Memorial of Saint Monica
Whereas God the Father had a son “obedient unto death, death on a cross,” Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, had an adolescent pear thief on her hands. No surprise that mothers at the Church of St. Augustine in Rome that contain her tomb bypass the main alter and deal directly with St. Monica. No doubt, these mothers believe that it is more prudent to deal with someone with experience concerning matters of misbehaving children. Monica’s son, Augustine, took a path towards God that had plenty of twists and turns. Thanks to a sainted mother whose prayers and good example eventually helped convert her son, he would later become one of the great theologians of the Christian Church. Monica’s faith in prayer and the necessity of good example certainly stands in opposition to the hypocrisy that Jesus describes in these week’s gospels.