St. Monica -- famous mother of a famous son. We might say her life mirrored the old saying that behind every great man is a great woman. Almost all we know about Monica is from the writings of her son -- St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo and Doctor of the Church.
A story from St. Monica 's youth gives an indication of her strong will and determination to do the right thing:
"She was sometimes sent down to the cellar to draw wine for the family, and fell into the habit of taking secret sips. She developed such a passion for wine that before long she was drinking great draughts of it whenever opportunity offered. One day a family slave who had been spying on the little girl denounced her as a wine-bibber, and Monica, covered with shame, gave up the habit."
She was married to a violent-tempered and dissolute pagan, but "in the long run, Monica's prayers and example resulted in winning over to Christianity not only her husband, but also her cantankerous mother-in-law, whose presence as a permanent inmate of the house had added considerably to the younger woman's difficulties." It seems that St. Monica would be a sympathetic intercessor for those bearing with difficult in-law relationships as well as those suffering from alcoholism.
Monica was grieved that her eldest and most gifted son, Augustine, was living an immoral life, filled with love of pleasure and idleness. And he had become an adherent to the popular heresy of Manicheaism, a dualist heresy which believed that the physical world was evil and only the spiritual world was good. A logical conclusion for many Manicheans was that nothing the body did could touch or harm the soul and hence there was no sense in a "virtuous life." Augustine did not refrain from expressing his mind, and St. Monica for awhile refused to have her son live in her house or eat at her table. She relented after having this vision:
She seemed to be standing on a wooden beam bemoaning her son's downfall when she was accosted by a radiant celestial being who questioned her as to the cause of her grief. He then bade her dry her eyes and added: "Your son is with you." Casting her eyes towards the spot he indicated, she beheld Augustine standing on the beam beside her. Afterwards, when she told the dream to Augustine, he flippantly remarked that they might easily be together if Monica would give up her faith, but she promptly replied: "He did not say that I was with you; he said that you were with me." Her ready retort made a great impression upon her son, who in later days regarded it as an inspiration.(Butler's Lives of the Saints)
Besides inheriting a strong will from his mother, Augustine also seems to have inherited his sharp intellect from her. In his Confessions he speaks of the pious and philosophical conversations he had with friends after his conversion, and that Monica took part in these discussions "displaying remarkable penetration and judgement and showing herself to be exceptionally well versed in Holy Scriptures."
In his Confessions, Augustine asks his readers to pray for the souls of his mother and father, but it is we who have implored Monica's compassionate prayers as the patroness of Christian wives and mothers.
Exemplary Mother of the great Augustine, you perseveringly pursued your wayward son not with wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven. Intercede for all mothers in our day so that they may learn to draw their children to God. Teach them how to remain close to their children, even the prodigal sons and daughters who have sadly gone astray. Dear St Monica, troubled wife and mother, many sorrows pierced your heart during your lifetime; yet you never despaired or lost faith. With confidence, persistence and profound faith, you prayed daily for the conversion of your beloved husband, Patricius and your beloved son, Augustine. Grant me that same fortitude, patience and trust in the Lord. Intercede for me, dear St. Monica, that God may favorably hear my plea for (mention your petition here) and grant me the grace to accept his will in all things, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
The Life of St. Monica by Frances Alice Forbes (out of print, free ebook here)
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