St Monica: The Power of Prayer

St Monica is the focus of our reading and our celebration today. We read about her in the book In Caelo et in Terra. She was one of the very first saints to be free from persecution for her entire life. But she was not without suffering. First, she was married to a non Christian, abusive husband. She prayed for him for years, and he finally was baptized and became a loving husband, and then died a year later.

But her problems were far from over. Her son Augustine was a trouble-maker. He ran from his home and got into all kinds of trouble all over the known world. He seemed to be intent on sinning as much as he could. Monica tried everything she could think of to bring him back, but he was obstinate. She finally turned to prayer, as she had with her husband. Augustine was brought back to his faith through her prayers, and became St Augustine, the writer of The Confessions and The City of God. He became a Father of the Church. All due to St Monica's prayers. You can read more about her here.

Who are you praying for today?

God, thanks for the wonderful example of this godly woman, who didn't give up on the men in her life. St Monica, pray for us.