Not only do they share the same feast day, but they also share many other life experiences.
August 28 is widely known as the feast of St. Augustine of Hippo, but it is also a day when another saint is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church.
St. Moses the Black is honored on the same day as St. Augustine of Hippo. He is a saint who is already well known in the Eastern Church, but whose popularity has increased in recent years in the West.
Not to be confused with St. Moses the Prophet from the book of Exodus, St. Moses the Black was a 4th-century hermit who founded a monastery in the Egyptian desert.
In addition to sharing the same feast day, St. Moses has many connections to St. Augustine that make it fitting that they are both celebrated on August 28.
From sinner to saint
One of the hallmarks of St. Augustine's life is the fact that in his youth he lived in total opposition to the Christian faith. St. Augustine was a "sinner," as he explains in his Confessions, "For it was my sin, that not in Him, but in His creatures—myself and others—I sought for pleasures, sublimities, truths, and so fell headlong into sorrows, confusions, errors."
It wasn't until later that, assisted by the tearful prayers of his mother, St. Monica, he came back to the faith and fully embraced it with every ounce of his humanity.
In a very similar way, St. Moses the Black sought the earthly pleasures of this world. Except one could say that St. Moses took it one step further, as he was known to be the leader of a gang of brigands who lived a life of crime.
Then one day it all changed for St. Moses, as he encountered a group of monks in the desert and gave up his sinful lifestyle.
He then directed all of his energy into fighting against temptation in the desert and praising God with all of his strength.
St. Augustine and St. Moses were both great sinners who became great saints. They remind us that no matter how much we turn away from God, he is always chasing after us and if we put down our guard and let him find us, he can transform our vices into virtues.
There is always a chance that we (or someone we love) can abandon our sins and embrace a life of holiness. All it takes is surrender to God's loving mercy.
