Fallen Away

“Speak less to Augustine about God and more to God about Augustine.” -St. Ambrose to St. Monica

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine of Hippo.

St. Monica's story is one that takes many twists and turns. Often we look at the lives of the saints and feel like sainthood is unattainable. But the saints, while very holy people, weren't perfect and didn't have perfect lives. They had their own vices and their own obstacles in life. It was how they trusted in God and asked Him for strength during these difficulties that made them qualified for sainthood. Once they found their way to God, they did not turn back.

St. Monica's biggest trial is one that perhaps a number of us relate to. While he is now renowned as a doctor of the Church due to his writings that laid the foundation for modern thoughts on Christianity, St. Monica's son Augustine turned away from the Catholic Church for a good portion of his life, nearly seventeen years. Raised in the Catholic faith, St. Augustine fell into a life of sin and darkness. Sins of impurity and pride plagued his mind and turned his heart from Jesus. He no longer believed in God and His Truth. 

Initially, St. Monica cast Augustine from her home. His new ideas of religion and the afterlife seemingly startled her - this was not the same boy that she had raised to know the goodness of God. After a period of time with the two estranged, St. Monica had a vision. She was to reconcile with her son. She visited their local bishop in tears, asking how she could help her son. The bishop comforted her saying, "The child of those tears shall never perish."

It is important to note that St. Monica fought to have her children baptized. Her husband was a Roman pagan and uninterested in religion - he did not give permission for Augustine to be baptized until he had fallen significantly ill as a child. After meeting with the bishop, St. Monica returned to her fight to save her child from sin. She committed to a regular regimen of intense prayer  and fasting for her son. When Augustine left for school, St. Monica went with him. There, she met St. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, who assisted in leading Augustine back to the faith. 

How many of us have witnessed similar situations in our lives? We raise our children to know our loving and forgiving God, only for the seductions of the world around us to distract them and draw them away from Him. They look for something to give them happiness, but true happiness is found in our Father. 

As St. Ambrose said to St. Monica upon learning about St. Augustine's situation, "Speak less to Augustine about God and more to God about Augustine.” While we may find the urge to constantly remind our children who have fallen away that God is there, it is ultimately their choice. St. Monica witnessed her son live a precarious life with parties, stealing, lovers, even a child born of wedlock. But she did not pressure him or force him to live a certain way. She simply prayed for him to find his way back to God. To realize that God was the only answer to filling a hole he was anxiously trying to fill.

If you have a child who has fallen away from God (a relative, friend, etc.), we invite you to join us in this prayer for intercession from St. Monica. We are praying for all those who have fallen away from His love.

St. Monica, I need your prayers. You know exactly how I’m feeling because you once felt it yourself. I’m hurting, hopeless, and in despair. I desperately want my child to return to Christ in his Church but I can’t do it alone. I need God’s help. Please join me in begging the Lord’s powerful grace to flow into my child’s life. Ask the Lord Jesus to soften his heart, prepare a path for his conversion, and activate the Holy Spirit in his life. Amen.

{Prayer from Word on Fire}