Don't Give Up (Thursday, Week 21, Year 2, St Monica)

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We have begun to read from St Paul’s first letter to the Church in Corinth. Corinth was a Greek city steeped in moral decay. But despite that stinking decay, there were still a handful of Christians who remained faithful to God. As St Paul wrote to encourage them, he gave thanks to God who had enriched those Corinthians with grace; and he went further to assure them that they would be sustained to the end (cf. 1 Cor. 1:1-9).

In those Corinthians, we see a people who were full of hope and faith. Yes, there was decay around them, but they refused to be part of it – an act of fidelity. And they were hopeful that there would be a better world, a decay-free world someday sometime. As individuals and as a group, they were living their lives to testify that a corruption-free world is possible. They were a perfect example of wise and faithful servants which Christ spoke about in the gospel (cf. Matt. 24:42-51): living their lives in fidelity to God who will reward everyone according to his/her deeds.

We celebrate St Monica, a woman who strongly believed that once there is life, there is hope. She had every reason to give up on her son, on God and on life. But she was full of hope and faith that one day, her son would come back to his senses. And so it was. Augustine, whose was initially dotted with immorality and decay, was later converted to Christ and lived to become one of the greatest saints in the Church, thanks to the prayers and sacrifices of St Monica his mother.

If there is anything we can learn from the readings and the life of St Monica, let it be that we should try not to give up hope. To give up hope is to give up on life. Life will never stop giving us reasons to give up. There may be darkness all around us, but those who strongly believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel are those who keep up the struggle, not giving in to hopelessness and defeat. Let us be consistent in doing what is right and be sure that one day we shall be rewarded for being WISE and FAITHFUL.  


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