May 6th Fast

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JMJ

"When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple there 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.'"

Our dear, heavenly mother was one of the greatest gifts Our Lord gave us.   Unfortunately, one frequently forgets about Mary by relegating her to an unreachable shelf, like a lifeless statue that is admired, but can never be truly loved.   Christ did not give us a distant, and lofty lady, but a sincere, and merciful woman. Certainly she is a heavenly queen; yet, she is also very much an earthly mother. 

It is easy to paint a romantic picture in our minds of the Holy Family, and therefore dismiss any understanding Mary might have for the problems in our lives.  Yet, she dealt with joys and sorrows just as we do.  She endured the insecurity, and instability that follows a sudden move when they left Bethlehem for Egypt.  Our Lady knew the fatigue of a long day, doing the daily chores that required much physical effort.  She daily practiced patience in being obedient to God's will for she accepted what she didn't always understand, and did not try to suit situations to her own preferences and plans. 

She felt the uncertainty of what the future portended for her innocent Son in a world full of evil men.  Mary knew the love of a wife for her husband, she shared his trials and triumphs, and deeply felt the loss of her beloved spouse when Joseph died.  She shared the humiliations of her Son, not just on Good Friday, but throughout His ministry when he was mocked and misunderstood for His teaching.  She endured the infidelities of her Son's closest companions as keenly as He did, himself.  Our Lady suffered greatly with Our Lord during His Passion, rejoiced at His Resurrection, and longed once again for Him when they separated at His Ascension. 

No, our Mother is not an untouchable Queen set to be an idol before us, but a real, flesh and blood woman given to us to cherish and take solace from.  She is the noble woman who goes among her people. As the Litany of Loreto so beautifully says, she is the:

Health of the sick,

Refuge of sinners,

Comforter of the afflicted,

Help of Christians

Mary wants to share the secret to her glory: it is the joy of knowing and being with Jesus.  She was a perfect disciple, not only because she was immaculately conceived, but because she had a servant's heart like her Son.  She desired to do God's will always, to give herself to others first, and now she gives herself to us.  Our Blessed Lady is indeed a gentle woman with a compassionate heart, she desires our love, as any mother does, and longs to bring us to eternal happiness with her Son.

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April 1 Fast

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JMJ

"'It is better,' says St. Augustine writing to Profuturus,' to deny entrance to the just and reasonable anger than to admit it, no matter how small it is.  Once let in, it is driven out again only with difficulty.  It comes in as a little twig and in less than no time it grows big and becomes a beam.' If anger can only gain the night on us and if the sun sets on it, which the apostle forbids, it turns into hatred, from which we have hardly any way of ridding ourselves.  It is nourished by a thousand pretexts; there never was an angry man who thought his anger unjust." 

(Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III, No. 8, St. Francis de Sales)

The day opens many entryways for anger to infiltrate the soul- little annoyances with a spouse, frustrations with children, problems at work, etc.  As with anything, the devil perverts a virtue to trick us into a vice.  One's objective sense of justice is muddled when mixed with his pride, and anger creeps into his soul because he feels that he has been rightly wronged by another person, or circumstance.  

Sometimes, anger is not even seen for what it is because it does not appear as a passionate tirade, only as a bitter grudge that ones refuses to let go.  A hidden anger is worse than a passionate one because it cannot be as easily corrected since the person does not recognize it.  He is so used to this constant companion that he is unaware it is even there.  Complaints, harbored resentment, cynical comments, and a deep-seated feeling of injustice are some of the barnacles that attach themselves to the grudge he holds. But one must remember that the saying, "you can't take it with you," does not only apply to the material, but the spiritual as well.  

So, what is to be done?  St. Francis de Sales exhorted his followers to first call upon Christ, just as the apostles did during the storm at sea, when these temptations arise.  It certainly is helpful as well to recognize the occasions for when this can occur by quickly praying for the grace to overcome.  Just as with any vice one finds difficult in detaching from, the contrary virtue must be consciously and continually practiced in order to root up the evil that lies therein.  The great Bishop of Geneva provides more excellent advice: 

". . . we must repair our anger instantly by a contrary act of meekness.  Fresh wounds are quickest healed, as the saying goes.  Again, when your mind is tranquil and without cause for anger, build up a stock of meekness and mildness.  Speak all your words and do all your actions, whether little or great, in the mildest way you can.  Call to mind that just as the Spouse in the Canticle of Canticles not only has honey on her lips but at the end of her tongue, . . . that is to say, the whole interior of our soul."

In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ said,"Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." To be gentle and sincere takes great effort, perseverance and discipline.  But, above all, it takes tremendous love: true love that wills the good and happiness of the other above the temporary comfort of oneself.

March 4 Fast

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JMJ

"Often in my desire to work for others I find my hands tied, something hinders my charitable designs, some hostile influence renders me powerless. My prayers seem to avail nothing, my kind acts are rejected, I seem to do the wrong thing when I am trying to do my best. In such cases I must not grieve. I am only treading in my Master's steps."

(St. Katharine Drexel)

How easy it is to get discouraged when striving for sanctity!  How disheartening it can be when one feels his efforts are misunderstood or overlooked by those he most wishes to please! It is at these times when one must remember that he is called to be a servant like Our Blessed Lord.  A servant who acts out of love and devotion, not self-interest and the desire for praise.  Someone's efforts that are overlooked by those whom he desires to please and make happy can easily feel wounded and spurned.  When others find only fault with the imperfect result and neglect to see the great love in the intention, sorrow and resentment can sometimes find a home in the faithful servant's heart.  It is then we can think of Our dear Savior- so often misunderstood, so often abandoned- and have peace that we can suffer humiliations as He did. 

February 5th Fast

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JMJ

"For the mercy we receive from the Father is not given solely for our benefit, but for the good of all, by transforming us into instruments, missionaries of mercy. By being such missionaries, we come to experience more deeply the gift of mercy in our own lives. May we take seriously our call to be Christians, to live as believers, so that the Gospel may touch the hearts of all people and open them to the gift of God’s love."

(Pope Francis, Jubilee Audience, January 30, 2016) 

From the beginning of time, after the Fall of Man when God promised a Redeemer, His message has been one of mercy.  Christ has pleaded with us throughout history to know Him as the God of Mercy.  As one matures, he often reflects on the merciful hand of God throughout his life.  It was not enough that Christ died once to open the gates of heaven, but He chooses to constantly intervene in our lives, even when we do not know to ask for it, to save us from a certain evil seeking to ensnare us.

Just as Christ desired the first apostles to proclaim the Good News to the ends of the earth, He wants us to know that this message of merciful love is at the foundation of the Gospel and is meant to be preached far and wide.  We are not meant to keep this treasure for ourselves, but to share it with others by the way we live our daily life.  What better way to live the message of mercy than in the cenacle of family?  A place that abounds with opportunities for forgiveness, and encouragement.  This coming time of Lent, and the Jubilee Year of Mercy should prompt one for further contemplation on the great gift of mercy, and how he is sharing it with those closest to him.

The daily grind easily breeds frustration which in turn fosters impatience and resentment.  But it need not be so.  One must be pray for a merciful heart and a joyful spirit.  When we learn to deny ourselves the comfort of sensual desires in food, drink, audio/visual, etc., we discipline our will to say no to other immediate impulses like anger, cynicism, defensiveness, etc.  It is in this way, that we train our will to grow in the virtues most necessary for living a holy life, a selfless life that is more concerned for the needs of others than that of ourselves.  Not only that, but we learn to let go of our own wounds and offenses in order to have peace in our marriages and in our homes.  Did not Christ bear much more in order to reconcile us to the Father?

Pray to be a "missionary of mercy" in the family this Lent and this year.

December 4th Fast

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JMJ

"Beloved Kate, I will take you then, for my pattern, and try to please Him as you please me.  To grieve with a like tenderness when I displease Him, to obey and mind His voice as you do mine.  To do my works neatly and exactly as you do yours, grieve to lose sight of Him for a moment, fly with joy to meet Him, fear He should go and leave me even when I sleep - this is the lesson of love you set me.  And when I have seemed to be angry, without petulance or obstinacy you silently and steadily try to accomplish my wish.  I will say,'Dearest Lord, give me grace to copy well this lovely image of my duty to Thee.' 

(St. Elizabeth Ann Seton writing about her daughter, Katherine)

 In meditating on the Nativity scene, one is struck by many beautiful thoughts: above all, that God would not only become man to save us, but that He would enter the world as a helpless infant in doing so.  Less we should ignore this essential lesson, Our Lord constantly reminds us in the Gospels that "unless [we] become as little children, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God."

We are all born with concupiscence, the tendency to sin, and any person who has been around a two year old will certainly not exempt children from this state.  Yet, though a child is not born a saint, he does possess a radiant innocence that provokes awe.  It is this innocence, if guarded properly, that allows a child to have the virtues that men should desire most: humility, mercy, patience, simplicity, sincerity, honesty, obedience, generosity and joyfulness.          

Most men have in some harsh way been tainted by the world and have lost their earlier innocence.  Their speech is no longer sweet but now laced with the bitterness of cynicism and gossip.  Their self, so often indulged quickly, bristles at the suggestion of patience.  Their heart, hurt and wounded, holds tightly to grudges.  Fears and anxieties prevent the trustfulness they once had in God and others.  Difficulties and drudgery drown their joy.

Yet, all is not lost, we can become little once more!  Christ comes to rejuvenate our hearts, to lift the burden from our souls!   He does not wait to grow to be a man to teach us how to become saints.  He begins His Father's work immediately in the manger in Bethlehem, revealing that these childlike virtues are not just a lovely ideal, but a reachable reality.   Let us pray for the perseverance and patience to become like children again.