Our Lady holding Jesus as He accepts flowers from the shepherd child

Our Lady holding Jesus as He accepts flowers from the shepherd child

Welcome to our intercessory prayer ministry for families, babies, little ones and those who love them.

In our prayers for families, we pray for the sanctity of all life and for vocations to marriage, the priesthood and consecrated life, which are born and nurtured in families.

The
Prayer of Entrustment to Mary was prayed for this ministry at the icon of the Madonna Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the Roman People, Our Lady of Good Health) in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Basilica of Mary Major) in Rome, Italy, in Nossa Senhora do Rosario da Fatima (Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary) in Fatima, Portugal, in Eglise du Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart Parish Church), the site of St. Bernadette's baptismal font, in Lourdes, France and at The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts at the Shrine of the Holy Innocents before Our Lady of Guadalupe and at Basilica Papale de San Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City) at the Tomb of St. John Paul II in Rome, Italy and at the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe) in Mexico City, Mexico.

This ministry is consecrated to Jesus Christ, Wisdom Incarnate, through the hands of Mary and dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. In our prayers to Mary, we honor and worship her Son Jesus. When He was on the Cross, He gave His Mother to John and she became our Mother as well. "Behold, your Mother." John 19:27

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
For the greater glory of God

March 29, 2024

Reflection: At the Foot of the Cross with Mary, our Mother, and the beloved disciple John + The Seven Last Words of Christ

O Jesus, we stand at the Foot of the Cross with Your Mother Mary and the beloved disciple John.  As we gaze up at You, the pain is unbearable. For three hours, You agonized and suffered unspeakable pain and wounds.

Standing at the Foot of the Cross, Blood and Water gushes forth from Your pierced side. Jesus, You spoke these words to John and You speak them to us,  "Behold your Mother." John 19:27

On this day, Good Friday, may we unite our sufferings with Mary. No matter what we suffer, the pain of loneliness, loss, rejection, abandonment, betrayal or illness, Jesus and Mary are with us. We are never alone and they will never abandon us.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.  From the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Let us stand where Grace and Mercy meet at the Foot of the Cross with Mary as we hear her whisper to us: Be courageous. Be not afraid. Fix your gaze on my Beloved Son and His Passion. Give Him your sufferings and pain and let Him hold you and love you.

Why did Jesus endure such suffering? 

He did it for you and for me. He loves us so much. He endured every kind of unbearable suffering, torture, abandonment and betrayal by His friends. He did it for us. He loves us so much! Jesus came for our salvation, to take away our sins and the sins of the world.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who was slain. Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

"I looked again and heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the Throne and the living creatures and the elders. They were countless in number, and they cried out in a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessings." Revelation 5:11-12

At the Annunciation, the angel announced that Mary would be the Mother of God. Now, in the silence of Good Friday, the Mother of God once again receives the Word of God, as her Divine Son is taken down from the Cross and placed in her arms. The Blessed Mother is the Madonna of the Pieta. There is no greater pain for a mother than to see her Son die before her eyes. Mary, who brought Our Savior into the world and watched Him grow, stood helplessly at the Foot of the Cross. She knew this had to be and she accepted it, stood there and mourned silently. Her heart was pierced with sorrow. When the lance pierced the side of Jesus, Blood and Water flowed from Him.

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.  From the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Let us reflect on two words, and yet, from Morning Prayer today from the Book of Habakkuk.

"For though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit appears on the vine, though the yield of the olive fails and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, and yet I will rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God. God, my Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet swift as those of deer and enables me to tread upon the heights."  Habakkuk 3:17-19

In the midst of Holy Week, we recall Mary, standing at the Foot of the Cross with Jesus's beloved disciple John:

"Standing by the Cross of Jesus were His Mother and His Mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw His Mother and the disciple whom He loved, He said to His Mother, 'Woman, behold, Your Son.' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold, your Mother,' And from that hour, the disciple took her into his home."  John 19:25-27

As you walk the Way of the Cross today, invite Jesus and Mary into the home of your heart.

"Jesus, remember me, when You come into Your Kingdom." Luke 23:42

"He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed." Isaiah 53:3-5

No matter when we go through in this life, Jesus and Mary are always with us. His Love endures forever. Hold onto and meditate on His Seven Last Words from the Cross.

The Seven Last Words of Christ
"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."  Luke 23:34
"Amen I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  Luke 23:43
"My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"  Mark 15:34
"Women, behold your Son...Behold your mother."  John 19:26-27
"Father, into Your hands, I commend My Spirit."  Luke 23:46
"I thirst."  John 19:28
"It is finished."  John 19:30


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