St. Monica pray for us! Praying for our husbands....

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lone_Catholic
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Rammy said:
All apointments were met with good results with DH.
Now the follow up apointments…things look optimistic.

Praying for all here…

Lana
Click to expand...
Code:
Praise God, Lana! Prayers going up…will be going to Cuba to-morrow for son’s wedding, then the reception in Fort Erie on Dec 5th. Will hopefully get back to serious catholics answers fora…do miss y’all.

Please pray for my family, as they are ALL estranged from the Faith…
 
Hello, wonderful wives 🙂

No, I am not a wife or a mother. I can’t get pregnant because I’m a guy. Though I think it’s a bit unfair that only women get to have the joy of giving birth. Nonethless, I shouldn’t be jealous; I should be rejoicing with you and I should know that there is a role for everyone in God’s plan.

Anyway, here is an except from the Confessions of St. Augustine (Book IX) about St. Monica. It is enlightening, inspiring, and encouraging. It would be wise to imitate this wonderful woman-saint. 😉

"19. Being thus modestly and soberly trained, and rather made subject by You to her parents, than by her parents to You, when she had arrived at a marriageable age, she was given to a husband whom she served as her lord. And she busied herself to gain him to You, preaching You unto him by her behaviour; by which You made her fair, and reverently amiable, and admirable unto her husband. For she so bore the wronging of her bed as never to have any dissension with her husband on account of it. For she waited for Your mercy upon him, that by believing in You he might become chaste. And besides this, as he was earnest in friendship, so was he violent in anger; but she had learned that an angry husband should not be resisted, neither in deed, nor even in word. But so soon as he was grown calm and tranquil, and she saw a fitting moment, she would give him a reason for her conduct, should he have been excited without cause. In short, while many matrons, whose husbands were more gentle, carried the marks of blows on their dishonoured faces, and would in private conversation blame the lives of their husbands, she would blame their tongues, monishing them gravely, as if in jest: That from the hour they heard what are called the matrimonial tablets read to them, they should think of them as instruments whereby they were made servants; so, being always mindful of their condition, they ought not to set themselves in opposition to their lords. And when they, knowing what a furious husband she endured, marvelled that it had never been reported, nor appeared by any indication, that Patricius had beaten his wife, or that there had been any domestic strife between them, even for a day, and asked her in confidence the reason of this, she taught them her rule, which I have mentioned above. They who observed it experienced the wisdom of it, and rejoiced; those who observed it not were kept in subjection, and suffered.
  1. Her mother-in-law, also, being at first prejudiced against her by the whisperings of evil-disposed servants, she so conquered by submission, persevering in it with patience and meekness, that she voluntarily disclosed to her son the tongues of the meddling servants, whereby the domestic peace between herself and her daughter-in-law had been agitated, begging him to punish them for it. When, therefore, he had— in conformity with his mother’s wish, and with a view to the discipline of his family, and to ensure the future harmony of its members— corrected with stripes those discovered, according to the will of her who had discovered them, she promised a similar reward to any who, to please her, should say anything evil to her of her daughter-in-law. And, none now daring to do so, they lived together with a wonderful sweetness of mutual good-will.
  2. This great gift You bestowed also, my God, my mercy, upon that good handmaid of Yours, out of whose womb You created me, even that, whenever she could, she showed herself such a peacemaker between any differing and discordant spirits, that when she had heard on both sides most bitter things, such as swelling and undigested discord is wont to give vent to, when the crudities of enmities are breathed out in bitter speeches to a present friend against an absent enemy, she would disclose nothing about the one unto the other, save what might avail to their reconcilement. A small good this might seem to me, did I not know to my sorrow countless persons, who, through some horrible and far-spreading infection of sin, not only disclose to enemies mutually enraged the things said in passion against each other, but add some things that were never spoken at all; whereas, to a generous man, it ought to seem a small thing not to incite or increase the enmities of men by ill-speaking, unless he endeavour likewise by kind words to extinguish them. Such a one was she—Thou, her most intimate Instructor, teaching her in the school of her heart.
  3. Finally, her own husband, now towards the end of his earthly existence, did she gain over unto You; and she had not to complain of that in him, as one of the faithful, which, before he became so, she had endured. She was also the servant of Your servants. Whosoever of them knew her, did in her much magnify, honour, and love You; for that through the testimony of the fruits of a holy conversation, they perceived You to be present in her heart. For she had been the wife of one man, had requited her parents, had guided her house piously, was well-reported of for good works, had brought up children, as often travailing in birth of them as she saw them swerving from You. Lastly, to all of us, O Lord (since of Your favour Thou sufferest Your servants to speak), who, before her sleeping in You, lived associated together, having received the grace of Your baptism, did she devote, care such as she might if she had been mother of us all; served us as if she had been child of all."
 
Shoshana said:
Praise God, Lana! Prayers going up…will be going to Cuba to-morrow for son’s wedding, then the reception in Fort Erie on Dec 5th. Will hopefully get back to serious catholics answers fora…do miss y’all.

Please pray for my family, as they are ALL estranged from the Faith…
Click to expand...
Oh Shosh hun, you know i will be praying my heart out.
Please have fun, be safe, and yes, i will miss you hun.
Special prayers going up for the family members faith.

Amen hun, and have fun!

Lana
 
mom4truth said:
WOW! I don’t know what to say about that! :hmmm:
Click to expand...
Mee too…as much as i would love to emulate every bit of her actions, i am aware that i could only do my best, and i am not Saintly material, for upon the beatings, i would fight back.

Tolerate as much as i can to bring the husband to the Lord, but not to sacrifice my life to do it. There is much comfort i take in her patience, her continued devotion, and the meraculous outcome…Yes she is someone to emulate, and look up to for strength and intervention.

Lana
 
Rammy said:
Mee too…as much as i would love to emulate every bit of her actions, i am aware that i could only do my best, and i am not Saintly material, for upon the beatings, i would fight back.

Tolerate as much as i can to bring the husband to the Lord, but not to sacrifice my life to do it. There is much comfort i take in her patience, her continued devotion, and the meraculous outcome…Yes she is someone to emulate, and look up to for strength and intervention.

Lana
Click to expand...
Code:
St Monica was heroic, I agree, and her times were so different from today where the Church frowns on any kind of abuse. Although it is good to read the lives of the saints, it is better to see the whole picture. She also imbibed in wine before her conversion…

I do not believe that we should plasterize our saints. Their weaknesses are so much more of an inspiration to me than their virtues. I have my own virtues given to me by God so it encourages to read the saints’ weaknesses because they persevered through them, which calls for me to work through mine by the grace of God.Through our weakness we discover the strength of God. God has called me to be St Susannah…or for you, St Lana…while we try our best to emulagte the saints virtues, we must develop our own.🙂
 
One more side note on abuse. My sister was physically, emotionally, spiritually and sexually abuse thoughout her 22 years of marriage. She left him finally because the kids were affected by becoming violent themselves (she has 4). Today, the last two ages 13 and 15 can still be violent.

My priest said if one seeks annulment (which I believe there was no marriage per se even if they were married in the catholic church)…there must be a pattern before, during and after the marriage. In her case, it was abuse. My aunt signed an affidavit that she saw my sister at the mall black and blue and she also seemed drugged.

I was a witness at the tribunal. She received her annulment very quickly. I realize some annulments are given freely for some dioceses. But not in ours. Jesus would not condone this. Her staying and trying her best for all of these years did not make the man change. He also would not let the family see her for most of her twenty two years.

She was the best wife…cooking, baking, canning, took care of the children (but was not allowed to discipline them), etc etc etc, a real Suzy homemaker. She had sex every night for all those years even if she was sick. She had all her teeth pulled out and he that night, he demanded sex.

The church does not declare one holy under these circumstances. There is much damage that has been had, not only to her but also to her 4 children. The church would even advise psycholgoical counselling for him/her and children.

How can the church condone and bless such conduct by remaining silent? It is the opposite. In my sister’s case, anyway. If alcoholism was a factor here, it would be almost understandable. But liqour was not the problem. The man is a psychotic and in need of great help…which he does not believe in. Because jesus speaks to him and the man is the right one and everyone else is the devil (including myself).

Let us pray…
 
Oh shosh, what a terrible path she was on, and i am glad she is safely off of that ride. But for the little ones that know not the difference, what has become of them, and the two still at home?

Lana
 
The last post on this thread was 2005. I think it needs to come to the forefront again. There are too many of us married to unbelievers. I want to tell people who read this thread that there is hope. My husban of 31 years finally turned his heart to the Lord. He belongs to an evangelical church now, but I tell him he’s in a ‘halfway house’ right now. It’s still much better than when he was an unbeliever! :grouphug:
 
Lone_Catholic said:
Just wanted to pop in and say hi to you all! Haven’t been on in a while, and I got on tonight and was so happy to see that this thread is still here!

A quick update on MY husband-- Heard Steve Ray speak about the Eucharist, bought 5 cds of his and listened to them all, started getting closer. Went to a Christopher West conference, totally bought Theology of the Body, hook line and sinker!! All our sex “issues” that I’ve discussed in other threads-- this took care of them all. He is now in RCIA! Doesn’t say for sure yet that he is ready to convert, but he is close. My oldest is 8, and I’m teaching him religion at home (we homeschool) in hopes of him receiving his First Holy Communion this year-- he really wants to. Not sure yet if it will happen-- it all depends on my husband’s journey. But I wanted him to be ready if my husband does get (or stay) on board, so as not to get another year behind.

Keep praying! Thank you St. Monica for your intercession! Praying for you all!
Click to expand...
Wow! This is wonderful news. I’m so happy for you! :clapping:
I also want to thank you for starting this thread.

St Monica, pray for us.
 
Shoshana said:
Code:
St Monica was heroic, I agree, and her times were so different from today where the Church frowns on any kind of abuse. Although it is good to read the lives of the saints, it is better to see the whole picture. She also imbibed in wine before her conversion.

The Church frowns upon abuse throughout the ages, not just today. And if you think we shoudn’t imitate St. Monica because she used to drink wine, than you must not understand that saints aren’t perfect - they are human beings. As for St. Monica and wine, St. Augustine has this to say in his Confessions:
  1. And yet— as Your handmaid related to me, her son— there had stolen upon her a love of wine. For when she, as being a sober maiden, was as usual bidden by her parents to draw wine from the cask, the vessel being held under the opening, before she poured the wine into the bottle, she would wet the tips of her lips with a little, for more than that her inclination refused. For this she did not from any craving for drink, but out of the overflowing buoyancy of her time of life, which bubbles up with sportiveness, and is, in youthful spirits, wont to be repressed by the gravity of elders. And so unto that little, adding daily littles (for he that condemns small things shall fall by little and little), she contracted such a habit as, to drink off eagerly her little cup nearly full of wine. Where, then, was the sagacious old woman with her earnest restraint? Could anything prevail against a secret disease if Your medicine, O Lord, did not watch over us? Father, mother, and nurturers absent, Thou present, who hast created, who callest, who also by those who are set over us workest some good for the salvation of our souls, what did Thou do at that time, O my God? How did You heal her? How did You make her whole? Did You not out of another woman’s soul evoke a hard and bitter insult, as a surgeon’s knife from Your secret store, and with one thrust remove all that putrefaction? For the maidservant who used to accompany her to the cellar, falling out, as it happens, with her little mistress, when she was alone with her, cast in her teeth this vice, with very bitter insult, calling her a wine-bibber. Stung by this taunt, she perceived her foulness, and immediately condemned and renounced it. Even as friends by their flattery pervert, so do enemies by their taunts often correct us. Yet Thou renderest not unto them what Thou dost by them, but what was proposed by them. For she, being angry, desired to irritate her young mistress, not to cure her; and did it in secret, either because the time and place of the dispute found them thus, or perhaps lest she herself should be exposed to danger for disclosing it so late. But You, Lord, Governor of heavenly and earthly things, who convertest to Your purposes the deepest torrents, and disposest the turbulent current of the ages, healest one soul by the unsoundness of another; lest any man, when he remarks this, should attribute it unto his own power if another, whom he wishes to be reformed, is so through a word of his.
Click to expand...
 
My husband is not Catholic. We were married in the Catholic church. He was raised Lutheran, but never attends any kind of service. I think he considers himself a christian but I am not sure. He has a drinking problem and can be verbally abusive. I guess God led me here to pray for him. God Bless .
 
RubyCanoe,

praying for you!! :byzsoc:

Happy Thanksgiving to all-may we all have a PEACEFUL holiday with our familys.

Thanks be to God for all the blessings we have in our lives. Even though we all have hardships and heartbreaks, we do have wonderful blessings as well, I find many of mine in my lovely daughter’s smile and touch.

😃
 
Hello friends 👋

We’re adjusting well to being a family of four. 😃 It’s been a bit more challenging than when we just had our daughter, but the blesssings far outweigh the tough things.

Praying for all here…

PRAYER TO ST. MONICA

Dear St. Monica,
troubled wife and mother,
many sorrows pierced your heart during your lifetime.
Yet, you never despaired or lost faith.
With confidence, persistence, and profound faith,
you prayed daily for the conversion
of your beloved husband, Patricius,
and your beloved son, Augustine;
your prayers were answered.
Grant me that same fortitude, patience,
and trust in the Lord.
Intercede for me, dear St. Monica,
that God may favorably hear my plea for

(personal intentions)

and grant me the grace to accept His Will in all things,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

:grouphug:
 
Belle congratulations on the birth of your little boy!
I hope all is going well for you. I pray for you quite often as you pop into my mind for some reason.

Jesus please give strength and happiness to all these wives who give so much to being good wives and mothers, whatever the circumstances. Please bless their husbands and childre, and help them in all their difficulties.
St Monica please intercede for us all.
 
Trishie,
Thanks for the prayers. Your words are wonderful. Hope you girls had a great thanksgiving.
 
Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to check to see how everyone is doing and catch up a little bit.

Lana - I’m so happy for you and your husband. I pray that it continues to go well for you. You so deserve to have happiness in your life.

Belle - Congratulations on your new little blessing. I bet he is gorgeous with that red hair.

Eli - I pray that your results are positive and that you will have good health.

Ladies, please continue praying for my husband Salvador. His heart needs to be mended and only our Lord God can do this. It is going to require a miracle because he is so lost.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

La Brown Eyes
 
LaBrownEyes,
thanks so much. This month has been stressful. I went to get blood drawn on Wed. so I hope the results comeback saying I don’t need surgery and that it(ovary) will take care of itself.
I am thankful b/c the worst that can happen (according to my dr ) is the surgery. I am soooooooooo thankful that it is the worst of it. I was afraid it might be cancer.
Prayers are much appreciated. I will pray for you as well.
blessings,
eli
 
Hi Belle,

how is your husband’s job situation? I’m wondering since we have a similar situation…mine is still looking and I am really praying that I will at least be able to go down to a part time job once our new one is here. Just curious how your situation is going. 🙂
I pray for us that we might be able to be the mommies we want to be…AT HOME!! 🙂

Praying also for everyone here!

Love and prayers,
Monica
 
St Monica please continue to join us in praying for our husbands, families, and each other
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top