Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19th    Mk. 3: 1-6   “Then he said to the Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?’ But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his hand was restored.”

How willing are we to see a need and do what we can meet that need? Today, Fr. Ed gives us a meditation for self-examination and reflection.

TO SERVE IS TO REIGN; TO REIGN IS TO SERVE by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

We are building upon the solid structure of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Principle and Foundation: We were created to praise God, to reverence God, and to serve God, and by this means to save our soul. Jesus makes it very clear in Matthew 25 that whatever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do to Him! In other words, Principle and Foundation challenges us to go out of our comfort zone, to leave our security blanket behind, to step out of the boat into the cold water at the Lord’s command so that we can truly serve! May Mary, the humble servant of the Lord, assist us in our true vocation—the vocation that leads to heaven—the vocation of authentic service!

BIBLICAL REFERENCES ON THE VOCATIONAL CALL TO SERVE.

1. SATAN—THE ANTITHESIS OF SERVICE.  It must be said that Satan/Lucifer raised his voice in a clarion call of rebellion against the will of Almighty God with the resounding NO to obeying God—NON SERVIAM! I will not serve God. From which a battle ensued against the angels who due to their own free-will and determination decided that they would not serve God, obey God, or submit to His holy will. God marshalled forth Saint Michael the Archangel, the Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, whose name means who is like unto God. Those rebellious angels, transformed into hideous and horrendous devils, were expelled from heaven and cast into the fiery pit of hell. (Read Rev. 12 and Isaiah 14—the Fall of the Angels.) In sum, all of the tragedies started, and still start when there is a failure to serve God, a failure to obey God, a failure to submit one’s will to the will of our Lord God, our Father and Creator! Sometimes, due to concupiscence and the effects of Original Sin, we battle within our own divided heart to submit our will in obedience and service to our Heavenly Father.

2. OUR LADY’S YES TO GOD AND SERVICE.  There could not be a more marked and significant contrast than the NON SERVIAM of Lucifer/Satan and the YES of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As she listens to the invitation of the Archangel Gabriel to obey God, to submit her will to the will of God and to serve God, Mary gives her total consent to the will of the Heavenly Father and becomes, among her many beautiful titles, the Humble Servant of the Lord. Mary’s Yes to God to be His servant in all times and places radically transformed the world. Mary said to God through the intermediation of the Archangel Gabriel: “Behold, I am the handmaid (the servant) of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy will.” (Lk 1:38) As a result of Mary’s yes, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn 1:14) It is incumbent upon us, in imitation of Mary and her powerful intercession, to give our Yes to God in service; if this is done, we are truly living out Principle and Foundation in our lives in the realm of the universal call to service! May the example and prayers of Mary come to our aid!

2. SERVING IN TWO COMPLIMENTARY WAYS: MARTHA & MARY… (Lk 10:38-42)  At times Jesus would stop in Bethany to visit three of his good friends, two sisters and their brother: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus enjoyed their friendship immensely. On one occasion Jesus was in their home in Bethany, a town close to the city of Jerusalem, and Mary and Martha were present to Jesus but in two different ways. Martha was busy with the details of hospitality; we can imagine her cleaning, preparing the meal, the table, etc. Mary was simply sitting at the feet of Jesus. What was she doing? Listening to the words of Jesus, talking to Him, gazing at Jesus and simply loving the Lord as her Best-Friend. Tense, nervous and somewhat frustrated, Martha tells Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Jesus comes to the defense of Mary with these words: “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things; Mary for her part has chosen the only thing necessary and she will not be deprived of it.” (Lk 10:41-42)

With respect to our call to serve in our consideration of Principle and Foundation, this passage with Mary and Martha teaches us a very important lesson. Like Martha, we are called to serve Jesus and to serve others, very true!!! However, we should be very careful not to fall into the modern heresy of Activism, or as Pope Saint John Paul II called it Horizontalism, or as Pope Leo XIII termed it Americanism, or if you like, the danger of being transformed into the so called Workaholic! We must serve our brothers and sisters. However, we should never place serving them over giving God our first-fruits, giving God our best, giving God our all in this sense. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and then, Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Lk 10:27) In sum, while we are definitely called to serve our brothers and sisters, we are always to put God in the very center of our lives. Remember, as creatures of God we are first called to praise God, then comes our attitude and application of loving service!

3. MT 25: 31-46 OUR FINAL JUDGMENT—ON LOVE & SERVICE. HOW WILL YOU FARE???  Once again going deeper into the topic of service, we visit and meditate upon the last Parable that Jesus gives us in the Gospel of St. Matthew: “The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, also referred to as the “Last Judgment”. The Shepherd will separate the goats from the sheep, the goats on the left and the sheep on the right, the damned and the saved. Our final judgment and eternal destination will depend on our love for God manifested by the love that we show towards our brothers and sisters in need. Jesus could not speak with greater clarity: “Whatever you did for the least of these, that you did for me.” Examine your Principle and Foundation and the key term in this meditation SERVICE related to the way you are living out the classical Corporal Works of Mercy (one through six only). How do you fare? For Jesus, love and service are almost interchangeable! Examine your life!

1) “I was hungry and you gave me to eat…”  Have you fed the hungry at home or outside your home or anywhere where there has been an opportunity? Saint Mother Teresa, Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Katherine Drexel, Saint Alberto Hurtado, Saint John Bosco, Saint Joseph Cottolengo and countless other saints saw Jesus in the hungry. To live out Principle and Foundation on Service how can you feed the hungry?

2) “I was thirsty and you gave me to drink…”  From the cross, Jesus cried out: “I thirst!” At the well Jesus asked the Samaritan woman: “Give me to drink!” In the Parable of Dives and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31), the rich man Dives failed to give the poor man Lazarus food and drink, and consequently suffered the loss of his soul. Inscribed above the altars on the walls of the sisters of Mother Teresa, The Missionaries of Charity, are the words that Jesus uttered from the cross I THIRST! This Thirst can also be for love and attention. Mother Teresa saw and treated the whole person. How can you live out Principle and Foundation and Service by slaking the thirst of those around you?

3) “I was naked and you clothed me…”  Naked can be interpreted as lacking or in need of something. Many lack dignity, respect, learning and education, doctrine and catechism, knowledge of the faith. They are the lonely, the neglected, the forgotten, and those who literally lack proper food, clothing, housing, and medical care. What is your response to the cry of Jesus in the poor of the world? Remember that the conversion of Saint Martin of Tours was triggered by seeing a Roman soldier cutting in half and sharing his cape with a poor, half-naked, shivering man lying on the cold, hard ground! Pray over this: in what way can you alleviate the plight of the many naked of the world? This too is living out Principle and Foundation and our vocation or call to Service!

4) “I was a foreigner and you welcomed me…”  Jesus, Mary and Saint Joseph were foreigners; they were exiled and immigrants. Many of us are immigrants or come from parents or relatives who were immigrants. Remember the Golden Rule and the call to live out Principle and Foundation in Service—“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Mt 7:12) Jesus is present in these people: the immigrant, the ostracized, the insulted, the marginalized, the misunderstood, the deaf and the mute as far as society is concerned for they have no voice. Remember the words of Jesus, our Lord, God and Savior: “The Son of man has not come to be served, but to SERVE and to give his life in ransom for many.” (Mt 20:28) We will be judged on the way we treat and serve others in imitation of the Lord Jesus, our model.

5) “I was sick and you visited me.”  We all know from personal experience how difficult it truly is to suffer. We all know from experience how challenging and hard it is to be sick. Many of us know how hard it is to spend time, days or maybe weeks in a hospital bed. But at the same time, we all know how consoling, comforting, encouraging, and supportive it is when God places a Good Samaritan in our path to help us in our sickness. A kind word, a warm smile, an extended hand for a handshake or a warm hug, a fervent prayer—all of these are gestures that can lift us from the valley of tears and darkness to the mountain-peak of hope. By visiting the sick, caring for the sick, you are living out Principle and Foundation in the realm of Service! “To serve is to reign and to reign is to serve.”

6) “I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen on one occasion made a visit to a Prison. He had the opportunity to talk to close to 1000 inmates. He made this startling comment: “We are all prisoners in one way or another. The only difference between you prisoners and me is that you got caught and I did not!” What the saintly Archbishop was really saying was the fact that all of us are sinners, all of us are at times prisoners of our own moral slaveries. The fact that we are not incarcerated in some County Jail or prison is the grace of God. Saint Philip Neri, seeing a man lying in the gutters of Rome commented: “There go I save the grace of God.” Saint Therese, the Little Flower, commented with great humility: “The only reason why I did not commit the most heinous of crimes was because God cleared the path for me.” She went on to say that we are all capable of the most heinous of crimes if God’s grace did not sustain us, support us and protect us!

Let us take a step back and look at our life, our social milieu, those people that God placed in our path—those who helped us, possibly some who led us astray, and perhaps some we led astray. Let us give thanks to God for His graces that protected us and beg His forgiveness where we failed Him and others. Let us beg for the grace now to recognize those who are really in PRISON… those who are a slave to some vice: drinking, porn, drugs, gambling and casinos, compulsive buying or eating. These are the modern prisoners; they are prisoners and slaves of their own passions, of their own sins. With respect to Principle and Foundation and once again Service, what can you do to help these people? What can you do to set the captives free? Recognizing we also are that captive to some greater or lesser degree!

May the Lord Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints help us to look into our lives and become aware of the many opportunities that God offers us to serve Him in those we meet, those we live with, those we work with, those that we bump shoulders with. These people are really Jesus in disguise!

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18th    Mk. 2: 23-28   Jesus said:  “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

“The sabbath was made for man….” The primary purpose of the Sabbath, or Sunday, is to unite ourselves wholly with the Person of Jesus Christ—Our Lord and Savior—in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the most Holy Eucharist! How wonderful that Jesus endlessly offers Himself, making a gift of Himself to the Father and to us!

It is profitable to reflect more in depth on this sacrifice of Love! From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

CCC 1366 The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit: [Christ], our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer himself to God the Father by his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting redemption. But because his priesthood was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper “on the night when he was betrayed,” [he wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for all on the cross would be re-presented, its memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit.

CCC 1367 The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: “The victim is one and the same: the same now offered through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.” “And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner… this sacrifice is truly propitiatory.”

TEN WAYS THE EUCHARIST CAN INCREASE HOLINESS IN US by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

All of us were created to make it to Heaven, and all of us should have an ardent desire to arrive there safely. In this essay we would like to present the short-cut, or if you like, the easiest way to make it to Heaven.

Making frequent and heroic sacrifices, trying and finishing novenas, making long and arduous pilgrimages, fasting Fridays (and even on Wednesdays), giving up sweets, cookies and even our favorite television program—all of the above are most noble practices and are to be encouraged as steps in the right direction in our ardent pursuit of holiness and desire for Heaven.

However, despite these most noble efforts on our part, there is still something lacking that could pave our path smoothly on the highway to holiness. This is the key and the shortcut to holiness, to true happiness, and to heavenly bliss: fervently receiving Holy Communion! 

By far, the greatest gesture that a person can do is to receive Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. However, there are many unhelpful ways that we can receive Jesus in Holy Communion, such as poorly, distracted, with little love and fervor, without any preparation and without thanksgiving, in a mediocre and lukewarm fashion, or worse yet, sacrilegiously, which means receiving in a state of mortal sin.

Every time we receive the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion we should desire to receive Him better and better until we make it to heaven.

Therefore, we will offer ten practical suggestions on how we can improve our reception of Holy Communion so as to make huge strides in our pursuit of holiness and eventually arrive at our eternal destiny: Heaven!

1. Faith

First and foremost, we must strengthen our faith in the reality of Jesus truly present in the most Holy Eucharist. If we do not cultivate our faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the consecrated Host that we call the Eucharist, then it is possible to eventually lose our faith altogether.

If we do not use our faith, we will lose it. Therefore, we should make this Biblical prayer, our prayer—Lord, strengthen my faith.

2. Purity Through Confession

Our soul can be compared to a window pane. How easy it is for a window pane to become sullied from the dust and dirt? It is even easier for our soul to become sullied due to sin. A good confession cleanses our souls and makes us more worthy and better disposed to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. Receiving important guests is preceded by house-cleaning; likewise, before receiving Jesus—the Guest of our soul—we should apply ourselves to spiritual house cleaning, which means a good confession.

3. Arrive Early for Mass

It might appear to be obvious, but arriving late for Mass can greatly damage the efficacy of our reception of Jesus, the Eucharistic Lord. For movies, sports events, graduation ceremonies, even restaurants and dining engagements, we all make an effort to arrive at least a few minutes early. Yet, when we are dealing with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where we encounter Jesus, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, we can be most flippant and nonchalant, arriving late without any qualms of conscience.

Let us be disciplined and arrive at least ten minutes early for Mass. Athletes arrive early before sports events to warm up; we should arrive early for Mass to shake the dust from our minds and hearts so as to enter into the spiritual milieu and assume a contemplative mode.

4. Dress Modestly

It has to be said, due to an onslaught of paganism, that at all times we should dress according to the dignity of who we really are, sons and daughters of God and ambassadors of Christ. However, most especially this should be the case upon entering God’s sanctuary, drawing close to our three times holy God in the Tabernacle! Our dress is indicative of who we are, who we represent, and who we are to receive in Holy Mass.

5. Offer Your Own Intentions

In most Parish Masses there is a specific intention for whom the priest offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. However, this does not negate the fact that we can offer our own personal intentions and these intentions can be countless. What could be some of the intentions we might offer?  We will suggest three.

6. Souls in Purgatory

We can never go wrong in offering prayers, fasting, sacrifices, alms, but most especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the souls in Purgatory, especially the abandoned souls in Purgatory. These souls are saved, but must be purified of the sins for which they did not offer sufficient prayer, penance, and almsgiving as expiation in this life.

In the Divine economy of salvation, God utilizes our prayers, Mass intentions and Holy Communions to help the souls in Purgatory arrive at total perfection of love and so arrive safely home in Heaven.

7. Conversion of Sinners

One of the most urgent desires of Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Lourdes was that we offer up prayers and sacrifices for the conversion and salvation of sinners. By far there is no greater sacrifice that we can offer than to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and our Holy Communions for the conversion of sinners and their eternal salvation!

8. Personal Conversion

The first person on our list of sinners should be ourselves! All of us are in dire need of conversion. In a certain sense, every time we receive Holy Communion—the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ—we can really receive a spiritual heart transplant. In every Holy Communion we receive the total Christ, and that of course includes His Most Sacred Heart. May every reception of Holy Communion transform our hearts into the Sacred Heart of Jesus!

9. Reception of Holy Communion

The way we receive Holy Communion is of paramount importance. Our exterior comportment should be of the greatest reverence: our hands should be folded and receiving Holy Communion should be preceded by some act of reverence.

However, another key secret to receiving most fervent and fruitful Holy Communions is to beg Our Lady to give us her Immaculate Heart so as to receive her Son Jesus with great faith, love, fervor and devotion. Nobody ever received Jesus with greater love than His Mother, Mary most holy!

10. Thanksgiving

Last but not least, a word on the importance of thanksgiving after receiving Holy Communion. The minutes after receiving Jesus in Holy Communion are the most important minutes in our lives! That is the time in which we have the Creator of the entire universe within the very depths of our heart, mind and soul! We should spend some quality time in thanksgiving after we receive the Eucharistic Lord.

We can simply close our eyes and tell Jesus that we love Him. We can pour out our hearts in thanksgiving. Or if we like, we can become like a beggar and implore the Lord for all that we need or what others might need. At times, we might even like to tell the Lord that we’re sorry for the times we have failed Him in the past. Finally, we might simply tell the Lord what is on our mind: our fears and insecurities, our plans and projects, and beg the Lord for His help and blessing. Blessed Pope Paul VI, in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus, stated that an excellent way to express thanksgiving after Mass could be the recitation of the most Holy Rosary.

And so we conclude our humble invitation to all to pursue holiness using a shortcut by means of striving with all the energy of our heart, mind and soul to receive Jesus in Holy Communion with fervor, devotion and love through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Memorial of Saint Anthony. Abbot

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

MONDAY, JANUARY 17th    Mk. 2: 18-22   “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?”

We meet the Bridegroom in the pages of the Gospels. We receive the Bridegroom in every Holy Communion. We adore Him exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. We will meet Him face to face when we enter heaven.

Some few are blessed to close their eyes on earth and open them in Heaven to be received in the arms of their Loving Lord and Savior Jesus. Others of us will spend time in Purgatory and who will be there to visit us and bring us some relief? Our loving Mother Mary!

Mary, the humble handmaid of the Lord! “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Today let us see how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exalted Mary, the Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and our loving Mother!

MARY AS QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

When Christopher Columbus went to Queen Isabela about travel to the New World, the powerful Queen endowed him with three gifts, three powerful means of transport, huge ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

The Queen had power, prestige, and almost limitless economic resources, and she willingly decided to give the sailor and his crew three enormous vessels to facilitate the long voyage to what was considered the “New World”.

The last of the Ships was actually named to honor the person that we would like to honor in a special way in our exposition—Santa Maria—Holy Mary—that is to say, Mary, the Mother of God.

The titles given to Mary, the Mother of God, are many. Like a diamond exposed to the sun, through the process of refraction various colors emanate and radiate from the diamond, so it is with respect to Marian titles. Each title reflects some resplendent glory of Mary. In the words of Saint Louis de Montfort: Mary is the Daughter of God the Father, she is the Mother of God the Son, and she is the Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Also, Mary is the Masterpiece of God’s creation.

One of the most exalted and sublime titles given to Mary is that of MARY AS QUEEN. Now if an earthly Queen, like that of Queen Isabel, could enrich Columbus with three majestic and powerful ships to cross over to the New World, how much more powerful is Mary, who is the Queen of Heaven and earth, the Queen of the entire universe.

In the traditional Litany of the Blessed Virgin, among the many Biblical, Mystical, and Poetic titles attributed to Mary are those related to her Queenship. And there are many, manifesting the diversity, multiplicity and richness of Mary’s relationship to the angels as their Queen. In the traditional Litany there are twelve in total… They are the following:

1. Queen of angels; 2. Queen of Patriarchs; 3. Queen of prophets; 4. Queen of Apostles; 5. Queen of martyrs; 6. Queen of Confessors; 7. Queen of virgins; 8. Queen of all saints; 9. Queen conceived without Original Sin; 10. Queen assumed into Heaven; 11. Queen of the most Holy Rosary; 12. Queen of peace. Two others could be added: Queen, beauty of Carmel, and Queen of all of our hearts.

No doubt Mary’s Queenship is universal, all-embracing, extensive and indeed sublime. Let us meditate briefly on these Marian titles related to Mary as QUEEN. Be keenly aware of the immense power that Mary has in heaven, on earth, and in the wide expanse of the world, in time and extending into eternity.

1. QUEEN OF ANGELS.  Contemplate Heaven and all of the angels, from the simple angels, the choirs of angels, to the highest rank of angels, the Seraphim, honoring Mary as their Queen for all eternity.

2. QUEEN OF THE PATRIARCHS.   By the word Patriarch is meant our spiritual Fathers… Mary is Queen even of our spiritual Fathers. In the Old Testament they would be Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Saint Joseph is indeed a spiritual Father. Also, in Patristics, we have the Fathers of the Church among which would be: St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and St. Gregory the Great. These great men of God lift up their gaze to Mary and honor her as their Queen.

3. QUEEN OF PROPHETS.  By Prophet is meant the person who preaches the Word of God. In the Old Testament, Elijah would be one of the most prominent. John the Baptist, who was sanctified in his mother’s womb by the word of Mary and the presence of the Incarnate Jesus in her womb, was the greatest of all the Prophets. Mary teaches the Prophets to preach by word, but also by the example of her life.

4. QUEEN OF APOSTLES.  Jesus chose the Apostles as His intimate friends and preachers of the Gospel message. Jesus would ascend into heaven but leave His Mother Mary to pray for, as well as assist, accompany, support and strengthen the Apostles in their work of saving souls. Now the Apostles in Heaven contemplate Mary as their Queen, whom they honor with the greatest of reverence and love.

5. QUEEN OF MARTYRS.  Mary did not shed her blood as Jesus did on Calvary, but Mary suffered intensely in her soul. When the lance pierced the side and Heart of Jesus from which blood and water came gushing forth, that lance spiritually pierced to the very depths, the Heart of Mary. For that reason, according to St. Alphonsus, Mary is given the title of Martyr. What Jesus suffered in His Body; Mary suffered in the depths of her soul.

6. QUEEN OF CONFESSORS.  By confessor is not meant simply the priest hearing confessions and reconciling sinners, but rather a confessor is a person who valiantly confesses their faith by word and deed. Our Lady as Queen inspires men and women of all ages to be valiant confessors of their faith, even children, as we see in the children of Fatima and St. Bernadette of Lourdes.

7. QUEEN OF VIRGINS.  The history of the lives of the saints points out with utmost clarity that to attain a life of great purity, the presence of Mary with her powerful prayers and intercession is a key motivating force. Saint Faustina was endowed with the gift of perfect chastity by Jesus giving her the sash of purity, but only after this saint had been begging Mary for a long time for this great gift. Mary, Queen of Virgins, can help us to live out the Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God.” (Mt 5:8)

8. QUEEN OF ALL SAINTS.  Saint Dominic Savio, after he had died and gone to heaven, appeared to Saint John Bosco and said that his greatest joy while on earth was his great and tender love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. The young saint exhorted Bosco to promote love for Mary far and wide.

9. QUEEN CONCEIVED WITHOUT ORIGINAL SIN.  Among the many privileges granted to Mary is that of her Immaculate Conception. That is to say: Mary was conceived in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, without the stain of Original Sin. As the English poet Wordsworth penned (even though he was not Catholic), “Mary is our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” Those who approach Mary as Queen, distance themselves from the poison of sin—the one true evil in the world!

10. QUEEN ASSUMED INTO HEAVEN.  Another one of the Marian dogmas and privileges is that of Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, which the Church celebrates every year on August 15th. The meaning? At the end of Mary’s earthly pilgrimage on earth, Mary was taken up into Heaven in body and soul by the power of God. This title encourages all those dedicated and consecrated to Mary to respect their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit and to use their bodies, not for sin, but to glorify and praise God, and to save souls.

11. QUEEN OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY.  When Our Lady appeared to the children of Fatima—Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta—six consecutive times, each time she told them to continue praying the Holy Rosary every day. She gave us her title in Fatima as OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY!!! Every Rosary prayed is a crown placed on the head of Mary.

12. QUEEN OF PEACE.  Once again, Our Lady appeared at Fatima during the First World War. She said unequivocally that war is a consequence of sin. That to stop wars we would have to strive to stop sinning and pray more, especially the Holy Rosary. In the immortal words of the Rosary-priest, Ven. Father Patrick Peyton: “The family that prays, together, stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”

In conclusion, an earthly King or Queen has much power. This power extends to the economy, the social milieu, the family, arts and music, literature and poetry, as well as military defense. Queen Isabel bequeathed Columbus with three enormous and majestic ships to sail to the New World.

In the spiritual realm, Mary has many beautiful titles as prayed in her Litany. Her power, her dominion, her presence, her majestic aura are beyond compare to any earthly King or Queen. Indeed, she is the Daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and the Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit. She is the living Tabernacle of the Blessed Trinity. God can deny nothing to Mary, Queen and Mother, nothing in the least. Even all the devils in hell tremble simply at the Holy Name of Mary.

Let us resolve then to form the habit of praying fervently the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and at times let us focus on the various invocations to Mary as QUEEN.

Let us pray:

May Mary who is the Beauty of Carmel enrapture our hearts, minds and souls by her beauty and grace. And let us beg for the very special grace that Mary will be the Queen of all hearts, but most especially, the Queen of your heart and my heart!

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16th    Jn. 2: 1-11   “His mother said to the servers, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’”

For all of our lives, this is the best advice possible from our Blessed Mother Mary regarding her Son Jesus: “Do whatever He tells you.”

This was the first miracle performed by Jesus, who said to His Mother: “My hour has not yet come.” Though no words were spoken, Mary knew He would not refuse this request of charity! Father Ed breaks open this key scripture passage with Mary’s last words recorded in the Gospels.

MARY AND THE WEDDING FEAST OF CANA by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV       

Try to imagine now that you are at a wedding Feast in Cana. You are present with Jesus, Mary, and some of the Apostles.

The environment is festive, joyful and peaceful as you can imagine in most weddings. The Bride and Groom have true love for each other and are hoping and praying for the best for their future. The couple know Our Lady, her Son Jesus, and some of Jesus’ friends, the Apostles, and we can imagine them being there to share in the joy of the wedding feast.

Then, amidst the joy, there is a crisis at the wedding that will speak to all of us who have attended a wedding. Wine was a key element of the wedding celebration, but for some reason the wine came to an end. This indeed would be very embarrassing to have friends and relatives show up for the celebration and the couple now unable to offer them at least a small glass of wine.

Being keenly aware of the environment, the celebration, the situation, and the ensuing embarrassment, Our Lady reacts to help. Our Lady desires the joy and happiness of this couple on their wedding day and she will try to make their joy secure. Mary turns to Jesus and tells Him that they have no more wine. Jesus responds by saying that His hour has not yet arrived. Mary and Jesus are united in all times and circumstances, in heart, mind and soul. Mary turns to the waiters and tells them: “Do whatever He tells you.” These were the last words recorded of Mary in the Gospels, in all of Sacred Scripture. We can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that these words contain the best advice in the whole world. Mary was saying to the waiter, as well as to the whole world, to obey Jesus in all things!

A first joyful miracle!

As a result of Mary’s powerful intercession, Jesus performs His first public miracle at the Wedding Feast of Cana, thereby preventing a very embarrassing situation on the wedding day of this young couple.

The Apostles witness this and their faith in Jesus grows.

Let us now go deeper into this mystery of the first Public Miracle of Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, and let God speak to our own hearts, minds and souls. Let us beg for the grace to know Jesus, love Jesus, and follow Jesus all the more closely through the presence and intercession of Mary, the Mother of God and our own dear Mother. To help, we’d like to offer five suggestions for meditation on Mary, Our Lord, and this miracle at Cana and what we can learn from this wonderful episode in scripture.

1. Mary leads us to Jesus.

We learn a very clear lesson in the Wedding Feast of Cana: Mary leads us to Jesus. There was never anybody on earth as close to Jesus as Mary. Therefore, if I want to get closer to Jesus, to know Him better, love Him more ardently and follow Him more closely, I should turn to Mary. Talk to Mary with a lot of love and confidence, and beg her for the grace to know Jesus better. Mary begged Jesus’ intercession, and then directed others to follow Our Lord, so that they could continue to experience joy.

2. Mary obtains joy for us.

The wedding feast was a joyous occasion and Mary was there. Mary wants you to be joyful in this life and forever joyful in heaven. True joy comes from sharing our lives with Jesus and Mary. All people in the world want to be happy, but many are not because they are looking for happiness in the wrong places—often in sin, separated from Jesus and Mary.

3. Mary helps us to solve our problems.

At the Wedding Feast of Cana a serious problem occurred—they ran out of wine. It was through Mary’s intercession with Jesus that this problem was resolved, quickly and easily. Our life is full of problems, from the beginning until the end. Often, when we try to resolve our problems on our own, our problems get worse and worse. Our problems snowball or we get tangled up in our problems.

One of the titles for Mary is Undoer of Knots. Knots, here, mean problems. We all have knotty problems in our lives. Our Lady can help us, she earnestly desires to help us, but she is waiting for us to ask her. What type of problems might we have? Tons of them! Some of these might be yours: problems within your family or with extended family, problems at work with a boss or co-worker, financial headaches, maybe even a health issue—your own or that of a family member. Look at your life and beg Our Lady to help you to see the biggest problem that you are experiencing right now. Talk to Our Lady about this. Through her intercession, Jesus turned water into wine at Cana. She can intercede for you with Jesus to turn your water (problem) into wine (a solution to the problem).

4. Miracles can happen.

This was the first miracle that Jesus performed and it was through Mary’s presence and intercession. Because of this powerful miracle, the faith of the Apostles in Jesus was strengthened. Beg Our Lady to strengthen your own faith in Jesus every day! Faith is believing in Jesus truly present in our lives without seeing Him. Pray that you never lose your faith. Pray that you will grow in your faith daily. Pray for the grace to be able to share your faith with others who have either lost their faith or never had it. One of the best ways to grow in our faith is to generously share it with others!

5. Marriage and Courtship

This Biblical passage took place in the context of a marriage. Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote a book called “Three to Get Married”—a great book to read if you are contemplating married life and even if you are already married! If you are married, do not be surprised if at times you find your love is waning. Turn to Mary! She will ask Jesus to be present in your marriage and turn your water into wine, so your love for each other will grow and continue to grow as the years pass. If you are single and feel called to married life, it is very important to pray that God will help you choose the right person, one who will share your life with you and help you get to heaven! By far, this will be the most important decision in your whole life.

Now imagine now that you are sitting in front of both Jesus and Mary in this wonderful wedding banquet. Contemplate the eyes, the faces and the beauty of Jesus and Mary. For those who are married, beg Mary and Jesus for the grace to live your vocation of marriage with great love for God, each other, and the children God sends you. If you are still discerning your vocation, beg Mary and Jesus for the grace to know what your vocation in life is and to follow it faithfully until you arrive safely home in heaven.

Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15th    Mk. 2: 13-17   “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Saturday is the day set aside to show our love and devotion for Mary! All that Jesus suffered in His Body to repair for our sins, Mary suffered in her Immaculate Heart for love of us! Fr. Ed gives us a powerful meditation to express our love for our loving Mother!

CONSOLING THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

After Jesus, nobody loves us more than Mary in her most pure Immaculate Heart. Also, with the exception of the sufferings of Jesus, there is nobody on earth who has suffered more than Mary.

THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY.  The Church invites us to contemplate the Passion of Jesus through the eyes and Heart of Mary. Classically, there are Seven Sorrows of Mary. Especially the Franciscans have a charism for promoting this powerful devotion. These seven sorrows start when Jesus is a little baby in the arms of Mary, up through Jesus’ scourged, bloody, sword-pierced Body in the arms of Mary at the foot of the cross, if you like, the Pieta of Michelangelo! Followed by His burial.

THE CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE SORROWS OF MARY.  The following is an orderly, chronological listing of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, from the Infancy of Jesus up to His death and laying in the arms of Mary, concluding with His burial.

1. Prophecy of Simeon—A sword will pierce your heart!

2. Flight into Egypt—Herod in pursuit to kill the Child Jesus.

3. Jesus Lost in the Temple—Mary’s sorrow in losing Jesus for three days!

4. Mary Meets Jesus on the Way up Calvary—Mary’s eyes meet the eyes of Jesus as He carries His cross up Calvary.

5. Crucifixion of Jesus—Mary stands at the foot of the cross witnessing the crucifixion of her Beloved Son.

6. Lowering of Jesus into Mary’s Arms—Now dead, the lifeless Body of Jesus is lowered into the arms of His Mother, Mary.

7. Burial of Jesus—Separation of Jesus and Mary with the burial of Jesus.

In each one of these Seven Sorrows of Mary, we are invited to enter into the mind, soul, and Heart of Mary to experience at least some of Mary’s sorrow, and then to console her. If we truly love a person, we want to share our life with that person, in good times and in bad, in health and in sickness, in riches and in poverty, until death do we part (marriage promises). Our love for Jesus and Mary should far transcend our love on a human and natural level. As the Song of Songs expresses it:  Love is stronger than death.

Therefore, we will offer some concrete means by which we can contemplate the sorrows of Mary and at the same time offer her our consolation. The lover rejoices with the beloved, but is also willing to weep and suffer with the pains and sorrows of the beloved.

1.  THE PROPHECY OF SIMEON.  “A sword of sorrow will pierce your heart so that the thoughts of many may be revealed.”

A concrete way in which you can console the Heart of Mary in this contemplation would be to go to confession in honor of Mary. Mary’s powerful prayers and presence will attain for you the grace to examine your conscience and reveal your inmost secrets of conscience to the priest, who represents Jesus. The end result will be absolution, forgiveness, and re-birth into a life of grace. Mary, whose title is the full of grace, rejoices every time you open up your mind, heart, and soul to Jesus’ Mercy in Confession.

2.  THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.  “Saint Joseph got up and taking the Mother and the Child fled into Egypt.”

How can you console the Heart of Mary in this painful sorrow? We all live in perpetual spiritual combat, spiritual warfare. You can console the Heart of Mary by imitating good Saint Joseph in fleeing from moral evil—called temptation to sin. When you are tempted to sin, run to Mary; throw yourself into the arms of Mary; seek refuge in the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She is your sure refuge!

3.  LOSING AND FINDING JESUS IN THE TEMPLE.  After three days of sorrowful searching, Mary and Saint Joseph find Jesus in the temple listening to and teaching the Jewish teachers.

What might be a concrete application of this third sorrow of Mary? Many mothers and fathers over the past fifty years have lost their children spiritually. That is to say, despite the hard efforts of parents, children still wander from the faith, no longer assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and worse still, willfully choose a sinful lifestyle. Just as Jesus was lost and Mary suffered excruciating pains, so do parents suffer intensely at the moral and spiritual loss of their children, whom they love so much! Like Saint Monica and the eventual conversion of Saint Augustine, why not pray, and pray, and especially many Rosaries so that your lost and wandering prodigal sons and daughters, these lost sheep of the fold, will return. In other words, through the Holy Rosary, place these children in the Heart of Mary.

4.  JESUS MEETS MARY ON THE WAY OF THE CROSS. 

As Jesus climbs Calvary on the way to His crucifixion, He meets His Mother Mary. A concrete manner in which to console Mary is to imitate Jesus in carrying your crosses. However, with this important stipulation: share your crosses with Mary first. The mere presence of Mary contemplating Jesus with the cross on His shoulders, consoled Jesus. Dig deep into your heart so as to identify your biggest cross, as well as your smaller ones. Then bring these crosses to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Imitating a little child in the arms of their mother, talk to Mary about these crosses. She is very interested in helping you carry your crosses with faith, trust, and love. Often your crosses seem overwhelming; they are just too heavy, thorny, and splintery to carry because you are trying to carry them by yourself, without inviting Mary to help you! We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

5.  JESUS SUFFERS AND DIES ON THE CROSS—WITH MARY AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS. 

In this most painful mystery of the crucifixion, passion, suffering, and death of Jesus, Mary—Our Lady of Sorrows was present the whole time. Jesus spoke from the cross to John and Mary: “‘Woman behold thy son; son behold thy mother.’ From that time on, the disciple took her into his home.”(Jn 19:26-27) In that moment Jesus gave Mary—in the person of Saint John—to the world as the universal spiritual Mother, as your Mother. Your way to console Mary in this mystery? Imitate Saint Juan Diego and the little boy in the movie Marcelino, pan y vino (Miracle of Marcelino). In what way? Very simple: be like a small child and tell Mary everything that is happening in your life. Trust totally and unreservedly in the Maternal Presence and Heart of your loving Mother.

6.  JESUS PLACED IN THE ARMS OF MARY. 

The artist Michelangelo depicted this masterfully in the famous Pieta. The film producer, Mel Gibson, presented this in the movie The Passion of the Christ in a most powerful and moving fashion. How can we console the Heart of Mary? To love Jesus is to love Mary; they are inseparable! The suffering Body of Jesus is present in His Mystical Body, the Church. In a most powerful and special way, the Body of Christ comes to us in the greatest of all the Sacraments, the most Holy Eucharist within the context of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The greatest single gesture that we can do on the face of the earth is to receive Jesus, the Son of Mary, in Holy Communion. Therefore, a superb way in which we can console the Heart of Mary is to pray to receive Jesus in Holy Communion through Mary’s most pure and Immaculate Heart. Nobody ever received Jesus with greater love than the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

7.  JESUS TAKEN FROM MARY AND BURIED IN THE TOMB. 

In this last of the seven sorrows, we witness the separation of Jesus and Mary when Jesus is placed in the tomb and buried. Without a doubt, one of the best ways we can console and rejoice the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary is to beg Mary for the grace to die daily to sin—the greatest evil that exists! Then, of greatest importance, beg Mary for the grace of a holy and happy death. By constantly praying to Mary the Hail Mary and the Holy Rosary, with Mary’s help we are preparing ourselves for the most important moment in our life: the very moment that we die! This will determine our eternal destiny—eternal salvation or eternal loss. We trust that through Mary’s prayers we will attain eternal salvation. May this be our prayer every night, and the moment we die: 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, make my heart like unto thine. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I breathe forth my soul unto thee. O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!