THE WORD OF GOD WITHIN


SAINT MONICA

1 Thess 2:9-13; Ps 139:7-12; Mt 23:27-32

Receiving the Word of God Within

The stage of illumination of our mind by the word of God follows that of purification. The light of the word of God is always with us from the beginning, for with it we are able to see our sinful deeds and ways of living. The admittance of our sins and humble confession of them open our minds and hearts for the inflow of the word of God and its illumination. The stage of illumination proceeds from our decisive attention and focus on the word of God in order to know the truth we ought to believe and live. Attention on the word of God or on Jesus Christ is characteristic of the stage of illumination. Our Lord presents himself to us as the way, the truth, and the life in the Gospel. In the stage of purification, we are invited to walk the way of God’s will by turning away from our sins to the Son of Man, who is the way to the Father. The stage of illumination is the focusing of our attention on Christ to know the truth of God and to rejoice in the truth when understood. The illumination of our minds with the truth of God is impossible when we refuse to acknowledge our sins and sinful ways; we cannot have the truth if we cherish what is false to be true. We must first see the false as false and reject it, then open our minds to understand the truth. Hence, we cannot make any progress in the spiritual life without constant conversion and confession of our sins, which are many.

The refusal to acknowledge their sins and sinful ways was the cause of the Lord’s harsh words to the scribes and Pharisees. The presence of the Eternal Word of God among them provided a great light for them to come to the awareness of their sins. But they refused and closed their minds against the divine light. They preferred darkness to the light and pretended to be good before the Lord and the people, which is hypocrisy. “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of corruption. In the way you appear to people from the outside like good, honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” The refusal to judge our own actions and motives, and to come to terms with ourselves, channels our energy into judging others and their actions. Our refusal to encounter God within in good faith deprives us of the light we need to know ourselves truly and our neighbours. Hence, lack of good faith breeds injustice and a dearth of mercy. The scribes and Pharisees condemned the actions of their fathers, not knowing they were furthering them by their unbelief. “‘We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our fathers’ day.’ So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets! Very well then, finish off the work that your fathers began.”

The attention and reception required for the stage of illumination is what Saint Paul praised in the Thessalonians. “Another reason why we constantly thank God for you is that as soon as you heard the message that we brought you as God’s message, you accepted it for what it really is, God’s message and not some human thinking; and it is still a living power among you who believe it.” Attending to the word of God as God’s word given to us unleashes the light of its truth in us, and the transformative power of the word restructures our minds and lives in accordance with the will of the Father. The commitment of Saint Paul to the Gospel helped the Thessalonians to commit themselves to God in imitation of him. We learn the same lesson from the life of Saint Monica, whose prayerful attention to Jesus Christ made her virtuous and converted her son, Saint Augustine. She was born in Thagaste, Africa, of a Christian family. She married a young man named Patricius. Augustine was one of their children. Augustine’s uncertain morals and wayward spiritual career gave his mother, Monica, great concern and sorrow. He wandered away from the Church to Manichee and then to Neoplatonism. With many tears, she prayed unceasingly to God for his conversion, and her prayers were answered shortly before she died. She had a deep faith and outstanding virtues. Saint Monica is a model of a Christian mother. May her prayers help us to attend to God daily in prayer.

Let us pray: O God, who console the sorrowful and who mercifully accepted the motherly tears of Saint Monica for the conversion of her son Augustine, grant us, through the intercession of them both, that we may bitterly regret our sins and find the grace of your pardon. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

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