Faith Life | Catholic Motherhood | Saint Monica
Saint Monica was a mother who prayed with such patient tenacity that we are still admiring her motherhood over 1500 years later. She prayed for some fifteen years for her son (Saint) Augustine and even longer for her husband and mother-in-law. All three came into the Church before their deaths.
Of her three children, Saint Monica worried the most about Augustine.
When Augustine left his mother in search of truth among philosophies far from her devout Christian faith, she never ceased to weep and to pray until her son gladdened her heart with his conversion to ardent faith and became one of the princes among the Church’s theologians. (Magnificat August 2024, p. 381)
As we know, Augustine became a great saint and a Doctor of the Church. His mother’s prayers were answered most generously. God is good.
Follow Saint Monica’s Example
As mothers, let’s walk in Monica’s footsteps. The world, the flesh, and the devil are all after our children. We live in a troubled world where Christianity is sometimes mocked. The culture tells us that right and wrong are relative and that there really isn’t any absolute truth. The abnormal is treated as normal.
We have our spiritual work cut out for us. It’s quite a battle. And the stakes are very high. We must never give up.
As a mother of six, I know that prayer can be hard to fit into our busy schedules. After all, we must keep those kids fed, their clothes washed, their activities safe, etc. Sometimes, it’s hard to even remember where everyone is, where we need to be, and when.
It’s imperative, though, that we keep trying to fit in that prayer.
Find Time to Pray
We can pray in the car. Everyone is buckled, and we just need to keep our eyes on the road. It’s a good time to pray the Rosary, even with the family. I have a friend who thought the Rosary was especially helpful because the phrase “pray for us sinners” was a good reminder to the children who occasionally needed to remember their state.
We can pray in the shower. Praying helps to keep the day’s worries at bay.
We can even pray while in conflict with a teen. Call on the child’s patron saint: “Saint ___, please pray for ___." In my case, calling on my own patron saint was also helpful. Those patrons will summon God’s grace for you. They also provide a distraction to whatever the conflict is.
Praying Anytime
Once, while in an altercation with a teen daughter, I was struck by how much she looked like my mother. I burst out laughing. “You look so much like my mom that I feel like I’m the teen getting in trouble!” She was not amused, but I think I did get a little smile out of her. The tension had been defused.
Prayers can be said while doing dishes. I know there are lots of interruptions. Aspirations work great. You can use ones you know or make up your own.
- Mary Most Holy, please pray for this family.
- Saint Joseph, please pray for holiness for my sons.
- Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of my children.
Frustrations can be offered as prayers for our children. Pain, too, is a powerful prayer. Offer it up for them. Don’t let it go to waste.
Saint Monica’s Prayers were Answered
In The Confessions of Saint Augustine, we learn of a precious time after his conversion when he and his mother shared about their faith.
My mother said: "Son, as far as I am concerned, nothing in this life now gives me any pleasure. I do not know why I am still here, since I have no further hopes in this world. I did have one reason for wanting to live a little longer: to see you become a Catholic Christian before I died. God has lavished his gifts on me in that respect, for I know that you have even renounced earthly happiness to be his servant. So what am I doing here?"
I do not really remember how I answered her.
Along with loving them with all our hearts and keeping them alive, is there any greater goal for a mother than helping her children get to Heaven? As much as we can, let’s replace worry with prayer. For moms with adult children away from the faith, here is a link to four prayers to Saint Monica.
Prayer #2 is short enough to be posted on your bathroom mirror. You could say it while brushing your teeth.
Oh, Lord, as we remember Saint Monica tomorrow, please hear our prayers for our children that they will not go astray but always stay faithful to You!