These were the sorts of trials the mothers of St. Augustine and St. Therese of Lisieux endured in nurturing their children to love and serve God-from correcting character flaws in childhood to confronting serious sin in adulthood.
In Mothers of the Saints,'Wendy Leifeld shows us that the key to success lay in how these women and the mothers of other saints responded daily to God's grace, including the mothers of Maximilian Kolbe, Maria Goretti, and Bernard of Clairvaux. For Monica, that meant persevering daily in prayer for Augustine's salvation. For Zelie, it meant teaching Therese to offer up little sacrifices to Jesus and value spiritual things over mere appearances.