Our Lady and St. Juan Diego

Our Lady and St. Juan Diego

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Entrustment to Mary = Praying with the Eyes of Faith

From the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops website:

"Lord, we thank you
for the goodness of our people
and for the spirit of justice
that fills this nation.
We thank you for the beauty and fullness of the
land and the challenge of the cities.

We thank you for our work and our rest,
for one another, and for our homes.
We thank you, Lord:
accept our thanksgiving on this day.
We pray and give thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.
R: Amen."
Now, go back and when you say "We" think "WE - Mary and I." For me, entrustment to Mary is about learning what it is like to have Mary's Hope, Mary's Eyes, Mary's Love...for my neighbor, for my family, for my GOD!
May you all be having a lovely Thanksgiving weekend.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Entrustment to Mary = Thy Will Be Done


Well the election is over and my candidate did not win.  Through it all God lovingly showed me a lot of truths about myself.  I saw that I seek the easy way out. I wanted my candidate to win so the issues I care about would be taken care of or resolved, allowing this “Scaredy Cat” to return to her comfort zone. I saw that I am a sore loser.  I saw that I put my trust in “man” more than God. I saw that I pray for “my will be done” - for I was not satisfied with the results of the election which God allowed to happen.
To adhere to Christ means to surrender our will to His will. Spiritual life is brought about under continuous tension between the will of God and the will of a person. The tension comes from the fact that we revolve continuously around our will, around whatever is convenient for us, while it is obvious that the scope of our plans and desires, of what we want, does not correspond to what God wants. Tadeusz Dajczer, The Gift of Faith, 3rd.ed. (Ft. Collins, CO: IAMF, 2012), 22-23
In my human thinking - it made sense that God would want Obama to lose so that the unborn children could have a better chance to see life.  But now looking at it spiritually maybe I am being called to have to personally get involved in changing hearts of women so they will not choose to have abortions.

In my human thinking - it made sense that God would want to guarantee our religious freedom by ousting the administration which is attacking this liberty. But now looking at it spiritually maybe I am being called to defend my faith as a Christian soldier sharing the Gospel message with those who live only for the world.

In my human thinking - it made sense that God would want to stop the redefinition of true marriage = between a man and a woman. But now looking at it spiritually maybe I am being called to be a witness of this truth to those who do not see the dangers of these social changes for our country and for their souls.

Entrusting myself to Mary helps me see how important it is to accept God’s will over my will. Mary knew that God’s will was better than any plan she may have had for herself.
If we are surprised that God foils our plans and leads us down a different road than the one we imagined, let us recall that it was the same in the life of the Blessed Mother. Mary also thought of her sanctity, her road, her mission differently. The one who gave up motherhood was called to an exceptional and unique motherhood. This call foiled all of her plans. Ibid, 116.
So I cannot find security in my country’s leaders, but I can find it in my Blessed Mother’s arms. She always leads me to the security of her Son’s love and Father’s mercy. All of which is armor for me to put on as I face the battle between my will vs. Thy will - be done.
If living by faith means adherence to Christ and to His will, then in this context it should be emphasized that seeking our own will is the worst thing we could do. It is the source of evil and sin, the source of our misfortune and enslavement. Ibid, 24.                                               
Faith, precisely because it is a free act, also demands social responsibility for what one believes. The Church on the day of Pentecost demonstrates with utter clarity this public dimension of believing and proclaiming one's faith fearlessly to every person. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that makes us fit for mission and strengthens our witness, making it frank and courageous.