Memorial of St. Monica
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Monica, a mother known for her persistent prayer for her son, Saint Augustine. If you know anything about St. Augustine’s story you know that he did not always live the life of a saint. Yet his mother persistently prayed for his sanctification and conversion. We too, are called to pray in this same way for the people we love.
Our first reading today states, “You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.” When I read this, I think of the sanctifying work of motherhood – there is much toil and drudgery in the work of motherhood. Motherhood is ceaseless work, being done night and day and as mothers we do strive not to burden others but to always proclaim Christ’s Gospel message to our children.
We may not always see the same transformative power of prayer that Monica witnessed but we are called to continue to pray without ceasing and to trust in the Lord’s timing to bring his believers back into his grace. On this day, as we celebrate St. Monica, may we each think of our own mothers and recognize the toil, drudgery and constant work that they poured in to raising us. May we hold them up in prayer, thanking God for the gift of their love.
Amen.
—AJ Grimm