This reflection is about my family away from home; my Daily Mass Family. We come together in a sacred place, Saint Joseph Chapel, to begin each day with the celebration of the Mass. The Eucharist is the center of my family. We are made one with Christ and one with each other through the Eucharist. We are God's family by our participation in the Mass and receiving the Holy Eucharist. During the Mass, we come together as a family, not as individuals isolated from one another. We celebrate the Eucharist as a faith family. It is here we find our identity and unity as members of the Body of Christ.
As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12
In my Daily Mass family, there is love. We are people from all walks of life who gather together for morning Mass. Our family consists of many members, young, older and in the middle. Before Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours are prayed followed by the Rosary. There is a woman who prays a decade in Italian and a man who prays a decade in his native language of Cebu in the Philippines. There are many strong prayer warriors in our Daily Mass family. There is a young couple with two little boys who have been coming to daily Mass since the boys were babies. There are teachers, nurses, a former police chief, an FBI agent, an owner of a construction company, two consecrated virgins, two nuns, one who is very sick and has received much love, prayer and support from our Daily Mass family. There is a woman who has volunteered in prison ministry for about forty years. She teaches the men in prison how to pray the rosary and she follows up with them when they are released. There is a man who has served the poor as a member of Saint Vincent de Paul about forty years too. There is a woman who paints and restores the statues in our church and chapel. Her work is exquisite. There is a woman who lost her son. She shares with others her great gift of Italian cooking. There is a woman in the Focolare movement who has a beautiful gift of reaching out to people in our Daily Mass family. One of the older men recently lost his last living sibling. She went to his home to check on him. When one member suffers, all the members suffer.
In this is love. 1 John 4:10
Our beloved pastor leads our parish with love, vision, wisdom, strength, humility and kindness. He is the head of our parish and our Daily Mass family. We have been blessed with so many beautiful priests over the years, holy and humble servants. They are members of our family and they remain in our hearts and prayers even when they are no longer with us. We have been truly blessed by many seminarians who come and live in our parish guided by our pastor. We also have a number of seminarians from our parish. These vocations are the fruits of prayer and Eucharistic Adoration, which we have in our chapel for many continuous hours.
If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. 1 Corinthians 12:26
This week, we lost a beloved member of our Daily Mass family. She was crossing the street on the way to morning Mass and was hit by a pickup truck. We are all saddened and distraught at her loss. We pray for her soul, for her family and the young man who hit her. It is believed solar glare was the cause. We pray for our Daily Mass family. When one member suffers, all the members suffer.
A few months ago, another member of our Daily Mass family was driving to Mass and praying the rosary. Another driver ran a red light and hit her car. It was traumatic and for her and her family. She had broken ribs and a small puncture of her lung. She says the Madonna and the Rosary protected her. She was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, prayers and support she received from our Daily Mass family. When one member suffers, all the members suffer. As she recuperated, her friends brought the Eucharist to her every day. She believes she healed quickly through receiving the Eucharist and all the prayers and Masses that were offered for her. One of our prayer partners was recently in a very serious accident. A truck hit her from behind at a fast speed. She was praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at the time of the accident. She believes those prayers saved her. She has a great devotion to Saint Faustina, Looking at her car, no one could believe she walked away from the accident. We are all united in love and through our prayers for one another.
For My thoughts are not your thoughts; nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are your ways above My ways and My thoughts above your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
We do not know God's ways or His thoughts or why one survives an accident and another does not. When we cling to Jesus through Mary, in confident trust, they will lead us to know and do His Will.
Some of the words of a song by Irish singer Dana:
We are one body, one body in Christ and we do not stand alone. We are one body, one body in Christ and He came that we might have life. When you eat My Body and you drink My Blood, I will live in you and you will live in My love. We are one body, one body in Christ and He came that we might have life.
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