August 27th came and went, and there was no significant news item regarding Monica Lewinsky--the Monica of the moment. But August 27th is special for another Monica--St. Monica. It is her feast day.

This Monica, revered as a model woman, model wife, and model mother was born in 332 in Tagaste, North Africa (now Souk Ahras). Like our current Monica, she too was from a well-to-do family. In fact, her nanny prevented the wine loving Monica from indulging too much and becoming an alcoholic.

She was given in an arranged marriage to Patricius, a pagan official--generous but possessed of a violent temper. Many women of her age, married off young, and to much older men, were beaten by their husbands. But not Monica. When other young wives asked her secret, she replied, "If you can master your tongue, not only do you run less risk of being beaten, but perhaps you may one even one day make your husband better."

Patricius did become better, leaving his pagan ways a year before his death. He owed it, in large part, to Monica.

Despite the tone of the above quote, Monica was hardly submissive. In fact, she would often remark that the marriage contract set women up as slaves. Women's lib circa 350 A.D.!! Monica was kind, and a peacemaker, but she was no pushover.

She had three children, the most famous of whom is Augustine, one of the greatest minds in all Church history. His feast day is August 28th, but he certainly didn't start off as a saint. Anything but...

He became a Manichean, a heresy that taught: "Something within me sins; it is not I who sin." This "thinking" does wonders for easing what conscience may exist in a person, and persists, of course, to this day. No shrinking violet, Monica kicked her son out of the house.

At about this time, she had a famous dream. She was standing on a beam bemoaning her son's downfall, when she was accosted by a radiant figure who asked the reason for her sorrow. When she spoke of her son's depravity, the being told her to dry her tears because "your son is with you." Then, she saw Augustine standing on the beam next to her.

When she related this dream to her son, he interpreted it as a sign for her to accept him as he was. Monica replied that the being "did not say I was with you. He said that you were with me." At this, the normally articulate Augustine was quiet, and reflected instead.

All told, Monica cajoled her son, and prayed for him for 17 years. It was in 387 that he converted, and it was later that same year that Monica died, after spending six glorious months with her son.

What can this 4th century heroine teach us today?

If nothing else, we can re-assess the value of our media-created icons. (A certain tragic princess comes to mind.)

We can also realize that our problems of trying to raise G-rated kids in an X-rated world are hardly new.

And for Monica Lewinsky, younger now than was Augustine when he repented, there is still time for her to leave her world of scandal, and make something positive of her life.