+ St. Monica was born in Tagaste (modern Algeria, Northern Africa) in 322. She was given in marriage to a bad-tempered, adulterous pagan named Patricius. She is the mother of three sons one of whom is St. Augustine of Hippo, whose writings about her are the primary source of our information about her. She prayed constantly for the conversion of her husband (who converted on his death bed), and of her son (who converted after a wild life). Augustine (whose feast day we will celebrate tomorrow) was the spiritual student of St. Ambrose of Milan. After Augustine’s baptism in Milan, he and his mother set out for Ostia, but she died on the way in 387. She was fifty-five. Monica is reported to have said to her son before her final illness that she had fulfilled her life’s purpose in seeing him converted and baptized.
It is interesting to note that
we must realize that Monica just didn’t stay on her knees praying for Augustine
for 3 decades without coming up for air. No, she lived an ordinary human life,
with its ups and downs, good times and bad. And she also was very much a saint
in that she had to deal with her own penchant to temptation, and have successes
and failures with it, like all the rest of us have to do with our human
penchants: “Monica, enjoyed her wine!” is what some writers on her life have revealed
and told to us. In fact, she is said to have enjoyed it very much. But,
that she knew about it, and prayed and worked herself to curb her desires is a
credit to her, and an inspiration to all of us, who deal with unruly penchants!
Our readings today are
particularly suited for St. Monica. The first reading speaks the beauty of a virtuous wife as the
radiance of her home: like the sun rising in the Lord’s heavens. The gospel
passage spoke to Monica about the moral resurrection of her own son, Augustine,
when Jesus raises the deceased only son of a widow in Nain. The widow, like
Monica, asked the Lord in faith to have mercy on her son; Jesus does not refuse
a mother’s prayer for her children.
In
you, Lord, I have found my peace!
No comments:
Post a Comment