Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,
The month of August is dedicated to devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Let us ask our good Lord and St. Joseph for the grace to know and understand the Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to place our trust in our Blessed Mother’s loving intercession!
This coming Tuesday, August 27, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Monica (b. 331 – d. August 27, 387). Known as the loving and prayerful mother of the great theologian and Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine (b. 354 0 d. August 28, 430; Feast: August 28), she offers encouragement for families in our own day.
St. Monica is the patron saint of alcoholics, victims of abuse and adultery, widows, and mothers facing family difficulties. She is also a special intercessor for parents and family members who see their children and relatives reject our Catholic Faith or stop practicing our Faith. St. Monica prayed fervently for the conversion of her son, Augustine. He had many great talents, but he did not fully accept Jesus and His Catholic Church. St. Monica prayed for him with many tears to our good Lord Jesus. In fact, years earlier, St. Monica had prayed fervently and often to our Lord while she was pregnant with Augustine, asking our Lord that her child would serve Him. St. Monica dedicated Augustine while he was yet in the womb to our Lord and His service in the Church. St. Augustine had a full conversion to our Lord Jesus at the age of 32. His conversion led him to service in the Church, the fruit of which has been a great source of blessings for the Church and her members to this day!
In his autobiography (The Confessions of St. Augustine), the great St. Augustine wrote tenderly on the death of his mother. Here is an excerpt from this book:
“The day was now approaching when my mother Monica would depart from this life; You know that day, Lord, though we did not. She and I happened to be standing by ourselves at a window that overlooked the garden in the courtyard of the house. At the time we were in Ostia on the Tiber. And so the two of us, all alone, were enjoying a very pleasant conversation, forgetting the past and pushing on to what is ahead. We were asking one another in the presence of the Truth - for you are the Truth - what it would be like to share the Eternal Life enjoyed by the Saints, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, which has not even entered into the heart of man. We desired with all our hearts to drink from the streams of Your Heavenly Fountain, the Fountain of Life. That was the substance of our talk, though not the exact words. But You know, O Lord, that in the course of our conversation that day, the world and its pleasures lost all their attraction for us. My mother said, ‘Son, as far as I am concerned, nothing in this life now gives me any pleasure. I do not know why I am still here, since I have no further hopes in this world. I did have one reason
for wanting to live a little longer: to see you become a Catholic Christian before I died. God has lavished His gifts on me in that respect, for I know that you have even renounced earthly happiness to be His servant. So what am I doing here?’ I do not really remember how I answered her. Shortly, within five days or thereabouts, she fell sick with a fever. Then one day during the course of her illness she became unconscious and for a while she was unaware of her surroundings. My brother and I rushed to her side, but she regained consciousness quickly. She looked at us as we stood there and asked in a puzzled voice: ‘Where was I?’ We were overwhelmed with grief, but she held her gaze steadily upon us, and spoke further: ‘Here you shall bury your mother.’ I remained silent as I held back my tears. However, my brother haltingly expressed his hope that she might not die in a strange country but in her own land, since her end would be happier there. When she heard this, her face was filled with anxiety, and she reproached him with a glance because he had entertained such earthly thoughts. Then she looked at me and spoke: ‘Look what he is saying.’ Thereupon she said to both of us, ‘Bury my body wherever you will; let not care of it cause you any concern.
One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be.’ Once our mother had expressed this desire as best she could, she fell silent as the pain of her illness increased.” Sts. Monica and Augustine, pray for us! Through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, Sts. Monica and Augustine and our patrons, St. Michael and St. Paul, may God bless you, your families and our parishes!
In Christ through Mary,
Fr. Kasel
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