Tuesday August 27, 2019 was the feast of St. Monica. As I mention before, I am not well versed in the Catholic Saints, but I have learned a great deal about them this past year. To tell you how ignorant I am concerning saint’s lineage, I did not know that St. Monica is the mother of St. Augustine. Let’s just say I have soft spot for St. Augustine.
The Bishop said the mass on Tuesday morning and in his discourse about St. Monica during the homily he said these two words – “bold determination.” You see, St. Monica did not have the easiest of lives. She was married to a pagan with a terrible temper. Her pagan mother-in-law lived with them. Apparently, she had a terrible temper too. She bore 3 children. Her son, Augustine, was wayward and rebellious and lived a carefree life style. But St. Monica prayed for them. She prayed for her husband and mother-in-law, and for her son, Augustine. St. Monica prayed for 17 years for her son’s conversion. 17 years – that is bold determination.
This past week I prayed the Novena to St. Monica and have really been reflecting on her patience, her faithfulness to prayer, her determination, and her trust in God. I know that when I pray, I do tend to expect immediate results. And when I don’t get them, I tend to think that God might not have heard me.
I can’t imagine what St. Monica might have thought or what she might have felt after decades of praying for her husband, mother-in-law and son. But she persisted, she continued to pray, to ask for the conversion of her family, to offer up her trials, struggles and suffering to God.
What a model of patience, faithfulness and determination. I marvel at her endurance. St. Monica never gave up hope. She trusted God and He eventually answer her prayers. Her husband and mother-in-law both converted to Christianity before their deaths. Her son converted at the age of 31 and became one of the greatest scholars and saints of the Church. That is the power of prayer.
I can relate to St. Augustine. We were both a little wayward and we both had our conversions later in life (mine a little later than his). We know St. Augustine’s mother prayed for his conversion; I am grateful to those who prayed for my conversion and to those who continue to pray for me. I can certainly attest that I would not have gotten here – at this very juncture in my life – had it not been for prayer. I was pretty set in my ways and really had no intention of changing paths. But God had other plans.
The Bishop closed out his homily by saying that “God’s grace will heal all things.” Think about that for just a moment. That is profoundly beautiful and completely true. The sad thing is that most of us, me included, are not always open to experiencing God’s grace. We think we can handle things on our own, that we don’t need help – so we don’t ask, or that it just easier if we keep our problems to ourselves. Or maybe we think prayer doesn’t make a difference or that we don’t need God. But prayer does make a difference, and God desperately wants to help us. But He wants us to ask Him for help. Again, He doesn’t want to intrude.
You how nice it is to be invited to a party or to a wedding? Or that feeling you get when a friend invites you to lunch or to just take a walk? You feel important, somebody wants you to be part of their special day. You feel wanted, somebody wants to spend time with you. You feel like you matter. The same is true with God. He wants to matter to you. He wants to spend time with you. He wants to be part of your life. God wants to be invited. Will you invite Him into your life?
Today, remember that God’s grace will heal all things, so open yourself up to experiencing that grace. Invite God in. Please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.
Tattoos, Motorcycles, Beer, Bourbon and Faith 