One Nation Under God

Immaculate Conception
Blessed Virgin Mary
Patroness of the United States of America

"I will espouse you to me forever:  I will espouse you in right and in justice,in love and in mercy;I will espouse you in fidelity,and you shall know the Lord."

Hosea 2:  21-22

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Father of all nations and ages,
we recall the day when our country
claimed its place among the family of nations;
for what has been achieved we give you thanks,
for the work that still remains we ask your help,
and as you have called us from many peoples to be one nation,
grant that, under your providence,
our country may share your blessings
with all the people of the earth.

Collect, Independence Day

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Blessed and Happy Independence Day to the United States of America!  We celebrate the freedom which comes from God as we give thanks for the riches He has bestowed upon us in the form of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  

A larger-then-usual group attended the weekday morning Holy Mass, most of whom were wearing some variation of red, white and/or blue, in solids, stripes, stars or other prints.  From the youngest toddler to the almost-104-year-old Monsignor it was beautifully apparent that all those gathered in thanksgiving were "one from many" ancestries united in prayer as the one family of God.  It was fitting that we had come together at a shrine of the Miraculous Medal under the patronage of our Blessed Mother Mary, the Immaculate Conception.

Today, in a special way, we give thanks for our faith and freedom.  

Each and every day may we share the faith entrusted to us and strive to ensure freedom for all God's people.

God bless America!  God bless you!

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Blessed Are You Who Believed

"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

And Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for He has looked with favor on His lowly servant.  
From this day all generations will call me blessed:  
the Almighty has done great things for me, 
and holy is His Name."

Luke 1: 45-49

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Almighty ever-living God,

who, while the Blessed Virgin Mary was carrying your Son in her womb,

inspired her to visit Elizabeth,

grant us, we pray,

that, faithful to the promptings of the Spirit,

we may magnify your greatness

with the Virgin Mary at all times.

Collect, Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Listen, my faithful children:  open up your petals,

like roses planted near running waters;

send up the sweet odor of incense,

break forth in blossoms like the lily.

Send up the sweet odor of your hymn of praise;

bless the Lord for all He has done!

Proclaim the greatness of His name,

loudly sing his praises...

Sirach 39: 13-15 

May this Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary fill your heart with joy to overflowing!

May God grant us the grace to do His will, give Him all the glory, and share our blessings with all we meet.

God bless you!

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The Holy Spirit Has Been Poured Out Upon Humanity

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.

Amen.

Alleluia.

 Excerpt from the Sequence

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From the immense gift of love which is Jesus’ death on the cross, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon humanity like a vast torrent of grace. Those who by faith are immersed into this mystery of regeneration are reborn to the fullness of filial life.

“I will not leave you orphans”. Today, on the feast of Pentecost, Jesus’ words remind us also of the maternal presence of Mary in the Upper Room. The Mother of Jesus is with the community of disciples gathered in prayer: she is the living remembrance of the Son and the living invocation of the Holy Spirit. She is the Mother of the Church. We entrust to her intercession, in a particular way, all Christians, families and communities that at this moment are most in need of the Spirit, the Paraclete, the Defender and Comforter, the Spirit of truth, freedom and peace.

His Holiness Pope Francis

Homily, Solemnity of Pentecost (Excerpt)

For more information, please visit: 

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20160515_omelia-pentecoste.html

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You were especially remembered in prayer during Mass celebrated by His Holiness Pope Francis on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, at the Chapel of Casa Santa Marta.  My husband and I were blessed to be present, thanks be to God.  It was a joy to greet our Holy Father after Mass!  Pope Francis said to us, "Please pray for me," which we assured him we were already doing and I know that you are also united in spirit and prayer.

God bless you!

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Jesus I Trust in You

Eternal God, 

in whom mercy is endless, 

and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, 

look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, 

that in difficult moments, 

we might not despair nor become despondent, 

but with great confidence, 

submit ourselves to Your holy will, 

which is Love and Mercy itself.  

Amen.

(Closing Prayer of the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy)

For information on praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, please visit:  http://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/chaplet.php

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His Holiness Pope Francis led a prayer vigil in Saint Peter’s Square on the on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday 2016 which coincided with the 11th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s death on April 2, 2005.

In remarks prepared for the occasion, our Holy Father reflected on the ‘vast ocean’ that is the mercy of God, saying “so great and infinite is his mercy, to the point that it is greatly challenging to describe it in all its entirety”.

“How many expressions there are of God’s mercy! This mercy comes to us as closeness and tenderness, and because of this, comes also as compassion and solidarity, as consolation and forgiveness. The more we receive, the more we are called to share it with others; it cannot be kept hidden or kept only for ourselves. It is something which burns within our hearts, driving us to love, thus recognizing the face of Jesus Christ, above all in those who are most distant, weak, alone, confused and marginalized.”

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-leads-prayer-vigil-for-divine-mercy

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I have always had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  During this Jubilee of Mercy I have found myself drawn also to the complementary Divine Mercy devotion.  Thanks to the advice of a special priest confessor I have been praying the Chaplet each day, sometimes asking for mercy for myself or for another person specifically by name.  It is quite powerful and it truly helps me to experience Christ's peace.

The message of Divine Mercy is simple, beautiful and profound:  Trust in Jesus who said to Saint Faustina, "I  am Love and Mercy itself.  When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls."  When we experience Christ's choicest blessings we feel compelled to share them with others.

May you experience the mercy, love and peace of our Risen Lord!

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Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!

Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia

Sequence - Victimae Paschali Laudes

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May our Risen Lord grant you peace and everlasting joy in His presence.

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Lent 2016: I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice

“Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’  I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Matthew 9:13

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After receiving the Good News told to her by the Archangel Gabriel, Mary, in her Magnificat, prophetically sings of the mercy whereby God chose her…. 

For all of us, then, the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year is a favourable time to overcome our existential alienation by listening to God’s word and by practising the works of mercy. In the corporal works of mercy we touch the flesh of Christ in our brothers and sisters who need to be fed, clothed, sheltered, visited; in the spiritual works of mercy – counsel, instruction, forgiveness, admonishment and prayer – we touch more directly our own sinfulness. The corporal and spiritual works of mercy must never be separated. By touching the flesh of the crucified Jesus in the suffering, sinners can receive the gift of realizing that they too are poor and in need. By taking this path, the “proud”, the “powerful” and the “wealthy” spoken of in the Magnificat can also be embraced and undeservedly loved by the crucified Lord who died and rose for them….

Let us not waste this season of Lent, so favourable a time for conversion! We ask this through the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, who, encountering the greatness of God’s mercy freely bestowed upon her, was the first to acknowledge her lowliness (cf. Lk 1:48) and to call herself the Lord’s humble servant (cf. Lk 1:38).

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis

for Lent 2016

For the complete text please visit:

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/documents/papa-francesco_20151004_messaggio-quaresima2016.html

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A local grocery chain recently had an advertisement encouraging shoppers to “Savor the Taste of Lent”... which I thought was not quite in keeping with the “sacrificial spirit” of the season!  Then I reread Pope Francis’ Message for Lent which takes the theme from Matthew’s Gospel:  “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” 

Giving up chocolate for Lent historically has not made me a better person--no doubt about it.  Savoring the blessings and mercy of God, however, offers me the great potential to draw closer to our Blessed Mother Mary and, through her intercession, to more fully experience the loving embrace of her Son, our Lord.

Our Holy Father is encouraging us to listen to God’s Word as well as to practice both corporal and spiritual works of mercy—a balanced, savory diet, if you will.  While I have discerned a call to particularly work on prayer, forgiveness, and visiting, I know that any small progress in those areas will only come by the grace of God’s mercy and the prayerful encouragement of dear “humble servants”.  Let's challenge, support and encourage each other to "live" mercy, worthy of Jesus' call.

You are remembered in prayer.  Please pray for me.  May our Blessed Mother Mary help us to encounter God’s mercy in new and deeper ways during this great and holy season of Lent.

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Gifts Given and Gifts Received

 

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,

in the days of King Herod,

behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?

We saw his star at its rising

and have come to do him homage.”

When King Herod heard this,

he was greatly troubled,

and all Jerusalem with him.

Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,

He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,

for thus it has been written through the prophet:

And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

since from you shall come a ruler,

who is to shepherd my people Israel.”

Then Herod called the magi secretly

and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said,

“Go and search diligently for the child.

When you have found him, bring me word,

that I too may go and do him homage.”

After their audience with the king they set out.

And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,

until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.

They were overjoyed at seeing the star,

and on entering the house

they saw the child with Mary his mother.

They prostrated themselves and did him homage.

Then they opened their treasures

and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,

they departed for their country by another way.

Matthew 2: 1-12

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Blessed Sacrament Chapel, with Infant for Adoration.
Saint Catherine Church, Bethlehem

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We do well to repeat the question asked by the Magi: “Where is the child who has been born the King of the Jews?  For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage” (Mt 2:2).  We are impelled, especially in an age like our own, to seek the signs which God offers us, realizing that great effort is needed to interpret them and thus to understand his will.   We are challenged to go to Bethlehem, to find the Child and his Mother.  Let us follow the light which God offers us!  The light which streams from the face of Christ, full of mercy and fidelity.  And once we have found him, let us worship him with all our heart, and present him with our gifts: our freedom, our understanding and our love.  Let us recognize that true wisdom lies concealed in the face of this Child.  It is here, in the simplicity of Bethlehem, that the life of the Church is summed up.  For here is the wellspring of that light which draws to itself every individual and guides the journey of the peoples along the path of peace.

Pope Francis

Homily, Solemnity of the Epiphany, 2016

Saint Peter's Basilica

For the complete text, please visit:  http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-church-doesnt-shine-with-its-own-ligh

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Star marking the place where Jesus was born.
 Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

I hope and pray that you have been experiencing a most blessed Christmas season.  May the graces continue to flow in and through us as we return all-to-soon to Ordinary Time.  As the lights are still shining on our Christmas trees and the candles are still glowing let's contemplate once more the holy gifts we are giving as well as receiving:

What gifts do we personally bring to our newborn Savior?

What gifts do we receive from our Lord who cannot be outdone in generosity?

How have we been transformed by our encounter at the manger so that we will return to our daily lives in a different way?

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