In 374 AD, Ambrose was one of the most successful men in the Roman Empire. As the governor of Aemilia-Liguria with headquarters in Milan, he had achieved everything his aristocratic upbringing had prepared him for. He was eloquent, educated, respected—and not yet baptized.
When God Calls Unexpectedly
The bishop of Milan had just died, and the city was in chaos. The Arians and the orthodox Catholics were at each other's throats, each determined to elect one of their own as the new bishop. Violence seemed inevitable.
Ambrose, as civil governor, entered the basilica to keep the peace. He began speaking to the crowd, urging calm and unity. Suddenly, a child's voice rang out: "Ambrose for bishop!"
The cry was taken up by the entire assembly—Arians and Catholics alike. The man who had come to maintain order found himself being drafted into service for the King of Kings.
From Politician to Bishop
Ambrose was stunned. He fled the city and tried to hide. He even resorted to desperate measures to disqualify himself, but nothing worked. The people were insistent: they wanted this Roman governor as their shepherd.
Finally, recognizing the hand of God, Ambrose surrendered. Within eight extraordinary days, he was baptized, ordained, and consecrated as Bishop of Milan. The civil servant became a servant of Christ.
He would later reflect on this sudden transformation: "I was snatched from the courts and the magistracy, from the life of administration—to the priesthood. I began to teach you what I had not yet learned myself. So I had to learn and teach at the same time, since I had no time to learn beforehand."
A Ministry That Changed History
But learn he did—and teach with power. For the next twenty-three years, Ambrose became one of the most influential bishops in Christian history. He stood fearlessly before emperors, famously refusing Emperor Theodosius entry to the church until he had done public penance for massacring thousands.
His greatest legacy, however, may be a young professor of rhetoric who came to Milan to advance his career and found himself drawn to Ambrose's preaching. That man was Augustine, whom Ambrose would baptize on Easter Eve in 387 AD.
God took an unwilling politician and made him a bishop who would shape emperors and saints alike.
