"'Now you drink water because you are not allowed to have wine. But when you are married and have charge of your own larders and cellars, you will not be satisfied with water, but the habit of drinking will be too strong for you.' By making rules of this sort and using here influence she was able to keep the natural greediness of childhood that they no longer wanted what it was not correct for them to have."
Commentary:
The above is sagacious advice from a woman who has been around the wine bottle, herself, a few times. Yes, Augustine's mother had a drinking problem in her youth and this wise admonishment comes from her. But why is this significant? Because everyone needs a thorn in their side- some weakness that, initially, cannot be overcome. Such things keep us humble enough to know that we rely upon something else besides our own strength. Having experienced her own trials, Monica was fully qualified, then, to pray for her son's conversion unceasingly as the distraught widow she was.
No comments:
Post a Comment