A Public Prayer for Erin and Jen

This way, anyone who want to can join in. :) 

Lord Jesus,

I lift up my cousins, Erin and Jen, to you through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Both women have heavy crosses to bear, and they have carried those crosses with dignity, humor, and even joy.  

I know that you allow suffering only for the good, and we don't know your divine plan, or how this fits into it. We don't know who will be affected by these women, and what part they may have to play in the salvation of others. We don't know your plans for Erin and Jen at all. We do know that as they suffer, others suffer with them. They are loved by many and needed by many.

If it is your will, you could heal them in an instant. I ask, through the intercession of your beloved mother, Mary, that you let your healing mercy come to them. All things are possible to him who believes. Mk 9:24 

I do believe.  Help my unbelief.  

I ask this in Jesus' name, 

Amen!

The Fruits of the Rosary

I try to explain to people that the Rosary is such a deep prayer, so full of layers.  Even if you just say the prayers and focus on the words, you can find so much.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you

Think about that moment when this young woman received a visit from Archangel Gabriel. What would you do if God decided to communicate a message to you through one of his greatest creations? I'd freak.  There's a reason angles usually start out with "Fear not."  They aren't the fat little cherubs portrayed in some art.

Think about this exact moment in man's time when the means of our salvation was hanging in the balance on one young woman's answer to God. Am I that open to God's will? Am I willing to accept whatever He asks of me?

And so on.

Then you can meditate on the actual Mysteries as you pray. Taking the Annunciation, put yourself in Mary's home. Smell the baking. Hear the kids playing outside. God's with you in every moment of your day. Are you present to Him? Hear Gabriel's message, and imagine every heavenly creature waiting for her response. Imagine the joy when she said,  "Fiat." Imagine the exact moment when Jesus became physically present on earth. (Just got chills.)

And then, you move deeper with the fruits of the Rosary. The fruit of the Annunciation is humility. Am I humble before God? Do I hand everything over to Him, knowing that my insignificant life is part of His plan? Do I put myself last before others, or try to make sure I get my fair share of reward, recognition, and prestige? What can I do to make myself more humble in my daily life?   (False humility is just disguised pride, so don't make that mistake. And don't use alleged humility to reject God's mission for you. That's fear, or sloth, or just plain "no", depending on your reasons.)

This article on The Catholic Exchange covers the fruits so much better than I can, so I'm just going to post the link. For everyone who has difficulty applying the Mysteries to your daily lives, the fruits will point you in the right direction.

Enjoy!

Don't Be a Minimalist with God

Too often I hear excuses for why people don't attend Mass on Sunday. Their teen was sleepy. They had a soccer game to attend. It wasn't convenient.

The world has been taken over by Minimalists. Far beyond an art form or political theory, Minimalism is the mentality that seeks to do the bare minimum. It's that customer service rep who will only answer your direct question instead of helping you solve the problem. It's the store clerk who goes on break while a long line of customers wait. It's those people who show up twenty minutes late for Mass and leave right after Communion.

While we're reluctantly giving the God of the universe the barest possible thanks, I wondered how well that scenario would play out at home.

Wife:            I recognize the birthday card you got me.
Hubby:       That's because I pulled it out of the box of bulk all-occasion cards you got at Costco.
Wife:            Hmmmm. You didn't sign it.
Hubby:      You wanted it signed? (sigh) Give me a pen.
Wife:            I don't suppose I can expect a present.
Hubby:       I just figured if you wanted something you'd buy it yourself.
Wife:           Thanks for the thought.
Hubby:       Hey.
Wife:          (snarling) What?
Hubby:      I love you.

How many of you would get butterflies in your tummy over this demonstration of love?

The Mass is a huge part of a Catholic's relationship with God. It's a time for us to go and offer Him thanks for everything He's given us--literally everything we have--and to partake in the Eucharist, which has been the soul and summit of the Catholic Church since since Christ founded it. To actually receive the body, blood, soul and divinity of the God of the universe is an HUGE honor. Why would you look for an excuse to get out of it????

Lets not beat around the bush. If you say Christ is first in your life but it's too much trouble to go to Mass, then you're a liar. If you can find things more important than going to Mass for approximately one hour per week to worship and praise the Lord, then God is not first in your life, and whatever IS first is where your true devotion lies.

Just for the record, choosing to skip Mass without a legitimate reason (and common sense should tell you what those are) is a mortal sin. Die with a mortal sin on your soul? BOOM. Hell. That's because justification for Catholics is an ongoing state of grace, and that relationship with God can be broken by sin. Confession is the only remedy.

But don't go to Mass out of fear. God doesn't want your fear. He wants your love. He wants a relationship. He sent His only Son to die on a cross for you, just so you could be with Him forever. Don't you think He's worth an hour of your time?

And that's still the minimum.

The Best of Women at a Women's Retreat

Samaritan Woman at the Well by Giacomo Franceschini

This past weekend, I attended the women's retreat at Saint Kateri parish in Saugus. Six hours of all girls, all day.  What an excellent time!

Women, when they are being authentic to their femininity, are the coolest...creation...ever.  When God gave Adam a mate, He covered every scenario.  Compassion to sense the needs of others, whether physical, spiritual, or emotional as well as the generosity to do something about it without taking measure to make certain things are "fair".  Unbreakable loyalty. An instinct to lift people up. And on and on.  

We should already know this from looking to our role model, Mary.  Mary was a tough Jewish cookie who risked it all to say "Yes" to God. She carried heavy buckets of water from the well and stepped in mud and animal droppings to do it.  She made a long journey on a donkey while pregnant and gave birth in a cold, smelly stable. What a woman. And I met so many women at the retreat who shared her attributes: tough, feminine, generous, and filled with love for their fellow woman and for Jesus.

We enjoyed scripture readings (this retreat focused on Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well) and meditations (the Christian kind, where you fill your head with God instead of emptying it out) and the day included plenty of singing and praising God with the help of a local family band.  I especially enjoyed those moments when we talked in small groups.

I was lucky enough to sit at a table made up mostly of women I didn't know, so I had a chance to meet new friends and hear new stories about how God touches lives.

The first to arrive was a friend, the mother of two beautiful daughters who will someday grow up to be as special as their mother. There was an older lady who graduated from a music conservatory and then went on to raise five children, who then gave her ten grandchildren.  Three sisters sat next to each other (literal sisters, not just Sisters in Christ). The older two had boys who were playing a football game that day, while the youngest was an artist. They loved to attend retreats together and were so close, sharing jokes and finishing each other's sentences. Their friend joined us. A photographer by trade, she could have been her own model.

The great thing about us gals is that we don't mind crying in front of strangers. While I didn't actually sob, I did tear up as I listed to one table mate's story about the near-drowning of her daughter. She held the hands of her two sisters and cried tears of gratitude as she related the fear as well as the loving support offered by her family during the crises. A local church who saw the helicopter transport her daughter to the hospital contacted the family and offered their prayers and support. They now attend that church. That's the best conduit for the Good News--acts of love and kindness in His name.

The photographer related a terrible childbirth experience and poured out the guilt she felt because she stopped pushing during delivery and had to submit to a c-section.  If she had watched more television dramas, she would have known this exhaustion was not unusual. Recently, she has come to understand that she didn't give up; she surrendered to God.

I hope to meet these women again.  I have the photographer's business card for that moment when I'm ready to update my head shot. One sister invited me to attend the next Fish Fest (a music festival), and if Stephen Curtis Chapman is going to make an appearance, I'm there!

Women were made for a supporting role. Literally. Look at Mary. She mothered the Savior, she supported the early Church, and she lent her loving presence to those early Christians (known as The Way) to help them understand and keep them pointed toward Jesus. I can imagine what a comfort she was to those early Church members.

Women have such an abundance of warmth and understanding and they overflow with available hugs.  They can't help swooping in to lift up those who are experiencing sadness or pain. It's a gift.

Women weren't made to tear each other down. That's an affliction emphasized by the current "it's all about me" environment. They weren't made to sacrifice children and husbands to the gods of wealth and ego.

They were made to form the very foundation of society. To be the rich soil necessary to grow decent children, families and communities. To be a positive influence on their family members, younger women, schools, neighborhoods and even politicians and the press. To be role models.

Women are the coolest...creation...ever.

 

The Rosary--A Christocentric Prayer

The month of October is dedicated the the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At first look, the Rosary is all about Mary, right? 10 Hail Mary's for every 1 Our Father and Glory Be. The odds are in her favor.  But that would be looking at this powerful prayer through the wrong lenses.

The Rosary is Christ centered, from beginning to end, and the first place to find Christ is in that prayer, the Hail Mary. 

Hail Mary, full of Grace
the Lord is with you
Blessed are you among women
And blessed is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

The first stanza, if you will, comes from Luke 1:28.  Here's the KJ version.

"And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."

Was the angel complimenting her on her outfit? What a good housekeeper she was? No!  She was prepared by God, filled with grace and without original sin, to be the vessel for the Christ.  She was chosen among women to give birth to the Savior, and he was greeting the one who would shortly, upon her Fiat, become the mother of God.  It's all about Jesus. 

The second stanza comes from Luke 1:42

"And she (Elisabeth) spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."

Elisabeth was responding to her son, John's, sanctification in her womb upon beholding the Son of God in Mary's womb. Did Elisabeth have x-ray vision? No. God revealed to her that the baby carried by Mary was the Savior of the world. Her response to her cousin was all about Jesus. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God

That's who she was. 

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. 

We ask for her powerful intercession, just as she interceded for the wedding couple at Cana. We are asking her to pray for us. Jesus is our only intercessor to the Father, but Mary and the saints are intercessors to Jesus. (And that doesn't mean you should not pray directly to Jesus!)

This isn't an original idea of mine. Pope John Paul II laid it out in his apostolic letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae. 

God reveals tools that Christians can use on their path to holiness, and the Rosary is one of my favorites. And I have to believe that God favors it as well, since the purpose is to focus on the Mysteries of His life.  

My Birthday, Our Lady of Sorrows, And Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary

Statue of Mary--which I do not worship--from Legion of Mary.

This year, I gave myself an extra-special gift for my birthday.  It wasn't a trip to Europe, though that's still on the list of things I'd like to do. It wasn't a pair of those magical jeans they sell at Macy's that are supposed to actually fit my 48-year-old butt. Not Your Daughter's Jeans, I think they're called. It didn't even involve chocolate.

After reading and following 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, I consecrated myself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I'd already performed a hurried version two years ago--the moment I learned my hubby was in the hospital waiting to undergo brain surgery for injuries obtained in a fall at work.  I'm certain she helped me handle that stressful situation without mind-numbing fear and with, yes, joy.

This time, it was a thoughtful, deliberate, formal act, one that said, "I'm not in crisis now, but I'm still willing to do this."  Because it's easy to pray to Jesus or ask His Mother's intercession when we're scared stiff, but offering everything up when things are going well?  Not so easy.

As an added bonus, my birthday fell on the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows. Pretty cool, huh? What could be more humanly powerful than the sorrows Mary endured for God--the sorrow predicted in the temple--that a sword would pierce her heart, her sorrow when she met Jesus as he carried his cross, and her sorrow at the foot of the Cross. The sorrows that arose from her "yes" to God.

What does my consecration mean? 

That every spiritual grace I receive from God will go to Mary for her dispensation as she sees fit. There may be someone on the other side of the world who is dying in despair, without Jesus, and she will use my graces to bring them to Christ (or, more correctly, the Christ.)  I don't know how, but I know that her entire role as a creature of God and the Mother of Jesus has been to point us to her Son.  She's the perfect vessel that brought Him into this world, and to be molded into her image is to achieve the perfection that Jesus wants for us--the uniting of our will with His will.

It's an act of humility.

I'm not so great at humility, but with my consecration, Mary will help me develop that virtue, because she's just frantic with humility. She'll guide me, with the Holy Spirit, to be a saint. What more could I ask for on my birthday? (Me in the Heaven Store: "Oooh. Sainthood. I'll take one of those!)

Does that mean I worship Mary? 

I only worship God. Mary would smack me upside the head if I tried to worship her, though I'm sure she'd do it nicely. I venerate, or honor, Mary for her role in Jesus' life, for her Fiat to God. It's a consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary's Immaculate Heart. When we say the Hail Mary, the words are pray for us sinners.  We're asking her to pray for us, just like we'd ask our relatives to do the same. And for the record, I don't worship her statue either, though it's a very nice statue.

Does the consecration put a barrier between me and Jesus?

HAHAHAHA! (wiping tears from my eyes)   That would be a big no.

When I'm doing my meditations, I always imagine Mary present along with Jesus, and that's right on the money. Anywhere Jesus is, you'll find Mary. In Exposition. At Mass. In prayer.  The Father is there, too, and the Holy Spirit, but I personally have an easier time imagining Mary and Jesus.

Yes, I'm aware that Louis de Montfort, the man who wrote True Devotion to Mary, believed we should always approach Jesus through His mother as an act of humility. Jesus is our only intercessor to the Father, and Mary is our strongest intercessor to her Son. Does that mean I can't say an Our Father directly to God? Nope. Does that mean I shouldn't pray to Jesus? No way. It means she makes my prayers more perfect for her Son.

It's a very cool thing.

When Current Events Anger Me, God Shows Me Reasons to Love

It's hard for a Christian to remain joyful these days, because our focus keeps getting jerked around by horrifying examples of hate. Of course it's a comfort that our society hasn't yet moved to having us torn to pieces by lions, but the seduction from the enemy is difficult for people to resist when they haven't a solid connection with God, and the spiritual equivalent is already here.

I don't watch the news, but one can't help seeing the headlines on Google or Yahoo, and most of it's ugly.  It's a reminder of Romans 12:14:  "Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse." 1 Peter 3:9 is a good one, too. "Do  not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." No one ever said being a Christian would be easy. 

Here's how He turned my attention back to Him this week. 

There were two disturbing stories about black youth's killing whites from boredom, including a visiting Australian and a WWII vet.  My first instinct was...well, let's just say it was negative. 

So Jesus responded with a story about Christian love:  Antoinette Tuff, a black woman, courageously stopped a man armed with an AK-47 from shooting up a school. She did it with love and kindness. She was a true Christian.

Then there is the unbelievable violence in Egypt against Christians, including Catholic nuns being marched through the street. Barak Obama continues to sit on his thumbs, and his spokesman even made a joke at the press conference. Not much hope for help from those quarters. Angry? You bet!

So Jesus responded with the news that a Muslim woman came to the aid of the nuns, a good reminder that each of us choose individually whether or not to respond to God, and a few bad apples will NOT spoil the whole barrel. 

Now there's a story about that knucklehead in England who is a wealthy narcissist. He says he's a Christian, but he wants to force Christians to violate their beliefs so he can have a pretty gay wedding in their church. Their privately owned church. His favorite poem is "Me, Myself and I."

I'm still waiting for Jesus response to that one, but do you see the theme?  There's violence  and hatred and bullying everywhere, and Jesus keeps reminding me to respond with love.  Because that's His will, and it's all about His will, not mine. 

So instead of rethinking my position on capital punishment, I will pray for the conversion of those criminals, that the right priest or deacon or Christian prison missionary will be able to soften their hard hearts with the aid of the Holy Spirit.  He has converted many hopeless causes in the past.  I will pray that the Muslim Brotherhood who helps the military spread hate and violence will learn from the Muslim woman who lived her faith. (I already pray regularly for Barack Obama's conversion.)  And I will pray for the conversion of that gay narcissist, that he might truly become Christian and know it's not all about him. And I will pray for more trust in God, so that I don't let these things bother me so much. 

It's not easy being a Christian, but faith and trust and prayer fill the journey with hope, so I can get back to being joyful.