ABSTRACT. In this article, I would like to highlight the fact that the words “with much power” of Saint Monica, the mother of Blessed Augustine, won the soul of her son and directed him towards moral beauty, writing the words of eternal life in his heart. And Augustine, as soon as he received the power of the Word, rose and came close to the light of divinity. The power of the word is extraordinary. Every word has power, because it belongs to someone, because through the word one’s desire and will are expressed. And the desire, the will, the calling of that one moves the one to whom it is directed. Man persuades man. Man gives power to man, primarily through the word. Biblical and liturgical language is, above all, something living: it moves the heart, it does not satisfy the mind. Of course, it depends on each person (on his openness and capacity) how much he shares and uses these words. God, through the energy of the word, tries to contact man. Man, through the word of prayer, tries to respond to God. Man shows his freedom and free choice when he responds to God through prayer, when he can say “Amen” to God, to God’s call. The words of mother Monica to her son, Augustine, were words spoken with great power and enthusiasm. The very word ἐνθουσιασμός in Greek means the one over whom a Divinity hovers.

Keywords: language; Saint Monica; experience; unspeakable words; power; enthusiasm

How to cite: Petcu, L., Petcu, E.-M. (2024). “The Language of Saint Monica and the Experience of Unspeakable Words. Ἐνθουσιασμός and Her Words ‘With Much Power’,” Romanian Journal of Artistic Creativity 12(4): 61-76. doi: 10.22381/RJAC12420245.

Received 21 October 2024 • Received in revised form 19 November 2024
Accepted 5 December 2024 • Available online 31 December 2024