August 27, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Monica
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51
Reflect on the Word //
As I entered the retreat chapel, the priest’s words echoed in my mind: “And if there is a particular Saint whom you have an aversion to, I encourage you to ask that Saint to intercede for you.”
But, I objected inwardly, I like all the Saints. After a moment of silence, I recalled my resistance to the story of Saint Monica’s copious tears for her son and his subsequent conversion and Sainthood. Am I jealous?
Tentatively, I asked Jesus to introduce me to Saint Monica. Clarity came immediately. I was never meant to compare my seemingly ineffectual prayers for my wayward sons with Saint Monica’s answered prayers. Instead, I was invited to friendship with her. It turns out she’s eager to intercede for me and she understands the heart of a mother who longs for the conversion of all her family.
Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel bring the same startling clarity I experienced that day in the chapel. “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). When I examine my own heart, I see how often I succumb to drowsiness and lethargy, downplaying the mission God has given me. I am sometimes listless, barely willing to do my part so that others may partake of the Bread of Life. Other times, I doubt whether the Lord will show up. I don’t physically beat His other servants, but I am sometimes prone to criticize the work they do rather than collaborate with them to make it better.
Every Sunday we pray in the Creed that He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. What would He find us doing if He came for us today? Will we, like Saint Monica, be ready to share in His glory when He comes? Let’s hear and obey Jesus’ words, “Stay awake!” (Matthew 24:42)
Relate to the Lord // Is there a Saint you feel an aversion toward? Ask Jesus to introduce you to him/her.
