The Sub Tuum Prasesidium is the oldest known prayer to the Virgin Mary and dates back to the 3rd Century and was the favorite prayer of St. Maximilian Kolbe who prayed it everyday
Sub Tuum Praesidium (Under Thy Protection)
We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God;
despise not our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Our Lady of Lourdes
When most people think of Lourdes they think of the Miraculous Waters.
But that was not the message of Our Lady.
The message that She gave to Bernadette was,
“Penance, Penance Penance ! Pray to God for sinners.”
So often we think that it is our words and our convictions and our wit and intelligence that others need to hear in order to change their minds.
When Penance is what Our Lady asks of us
and will go so much further to touch and change hearts.
The Wisdom of Solomon was known throughout the world,
But he was not as wise as he thought.
Solomon turned out to be the most foolish of all,
As He allowed his wives to turn his heart away from worshipping the true God to worshiping their false gods.
There is nothing more foolish than thinking we know everything.
And no longer need the Wisdom of God.
The heart of Man Mk. 7:14-23
The Pharisees were always avoiding sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes for fear they might become “infected” by them.
Jesus however warned his disciples that it is not what comes from “without” a person that infects them but what comes from “within”
From within their own hearts and thoughts.
For sin is not a Virus that we catch from others,
But comes from within us.
For the moment we are conceived
Original Sin enters our hearts and souls
Which is why sin “Originates” from within us.
And not from others.
The Bigness of God 1 Kings 8:22-30
King Solomon built the most magnificent Temple for the Lord to dwell in,
But had to acknowledge that no matter how grand and beautiful it was,
It could not contain God who made the heavens and the earth.
God is so much bigger than any Temple.
If the Temple of Solomon could not contain God,
we should therefore never think that our human, finite minds can comprehend the fullness of God either.
Touch his tassels. Mk. 6:53-56
The sick came to Jesus seeking to touch just the tassel on his cloak.
Observant Jews from the time of Moses wore prayer shawls with tassels on them even to this day.
Jesus being Jewish wore them as well.
The clothes he wore were a reflection of Who He was and of His Faith.
What do the clothes that we wear reflect?
