Mike Aquilina - St. Monica and the Power of Persistent Prayer

St. Monica

and the Power of
Persistent Prayer

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture citations used in this work are taken from the Second Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV), copyright 1965, 1966, and 2006 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition , for use in the United States of America, copyright 1994 and 1997, United States Catholic Conference Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Copyright 2013 by Mike Aquilina and Mark W. Sullivan. Published 2013.

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ISBN 978-1-61278-563-9 (Inventory No. T1261)

eISBN: 978-1-61278-319-2

LCCN: 2013932939

Cover design by Rebecca J. Heaston

Cover image by Tracy L. Christianson

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Contents

by Lisa M. Hendey

Chapter 13

Foreword

Hope for the
Journey

By Lisa M. Hendey

I have St. Monica on speed dial. As the wife of a convert and a mother of two young adult sons, there are some days when I feel as though Im carrying on a continual conversation with one of my favorite patron saints. Blessedly, I know that the same burning desire to share heaven one day with her own husband and children opens Monicas heart to this simple Fresno housewife.

I dont remember precisely when my fervent prayers for my husbands conversion first became a steady drumbeat in St. Monicas ears. Ill admit that when we married under the shadow of the golden dome at our alma mater , the University of Notre Dames Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Gregs nominally Lutheran background wasnt as big an issue for me as it perhaps should have been. We entered our marriage with a starry-eyed agreement that our future children would be raised in the Catholic faith. At that point, I felt equal to the task, knowing that my husband while not Catholic was a good person and would at least be very supportive.

Although I spent many a Sunday alone at Mass with two maddeningly active toddlers, I dont think the reality of our situation truly hit me until our eldest son, Eric, began to prepare for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion. As we readied ourselves for Erics sacraments, my heart began to yearn for my husbands faithful presence with the boys and me. I wanted him at the Eucharistic table, not simply in the pew watching us receive. I began to turn to St. Monica regularly in prayer, asking that she intercede on behalf of my wonderful husband as she had done in her own marriage and with her own notoriously vagrant son, Augustine.

Interestingly, after seventeen years of marriage, my prayers began to morph away from my wish list for Greg, and more toward my own need for conversion. I asked St. Monica to be my spiritual companion in life just as it was dealt to me rather than expecting or holding my breath for a change in my husband. I prayed, through her intercession, for peace of heart, for the worthiness to be equal to the challenge of leading our domestic church, and for a grateful spirit to accept my husbands personal path to conversion. It was only after letting go of my agenda for things being done according to Lisas time that Gods plan unfurled. Greg and our younger son Adam both received their First Holy Communion three years later. My husband, now a Knight of Columbus and a liturgical music minister at our parish, is still learning about our Church and continuing along his path to salvation.

Gregs becoming Catholic through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults did not mark the end of my prayers to St. Monica. I recall sending her tearful prayers of thanksgiving that Easter Vigil night as I watched my husband being confirmed. But honestly, those same tears frequently flow with gratitude when I see the man I love receive the Eucharist on any given Sunday. Gregs faithfulness and his companionship along my own path to heaven are blessings I will never take for granted. And now, as we watch our sons grow into strong, independent men, it is St. Monicas passionate advocacy for her son St. Augustine that has me regularly coming together for a tte--tte with this intercessor. She knows the words of my heart without my even having spoken them.

From my vantage point as a Catholic blogger, I have had the opportunity to witness firsthand the devotion that so many have to St. Monica. Their combox stories and personal emails remind me on a daily basis that so many of us turn to St. Augustines mom regularly for support and strength as we raise children in an increasingly secularized society. The prayer intentions folder I keep in my email inbox bulges with their accounts. They include:

Mary, herself a convert to the faith who likens herself to Augustine in her own circuitous path home to the Church. Now, she turns to St. Monicas intercessory care for a son she calls wayward.

Laura, a one-time rebellious child, now a wife and mother, who invokes St. Monicas prayers on behalf of her husbands stubborn lack of faith.

Thomas, a modern-day self-appointed Augustine, who, having come home to the Church, prays fervently for the young men in his life who are adrift in a society awash in sexual sin and spiritual discouragement or oblivion.

Seth, who now respects his own mothers consistent and loving prayers on his behalf during his rebellious years as he embarks upon his own parenting journey.

Darlene, a mother of many, who continues to persevere in leading her domestic church alone after the untimely death of her spouse.

Their stories are real-world examples of the faith it sometimes takes to simply, faithfully put one foot in front of the other each day. They are the reason Im so thrilled to now be able to share St. Monica and the Power of Persistent Prayer with my friends, readers, and loved ones. With this book, which is more an invitation to prayer and transformation than a simple read it once and set it aside volume, Mike and Mark offer support and encouragement for personal transformation.

The chapters of this book will help you come to better know St. Monica and St. Augustine through the liberal sharing of their words of wisdom. The early pages provide a look at their lives in the context of their time in history. These stories might as well come from a blockbuster film. They point to the saints relevance today when so many of the issues they faced continue to plague us. As the book continues, Mike and Mark invite us into deeper dialogue, with meditations, resolutions, and prayer to enkindle in us a more profound conversation with these two powerful patrons for our families.