Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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

MONDAY, May 31st   Lk. 1:39-56   FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY   “Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.”

• A joyful Feast reminding us that authentic love for Jesus and Mary will move us to love and serve our neighbor. For we are all sons and daughters of our heavenly Father, brothers and sisters of Christ, with Mary as our Mother.  

10 BEAUTIFUL THINGS ABOUT THE VISITATION by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV                   

Mary is model, teacher, guide, inspiration, our life, our sweetness and our hope to all who raise their eyes to her with love. In the beautiful prayer of Saint Bernard, the Memorare, we pray with confidence: “Remember, O gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection was left unaided.”

May is the month of Mary and it concludes with one of the most beautiful Marian Feast days— the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Saint Elizabeth. Many superb spiritual lessons can be learned from this Marian gem, which is also the 2nd Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. Let us descend into this “Spiritual gold mine” and grab on to the excellent treasures.

1. CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ANNUNCIATION AND VISITATION.  The last part of the prior mystery— the Annunciation/Incarnation— ends with Mary’s “Fiat”— that is to say Mary’s “Yes” to God. The exact words are: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk. 1:38) In that moment, one of the most sublime moments in the history of the world took place: the Incarnation of the Son of God. That is to say, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity descended from His heavenly throne and became Incarnate (man) in the most pure womb of the Virgin Mary! In rapt awe, we humbly adore this sublime mystery!

2. COMMUNION AND FRATERNAL CHARITY.  Mary did not keep the “Gift” of Jesus to herself, but went in haste to share the gift with others. She started an 80 kilometer journey, traveling uphill to Ain Karim to visit her cousin Elizabeth and also to help her in her need. Pope Benedict XVI in his Apostolic Exhortation “Sacramentum Caritatis” insists that Mass and Holy Communion must transform us into ardent missionaries who bring the Good News of Jesus to the whole world!

3. IN HASTE.  Mary did not procrastinate, put off, delay, make excuses, rationalize or justify postponing her trip; rather, she followed the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and moved immediately. Lesson! Upon receiving good inspirations from the Holy Spirit, we should be both docile and prompt to respond!

4.  TRAVEL WITH MARY AND TALK TO HER.  Enter into an Ignatian contemplative scene and imagine traveling with Mary. Notice her joy, her quick pace, her awareness of Jesus within her, her determination to carry out God’s will despite the possible obstacles—all of these make up your long trek to Ain Karim with Mary. Admire her majesty, but also be inspired by her humility and simplicity. During this long journey together, open up your heart and talk to Mary about what is going on in your life. Why not even tell her what is most heavy on your heart! Mary is the best of listeners!

5.  EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION.  Remember! The little Jesus is already present in the womb of Mary. Therefore, as you travel, remember that this indeed is a “Eucharistic Procession” — a Corpus Christi procession! Mary always wants to draw us closer to Jesus! Her last words at the wedding Feast of Cana were: “Do whatever He tells you!” (Lk. 2:5) Great advice! Beg for the grace to have a greater faith, love, and devotion towards Jesus truly present in the Eucharist!

6.  JOY!  This is the 2nd Joyful Mystery.  Being with Jesus and Mary is the true and authentic source of joy. Mary’s canticle, her Magnificat, emphasizes this truth: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!” (Lk. 1:46-47) May we always seek joy in this authentic source: JESUS THE LORD!

7.  GREETING!  Most likely, Mary greeted Elizabeth with the typical Jewish greeting, SHALOM— peace be with you! Our homes, families, communities, groups, parishes, activities, should be characterized by a “Shalom” atmosphere. A warm, welcoming, and inviting milieu should be created. An essential note of apostolic effectiveness is that of creating this warm and welcoming environment. Mary teaches us this by her greeting!

8.  BABY JOHN LEAPS FOR JOY!  At the sound of Mary’s greeting the infant John leapt for joy in the womb of Saint Elizabeth! What is happening here? Jesus, even before being born, is acting as Redeemer by freeing His cousin John from the bondage of Original Sin. Message! Contact with Jesus and Mary through prayer undoubtedly will serve as a powerful means to diminish the grip of sin upon us and to eventually shatter the binding force and slavery of sin. Sin indeed is slavery and Jesus and Mary came to give us true freedom, the freedom of the sons and daughters of God! “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

9.  PRO-LIFE PASSAGE “PAR EXCELLENCE!”  Both of these women in the modern society could be candidates for abortion. Why? One was very young, Mary; whereas, the other was very old, Elizabeth. However, both women had an infinite trust in God’s Divine Providence, and Elizabeth gave birth to the great Saint John the Baptist and Mary to JESUS, THE SON OF GOD! By our meditation on the mystery of the Visitation, at all times may we be staunch defenders of human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. God is the author and origin of life and only He has the right to take life to Himself!

10.  MARY AND ACTIVE SERVICE.  Love for God cannot limit itself to words, but must manifest itself in actions, in service, in seeing Jesus truly present in others! Not only did Mary greet Elizabeth, but she also actively served her aged, pregnant cousin in her need! With a little bit of imagination (Ignatian Contemplation), we can picture Mary and accompany her in active service! 

What might have been some of the activities that Mary would have carried out with joy and love? Walking to the well to get water— no running water back then! Sweeping the dust and dirt from the humble home—no vacuum cleaners 2000 years ago! Washing and hanging clothes out to dry— no expensive washing machines and dryers to quicken the work. Cooking and baking preparing the meals, setting the table, washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen after eating—there was no Burger King, Pizza-Hut, or KFC available! Nor were there overflowing refrigerators to be checked and emptied of the waste every week!  

All of these humble, domestic chores Mary would have carried out with the greatest love and attention to aid her cousin Elizabeth. Remember! Holiness does not depend on the greatness of the act, but in the great love that accompanies every action— even if it appears to be small and insignificant in the eyes of the world. The secret of the sanctity of Saint Therese and Mary in the mystery of the Visitation, is to do the ordinary things of daily life with extraordinary love! That is sanctity!

In conclusion, let us contemplate the life, words, gestures, and actions of Mary, most holy, especially in the Mystery of the Visitation, and be motivated to translate our contemplative life into active service of our brothers and sisters, who are really Jesus Christ! “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.” (Mt. 25:40)

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

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

SUNDAY, May 30th   Mt. 28: 16-20   Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity       

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Love of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for us! The Last Supper Discourse.

Jesus addresses the Apostles and us:

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. (Jn. 14:15-16)

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” (Jn. 16:12-13)

Jesus addresses the Father: 

“I pray for them… I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” (Jn. 17:11)

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” (Jn.17:24)

Today, let us beg for deeper faith and trust in the love of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!

FAITH THAT CAN MOVE THE MOUNTAINS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

A both charming and captivating movie that came out about four years ago was that of Little Boy. One of the most memorable and impressive scenes was when the Little Boy was confronted with a miracle situation in which the mountain had to be moved. Indeed, Jesus Himself said faith can move the mountains. With fervor, enthusiasm, and all of the energy in his soul, Little Boy beckoned the moving of the mountain and in fact the mountain really did move, to the surprise and shock of all except Little Boy. The words of Jesus ring true: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.” (Mt. 17:20) Or, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” (Lk. 17:6)

This being the case, let us talk about the virtue of faith, what it is, where it comes from, and how can we cultivate the virtue of faith and be like Little Boy, able to move the mountains and uproot and transplant the trees.

1. DEFINITION OF FAITH. 

One of the most simple ways of defining faith is the following: “To believe in a God whom we cannot see and trust in His Word.” The risen Jesus gently rebuked Saint Thomas, giving him the nickname Doubting Thomas, because he refused to believe the testimony of the other Apostles when they told him the risen Jesus had appeared to them. Jesus appears to the Apostles again and this time Thomas is present. With the following words, Thomas offers to Jesus and the world at large one of the most simple and profound professions of faith: “My Lord and my God.” (Jn. 20:28) The Lord gently upbraided the Apostle saying, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (Jn. 20-29)

2. ORIGIN OF FAITH. 

Faith is one of the three theological virtues that with Hope and Charity are planted in the very depths of our soul in the moment of Baptism. When you were baptized by the priest, deacon, or Bishop, using the Trinitarian formula:  “______________” (insert Name), I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Not only was Original Sin wiped clean from your soul, and not only did you become a living Temple of the Holy Spirit, but you also received these three very special Gifts, the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity.

3. FAITH COMPARED TO A SEED PLANTED IN A GARDEN.

One of the best images for understanding the dynamic process of growth necessary for the virtue of Faith is that of a seed planted in a garden. It could be the best seed in the world. However, if that seed is not cultivated carefully and constantly then that seed can wither up and die. So it is with the virtue of Faith: it must be cultivated or it too can wither and die!

4. FAITH MUST BE PRACTICED.

Not only must the virtue of Faith be cultivated, but it also must be put into practice. A weight-lifter, a baseball player, a swimmer, a runner—all of these athletes might potentially be the best in their field. However, if they do not practice, they will never know and exhibit the talents they have been endowed with. This short saying resounds as true: “Practice makes perfect.” The younger generation have coined this one-liner: “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” The following will be practical ways that we can cultivate and grow in our faith by making concrete acts of faith.

5. PRAYER.

The saintly Jesuit-Theologian, who died in the year 2000 and is already a Servant of God, Father John Hardon, made this acute observation related to prayer and faith or the loss of faith. He asserted that it was his observation that almost always, those people who abandoned the practice of prayer, who abandoned this essential practice, at the same time lost their faith. It stands to reason because every time we pray, we are making an act of faith, we are talking to a God who is invisible, whom we cannot see with our physical sense of sight.

6. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. 

Another key act of faith is when we make the Sign of the cross, saying the words: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” This gesture and these words express our faith in the most profound Mystery of the Catholic Faith, the Blessed Trinity, that we believe in one God and Three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

7. GENUFLECTION.

Another key corporal act of faith is that of genuflection, in which your right knee touches the ground every time you walk in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Your faith is directed toward The Mystery of Faith that it is Jesus truly present in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar.

8. BOW UPON HEARING THE NAME OF JESUS.

Saint Paul says: “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”  (Phil 2:9-11) These words of the great Apostle Saint Paul express the greatness of the Person and the Name of Jesus. Therefore, we should form that habit of bowing our head upon hearing the Name of Jesus. By doing so, our faith will be bolstered.

9. TRIALS SENT BY GOD.

Like Abraham, like Peter and the Apostles, like the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, our faith has to be tested, purified, and perfected by means of many trials. Saint James expressed this truth in these words: “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (Jas. 1:2-4). God must send us trials in one form or another so as to purify, strengthen, and fortify our faith. As rusty iron is purified and perfected in the crucible of fire, so our faith is perfected by various forms and sorts of trials. The episode of Peter, first walking on the water and then sinking in the waves, in which he cried out “Lord, save me”, elicited these words and gesture of Jesus: “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?” and Jesus reached out His hand and grabbed on to that of Peter.” (Mt. 14:30-31) Then Peter walked on water again! Like Peter, at times we are called to leave the comfort zone of our boat and walk on the cold, rolling, and uncertain waters, all the while placing our faith and trust totally in the Lord Jesus.

10. SHARE YOUR FAITH WITH OTHERS.

In a material way when we give something away we become impoverished. Not so when we share our faith. By sharing our faith in Jesus, in God, in the Catholic Church, we grow, and the more we generously share, the greater growth we experience! Saint Paul reminds us: “There is more joy in giving then in receiving.” (Acts 20:35) Share your faith and you will grow in your faith!

Let us beg Our Lady, who never lost her faith and total trust in God, even in the most difficult times in her life, to pray fervently for us so that like Little Boy our faith will be so strong that we will be able to move the highest mountains. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Optional Memorial of Saint Paul VI, Pope

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

SATURDAY, May 29th   Mk. 11: 27-33   Alleluia Prayer “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  

One powerful way to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” is to pray and meditate upon the 20 Mysteries of the Rosary, covering the early life of Christ; His Public Ministry; His suffering, Passion and death; and the glory of His Resurrection, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles, and the Blessed Trinity assuming Mary into heaven in body and soul where she reigns as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

May this compelling meditation by Fr. Ed Broom reinvigorate our love, appreciation, and (hopefully) daily practice of praying the holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary for our salvation, for the salvation of our families, and the salvation of the whole world!

THE HOLY ROSARY—OUR SPIRITUAL SLINGSHOT by Father Ed Broom, OMV

Jesus sent His Loving Mother, Mary most Holy, from heaven to the small town of Fatima, Portugal in the year 1917. The Queen of heaven and earth appeared to three little shepherd children, Lucia de los Santos, and her two cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto—brother and sister.

Our Lady appeared six times, and every time she appeared she repeated the message: PRAY THE ROSARY! She revealed her name and identity as OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY. In Lourdes, Our Lady appeared 18 times to Saint Bernadette, and revealed her name and identity as THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

Therefore, we would like to present ten reasons why we should form the most important habit of praying the Rosary, not sporadically or sometimes or simply upon an impulse. Rather, we should form the habit of praying the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary every day; if possible, we could even pray the Rosary more than once a day, as was the habit in the lives of many of the saints! Therefore, let us launch into reasons to convince us of the dire importance of loving Our Lady by loving what she loves, and obeying her command—pray the Holy Rosary.

1. OUR LADY TOLD US TO! 

If a mother repeats to her child an order many times it is because the mother believes in the depths of her heart that the order she is commanding is of great importance. Likewise, the Mother of God and our dear Mother, Mary most Holy, commanded the children at Fatima, as well as the world at large, six times to pray the Rosary! If it is a command to obey our earthly mothers (the 4^th Commandment), how much more should we obey our Heavenly Mother, Mary most Holy!

2. THE ROSARY IS A BIBLICAL PRAYER. 

Many non-Catholics condemn the recitation of the Holy Rosary. However, very few of those who condemn this most beautiful prayer realize or recognize the fact that the Rosary is a prayer that has its origins almost totally in the Word of God itself! For example, the first series of Mysteries, that we call the Joyful Mysteries, are all found in the Gospel of Saint Luke, Chapters One and Two! This being said, we can come to know and love the Word of God by meditating upon the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary!

3. GETTING TO KNOW, LOVE, AND IMITATE JESUS BETTER.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits and the instrument God used to give us the Spiritual Exercises, offers us a fruit or virtue that we should beg for when we meditate on and contemplate the life of Jesus in the scriptures. That fruit or virtue is to arrive at intimate knowledge of Jesus, so that we love Him more ardently, and desire to follow Him more closely. In a parallel sense, when we form the habit of praying the Rosary well, giving our whole self to entering into the various scenes of the mysteries of the Rosary, one of the most sublime fruits is exactly what Ignatius presents. In praying the Rosary, we come to know Jesus, love Jesus, and desire to follow Jesus, through the prayers and intercession of the first disciple of Jesus, His Mother Mary!

4. SUMMARY OF THE GOSPEL.

Recent Popes, Pope Saint Paul VI and Pope Saint John XXIII called the Rosary a summary of the Gospel. This was said even before the insertion of the relatively new mysteries of the Rosary, the Luminous Mysteries. To be explicit, in a short, clear, methodical and systematic form we have the life of Christ! We have the Infancy of Jesus in the Joyful Mysteries. These are followed by the Luminous Mysteries which are a good summary of the Public Life of Jesus (30-33 years of age). Then we have the Passion, suffering and death of Jesus in the Sorrowful Mysteries. Finally, at the summit of the whole prayer, we have the Glorious Mysteries, which of course present Our Lord’s Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, the Coming of the Holy Spirit, and Our Lady’s Assumption into heaven and Coronation as Queen of heaven and earth. As the Popes confirmed, the contemplation of the mysteries of the most Holy Rosary provides a clear and concise summary of the Gospels—the conception, life, death and Resurrection of Jesus, seen through the eyes and heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

5. MARVELOUS PRAYER THAT CAN LIFT US TO THE HEIGHTS.                 

The Rosary is indeed a marvelous prayer that can lift us to the heights of holiness if prayed well and with perseverance. This prayer is vocal in that we vocalize the beautiful prayers, the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. It is a meditative prayer in that we reflect upon the meaning of the mysteries and how they can be applied to our own lives. Furthermore, it is a contemplative prayer, meaning that we are summoned to enter into the scenes or mysteries of the lives of Jesus and Mary. We are not called to be passive spectators, like going to a movie; rather we are called to enter into these contemplative scenes and be part of the life they are living! If we do this, we will be transformed. The saying is true: tell me with whom you associate, and I will tell you who you are. How true if we apply this to our frequent association, contact and conversation with Jesus and Mary and Saint Joseph! We will be transformed becoming more like them. Our desire and goal is, in the words of the great Apostle Saint Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20)

6. A PRAYER FOR PEACE OF MIND, HEART AND SOUL, AND WORLD PEACE.

In a world in which there is so much tension, fighting, selfishness, and egotism we need a peace-program. Of course the key element is to replace the negative with the most positive, and that is to place Jesus and Mary as King and Queen of our world, country, state, city, home, family, and even our individual lives and hearts! At Fatima, Our Lady insisted that the Rosary be prayed to end World War I and to prevent another war. Our Lady made the warning that if the world did not pray enough, another and worse world war would erupt. And so it happened! Sad to say, not many years after the cessation of World War I, the more bloody and gruesome World War II broke out. Sin is due to a lack of the presence of God. The recitation of the most Holy Rosary is the opposite. We invite Jesus into our hearts, families and society through the prayerful, peaceful, but powerful presence of Our Lady, Queen of Peace!

7. CONQUERING VICES.

Sin can get hold of us and we become slaves to sin. Jesus Himself says that sin is slavery. A well-known convert once said that before becoming Catholic, he liked going to book stores to look over the books and buy some of them. However, while there, no matter how hard he tried, he could not resist, almost as if he were drawn by a magnet, checking out and browsing through the bad magazines. Though he was still a Protestant, he started to pray the most Holy Rosary, and immediately, his desire to look at the indecent magazines left him totally. He attributed this miracle to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Rosary. Among the many virtues that Our Lady desires to attain for us is the virtue of purity. One of Our Lady’s messages in Fatima was that most souls are lost for all eternity due to the sins of the flesh, that is to say, sins against the virtue of purity. Jesus expressed this most clearly in one of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure of heart; they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8)

8. FAMILY UNITY.

One of the most sorrowful realities in the modern world is the breakup of the family unit. Vatican II calls the family the domestic church. Saint Pope John Paul II says “the family is the basic cell of society, and as the family goes, so goes the rest of society.” After the attack on the World Trade Center, Sept. 11^th 2001, Pope Saint John Paul II published a spiritual masterpiece with the title Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. We encourage all of our readers to read and meditate upon this spiritual masterpiece so as to get to know and love the most Holy Rosary more and more. In this papal document, the saintly Pontiff encouraged the world at large to pray the Rosary, but especially for two intentions. First, he exhorted us to pray the Rosary for world peace. Second, he warmly encouraged us to pray the Rosary for the sake and salvation of the family. The Rosary priest, Father Patrick Peyton, expresses this truth in these timely maxims: “The family that prays together, stays together” and, “A world at prayer is a world at peace!” This being said, every family should make a concerted effort to pray the Rosary together for the sake of their own family, as well as for all of the families of the world, and that peace would reign in the world starting first and foremost with our own individual hearts!

9. THE ROSARY AS SPIRITUAL SLINGSHOT TO CONQUER THE DEVIL. 

In one of the most important meditations in the Spiritual Exercises, with the title The Two Standards, Saint Ignatius presents our spiritual life in the light of a fierce combat between Satan and his devils fighting against Jesus and His disciples for dominion in our souls! Given today’s materialism, consumerism, hedonism, agnosticism, moral relativism, and militant atheism, the devil can hide behind each of these erroneous philosophical systems to trap us and finally enslave us! It almost appears as if we are David against Goliath (I Samuel 17)!

David was much younger and smaller, with no military preparation, no sword, no shield, nor even any armor. On the other hand, Goliath was a giant, with much experience in battle, wearing armor and wielding a huge crescent sword that he had used to kill many, with a shield bearer preceding him. Goliath curses little David, but David proceeds with confidence in the name of Yahweh, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The little shepherd boy approaches the line of battle. Quickly and resolutely he reaches for a stone, places it in his slingshot and launches it at Goliath. The stone takes off like a rocket and rivets itself in the forehead of Goliath, who cascades to the ground. As the giant lays there unconscious, David wields the sword of Goliath and cuts off his head! Victory!!!

Today we are surrounded by many Modern Goliaths as mentioned and named above. Therefore, for us to win the fierce battle, we must place ourselves under the military leadership of the Blessed Virgin Mary, proudly carry our spiritual weapon—the most Holy Rosary, and use it frequently and confidently. We have sure hope with such a weapon and so great a leader that the battle will be won and the victory will be ours!

10. SPIRITUAL TREASURES STORED UP IN HEAVEN.

One of the greatest saint-mystics in the Catholic Church is Saint Gertrude, the Great. Not only is she the author of the classic Herald of Divine Love (read it!!!), but also she was a great mystic and visionary. Jesus often would appear to her and talk to her with great familiarity and love, as He desires to do with us. On one occasion, the saint saw Jesus in heaven. The scene was beautiful! Bathed in light and beauty, Jesus had a huge pile of coins, shiny and glimmering golden coins. As Saint Gertrude contemplated this scene, Jesus placed another golden coin on the top of the huge pile. Curious as to the meaning of the scene, this great lover of Jesus and Mary, Saint Gertrude, begged the Lord to explain its meaning. Without any hesitation Jesus said, “I am counting the Hail Marys that you have prayed; this is the money with which you purchase heaven.” She had just finished another, upon which Jesus deposited another golden coin for all eternity.

Hail Marys are the currency of heaven! Saint Louis de Montfort tells us, “Mary is the treasurer of all God’s graces.” Our Lady of Fatima told the children that by praying the Rosary and offering sacrifices, they can merit heaven for themselves and many other souls! Therefore, if you want to be a multi-billionaire in heaven and save yourself, your loved ones, and many other souls from hell, start right now praying the Rosary daily! Pray fervently the Hail Marys and meditate on the different mysteries of the lives of Jesus and Mary and Saint Joseph that compose the Rosary. Indeed, Jesus through the intercession of Mary, who is His Mother, the Mother of the Church, and your loving Mother, will store up for you abundant spiritual treasures in heaven—the salvation of countless souls for all eternity!

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

FRIDAY, May 28th   Mk. 11: 11-26   “When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.” 

• The most efficacious and sublime prayer is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because it is Opus Dei – the Work of God Himself!
• One of the prayers we say at every Mass is this: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against.
• Fr. Ed Broom helps us become a wounded-healer, rather than a wounded-wounder!

BEING A WOUNDED HEALER IN A WOUNDED WORLD

As a result of Original Sin, the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, committed at the beginning of human history, a moral, spiritual, and physical tsunami descended and exploded on all of humanity. The effects of Original Sin and this tsunami will be felt until the end of the world, and is felt by all of us collectively and individually, and in many ways.

THE ORIGINAL SIN AND OUR WOUNDED HUMAN NATURE. 

In a very real sense, the entire universe has become a gaping wound and all of the individuals who constitute and compose the human family are wounded. In what ways are we wounded? Put better: in what ways are we not wounded? Our whole being, while essentially good, limps with wounds. Let us venture to give the list: our body is prone to sicknesses which terminate in the eventual death of the body. The mind is impaired and has difficulty in discovering the truth, much less retaining the truth. Emotionally we are a wreck: sad, depressed, nervous, confused, worried and fearful, anxious and tense—we all experience the whole gamut of a disorderly array of emotions that wreak havoc within us. Moral and spiritual wounds are at the heart of the matter. God seems at times to be very distant. Due to the Original Sin of our first parents, we commit sins. And we wound our relationship with a loving, kind, and merciful God due to ingratitude, which Saint Ignatius of Loyola says, is the essence of sin.

O HAPPY FAULT.  Saint Augustine says that God allows evil only to bring a greater good out of evil. The classic example is that God allowed Adam and Eve to commit the Original Sin starting this moral tsunami. However, as a result of this, God the Father willingly and lovingly sent His only begotten Son, Jesus the Lord, to the world to show us the way to the Father, the Way of the Cross—to suffer and die on the cross and after the third day to rise from the dead to open up the gates of heaven and attain for us eternal life!

SOURCES OF HEALING AVAILABLE TO US. 

On a very positive note, in this short essay we would like to offer a number of concrete, practical, and accessible ways in which we can work on our inner healing so that we can heal others. In other words, may we all become wounded-healers so that we can be a source of healing in a wounded and broken world! It must be said before offering a list of positive sources of healing, that it is Jesus who is the ultimate source of healing. Saint Peter in his letter says: “By His wounds we are healed” (1Pt 2:24), quoting the Prophet Isaiah. Therefore, let us first and foremost turn to Jesus and He can heal us. He is the Divine and Perfect Physician. Let us expose our wounds to Him and let Him heal us.

WAYS THAT WE CAN UNDERGO PERSONAL HEALING…

1. SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM. 

The first powerful source of healing at the start of our life is when we receive the Sacrament of Baptism. The graces and blessings are indeed numerous. However, of paramount importance is the fact that the gaping wound of Original Sin has been washed clean from the soul and a deep healing has taken place in the inner depths of that person. The healing has taken place by their first encounter with Jesus, the Wounded-Healer. For this reason, Baptism should be done as early as possible.

2. FERVENT PRAYER. 

Every time we apply ourselves to faith-filled, fervent, and frequent prayer, once again, Jesus, the Divine-Physician intervenes as the Wounded-Healer. Healing might not take place at the speed that we desire, nor even in the manner that we expect. Nonetheless, God’s healing power is operative in fervent prayer.

3. ANOINTING OF THE SICK. 

This is actually one of the seven Sacraments that has as one of its basic functions that of healing. At times, after receiving this Sacrament, there is actually a physical recovery and strengthening, if this serves the person’s eternal salvation. However, the inner healing of the soul is of greater importance. Actually, even if a terminally ill person is in a coma-state, if they would have desired to confess their sins to the priest with true sorrow, then the Anointing of the Sick serves to heal the soul of these sins. What a great Sacrament and how little we really understand it!

4. THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST. 

Every one of the seven Sacraments has a specific Sacramental grace that differentiates it from the others. The specific Sacramental grace and effect of the most Holy Eucharist is NOURISHMENT. If you like, what a nourishing meal does to the body, the most Holy Eucharist does to the soul. However, given that Jesus is truly present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in every consecrated Host, He has not only nourished, but actually healed many people through the worthy reception of the Eucharist. We pray with the Centurion: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed.” May we say this prayer of the Mass with greater faith and devotion!

5. THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION: THE TRUE SACRAMENT OF HEALING.

Once again referring to the specific Sacramental effects, the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation has as its specific effect that of healing, most especially healing of the soul. The priest, being the minister of this wonderful Sacrament, represents Jesus the Divine Physician who came to save us and to heal us. We bring our spiritual leprosy to the Divine Physician and He heals our wounded, leprous soul, just as we see Jesus healing lepers in the Gospels time and time again. The Prophet Isaiah offers us these most consoling words: “Though your sins be like scarlet, I will make them as white as the snow.” (Is. 1:18) The most wounded soul can be healed if they have trust in Jesus and true repentance.

6. FORGIVENESS. 

Many people, all too many, carry within their hearts gaping moral and spiritual wounds for the simple reason that they have been hurt by someone and have not forgiven them. Instead, they are holding on to resentments and harboring grudges. Until this individual is able to come to terms with their lack of forgiveness and take the first step in striving to forgive, they will be a living and walking gaping wound oozing out moral pus. In other words, to forgive is to set the captive free, and that captive is you and me! Jesus came to break the bonds of our moral slavery! As the poet Alexander Pope expressed with such poignant precision: “To err is human; to forgive is divine.” Allow Jesus to heal you by forgiving right now!!!

7. LOVING KINDNESS.

We live in a world immersed in egotism and selfishness where many are only interested in their own plans and projects, without an ounce of concern for others. But we have all experienced some time in our life when we were in a profound desolation and some person was sent to us by God—with a smile, with a kind word or gesture as a token of friendship, with words and expressions of encouragement. As a result of this encounter with this really kind person our state of soul was transformed from deep desolation to over-flowing consolation. The storm-clouds dissipated and the sun came shining into our soul. In other words, someone’s loving kindness and human compassion can be a most powerful source of healing!

8. BECOMING A KIND AND MERCIFUL GOOD SAMARITAN. 

On the flip side of the coin, when we have been living a selfish and egotistic life, and finally decide to go out of our selfish-shell and seek the good of others through kindness, not only do we heal them, but by loving others, we are healed! This might seem paradoxical, but it is real! In other words, love always heals—both those who receive it and those who give it!!!

9. VISITING THE SICK AND THE SUFFERING.  Of great importance in the modern world of Utilitarianism—in which a person has value inasmuch as they are economically productive—is visiting the sick, the suffering, the abandoned, and the dying. There is often a double-healing in this mutual encounter. For example, a Eucharistic minister who visits the sick, attends to, encourages, and converses with an abandoned sick person is performing a gesture that is highly pleasing to God. For in this visit great healing is taking place—not necessarily on a physical level, but on a moral, spiritual and emotional level! It might even happen that as the Eucharistic minister, you are not feeling very good yourself—physically or emotionally—but after visiting this sick person, who is much worse off then you are, giving them Holy Communion, praying with them, and talking with them for at least a short while, you end by leaving with a radiant smile, in which case both the sick person and the minister are healed! Once again love transforms; love strengthens; love heals; love saves. God is love!

10. MOTHER MARY: HEALTH OF THE SICK.  It is recorded in the life of Saint Therese of Lisieux that she prayed in a special way in front of a small statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The future saint had been sick for a while and there was no apparent remedy. Until she had recourse to Mary through a little statue. Therese noticed that the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary actually smiled at her, and then she was immediately healed of her ailment. How often has it been recorded in the History of Catholicism that Our Lady has come to rescue of sick people and healed them, especially in Lourdes, France! One of her many titles is “Health of the Sick”. These, of course are physical healings. Many more unrecorded spiritual healings, the conversion of sinners, has become a reality through the powerful presence and intercession of Mary, under the title of “Health of the sick.” Let us bring our many ailments to Mary and she will help us!

In conclusion, we are all wounded from the moment of our conception with Original Sin, and during our life-time, we are wounded constantly and end up by wounding others. Either we become wounded-wounders or wounded-healers. If we do not seek out healing, especially from God, then we end up wounding more and more people in our walk of life. However, if we allow Jesus, the Wounded-Healer, to heal our wounds, then we can truly be wounded-healers in a broken and wounded world. Let us go to Jesus because “by His wounds we are truly healed.” (Is. 53-5)