Appendix: Information About Di Person Im Life

Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine story na story of how person discover truth through prayer. Im mama too na saint—Saint Monica. Monica marriage and family life hard. After e overcome im struggle with alcohol early for im marriage, e give im whole self to Christ and im family, and e become example of love for God and neighbour. Im prayers, im persistence, and im love wey no shake play very important part for Augustine conversion.

Dem born Augustine for Tagaste, wey today na Souk Ahras, Algeria, for North Africa. Na im be the eldest of Monica three children; e get one younger brother and one younger sister. Im papa, Patricius (Patrick), no rich, but e get responsibilities for the government of im city, wey be part of the Roman Empire. Patricius na pagan, and people know am for im violent temper and immoral way of life. E convert shortly before e die because of im wife prayers and the witness wey e give through im life.

Patricius refuse to allow im children receive Baptism, even as their mama dey beg am. Still, Monica make sure say dem learn catechism from when dem small, and say dem study the classics too. Monica faith make Augustine know about Christ, im Saviour, but that knowledge no ever enter im young mind fully. Instead, e become person wey dey cause trouble. Later, e write for im Confessions, “I love how I dey destroy myself. I love my wrongdoing—no be the thing wey I do wrong to get, but the wrongdoing itself… I no dey look for anything from the shameful act apart from shame itself. Na love of sin e be.”

Augustine do very well for im studies for im hometown, so im papa, wey proud of am, decide to send am go Carthage, one nearby city wey dey prosper, make e continue im education, once e fit find person wey go pay for am. E take several months to find the person, and as Augustine no get anything to do for that time, e enter more serious trouble. After Patricius die, one rich citizen of Tagaste offer to sponsor Augustine education. By the time Augustine reach Carthage, e don fully ready for life of sin. Plenty of the other students dey live immoral life, the plays for theatre dey stir up im passions, and im success for literature enter im head like wine.

Shortly after Augustine arrive, e move in with one young woman, and dem born one child without marriage. When e be nineteen, e read one book wey go begin change im life: Cicero Hortensius. Even though the book don lost and no dey available again today, e praise the virtue of wisdom. As Augustine read am, hunger for truth wake up inside am, and e begin seriously search for that truth.

Sadly, na for this time e begin doubt im Christian faith, mainly because e dey struggle to understand the Old Testament, wey e see as something wey full of violence and confusion. E come hear about the religious philosophy wey dem dey call Manichaeism, wey claim say e don discover secret knowledge and support Augustine view say some things for Bible contradict one another. Manichaeism see reality as struggle between light and darkness, good and evil, and e regard the created world as part of the side of darkness, wey aim to trap us inside darkness. This new religion influence Augustine, and e study wetin dem dey teach with hope say e go discover the wisdom wey dem promise. Several years later, e abandon their teachings completely, especially after e meet their leader, Faustus, wey disappoint am and show say e no get true wisdom.

When Augustine finish im studies for Carthage around the age of nineteen, e return home to Tagaste with im girlfriend and son, and e begin teach grammar for one school for the area. When e tell im mama say e dey consider to become Manichaean, e mama drive am comot from im house. Later, because of inspiration wey e receive from God, e mama reconcile with am. Augustine do so well as teacher that, a few years later, dem invite am back to Carthage to teach rhetoric. After several years of success, e receive invitation to Rome, wey be great honour. When e tell im mama, e mama insist say e must follow am. But Augustine trick am and leave for Rome without am. For Rome, e lose the confidence wey e get for the students because dem cheat am by no paying their school fees. After a few years, e accept one teaching post for Milan. Na for Milan, when Augustine be thirty years old, im mama finally meet up with am and witness im conversion.

As Augustine still dey search for truth, e meet Bishop Ambrose of Milan, wey go later become saint. Ambrose na person wey sabi think deeply and preach well. E also give Augustine attention, listen to am, make friendship with am, and answer im plenty questions. Ambrose show am how to read Bible well, especially to help am with the things for Old Testament wey dey hard am to understand. When Ambrose get conflict with Empress Justina, wey dey try take over im cathedral and force Arianism on the people, Ambrose stand im ground with strong courage and refuse to give in. At last, she back down, and this one really impress Augustine.

One day, as Augustine sit down for garden, e hear one pikin voice tell am, “Take am and read.” Even though e no know where the voice come from, e pick up the Bible wey dey beside am and open am without choosing where to read. E open to Romans 13:13-14, wey talk say, “…make we behave well as people wey dey walk for daylight, no be for wild parties and drunkenness, no be for sexual immorality and loose living, no be for rivalry and jealousy. But make una put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and no make provision to satisfy the desires of the flesh.” This passage touch am so deeply that e decide to turn to God without delay.

Augustine spend time with good Catholic friends and join them for long discussions, and this one help am well well. Im mama presence also give am strong support. Even though she no go school, nobody fit deny her wisdom and how she dey understand truth, and she always fit hold her own for discussion with her son wey get plenty education. All these things, together with the prayers wey Monica dey pray with tears, finally lead Augustine, wey be thirty-two years old, to turn to God. Bishop Ambrose baptize Augustine and im son during the Easter Vigil for 387. Small time after, Monica fall sick just outside Rome and die. Augustine later tell the story of her death for Confessions, one of the most beautiful accounts wey anybody don ever write about the love between mama and son.

When Augustine return to Tagaste, e form one religious community with im friends. Im good name among Christians spread quickly, and this man from their hometown wey get exceptional intelligence and don become Catholic come give many people hope. As the people call for am with one voice, Augustine become priest for 391, and dem consecrate am as bishop of Hippo for 396. During im forty-three years as Christian, Augustine become one of the greatest theologians for the history of the Church, if no be the greatest. Im work as shepherd of the people, im regular sermons, and the attention wey e give their needs touch their lives deeply.

The plenty writings wey Augustine leave behind still dey among the texts wey people dey read and quote pass today. Im works include writings wey defend the faith, sermons, letters, explanations of Scripture, one rule for monastic life, and detailed writings on philosophy and theology. Im greatest work, Confessions, na story of im own life, wey e write with deep openness and humility. E trace how e turn to God and show deep understanding of theology. For City of God, e show say the claim that Rome fall because people reject pagan gods no correct. Instead, e compare the city of man with the city of God, show how dem different, and call society to live by the true standards wey e suppose follow.

For the last year of im life, Augustine witness how barbarians invade Hippo and destroy the city. Even though dem fit destroy buildings, dem no fit wipe away the lasting effect of im work. Im influence reach far beyond the Church; e don deeply shape the way people for the Western world dey think.

Augustine Letter to Proba

Anicia Faltonia Proba na rich and influential woman of noble birth from the respected Anicii family, one of the great families wey produce senators for Rome across many generations. She marry Sextus Petronius Probus, one powerful Roman official wey serve as praetorian prefect under different emperors.

By 395, her husband don die. As woman of noble birth wey dey devoted to the Christian faith, she use her wealth and influence support the Church, and she exchange letters with leading Christians, including Saint Augustine and Saint John Chrysostom.

After attackers sack and loot Rome for 410, Proba run go Africa with her son wife and her granddaughter. For North Africa, she suffer persecution under Heraclian, the Roman governor, wey put her family for prison and release them only after e receive plenty ransom money. As she don find refuge for Augustine diocese, she ask am for spiritual guidance, especially on how to pray. By the time Augustine reply (c. 412–413), Proba don devote herself to life of Christian devotion and generosity. Na this request bring about im famous reply, Letter 130, where e give one of the deepest teachings of the Church on prayer.

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Among the greatest thinkers for the history of the Church, Saint Thomas Aquinas stand far above the rest. E no only be Doctor of the Church; dem also give am the titles Angelic Doctor, Common Doctor, and Universal Doctor. E hard to talk about the effect wey Saint Thomas don get on the doctrine of the Church and the understanding of the faith through reason as if that effect small.

Dem born Thomas for one grand castle for central Italy, near the town of Aquino. Im papa na man of noble birth, and na knight for the army of Emperor Frederick II. Thomas start im studies when e be only five years old for the famous Benedictine monastery, Monte Cassino, where im uncle be abbot. Thomas papa and mama hope say one day, e go become the abbot himself.

When Thomas dey fourteen years old, because of war, e comot from Monte Cassino go the University of Naples wey dem just establish, to continue im studies. Na there e meet the Dominicans, wey influence am well-well and make plan for Thomas to join their religious order wey dem just establish. Thomas sharp mind begin show as e dey freely join discussions, and plenty people come know how brilliant e be.

When Thomas dey nineteen years old, the year after im papa die, e join the Dominicans. This news vex im family, wey hold tight to the social system of feudalism for that time, wey value ownership of land and military service. The Benedictines dey among the religious orders wey dem dey honour for the feudal system, but no be the Dominicans, wey be poor preachers wey dey depend on alms. Thomas family want make e become the Abbot of Monte Cassino, because that position fit person from noble family pass.

To change this situation, im mama arrange make dem kidnap Thomas and lock am inside one castle wey belong to the family, where e remain as prisoner for about one year. During that time, im mama, im brothers and sisters, and plenty other people do everything wey dem fit do to convince Thomas to become Benedictine, but Thomas refuse. One day, im family even send one prostitute enter the room where dem lock am, to tempt am, but e use one piece of wood wey dey burn chase her comot. For the end, im mama allow am escape from the castle for night, so that the family no go face more disgrace.

Now wey Thomas don reach twenty years old, e go back join the Dominicans, and dem send am go Paris, where e become student of Brother Albert, wey get deep and wide knowledge, and wey we know today as Saint Albert the Great. Brother Thomas especially come like Aristotle philosophy well-well. This philosophy go later become the foundation for plenty of the things wey e go write, something wey never happen before for the history of the Church. E continue to study under Brother Albert for several years.

Thomas also come dey keep to imself more for class as e dey grow for the virtue of humility. E no dey often talk, join debate, or show im sharp mind. Because e dey quiet like this, plenty students conclude say e no get sense, and dem give am the nickname “Malu Wey No Dey Talk.”

But one day, im teacher, Brother Albert, decide say time don reach for everybody to know how brilliant Brother Thomas be. So e give am one difficult question to answer and ask am to come back the next day to present im answer to the class. After Thomas do so, the other students marvel, and Brother Albert talk about am say, “Una dey call am the Malu Wey No Dey Talk, but one day, through im teaching, e go make one kind loud cry wey people go hear throughout the world.”

For 1252, when Brother Thomas dey twenty-six years old, the pope give am the title “Master for Theology.” For the next twenty-two years, Brother Thomas write plenty books, sermons, and writings wey explain Scripture. E even compose some of the most beautiful hymns wey our Church get, including “Pange Lingua.” E continue to serve as teacher, preacher, and theologian for the pope for Paris, Naples, Orvieto, and Rome.

Among the plenty works wey Saint Thomas write, na the Summa Theologica, or “Summary of Theology,” people know pass, but e no ever finish am. One tradition talk say as e dey celebrate Mass for 1273, e see one vision. Later, e tell Brother Reginald, wey dey help am write, say e no fit write again. When Brother Reginald ask am why, e answer, “Reginald, I no fit, because everything wey I don write be like dry grass to me.” Brother Thomas die the next year after e suffer different sicknesses.

Saint Thomas no only get sharp mind; e also be man wey get deep faith, wey love God, wey never stop to dey deeply reflect on the truths of the faith, and wey get courage to introduce new methods wey help people know and understand God better. Im life of prayer bring plenty supernatural truth, like spring wey water dey flow from. Then e use im sharp mind arrange this truth and express am for ways wey nobody don see before.

Thomas humility and sincerity show for one story wey one of the first people wey write about im life tell. The writer talk say, as Brother Thomas dey pray one morning before the crucifix, e dey anxiously beg the Lord to show am whether the things wey e write correct or not. Jesus speak to am say, “You don write well about Me, Thomas. Wetin go be your reward?” Thomas answer, “Nothing except You, Lord.”

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