Fulfillment In God: Monica And Augustine

There is much wisdom in the Church’s celebration of the feasts of Saint Monica and Saint Augustine one day apart from each other. Yesterday we recalled Saint Monica’s perseverance in trail and adversity, and today we rejoice in the fruit of her prayer: the conversion of her son Augustine.

One of Augustine’s most famous lines from his masterwork Confessions is found early in the work, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until in rests in you.”

Augustine’s nugget of wisdom points to a common human experience: every person is born with a void inside, a missing piece, which makes us restless and moves us to find fulfillment throughout our lives.

This restlessness leads us to seek meaning and direction so we may achieve happiness and peace. We try to satisfy this restlessness with various things throughout life. Some things satisfy to a degree, others give the impression of satisfaction yet create more restlessness. The only way to fill that void and satisfy the restlessness is to invite God to fill it. He holds the last piece of the puzzle which fits flawlessly into our souls.

God has created us and His mark in our souls moves us to seek Him to find fulfillment. A life without God is a restless life since nothing will fully satisfy.

Augustine found in God what a life of debauchery and hedonism could not provide. His heart found rest and fulfillment in God alone, transforming his life.

Augustine and Monica found fulfillment in God during their earthly lives, and now they rest in the eternal peace of Christ the Lord. May they rest in peace with all the glorious saints of God who now have every desire satisfied in Christ. May this be our hope, knowing that Christ is the answer to every human desire, that Christ alone can truly satisfy our aching, restless hearts.