St Monica - A Mother of Faith, Prayer and a Giant of the Church

 

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Reading St Augustine’s “City of God” for practical reasons, I look upon the feast day of St Monica as a day of thanksgiving. The Church has benefited so profoundly from the fruits of her endeavours, expressed through St Augustine, her son. She is a befitting example of the power of prayer and faith by way of virtues.

Her life story is an example of the importance of family bonds and the responsibilities of the parents in regarding their children as “children of God” (CCC 222). I am quite sure that the secret of St Augustine’s greatness was the holiness of his doting mother St Monica. I know “Little Therese” (St Therese) whom I view in very high regard, came from a very pious family, for her mother and father Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin were beatified in October, 2008.

I am reminded of the commentary from the excellent book I read a few years ago “The Story of a Family – The Home of St Therese of Lisieux”. Which said; “Giants in any sphere of human endeavour stand on the shoulders of giants. Nobody gets to heaven alone. We are all what our birth, our families, our education, our country, etc. Have helped to make us”.

Short commentary and pertaining Verses of Scripture:

·        The purpose of Christian faith is to view it as a seed you nurture and growth both interiorly and exteriorly: “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Mark 4:8.

·        Always believe in miracles and desire to do God’s will. St Therese so eloquently stated in her oblation “’Whatsoever you ask the Father in my name he will give it to you!’ I am certain, then, that you will grant my desires, I know, O my God! That the more you want to give, the more you make us desire...”“Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:21-22

St Monica’s biography from “Catholic Online”.

St. Monica was married by arrangement to a pagan official in North Africa, who was much older than she, and although generous, was also violent tempered. His mother Lived with them and was equally difficult, which proved a constant challenge to St. Monica. She had three children; Augustine, Navigius, and Perpetua. Through her patience and prayers, she was able to convert her husband and his mother to the Catholic faith in 370• He died a year later. Perpetua and Navigius entered the religious Life. St. Augustine was much more difficult, as she had to pray for him for 17 years, begging the prayers of priests who, for a while, tried to avoid her because of her persistence at this seemingly hopeless endeavor. One priest did console her by saying, "it is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish." This thought, coupled with a vision that she had received strengthened her. St. Augustine was baptized by St. Ambrose in 387. St. Monica died later that same year, on the way back to Africa from Rome in the Italian town of Ostia.