Take Her Into Your Home

There are few places I prefer to pray more than the Portiuncula, on the campus of Franciscan University. A few years ago, I was on campus for a conference. It was a hot humid day and a storm was moving in. As it began to thunder, and the rain became heavy, I didn’t want to leave. Here, so many times I have found peace, direction from the Lord, reassurance and comfort, and I wanted that again.

I had come feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders; tired, burned out and stressed. Amidst the joys of the conference, I still found myself thinking about seemingly hopeless situations that had only seemed to become more hopeless. Yet in the stillness and quiet, tucked back in the trees with only the sound of the rain and occasional thunder, an incredible peace came over me.

It was while sitting in the middle of the grotto, as the rain became more and more heavy, soaked through and through (even ruined my cell phone), just me and Our Lady, that a peace came over me. I felt such a loving and comforting embrace that suddenly everything else mattered little, even the fact that I was so wet. It was as if the Blessed Mother had taken me into her arms and said, “Rest my son, and do not worry.” I will never forget this moment. Sure, I “knew” all the doctrine about Mary. But this was the first time I had come to experience what it means to say “Mother Mary” in a real way.

Here I really saw how significant Christ, while bleeding out and dying on the Cross, giving us his Mother, truly is. Jesus said to his Mother, “Behold your son;” and to his beloved disciple, “Behold your Mother.” Scripture then affirms that from that day, this beloved disciple “took her into his home.” We to, as beloved disciples must take her into our homes, and allow the love of the Mother of God to penetrate our hearts as only that of a faithful mother can. Her heart is to draw us ever closer to the source of peace that surpasses all understanding: her son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Rosary: A Powerful Weapon

It seemed hopeless. I found that there was nothing I could do or say to make the situation better. I went to pray the Rosary; offering it for the situation at hand. The rhythm of the words helped me to begin to shut off the anxiety I was struggling with. I was able to mediate upon the mysteries a bit more fully.

After saying “Amen,” I received a call. The situation had been resolved. With my own effort I had only seemed to make things worse. Yet, when I sought the intercession of the Blessed Mother and focused my attention on Christ, humbly acknowledging my own lack, the peace I had tried on my own to unsuccessfully foster, had come.

Is every time I pray the Rosary like this? Absolutely not! Often, I struggle with distractions; meditating more on my “to do” list, a conversation I had, a movie or a game, or whether or not Tom Brady will win another Super Bowl.

Distraction in prayer is common. The witness of the saints, and the very faith we profess teaches exactly that. Prayer requires time, attention and effort; it is discipline for spiritual combat, and we are at war. St Paul reminds us that our struggle is not with flesh and blood, and prayer is one of our greatest weapons. The enemy of our souls desires to pull us away from prayer. We are tempted to become discouraged by distractions and dryness. But the remedy is faith, fidelity to times of prayer, and watchfulness. Even our distractions help us to be more aware of those areas we may need more detachment from in order to grow closer to God! What is needed most is a humble awareness of what hinders our prayer life, for this moves us closer to Christ and helps purify our hearts. Prayer ultimately springs from a desire for relationship with God. We must be humble. We must be persistent. I have found the Rosary to be one of the greatest prayers in helping me in this way. These next 30 days, I encourage you to consider making it a point to pray the Rosary, reflect on the Mysteries proclaimed, each day.

Motherhood: Mary and Me

This image (bottom of the page) of Mary and Jesus hangs in the entrance of my home. I have never seen another image of the two of them that I relate to more. From the second I laid my eyes on it, it reminded me of a hard time in my life.
When our first child was 5 months old I started wondering how on earth I could be a good mom? How can I live out what God calls me to? This interior struggle fell during a particularly stressful week leading Totus Tuus training for our diocese… which meant I hadn’t seen my daughter for nearly 6 days. I missed her and my husband; I felt like I was neglecting my primary vocation as a wife and mother; I was exhausted and feeling inadequate.
At adoration during training week, I decided to bring my daughter along. Towards the end, the deacon asked if I would like him and our missionaries to pray over me. I held her in my arms and went over to sit in the pew; when asked what I needed prayers I said, “that I could be a good mom.”
There were many hands laid on me while I cradled my child just as Mary cradles Jesus in this image. But there was only one hand I could focus on… as a few tears rolled down my face staring at my daughter, she reached her hand up to touch my cheek. It was as if she was trying to reassuring me. When I saw this image one month later, it brought back that beautiful moment between mother and daughter.
What does this have to do with Mary? I looked at the image and wondered… could she have thought the same things I did? “How can I do this? How can I be the mother of God? Will I be able to carry out what God has planned for me?” Here, I imagine Jesus comforting his Mother exactly as my child comforted me. God set aside his most perfect creation to be his own Mother. There is no doubt that in her humanity, God brought her great comfort for the task set aside for her. Remember… God does this for each of us, too!

“Behold Your Son”

There are few places I prefer to pray more than the Portiuncula, on the campus of Franciscan University. A few years ago, I was on campus for a conference. It was a hot humid day and a storm was moving in. As it began to thunder, and the rain became heavy, I didn’t want to leave. Here, so many times I have found peace, direction from the Lord, reassurance and comfort, and I wanted that again.

This day was different. I had come feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders; tired, burned out and stressed. Amidst the joys of the conference, I still found myself thinking about seemingly hopeless situations that had only seemed to become more hopeless. Yet in the stillness and quiet, tucked back in the trees with only the sound of the rain and occasional thunder, an incredible peace came over me.

It was while sitting in the middle of the grotto, soaked through and through (even ruined my cell phone), just me and Our Lady, that a peace had come over me. I felt such a loving and comforting embrace that suddenly everything else mattered little, even the fact that I was so wet. It was as if the Blessed Mother had taken me into her arms and said, “Rest my son, and do not worry.” I will never forget this moment. Sure, I “knew” all the doctrine about Mary. But this was the first time I had come to experience what it means to say “Mother Mary” in a real way.

Here I really saw how significant Christ, while bleeding out and dying on the Cross, giving us his Mother, truly is. Jesus said to his Mother, “Behold your son;” and to his beloved disciple, “Behold your Mother.” Scripture then affirms that from that day, this beloved disciple “took her into his home.” We to, as beloved disciples must take her into our homes, and allow the love of the Mother of God to penetrate our hearts as only that of a faithful mother can. Her heart is to draw us ever closer to the source of peace that surpasses all understanding: her son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Mary is Relatable

Have you ever thought of Mary and wondered how can I relate to someone who was perfect and sinless (which she was!) when I am not?

This was something I often wondered. In our early relationship, she was this far away woman who I looked up to. I knew I could never attain her perfection, but I wanted to try and be holy like her. This was a good intention! But I remembered that Mary was also human! Apart from being preserved from sin and its consequences (which is… you know… a pretty big deal), we can relate to her as human beings. She had good days. She experienced trials. She had emotions. She laughed and visited with friends. She probably had a messy kitchen occasionally; I tell myself that to feel better. Mind you, all this likely looked far different (and more holy) from our lives, but scripture shows us that Mary is relatable.

Think of the Wedding at Cana and imagine Mary at your wedding. Your guests are there to celebrate you and enjoy time with you. While this is an account of her intercession, she went to this celebration to rejoice with this couple and enjoy time with her family and friends.

Next, she lost Jesus. The Holy Parents lost the Son of God for several days! To their defense… they thought he was among the rest of the pilgrimage, but this I can relate to. I lose my daughter in our own home! She is usually hiding behind a mirror, her rocking chair, or in her closet but still...

Finally, she was a parent. All parents can relate to one another, no matter the circumstance, simply because you are on the journey of parenthood together. It’s rewarding but not always easy. I like the Passion of the Christ scene where Jesus falls and Mary runs to him. As a parent, I relate to that desire to protect my child.

God created Mary to be his sinless mother, and this means she was different from us in many ways! But that doesn’t mean she didn’t have human experiences. In her beautiful humanity, we can all find something in life we can relate to Mary.