Do you ever feel like the prayer that you do is useless?
You have had the same petition for weeks or months, but you see no fruit from your prayer. You might feel like it’s time to throw in the towel and pray for something else or stop praying for that petition altogether.
There’s actually a saint who went through the exact same situation you’re going through!
St. Monica
St. Monica is a saint from the 4th century and is most famously known for being the mother of one of the greatest Doctors of the Church: St. Augustine.
Her story of how she raised Augustine was not one filled with heartwarming moments of both of them praying together; rather, it was one full of difficulty and persistence.
Her marriage was full of conflict
She married a man named Patricius, who had a violent nature and opposed her Christian faith. With them lived Patricius’ mother, who was also reported to have the violent and demeaning nature of her son. Both of them were pagan and refused to have any of Monica and Patricius’ children baptized as Christians.
When Augustine became really sick as a child, Patricius changed his mind and allowed Monica to have Augustine baptized. However, when Augustine recovered from the illness, Patricius changed his mind again and forbade Monica from baptizing her son.
Heartbroken by this denial, all Monica could do was pray for her husband and her family. She prayed fervently for years and years, asking God to touch the heart of her husband.
Patricius was moved by Monica’s love and persistence in prayer, and he decided to convert and be baptized in the faith. Her mother-in-law also chose to repent and be baptized, a dream come true for Monica. Unfortunately, her husband died a year later.
Augustine’s Conversion
It is said that Monica had 3 children, the oldest of whom was Augustine. Her 2 other children were also reported to have converted to Christianity, but the most famous story is the one of Augustine, which he writes in his book Confessions.
When Augustine was 17, he went to Carthage to study, as it had one of the best schools of the Roman Empire. However, in Augustine’s search for truth, he was introduced to different heresies and manners of thinking contradictory to Christianity.
Augustine became a Manichaean, a heresy, and considered its teacher to be the final prophet in a long line of prophets, including Jesus.
When Monica found out about his new religious views, she was heartbroken and upset at Augustine. God spoke to her in a vision, which helped her not lose hope in her son.
After this, Augustine sneaked away to Rome to study Rhetoric without telling Monica. Determined not to lose her son, she followed him there and later to Milan, where he was a teacher.
She continued to pray for her son, hoping beyond hope that he would find God.
Finally, as an answer to her persistent prayers, Augustine found St. Ambrose, whose preaching as Bishop moved Augustine’s heart to the truth.
Bishop Ambrose baptized Augustine at the age of 33, a direct result of Monica’s unceasing prayers!
After his baptism, he and his mother decided to go back home to Africa. Unfortunately, Monica fell ill and died shortly after beginning the trip. She died knowing that her life’s mission of seeing her family accept God was completed.
St. Monica’s influence
Despite Monica’s life being full of conflict and difficulties, her hope and perseverance shine through even brighter.
She managed to convert her entire family because of her example of virtue and never-ending prayer. St. Monica is the perfect saint who models the power of prayer and persistence.
Her prayer didn’t just influence her son but also the entire church, through his theological writings that have helped many others find God.
Now, she is remembered as the Patron Saint of homemakers, married women, mothers, abuse victims, alcoholics, and widows.
If you ever feel like your prayer doesn’t matter, lean on St. Monica as an example. You’ll find that her story might just give you the strength to keep going!
St. Monica, pray for us!
More Resources On St. Monica And St. Augustine
Confessions of Saint Augustine of Hippo
6 Things You Didn’t Know About St. Augustine
St. Monica Teaches Us How To Lead Others To God With 5 Tips
What Parents Can Learn From The Saint Who Converted Her Son With Her Tears
