Daily Reflection Memorial of Saint Monica

Today’s first reading from Sirach is beautiful. I wonder if Saint Monica could have imagined herself in the description of a good wife in this passage. She certainly was a living example of that wife. For those of you who are not familiar with Saint Monica let’s just say that she had personal struggles and a difficult marriage and home life.  Her husband did not approve of her Christian faith and prayer life. Over time he was led to respect her for her unwavering faith and prayer life. That faith led to her husband’s conversion to Christianity.  Her other, as they say, claim to fame is that she was the mother of one of the greatest saints in the history of the Church: Saint Augustine. Let’s just say that before he became a Saint, he was quite a handful. 

Monica never gave up on her family or her eldest son. When Augustine told his mother that he was going to Rome she informed him she would go with him. He was having none of that, so he sneaked away one night and went without her. That did not stop her, she followed him to Rome only to learn he went on to Milan and being the determined mother she was she continued to follow him and pray for him. Four years later at the age of thirty-three Augustine converted to Christianity and the rest is history. 

Prayer was what kept Monica strong, and, in the end, her entire family and mother-in-law converted to Christianity. Prayer is a powerful tool that we have all been given. In his book, Confessions, Augustine describes the struggles his mother faced including her struggle with alcohol. He described how she wept as she prayed for him when he went astray and of the powerful role model, she was for him in his faith journey. Monica greatest gift to us is the power of prayer. She teaches us never to give up on ourselves or our loved ones. As the church honors her today we too can honor her by following her example. Pray for those who are dear to you. Pray they stay close to Jesus. If you find your prayer life becoming stagnant find new ways to revitalize it. Attend a day or evening of Prayer, go on a Silent Retreat or seek out a Spiritual Director to accompany you on your faith journey. You can find information at www.Loyola.org on all of the above offerings. More importantly stay close to Jesus in the Eucharist.  



Now if my husband is reading today’s reflection and passage in Sirach all I can say is, honey I am always praying for our family, but the “radiance of the home” bit does not apply to dusting and cleaning windows, it’s all about the beauty of prayer and a radiant soul.