St. Augustine of Hippo (Feast Day August 28)

November 13, 354 – August 28, 430

Augustine was born in Africa and spent many years of his life in wicked living and false beliefs. However, Augustine was extremely intelligent. Although he had been raised as a Christian, his sins of impurity and his pride darkened his mind so much that he could not see or understand God. Through the prayers of his mother, St. Monica, and the great preaching of St. Ambrose, Augustine finally became convinced that Christianity was the one true religion. He became a Christian at 33, a priest at 36, and a bishop at 41. His writings influenced the development of the Western Church and Western philosophy and, indirectly, all of Western Christianity. He is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church for his writings during the Patristic Period. His most important works are The City of God, De doctrina Christiana, and Confessions.

·      Who do people say Jesus is today?

·      Who is Jesus to you?

·      What does it mean when Jesus says to Peter, “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”?

·      Consider the conversion of St. Augustine. Is it hard for someone to change from living a sinful life to a holy life? Why or why not?

Neighborhood Kickball Game

Organize a neighborhood kickball game in your backyard. This old-time favorite is a great game for kids of all ages. The rules for kickball are similar to baseball, except instead of hitting the ball, you have to kick it.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

St. Augustine was born in northern Africa. Africa is a huge continent with hundreds of nations. Traditional African dishes typically have fish, meat, starchy foods, and a wide variety of herbs and spices. Try this north African dish today.

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 lemon

5 cloves garlic, minced

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and fat

Salt and ground black pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, halved and cut into ¼-in-thick slices

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour                                             

1¾ cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp honey

2 large or 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick coins

½ cup Greek cracked green olives, pitted and halved (any green olive will work)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside. Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside. Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have browned at the edges but still retain their shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add a few tablespoons of water now and then if the pan gets too dark). Add the remaining minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, honey, remaining lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the chicken (with any accumulated juices) back in, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the carrots, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes more. Stir in the olives, reserved lemon zest-garlic mixture, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Serve with couscous.

From https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/moroccan-chicken-tagine.html

Children's Prayer for Parents

Children are invited to pray this prayer or a prayer in their own words over their parents.

Dear Lord,

Fill our parents with your choicest blessings;

enrich their souls with your holy grace;

grant that they may faithfully and constantly guard that likeness to your union with your Church,

which you did imprint upon them on their wedding day.

Fill them with your spirit of holy fear, which is the beginning of wisdom;

inspire them to impart it to their children.

May they ever walk in the way of your commandments,

and may we, their children, be their joy on earth

and their crown of glory in heaven.

Finally, Lord God, grant that both our father and mother

may attain to extreme old age

and enjoy continuous health in mind and body.

May they give you abundant thanks

because you have bestowed upon them the great gift of parenthood. Amen.

Most churches have a gold and white flag of Vatican City on their grounds. The white band of the flag contains the papal coat of arms, which contains the keys of Peter and the papal tiara. These keys represent the keys to the kingdom of heaven mentioned in today’s Gospel. See if you can find the Vatican City flag in your church.

As a family, make a list of people you know who stopped going to church or have never attended church. Each day this week, pray for these people by name so that they may be converted to Christ.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi. This was the site of pagan worship to the Greek god Pan. To the pagan mind, the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld; they literally believed that these were the gates of hell.  Jesus brought his disciples to this distant area to emphasize this point: the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church!