Word to the Wise
Friday, August 27, 2010 - St. Monica - mother of St. Augustine
[1 Corinthians 1:17-25 and Matthew 25:1-13]Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.....For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
The celebration of the feast of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, is a singular event in the liturgical calendar! Yes, the mother of Jesus occasionally has a feast in conjunction with one of the Lord's (e.g. Exaltation of the Cross/Mother of Sorrows), but lesser mortals don't get this kind of attention! St. Monica is the patroness of all Moms who worry about the spiritual and physical well-being of their children. In Augustine's case, it was his spiritual well-being that concerned his mother. He was not a Christian and was certainly not living like one. He had a long time mistress and together they had a child by the name of "Adeodatus," (God-given!) The name of the lady has never been determined! Monica's tears and prayers, according to Augustine's CONFESSIONS, were powerful catalysts for his ultimate conversion to Christianity. The foolishness of the cross became wisdom to him. For many years I served in campus ministry. I had many an occasion to talk to "Monica" about her child who came home from university with ideas and behavior very different from what she had hoped to instill! I give retreats for Permanent Deacons or candidates for the diaconate. It is a frequent sorrow that I hear from them about their children who are not going to church and not raising the grandchildren in any kind of religious faith! The "Monicas" and their spouses are many! The advice that I had to give to "Monica" is always to keep praying and be consistent about their own faith and its practice. I would also advise her to give her son or daughter a copy of Augustine's CONFESSIONS to read. It may not be read right away, but might be just the book when, as often happens in undergraduate life, the world comes crashing down around one's ears. That's when the wisdom of the cross begins to make sense, and the foolishness of what can pass for wisdom in some classrooms or late night dorm discussions is revealed. It takes time, but Monica cried for years! AMEN
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