Divine mercy is–

Hopeful.

Overflowing.

Available.

Infinite.

Free.

I am a pilgrim of mercy.

One of the most insidious temptations in the Christian life is the belief that prayer has no effect. For 25 years, as I traveled from one country to the next and from one city to the next, one of the most acute forms of spiritual anguish I witnessed almost every day was that of mothers and fathers whose children have stopped practicing their Catholic faith. I have encountered so many parents and grandparents who are heartbroken because their children or grandchildren have left the church. This was the pain Saint Monica experienced. She prayed and fasted for her son, Augustine's conversion. It would have been easy for Monica to lose hope and fall into despair, but she didn't because she was clear about one fundamental truth that resounds throughout the history of salvation, no person is beyond the reach of God's merciful and redeeming love. While Augustine was selfishly pursuing his hedonistic lifestyle, following the heretical teachings of manicism, and generally living a morally wayward life, his mother, Monica, was praying for him night and day. She is a steadfast example of unwavering faith, extraordinary patience and perseverance, trust in God's providence and timing, motherly love, and parental sacrifice. Monica prayed like so many parents do, but she also prayed for very specific intentions. She prayed for her son's conversion to Christianity, for his release from false beliefs and heretical teachings that his heart would be open to the beauty of the Catholic faith for his moral transformation that he would abandon his sinful habits and adopt a life of virtue, that God would send wise and faithful Catholics into Augustine's life, that God would be merciful to her son, and that God would give her son divine guidance. Augustine was massively resistant to his mother's overtures and to God's promptings. But Monica never gave up hope. She didn't expect immediate results, but rather trusted in God's timing and persevered in her prayers for her three children and her husband. There are people who think prayer is a waste of time. Saint Monica would respectfully disagree. She was a prayerful giant. What is a prayerful giant? A prayerful giant is a person who covers their family with prayer, anchoring the family in God's grace. We all have family members who have stopped practicing the faith. Some drift away, unaware of what they are leaving behind. Others grow jaded and reject the faith they were brought up in. Some were abused and have an understandable aversion to the church due to the faith wound they carry. No matter what the situation is for your family members, it can be painful and difficult to navigate. It can feel hopeless at times. But Monica is an inspiring example to keep praying. Praying for others is merciful. Praying for those we love is a mercy that has multi-generational impact on a family. Every family needs a prayerful giant. Tolstoy begins his epic novel, Anna Karenina, with these lines. Happy families are all alike. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Families with great faith have a prayerful giant somewhere in their not-too-distant past. Monica was a prayerful giant. All the fruits of Augustine's writings and ministry are fruits of her prayers. Her prayers have helped millions of people in every generation for 1,500 years return to God. Every time I visited one of my friends as a child, his grandmother was sitting quietly in the corner, fingering her rosary beads. I didn't know it at the time, but she was a prayerful giant, immersing her family in God's love and mercy. These prayerful giants pray constantly for their families. How far do you have to go back in your family tree to find a prayerful giant? Remember, a prayerful giant is a person who covers their family with prayer, anchoring the family in God's grace. If we want our families to have enduring multi-generational faith, perhaps we are being called to become those prayerful giants.

We may be tempted to believe that there is no hope at times, but that is never true. Don't let what you can't do interfere with what you can do. And what you can do is pray. Even though her son rejected the faith again and again, Monica never gave up. She cried out to God, begging him to have mercy on Augustine's soul, imploring him to lead her son back to a life of virtue. She prayed ceaselessly for 17 years. She became a prayerful giant. She covered her family with prayer. Little did she know the influence her prayers would eventually have on the Catholic Church around the world and every society in the Western world. Augustine's conversion happened just one year before Monica's death. Her prayers were answered, and the generosity of God was on full display. Her request was modest compared to the overwhelming abundance of God's answer. Augustine went on to become one of the greatest saints in the history of Christianity. And at every step along the way, Monica was growing in virtue and developing a deeper intimacy with God as she prayed for her son, which in turn led her to become a great saint. This mother and son duo highlights the powerful influence a mother's faith can have on her children. This story demonstrates the power of prayer. How could your family tree be transformed if you became a prayerful giant? It is a great mercy to pray for others, both the living and the dead. God invites all of us to cover our family with His grace and mercy through prayer, especially especially those who are yet to comprehend the genius of Catholicism. Pray for your children, pray for your spouse, your parents, your grandparents, your grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Pray for generations past and generations yet to come deep into the future. Bestow upon your family the gift of prayer, just as Monica did. It isn't easy to pray for weeks and months and years. It's easy to get discouraged. It requires trust and hope to wait patiently for God's plan to unfold. But if you are persistent in prayer, you'll be amazed what God will do through your prayers. And like Monica, you'll be amazed who you become in the process. Saint Monica, pray for us. Trust, surrender, believe, receive.

50 million American Catholics have stopped going to mass over the past 30 years. If you think that is sad and tragic, I'm right there with you. If you think they have no idea what they are missing out on, I'm right there with you. And if you wish we could change that for future generations, our children and our grandchildren, I'm right there with you. Dynamic Catholic is incredibly excited to announce that we're creating a game-changing program that will transform the way Catholics, young and old, experience the mass forever. Nobody who experiences this program will ever say mass is boring ever again. Help us eradicate mass is boring from the Catholic vernacular. Click the button below, choose your welcome gift, and become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador today. Have a great day and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.

Eternal God.

In whom mercy is endless.

And the treasury of compassion inexhaustible.

Look kindly upon us–

–and increase your mercy in us.

That in difficult moments, we might not despair–

–nor become despondent.

But with great confidence, submit ourselves to your holy will, which is love and mercy itself.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

See you tomorrow.

Thank you, Ambassadors.

You are changing the world. Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Hey, Ralph. One of the best ways to be a pilgrim of mercy is to collaborate with God to create holy moments. So I figured while we have a couple of minutes, you could inspire our audience. So tell me, what is today's Holy Moment challenge?

It is pray for someone who has left the faith.