Deacon Steve Martínez | assigned to the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica

Early in the 4th century AD, a woman was born in North Africa. Baptized a Christian, she married a non-Christian, and they had three children. When their oldest son fell gravely ill, Monica pleaded with her husband to allow for the boy’s baptism. Miraculously, the son, Augustine regained his health. As a young adult, Augustine went to college in Carthage, and associated himself with a sect of heretics. He quickly adopted a dissolute life of laziness and a constant pursuit of worldly pleasure. Monica, a loving mother, pursued Augustine to Rome and Milan, trying always to save her wayward eldest heir. For seventeen years Monica prayed incessantly for her son Augustine, never giving up hope, and always showing great love to her son.

One bishop she approached refused to help, saying her son was not open to hearing the truth. Still she persisted in her constant prayers. Monica continued to pursue help from that bishop but he refused. However, after an emotional meeting he assured her, “the child of those tears shall never perish.” Monica took this as a sign from God and prayed all the more.

Augustine was extremely bright, and wanted to hone his worldly knowledge. In Milan, he studied under Bishop Ambrose. He was spellbound with the preaching of St. Ambrose. Finally, at the age of thirty two, and with the encouragement of St. Ambrose, Augustine’s heart was made ready for conversion upon his reading of Holy Scripture. After all these years, Santa Monica’s prayers were finally answered. Her son was now certain that Jesus Christ was the only way to truth and salvation. Augustine went on to become Bishop of Hippo, a Doctor of the Church, and a Saint. Shortly after his return to the faith, Sta. Monica was called to her eternal life. Centuries later, her relics were reunited with her son when she was interred in the Church of St. Augustine in Rome.

Each year, in order to remember these events and draw attention to their example, the Church celebrates the memorial of Sta. Monica on August 27, and her son Saint Augustine with a memorial the following day, on August 28. Each August 27, the worldwide Church unites in a beautiful prayer which goes, in part,

“God of mercy, comfort of those in sorrow;
the tears of Saint Monica moved you to convert her son Saint Augustine to the faith of Christ.
By their prayers, help us to turn from our sins and to find your loving forgiveness…”

This example of unwavering love of a parent for a child is as relevant today as it was sixteen hundred years ago. How many of us parents have anguished because of the pursuit of modern day pleasures by our children? Maybe a child has turned their back on the faith we raised them in. Perhaps a child is living with a spouse outside of Sacramental Marriage. Many parents today struggle with a child who has succumbed to a same sex attraction and has chosen to abandon the life of chastity they have been called to.

Good parents will counsel their children like Santa Monica counseled St. Augustine, but reason does not easily overrule pleasure. A loving parent cannot abandon their own flesh and blood. It is at this time that we must turn to the example of Santa Monica. She never gave up on her child, nor did she condone and approve of his dissolute lifestyle. Instead, Monica prayed incessantly for her son, not for one week, or for one month. She prayed for nearly two decades. And when the time was right, when Augustine was open to the message of the gospel, he achieved full conversion.

The experiences of Sta. Monica and St. Augustine is a love story without compare. St. Augustine wrote in his post conversion writings, Confessions, Book IX, about his gratitude for her life: “I will not speak of her gifts, but of Your gift in her; for she neither made herself nor trained herself. You did create her, and neither her father nor her mother knew what kind of being was to come forth from them. And it was the rod of Your Son, the discipline of Your only Son, that trained her in Your fear, in the house of one of Your faithful ones who was a sound member of Your Church.”

When today’s generation strays from the teachings of Scripture and the Church, parents are faced with the dilemma of three choices. First, we can abandon our children. But by doing so, this will place our own souls and theirs in grave peril. Jesus does not abandon us when we sin against Him, and we must not disown our children in their time of need.

Second, we could condone our children’s actions as being merely a reflection of modern society and “political correctness”. This too places both souls in jeopardy. When Jesus confronted the prostitute caught in the act of adultery, He saved her life in two ways. First, He prevented a harsh judgment of her by society. This saved her physical life. Then He saved her spiritual life by telling her to “go and sin no more.” He neither abandoned her nor condoned her actions.

Lastly, we could appeal to our children to be faithful to Sacred Scripture, and to amend their lives. As parents, from experience we know this may not have an immediate effect. However, with Sta. Monica to guide us by her example, we can continue to pray for their conversion. Most often, this will happen not in our time, but in God’s time.

Last week, Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron made an appeal to his flock, whom the Church has entrusted to him (as children are entrusted to parents). Because of his concern for our spiritual welfare, he has rightly instructed us in our responsibility as Catholic citizens on how we are to discern the election of lawmakers in our Territory. Similar to a parent’s responsibility to instruct a child, an Archbishop has the responsibility to speak the truth, even when some of the flock may not want to hear it. Unfortunately, some in the secular media have chosen to condemn him for this.

The Archbishop is a man of fervent prayer. He prays not only for his own inner strength and for guidance, he prays also for each one of us. He prays that we may find the strength in today’s confused world to follow the path that Jesus has lighted for us.

Correspondingly, as parents we too must answer the challenges of our children with love, with sound guidance in the truth, AND with constant prayer for God’s intercession. As in the example of Santa Monica, history has shown that it is most often through our constant prayer and perseverance that God ultimately answers our calls for conversion and saves souls.

Within each one of us, we have a great power; beyond explanation and beyond reason. It is the same power that Sta. Monica possessed, and it is just waiting to be put into service. This tremendous power is prayer. And each one of us has the ability to use this power at will.

Let us pray for the strength to preach the truths of the gospel message at every opportunity. And let us pray constantly for the conversion of those who have strayed from the path of truth when our words fail to bring a change. With God, all things are possible.