Reflection: Mary Seat of Wisdom...

Wisdom is a gift from God that helps us understand what God’s plan and purpose for our lives. It is a gift that needs to be cultivated so that the soil of our hearts can hear God’s voice, as Mary did. Mary’s parents helped her to use her gift of wisdom so that she was ready to understand God’s plan and purpose for her life when the angel came to announce it. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus, too, “grew in wisdom, age and grace” so that He came to understand what God wanted of Him. Wisdom is our gift.

When you have a difficult decision to make, what do you do? Do you bring it to prayer? The Lord hears and answers our prayers. Turn to Mary, Seat of Wisdom. She knows you and you are her child. Ask her for wisdom in the decisions you make. Go to Eucharistic Adoration or visit a chapel or church and sit in the Presence of the Lord. Quiet your mind and heart and be open to hear what the Lord wants to say to you. Speak to Him about your heart's desire and tell Him you are seeking wisdom. Then in the silence of your heart, He will speak to you.

"I thank the Lord and I praise Him; I bless the Name of the Lord. When I was young and innocent, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer. I prayed for her before the temple, and I will seek her until the end, and she flourished as a grape soon ripe. My heart delighted in her, My feet kept to the level path because from earliest youth, I was familiar with her. In the short time I paid heed, I met with great instruction. Since in this way, I have profited, I will give my teacher grateful praise. I became resolutely devoted to her, the good I persistently strove for. My soul was tormented in seeking her, My hand opened her gate and I came to know her secrets. I directed my soul to her, and in cleanness, I attained to her."  Sirach 51:12-20

Mary, Seat of Wisdom (also known as Our Lady of the Chair or the Latin name Sedes Sapientiae), is a very old title for Mary.  As with all of Mary’s titles, it highlights one specific aspect of her life and experience, specifically, her role as the one who gave birth to Christ.  Artistic representations of Mary, Seat of Wisdom often show her seated on a throne, holding the Christ child on her lap and offering him for adoration.  Many early Christians saw Christ as Wisdom incarnate; therefore, by holding him on her lap, Mary becomes the “seat” of wisdom.  On another, deeper level, the title also refers to the fact that Mary “held” wisdom inside her by carrying Christ in her womb.

O Mary, Seat of Wisdom, teach us to turn to Jesus for His wisdom in our lives and pray for us and for all the names we receive through this prayer ministry.

Reflection: The Transfiguration...

Jesus was preparing  the Apostles for the trauma they would suffer through and the horror of His crucifixion. To give them hope, Jesus brought them to the mountaintop and appeared to them in a vision. On Mount Tabor. He appeared as He really would be in His Risen Glory. 

Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves and He was transfigured before them, and His clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.  Mark 9:2-3

Jesus appeared to them as the Light of the World in dazzling white. On either side of Him, Moses and Elijah appeared. The Father’s voice spoke that this was His Beloved Son in whom He was well pleased. The Holy Spirit appeared as a cloud of glory.  The Transfiguration was an experience that did not last very long. Peter wanted to erect tents and stay there, but this was not the purpose. Jesus gave them this experience to build up their hope so that they would be sustained for the sufferings to come. The path called the Via Dolorosa lay before Him and before them, as well.  The Transfiguration was to show them that the Way of the Cross was not a road to death but a road through death to a new life.  

Through the Transfiguration, Jesus gave Peter, James and John a glimpse of eternal life. As we journey through the season of Lent, we prepare for Holy Week and the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Let us ponder the Holy Door of Mercy. Pope Francis has given us the great gift of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Before we pass through the Holy Door of Mercy, we may have a long road of suffering, as Mary did on the Way of the Cross. The hope Jesus gave to the Apostles at the Transfiguration is the hope He gives us. He wants to transform us during this season of Lent. Draw close to Him. Spend time in silent prayer in Eucharistic adoration or before the tabernacle in a chapel. Jesus will speak to you in the silence and He will transform you. Take your sufferings, miseries, worries and pain and place them on the altar. Jesus is waiting to give you hope and healing. Walk through the Holy Door of Mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is there that you will be forgiven, healed and filled with grace. You will be a new creation. This is where Jesus will transform you into the beautiful person He created you to be.  

Jesus, may our hearts remain faithful to You and may You begin Your transforming work in us.  Keep us mindful that with You, Lord, nothing is impossible.  Without You, Lord, we can do nothing. Blessed Mother Mary, help us walk the Way of the Cross by your side, be our refuge and our strength and draw us to the Sacred Heart of Jesus where we will find comfort and rest. 

30 Day Novena to Saint Joseph

The Feast Day of Saint Joseph is March 19th. We begin this 30 Days of Prayer today and end on Saint Joseph's Feast Day. This is a powerful novena. Ask Saint Joseph to intercede for your intentions.

Thirty Days Prayer to St. Joseph
In honor of the 30 years he spent with Jesus and Mary

Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow! You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenseless, the patron of those in need and sorrow. Look kindly on my request. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection.

Listen, then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my earnest prayers, and obtain for me the favors I ask.

I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to take our nature and to be born into this world of sorrow.

I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the holy Virgin, nor a house where the Son of God could be born. Then, being everywhere refused, you had to allow the Queen of Heaven to give birth to the world's Redeemer in a cave.

I ask it by the loveliness and power of that sacred Name, Jesus, which you conferred on the adorable Infant.

I ask it by that painful torture you felt at the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother future victims of our sins and of their great love for us.

I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies. From their evil plan you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother to Egypt. I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey.

I ask it by all your care to protect the Sacred Child and His Immaculate Mother during your second journey, when you were ordered to return to your own country. I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met with so many joys and sorrows.

I ask it by your great distress when the adorable Child was lost to you and His Mother for three days. I ask it by your joy at finding Him in the Temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of the Child Jesus. I ask it by the wonderful submission He showed in His obedience to you.

I ask it by the perfect love and conformity you showed in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary. I ask it by the joy which filled your soul, when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led you into it with special honors.

I ask it through Mary's glorious Assumption, and through that endless happiness you have with her in the presence of God. O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask: (Name your petitions or think of them.)

Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Finally, my dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of: JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH. 

O Holy Family, pray for us and for all the intentions we bring to you.

Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting

As we prepare our hearts and begin the season of Lent, what will you do for Jesus during these 40 days? Jesus teaches us about almsgiving, prayer and fasting...

Teaching about Almsgiving
Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

Teaching about Prayer
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

The Lord’s Prayer

This is how you are to pray:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.

Teaching about Fasting
When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.

Treasure in Heaven
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

Let us prepare our hearts for the coming of Lent.  What will you do for Jesus these 40 days of Lent?  Let us ask our Mother Mary to make our hearts like hers and to show us what we can do for Jesus during these 40 days of Lent. 

Reflection: Do not be afraid; from now on, you will be catching men...

Jesus sat down in Simon's boat. They were a short distance from the shore. Jesus began teaching the crowds from the boat. When he finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch." Luke 5:4 Simon told Jesus they had been fishing all night and had caught nothing but, at His command, he lowered the nets. They caught so many fish that their nets were tearing and the boat was in danger of sinking.

When Peter saw this, he was astonished and remorseful for his lack of faith and trust in Jesus. He saw his sin and he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." Luke 5:8  James and John and the other disciples, were astonished and seized with fear at what had happened.

Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on, you will be catching men."  When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Him. Luke 5:10

Like the disciples, Jesus is calling YOU. He is calling you to get out of the boat and follow Him.

Have you ever been seized with fear as You watched something unfold before your eyes?

Ponder your experience of being seized with fear and ask Jesus to go back to that experience with you. Open your heart and listen. Be still. Jesus will come to you. He wants to heal you. When He heals you, you will know you are His beloved child. Then He will ask you to follow Him. When you leave everything and follow Him, He will transform your life and He will send you out to witness to others. Do not be afraid. Jesus is with you and He will never leave you.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" "Here I am," I said, "send me." Isaiah 6:8

Reflection: Mass on the Turnpike...

January 22, 2016 marked the 43rd anniversary of the tragic day of the Supreme Court decision making abortion legal in the United States. The loss of millions of babies is incomprehensible.

The March for Life was held last week in Washington DC. A blizzard was expected on the day of the March so many people had to cancel their plans to be there, but many were able to march. They came to show their love for mothers and unborn babies and to give a voice to the unborn who can not speak. Returning home from the March, there was an accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Many buses were stranded in the heavy snow storm and traffic came to a stop. A group of young people built an altar out of snow and a priest celebrated Mass on the Turnpike for hundreds of young people.

For all these 43 years, the secular news media has had a black-out of coverage and ignored or downplayed the massive and moving witness at the March for Life. This year, Jesus performed a MIRACLE. The news began covering the story of all the young people stranded for many hours in the snowstorm on the turnpike. The story about the weather and the Mass on the Turnpike became a powerful witness to the secular news media about the joyful testimony and strength of the pro-life movement in our country.

Thank You Jesus for performing this MIRACLE in our midst.

Then God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground." God created man in His image; in the Divine image, He created him; male and female, He created them. God blessed them, saying: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth."  Genesis 1:26-28  

We are made in the image and likeness of God. We are body and soul. Every life is infused with a soul. We were created to love and serve God, to pray and speak with Him and with one another. God is the Giver and Author of all life. Every life has meaning. Let us pray that the powerful witness of all the pro-life young people and the Mass on the Turnpike will open the hearts and minds of those in the news media and those who favor, promote, seek and perform abortions that the Culture of Life will be restored to our country.

The Word of the Lord came to me saying: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I dedicated you.  Jeremiah 1:4-5