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St. Monica and the Prayers of Mothers Msgr. Charles Pope • August 27, 2015 • On this Feast of St. Monica, who prayed at length for her son, I’d like to say that my mother prayed for me, too! And I really needed (and still need) her prayers.Satan hates priests and seeks above all to get to us. Jesus remarked laconically and pointedly, quoting from Zechariah (13:7), Strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. This is why Satan hates priests and seeks to topple them. Corruptio optime pessima (The corruption of the best is the...

At a recent Catholic conference I attended, one of the guest speakers asked those present if they had a family member who had either lapsed from the Catholic faith or if they had family members who never had it to begin with. Out of the more than 700 attendees, nearly every hand in the audience went up. Not surprising since it is estimated that upwards twenty million Americans consider themselves to be lapsed Catholics. More than likely, we all know of someone within each of our families who simply no longer practice the faith or who have not yet come...

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Aug 30, 2009 / 11:14 am (CNA).- At Sunday’s Angelus prayer in the courtyard of Castel Gandolfo’s apostolic palace, Pope Benedict XVI recalled the previous week’s liturgical memorial of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine of Hippo and model and patron of Christian mothers. “Much is recounted about her in her son’s autobiography ‘The Confessions,’ a masterpiece among the most read works of all time,” Pope Benedict said. “There, we understand that St. Augustine imbibed the name of Jesus with maternal milk and was educated in the Christian religion by his mother, the principles of which...

August 27, 2005Memorial of Saint Monica Psalm: Saturday 37 Reading I1 Thes 4:9-11 Brothers and sisters:On the subject of fraternal charityyou have no need for anyone to write you,for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.Indeed, you do this for all the brothers throughout Macedonia.Nevertheless we urge you, brothers and sisters, to progress even more,and to aspire to live a tranquil life,to mind your own affairs,and to work with your own hands,as we instructed you. Responsorial PsalmPs 98:1, 7-8, 9 R. (9) The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.Sing to the LORD a new...

August 27, 2004 Memorial of Saint Monica Psalm: Friday 37 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading I1 Cor 1:17-25 Brothers and sisters: Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I...

August 27, 2003Memorial of Saint Monica Psalm: Wednesday 37 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading I1 Thes 2:9-13 You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.You are witnesses, and so is God,how devoutly and justly and blamelesslywe behaved toward you believers.As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,exhorting and encouraging you and insistingthat you walk in a manner worthy of the Godwho calls you into his Kingdom and glory. And for this reason we...

August 27, 2002Memorial of Saint Monica Psalm: Tuesday Week 38 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading I2 Thes 2:1-3a, 14-17 We ask you, brothers and sisters,with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christand our assembling with him,not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly,or to be alarmed either by a "spirit," or by an oral statement,or by a letter allegedly from usto the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.Let no one deceive you in any way. To this end he has also called you through our Gospelto possess the glory of our Lord...