Whats in a name?

St. Monica is my patron saint, and I have loved her since I first stumbled upon her story when I was 15. I was trying to choose a saint for my confirmation name, and I was scouring a website of Catholic saints. I was hoping to find a saint that I could model my life after, and I felt that I was called to a vocation of marriage so I was hoping to choose a saint that wasn't a religious, and I was afraid that I would never have the courage to be a martyr so I didn't want to choose a saint who was martyred either. As I have gotten older, I recognize the immaturity in my mindset at the time, and even we who live a seemingly average life can learn so much from the martyrs and religious.

Still on my search, I came upon an option to look up saints by their feast day. So I typed in my birthday August 27, on a whim, and up popped St. Monica. I was amazed that she fit all of my 15 year old criteria, and I realized that the Holy Spirit led me to her story. She is so inspiring to me, and I pray for her intercession daily. I also have a St. Monica medal that I wear all the time attached to my scapular, and it was blessed by Pope John Paul II at World Youth Day in 2002.

St. Monica was an incredible woman of prayer, and her heart was full of patience, love, and perseverance despite great suffering in her life here on Earth. I pray that my heart can be shaped more like hers each day, and that I may grow in holiness learning from her example.