St Monica
Feast day: Aug 27
Patron saint of mothers and wives
Mothers, who among you does not hope for your children to know, love, and serve Jesus? Yet this is not a choice we can make for them. Yes, we can teach them about our faith, and tell them all the great things God has done for us, but when it comes down to it, they are the ones who need to decide whether or not they will follow Christ. That can be scary, I get it – when it’s about their soul and eternity, it’s crazy important, but faith is always a personal choice.
Say it with me, ladies: conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit. We can only lead our proverbial horses to water. It’s the Holy Spirit that shows them how to drink.
St Monica knew this. So while her son rebelled and fell into a life of sin for 17 years, she grieved, yes, weeping for him, but she also prayed. She prayed for his conversion daily. And the Holy Spirit worked so hard in that young man that he became a Doctor of the Church – one of the greats! If you didn’t know or haven’t guessed who her son was, it’s none other than St Augustine of Hippo.
Mothers of children who have fallen away, who are falling away, or who may be tempted to fall away from the faith (ok, so basically any mother with any child), take St Monica as your example, pray for your children daily, hope that they heed God’s voice, and leave them in His hands. In the words of St Padre Pio, “pray, hope, and don’t worry”. Remember, your children are even more precious to God than they are to you.
St Monica, pray for us!
Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!
Mom Things Through Christ 