Mary the Mediatrix

And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior."

-Luke 1:46-47

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word."

-Luke 1:38

As the month of May comes to a close, I reflect on the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in my life.  May is considered a special month of Devotion to Mary, the Mother of God.  I decided to create a special little "Mary's Prayer Garden" on my patio.  I placed a small outdoor statue and filled the area with pink Rose Moss, Pentas, Autumn Sage, and Oregano.  It's fairly simple and nothing very expensive to put together.  I really enjoy looking at it everytime I go outside.  The tiny little Rose Moss flowers close at night and open again during the day's sunshine.  Right above my Mary statue is my gorgeous Crape Myrtle tree.  It's loaded with large blooming pink blossoms.  All of my plants are doing exceptionally well with the plentiful rains we've enjoyed this Spring.

I came across the term "Mary the Mediatrix" as I've been reading through St. Louis de Montfort's writings including True Devotion.  I thought this was an interesting term and such a powerful  description for Mary's role as intercessor or "mediator" between Jesus and myself.  I know many Protestants do not understand why Catholics are so hung-up about Mary.  Many think we idol worship Mary and the Saints!  Absolutely not!  We just pray to ask them for their help and intercession.  Then they send up our prayers to the Lord! 

I try to pray my rosary daily.  The days I do set aside 15 minutes to go through the mysteries I feel at peace.  I notice a huge difference on days when I neglect my rosary:  Much more tension, stress and irritability.  Mary and her rosary provides me the graces to get through the day knowing that she and our Lord are right there by my side.  The rosary keeps me mindful of the greatness of the Lord.  Following Mary's example I can learn to accept what is done to me according to your [God's] word.

-J.

The Pursuit of Happiness: Joy in Christ

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
-Declaration of Independence

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace & joy in the holy Spirit; whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by others.  Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another.
-Romans 14:17-19

On this Memorial Day, I reflect on the thousands of men and women who served our country in the military forces.  Each and every one is commended for their heroism, their dedication, and their love for our country.  They struggled on the frontlines against the enemy.  They worked long hours in sometimes unhospitable conditions.  These brave men and women fought for our country in order to protect freedom: Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. 

What is this pursuit of Happiness that our Forefathers speak of in our Declaration of Independence?  It's the idea of living in a free society absent of persecution and oppression.  Our Forefathers were brilliant in understanding the role of God, Creator, in providing us with precious unalienable rights that should never be used to turn one against another.  As St. Paul said in Romans: Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another.  Our soldiers on the front line understood the importance of peace, and they understood importance of working as a team in building up one another in strength and fortitude.

I see the pursuit of Happiness as becoming more secularized in American culture today.  Happiness is seen as a measure of materialistic wealth and over-consumption.  So many Americans falsely believe that a high paying job, an expensive car, nice clothes, and other displays of the uber wealth is happiness.  I know some of the poorest people who are genuinely happy.  Why are they happy?  Because they place God first in their lives!  They understand how the Holy Spirit can give and take "things" from us.  These people understand that pure joy in Christ aid in the pursuit of Happiness.  A stanza from a beautiful Morning Prayer Hymn sums it up:

Who takes the Lord becomes a spring of Joy for all the world in pain....

The world is definitely in pain right now with struggling economies, the breakdown of the family, war, oppression, poverty, environmental degradation, human rights violations, and a host of other evils.  This doesn't bring much joyful news or happiness.  However, praying to God, studying his Word, and seeking his consolations (and admonitions) in our everyday life can help us become happier with ourselves and others.  Wealth, materialism, and individualism aren't necessarily indicators of true happiness.  The Book of Sirach says differently:  Fear of the Lord warms the heart, giving gladness and joy and length of days. (Sir 1:10)

God Bless America, Land that I Love!

-J.

The Spirit of Truth

"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.  But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth..."  -John 16:12-13

Yesterday, I was outside working on the lawn when a young Jehovah's Witness couple and their son came up to the front door.  The woman smiled and asked me if she could give me a pamphlet about "the truth of the bible."  I took the tract from her and returned the smile, "Oh I'm a Catholic and I've studied the bible for over 4 years!"  She replied, "We work with all kinds of denominations.  I'm sure you understand the truth of the bible more than others do."  I asked her if she and her family lived in the neighborhood.  She beamed talking about how a new "church" was being built right near my home.  "Great!" I said even though I could tell she thought I was a little too much.  I obviously wasn't completely ignorant of the bible.  She probably  wanted to quickly leave and evangelize to another lost soul fully aware I'd defend the Catholic church's teaching on "the One Truth."  I politely told them "Thank-you."  The woman replied, "Don't work too hard today."  The shocking part was when I said "God Bless You!" and neither the husband or wife returned the salutation.  Normally when I've come across a Jehovah's Witness he or she is somewhat pushy and easily projects "God Bless you" in conversation.  The family was much more reserved.  I could tell they were uncomfortable. 

I browsed through the tract the couple gave me.  The front of it said:  "Would You Like to Know the Truth?..[List of questions such as What happens to us when we die?  Is there any hope for the dead?  How can I pray and be heard by God].....There is, however, one book that contains reliable answers.  It is a book of truth." 

I'd love to have discussed the Catholic's belief in the Trinity and the Holy Spirit with this fine family. However, Jehovah's Witnesses only believe in the "One God" and not in the "Father, Son and the Holy Spirit." I thought it was interesting on the Vigil Feast Day of Pentecost I was visited by a Christian Faith who doesn't believe in the Holy Spirit or its profound work in our lives.  I'm not very familiar with the JWs but from what I guessed they believe in a strict interpretation of the bible....and their own version that is different from standard Christian bibles. 

All week I have been contemplating exactly what "the Truth" is.  We know the truth of the Holy Spirit and the truth of Jesus Christ.  It's not until I spoke with this Jehovah's Witness family that I realized the moral relativism behind this so called TRUTH.  Each Protestant denomination, non-Christian, atheist, and even polarized Catholics seem to define "the Truth" differently depending on their own established belief system, culture, and media influence.  I get confused on what "the Truth" is really all about.

I see the "One Truth" so easily represented by the Holy Spirit.  Through the gift of the Holy Spirit we are called to spread the good news of the gospel and Christ:  A message of TRUTH that is loving, forgiving, glorifying, and faithful. As St. Paul reminds us in the Letter to the Galatians:

 ....the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.  Against such things is no law.  Now those who belong to Christ jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit!  Help us Spread the Truth of Jesus Christ.  Amen!

-J.

Cyber Saints

I'm taking a "Media Faith & Values" online course through the University of Dayton Virtual Learning for Faith Formation program.  A fellow student posted an intriquing question she read on a Catholic blog:  What if St. Paul had a Twitter account? This made me think, "Hmmm.....How would prominent biblical figures and saints use electronic media today to evangelize (or demoralize) the Catholic Faith?  Here are a few ideas:

Our Lord Jesus Christ - YouTube
I can imagine Jesus recording his sermons, parables, and healing miracles over YouTube where all the faithful could watch "on demand."  Of course he'd make podcasts available over the iPhone/iPod/iTouch and other iGadgets for believers to listen to on-the-go.

The Blessed Virgin Mary - PR Marketing Manager/ Flickr & Shutterfly
Catholics know the Blessed Virgin Mary intercedes for us in our prayers and petitions to the Lord.  I envision Mary being the Public Relations/Marketing Manager for Jesus' missionary works.  She'd keep a Flickr, Shutterfly and a website up-to-date.  She'd help advertise Christ and his message.

St. Paul - Twitter/ Facebook /iPhone
St. Paul would keep Christians always informed with "tweets" of his journeys. Also, he'd send out invites to preaching events to Facebook "Fans."  He'd have his iPhone available to post a message on the spot!

St. Peter - Google's Blogger
I imagine St. Peter writing a daily blog using Blogger.com.  He'd provide meditations and helpful advise to Christians.  Posts would be opened to "monitored" comments. (No flaming aloud!)

Judas the Iscariot - A Web Forum/Spam & Phishing Email
I see Judas the Iscariot hosting a special "Jesus Hater" web forum where atheists and anti-religion "experts" can post their complaints about Jesus Christ.  Also, he'd organize  thousands of illegal spam messages and phishing emails to promote his hate.  I can see email subject headings like: "F**kJesus"  "Do you believe in Satan?" "See Me Rising from the Dead XXX"  All kinds of trash!

St. Jerome - Amazon Kindle/Barnes & Noble Nook 
St. Jerome, best known for his latin translation of the bible The Vulgate, would be responsible for uploading the bible to Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble e-readers.  He'd "convert" biblical references to"digital format" for easy reading.  No more candles and parchment paper necessary.

St. Luke - iPhone & iPad apps
St. Luke authored "The Acts of the Apostles" and was known to be a physician.  I imagine him creating two important web apps.  One would be a special traveler's app for the "Acts of the Apostles" to use on their journeys.  A second app would be titled "Christ MD" and would feature home remedies for a variety of maladies.

St. Anthony - GPS Technology
Pray to St. Anthony to help find a lost item.  St. Anthony would utilize GPS technology to locate a missing item within minutes.  Just send St. Anthony a text message, tweet, Facebook post, or an email. He'll be out at work to help find a missing possession.

St. Joseph - Internet Website
Bury a statue of St. Joseph in the backyard and through his intercession he will help sell a home.  I imagine St. Joseph hosting a special realtor website St. Joseph's List.  Here potential sellers can post information about their home.  St. Joseph can assist in the sell without a commission fee.  The only catch is many prayer and petitions.  Not a problem for the devout Catholic.

I can go on and on with other examples.  This really gets my creative juices flowing.  Fun to think what Jesus, Mary & the Saints would think about all of our electronic gadgets!

-J.

Vine & Branches

Jesus said to his disciples:  I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.  He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.  You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.  Remain in me, as I remain in you.......I am the vine, you are the branches.  Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."  -John 15:  1-8

This weekend I began my Spring/Summer transformation of the flower beds around my house.  I planted Pentas, Vincas, and a variety of herbs in the sunny areas contrasted by Impatiens, Coleus, and Hosta in the shady areas.  I love digging in the dirt!  I love the beauty of the flowers and the smells of the herbs.  I love arranging my new plantings in attractive ways.  Of course, along with planting the beautiful flowers comes the pruning of my over-grown Crape Myrtles and an ugly mystery tree that rooted right along the fence line.  Its gigantic leaves overhang the neighbor's house.  I love planting pretty flowers but pruning the trees is a major pain.

I think of the times in my life when things are going great.  I'm like the freshly planted flower who's rooted in rich soil with ample soil, water, and temperature.  I'm a Spring "annual" who's blooming profusely for 3-4 months.  I'm rooted in the soil (my life) with all of the right conditions for growth (job going well, staying healthy, a little extra cash in the bank.).  I'm happy as a camper thinking to myself, "Thanks God for all of your help!  Things are going great!  I don't really need you right now..."  Then all of the sudden I come across frustrations, irritations, boredom, temptations.  I'm like the once fresh flower that's now beginning to wilt.  I'm at the end of my life span as an "annual."  The weather is getting too hot and dry.  The water is drying up.  I feel like I'm drying up spiritually!  This is when I need God.  Why on earth didn't I desire him when all things were going well?  Why now do I beg for his mercy when things aren't so peachy?  Why can't I learn to remain in Him at all times during the good and the bad?

Then I think of the times when I'm like a pruned branch of a tree.  I became overgrown and langly with sins.  Through the Sacrament of Penance, the Lord prunes away the deadness and re-shapes me into a beautiful woman with his love and forgiveness.  I'm now much closer to the Lord = the trunk of the tree!  I can begin to bear holier fruit, blossom, and seek more nutrients from the Lord.

 I should not remain isolated from the Lord.  I should seek his guidance at all times through thick and thin.  Be willing to be pruned to stay connect to God and less connected to my own desires.

-J.