Sts. Monica and Augustine, Persist with Us

Yesterday was the feast of St. Monica, the mother of persistence, and today we celebrate the feast of her brilliant and influential son, St. Augustine.

These feasts are timely, arriving in the midst of religious uncertainty and crisis. This woman — whose persistent prayers converted the hearts of her family and produced one of the greatest Doctors the Church has ever known — surely understands our pain and longing for a return to holiness and virtue.

Neither Monica nor Augustine are strangers to the strains and pains of family life, either. In fact, Augustine got so irritated as his mother’s proximity and concern that he once went to the dock to “see off a friend” and instead set sail for another country.

Be assured that no matter what it is in life that’s taxing and uncertain — be it unruly teens, struggles with abstinence, back-to-school chaos, infertility or even a crisis in the Church, this mother-and-bishop duo gets it.

Here are just a few quotes about persistence from the brilliant Augustine that may offer some encouragement:

 

 

Today ask for the powerful intercession of these determined saints and be encouraged as you persist in love and holiness through challenging times.

Sts. Monica and Augustine, 

Persist with and for me before our tender God.
My resolve is strengthened at the promise of your powerful intercession.
Help me to offer my pain on behalf of my family, my friends and our bleeding Church.

Amen.

— CCL Staff Member