Slaves (Esclavos)

By Lora Goulet

Madonna by Herman Richir
(Wikimeida Commons)

When we are slaves to worry,
Our Most Blessed Virgin Mother
Leads us into the Presence of Jesus,

The only One Who can free us.

And when our loved ones are enslaved by fear, 
The prayerful encouragement of Our Lady

Helps us to be a Saint Peter Claver for them.

Cuando somos esclavos de las preocupaciones, 
Nuestra Santísima Virgen Madre
Nos lleva a la Presencia de Jesús,
El Unico que nos puede liberar.
Y cuando nuestros seres queridos están esclavizados por el miedo 
El aliento orante de Nuestra Señora
Nos ayuda ser el San Pedro Claver  para ellos.

Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb,Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God
Pray for us sinners, now,
And at the hour of our death. Amen.

Dios te salve María, llena eres de gracia, 
el Señor es contigo. 
Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres 
y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús. 
Santa María Madre de Dios, 
ruega por nosotros los pecadores, 
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amen.

Lora originally wrote this for her blog mommynovenas.

Happy birthday, Mary, teach me to be lowly

By Heidi

 

I am re-posting a reflection I wrote a couple years ago, May the Mother of God bless us all today with her motherly love and guidance into the heart of her Son Jesus!

Today is the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Mary, whose immaculate conception was celebrated 9 months ago, was born on this September day.  And as is the way of the Lord, this monumental day, this wondrous birth went quietly by in time, and still goes quietly by in our lives, we could easily miss it. In fact, we often do miss it.  Yet, this feast day invites us to ponder the woman whose life modeled most fully how to allow the word of the Lord to be conceived in us and born through us, in our own words and deeds.  Insignificance and lowliness are not barriers to these wonders, they are requirements.

Which is good, because  I do not have much to offer. I am a Catholic who fails a lot in living my faith.  I am a wife who fails a lot at being a wife.  I am a mother, who fails a lot with her children (I have two crying, fighting and whining in my presence right now - thankfully they are only mildly annoying me, so I am ignoring them...).  And, in a culture that is pragmatic, cliquey and materialistic, I am a stay-at-home mother of 8 who writes for an insignificant blog because I perceived a call to do it from Him, no money in it, no huge following, no "career" to validate me - nothing.  I am nothing.  And oh, how I have caused myself and others around me much pain in fighting that truth for most of my life.

Continue reading at Journey to Wisdom.

The meaning of the Immaculate Conception

By David Torkington

Byzantine Madonna and Child

Of course I can’t remember being conceived nor growing into a baby in my mother’s womb. Nor for that matter do I remember being baptised a week later. I was totally dependent on my mother for everything, not just in those first weeks of my life, but for many months to come. I, not only depended on my mother, for my physical growth and development, but for my spiritual development too.

I received my first experience of God’s love from her love of me. Exactly the same happened to Jesus. St Paul said that he was ‘like us in every way but sin’, that’s how God had planned things from the beginning. That’s why at the very moment that he decided that his Son would be made flesh, that decision included having a human mother. As Blessed John Duns Scouts put it: - ‘if God willed the end he must have willed the means’. If he chose to enter into this world as a human being he must have a human mother, for without a human mother he could not be a true human being, the incarnation simply could not happen.

The hermit, Sister Wendy Beckett, said that she had a profound and vivid experience of God, which determined the rest of her life, when she was only four years of age. Before that her experience of God came primarily through her mother. She was unusual, because it usually takes much longer before an inner spiritual capacity develops sufficiently to enable a person to have a direct and independent experience of the love of God.

In my case it took years. I have no doubt that Jesus had such an experience at an even earlier age than Sister Wendy, but nor do I doubt that before that he was dependent on his mother for the experience of God’s love. That’s why from the very beginning, Blessed John Duns Scotus insisted there must be no barrier in her that could possibly prevent the love of God from being transmitted through her to her son, Jesus. That’s why he was so emphatic in demanding that she must therefore have been immaculately conceived, so that neither nature nor nurture would prevent God’s love ensuring that her son would be born and grow up as a perfect human being, and the perfect person to draw another human being into the perfect communion that he had with his Father.


Contineu reading at David Torkington

Mary and the gifts of the Holy Spirit

By Lora Goulet

Painting by Francesco Albani, Wikimedia Commons.

Mary lived the gifts of the Holy Spirit.


1)Wisdom - The Blessed Virgin Mary said yes to carrying Jesus in her womb. The highest of these supernatural gifts, this gift enables us to love and desire our Creator above all things.

2)Understanding - Mary waited patiently for Jesus' water to wine miracle and taught others to obey Him. This gift is the supernatural ability to grasp teachings of our faith.

3)Counsel- Escaping to Egypt, a land hostile to their beliefs, the Holy Family lived according to the precepts their God given faith. This gift supernaturally helps us to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance in all of our actions.

4)Fortitude- The Most Holy Mother of our Savior valiantly followed Jesus in Via Crucis.nbsp;This gift is the supernatural courage to uphold our faith even unto death.

Continue reading at Lora's blog mommynovenas.

Visitations

By Nancy Shuman

The Visitation by Strueb (Wikimedia Commons)

The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth is one of my favorite feasts.  On so many levels, it speaks... I would even say it sings... to my life as a cloistered heart.

As we've said in the last few days, Mary visited Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56) because she had BEEN Visited by God.  She didn't go to Elizabeth alone - she went with the Presence of Christ inside her.  As one living "cloistered for Jesus" in the midst of the world, I carry Christ inside me as well.  Oh, not in the same unique way, certainly.  But according to Scripture and Church teaching, I indeed carry Him within.

Mary went on a simple visit to Elizabeth.  It was an occasion that I'm sure went unnoticed by many.  A woman went to visit her kinswoman; something that happened all the time.   No one would have cried out: "look, there goes Mary on mission!" or "how about that!  This visit will be written of in the Bible!"  From the merely human perspective, it was simply a time of normal interaction between two women, two relatives.

And so it is with us. You and I have opportunities every single day to visit people with the presence of Christ.  In the everyday activities of life, we visit family members, neighbors, store clerks, e-mailers, callers on the phone.

I find it extremely helpful when I make a conscious effort to visit these persons with the love of Our Lord.  That is - with an awareness of Christ within me.  I have found that it makes quite a difference in my attitude when I think of things this way.


Continue reading at Nancy's blog The Cloistered Heart.

Why Mary's portrait hangs in a Catholic home

By Anabelle Hazard

You’ve seen pictures of the Immaculate Heart of Mary beside the Sacred Heart of Jesus in many Catholic homes, I'm sure. In our home, the "alliance of the two hearts” devotion, (as it is also called) is not just a design fix to balance out our fireplace mantle decor.  Mary is enthroned with Jesus after a solemn ceremony based on theologically sound reasons for Mary’s role in our family:  she is our mother, queen and intercessor.

1. Mary is Our Mother

            Mary was shared with us when Jesus presented her to St. John at the foot of the cross, “Son, behold thy mother.”  Just as St. John obeyed Jesus and took Mary into his home, we do, too. Thus, Mary’s portraits beautify our walls the way a picture of my mother and mother-in-law remind our family of the mothers who have passed on to us remarkable faith and assure us of their constant support, guidance and intercession.  Mary’s picture is bigger, more ornate and recurs in more rooms because we love and venerate her and want to be constantly reminded of her motherly love for us.  

2. Mary is Our Queen

            In Fatima, Portugal, June 13, 1917, Mary confided to Servant of God Lucia Dos Santos, why she came to earth:  “Jesus wishes to establish throughout the world a devotion to my Immaculate Heart.” Devotion to Mary was the brainchild of her son, Jesus and the plan was within the will of God. Further, St. Jacinta Marto told Lucia before her death, “Tell them that the heart of Jesus wishes that by his side should be venerated the heart of Mary.”  This reference to the Sacred Heart recalls Jesus’ apparition and promise to St. Mary Margaret Alacoque: “I will bless every place where the image of my Sacred Heart is exposed and venerated.”


Read the rest at Anabelle's blog Written By the Finger of God.

Was Mary really an unwed mother?

By Barbara A. Schoeneberger

Espousal of Mary by Rafael

This past Sunday, we attended Mass at a nearby parish rather than driving a half hour to the Extraordinary Form Mass we normally attend because we were exhausted from the nine hour trip home on Saturday. The liturgical calendar called for the feast of the Holy Family and I was looking forward to hearing another great sermon by the pastor, but such was not to be.

Early on in his discussion of the Gospel he said, “Jesus was conceived outside of wedlock.” Then he proceeded to say that people looked down on Jesus and ridiculed Him because of this. The pastor could not have shocked me more if he had cast a bolt of lightening on my head. “Ay-yi-yi! Ach du lieber! Mama Mia! Merdre! Eheu! Aigoo! Good Grief!” If I knew the words for dismay in any more languages I’d write them here. Where do people get these cockamamie ideas? Especially a priest who was supposedly well-trained in Sacred Scripture in the seminary?

This is the second time in the past several months I’ve come across the “Mary was an unwed mother theme.” The first was when reading a supposedly Catholic book on families. What to do? When we got home I decided to research the subject so that I could write an informative and correct post and found an excellent article by Father Michael Griffin, O.C.D., in the EWTN library. St. Joseph: A Theological Introduction contained exactly what I was looking for, and could not have been a better source of meditation to celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. If any of you have come across this particular error, I hope this post will help clear the confusion.


Finish reading at Barb's blog Suffering With Joy.

Mary's Memories: the Sorrowful Mysteries

By Mallory Hoffman

Madonna by Pinskaya
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Agony in the Garden

I felt my heart begin to break when I knew Jesus and His Apostles had left for the Garden.  The Apostles were uneasy.  They sensed that My Son was sorrowful.  He had warned them that He would be killed, but they did not believe.  I fell to my knees with the other women and we began to pray.  Jesus began to suffer in the Garden.  He felt the weight of sin on his shoulders and satan was there to tempt Him again.  Jesus was sorrowful beyond words.  I could feel His sorrow in my heart.  How he could bear the weight I do not know.  I’ve never known such sorrow.  He asked His Father to let this cup pass, but the Father withdrew.  Jesus accepted His cup for love of us.  His soul was at peace, but He knew what was to come.  When they came to arrest Him, My Jesus identified Himself to the soldiers of the temple.  They began to beat Him.  When Peter tried to stop this by cutting off the ear of the soldier, Jesus reminded Peter that this what was meant to be.  Jesus healed the soldier’s ear.  The other soldiers were stunned.   My Son was beaten and taken to both Herod and Pilate.  My Jesus, My Beautiful Son!  My heart weeps.  My heart weeps when I see You.  My precious Child.  I love You!

The Scourging at the Pillar.

How could I look?  Jesus did not look like Himself.  His beautiful face was swollen and bruised.  His eye was swollen shut.  When asked about the charges, Jesus would not answer.  Pilate tried to calm the crowds.  He knew that Jesus did not do anything wrong, but he was afraid.  He ordered Jesus to be scourged.  My Son!  My Son!  You are the Son of God, but they do not know You!  These are the people who were cheering You and calling You the Messiah.  Now they are calling for your death.  My Son!  I am here.  I hear the whips as they strike Your flesh.  I feel the whips as they rip into Your flesh.  I see the blood flow from Your skin.  Your flesh is hanging in shreds, and they continue to beat You.  The sear of the air on Your wounds brings tears to My eyes.  My Son, how do You bear this pain?  They want to kill You.  Pilate did not order that.  My God!  My God!  Protect Your Son!  I am weak.  How much more weak are You, My beautiful Child?  At last, the beatings have stopped and the soldiers are giving You back Your clothing that is soaked with your blood.  You can barely walk.  You lost so much blood!  If they only knew how much You loved them!   I see You looking at me.  I am here, My Son!  I am here.  Be strong!  I. am. here.

 Read the rest of the mysteries at His UnEnding Love.

She left Samuel there

By Heidi

 

In those days,

Hannah brought Samuel with her,

along with a three-year-old bull, and ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,

and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.

After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull, 

Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:

"Pardon, my lord!

As you live, my lord,

I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.

I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.

Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;

as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."

She left Samuel there.

  Sm 1:24-28

"She left Samuel there"

That last line is a difficult one for me to read. Did he cry? Did she long to take him back? Why would such a sacrifice be needed? This child, Samuel, factors big in salvation history and he is close to the Lord in a mysterious way! He hears the Lord and he responds to His voice, maybe it is because his mother's generosity and trust in the Lord have removed obstacles of fear and doubt.  Me on the other hand, well, my fear of pain as well as my satisfaction with the world sometime prevent me from really listening to the Lord and from wholly offering myself to Him.  As I struggle with that last line, I am being asked to open my heart, to feel the longing and sorrow Hannah must have had in leaving her much loved son and trust in the mysterious majesty of God!  A sacrifice made with trusting love is re-payed with unfathomable generosity that flows from generation to generation.

Withhold nothing from God!

Read Hannah's canticle to God after she has left Samuel with Eli.  Though her sacrifice was costly, she knows God is at work.  Hannah's canticle foreshadows Mary's, who also holds nothing back from God. Neither woman lets the fear of pain or gnawing anxiety over impending loss harden their hearts or dampen their joy. They do not protect themselves from their sorrow by withholding their love. This makes the pain of their loss more intense I think, yet it also disposed them to receive the intense love of God all the more. Their whole lives are an offering to God and their hearts are always in trusting prayer. They understand that all that they have is God's and that nothing can be withheld from Him. They trust in The Lord who fulfills His promises to even the barren, or a lowly young women of Nazareth.

Continue reading at Heidi's blog  Journey to Wisdom.

Mary's memories--meditaions on the Rosary

By Mallory Hoffman

The Annunciation by de Matteis (Wikimedia Commons).

Pope John Paul II wrote of "Mary's Memories" in the Rosary.   In his Apostolic letter "Rosarium Virginis Mariae"  Pope John Paul, soon to be canonized, wrote,

"Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: “She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51). The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son's side. In a way those memories were to be the “rosary” which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life."

With the season of Advent upon us, our focus should turn to Mary, the Mother of God.  By imitating her virtue, we will be better prepared to greet her Son on Christmas Day.    Inspired by her memories of the Rosary, I wrote these Meditations on the Rosary.  The first ones we encounter in "Mary's memories," are the Joyful mysteries.  As I wrote, I tried to look at these mysteries through Mary's eyes.  Of course, these responses are fictional.  I am writing these, not Mary.  My hope is that by looking at these mysteries through Mary's eyes, we will come to know Jesus better.

Mary's Memories
Meditations on the Rosary
The Joyful Mysteries

The Annunciation

I was praying, thanking God for all of His goodness and mercies.  I heard my name whispered in the wind.  I opened my eyes and I saw a being of light in front of me.  He greeted me by saying, "Hail, full of grace."  I was surprised by such a greeting.  He was so beautiful.  I knew he was from God.  He told me his name was Gabriel.  He told me that I was blessed among women.  He said that I would bear a son, the Promised One, and that I would name Him Jesus.  I was very surprised.  I didn't understand how this could be since I had not known man.  He said that the power of the Holy Spirit would come upon me.  This is how I would conceive my Son, the Holy one of God.  I replied that it should be done according to God's Will.  When the angel left, I knew I was with child.
 

 Continue reading at Mallory's blog His UnEnding Love.

The glorious interruption of Christmas

By Nancy Shuman

The Ancient of Days by William Blake
(Wikimedia Commons).

This time of year can bring both blessing and hassle.  Holy meditations, carols, the contagious wonder of wide-eyed children...  these unwrap great blessings and usually great fun. 

For some of us, however, the activities of Christmas can feel like an intrusion.  Day to day life is more or less put on hold by an urgent need to shop and wrap and plan.  Chairs and tables are displaced by, of all things, a tree in the middle of our house. There is no time to do ordinary things, as everyday life is seriously disrupted for weeks on end.  It can seem like a major interruption.

A few years ago, the truth of it hit me.  This is what Christmas has been since the instant of the Incarnation: an interruption.  Please stay with me here, because our first reaction to the word “interruption” could be negative.  But interruptions are often quite positive, and this Interruption was the most positive of them all.

Think of it.  Mary was living a quiet, hidden life.   She was betrothed.   Then one day an angel appeared to her, and with that Holy Interruption Mary’s life was changed forever.  As was Joseph’s, as was yours, as was mine. 


Continue reading at Nancy's blog The Cloistered Heart.

Incomparable is the Beauty

By Lora Goulet

 

 

Incomparable is the beauty

of Our Blessed Mother's love for her children.

From her Immaculate Heart

Mary infuses us with the purest and loveliest peace.
 

Our Lady's Heavenly Maternal embraces

lift our hearts, victoriously overcoming every trial.

Ever joyful are the hearts of her children

~steadfastly protected by the graces she delivers to us~

directly from our Almighty and Eternal Father.
 

Miraculously strengthened in faith through all adversity,

Mary's children thrive within the mercy and love of Jesus

as the clearest discernment from the Holy Spirit

freely flows through our hearts.

 

"All thy children shall be taught of the Lord,

and great shall be the peace of thy children."

Isaiah 54:13
Douay-Rheims catholic Bible

 

 

Lora blogs at mommynovenas.

Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, and medical miracles

By Anabelle Hazard

Anabelle and her dad, swinging at Anabelle's
wedding.

Of course, bad things happen to good people. My innocent 14 month old nephew was run over by an SUV in a library parking lot in Orange County. Though there was a medic or a nurse (can’t remember now) on the site who helped administer first aid, he was rushed to the ER trauma unit and the doctors’ prognosis was that due to severe head injury, he had “less than 1% chance of survival.” 

Everyone in the circle of family and friends poured in for help and support. Those who visited the hospital prayed the rosary constantly with my cousin, the toddler’s mother. It so happened that they wound up in a hospital that had just gotten word about a nurse who’d just invented a brain catheter for children. Since it had just gotten approved, my nephew was the first patient to use it. The catheter would eventually save his life. My nephew is a healthy, soccer playing, trophy-winning, 14 year-old today.

Of her experience, my cousin has said, “God used that less than 1% chance of survival and turned it into a miracle.”

In mid October, my dad suffered a mild stroke. He was diagnosed with aneurysm. In layman’s terms, a couple of huge balloons lodged in inconvenient positions by his heart. Several local doctors refused to perform surgery and others floated a risky open-heart surgery as the solution.

At about this time, the earth trembled with a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, which damaged the hospital wing, prompting doctor-friends to advise my dad to fly to Manila for other options. My sister (a physician) scouted around for the nth medical opinion by seeking a cardiologist outside the hospital OR.  God-incidentaly, another physician (lounging at the sides) overheard the consultation and recommended a surgeon in Manila who specialized in a more modern, less invasive procedure of grafting instead of the open-heart surgery.


Continue reading at Anabelle's blog  Written By the Finger of God.

Archbishop Romero and the Angelus

By Carlos X.

The Angelus by Millet

Archbishop Óscar A. Romero told his brother Tiberio that the secret to being happy in life was to pray the “Angelus.”  Tiberio recalled that his brother told him that he should make praying three Hail Marys in the morning and three again in the evening the axis around which to ground his day. Tiberio also attested to the efficacy of the practice, saying that he has lived to see old age and developed a strong Marian devotion, thanks to the wise spiritual counsel he received from his brother. Archbishop Romero gave the same advice he gave his own brother to all the faithful on May 7, 1978, when he announced that he was instituting the recitation of the “Angelus” in the archdiocese of San Salvador.

"With joy I want to announce that beginning this Sunday,” Archbishop Romero said, “at twelve noon we will pray the Angelus on our radio program.” Archbishop Romero would be glad to hear that the advice he gave his brother Tiberio led to his developing a Marian devotion because, Romero told the faithful, “True Catholics ought to be characterized by this devotion to the Mother of the Church.” 

We can think of three reasons Romero was devoted to the Angelus.

The first is its status as an authentic expression of the sensus fidei: it has a natural internal logic about it that suggests itself. In fact, the prayer arose just as Archbishop Romero prescribed it to his brother—as three Hail Marys, unadorned and unembellished, liturgically or theologically. This practice is first recorded in monasteries during the 11th Century—the monks would pray three Hail Marys during the evening bell. The three Hail Marys invoke the Three Persons of the Trinity, and immediately focus our thoughts, as do all Marian devotions, properly on God. Later, the practice became more widespread, and the custom arose of saying the Angelus in the morning, at noon, and in the evening—also, helping to naturally break up the day. One can see the practicality of doing this before the advent of clocks and watches. Jean-François Millet’s famous painting (shown) depicts peasants praying the Angelus out on a field. The Angelus as a staple of popular piety, of the simple wisdom of the people of God, and as a perennial spiritual practice in the history of Christianity, would have been enormously appealing to Archbishop Romero.


Continue reading at Carlos' blog Super Martyrio.

Congratulations, Larry Peterson, winner of the 2013 Frankie Award!

Thank you to all our Frankie Award nominees, all those who promoted the contest on their blogs or through Facebook or Twitter, and to everyone who voted. The voting post had over 2100 hits, with 440 total votes. Larry Peterson's post garnered a third of those. Go, Larry!

If you did not win this year, I hope the contest did bring lots of extra traffic to your blog. And think of all those people learning more about the spiritual life, because they read what the Lord is teaching you! Now it's time to start planning for next year's posts. If you have any suggestions on how to improve our contest, please add a comment or send me an email to cspirituality@gmail.com. And some of you should consider becoming members of Catholic Spirituality Blogs Network. Check out our Welcome page for details.

The winning post is re-posted in full below. Larry, please use this badge on your blog with a link to CSBN to announce your win. I will send you your gift certificate to Mystic Monk Coffee shortly.

Please join me in congratulating Larry.

 

New Year's Day & The Blessed Virgin Mary

A little about Catholics (myself included)  and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

We Catholics have adorned our Blessed Mother with many titles (47 different ones, I believe) and she is the greatest of all saints. We believe that she has been spared from original sin and was taken into heaven body and soul never having to die in this world. But, before she left here she lived here, as a woman, a mom and a housewife.  I think we do not pay enough attention to the earthly life of our spiritual Mom. January 1st of each year we Catholics honor her  with a day we call the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. In the Catholic world today is a Holy day of Obligation and, just like on Sundays, going to mass is required. This woman is worthy of and deserves this special day of honor.

Remember that Mary  had already survived the possibility of execution by stoning  because she was pregnant prior to her marriage. You can’t tell me that she did not think about the potential consequences of her pregnancy. (Even her Son, the God Man, broke into a sweat in the Garden of Eden thinking about what was coming. Why wouldn't  Mary be worried?) She knew she was pregnant, she knew this was an extreme violation of Jewish law and she knew the penalty.  Her life was out of her hands and her fate thrust into  the hands of another, a man named Joseph, her betrothed. Fortunately, he was the best fiancé ever, married her, took her in and accepted her child as his.

Then, at full term in her pregnancy,  she has to travel with her husband over 80 miles on a donkey to be counted in a census.  She survives the four or five day journey (no rest-rooms between Nazareth and Bethlehem) and the countless contractions she must have had along the way, to discover that her frantic husband cannot find a place for them to stay.  She winds up giving  birth in a stable with smelly animals,  lots of straw, no running water and who knows how clean those swaddling clothes were. She was probably all of 14 years old.

Let’s not forget that after  a while word comes to them that Herod wants to kill their baby. Hey, all you moms and dads, how would you like to know the head of the government has authorized your child’s execution? Can you imagine? So, this poor young mom  is forced to make a 300+ mile journey to Egypt, hiding her child as best she can, while  all the time hoping her carpenter husband can elude the soldiers searching for them. Talk about  anxiety. Talk about fear. Talk about having Faith and praying like you never prayed before.

It probably was a year or two before the family made it back to Nazareth. Here they probably lived in a  typical baked clay and straw brick house. Each day Mary would have to sweep the beaten clay floor, go to the cistern for water, travel outside the town walls for daily necessities such as spices and grain, which she would have to grind  into flour to bake fresh bread (no preservatives in those days) . Of course, there was the laundry.  Trust me, there were no laundromats and there were no detergents. There were also no diapers or Pampers or band-aids or cough syrups or baby powder or microwave chicken nuggets or McDonald's either.  Her husband would be in his shop doing his carpentry chores and her boy, Jesus, would be with His dad or maybe helping His mom. And life would go on, day after day after day. The years go by and  she is witness to  his horrendous execution. No mom should ever have to witness her child being butchered. She was there for His first breath and His very last.

In conclusion, He came here for us and she gave birth to Him for us. She wiped His runny nose, changed His dirty diaper and watched Him grow up and be killed for us. That is why we call her MOM too. We believe that she is still watching out for us, her other kids. Ultimately, this  transposes into the Greatest Story Ever Told. Jesus was the leading Man and Mary, the leading woman . You have to LOVE this story and its two main characters, from Beginning to Never-Ending.

What's Pope Francis' consecration of the world got to do with me?

by Anabelle Hazard

The immaculate Heart of Mary, artist unknown.

With all the post-interview spotlight beaming/glaring on Pope Francis, I hope all Catholics and secular media alike pay careful attention to what he did last October 13^th, 2013: consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Specifically, I wish he makes everyone wonder: what this consecration means to me on a personal level, why is it so significant, and hopefully, make us all want to jump in.

Consecration means to dedicate an object or person thing toward a specific purpose. When one consecrates himself to Mary, he gives himself over to her hands so that she can teach and mold him for the purpose to which God created him.  St. Louis de Montfort writes that Mary is the “surest, easiest, shortest and most perfect means” to becoming like her Son Jesus.  Technically speaking, it is consecrating oneself to union with Jesus through Mary. Since Mary is in full union with the Divine Will, her mission is always to serve the Divine Will, particularly to help the formation and sanctification of souls. Mary, in short, helps us become the purpose for which we are created: saints. 

Blessed Pope John Paul II and St. Maximilian Kolbe are the two most famous saints in our history who consecrated themselves to Mary.  Blessed John Paul II, who dedicated his papacy to Mary with the motif Totus Tuus, is on the record-breaking fast track to canonization.  Granted, St. Maximilian Kolbe’s martyrdom is not the easiest path, but it was the surest one, and one he willingly accepted. 

The significance of consecration is that it is a covenant with a dual dimension

A person consecrated to Mary entrusts everything he has to her: body, soul, material possessions, spiritual goods (like merits and virtues), everything in his past, present and future.  Mary takes the gift (often imperfect because of human flaws and selfish motives), and presents the gift to Jesus perfectly wrapped. St. Louis de Montfort illustrated this analogy: a humble farmer offers his only fruit --a scruffy, bruised, worm-bitten apple-- to the King through the hands of the Queen.  The Immaculate Queen, conceived without sin, polishes that gift with her merits, and embellishes it with her virtues.  The gift becomes a purer, more pleasing version than what came out of the farmer’s own efforts.

Continue reading at Anabelle's blog Written by the Finger of God.

You were made for glory

By Patricia

Christ in the House of His Parents by Millais (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons).

A few days ago, I asked Our Blessed Lady to be the mistress of my home, and that I might be her servant girl.  I am in dire need of her loving presence, guidance and wisdom in my vocation as wife, mother and homemaker…and every other aspect of my life as well.

So, I’ve been listening, eager to hear her advice.  Yesterday, I was busy about those boring, mundane chores which most of us have to do on a regular basis.

I get tired of dusting and vacuuming and cleaning out the refrigerator.  Whilst wielding my Swiffer duster, I daydream of doing other things…at least writing a blog post, or maybe even an e-book.  I wish I lived in a bigger city where there were more exciting things to do.  Nothing ever happens here.  I wish I could make a 30 day retreat, or even travel to all the places of pilgrimage in the world or be involved in Catholic radio.  I still have dozens of books left to read, and if I could work on being an Olympic figure skater… I wish…..hmmm.


Yesterday, I washed the kitchen curtains, and as I struggled to slip the rod past the seam, it got hung up, and I tried to be patient as I maneuvered the fabric.

Then I thought of Jesus, working with Joseph in the carpenter shop in Nazareth.  Jesus, laboring by the sweat of His brow, struggling to shape furniture out of wood… He Who twirls the planets and makes the stars twinkle, and fashions each snowflake into a tiny work of art.


Continue reading at Patricia's blog I Want to See God.

The emergency novena

By Anabelle Hazard

Refuge of Sinners by Luigi Crosio (photo credit: Wikipedia)

Next to Mass, the most powerful prayer is the Rosary. For that reason and for the promises Our Lady made to St. Dominic, its been my all time favorite prayer. However, even I must admit that there are times when meditating on the Rosary isn’t the perfect fit.  For instance, when my 3 year old suffered a night of a relentless coughing fit. Nothing seemed to help: not the elevated pillow, humidifier with blessed salt, or cough syrup. We’d all had the virus the past week, so another sleepless night seemed inevitable and I just shuddered at the possibility of spending that night at the ER, waiting for a nurse to give her a steroid shot. 

As I next to her, brushing her hair off from her forehead, I replayed the conversation with my cousin earlier that day about the emergency/911/stat novena, so named because it’s a quick call to Heaven for help.  The express novena is composed of nine Memorares, which sounded perfect since at that point of desperation and exhaustion, even the Divine Mercy Chaplet seemed too long.


Continue reading at Anabelle's blog Written by the Finger of God.

Mary is in my heart? Help!

By Melanie Jean Juneau

Window in the Cathedral of Cordoba, Spain (photo credit: Wikimedia)

What would be the absolute worst thing that could happen to a nice Protestant girl?

Why Mary, the Blessed Virgin, would do a little interior house cleaning, then make a home for herself in the poor girl's heart, that's what! If that was not bad enough, this perplexed young woman's belief system would stay staunchly anti-Catholic for oh, about another 10 years, even though she had converted to Catholicism. I mean what choice did she have? Nobody but the Catholic Church even wants someone who craves the Eucharist and has a relationship with the Mother of Christ.

Obviously this young woman was and is me. God has a peculiar sense of humor and now I can look back and laugh at my dilemma. At the time, though I was shook up. As Pope Francis said at the Easter Vigil, God delights in shaking us up, or as I like to say, ripping the rug from underneath us. Nope, God will not stay in a nice, neat little box of our own making. Just when we think we have Him all figured out, He pulls another fast one on us. Thank goodness; life is never boring when you give God permission to work in your life.

I was reluctant to turn to Mary, I couldn't help but feel like a heretic somehow turning from Jesus as my only Savior. Yet over and over, God only offered healing and peace when I turned to His Mother. Finally a wonderful priest from Madonna House, the Director General of Priests. Fr. Bob Pelton, smiled at me compassionately and said something like this:

"Melanie, why don't you relax for a few months and stop tormenting yourself with guilt? Simply relax into the bosom of the Church and Her teachings and allow your relationship to Mary grow naturally, without fighting everything with your intellect? Trust in your own heart as well."

Even now, some 30 years later, tears are welling up and I could weep with relief all over again as I write these words. Somehow I was given the grace to lay down my logic, reasoning and Protestant theology and simply throw my self into the arms of my Spiritual Mother.

Actually, we really do not have a clue what we are saying “yes” to in the beginning of our Christian walk. At our wedding, 34 years ago, I sensed these words within my heart:

"I will change the way the two of you work and play, the way you walk and talk, the way you laugh and cry, everything about you, so that you will reflect the glory of my Father in Heaven."

Foolishly we thought that this was a nice word from God! Little did we know that 34 years later we would still be being turned inside out. I agree whole heartedly with Pope Francis, God does seem to delight in shaking us out from our narrow little lives. I could not live any other way.

Thank-you God for not listening to my opinions or plans for my life.

Thank-you for the grace to give You permission to take over and make me yours.

Melanie originally posted this at her blog Joy of Nine.

Mary is my real mum

By Melanie Jean Juneau

Madonna and Child by Bellini (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons).

God has inscribed a moral code on my heart. It is  hidden in my deepest self. Actually, if  as an adult, I can block out my own ego and simply stop to listen, I can live a holy life. In fact Christ  offers an easy way to sanctity, to loving God and each other.  A spirituality that a child understands. A spirituality that St.Thérèse of Lisieux understood. Relax. Give up striving.
Surrender to His love and let it saturate every cell of your body. Then simply let His love flow through you. It ends up being a long journey to embrace such a carefree lifestyle because pride and ego get in the way. It is so simple that it seems complicated to our adult, logical minds.

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

And in even stronger terms: “'I assure you,'” He said, 'unless you are converted and become like children,  you will never get into the kingdom of heaven…’” (Matthew 18:4).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church:  To become a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the kingdom. For this, we must humble ourselves and become little. Even more: to become “children of God” we must be “born from above” or “born of God”. Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in us. Christmas is the mystery of this “marvelous exchange”:

O marvelous exchange! Man’s Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our humanity. (526)

A relationship with the living God is child’s play. Listen to this exchange between my young children:

One afternoon, I was making dinner, standing at the counter with my back to our three youngest children. Grace and Daniel were lounging around the kitchen table, with three-year-old Rebecca perched like a little elf on a high stool, happily swinging her legs. Simply making conversation, Grace who was eight, asked Rebecca,“Rebbecca, whose your favorite, Mum or Dad?”

Rebecca replied,”Both!”

Still facing the counter, I looked over my shoulder and intruded on their conversation, “Smart answer, Rebecca.”

Rebecca was not done though, “But she’s not my real mum, Mary is.”

Grace rolled her eyes, slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand and said incredulously, “Where does she get this stuff?”

I tried to explain as simply as I could, “Well, the Holy Spirit is in her heart and she listens to His voice.”

Rebecca jumped right back into the discussion and chanted in a sing-song, lilting voice, “That’s right. God the Father in my heart. Baby Jesus in my heart. Holy Spirit in my heart. Mother Mary in my heart…but…I still like Mum and Dad the best!”

Grace rolled her eyes and plunked her head down on the table with a loud sigh, “Where does she get this stuff?”

I just laughed.

Continue reading at Melanie's blog The Joy of Nine.