Waiting Game

Reflection Date: August 27, 2026 | Memorial of Saint Monica
Daily Readings: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; Matthew 24:42-51

Children of God:
August 27 is the feast day of Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine. 

Saint Monica was born in North Africa in the fourth century and became known for a life marked by prayer, patience, and perseverance. 

She married Patricius, a pagan man who was described by ancient sources as having a difficult temper and a very different character from hers. 

Monica also lived with a difficult mother-in-law, yet she remained patient and tried to preserve peace in her household. 

Her husband eventually became more open to Christianity, and shortly before his death he accepted baptism. 

Monica’s greatest sorrow, however, involved her son Augustine, whose brilliant mind was accompanied by a restless search for meaning and a life far from the Christian faith of his mother. 

When Augustine went to Carthage and later traveled to Italy, Monica followed him with persistent concern and prayer. 

At one point Augustine secretly sailed away from Africa, leaving his mother behind, but Monica did not give up and eventually followed him to Italy. 

In Milan, she met Bishop Ambrose, whose preaching deeply influenced Augustine and helped him move closer to the Christian faith. 

Monica continued to pray and accompany her son until Augustine was baptized by Ambrose in Milan in 387. 

Shortly afterward, while preparing to return to Africa, Monica died at Ostia, leaving behind the witness of a mother whose patient love became part of the story of one of Christianity’s greatest thinkers.

The life of Saint Monica gives us a beautiful background for understanding a gospel that speaks about waiting, vigilance, and faithful responsibility. 

In the gospel story of Matthew, Jesus told his disciples to remain watchful because they did not know when the Lord would come. 

He compared faithful readiness to a servant whom the master found faithfully carrying out his responsibilities. 

What are our inspirations for today? 

First, Christian waiting requires us to keep doing what love requires.

Monica waited for years, but her waiting was not simply sitting around and hoping that something would happen. 

She prayed, followed, encouraged, endured, and remained present. 

She could not force Augustine to change, but she could continue loving him. 

Her patience became active because she kept doing what she believed love required.

We sometimes think that waiting means doing nothing until circumstances change. 

We wait for someone to apologize, for a problem to disappear, for a prayer to be answered, or for a difficult person to change. 

But Christian waiting is different. 

It asks us to remain faithful to what we can do while leaving the result in God’s hands. 

We may not control the outcome, but we can control whether we continue to love, serve, forgive, and remain faithful.

This is especially important when we care about someone who is struggling. 

We cannot force another person to change. 

We cannot make someone believe, forgive, mature, or return to the right path simply because we want it. 

But we can remain a steady presence. 

Like Monica, we can continue doing what love asks without demanding that God follow our timetable.

Christian waiting requires us to keep doing what love requires.

Second, being ready means being faithful even when nobody is watching.

Jesus described a servant whose true character became visible while the master was away. 

The servant did not know exactly when the master would return, so the servant’s faithfulness could not depend on being watched. 

Jesus warned about the servant who became careless because the master seemed delayed. 

The real test was what the servant did during the waiting.

That speaks directly to everyday life. 

It is easy to behave well when people are watching, when we are being evaluated, or when we expect recognition. 

The greater challenge comes when nobody notices. 

Do we still do our work properly? 

Do we still keep our promises? 

Do we still treat people with respect? 

Do we still pray, forgive, serve, and choose what is right when there is no applause?

Saint Monica probably never imagined that her years of patient prayer would become part of the story of a future Doctor of the Church. 

She simply remained faithful to the responsibilities and relationships placed before her. 

Her life reminds us that some of the most important things we do may not produce immediate results. 

God can use even our simple actions in ways we cannot see. 

Being ready means being faithful even when nobody is watching.

As we reflect, we ask ourselves: What am I waiting for right now, and what faithful action can I continue doing while I wait? 

Who is the person I need to love patiently without trying to control the person’s journey? If God looked at my life today, would he find me faithfully doing what I am called to do even when nobody is watching?

Children of God:
Saint Monica reminds us that some answers take longer than we expect. 

Her prayers did not produce an instant miracle, but her apostolate of presence became part of Augustine’s journey toward conversion. 

We may also be waiting for something that seems to take forever. 

We may not know when the answer will come, but we can choose what kind of person we become while waiting. 

May we be found faithful when the moment finally arrives.