CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION AND SAINT AGNES
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Our Mission, Vision, Beliefs, and Values
    • What ASA Membership Looks Like
    • Our History
    • Our Leadership >
      • Parish Staff
      • Vestry
    • Unique Considerations >
      • To what 'denomination' do we belong?
      • What is an Anglo-Catholic?
      • Apolitical or Supra Political?
      • Are We an LGBT-Affirming Parish?
  • Worship
    • About our Worship >
      • Attending Mass
      • Music
    • Upcoming Celebrants and Preachers
  • Community
    • Outreach
    • Fellowship
    • Adult Formation >
      • Adult Theology Upcoming
      • Knowing Christ
  • Connect
    • Contact us
    • Newsletter
    • Baptism
    • Pastoral Care >
      • Pastoral Offices >
        • Reconciliation (Confession)
      • Prayer Requests
    • Stewardship
  • Calendar
  • Donate Online
  • Restoration Campaign
  • About Formation
  • Home

dare to hope

SAINT MONICA, PATIENCE AND HOPE

5/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Our Church Kalendar today commemorates Monica, the 4th century woman from what is now Algeria, who was the mother of St. Augustine. She was a Christian, but her husband and mother-in-law were pagans and her son Augustine had become a Manichean—a new religion competing with Christianity. Monica prayed for their conversions, providing for them a personal example of faithful devotion to God and care for the poor. Eventually their conversions happened but not overnight—in Augustine’s case he was not baptized until age 31. Her husband and mother-in-law had been baptized sooner.

Given what we know about our own family relationships we can infer that Monica’s longing for the conversion of her husband, mother-in-law, and son and her endurance in persuasion was not a matter of complaining, nagging, and whining. She must have been patient, although not passively so, much less passively aggressive (“Never mind, I’ll just sit in the dark.”). It would have been a kindly patience, infused with hope. St Paul says in his letter to the Romans (5:4) “suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope.” As the years went by Monica never gave up hope. She was sustained and transformed by its continuing. In time even her mother-in-law became a Christian—and we can call that a miracle! 

As we live now in times of suffering, with no quick resolution in sight, Monica’s example of perseverance in hope speaks directly to us and our situation. “Blessed Monica, pray with us and for us now, that we may join you in active and resilient patience—in hope that never gives up.”
​
Even her mother-in-law? . . . wow.

​Frederick Erickson

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    RSS Feed

    authors

    The Rev. Charles Hoffacker is a retired priest of the Diocese of Washington
    who lives in Greenbelt, Maryland. He and his wife Helena Mirtova are members of Ascension and St. Agnes.

    The Rev. Mary McCue, is a vocational deacon and currently ministers at Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes.
    ​
    The Rev. Dominique Peridans is the Rector of Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes. 

    Molly Jane Layton is a seminarian intern at Ascension and St. Agnes. 

    Zach Baker Rodes is a seminarian intern at Ascension and St. Agnes.

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Our Mission, Vision, Beliefs, and Values
    • What ASA Membership Looks Like
    • Our History
    • Our Leadership >
      • Parish Staff
      • Vestry
    • Unique Considerations >
      • To what 'denomination' do we belong?
      • What is an Anglo-Catholic?
      • Apolitical or Supra Political?
      • Are We an LGBT-Affirming Parish?
  • Worship
    • About our Worship >
      • Attending Mass
      • Music
    • Upcoming Celebrants and Preachers
  • Community
    • Outreach
    • Fellowship
    • Adult Formation >
      • Adult Theology Upcoming
      • Knowing Christ
  • Connect
    • Contact us
    • Newsletter
    • Baptism
    • Pastoral Care >
      • Pastoral Offices >
        • Reconciliation (Confession)
      • Prayer Requests
    • Stewardship
  • Calendar
  • Donate Online
  • Restoration Campaign
  • About Formation
  • Home