August 27, 2015
Dear St. Monica:
Today is your feast day. I have been praying your novena for the past nine days. And as You know, I have been asking you to intercede for Alex.
A few weeks ago, Alex called us at midnight. He had been throwing up all day long. He was all alone in Connecticut and it was too late for him to go to the store to buy something for his upset stomach. He didn't have Gatorade or saltines in the house. I told him to get ice chips and eat them little by little. I was so scared that he would dehydrate. He was alone, in the middle of nowhere, without a car and no one nearby that he could call. I know that his guardian angel was by his side and that Mama Mary held his hand that night. He was not alone but I still wanted to be there with him. Rafael and I stayed on the phone with him for about an hour. We prayed a rosary and around 1 am we hung up with the promise that he would call us if he didn't fall asleep. He didn't call us but we remained awake most of the night.
My nerves have been on edge all month long. Alex has been home for two weeks. I took him to a gastroenterologist to rule out that the stomach issues that he's been having on and off all summer are not simply related to his nerves. The doctor ran some labs and the results showed that the enzymes in his liver were over 200 when the normal should be under 40. I have spent this past week running around with him. We went to Baptist for an ultrasound of the liver, an upper GI X-Ray and more labs.
In the meantime, you, St. Monica, took my prayers and petitions to our Lord. He heard our pleas and He answered our prayers. Today we got all the results and all tests came back negative. The doctor was checking for hepatitis, mono, and a few other things. The ultrasound also showed a clean liver. The new labs also showed that the enzyme levels have dropped. They are still high, but just over 100. We may never know what caused them to spike in the first place. Maybe it was a virus, or something he ate or all the college drinking. Whatever it was, I am so relieved that it's nothing serious.
St. Monica, please take my prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for healing Alex's liver. And ask Him to please be patient with my three kids, especially Alex. Please ask Him to move their hearts so they feel a longing for God. Please intercede for them so they return to God's path. I know that nothing is impossible with God.
I told Alex today not to keep God inside a drawer, only to be taken out when things get tough. He never answered me. I can only pray that my message remains in his heart.
St. Monica, please pray for us and pray for our children!!!
August 27, 2017
Dear St. Monica:
This year, I have also been praying your novena. I am praying for your intercession, not just for my kids but also for all of my friends' kids. Please intercede for all teenagers and young adults, that they may remain in the path that leads them to God.
St. Monica, you are a great example to me. You never gave up on your son, St. Augustine. You always prayed for him. You had faith and hope that he would walk one day in the path that led to God. You persevered in prayer for more than 15 years. Even when the clergy assured you that it was useless after so many years, you didn't give up. And since nothing is impossible with God, your prayers were answered and your son converted.
I want to have the same faith and hope that you had. I'm still praying for my children to feel a longing for God. May they follow the path that God has chosen for them. Please, St. Monica, continue to intercede for them.
St. Monica, please pray for us and pray for our children!!!
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