Probably the best known Christian mother from antiquity is
Monica (331-387), a monumental figure in her son Augustine's
autobiography, Confessions. Mother of three
children, wife of a difficult man, she longed to secure every good thing for
Augustine. Early in his life, this meant sending him to the best schools,
advancing his career, and protecting him from a socially disadvantageous
marriage. Later, she devoted herself to a different goal: drawing her son into
the kingdom of God by whatever means necessary.
Monica had much to worry about regarding her son's spiritual
health. He stole pears from a neighbor's tree, delighting in the evil of the
act. He pursued his lusts heartily. He valued erudition over holiness. He fell
under the sway of Manichaeism, a dualistic philosophy opposed to Christianity.
More than once he ran off, largely to escape his mother's pious pressures.
When Augustine would not listen to her, Monica could only pray and
weep for her wayward boy. In Confessions, Augustine
recalled a mother who "wept to [God] for me, shedding more tears for my
spiritual death than other mothers shed for the bodily death of a son."
Eventually Monica brought her concerns to a Christian bishop, Ambrose, who
assured her, "It cannot be that the son of these tears should be lost."
After years of supplication, Monica's prayers were answered.
Augustine embraced Christianity and came to appreciate fully his mother's
spiritual labors on his behalf. She lived to see him become a priest and died in
peace, having told him, "There was one reason, and one alone, why I wished to
remain a little longer in this life, and that was to see you a Catholic
Christian before I died. God has granted my wish and more besides
