Memorial of Saint Monica
St. Monica has long been an inspiration for parents everywhere. A woman of deep faith, she prayed and prayed that her stubborn son, Augustine, would someday come to know the love of God. Before Augustine became the giant of theology in the church as we know him today, he struggled with a life of vanity, lust and emptiness. In his Confessions, Augustine tells us his story of struggle and conversion. A particularly astute student of rhetoric, Augustine was held in the highest esteem for his intellect and really enjoyed all of the attention it gained him. But in spite of his outward appearance, he knew that there were problems inside. His mother, Monica, held him in love and prayer for years, placing her faith in the grace of God to turn Augustine toward the right and the good. By that grace, he did finally turn his restless heart back toward God.
Today’s readings are particularly relevant on this memorial of St. Monica. Both of today’s readings-- the first from St. Paul to the Thessalonians and the second from Matthew’s gospel--challenge us to go beyond appearances. St. Paul writes that he and the other apostles have been entrusted with the Gospel after being judged worthy by God. He goes on to say that they speak not to please others but only to testify to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Perhaps Paul was trying to remind himself of this fact as much as he was telling his brothers and sisters in Christ. Even Paul, missionary par excellence, was probably tempted as we all are: to appear a certain way to certain people and have a good reputation. He reminds his readers, however, that we should all seek to be so truthful with each other in the name of Christ that we are sharing “our very selves.”
In today’s gospel reading, we hear Jesus’ biggest pet peeve: hypocrisy. He turns to those around him obsessed with the minutia of the Law but who have yet to take it into their hearts and put it into selflessness action for others. It’s like they are just cleaning the outside of their dishes without bothering with the inside. Just imagine how gross our dishes would become if we never washed the insides! “Cleanse first the inside of the cup,” Jesus says. This was, in some sense, the prayer of St. Monica for her son, Augustine: that he would leave behind the vain search for the appearance of glory and turned his life back to the true glory of God. Thanks be to God for the model of faith we have in Monica, a saint to teach us how to cleanse the inside.
- Katherine Schmidt