St. Monica of Hippo, whose memorial we celebrate today, probably did not have much time to think about her shoes or how comfortable she was. She lived with a testy mother-in-law and a husband who had a bad temper and licentious habits. Her son, Augustine, grew up acquiring immoral life habits of his own, and adopting a Manichean heresy. However Monica was shod, she walked a life of deep faith, persistent prayer, and fasting. Her efforts were rewarded as her mother-in-law and husband at last became Christians. After following her son to Rome and Milan, she finally got to see Augustine baptized before she died.
Without a doubt, a mother’s shoes can be hard to fill. The gospel reading for the optional memorial mass today (Luke 7:11-17) includes the account of the poor widowed mother in Nain coping with the death of her only son. Jesus was filled with compassion and brought the man back to life.
So many times, as I saw my daughter growing up, I prayed to the Lord for guidance, and he was always there to help, even if I grew impatient because he did not necessarily agree with my timeline. Have you had that experience?
I think of the teachers who may be struggling with the prospect of putting on their classroom shoes as they return to instruct children while the virus pandemic makes outcomes iffy. I encourage prayers for safe outcomes.
I think of all the medical professionals’ worn-out shoes as doctors, nurses, and technicians struggle to do the best jobs they can do. I pray for good soles for these good souls!
I think about the shoes, usually sandals, mentioned in Bible stories. I would not need any shoes if I were with Moses as God spoke to him in the burning bush (Exodus 3:5) or with Joshua as he spoke to the commander of the army of the Lord in a vision (Joshua 5:15); in both cases all shoes were off as Moses and Joshua stood on holy ground. In Ruth 4:7-8, we read of the practice of giving a sandal to attest to the exchange of property. And, of course, we remember how John the Baptist declared how unworthy he was to even untie the thong of Jesus’ sandal (John 1:27).
As the presidential election approaches, the campaigning gets hot and heavy. With the decision of who will wear the shoes of the U.S. president in January getting closer, I hope the contenders will consider St. Paul’s advice to the Ephesians (6:15) as he describes the whole armor of God, including the shoes:
Resources: OpenBible.info; franciscanmedia.org.
Photo credit: William Warby
Scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Sharon Krause is a RENEW volunteer whose writing has appeared in several resources for small-group faith sharing. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Manchester, Connecticut. Over the years, she has served in many parish ministries.