September 10th - Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

A few weeks ago, I went with some of my friends to see the new film Golda. The film centers on Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. I loved the movie for several reasons, I love a good historical drama, I believe a film about Golda Meir is long overdue, and I appreciated that they film touched upon the anxiety and uncertainty which the Prime Minister faced during the crisis. Throughout the film, Golda Meir is seen chain-smoking, taking medication, and suffering nightmares and sleepless nights as she seeks to repel the aggression of Syria and Egypt. We have the benefit of looking at the events of the film in the aftermath of the Camp David Accords, but there was a period when there was a very real possibility that Israel would be overthrown by the neighboring Arab states in the region (not to mention the continued threat to Israeli lives in the region).

The film made me think about another strong woman, who we as a Church celebrated several weeks ago, St. Monica. Like Golda Meir, we look at St. Monica through the lens of the life of St. Augustine after his conversion. Yet, we can imagine all the uncertainty, anxiety, and sleepless nights that St Monica went through as she prayed for the conversion of her son, prayers which for many years she could not witness the fruits. Though both women come from vastly different backgrounds and faced different challenges throughout their lives, both were steadfast in their convictions- Golda Meir for the international recognition of Israel and St. Monica for the conversion of her son. Problems are not solved overnight. I am sure that we have all spent many nights in prayer both for ourselves to overcome certain temptations and for our loved ones to increase in their faith of Christ. Yet, while we may not immediately see the fruits of our prayers, we continue to offer our prayers and trust in God that our petitions will be answered. We may want results at the moment as prayers are said, yet as we have seen that this is not always the case. While we wait, we continue to offer a model of love and holiness to our loved ones, and like St. Monica we do not fall into despair but remain steadfast in our pleas and confident in our hope.