Memorial of Saint Monica
(I Corinthians 1:1-9; Matthew 24:42-51)
For a long time St. Monica lived with the hope of her son
Augustine converting to the Catholic faith.
She prayed and encouraged him to do so.
Perhaps she found some reason to believe that he would in his deference
for her. But he also had a mistress and
a son. Furthermore, gifted intellectually,
Augustine was aware of philosophical trends which seldom move in the direction of
faith. Eventually, of course, Monica’s hope was realized. Augustine not only became a Christian but also
one of the Church’s greatest theologians. Monica’s hope should inspire our own
for the coming of Christ. Gospel hope
lies behind today’s gospel.
The gospel is taken from Matthew’s gospel’s final
discourse. The long passage treats the hoped-for
events to take place at the end time. Today’s
section admonishes Jesus’ disciples to practice justice and temperance in the
interim. They are to distribute food and
beverage fairly, never overindulging in them personally.
We are still in the interim -- after almost 2000 years! It is frustrating at times, and some wonder
if Jesus will return as he promised. Yet
there are signs, not of an imminent return but of Jesus’ abiding presence. Jesus clearly promised this presence as well in
Matthew’s gospel. We hope that the wait
will give opportunity for all to convert to his ways. As we hope, we also pray that our faith never
wanes but grow into greater love for others.
