It is not often that we celebrate mother and son saints in the Church, but today and tomorrow we celebrate a mother and her son who each have their own saint days in the official calendar of the Roman Catholic Church – St Monica and St Augustine. The fact that St Augustine is one of our Church’s most influential theologians is almost overshadowed by the fact that the prayers of his beloved mother are credited with bringing him to the faith after a lifetime of being outside of the faith and leading a very pleasure-filled lifestyle as a youth and young adult. Monica lived in North Africa in the 4th century, being the Christian wife of a pagan husband. Many mothers who pray for the return of their children to the faith identify with tenacious prayers of St Monica. Monica was patient in her prayers for her son. She never gave up on him. If a lot of us think of our own faith and the faith we see in close family members and friends, we can see a person of faith who was an influence both in prayers and by example.
The Gospel today shows Jesus confronting the hypocrisy that he sees in people. He is especially hard on the Scribes and the Pharisees. He sees that doing things that don’t ultimately matter, while neglecting and criticizing what matters most in a life of faith. Worse yet, they lead others astray.
There is a lot in this world that can indeed lead us astray. Then we have the examples of faith in our lives such as St Monica. As we honor Monica today, let us remember the many prayers of mothers and grandmothers who have had such an influence on our lives of faith.
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