Memorial of Saint Monica

Found Faithful

Jesus says something in the Gospel today that I think is worth thinking about: “Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.” In other words, when the Lord comes, he finds that person doing what they’re supposed to be doing. Nothing spectacular. Nobody applauding them. They’re just being faithful.

And today, as we celebrate the feast of St. Monica, we have a wonderful example of exactly that kind of faithfulness. Most of us know Monica because of her son, St. Augustine. For years she prayed for him. She worried about him. She watched him go in directions she knew were not good for him. And yet she never gave up on him, and more importantly, she never gave up on God. She remained faithful even when she couldn’t see the results.

And I have to say, when I look around at those who come to daily Mass, I see a lot of that same kind of faithfulness. Many of you are here day after day. Many of you are involved in different ministries in the parish. You volunteer. You help when something needs to be done. Some of you take Holy Communion to people who are homebound. You visit people who are sick. And probably a lot of what you do, most people never even know about.

That’s why I like what Saint Paul says in the first reading. He tells the Corinthians, “I give thanks to my God always on your account.” Maybe we don’t say that enough. We’re pretty good at noticing what isn’t getting done. But sometimes we need to notice the people who just keep showing up. The people who keep praying. The people who keep serving. The people who remain faithful even when they don’t see the results. St. Monica certainly knew what that was like.

And I think there’s something especially important in her story for anyone who is praying for a child, a grandchild, a spouse, or someone else they love who has wandered away from the faith. Sometimes you wonder whether your prayers are doing any good. Monica reminds us: don’t give up on them, and don’t give up on God.

So maybe the question from today’s Gospel is a simple one: If the Lord came today, what would he find me doing?Hopefully, he would find us still praying, still serving, still caring for people, still doing what he’s asked us to do—even when nobody notices and even when we can’t yet see the results.

Because maybe at the end of our lives, one of the greatest things the Lord could ever say about us is very simple: I found you faithful.