The Rev. John Rickert, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Omaha, Nebraska, shared a reflection in the church's Aug. 23 bulletin.

The celebration of St. Augustine was an important day for Catholics, but more specifically for theologians, Fr. Rickert said. 

The Confessions of St. Augustine is something that all Catholics should read, he continued. St. Augustine provides encouragement to those of us who know individuals who have fallen away from the faith, because he was living a wayward life for many years.

“We think of family members, classmates, and friends, for example, who are no longer living a Catholic life," Rickert said. "Such was the case with St. Augustine as well. St. Ambrose, who was instrumental in his conversion, told St. Augustine's mother St. Monica, ‘A love of such tears will not be lost.’”

As we consider all those who have fallen from the faith and have yet to come to it, we should all pray to St. Ambrose, St. Monica and St. Augustine.