St Monica:
Model of Perseverance in Prayer
The life of saints is an example for us to
live a life of holiness and great commitment to God in this world. As we turn
the pages of lives of saints we realize that thy have not only lived for God,
but lived in God. They were people whose love for God rose to such heights as
to illumine all of created reality in its true light. In everything they saw
God's reflection: the least, the last and the lost in their world. Some saints
had an extraordinary faith in God that they teach us how to persevere in
prayer. St Monica is one of the greatest saints who is a model of persistent
prayer.
Born in the year 321, Monica grew up in a
family that was devoutly Christian. As a child she was baptized a Christian and
was raised to be a dutiful wife. Unfortunately she was given in marriage to a
bad tempered, adulterous non-Catholic official, by the name of Patricius.
As we glance through her family life Monica we
are struck by the extent of the abuse she had to endure throughout her marriage.
Under the laws of the time Monica’s husband could physically and emotionally
abuse his wife. Compounding the problem was the fact that Patricius’ mother
also lived with them and she, like her son, ridiculed his young wife. Monica
had three children with this man and, of course the most famous was her oldest,
the man that history now knows as Saint Augustine.
Monica was an extraordinary woman with par
excellence. How did she deal with all the stress that she had in her life?- family relations that mistreated her, children
that ignored her model of conduct and faith, a culture that looked the other
way when her husband abused her. These horrendous circumstances of Monica’s
life could easily have made her a miserable woman, a sour daughter-in-law, and
a depressed parent. None of these became true in her life; instead, she became
a saint. A saint that is known for two major personal qualities: her love of
Jesus Christ and her prayerful persistence in bringing her physical family into
the family of God.
Monica was terribly upset to learn that
Augustine had accepted the Manichean heresy and was also living an immoral
life. Manichaeism strongly hold for a view that there is no all-knowing good
power, so there is neither lord nor savior. Augustine alwys contradicted his
mother in terms of faith and beliefs. She was so despondent that she refused to
let him eat or sleep in her house and became enraged when he explained to her
that his belief trumped her faith in Jesus Christ. She threw him out of the house,
but later pursued him and attempted to reason with him.
Once Monica dreamt that Augustine would come
to faith. She took great comfort in this fact. From that moment on she vowed to
continually pray and fast for her son and to remain close to him so that she
would have the opportunity to discuss her faith with him. The histories tell us
that she in fact stayed much closer than Augustine wanted.
Monica followed wherever Augustine
embarked. Augustine sailed for Rome
without any intimation to his mother. Monica was stunned when she learned of
Augustine’s trick, but she booked passage on the next boat. When she arrived in
Rome, she learned that he had left to travel to the city of Milan in northern
Italy where he hoped to obtain a teaching post. Monica pursued him to Milan,
and it is in Milan that both mother and son came under the influence of the
great saint Ambrose who was bishop of Milan.
Bishop Ambrose became Monica’s spiritual
director who understood a mother’s heart for her son. He commended her persistence
and directed her to keep the faith, and in humility, accept her circumstances.
Monica did exactly that, and in Milan, became a leader of devout women, some of
whom were also being abused by their husbands.
Ultimately, Saint Monica won the day; her abusive
husband, mother in law, and her youngest son and daughter were all baptized
into the faith. Augustine, too, eventually saw the logic of his mother’s faith,
became a catechumen, and took religious instruction from Ambrose. In the year
387, Bishop Ambrose baptized Augustine into the Catholic faith in Milan’s
cathedral.
What do we
learn from St Monica?
It is very hard to love someone who is an
addict of drugs, alcohol or any other evil. It immensely costs countless tears,
sleepless nights, infinite prayer requests, and the sacrifice of setting aside
one’s own desires for the good of the other. “Rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you”. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Monica teaches us the
importance of persevering in prayer in every situation of our life.
Monica is an icon of patience. She had to
face lot of rage and irrational thought and action of her husband. In all these
odd circumstances Monica remained patient hoping for a great day of
consolation. It must have taken a great deal of grace and interior discipline
for Monica to show this much patience towards her husband in situations of such
great injustice. Certainly this came as a result of her own devotion to God and
trust in a power great than herself.
Monica, from her early childhood was taught
that making small sacrifices would ultimately help her achieve greater
sacrifices. In every moment of her life, Monica sacrificed her will to God and
in that offering she gained not only her son, but the entire family to God.
Let us turn to her and say,
Exemplary
Mother of the Great Augustine,
You
perseveringly pursued your wayward son,
not with
wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven.
Intercede
for us in our day
so that we
may learn to draw all those who are lost in this world.
Enable us to
persevere in faith
Help us to
be the channels of God and His love
To all those
who have sadly gone astray. Amen.
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