Thursday, the 13th
I woke up
to rain and cold, which was pretty great.
I was almost wishing that I had a sheet or blanket on my bed, but not
desperate enough to go fish the one out of the closet that came on the
bed.
I talked
to Father Michael about coming to Kampala to sign some forms that need his
attention. He was agreeable, especially
when I reminded him that we have some projects to work on – the Water for People
project, funding his music video, finishing his letter head and website, and more.
He will come up on Saturday, get the forms signed, and take a bunch of
stuff back to Masaka for me in case I am not able to get back before the
paperwork here is done.
I then
got a text from my Angel Linda! She
wrote to tell me that she filed the case for the IOM early, and that Michael
would have his first appointment on Friday instead of Monday!!! Awesome.
Talk about prayers working! In 1
week, I have accomplished (or rather God accomplished) 3 steps that normally
take over a month to do.
I love
hearing from home, but hate it to – life goes on without you, and you miss so
much not being there. Anna is missing me
more and more, while the boys are missing me less and less, which is probably
age appropriate, but does not make it any easier.
The
reason that I love St. Monica so much is because of her parenting style. She wanted to keep her children close – she
strove to always be their mother, to make sure that they stayed on the path of
righteousness. Some skeptics call her a
stalker, but it worked, she converted one of the most coveted Doctors of the
Church to Catholicism via prayers, support, and by setting an example of firm
love and devotion.
Some
parents I know take their keys away when the children are in college or
graduate, as if to say, “I am done, you are a burden, and an adult, so be gone
with you.” While other parents are like,
“Come over every day, share your life with me, you are finally old enough to
realize that I was right about most things, so now we can have a different
relationship.” These two are completely
different attitudes in parenting. I was
raised more by a St. Monica, who was previously raised by a St. Monica, and I
hope to retain that same attitude of family and togetherness.
The perfect
example of St. Monica’s devotion in raising a great saint was how she handled
St. Augustine’s many sins. For instance,
he was always a wayward child, always fighting with her about the faith. She would tell him to pray and he would role
his eyes, tell her that her version of God was wrong, criticize her and question
everything she told him. She never had
any proof of Augustine’s love for God or that he ever listened to any word that
she ever said, or that he had ever even prayed up until his conversion. But she stayed close, and fought back, and
said the things she felt called to say.
When
Augustine came home with a mistress and a child, she only complained about the
heresy he believed in because she recognized that the love for a woman and love
for children can easily turn someone’s heart to God. Being a father or a mother can turn a person’s
heart to prayer faster than anything, as you suddenly realize there is a higher
power and that you need strength and guidance that you cannot find anywhere
else. She also knew that denying her
child and the person that he loves away, she cannot continue to set an example
of love, and faith and forgiveness.
She invited
them to live with her, she went on vacations with them, traveled with them,
came to events that were important to them in order to show them that if she
was THIS forgiving, then how much for forgiving could and would a merciful God
be? She never approved, and she spoke
her mind against the actions, but once she said her piece, she was done. She knew that the only way to bring Christ’s
love to them, was to stay close, and set the example of a forgiving God, she
knew that this was the way to win the souls of the ones she loved for God. Did that stop her from tugging at God’s ear
and yelling and crying and raging against his lack of instant conversion? No.
She never gave up praying to God and telling Him exactly how she felt
about the situation and begging Him to answer her prayers.
I know
that my mom does this. She, and her
sister Jennifer, are replicas of St. Monica today. My mom prays and weeps and feels our
pains. She sits at the table with her
daily prayers from her pieta, laminated for protection against her constant use and dangling on a key
chain. I could walk in at any time, but
especially when the babies are all asleep, and she would be flipping, praying and
flipping, and praying some more. She keeps
us close, talks to us every day, emails my children reminders of how much they
are loved. She feeds and clothes and
nurtures my nieces and nephews, offering reprieve to my sister in times of
illness and stress.
Like St.
Monica, she mothered all of our friends, making them each feel invited and
welcomed, and cherished. Her mother did
the exact same thing for her. I still
hear stories of what it was like being an honorary Johnson family member from
men and women in their sixties down to their forties. That is the type of mom I want to be. I want my house to be full, I want to know my
children’s friends, and I want them to be influenced in the best possible way
by my family.
And also
like St. Monica, my mom has a very calm and prayerful way of reprimanding
us. Where St. Monica would use wisely
timed conversations, graced with His blessing, my mom writes letters full of
insight, concern, blessing, prayers, and yes of course, admonishments. They are her well thought out tool of
explaining what she needs to address – knowing perfectly well that her
daughters are prone to hearing things that are not said, and missing the things
that ARE said. St. Augustine said that his mother’s admonishments were one of
the very best things that his mother did.
“We will
hear it said, “Let our elders prescribe what we should do and let them pray for
us to do it. But do not let them
admonish or correct us if we fail to do it.”
No, let all these things be done, since the Apostles, the teachers of
the churches, did them all. They
prescribed what should be done, and they admonished if things did not get done,
and they prayed that everything might then get done. The Apostle prescribes when he says, “Let all
that you do be done in love” (1 Cor 16:14)…This is the point: in the elders
precepts, learn what you ought to have; in their admonitions, learn that it is
your own fault that you don’t have it; in their prayers, learn where you may
receive what you wish to have!” (Admonition & Grace 3)
Parents
in the domestic church setting instill the message of Christ, His love, and His
devotion by providing a living example of Christ and the Church daily. St. Monica, by keeping her children close,
and setting and living the example 24-7 of God’s constancy, brought blessings and the light of Christ into her children’s lives. This constancy and our prayers cause us to grow in humility, love, courage,
prayer, charity and the rest of the virtues, as we do, so too will our children. She recognized that one of the best things
she could provide her children was a truly Christian parent, to light and guide
their path to salvation.
Prayer journal: This prayer was in
the St. Monica book that I just finished and I wanted to share it.
Cast a
loving look, O Monica, on the many Christian parents who are now fulfilling on
earth the hard but noble mission that as once your own. Their children are also lifeless with the
death of sin, and they would restore them to true life by the power of parental
love. They turn to you, O Monica, whose
prayers and tears were once so effective and fruitful. Take their cause in hand. Maintain their courage. Teach them to hope. Intercede for them before
the throne of the Almighty. We ask this,
as we ask all things, through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
“These things I have spoken to you, that in
Me you may have peace. In the world you
will have tribulations; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
-
John 16:33
Soundtrack song of the day – Joy Formidable - Whirring
Consecration to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Mary’s gift of mercy, Day 22
The Novena to the Divine Mercy, Day 4 & The Novena to
St. Joseph, Day 4
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