One of the things I like to do during Lent is read spiritual books. This always seems to put me on the right path toward learning more about my faith and how I can improve my prayer life. Read More
While on retreat at the Redemptorist Retreat Center in Wisconsin, I had the opportunity, or shall I say the necessity, to pray to our Blessed Mother for something that was going on in my life. It just so happened that on the center grounds, there was a shrine dedicated to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Realizing that I could use all the help that I could get, I ventured inside.
Earlier
this year, I was giving a Lenten mission in Iowa and on the final night, I ended
Evening Prayer with the song Immaculate Mary. After we had finished, a
woman came up to me and told me that she is blessed with having visions. She
told me that while I was singing, the Blessed Mother appeared behind me and was
smiling at me. I had chills when she told me that. Hopefully that meant that our
Lady was happy with what I was doing.
I’m
not telling this story so that you will be impressed. I’m telling this story to
remind us that Mary is always looking out for us and doing all she can to point
us toward her Son.
Another
great story is the centered around today’s feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. An
indigenous peasant, Juan Diego, was walking by a hill called Tepeyac in Mexico when
he heard a voice calling him by name. A radiant cloud appeared, and within it stood
an Indian maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. After
she had identified herself to him, Our Lady asked that Juan build her a shrine
in that same spot, in order for her to show and share her love and compassion
with all those who believe.
Afterwards,
Juan Diego visited the bishop, but Juan was dismissed and was asked for proof
of his story and proof of the Lady’s identity.
Juan
Diego returned to the hill and encountered Our Lady again. The Virgin told him
to climb to the top of the hill and pick some flowers to present to the bishop.
Although
it was winter and nothing should have been in bloom, Juan Diego found an
abundance of flowers of a type he had never seen before. The Virgin bundled the
flowers into Juan’s cloak, known as a tilma. When Juan Diego presented the
tilma of exotic flowers to the bishop, the flowers fell out and he recognized
them as Castilian roses, which are not found in Mexico. What was even more
significant was that the tilma had been miraculously imprinted with a colorful image
of the Virgin herself.
Mary
had heard the prayers and pain of these people, and she came to give them hope
and to remind them that God will remember his mercy for all people.
Today we honor Our Lady of Guadalupe not only because of her motherly concern and love for us, but because we truly believe that she always there with us. May we always come to Mary asking her to intercede for us with her Son.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
With Mother’s Day being this Sunday, I wanted to share this blog post written by Mary Bielski this week. Mary is a Catholic Youth Minister and national speaker. This is a good reminder not only for teens, but for adults as well.
On December 31st, I had the opportunity to preach on the feast of Mary, the Mother of God. My homily focused on the fact that a new year calls us to reflect, sort out, and understand – that our lives are fundamentally changed by Christ. I spoke of how Mary couldn’t help but ponder the drastic changes her son would bring to her life, and maybe even her world.
As all of us take the time to look back over the past year, and all those important days and events, can we see how God was present and active in all of them?
Then, I shared my list of the ten things that I learned in 2011. At the request of many, here is my list: Read More
Peace on the outside comes from knowing God on the inside - spreading the message that work and the circumstances of everyday life are opportunities for growing closer to God and serving others.