The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, is Anything But Solemn!

On January 1st, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

I like Mirriam-Webster's definition of solemnity:   formal or ceremonious observance of an occasion or event.  Proms are formal. So are most weddings. They are certainly not solemn. In fact, they are celebrations.

So why should we celebrate Mary?  Because God chose her as the vehicle for His Son's entrance into the world. Because all of Heaven held its breath when she was asked to take on this incredible mission, and she said yes. 

Mary gave us the perfect example of how we should respond to God. No matter how impossible His request, He will give us the necessary tools and support to carry out our mission.

All we need to do is say yes. 

Joy Moves Like Sand

Image by S. Sepp
Wikipedia Commons

There are so many times when I've wanted to kick someone to the curb (metaphorically) for the ignorant things they've said about Christ or the Catholic Church.  Approaching people this way is like hammering a square peg into a round hole. The message might get through , but there would be a lot of breakage along the way.

The better option is to respond with love.  Love moves like sand through an hourglass. No matter how small the entryway, no matter how tightly closed the heart, love can work its way through those crevices and begin to build up, like the sand at the bottom of the hourglass.

Our first response is usually to take the devil's way. To holler. To outshout. To criticize or condemn (righteously, of course.) Satan loves conflict, because he's all about dividing and shattering relationships.

Try love next time and see what happens. It might not work right away, but as the reservoir builds up, soon love will become the dominant force.

Why not give it a shot? It worked for Christ.

And if you want to share the good news about how it worked, or complain how it didn't work (yet), I'd love to hear about it.

The Incredible Gentleness of God's Will

When we think about doing God's will, the images that come to mind are the extremes--St. Francis of Assisi who gave up all of his many worldly possessions, or the  Christian martyrs who gave up their lives, including 11 out of 12 apostles.  Or we worry that we will be ridiculed like the prophet Hosea or tested like Job. It's no wonder we  hesitate before offering to do only what God wills.

But God is very gentle with His creatures.

Today, I felt a strong pull to drop by our parish office. I chatted for a few moments with the single employee who had been left alone to cover for the day. From there, I was headed to the post office, and I offered to take the mail. She smiled with great relief, because she was going to have to take the mail herself after work. God wanted to give her a break, and He wanted to use me as His instrument.

Another time, I couldn't get it out of my head that I should walk up the street and visit an elderly neighbor. She was so happy to see me. She was moving to a retirement home and wanted to talk to someone not directly involved in the decision (her children) about her anxieties. God had called me to simply be there and listen.

There are so many saints who have been called to suffering, but if you read their stories, they were at a point in their spiritual life where they welcomed suffering to bring about greater good.

If we learn to listen to His voice, we can see many opportunities to do His will throughout the day, and most likely they won't involve torture or poverty.

He is the whisper, not the storm, and we are the voices and hands and feet that carry out His plan. It's an intricate plan with many small steps.

Don't be afraid of doing His will. He's a gentle God who will make it easy for us.

What Dr. Who and God Have in Common

I was watching an episode of Dr. Who the other day. In this episode, the moon was a gigantic egg, and it was hatching. Human beings had to make the choice whether to allow a unique baby life form to live, or to nuke the egg and the enclosed life form and save humankind. That was the choice they thought they had to make, and Dr. Who wouldn't make it for them. At the last minute, they spared the egg. The moon hatched, and in its place, the life form left another egg, so the earth still had its moon.

There are so many analogies here: the value of unborn life, trusting in God, but what I really found interesting was the reaction of the character Clara.

Clara, the allegedly independent, spunky gal, was angry that she had been left to make the choice. No, she was furious. Here is the conversation, paraphrased.

Before the decision:

Clara:  Tell us what to do.

Dr. Who:   I'm not a human, and this is a decision that will determine the fate of human beings. This is too big a decision not to make on your own.

After the decision:

Clara:  How could you leave us? Why didn't you help us choose? You abandoned us.

Dr. Who: I respected you enough to let you make the choice.

Wow. That's exactly how it is with God.

The Creator of the Universe, the all-powerful Lord of all, respects us enough to let us make the ultimate choice--whether to be with Him forever or not.

And yet we rail against Him for our bad choices.

We consider the choice between Heaven and Hell unfair.  How could You be so cruel as to send anyone to Hell? Ahhh,  He doesn't make that choice. We do.  As Father Michael Schmitz points out, it's not a case of God sending you to Hell for (insert mortal sin here), it's a matter of you choosing (insert mortal sin here) over going to Heaven.

We want to be treated like grownups, but when it comes down to the tough stuff, we want the security and absolution of small children.

In past episodes of the program, the character Clara has been condescending to this 2,000-year-old genius.

How often are we condescending to God?  You came and told us what You wanted of us, and we keep second-guessing You, as if we know best.  Marriage? Sex? Life? The Eucharist?  We'll decide how far we'll believe You. We'll pick and choose what fits into our wants.

I seem to remember some people (and angels) from Geneses who had the same opinion.

The actors in Dr. Who are top-notch, but the writing over the past few years has gone to the dogs. Once in a while, you can find a nugget of truth in anything.

Taking God for Granted

It's so easy to take things for granted.  I remember how excited I was when I got my Kitchenaid blender. I bought all of the attachments, vowing to grind my own meat and roll my own pasta. I loved that it was deep red, which was a bold color choice for me. My entire kitchen routine was about to change.

Two years later and I store plastic grocery bags in the bowl.

It's not just things that get taken for granted.  Growing up, I took it for granted that my parents would always be there for me. That they would always love me. The latter happens to be true, and as for the former, so far so good.

I was sitting in Adoration the other evening, right in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and I caught my mind wandering. It's not as if this hasn't happened in the middle of a conversation before, but it suddenly struck me that I was taking it for granted that I was seated in a chapel ten feet from the God of the Universe!  

He was right there, in the monstrance. Body, blood, soul and divinity.

That shook me a little.

Isn't it great that He loves me anyway?

Our Lady of Sorrows and Why She Fills My Birthday with Joy

My grandmother used to tell me that I was lucky. "You were born on a beautiful day in September on a day of Our Lady."  It wasn't until last year that I became curious which "day of Our Lady" that was.

September 15 is the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.

My first thought was, "That's not a very happy thought."  But then I realized how powerful that tribute is. It was through her sorrows that Mary shared in the redemptive mission of Jesus, just as it's through the sorrows of our own personal crosses that we grow closer to Him and give Him glory.

There is a chaplet for Our Lady of Sorrows, and it wasn't until I read Our Lady of Kibeho that I learned the source.  Though devotion to the her sorrows dates back to the beginning of the Church, the chaplet came about in the 13th century and, more recently, was given to world again through a young visionary in Africa. Here is a beautiful video on Our Lady of Kibeho:

The seven sorrows of Mary are

The pronouncement of St. Simeon that a sword would pierce her heart.
The flight into Egypt.
Losing Jesus in the temple.
Meeting Jesus on the way to the Cross.
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.
The piercing of the side of Jesus and His descent from the Cross.
The burial of Jesus.

The simplest way to say the chaplet is to pray 7 Hail Marys while meditating on each of the sorrows, but here is a more detailed information on the devotion, chaplet and novena to Our Lady of Sorrows, as well as the promises attached.

I am very lucky indeed to have been born on a day dedicated to meditating on the sorrows of Mary and thereby on Jesus' passion.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

Pray, Pray, Pray is the Answer to Every Question

Notre Dame de Medjugorje from
deogratias.wifeo.com

I know the official Church word is still out on the appearance of the Blessed Virgin at Medjugorje, in part because the Church typically doesn't rule on apparitions until they have ended, but the message coming from the Mother of God is one that we should be able to follow in good conscience whether we believe in the apparition or not; whether we believe in the intercessory power of Mary or not.

She has been appearing there since 1981, and she consistently tells us:

Pray, Pray, Pray

It's difficult not to get depressed or worried by the slaughter of Christians, the sexualization of children, the objectification of women, the attacks on Church teachings by our own government and other alleged Catholics in power, and the general descent of our culture into hedonistic, anti-Christian paganism.

We have been warned, time and time again, about what's happening in our society and what's to come, and we've ignored those warnings, justified our wrong-doings, and relieved ourselves of the responsibility of speaking the truth.

The answer to all of it?  Keep on praying. Trust in Jesus.

In the message from the August 2, 2014 appearance, Mary said, "To follow me means to love my Son above everything, to love Him in every person without making differences.  I call you anew to renunciation, prayer and fasting. I am calling you for the Eucharist to be the life of your soul. I am calling you to be my apostles of light who will spread love and mercy through the world."

I have a particular aversion to fasting because, quite simply, I'm undisciplined. I want what I want when I want it, and that attitude has played a big part in our descent from principled children of God to little piggies rolling around in the mud.

Jesus had mercy on us even though we didn't deserve it. He died for our sins whether we loved Him or not, whether we had abortions or murdered someone or treated another with detestable smugness or racism. He died for us whether we beat our spouses and children or drank away our lives or treated our bodies like trash, having sex with any available partner under the guise of a "good time."

If He can do that for us, can't we hold our tongue when someone insults us?  Be kind to that stranger who smells funny? Skip that third latte and give the money to the poor?  

He's not asking much, but the reward will be great. Mary also said,"When you come before my Son, in your hearts he will see how much love you had."

Not how many toys. Not how successful a career. Not how many witty comments you made in His name.

How much love you had.

What can you do to increase that love today?  Here's a good place to start:

Pray.