Key Arguments

• Monica had ‘taken to the memorial shrines of the saints cakes and bread and wine, and was forbidden by the janitor’, and when she learned Ambrose was responsible ‘she accepted it in so devout and docile a manner that I myself was amazed’.
• Augustine stresses her motivation was pious, not sensual: ‘Her spirit was not obsessed by excessive drinking, and no love of wine stimulated her into opposing the truth… Her quest was for devotion, not pleasure.’
• Ambrose’s rationale is that even sober offerings can serve as a pretext for drunkenness and resemble pagan cult meals: ‘no such offerings were to be made, even by those who acted soberly, to avert any pretext for intoxication being given to drinkers and because the ceremonies were like meals to propitiate the departed spirits and similar to heathen superstition’.
• In response, Monica happily changes the form of her devotion: ‘she happily abstained. Instead of a basket full of the fruits of the earth, she learned to bring a heart full of purer vows to the memorials of the martyrs.’
• Her new practice channels offerings to charity and Eucharist: ‘She would give what she could to the needy; and then the communion of the Lord’s body was celebrated at the shrines of the martyrs’.
• Augustine notes that her ready compliance is partly because she loves and trusts Ambrose for the sake of Augustine’s salvation: ‘For the sake of my salvation she was wholly devoted to him, and he loved her for her deeply religious pattern of life.’

Source Quotes

4: 14) when she knew that it was through him that I had been brought to that state of hesitancy and wavering. I was to pass through that from sickness to health, but with a more acute danger intervening, like that high fever preceding recovery which the physicians call ‘the critical onset’.2 ii (2) In accordance with my mother’s custom in Africa, she had taken to the memorial shrines of the saints cakes and bread and wine, and was forbidden by the janitor. When she knew that the bishop was responsible for the prohibition, she accepted it in so devout and docile a manner that I myself was amazed how easy it was for her to find fault with her own custom rather than to dispute his ban.

I was to pass through that from sickness to health, but with a more acute danger intervening, like that high fever preceding recovery which the physicians call ‘the critical onset’.2 ii (2) In accordance with my mother’s custom in Africa, she had taken to the memorial shrines of the saints cakes and bread and wine, and was forbidden by the janitor. When she knew that the bishop was responsible for the prohibition, she accepted it in so devout and docile a manner that I myself was amazed how easy it was for her to find fault with her own custom rather than to dispute his ban. Her spirit was not obsessed by excessive drinking, and no love of wine stimulated her into opposing the truth, as is the case with many men and women who, when one sings them the song of sobriety, feel as nauseated as drunkards when offered a watery drink.

When she knew that the bishop was responsible for the prohibition, she accepted it in so devout and docile a manner that I myself was amazed how easy it was for her to find fault with her own custom rather than to dispute his ban. Her spirit was not obsessed by excessive drinking, and no love of wine stimulated her into opposing the truth, as is the case with many men and women who, when one sings them the song of sobriety, feel as nauseated as drunkards when offered a watery drink. After bringing her basket of ceremonial food which she would first taste and then share round the company, she used to present not more than one tiny glass of wine diluted to suit her very sober palate.

Her quest was for devotion, not pleasure. When she learnt that the famous preacher and religious leader had ordered that no such offerings were to be made, even by those who acted soberly, to avert any pretext for intoxication being given to drinkers and because the ceremonies were like meals to propitiate the departed spirits and similar to heathen superstition,3 she happily abstained. Instead of a basket full of the fruits of the earth, she learned to bring a heart full of purer vows to the memorials of the martyrs.

When she learnt that the famous preacher and religious leader had ordered that no such offerings were to be made, even by those who acted soberly, to avert any pretext for intoxication being given to drinkers and because the ceremonies were like meals to propitiate the departed spirits and similar to heathen superstition,3 she happily abstained. Instead of a basket full of the fruits of the earth, she learned to bring a heart full of purer vows to the memorials of the martyrs. She would give what she could to the needy; and then the communion of the Lord’s body was celebrated at the shrines of the martyrs who in imitation of the Lord’s passion were sacrificed and crowned.

Instead of a basket full of the fruits of the earth, she learned to bring a heart full of purer vows to the memorials of the martyrs. She would give what she could to the needy; and then the communion of the Lord’s body was celebrated at the shrines of the martyrs who in imitation of the Lord’s passion were sacrificed and crowned. Yet it seems to me, Lord my God—and this is the conviction of my heart in your sight (Ps.

Key Concepts

• she had taken to the memorial shrines of the saints cakes and bread and wine, and was forbidden by the janitor.
• she accepted it in so devout and docile a manner that I myself was amazed how easy it was for her to find fault with her own custom rather than to dispute his ban.
• Her spirit was not obsessed by excessive drinking, and no love of wine stimulated her into opposing the truth
• to avert any pretext for intoxication being given to drinkers and because the ceremonies were like meals to propitiate the departed spirits and similar to heathen superstition
• Instead of a basket full of the fruits of the earth, she learned to bring a heart full of purer vows to the memorials of the martyrs.
• She would give what she could to the needy; and then the communion of the Lord’s body was celebrated at the shrines of the martyrs

Context

Book VI, section ii (2): Augustine recounts Ambrose’s prohibition of food and wine offerings at martyrs’ shrines and uses Monica’s response to illustrate right-ordered piety, ecclesial obedience, and the Church’s effort to distinguish Christian practice from pagan superstition.