What’s in the fresco?

This fresco shows Monica twice: once on the right, kneeling in a church praying to God; and again on the right standing on the dock as Augustine sails away. The split depiction of Monica acts as a judgment of her personality. In the left side of the picture, Monica’s religious side is shown as she kneels in a church before God. The image of Monica kneeling before God suggests that she dedicates time to the church, praying and asking for intercession from God on behalf of her son. Her eyes are directed upward, showing her subordination to God. She has submitted to God’s will, and everything goes correctly when she does so. On the right side of the fresco, by contrast, she is standing and watching Augustine sail away to participate in decidedly unholy activities. This side of the fresco shows her worldly side and the distractions from faith. Here she is standing, watching Augustine sail away. Her eyes have shifted and are now directed downward upon her son, and her position in the fresco suggests she holds the power in the relationship. Unfortunately for Monica, her time chasing after Augustine and following him from place to place does not elicit the desired effect. In fact, when Monica “urge[s Augustine] to keep clear of fornication” (2.3.7), Augustine ignores her advice completely (To the right of this fresco is another fresco showing a boat. Just after that comes another scene, showing Augustine’s arrival in Rome as he is greeted by one of the Manichaeans there [see below for a picture]). Monica should have placed her full efforts into the actions in which she is shown partaking on the left side of the fresco: going to church and praying.  

What’s in Confessions?

The conflict of interest between Monica’s desires for the religious and the worldly depicted in the fresco are unveiled in Augustine’s text. Monica’s “faith and conduct rebounded to the glory of [God’s] name” (9.13.24), revealing her connection to God throughout her entire life. When Monica looks to God, things seem to go right, yet when she focuses on Augustine her goals are not accomplished. In fact, “So certain was [Monica] that [God], who had promised her everything, would grant what was still lacking, that she told [Augustine] very tranquilly and with full confidence that in Christ she believed she would see [him] a faithful Catholic before she departed from this life” (6.1.1). This passage begins to reveal the connection between Monica’s faith in God and her love for Augustine, a connection further explained by Augustine when he recognizes that “through [Monica’s] faith in [God] and with a love still more tender, she [brought Augustine’s] eternal salvation to birth” (1.11.17). This quote shows that it is Monica’s prayers and faith in God that help her son, rather than purely her love for Augustine. Monica’s struggles occur when she focuses on Augustine; for example, she attempts to give him advice which he admits he “would have blushed to heed” (2.3.7). This interaction does not serve the purpose for which Monica hopes because Augustine’s actions are in no way changed. Only once Augustine converts to Catholicism does his mother's time spent praying to God, detailed on the left of the fresco, begin to show tangible effects. 

What’s in it for us?

Many college students, especially freshmen, are conflicted by new and different driving forces in their lives. These drives tend to split their focus, and more attention tends to be paid to distractions rather than the faith with which they may have been raised. Many students have a background rooted in some faith tradition which influences their actions. As they are presented with the numerous distractions on college campuses, however, many students find that their priorities shift and that their faith is no longer the dominant driving force in their lives. Beginning in college, many people start to worship the “lower” (friends, money, looks, status, possessions, relationships, and alcohol) over the “higher” (God and faith). The presence of these distractions on college campuses leads to many students' struggling to find a balance between their conflicting interests, just as Monica struggles between her focus on God and her desire to help Augustine. Just as Monica “[takes] heed to her disgraceful conduct, condemn[s] it and [throws] it off at once” (9.8.18), college students can do the same and rid themselves of bad habits. A balance between the worldly and the religious must be found. One’s faith cannot be forgotten and buried underneath the pressures and pulls of college. As said perfectly by Augustine “[God has] the power to do more than we ask or understand.”