Entrustment to Mary = Being Grateful For Everything

Only a person who has faith is able to be grateful for everything. This gratitude will be visible on your face as joy, for everything may be changed into good. [1]

 

It was easy to thank God when my husband and I survived driving the wrong way down a three lane one-way road. Miraculously the cars we were facing dispersed and we were able to turn 180* and head in the right direction, praising God as we did so.

 

It is easy to thank God for His blessings of a warm house, food to eat, employment, and family visiting during the holiday season.

 

It has not been easy to be grateful for my daughter being served divorce papers after only four months of marriage.

 

Although I am a person who has faith, it is not so easy for me to be grateful for everything. I do not always appreciate difficult trials; nor am I thankful for my weaknesses. I am currently reading the book How to Profit from Your Faults. It is based on the writings of St. Francis De Sales and discusses the positive side of one’s faults and failings. I am learning to have gratitude for my weaknesses as it is through them that I come to see how much I need God and His mercy. It is through my humiliations that I grow in my awareness of “who” I am not. It is when I can see my misery and stand in the truth and admit my unfaithfulness to God that I become open to allowing Him to rescue me. And who wouldn’t be grateful for that!?

The seeing, admitting, and opening myself up to my God is not easy for me. That is where my entrustment to Mary comes in, for on my own I cannot, and would not, admit the truth about myself. But in my Blessed Mom’s arms WE can thank God for everything, for WE can trust that everything may be changed into good!

 

Jesus is never sad when looking at your life that may be filled with failures, problems, conflicts, unfulfilled plans, everyday difficulties, and spiritual difficulties. He is joyful because He expects all those things to bear fruit. He expects that you will take advantage of them and you will be joyful and grateful for everything He gives you.[2]
[1][2]Tadeusz Dajczer, The Gift of Faith, 3rd. ed. (Ft. Collins, CO: IAMF, 2012), 13.

 

On behalf of High Hopes, Control Freak, and Scaredy Cat we wish all of our readers a most blessed Thanksgiving and Advent Season. Thank you for sharing in our revelations of the many ways God loves us all as we are!

  

Entrustment to Mary = Speaking Up About the Gift of Blessed Mama

Our parish women’s group offered a “Morning with Mary” last weekend.  A May crowning Mass, followed by brunch, a speaker, faith sharing and a living rosary.  I have been wanting to get to know more women from my parish and as you know, Mary is near and dear to my heart!  So, off I went to spend some time in prayer and fellowship. 

It was a blessed morning, and a lovely lady invited me to join her table (a big deal for someone shy like me).  The speaker did a wonderful job in sharing a more “real” and human Mary, a mother available to us all, rather than a distant and lifeless figure.  I very much appreciated the speaker’s thoughts, and many women were moved in seeing Her in a different light.  But I couldn’t help being so very grateful for being previously introduced to an ever more intimate relationship with our Blessed Mama. "To love Mary means to imitate her and follow her because she is the one who goes before us, the one who is an example of our faith." (Tadeusz Dajczer, The Gift of Faith, 3^rd ed. [Ft. Collins, CO:  IAMF, 2012], 116). 

But – this spirituality of living in communion with Christ through His Blessed Mother takes me even further.  She desires that I make room in my heart for only Christ and His will.  Because of my little faith, She carries me in Her arms to lead me more quickly to the love of God.  I am too weak to even imitate Her, but I ask that She live in me, with me and through me.   

The awareness that Mary ‘carries you in her arms’ will enable you to remain in God’s presence with unfaltering faith in His love.  This awareness does not suppose necessarily emotional experiences.  Perhaps in some stages of your interior life you may not feel anything at all, but, in spite of it, this awareness will constitute an essential element of your interior life.  …

However, when, by the will of God, Mary chooses someone as her special instrument, she shows him very clearly how little he is.  She shows him that he finds himself exalted only because she ‘carries him in her arms.’  And so, it is a special grace if you discover the maternal role of Mary in your life. 

Why do you receive this grace?

This is a mystery of God’s election.

But remember, the grace needs a committed response.

You do not receive a talent in order to bury it in the ground.

You must make use of it – in accordance with the will of God–

for your own sanctification and for the sanctification of others.

Because of this, implore Mary that your whole life

may be permeated by the awareness that you are ‘carried by her in her arms.’

(S.C. Biela, In the Arms of Mary, 2^nd ed. rev. [Ft. Collins, CO:  IAMF, 2005], 173).

And so, there I was listening in on the large group sharing and I felt like I needed to share what I knew.  At least a little glimpse.  Being so shy, I had to laugh with God and beg Blessed Mama to help me say something.  If I kept this good news to myself, I felt like I would be wounding the very Love that rescued me.  She helped me raise my hand and a microphone was handed over.  Very simply, She helped me share what a gift it was to know that Mary is more than someone to imitate.  She does carry me, Her weak, shy, little one, so that I will know how very much God loves me.

In discovering this unfathomable love

you will want to respond to Him,

and then you can reach full union with Christ.

                        This is the greatest grace which you can be bestowed with here on earth.

(S.C. Biela, In the Arms of Mary, 2^nd ed. rev. [Ft. Collins, CO:  IAMF, 2005], 179).

Toward Gratitude: The List that Never Ends....

With it being Thanksgiving, which for some turns into Black Friday, which for some turns into hectic travel, which for some turns into anxiety and fear of falling behind, we decided to give you a quote from one of S.C. Biela's most beautiful books The Two Pillars.  This book guides the reader toward contrition and gratitude. There is still time for us to stop and remember that we are utterly and completely immersed in LOVE!

“It is necessary to open our eyes and our hearts widely, to look at our lives as far back as we can remember – to childhood – and try to see how much good, love, care, and forgiveness is in everything that the Loving Presence gives us. The gift contains the interior call to respond to it. The gift demands gratitude.

What if we overheard a prayer lifted up to the Blessed Mother by a young American student who calls herself tiny (crumb)? This prayer is so simple, yet simultaneously astonishing, in the way it shows how she perceives God’s gifts in the areas of life where God’s bestowals are corroded by routine and, therefore, normally illegible for us. Perhaps our lack of discretion will be forgiven us if, because of it, we begin to discover bestowals whose dimensions can reach the size of a continent – a continent of bestowals.

Dearest Mommy,

Thank You for everything:

For sitting with me on the subway as we returned from school.

For brushing my teeth with me.

For cleaning with me.

For giving me the grace of loneliness, so that I can better understand how You love me so much.

For my entire past and for everything that has led me to this moment of grace, thanks to which I constantly remember about Your loving presence.

For allowing my pride and my illusions to crush me to the point of depression, such that now I can understand and desire Your love and truth.

For Your constant friendship, even when I still didn’t know where You were.

For the fact that I do not have to try to achieve anything in the eyes of this world.

I thank You for the fact that I am constantly rejected by others, so that only You can be the Queen of my heart.

For laughing with me when I stumble and fall on this way because of my weaknesses.

For crying with me when I helplessly tried to understand, instead of simply entrusting myself to Your love.

I thank You, Mommy, that I am not tall and that I cannot see a lot of things because of this.

For all of the girls in the dormitory who look at me and giggle because I do not drink or sleep with boys.

For gathering up all of the graces that I receive and for safeguarding them with Your care so that they are not wasted.

For preserving me from so many sins because You know that without You I am capable of doing the most heinous and evil things.

For everything, Mommy, I am grateful.

For the abyss of my spiritual misery and for the abyss of Your love that fills it.

For the tininess of my entire being and for Your greatness.

For being my only home and refuge.

For our communion of hearts.      

For simplicity.

For silence, but also, for noise.

For the ocean of mercy that is outpoured over the earth.

For taking me and carrying me in Your arms anew, even after I wound You and Your Son.

For loving me so much that You desire my sanctification.

For showing me that, on our path of life, everything is and always will be grace.

Mommy, I thank You that this list will never end…

Your beloved, little

tiny”   

(S.C. Biela, The Two Pillars, [Ft.Collins, CO: IAMF, 2006], 71-73. Used with permission.)

Entrustment To Mary = Gratitude Diffuses Discouragement

Why is gratitude so important? St. Therese of the Child Jesus emphasizes that it is

gratitude that attracts God's grace the most. On the other hand, ingratitude, according to St. Augustine, is "the root of all spiritual evil, a windstorm that burns out and dries up every good." The desire to show gratitude to God should be born in us each time we notice how we have experienced His love. It is precisely this gratitude that will build in us an image of God that is close and closer to the truth. It will build in us the image of the One who is Love and who continually takes care of us. [1]

With Thanksgiving Day approaching, I thought a reflection on gratitude might be in order. I have learned through the spirituality of communion of life with Christ through the Blessed Mother that being grateful is the rescue for my discouragement and anxiety.

For example, after I was hired for my current job, I noticed in the newspaper an onslaught of new employment opportunities. I started to second guess my decision to accept my position which is less than part-time and came without benefits. I questioned myself, wondering if I should have held out for an appointment that would have been more hours and thus more income. Then I recalled how I had given God the credit for giving me the job as the interview had been scheduled for the mercy hour. I also remembered how grateful I was when I saw my work hours still allowed me to attend daily Mass three times a week. My anxiety released as I thanked God again for blessing me with my job. Also, God sees the bigger picture. At this workplace I have been able to take a week off to make a trip to celebrate my grandchild's 1st birthday. In my limited human way of thinking, I never would have guessed I could be leaving for a vacation so soon after being hired. Of course, I will not be paid for the time off, but God had everything fall into place so my duties would be covered. Again my heartfelt gratitude came pouring out for my Creator's merciful love.

But what about being grateful for what the world would perceive as negative events? I have been witnessing how ready I am to shout grateful praises when all is going my way, but lose the desire to do so when life takes a downhill turn. This is where my entrustment to Mary becomes my saving grace. When I cannot be thankful, or do not want to be grateful for so called "negatives" I remember I can turn it over to Blessed Mom and ask her to be my gratitude. Just the action of admitting my helplessness diffuses my discouragement or anger, for I know she is all powerful with God's grace and will help me through whatever adverse situation I am facing. Like just this week I had to ask her to help me remain appreciative for the 7+ years we have had a renter, even though when she moved out she left a mess, poorly painted walls, a cut doggy door, and took two weeks longer than a potential replacement renter could wait!

I also need her gratitude for my hearing disability which brings many humbling moments. It is hard for me to be grateful when I misconstrue what someone says, or I have to ask for a person to repeat themselves. If I truly believe God gives only the best gifts for my soul, I should be appreciative that my poor hearing brings purifications for my sanctification. Yet my stubborn pride keeps my "thank you" hidden under pursed lips. Fortunately, God knows best the burden of my nature, so He gave me his Mother to take care of me, and to make up for what I lack. She leads me to understand that it is easier to have gratitude when I am following God's will and not my own. She helps me remember that everything God bestows and desires is for my eternal happiness.

If you were grateful for all the graces you receive, then you would see God's presence and His intervention in your life much more clearly.[2]

[1] S.C. Biela, TheTwo Pillars, (Ft.Collins, CO: IAMF, 2006), 74.

[2] Ibid 85-86.

Entrustment to Mary = Joy in My Newly Painted Family Room

When we moved into our new house last summer, my husband and I were dissatisfied with the bold paint color in the kitchen and family room.  We lived with it for a year, until my husband suggested last week that we finally pick a new color and soften the room. 

The new choice in color ended up being exactly what we had envisioned, but it’s funny how the newness of the paint showed deficiencies in the rest of the room.  All of sudden, I was hesitant to re-hang the window curtains, which looked faded and yellowed.  The fireplace paint looked dull, and the carpet a tad bit worn.  I started to notice the accumulation of dirt in the sliding glass door tracks, and my kitchen towels did not really match the new tones of the walls. 

I tried to look at the situation through the eyes of faith, and was reminded of how tempted I am to view my spiritual life as making progress.  Not too long ago, because I started to become aware of my need for God, I was a daily communicant, facilitator of a small faith-sharing group, encouraged in my role as primary educator of the faith to my children, and regular caller to my spiritual director.  I was reading spiritual books and hungering for frequent Confession.  I look at my life today, and the first thing that comes to mind is that I am falling apart!  I unfairly blame my active two year old for me not going to daily Mass, and my meditative prayer life is almost non-existent.  I am constantly tempted to rely on my own strength, and I succumb to anxiety, stress and haste almost all day long. 

It is very easy to succumb to the illusion that the successive stages of our journey to sanctity are like the progression from one grade level to another.  When a child is promoted to the next grade level, he knows that a certain stage of education is now behind him, even if he critically evaluates his achievements.  He will never have to repeat the curriculum of the previous level because there will be a new program in the next grade….

(S.C. Biela, Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock [Ft. Collins, CO:  IAMF, 2005], 7)

I look back at that woman from not too long ago, and wonder what happened.  But, I find hope as I read:

With successive revelations of the interior of your soul, you will see that the process of graduating from one grade level to another cannot be applied to the idea of progressing toward perfection within your interior life…..By seeing your interior in a clearer light, you will gradually come to discover who you really are….Perhaps you will have the impression that you are becoming worse and worse and regressing in your interior life….But do not succumb to doubt or despair – nothing bad is happening.  It is only the Light that is knocking, the Light to whom you opened the borders of your kingdom….(Ibid, 12, 13)

Exposing the interior….is an unceasing process in spiritual life…This Light is showing you the sick parts of your soul in order to heal them.  (Ibid, 19).

The new paint is teaching me a few things:  (1) gratitude for a lighter room (God’s knocking Light),  (2) awareness that remodeling (at least with our budget!) is a process, not a one-time-deal (just like my on-going conversion), and (3) the dirty carpet/faded curtains do not have to steal my joy over the new paint color (as the Light shines and more of my misery appears or resurfaces, God wants me to trust that He does not stop loving me). 

Perhaps God is reminding me that He does not love this weaker, more miserable version of myself any less than He did the one who was discovering the joys of the sacraments.  And perhaps I am not even weaker than I was before, only more aware of my need for God all along.  And perhaps in all of it, God is reminding me of this path He has designed for me: the arms of my Blessed Mama. 

To someone who abandons himself to Mary, it will be easier for him to have the attitude of a child of God; the attitude of a child who, in believing that it is loved and fully accepted, guards in every situation the dignity which is proper to him. (S.C. Biela, In the Arms of Mary, 2^nd ed. Rev. [Ft. Collins, CO:  IAMF, 2005] 160- 161)