Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH Lk. 17: 7-10 “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants, we have done what we were obliged to do.’”
- Let us not be satisfied with doing only what we are obliged to do; rather, let us strive to become the saints God created us to be! These words are for every Catholic Christian who has vowed to leave worldliness behind and live in holiness of life as married, single, or religious, following in the footsteps of our loving Savior.
Part 1: Growth in Holiness by Saint Frances Xavier (Mother) Cabrini
Part 2: INSPIRING WORDS OF MARY MOST HOLY by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
PART 1: Growth in Holiness by Saint Frances Xavier (Mother) Cabrini
That dear, loving Redeemer has favored us with His loving gaze, removed us from the dense darkness of the world and introduced us into the house of His divine Heart, surrounding us with His admirable light.
As long as we are faithful to our vocation, Jesus is always in our midst and He inflames our hearts with great, divine love. Sometimes He will put our love and faith to the test, but, if we are faithful to our vow and pray to Him with trust, never forgetting that the source and cause of our joy is among us, He will very soon inundate us with light and heavenly joy. He will always be with us in our trials, walking with us and sustaining us. He Himself promised us, calling us to follow Him closely, and His Word will never fail.
Sometimes we may have to suffer along the way that leads to the holy mountain of perfection, but we will not be discouraged because whoever ignores the purpose of Christian suffering does not recognize and know what is great and wonderful in their days!
The science of suffering is the science of the saints. Let us then be glad when an unexpected cross presents itself, and we are afflicted with pain. These are choice fruits of the mystic vine, destined to bear inestimable merits for our souls. When you have to suffer, do not go about sighing like those who don’t know its value! Lift up your eyes and smile sweetly on what you suffer, which is like a field turning golden for the harvest. Those who know how to reap in this field will receive the reward.
With gentle sweetness always unite your suffering with that of Jesus. Then your travail, suffered for Jesus and His divine Heart, will become as many droplets immersed in the immense ocean of His Passion. In this manner, our tribulations and pains united to those of our beloved Jesus will become not only holy but divinized and worthy of eternal glory. In suffering for Jesus, we share in His riches so that graces for ourselves or for our mission to sanctify souls will never be lacking along our pilgrimage.
Be wise, then, and never waste sufferings by enduring them but with complaints, or in a worldly fashion, without a supernatural end. Reflect in every trial there is an admirable secret work of grace and the sweet chain of our predestination. End
Part 2: INSPIRING WORDS OF MARY MOST HOLY by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Lk. 6:45). These words were uttered by Jesus who is the Incarnate Word, the Logos, and the greatest of all the Teachers that the world has ever known! The essential message in the interpretation of this short sentence is the following: we can get to know who a person is by the words that issue from their mouth, because those words really issue forth from the center of their being—from their very heart. Ugly, profane, indecent, uncouth words all flow from a person’s bad heart. On the contrary, noble, profound, pure, enlightening, and holy words emanate from a person whose heart is pure, whose heart is holy.
THE WORDS OF MARY: WORDS OF HOLINESS, WISDOM, AND INSPIRATION. The four Gospels mostly recount the words, actions, and gestures of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It should be an ardent pursuit of our lifetime to come to know, love, and put into practice the words of Jesus in the Gospels which are the life of Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! Jesus is the way to the Father and the way to eternal life. Also of great importance are the words that we have of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sacred Scripture.
THE SEVEN WORDS/SAYINGS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. The words or sayings that we have of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Gospels are not many, actually no more than seven. Indeed, one of the words we do not know exactly what it was but we can conjecture. Nonetheless, the few words that we have of Mary most holy are words of great depth, holiness, and wisdom—words that we also should get to know, love, memorize, and incorporate into our daily lives.
FIRST WORD: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lk. 1:34) The context of this first Word of Mary is the Annunciation. Mary is approached by the Archangel Gabriel who announces to her the Good News that she is to be the Mother of God. Having made of a vow of virginity, Mary asks a clarifying question: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” God’s messenger states that the conception will be the work of the Holy Spirit, meaning Mary will remain a virgin. He also reveals that her elderly kinswoman, Elizabeth, is already in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible for God. A clear message for us today is the following: we should be faithful to our promises and try to live a life of great innocence and purity. This can be done through the example and prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary!
SECOND WORD: “Behold, I am the Handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your Word.” (Lk. 1:38) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us! This second Word of Mary, known in Latin as her FIAT, resulted in the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity in the most pure womb of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary is one Person—a Divine Person, with two natures—a Divine nature and a human nature. We can derive many profound messages from Mary’s Fiat or Yes. First, Mary teaches us that true joy can only come from imitating her in saying YES to God in all times, places, and circumstances. Second, we owe eternal gratitude to Mary because as a result of her YES, Jesus came into the world as our Savior. In other words, we can be saved and go to heaven because of the YES of Mary in accepting Jesus into her womb, into her life, and into the life of the world so as to save us from eternal sorrow, sadness, and separation from God. We owe an enormous THANKS for Mary’s YES!!!
THIRD WORD: MARY’S GREETING TO ELIZABETH. This third word of Mary can be found in the context of the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Saint Elizabeth. The Biblical text simply states that Mary greeted Elizabeth. (Lk. 1:40) We can surmise that the greeting consisted of the typical form of greeting of the Jewish people 2000 years ago, and that would be SHALOM—meaning: Peace be with you! How does this word of Mary touch us? Hopefully in many positive ways. First, we should be kind enough to always greet other people, especially family members and friends, but even those whom we do not particularly like. Second, we should desire and pray to live in peace with God, in peace within our own hearts, and in peace with others. Third, we should desire that others experience the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is Peace. One of the beautiful titles of Mary is QUEEN OF PEACE!!!
FOURTH WORD: THE MAGNFICAT OF MARY. These words are a most sublime, profound, and inspiring hymn of praise that burst forth from the Immaculate Heart of Mary during her conversation with Saint Elizabeth in the Joyful Mystery of the Visitation. Mary’s words are prayed by the Church every evening in Vespers or Evening prayer:
THE MAGNIFICAT…
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
For He has looked with favor on His lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed,
For the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name.
He has mercy on those who fear Him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of His arm,
He has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of His servant Israel,
for He has remembered His promise of mercy,
the promise He made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever. (Lk. 1:46-55)
Mary teaches us immense lessons of wisdom in her MAGNIFICAT. First, Mary teaches us the great importance of prayer. Second, the importance of fearing and adoring God in His greatness. Third, Mary teaches us humility and reliance on God as our strength and our sustenance. Finally, Mary most Holy, in this prayer, can teach us how to worship Jesus after Holy Communion in Mass. Saint Louis de Montfort, in True Devotion to Mary, suggests that we pray Mary’s Magnificat in thanksgiving after receiving Jesus into our hearts in Holy Communion!
FIFTH WORD OF MARY: JESUS FOUND IN THE TEMPLE. The fifth Word of Mary can be found in the context of the fifth Joyful Mystery, the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple after three days of sorrowful search, anxiety, and anguish. Mary says to the 12-year-old Child Jesus: “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you in great anxiety.” (Lk. 2:48) Once again, there is a treasure-house of wisdom contained in this short sentence, in these few words of the Blessed Virgin Mary. First, Mary teaches us to be constantly in search of Jesus. Second, Mary wants us to discover Jesus in the depths of our hearts. Third, Mary teaches us that if we have lost Jesus in the depths of our hearts due to serious sin, we should bring Him back through sorrow and the Sacrament of Confession. Lastly, we should discover who Jesus is by mediating often on the Word of God.
SIXTH WORD OF MARY: WEDDING FEAST OF CANA. The sixth word of Mary can be found in the context of the second Luminous Mystery—The Wedding Feast of Cana. (Jn. 2:1-12) Mary notices a serious and embarrassing problem for the newly married couple: the wine has run out! Mary says to Jesus: “They have no wine.” (Jn. 2:3) Even though no more than four words, there is much depth and matter to meditate upon in these words of Mary at the Wedding Feast of Cana. First, Mary’s eyes and Immaculate Heart are always open and attentive to our problems and our needs. Second, Mary teaches us to turn and lift up our eyes to Jesus. Third, Mary cares for all, but especially those with problems. Fourth, Mary wants to bless Marriage and the family which today especially are going through many crises and problems.
SEVENTH WORD OF MARY: WEDDING FEAST OF CANA. Aware of the shortage of wine and of the presence and power of Jesus the Lord, Mary says these few words as she turns to the servers: “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn. 2:5) Once again, these words of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which are the last recorded in the Gospels, are jam-packed with infinite wisdom for all those whose have a mind and heart open to God. First message, Mary turns to Jesus; she wants us always to turn to Jesus. Second, Mary is keenly aware of the problems that we have in our lives. Third, Mary ardently desires to help us with our problems. Fourth, Mary can help our water be transformed into wine—that is to say, through Mary’s intercession our problems can be resolved. Fifth, Mary is the Mediatrix of all graces—meaning all the graces that come to us indeed come from God, but through the intercession of Mary! Sixth and last, these last words of Mary might be considered the best advice in the world—do whatever Jesus wants and asks of us!!!
Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
