Advent is a season of waiting. The Scriptures fill us with hope, based on the promises of God. Many of these promises describe healing, comfort, a return to God. Today’s first reading urges the prophet to comfort God’s people, to tell them their suffering is at an end. They are to make ready to welcome God’s coming in both power and gentleness.
One saint who models both an expectant waiting and the strength and gentleness of a mother is St. Monica. This fourth-century Christian woman was married to a pagan with a fierce temper and immoral ways. His household included a bad-tempered mother-in-law. Monica is best known for her long years of prayer, waiting for the conversion of her son, Augustine. Her prayers were answered for her son, as well as for her husband and mother-in-law!
Augustine’s conversion took the longest—thirty-three years. He became a Christian, a bishop, and one of the greatest Christian teachers of all time. Monica’s perseverance and example of faith-filled waiting saw her lifelong dream fulfilled. Like the shepherd who searches for the one lost sheep out of a hundred, Monica reminds us of how much our God seeks us out and longs for our return.
—adapted from the book Advent with the Saints: Daily Reflections
by Greg Friedman, OFM
