The 12th Sunday of Pentecost - Monica, Faithful Mother
Daily Lectionary Judges 6:1-24
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Mark 3:20-30Psalms for today Morning 133-135 Evening 136-139Monica, Faithful Mother
A native of North Africa, Monica (A.D. 333-387) was the devoted mother of Saint Augustine. Throughout her life she sought the spiritual welfare of her children, especially that of her brilliant son, Augustine. Widowed at a young age, she devoted herself to her family, praying many years for Augustine's conversion. When Augustine left North Africa to go to Italy, she followed him to Rome and then to Milan. There she had the joy of witnessing her son's conversion to the Christian faith. Weakened by her travels, Monica died at Ostia, Italy, on the journey she had hoped would take her back to her native Africa. On some church year calendars, Monica is remembered on May 4. [From "Commemorations Biographies," Lutheran Service Book, LCMS Commission on Worship]
Tomorrow is the commemoration of St Augustine so I think it's quite appropriate to honor her the day before his day.
The book of Judges is a clear look at how we sinful human beings act toward God most of the time. We try to follow him, then we drift off course, or even deliberately rebel against Him, then He graciously comes to us Himself and calls us back to Himself and saves us, over and over again, with infinite love and patience.
Blasphemy Against the Holy SpiritMark 3:28"Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" --
30for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
I used to worry about that a lot. What if I had already committed the "eternal sin" of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? I was already doomed then and no matter how hard I tried I would never be saved! This is yet another of those examples of the evil of the heresy of works righteousness. I thought my salvation depended upon the things that I did or did not do and not only on the salvation by grace through faith in the Lord. Somehow this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was some act I might have done or some words I may have said, I couldn't have been more wrong. As it says in the Gospel
for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." That is the sin,
unbelief, they did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, but said he was possessed! The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was one thing only, unbelief, refusing to believe that I was saved by grace through faith in the death of Jesus for the forgiveness of my sins. Since I do believe that, and I did even when I was so very worried that some act of mine might have been that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, obviously I hadn't committed it. That eternal sin is nothing for a
Christian to worry about, unless he rejects the salvation of Christ he has not committed it. Whew :-)