians and spiritual writers in Christian history. Saint Augustine - pray for us.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-24-42-51-2025/