Reflection: Prepare the way of the Lord...

Today is the First Sunday of Advent.  Over these special weeks before Christmas, we gather and give thanks.  We pray and sing together, inviting the Lord into our lives, our homes, the Church and into the world which God loves so much that He sent His only Beloved Son.

The best way to prepare for Advent is to spend Advent with Mary.  Let us reflect on how Mary pondered God's Word.  Mary was still.  She invites us to be still and to listen as God speaks to us during this beautiful season of Advent, as we prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus. 

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.

Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortable unto her.  Hosea 2:14  

In the wilderness, John the Baptist proclaimed the saving Presence of God.  After the Baptism of the Lord, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit rested upon Him in the form of a dove.  The voice of the Father was heard:  This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him.  God came to a deserted place.  He calls us into a deserted place, into the silence, where we can hear Him. 

How can we prepare our hearts for the coming of the baby Jesus on Christmas Day?  Ask Our Lady to accompany us.  She is our most loving Mother and she always leads us to her Beloved Son.  Jesus heals our hearts and shines His light upon us.  Spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration.  It is there, in the silence, that Jesus will speak to your heart.  The heart of the message of Advent is to bring light into a world of darkness.  The Advent candles symbolize Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.  It is He who can dispel the darkness and bring hope.  The Lord is always coming to those who seek Him.  Let us seek Him through the eyes and heart of Mary.

The silent soul is capable of attaining the closest union with God.  It lives almost always under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  God works in a silent soul without hindrance.  In order to hear the voice of God, one has to have silence in one's soul and to keep silence; not a gloomy silence but an interior silence; that is to say, recollection in God. Diary of Saint Faustina 198, 477, 118

The Miraculous Medal

The mission that God wanted to entrust to Catherine was made manifest to her on November 27, 1830. It was the mission of making and distributing the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, now known as the Miraculous Medal. That day was the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent. The Sisters were gathered in the chapel as usual for prayers at five-thirty in the afternoon. Suddenly Our Lady appeared to Catherine.  At first Mary appeared standing on a globe and dressed in white having with a long white veil which fell to her feet. The Virgin held in her hands, at the height of her shoulders, a golden ball which she seemed to be offering to God as she raised her eyes to heaven. Her fingers were covered with rings whose precious jewels sparkled brilliantly and showered down innumerable rays of light on the globe beneath her feet, almost obscuring the view of her feet. Mary lowered her eyes and looked directly at Catherine. Mary said nothing, but Catherine heard this message, "The ball which you see represents the world, especially France, and each person in particular. These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The jewels which give no rays symbolize the graces that are not given because they are not asked for." Then the apparition changed.

Our Lady appeared with a white dress, a blue mantle, and a white veil which draped back over her shoulders. She was still standing on the globe, and had one foot on the head of a serpent which lay at her feet. The 1830 was marked on the globe. The Virgin had her arms and hands pointed downwards, and a cascade of rays was falling down from both hands onto the globe. An oval frame formed around the Blessed Virgin, and written around within it, in letters of gold, was the beautiful prayer, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you." This was the front side of the medal that was to be made.

Then the vision revolved to show the reverse side of the medal. Catherine saw a Cross with a bar at its feet with which was intertwined an "M." Beneath the "M" were the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, both  surmounted by flames of love, one having a crown of thorns, and other pierced with a sword. Encircling all of this were twelve stars around the oval frame.

Sister Catherine died on December 31, 1876. In 1895 her cause for Beatification was introduced in Rome. She was beatified on May 28, 1933. When her body was exhumed, after fifty-seven years of burial,, it was found to be completely incorrupt and supple. Catherine was canonized a Saint on July 27, 1947. This approval by God and the Church was like a seal on the apparitions of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.  Her Feast Day is November 28th.

Saint Catherine of Laboure, pray for us and all the intentions we receive. 

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. 

Reflection: In Thanksgiving for all the blessings...

On this Thanksgiving Day, Mass will be offered for YOU, prayer partners
of this ministry.  We give thanks for all your prayers for the babies, little ones and families. We never know how our prayers are used.  The Lord takes our prayers and little offerings and places them where they are needed.

Our Blessed Virgin Mary offered her life and gave her Fiat through her obedience and humble service. This is true worship of God, surrendering to His Will. In heaven, she leads a song of eternal praise, like incense raising up to God.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1330
The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all His benefits, for all He has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification.  Eucharist means, first of all, "thanksgiving."

We gather around the table of the Lord at the altar during Mass. Jesus is alive in the Eucharist: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  During the Mass, heaven and earth meet.  The Mass is the most perfect prayer.  When you go to Mass, try to arrive early, read the Mass readings and meditate on them. If you can, stay after Mass is over and sit quietly with the Lord.  At every Mass, He will strengthen you, comfort you and heal you.

When you are not able to go to Mass or anytime during the day, you can make a prayer of Spiritual Communion.  It cannot replace receiving the Eucharist but it is a very real extension of its fruits.  The more the prayer of Spiritual Communion becomes a habit, the more you unite yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

During the Offertory, think about what you want to bring to the Lord at that Mass.  When the priest calls down the Holy Spirit over the bread and wine, this is when the miracle happens.  Through the words of the priest, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus.  At the moment of the Consecration, heaven and earth meet.  Mary is present, standing with her beloved priest and the altar is surrounded by angels.  At that moment, tell the Lord your heart’s desire, tell him what you are offering to Him, tell Him what you need and thank Him for all He has done for you.  When you receive Jesus in the Eucharist, speak to Him.  He will transform you and fill you with unimaginable graces.

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!  Sirach 39:13-14

O give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Christ, King of the Universe.  This Sunday provides a bridge to the new Church Year that begins next Sunday on the first Sunday of Advent, a time of waiting in hope and expectation, a time of longing for the coming of the Kingdom of God amid the darkness of a sinful world. It is through the Virgin Mary that we receive Christ the King into our hearts. She walked with Jesus and always brings us to Him. Mary is the guardian of our life, hidden in Christ. It is through Our Mother Mary's love that we have the knowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.

“In that first ‘fusion’ with Jesus in Holy Communion, it was my Heavenly Mother again who accompanied me to the altar for it was she herself who placed her Jesus into my soul.”  Saint Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church

"The Virgin Mary, being obedient to His Word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God."  Saint Irenaeus, Father of the Church

"I am not only the Queen of Heaven, but also the Mother of Mercy."  Our Lady to Saint Faustina

The good thief, hanging next to Jesus on the cross said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into Your Kingdom." Jesus replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
Luke 23:42-43



“King” was one of the earliest titles given to the Son of God. The title does not refer to a status of an earthly king, which many of the Jews had been expecting; someone to overthrow the Roman rule and be an earthly king of the Israel. Rather He came to be the spiritual king; His kingdom is in heaven, not confined to the earth alone. It is an eternal Kingdom of light and truth, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.  The King is love.

And this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.  1 Timothy 6:15

Christ, King of Divine Majesty, have mercy on us. Remember us when You come into Your Kingdom. Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, pray for us.

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Magnificat
The Canticle of Mary

And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and Holy is his Name. Luke 1:46-49

In accordance with Jewish custom Mary's parents, Anne and Joachim, named her eight days after her birth, and were inspired to call her Mary. Let us pray the words of Saint Bernard who invites us to become a trusting child before Mary, even as the Son of God did:

Look to the star of the sea, call upon Mary. In danger, in distress, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. May her name never be far from your lips, or far from your heart. If you follow her, you will not stray; if you pray to her, you will not despair; if you turn your thoughts to her, you will not err. If she holds you, you will not fall; if she protects you, you need not fear; if she is your guide, you will not tire; if she is gracious to you, you will surely reach your destination.

The meanings ascribed to Mary's name by the early Christian writers and perpetuated by the Greek Fathers. "Bitter Sea," "Myrrh of the Sea," "The Light Giver," "The Enlightened One," "Lady," "Seal of the Lord," and "Mother of the Lord" are the principal interpretations. From the time of Saint Jerome until the 16th century, preferred interpretations of Mary's name in the West were "Lady," "Bitter Sea," "The Light Giver," and especially "Star of the Sea." Stella Maris was by far the favored interpretation. The Hebrew name of Mary, Miryãm, (in Latin Domina) means lady or sovereign; this Mary is in virtue of her Son's sovereign authority as Lord of the World. We call Mary our Lady as we call Jesus our Lord, and when we pronounce her name we affirm her power, implore her aid and place ourselves under her protection.

Saint Ephrem said, "that the name of Mary is the key of the gates of heaven," in the hands of those who devoutly invoke it.

O Mary, on this Feast Day of your Presentation, we call upon your Most Holy Name and entrust our prayers to you, our Loving Mother.

Reflection: In this is love...

Recently I had the blessing of being present during a conversation of two little sisters, the oldest is an eight year old with Down Syndrome and the youngest is five years old.  They were on their way home from school and the five year old was upset saying that the boys in her class would not play with her.  As the conversation unfolded, she said she was chasing the boys. I explained that if someone does not want to play, we should not chase them but go and find another person to play with.  I said sometimes boys like to play only with boys and sometimes girls like to play only with girls. She was still not comforted until her eight year old sister said to her, "Remember Daniel Tiger. He knows about being a friend."  Daniel Tiger is a cartoon character on a television program which is based on Mister Roger's Neighborhood.  Mister Roger's taught about friendship saying, "Won't you be my neighbor?" Compassion and understanding came from the pure heart of this little one with Down Syndrome who wanted to comfort her little sister and she did.

In this is love. 1 John 4:10

God looks at us with compassion.  We are His Beloved.  He wants to comfort us and He gives us ways to be comforted: The Mass, the Eucharist, Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Mary, our Blessed Mother, Sacred Scripture and Prayer.

To remain a child before God means to recognize our nothingness, to expect everything from God.  It is not to become discouraged over out failings, for children fall often, but they are too little to hurt themselves much.  Saint Therese, the Little Flower​

Saint Therese of Lisieux understood we must have childlike trust in God. She wrote in her autobiography, Story of a Soul:

Even though I had on my conscience all the sins that can be committed, I would go, my heart broken with sorrow, and throw myself into Jesus' arms, for I know how much He loves the prodigal child who returns to Him. It is not because God, in His anticipating Mercy, has preserved my soul from mortal sin that I go to Him with confidence and love.  

Although My greatness is beyond understanding, I commune only with those who are little.  I demand of you a childlike spirit.  Diary of Saint Faustina 332

Like Saint Therese, Saint Faustina often talked about being like a little child who throws herself into the father's or mother's arms:

Write this for the benefit of distressed souls; when a soul sees and realizes the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother."  Diary of Saint Faustina 1541

Like little children, let us jump into the arms of God's mercy.  Let us run to Jesus for comfort in the Mass and the Eucharist, Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Sacred Scriptures and Prayer to Mary our Blessed Mother.

Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  1 John 3:2 

In Honor of our Veterans...

America, our country is truly blessed; God, through the powerful intercession of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, has shed His grace on America. May He continue to do so from sea to shining sea! Let us reflect and remember all those who have served our country, past and present.

"You gave for peace with courage that families may be free so children could grow strong and safe they'd ever be.  In giving for the sake of peace, you may have suffered loss. Your body may still show its wounds from taking up the cause.  May remembrance of your time away, your sacrifice for peace spur us on to strive more strongly for freedom, that there'll be release.  From causes that sent some away to fight that we may freely live with gratefulness we thank you, Veterans, for all you gave and give!" Prayer by Susan Helene Kramer



Blessed Mother Mary, protect our veterans and their families, especially their children. Bring comfort and peace to those who have lost loved ones defending our country. We are honored to have Mary as the Patroness of America because she is the most powerful intercessor. By a decree from the First Council of Baltimore, Mary in her Immaculate Conception, was elected as our principal Patron. A patron is one who has been assigned, or in this case, chosen by election, as a special intercessor before God.

Saint Louis de Montfort, in his renowned manuscript True Devotion to Mary, boldly suggests that Christ is weak in front of his Mother. It’s as if he can’t say “No” to her! The Catechism of the Catholic Church (969) states that the Blessed Virgin is invoked under the title Mediatrix of all grace. While no creature measures up to the one and only Redeemer, we profess that Mary cooperates in a unique way in her Son’s redemptive mission. She knows what is best for her children and so intercedes for us before the very source of all grace, Jesus Christ.

In tribute to a special Vietnam veteran, Poppy, grandfather of Lily Grace and Norah.

Reflection: All for Jesus through Mary

Behold, your Mother.  John 19:27

The way to be close to Jesus and Mary is by consecrating our lives to them and by praying and meditating on the Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary.

I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and justice, in love and mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord.  Hosea 2:21-22

We will know the Lord by drawing close to Mary in prayer through the Rosary.  How do we get close to Jesus?  Mary, our beautiful Mother will draw us close to her Beloved Son.

We can make a Consecration to Jesus through Mary and place ourselves totally in her hands.  When you do, you give her permission to form you, discipline you, and mold you into a true follower of Christ.  Do not be afraid, as Saint John Paul II always said.  She loves you and will always take care of you.  Always remember her words to Saint Juan Diego in Guadalupe, Mexico:

"Hear and let it penetrate your heart, my dear little son; let nothing discourage you, nothing depress you; let nothing alter your heart or your countenance.  Also do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain.  Am I not hear who am your Mother?  Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life?  Are you not in the folds of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms?  Is there anything else that you need?"

Through Saint Louis de Montfort and the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, we surrender ourselves as a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through her.  Then we perform all our actions with Mary, through Mary and for Mary.  When I made the Consecration to Jesus through Mary, I had no idea what a profound and beautiful impact it would have on my life.  I renew my Consecration every year at the Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary.  Sometimes I renew it more than once a year, on another Marian Feast Day.  Totus Tuus, Totally Yours!



Caryll Houselander, British mystic, poet and spiritual teacher
"Mary never resisted the Holy Spirit by whom she had conceived Jesus because she was passionately devoted to the Will of God and because she loved the world. Her values were his values. Their own miracle went on, and it went on as mysteriously as a pure, bright stream running underground. Just as Christ received God's love from Mary in his infancy, He did God's Will in the little acts of obedience that filled the loveliness of their lives in the loss in the Temple and the temptation in the wilderness. That which had been the secret of her strength from the beginning is the secret of the communion between them."

Blessed Mother Mary, hear our prayers and petitions for these little ones and families. We entrust them to you and ask that you intercede and bring their needs to Jesus. We offer our Rosaries and Memorares in His Holy Name.

Reflection: All Souls Day

Today we celebrate All Souls Day. Our Lord dictated the following prayer to Saint Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said.

Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

Saint Gertrude's life was the mystic life of the cloister, a Benedictine nun. She meditated on the Passion of Christ, which many times brought a flood of tears to her eyes. She did many penances and Our Lord appeared to her many times. She had a tender love for the Blessed Virgin and was very devoted to the suffering souls in Purgatory. She died in 1334. Her feast day is November 16th.

The Holy Souls Will Repay Us A Thousand Times Over
Now who can be in more urgent need of our charity than the souls in Purgatory? What hunger, or thirst, or dire sufferings on Earth can compare to their dreadful torments? Neither the poor, nor the sick, nor the suffering, we see around us, have such an urgent need of our help, yet we find many good-hearted people who interest themselves in every other type of suffering, but few who works for the Holy Souls. Who can have more claim on us? Among them, there may be our mothers and fathers, our friends and near of kin. When they are finally released from their pains and enjoy the beatitude of Heaven, far from forgetting their friends on earth, their gratitude knows no bounds. Prostrate before the Throne of God, they never cease to pray for those who helped them. By their prayers they shield their friends from many dangers and protect them from the evils that threaten them.  We pray the Novena and Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the souls in Purgatory to be released.

The Holy Souls are those who die in God's grace but are still imperfectly purified. By undergoing purification after death in purgatory, they achieve the holiness necessary to enter heaven. God provides a means of grace for souls to be cleansed in Purgatory so they may enter Heaven.  Purgatory is the place where small sins and attachments are cut.  As Pope Francis speaks of the Church as a hospital for the wounded, Purgatory is a place where the infection of sin and attachments is eliminated.  We pray for the souls in Purgatory. They need our help and our prayers can release them into Heaven. May all the Holy Souls through the mercy of God rest in peace.

The Lord said to me, Enter into Purgatory often, because they need you there. O my Jesus, I understand the meaning of these words which You are speaking to me, but first let me enter the treasury of Your Mercy. Diary of Saint Faustina 1738

O Mary, Mother of God, we offer you our prayers and sufferings to release the holy souls in Purgatory though the intercession of Saint Gertrude.  May you carry these prayers to Jesus, your Beloved Son.

All Saints Day

Today we honor all the saints. They continually intercede with The Father for us. A saint is a person who reflects the holiness of God by living the virtues in a heroic way and showing boundless charity and total faith in God. The early history of the Church is filled with stories of the heroic faith of these of witnesses to Christ's truth. The stories of these saints, of all ages and all states in life, whose fidelity and courage led to their sanctity or holiness, have provided models for us throughout history.
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Many of those especially holy people whose names and stories were known, the Church later canonized or formally recognized that the life of that person was holy, or sanctified. A saint is an example for us. The Church's calendar contains many saint's days, which Catholics observe at Mass, some with special festivities, but there were thousands and thousands of early Christian martyrs, the majority of whose names are known only to God. Throughout the history of the Church, there have been countless others who are saints, who are with God in heaven, even if their names are not on the list of canonized saints.

In order to honor the memory of these unnamed saints and to recall their example, the Church dedicated a special feast day Mass so that we can celebrate the lives and witness of those who have died and gone before us into the presence of the Lord.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Holy Mary, all the angels and the communion of saints, we call on you as a cloud of witnesses to help us each day and to pray for us.