[Rank]
S. Monica Vidua;;Duplex;;3;;vide C7a

[Rank1570]
S. Monicae Viduae;;Simplex;;1.1;;vide C7a

[Rule]
vide C7a;
9 lectiones

[Oratio]
O God, the Consolation of all such as be sorrowful and the salvation of all them~
that put their trust in thee, Who didst mercifully regard the tears which thy~
blessed handmaid and his mother Monica shed before thee for the conversion of~
Austin, be again entreated for the sake both of her and of him, and make us so~
to weep over our own sins that thy gracious majesty may be moved to have mercy~
upon us.
$Per Dominum

[Invit]
For the confession of Blessed Monica * let us praise our God

[Lectio4]
Monica was twice over the mother of St Austin, for, under God, he owed to her~
both earth and heaven. When her husband was very old she made him a friend of~
Jesus Christ, and after his death she lived a widow in all purity and constantly~
occupied in works of mercy. Her son Austin had fallen into the heresy of the~
Manichaeans, and for his conversion she earnestly pleaded with God for years,~
with strong crying and tears. She followed Austin to Milan, and tenderly and~
constantly besought him to confer with Ambrose the Bishop. This he consented to~
do, and at last, through the public sermons and private conversations of Ambrose,~
his eyes were opened to see the truth of the Catholic Religion, and he received~
baptism at the Bishop's hands, (at the Passover of the year 387.)

[Lectio5]
The mother and son set out to return to their home in Africa, but after they had~
reached Ostia at the mouth of the Tiber, she was stricken down by a fever. One~
day as she lay sick, she came to herself after her mind had been long wandering,~
and said: "Where am I " Then she saw who were standing by, and said " Let~
your mother lie here only, remember me at the altar of the Lord." On the ninth~
day this blessed lady surrendered her spirit to God. Her body was buried there~
at Ostia in the Church of St Aurea, but, long after, in the Popedom of Martin V.,~
it was carried to Rome and honourably buried again in the Church of St~
Augustine.

[Lectio6]
!Confessions of St Austin. Bk. ix. ch. 12.
Austin added these words after describing his mother's death "We did not think~
that hers was a death which it was seemly to mark with repining, or tears, or~
lamentations, seeing that she died not sorrowfully, nor at all as touching her~
best and noblest part. This we knew, because we knew what her life had been, her~
faith unfeigned, her sure and certain hope. And then, nevertheless, I remembered~
again what thine handmaid was used to be, her walk with thee, how godly and holy~
it was, and with us so gentle and long-suffering and that it was all, gone~
away from me now. And I wept, over her and for her. And if any man will make it~
blame to me that I wept for a little while, when I saw lying dead before my eyes~
my mother, who had wept over me so many years, that she might see me live, I say,~
if any man will make it blame to me, I pray him not to sneer at me, but rather~
(if his charity be so great) himself to weep over my sins before thee, Who art a~
Father to all them to whom thy Christ is a Brother."

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke
!Luke 7:11-16
At that time Jesus went into a city called Naim; and His disciples went with~
Him, and much people. And so on.
_
Homily by St Austin, Bishop of Hippo.)
!44th Discourse on the Words of the Lord.
That her son was called, again to life was the joy of that widowed mother that~
souls of men are every day called to life is the joy of our Mother the Church.~
He was dead in body they have been dead in mind. His death was outward, and~
was outwardly bewailed their inward death hath been neither mourned for nor~
seen. But He hath sought for them, Who hath seen that they are dead, and He only~
hath seen that they are dead, Who hath been able to make them alive. If He had~
not come to raise the dead, the Apostle had not said: "Awake, thou that~
sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." (Eph. v.~
14.)

[Lectio8]
It is written how the Lord raised from the dead three persons visibly, but~
thousands invisibly. But how many they may have been whom He raised visibly, who~
knoweth? For all the things which He did are not written. John saith thus:~
"There are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be~
written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the~
books that should be written." (xxi. 25.) There were then, doubtless, many more~
raised to life, but it is not meaningless that three are recorded. For our Lord~
Jesus Christ hath willed that those things which He did carnally, we should~
understand also spiritually. He worked not miracles only for the sake of working~
wonders, but that His works might be at once wonderful to them that beheld, and~
true to them that understand them.

[Lectio9]
Even as one that looketh upon a scroll right fairly written, and knoweth not how~
to read therein, praiseth the hand of the old scribe when he seeth the beauty of~
the points, but what it saith, what those points mean, he knoweth not, and~
praiseth by the eye, without understanding by the mind, and as, on the other~
hand, he that can not only gaze on it, as can all men, but also can read it,~
praiseth the penmanship, and catcheth the sense likewise, which the unlearned~
cannot do even so, there were some that saw the miracles which Christ did, and~
understood not what they meant, nor what they, as it were, hinted to such as did~
understand them, and these only marvelled to see them wrought. And other some~
there were which saw the works, and marvelled, and understood them, and profited~
by them. And it is as these last that we ought to be in the school of Christ.
&teDeum

[Lectio94]
Monica, the devout mother of St. Augustine and a shining example to wives and mothers, followed her son to Milan when he become a Manichaean and, by her constant prayers, tears and fasting, gained him for Christ with the help of Ambrose the bishop. When she was returning with him to Africa, she fell ill of fever at Ostia on the Tiber, and, after nine days, died peacefully. After telling about her death, her sorrowing son adds : We did not think that hers was a death which it was seemly to mark with repining, or tears, or lamentations, seeing that she died not sorrowfully, nor at all as touching her best and noblest part. This we knew, because we knew what her life had been, her faith unfeigned, her sure and certain hope. And then, nevertheless, I remembered again what thine handmaid was used to be, her walk with thee, how godly and holy it was, and with us so gentle and long-suffering ; and that it was all gone away from me now. And I wept, over her and for her. And if any man will make it blame to me that I wept for a little while, when I saw lying dead before mine eyes my mother, who had wept over me so many years, that she might see me live, I say, if any man will make it blame to me, I pray him not to sneer at me, but rather (if his charity be so great) himself to weep over my sins before thee, who art a Father to all them to whom thy Christ is a Brother. St. Monica's body was first buried in the Church of St. Aurea, but, long after, in the Popedom of Martin V, it was carried to Rome and honourably buried again in the Church of St. Augustine.
&teDeum
