ST. MONICA AND ST. AUGUSTINE

The feast of St. Monica and St. Augustine may be one of the most relatable mother‑and‑son stories in Christian history.

Monica was a devoted Christian mother known for her patience, perseverance and legendary life of prayer. Augustine, her son, was brilliant, restless, and spiritually all over the map until his dramatic conversion. He eventually became the Bishop of Hippo and one of the most influential thinkers in Christian history. Their story still resonates today and could well be titled: “My kid is driving me crazy, but I refuse to give up.”

If Monica lived today, she’d probably be the mom checking her phone every ten minutes to see if her son read her message. And Augustine, before his conversion, would be the brilliant young adult who keeps changing majors, trying new philosophies, and searching for happiness everywhere except where it actually is.

In other words: a surprisingly modern family.

But what makes their story so powerful is not just the drama, the tears, or the long years of waiting. It’s what Augustine discovered after all his wandering — a discovery so simple and yet so deep that it still speaks to us today, maybe more than ever.

He said it all in one of the most beautiful phrases ever: “Love, and do what you want.”

At first glance, it sounds almost suspiciously like a slogan you might find on a coffee mug. You might even wonder if Augustine was giving us permission to do whatever we feel like, as long as we sprinkle a little love on top. But of course, that’s not what he meant.

For Augustine, love isn’t just a warm feeling or a vague sense of kindness. When he says, “do what you want,” he means that if your heart is rooted in real love, then your actions will naturally follow the right path.

And that’s incredibly relevant today.

We live in a world full of choices. Every day, we’re bombarded with decisions to make: what to say, how to react, what to support, how to spend our time, how to treat people who don’t agree with us. Sometimes it feels overwhelming. We want to do the right thing, but the “right thing” isn’t always obvious.

Augustine cuts through the noise with one simple starting point: Start with love. If love guides your intention, then what you choose will be good. Maybe not always perfect, but good.

Imagine applying this to everyday life:

• You need to respond to a difficult email? Love, as Jesus did, and do what you want.
• You’re deciding how to talk to someone who hurt you? Love, and do what you want.
• You’re wondering how to spend your money, your time, your energy? Love, and do what you want.

It doesn’t magically solve everything, but it changes the whole direction of your heart.

Augustine wasn’t born a saint. He knew all about temptation, confusion, and bad decisions. He wasn’t preaching from a pedestal, he was speaking from experience. He knew how messy life can get. But he also knew that when love becomes your compass, your choices become clearer.

Monica understood this long before her son did. She loved him with a stubborn, patient, almost heroic love. She prayed for him, cried for him, hoped for him, and never gave up. And eventually, her love helped lead him to the love of God — a love that transformed him completely.

Today, in a world that often feels divided, rushed, or anxious, Augustine’s message is a breath of fresh air. It’s simple enough for a child, deep enough for a philosopher, and practical enough for anyone trying to navigate modern life.

So, on this feast day, let’s try a small experiment: Start every decision with love. Not dramatic love, not perfect love, just sincere caring, a desire to do good for people.

You might be surprised how much clarity it brings to your life and how Augustine was right all along.

Eugene Aucoin is a retired human resources director and university professor. He spoke around the world about nurturing human potential, but his passion is sharing his love for the teachings of Jesus. His first book won Asia’s best book of the year in theology in 2020. The updated version, Science and God – From the Cosmos to the Heart, won the International Page Turner Award for 2026, Christian category. His other book with Novalis is The Beatitudes: Eight Steps to Inner Peace and Happiness. Eugene also gives seminars on these topics.