Using extensive excerpts from the writings of St. Augustine, notable from his Confessions, Giovanni Falbo sheds new light on St. Monicas patience, sweetness, and unwavering determination. This mother never yielded in her efforts to see her beloved son find comfort and peace in God, and she endured countless sacrifices and health risks in her quest to help Augustine embrace the faith. Monicas quiet wisdom and courage, coupled with her earnest tears and prayers to God, bore fruit she could only have dreamed of.
Many of us give up on prayer when we don't get the answer we want WHEN we want it. For nearly two decades, Saint Monica prayed for her wayward son. Years and years of prayers, seemingly unanswered. Countless tears shed with no relief. Yet she would not give up. That very act of persistent prayer blessed the entire Church, for we have all benefitted from the conversion of her son, Augustine, who became one of the most revered saints of all time. Parents of any age or at any stage can cultivate the same virtues in prayer that Saint Monica discovered during her long wait for God's answer for her child. This devotion includes 18 contemporary reflections, meditations taken from the writings of Saint Augustine, and prayers adapted from the liturgy and other ancient sources. Don't give up. Persistence in prayer can change everything-for you, your children, and maybe even the world.
In the fourth century, a young man named Augustine turned his back on the Church, plunging into a frenzied life of lust and dissipation. His renunciation left Monica, his pious Catholic mother, weeping and praying for his salvation . . . for more than a decade! Like so many Catholics today – even perhaps like you – Monica wrestled daily with the pain of having a loved one fall away from the Faith. Like us, she often feared that her prayers and tears were of little worth, empty, futile. Not so! After nearly two decades, Augustine returned to the Faith, and in a big way. Revered today as Saint Augustine, he joined in holiness his mother, Monica – now Saint Monica – whose sacrifices, prayers, and pain finally won for both of them the crown of sanctity. In these pages, author Maggie Green provides wise, compassionate guidance for members of what she calls “The Saint Monica Club”: good Catholics suffering like Monica the rejection of the Faith by persons they love dearly. Herself a longtime and long-suffering member of the club, Green shows how persevering as Monica did in devoted love for straying souls – loving them as God does – will not only quiet the lingering, aching cry of our hearts, but will also draw our lost loved ones back to the Faith and into the arms of Jesus again. Yes, the nonconfrontational Way of Saint Monica is hard. But it is the only way. These pages demonstrate that, with the souls of our loved ones at stake, it is worth the effort . . . and worth the wait.
Poetry. Mary Biddinger's poetry collection SAINT MONICA reinvents the saint as an everyday girl coming of age in the rust belt Midwest. These poems explore temptation, transgression, and heavenly presences in a landscape that is far from holy. "Biddinger crisply narrates these memorable tales that entwine horror and sensual discovery, using deft rhythms, head-snapping line breaks, and highly original imagery." Rachel Dacus"
Robert the Bruce consolidates lands and loyalty in a bold war for Scotland’s independence, as his elite team of warriors, the Highland Guard, fight for king, country . . . and love. Magnus MacKay is the ultimate Highlander: tough, proud, able to master any terrain and to best his enemies. Called “the Saint” for his refusal to discuss women, as well as for his cool and steady leadership, Magnus hides a painful truth. It isn’t virtue or piety that keeps him silent, but a wound of love and loss that cuts so deep he cannot bear to speak of it. But when the woman who refused him is betrothed to his friend and fellow Guardsman, Magnus is tested by love’s battle cry. A wild and innocent beauty, Helen chose family duty over her desire for Magnus. Now the anger in his eyes mirrors the tormented regret in her heart. But as deadly subterfuge stalks the King and his Guard, Helen vows to right her youthful mistakes with a woman’s determined spirit. Still, Magnus harbors secrets and an iron will not to weaken to temptation—or heartache—again. But as danger looms, it’s the kiss not of a saint, but of a sinner, that can save them.
MOnica Lewinsky. You know her name, you know her face, and you think you know her story: the pretty young intern who began an illicit love affair with the President of the United States - a liaison that ignited an unprecedented political scandal and found Bill Clinton as the second U.S. president to ever be impeached. But there is much more to the MOnica Lewinsky story than just that. Andrew Morton takes you beyond the headlines and the sound bites to discover the real Monica Lewinsky, a woman as interesting, intelligent and misunderstood as they come.
Winner of a 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (third place, scripture-popular studies). The women God called to bring his chosen people into the world were ordinary women who struggled with emptiness, oppression, infertility, and loss—yet who found strength and hope in God. In her first book, Sarah Christmyer—codeveloper of The Great Adventure Catholic Bible study program—pairs the stories of key Old Testament women with stories of women she has known to show us how we can hear God, say yes to his call, and share him with the world just as they did. Breaking open the scriptures to reveal the historical, cultural, and biblical context in which Old Testament women lived, Sarah Christmyer breathes new life into their stories and makes their lives surprisingly relatable. In the process, she shares stories from her own faith journey and the lives of family and friends to show how the same principles that turned ordinary women into heroines of the faith are true for our lives today. Each chapter of Becoming Women of the Word highlights the spiritual legacy of one or more women in the Old Testament. Their world was vastly different from ours, yet they faced the same questions we do: when we can’t feel God’s presence, where do we find help? When our world is collapsing, where is God? Why should we trust him? How can we trust him? Christmyer simply and clearly draws from the lives of these women important principles that help us to trust—even as we struggle with doubt. For example: Through Eve, we learn to hold on to God’s promise even when we fail. Sarah reminds us to wait on God’s timing to make us fruitful. Miriam, the sister of Moses, shows how to lead by example. Ruth and Esther challenge us to see womanhood as a gift. Hannah and Judith inspire us to trust God even in matters of life and death. These unforgettable portraits create a colorful mosaic of faith, encouraging us to mine God’s Word for spiritual treasure and to pass on the gift.
I was kidnapped on my honeymoon by three masked men. Blindfolded. Bound. Destination unknown. I was told to stay silent and abide by their rules. But they didn't realize I wasn't a victim...not anymore. The open sea was my backdrop for nine torturous days. During that time, glimmers of my fate were revealed by a man with the mysterious chartreuse-colored eyes. He should have scared me, but he didn't. He intrigued me. And I intrigued him. He punished me when I didn't listen, which was every single day. But beneath his cruelty, I sensed he was guarding a grave secret. I was sold. And in a game of poker, no less. My buyer? A Russian mobster who likes to collect pretty things. Now that I know the truth, I only have one choice. Sink or swim. And when one fateful night presents me the opportunity, I take it. I just never anticipated my actions would leave me shipwrecked with my kidnapper. He needs me alive. I want him dead. But as days turn into weeks, one thing becomes clear--I should hate him...but I don't. My name is Willow. His name is Saint. Ironic, isn't it? He bears a name that denotes nothing but holiness yet delivers nothing but hell. However, if this is hell on earth...God, save my soul.
"The Life of Saint Monica" by F. A. Forbes. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.
