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.
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.
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.
This guidebook, packed with wisdom, practical advice, resources, and encouragement, explores how moms can equip their sons with what they most need to succeed in life. Monica Swanson knew she'd tapped a heartfelt concern when nearly two million readers shared her blog post "What a Teenage Boy Needs Most from His Mom." In this helpful book, she takes mothers deeper into the insights they need for the boy-raising journey, covering topics from dealing with the daily influences of friends and technology to helping a boy grow to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally healthy. She also addresses learning and finding passions, perspectives on relationships and dating, and work ethics and money management. Each chapter features relatable stories, handy checklists, and practical advice based on a combination of research, experience, and biblical truth to guide and equip a mom in helping her son achieve his God-given potential. Praise for Boy Mom “In Boy Mom Monica Swanson offers readers practical advice and resounding hope that parenting our sons well through all seasons is not only possible but also enjoyable. This book is like an essential trail guide that I’ll refer to again and again in the beautiful and challenging adventure of motherhood.”—Becky Keife, author of No Better Mom for the Job and mom of three spirited boys “Monica Swanson is the friend we all need in our lives: humble, straightforward, warm, full of wisdom, and short on nonsense—and she knows her stuff like no one else. In Boy Mom she holds the bar high yet is forthcoming about her own struggles and imperfections. Inside these pages you’ll find deeply rooted biblical and practical advice along with calls to action when you don’t know where to start. The Boy Mom Manifesto at the end will not only inspire you but also make your heart swell.”—Kate Merrick, author of Here, Now: Unearthing Peace and Presence in an Overconnected World “Monica Swanson is the ultimate Boy Mom mentor. While her perspective on parenting is grounded in biblical wisdom, each chapter holds excellent practical tools for how to work out that wisdom on a daily basis in our homes. Of course, we know there aren’t formulas that will ensure we get it all right, but we also know that gleaning wisdom from women who have gone before us (and are still in the trenches with us) is invaluable in the wonderful adventure of helping boys become all God created them to be.”—Jeannie Cunnion, author of Mom Set Free
The 1980s and 1990s, the height of the AIDS crisis in the United States, was decades ago now, and many of the stories from this time remain hidden: A Catholic nun from a small Midwestern town packs up her life to move to New York City, where she throws herself into a community under assault from HIV and AIDS. A young priest sees himself in the many gay men dying from AIDS and grapples with how best to respond, eventually coming out as gay and putting his own career on the line. A gay Catholic with HIV loses his partner to AIDS and then flees the church, focusing his energy on his own health rather than fight an institution seemingly rejecting him. Set against the backdrop of the HIV and AIDS epidemic of the late twentieth century and the Catholic Church's crackdown on gay and lesbian activists, journalist Michael O'Loughlin searches out the untold stories of those who didn't look away, who at great personal cost chose compassion--even as he seeks insight for LGBTQ people of faith struggling to find a home in religious communities today. This is one journalist's--gay and Catholic himself--compelling picture of those quiet heroes who responded to human suffering when so much of society--and so much of the church--told them to look away. These pure acts of compassion and mercy offer us hope and inspiration as we continue to confront existential questions about what it means to be Americans, Christians, and human beings responding to those most in need.
