St. Monica: Patient in prayer and quick on her feet

But Monica was also quick to speak her mind and to take action.

Once, Monica had a vision, causing her to confront Augustine. A figure told her, “Your son is with you.” Monica told Augustine about the vision, and his response was that they could easily be together, just as soon as she gave up her faith. Her quick-witted response: “He did not say I was with you, he said that you were with me.”

Augustine never forgot those words, though he still was not baptized for another nine years following the conversation.

Even Monica’s local bishop, who counseled her to patiently continue her fasting, praying and weeping, finally relented, saying, “Go now, I beg you; it is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish.”

So she followed her son across the Mediterranean and back, and everyone knows the ending to the story—Augustine was baptized, ordained and canonized, and remains one of the great theologians in all of Church history.

Because of the patience of St. Monica, we have been blessed with one of the greatest bishops and theologians of the Church, St. Augustine.

As Monica reached the end of her life, she said to Augustine, “I do not know what there is left for me to do or why I am still here, all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled. All I wished for was that I might see you a Catholic and a child of heaven. God granted me even more than this in making you despise earthly felicity and consecrate yourself to his service.”

Monica had her priorities in order. Of course, she prayed without ceasing. But she knew when to take action. Make prayer a priority, but like Monica, never be afraid to take action when helping young men and women hear God’s call.

(Excerpts from St. Monica’s life taken from “Lives of Saints”, published by John J. Crawley & Co., Inc.)