Reflection: Saint Anne and Saint Joachim...

Today is the Feast Day of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They nurtured Mary, taught her and brought her up to become the worthy Mother of God. It was their teaching that led her to respond to God's request with faith, "Let it be done to me according to Your Will." It was their example of parenting that Mary must have followed as she brought up her own Son, Jesus. It was their faith that laid the foundation of courage and strength that allowed her to stand at the foot of the Cross as her Beloved Son was crucified. They are examples and models for all parents and for all married couples.

The heroism and holiness of the parents of Mary set the atmosphere of the whole family around the Scriptures. We see in Mary a fulfillment of many generations of prayerful persons, herself steeped in the religious traditions of her people. The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her continuous practice of prayer, her devotion to the laws of her faith, her steadiness at moments of crisis, and her devotion to her relatives, all indicate a close-knit, loving family. Saints Joachim and Anne faithfully performed their duties and practiced their faith quietly.

Saint Anne is the patron saint of mothers, grandmothers and pregnant women. Devotion to her was the beginning of this prayer ministry. The novena to Saint Anne had a powerful impact on the pregnancy and birth of Lily Grace because of a community of people who were praying the novena to her that this precious baby would have abundant life. Her life is the fruit of prayer. The prayers were answered in the gift of this child who brings love and joy to everyone she meets. She is eight years old now and she received her First Holy Communion in May. On that beautiful day, she said, "I am so happy I can receive Jesus." She knows the treasure the gift of Jesus is

2 Corinthians 4:7-10  Brothers and sisters, We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.

No matter what we go through, Jesus is with us.  The Lord is present in everything that happens. He is with us in sickness and affliction of any kind.  He is with us when we do not understand. He is with us when we are struck down and when we feel we are being destroyed. He is with us when we are persecuted and abandoned but the Lord will never abandon us.

It seems as though the darkness of these days is overcoming the light but Jesus is the Light and we must remember that the darkness will not prevail.  Let us call upon the grandparents of Jesus, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, to intercede for all our needs for our families. Let us turn to them as models for marriage and love. Let us ask Mary, our Mother, to walk with us and lead us to a place of peace.

"Joachim and Ann, how blessed and spotless a couple! You will be known by the fruit you have born, as the Lord says: By their fruits you will know them. The conduct of your life pleased God and was worthy of your daughter. For by the chaste and holy life you led together, you have fashioned a jewel of virginity: she who remained a virgin before, during and after giving birth. She alone for all time would maintain her virginity in mind and soul as well as in body." Saint John Damascene, Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church

Good Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, pray for us and for all those for whom we pray.

Reflection: His Mercy endures forever...

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

My heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners...it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as a fount overflowing with mercy. For them, I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy. Diary of Saint Faustina 367

God our Father loves us beyond anything we can imagine.  He wants us to come to Him with trust like a little child. God gave us Jesus, His Beloved Son, to be the Face of Love and Mercy.

Let us ponder the Face of Mercy. Gaze upon the Face of the Baby Jesus, held tenderly by Mary. Gaze upon the Face of Jesus as He worked side by side with Joseph, learning how to be a carpenter. Gaze upon the Face of Jesus as He healed the sick, the brokenhearted, sinners, prisoners, the grieving and all who suffer anguish. Gaze upon the Face of Jesus after Peter denied Him, the cock crowed and Jesus looked at Peter with great Love. Gaze upon the Face of Jesus on the Way of the Cross as He was abandoned by His friends. Gaze upon the Face of Jesus as He met His Mother Mary on the Via Dolorosa and they shared one another's pain and anguish. Gaze upon the Face of Jesus on the Cross as He cried out, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Come to the Father. Come to Jesus. Ask Mary, Mother of Mercy, to be with you. Gaze upon the Face of Mercy as He bows down to you, His beloved child, and lifts you up to His Face.

I am certain that even if I had on my conscience every imaginable crime, I should lose nothing of my confidence; rather I would hurry, with a heart broken with sorrow to throw myself into the Arms of my Jesus. Saint Therese, the Little Flower

Come and throw yourself into the Arms of Jesus and gaze upon His Face of Mercy and Love. He gazes at you with great Love. His Mercy endures forever...

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Garment of Mary's Grace
Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the Fountain of Elijah in northern Israel in the 12th century. They had a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. By the 13th century they became known as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” They soon celebrated a special Mass and Office in honor of Mary and founded the Carmelite Order devoted to contemplative life and sacrificial prayer for others. In 1726 it became a celebration of the universal Church under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For centuries, the Carmelites have seen themselves as specially related to Mary. Their great saints and theologians have promoted devotion to her and often championed the mystery of her Immaculate Conception.

Saint Teresa of Avila called Carmel “the Order of the Virgin.” While Teresa was in a crisis, her mother died. Afflicted and lonely, Teresa appealed to the Blessed Virgin to be her mother. Saint John of the Cross credited Mary with saving him from drowning as a child, leading him to Carmel and helping him escape from prison. Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus believed that Mary cured her from illness. On her First Communion, she dedicated her life to Mary. During the last days of her life, she frequently spoke of Mary.

Our Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Simon Stock, a leader of the Carmelites. He pleaded with Mary for some special sign of her protection. On July 16, 1251, she designated the scapular as the special mark of her maternal love. Mary told him to promote devotion to it. The scapular is a modified version of Mary’s own garment. It symbolizes her special protection. She calls the wearers to consecrate themselves to her in a special way. The scapular reminds us of the Gospel call to prayer and penance, a call that Mary models in a splendid way.

Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is worldwide, and most Catholics are familiar with the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as the Brown Scapular. When Mary appeared to Saint Simon Stock and gave him the scapular, she said: "This will be for you and for all Carmelites the privilege, that he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire." The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was instituted for the Carmelites in 1332, and extended to the whole Church by Benedict XIII in 1726.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, protect us and all the little ones for whom we pray. Lead us always to your Beloved Son Jesus.

Saint Kateri Tekawitha, Lily of the Mohawks

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Kateri Tekawitha, Virgin and patron of consecrated virgins, the environment and ecology. Kateri was born near the town of Auriesville, New York, in the year 1656, the daughter of a Mohawk warrior. She was four years old when her mother died of smallpox. The disease also attacked Kateri and transfigured her face. She was adopted by her two aunts and an uncle. Kateri became converted as a teenager. She was baptized at the age of twenty and incurred the great hostility of her tribe. Although she had to suffer greatly for her faith, she remained firm in it. Kateri went to the new Christian colony of Indians in Canada where she lived a life dedicated to prayer, penances, and caring for the sick and aged. Every morning, even in bitterest winter, she stood before the chapel door until it opened at four and remained there until after the last Mass. She became known as the "Lily of the Mohawks."

Kateri's family did not accept her choice to embrace Christ. After her Baptism, Kateri became the village outcast. Her family refused her food on Sundays because she would not work. Children would taunt her and throw stones. She was threatened with torture or death if she did not renounce her religion. Because of increasing hostility from her people and because she wanted to devote her life to working for God, Kateri left her village and fled more than 200 miles through woods, rivers, and swamps to the Catholic mission of St. Francis Xavier at Sault Saint-Louis, near Montreal. Kateri's journey through the wilderness took more than two months. Because of her determination in proving herself worthy of God and her undying faith, she was allowed to receive her First Holy Communion on Christmas Day, 1677.

Although not formally educated and unable to read and write, she taught the young and helped those in the village who were poor or sick. Her favorite devotion was to fashion crosses out of sticks and place them throughout the woods. These crosses served as stations that reminded her to spend a moment in prayer. Kateri's motto became, "Who can tell me what is most pleasing to God that I may do it?" She spent much of her time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, kneeling in the cold chapel for hours. When the winter hunting season took Kateri and many of the villagers away from the village, she made her own little chapel in the woods by carving a Cross on a tree and spent time in prayer there, kneeling in the snow. Often people would ask, "Kateri, tell us a story." Kateri remembered everything she was told about the life of Jesus and his followers. People would listen for a long time. They enjoyed being with her because they felt the presence of God. One time a priest asked the people why they gathered around Kateri in church. They told him that they felt close to God when Kateri prayed. They said that her face changed when she was praying. It became full of beauty and peace, as if she were looking at God's face.

On March 25, 1679, Kateri made a vow of perpetual virginity, meaning that she would remain unmarried and totally devoted to Christ for the rest of her life. Kateri hoped to start a convent for Native American sisters in Sault St. Louis but her spiritual director, Father Pierre Cholonec discouraged her. Kateri's health, never good, was deteriorating rapidly due in part to the penances she inflicted on herself. Father Cholonec encouraged Kateri to take better care of herself but she laughed and continued with her "acts of love." She died on April 17, 1680 at the age of twenty-four.  Devotion to Kateri led to the establishment of Native American ministries in Catholic Churches all over the United States.

Kateri loved the Rosary and carried it around her neck always. She was devoted to the Holy Eucharist and to Jesus Crucified.

I have felt a connection in prayer with Kateri ever since we began praying for baby Lily Grace and I discovered she was known as Lily of the Mohawks. I feel even more connected with her because of her love of Jesus and Mary.

Novena to Kateri
Kateri, favored child and Lily of the Mohawks, I come to seek your intercession in my present need: (State your intention here) I admire the virtues which adorned your soul: love of God and neighbor, humility, obedience, patience, purity and the spirit of sacrifice. Help me to imitate your example in my state of life. Through the goodness and mercy of God, Who has blessed you with so many graces which led you to the true faith and to a high degree of holiness, pray to God for me and help me.

Obtain for me a very fervent devotion to the Holy Eucharist so that I may love Holy Mass as you did and receive Holy Communion as often as I can. Teach me also to be devoted to my crucified Savior as you were, that I may cheerfully bear my daily crosses for love of Him Who suffered so much for love of me. Most of all I beg you to pray for me that I may avoid sin, lead a holy life and save my soul. Amen.

In Thanksgiving to God for the graces bestowed upon Kateri: (Recite the following prayers) Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...(3 times)

Saint Kateri, pray for us and for all the families we pray for through this ministry.

Reflection: A Marriage of Love + Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, Parents of Saint Therese

Today is the Feast Day of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, parents of Saint Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, They were married at midnight between July 12 and July 13, 1858.  Louis designed a marriage medallion for Zelie with the Biblical pictures of Sarah and Tobias on one side with the date on the other side and the initials of their names. symbolizing the coming together of two families. They were models of holiness.  Marriage Medallion of Louis and Zelie

Pope Francis announced that they will be canonized saints on October 18, 2015. Their marriage was one of love, as well as suffering. They are models of the beauty of the Sacrament of Marriage and, as saints, they will be powerful intercessors for the fidelity and faith of married love of a man and woman who were open to children and the gift of life. They had nine children, five of whom entered religious life. They lost four children at a young age. Their desire to have many children was for the Glory of God. Louis and Zelie did not want to be canonized. They simply wanted in their daily lives to become saints. They shared this desire with their children, friends and in their professions. They did not conceal their desire that the mission of their lives was to serve God. They lived modestly, reached out to help the poor and needy and led daily prayers in the home. Zelie died of breast cancer at the age of 45 and Louis suffered greatly and had a three year stay in a psychiatric hospital. Louis and Zelie were devoted to a life of family and prayer.

How is God calling you to serve Him? As we pray about the changes that have been made to marriage in our country, let us focus on what we can do:

Pray for life and marriage and for the protection of religious liberty.

Educate ourselves on what the Church teaches and why and about the beauty of the Sacrament of Marriage and family life.

Be prepared to speak the truth and act with love and remain firm in our beliefs.

Be merciful. As we enter into the Year of Mercy this December, we remember that God is love and Jesus came to bring Mercy to the world.

Never give up hope. We are a people of prayer and we know the power of prayer.

Let us ask the parents of Saint Therese of Lisieux to be our intercessors for marriage and families.

Saint Therese, the Little Flower, pray for us. Blessed Louis and Zelie, pray for us.

Reflection: As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck and wept a long time in his arms...

Israel mourned for his long lost son Joseph and assumed he was dead. He was inconsolable. After years of intense grief, he found out his son was alive. He set out to see Joseph.

As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck and wept a long time in his arms. Genesis 46:29

Meditation:  Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the Guardian of your soul.  Open your heart and He will come to you.

The Lord is my Shepherd. There is nothing I shall want. In green pastures, He makes me lie down; to still waters He leads me. He restores my soul. Psalm 23:3

Ask Jesus to come to you now, to lift you up and hold you close. Rest now in His tender embrace. Throw yourself into His arms and pour out your heart to Him. Imagine what it was like for Joseph to fling himself on his father's neck and weep for a long time.  Jesus is inviting you to come to Him, come as you are. Come and tell him everything.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me, Your rod and Your staff comfort me. Psalm 23:4

As you hold on tight to Jesus, your arms wrapped around His neck, tell him about the trials you are suffering, tell him your troubles, hurts and pain.  Give them to Him and weep, just as Joseph wept with his father. Jesus will console you and strengthen you. Ask Jesus to help you learn from these trials. Listen now to Jesus and let Him love you. Open your heart and receive His Love and ask Him to heal you. In His goodness, Jesus will hold you close and shower you with grace and mercy.

This week, a beautiful priest gave a homily about Joseph. There is so much we can learn from Joseph and the priest challenged everyone to "Be a Joseph."  When Jesus heals you, He calls you to go out and bring others to an encounter with Him.  

Go out. You are sent. "Be a Joseph" to others.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Psalm 23:6

Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr

Fidelity and Forgiveness
Today is the feast day of Saint Maria Goretti. She was born in 1890 in Corinaldi, Italy. Blessed John Paul II often commented on the virtues and example of Saint Maria Goretti. In a Homily commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the virgin martyr's birth, he emphasized her importance for our own troubled times. She did not flee from the voice of the Holy Spirit, from the voice of her conscience. Through the gift of fortitude, the Holy Spirit helped her to judge and to choose with her young spirit. She chose death when there was no other way to defend her virginal purity.

Maria Goretti's blood was shed in a sacrifice of total fidelity to God. She reminds us that we are also called to offer ourselves to the Father. We are called to seek the Divine Will and to be holy and pleasing in His sight. Our call to holiness, which is the vocation of every baptized person, is encouraged by the example of this young martyr. She is a special model for adolescents and young people, defending purity of heart and body and being committed to the struggle against evil and sin. Her life shows us not to be afraid to take a counter-cultural stance, to reject the things of the world and to be courageous witnesses by love, purity and virginity.

In her silent heroism, Maria Goretti is a teacher of truth and true love. She teaches us to see in Christ the value of the truth which frees us from slavery "to the world" by seeking good which always overcomes evil. Before she died at the age of twelve, Maria forgave her attacker, Allesandro. He was sent to prison for her death. After six years of prison, he was near the brink of despair. Then one night, Maria appeared to him in his cell. She smiled at Alessandro and she was surrounded by lilies, the flower symbolic of purity. From that moment, peace invaded Alessandro's heart, and he began to live a constructive life. After serving his sentence, Alessandro lived at a Capuchin monastery, working in the garden as a tertiary. He asked pardon of Maria's mother and accompanied her to Christmas Mass in the parish church where he spoke before the hushed congregation, acknowledging his sin and asking God's forgiveness and the pardon of the community. Forty years later, on June 24, 1950, Maria was canonized at St. Peter's basilica in Rome, with Alessandro's heart now firmly converted to the Lord. A miraculous fruit of Maria's life of forgiveness!

"Oh Saint Maria Goretti who, strengthened by God's grace, did not hesitate even at the age of twelve to shed your blood and sacrifice life itself to defend your virginal purity, look graciously on the unhappy human race which has strayed far from the path of eternal salvation. Teach us all, and especially youth, with what courage and promptitude we should flee for the love of Jesus anything that could offend Him or stain our souls with sin. Obtain for us from our Lord victory in temptation, comfort in the sorrows of life, and the grace which we earnestly beg of thee (here insert intention), and may we one day enjoy with thee the imperishable glory of Heaven. Amen."

My Jesus, as you gave Saint Maria Goretti the crown of martyrdom, help us keep faithful to your teachings with her courage.

Reflection: Thomas said to Jesus, "My Lord and my God!"

Blessed are those who have not seen but still believe.  John 20:29

After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to Mary Magdalene as she was weeping outside His tomb.  Jesus appeared to her and she thought He was the gardener until He called her by name, "Mary." At the sound of His voice calling her name, she recognized Him.

Jesus is calling you by name. Be still and listen for the sound of His voice.

Jesus said to Mary, "Stop holding on to Me" but go to my brothers and tell them I am going to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God. John 20:17 Mary went to the disciples telling them, "I have seen the Lord" and she told them all He said.

When Jesus calls you by name and when you listen to His voice, go and do what He tells you to do. He told Mary to stop holding on to Him. He speaks these words to you. Stop holding onto the things that bring you comfort or the things that draw you away from the Lord. He is with you and He will help you do what He is calling you to do. Just listen and go. When you follow His voice and do what He tells you to do, you are doing His Will. When you do the Will of God, it may not be easy, but Jesus will be with you and you will be in peace.

On the evening of the first day of the week, the disciples, afraid of the Jews, were locked in a room and Jesus appeared in their midst, showed them His hands and His side and said, 'Peace be with you." John 20:19-20  He breathed on them and said "Receive the Holy Spirit whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained." John 20:22-23

When Jesus breathed on the disciples, they received the Holy Spirit and He gave them the power to forgive sins or to retain them. Jesus has given you the gift to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to receive forgiveness of your sins. When your sins are forgiven, the Holy Spirit showers grace upon you so that you can go and sin no more.  Go.  Jesus is waiting for you.

When Jesus appeared in the midst of the disciples, Thomas was not with them  When they saw Thomas later, they told him that they had seen the Lord.  Thomas doubted and said, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." John 20:25  A week later, the disciples were in the locked room again and Thomas was with them.  Jesus appeared in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving but believe." Thomas answered Him, My Lord and my God." John 20:26-28

Not long ago, I had an experience which was stressful. A beautiful priest told me to take my rosary in my hand and on each bead, pray, "Jesus I trust in You." I have a beautiful rosary given to me by a friend in Christ. The beads on this rosary are small miraculous medals. This rosary is so precious to me. I pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy every day with it. I did what the priest told me to do, but I also added my own prayer. On every miraculous medal, I prayed, 

"Jesus I trust in You. Help me to trust You more deeply." 

The stressful situation resolved itself in ways I could have never imagined and Jesus did help me to trust Him more deeply. Maybe you can try this way of prayer too. Jesus will draw you in close and He will help you to trust Him more deeply.

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples that are not written in this book.  But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in His Name.  John 20:30-31

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