Thursday 24th Week of Ordinary Time

 

The Sorrows of Mary

Mary is our mother not so much because she is the Mother of Jesus and gave birth to Him,

But because she stood at the foot of His cross and shared in His sufferings.

For it was from the Cross,

That Jesus said to John and says to us;

“Behold your Mother.”

And so when we share in the sufferings of Christ and the sufferings of others,

Mary will stand at the foot of our cross,

And be our Mother as well.

Wednesday 24th Week of Ordinary Time

 

The Exaltation of the Cross

How close do you want to get to the cross of Christ?

Do you run from the cross?

Do you walk the way of the cross for a few Stations?

Do you want to stand at the foot of cross and share in the sufferings of Christ?

Or are you willing to bear the nail marks in your hand,

The and the wound in your side.

As much of the cross of Christ that you share in,

Will determine the amount of glory that you share with Christ

In His Kingdom.

Tuesday 24th Week of Ordinary Time

 

What Part are we? 1 Cor. 12:12-31

We are One Body; One Spirit in Christ.

Just as there are many parts in the body

So there are many parts in the Body of Christ!

And each part is important in its own way.

The eye, the leg, the hand, even the little toe

All have an important part to play in the body.

And Each one of us has a part to play in the Body of Christ

What part do we play we in our parish?

Monday 24th Week of Ordinary Time

 

The Name of Mary

Blessed is the man who loves thy name, O Mary," exclaims St. Bonaventure. "Yes, truly blessed is he who loves thy sweet name, O Mother of God! for," he continues, "thy name is so glorious and admirable, that no one who remembers it has any fears at the hour of death." St. Bonaventure continues to say "that Mary is the salvation of all who call upon her,” and "that thy name, O Mary, cannot be pronounced without bringing some grace to him who does so devoutly.". . grant, O Lady, that we may often remember to name thee with love and confidence; for this practice either shows the possession of divine grace, or else is a pledge that we shall soon recover it.

Friday 23rd Week of Ordinary Time

 St. Peter Claver

St. Peter left the luxury of Spain for Columbia in 1610

And became the “slave of slaves”

The daily life of St. Peter Claver consisted of hurrying to the slave ships when they arrived Carrying  baskets of oranges, lemons, sweet biscuits.  Large numbers of the sick were always lying on wet ground or rather in puddles of mud. To prevent excessive dampness, they would build up a mound with a mixture of tiles and broken pieces of bricks. This was their couch, a very uncomfortable one not only for that reason, but especially because they were naked, without any clothing to protect them.  Then using his own cloak he covered them. 

We haven’t really come too far. 

The slavery that existed in our country;

 continues to haunt us. 

Human beings continue to be sold and trafficked in many parts of the world for sex, body parts and labor. 

And  then there is the slavery to sin to which everyone struggles to become free. 

We must Pray and work

 that all people may know the freedom of being a child of God. 

Thursday 23rd week of Ordinary Time

 

The Birthday of the. Blessed Virgin Mary

Because Mary was destined to be the Mother of God’s only begotten Son,

She was holy and blameless in God’s sight.

She was full of love.

St. Paul however tells us in his letter to the Ephesians

that each one of us is called to be holy and blameless in God’s sight.

To be Full of Love. Eph. 1:4-5.

The birth of Mary therefore is not only a day to remember her holiness

but also a reminder that we too were created

be holy and blameless;

And full of Love as well.

Wednesday 23rd week of Ordinary Time

 

Blessings and Woes Lk. 6:20-26

There are 2 Kingdoms;

The Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of the world.

While in this world, it appears that the rich, the filled, the happy and the praised have it all.

In the Kingdom of Heaven they will not.

In the kingdom of Heaven the rich will be poor;

The filled will be hungry;

The happy will weep.

While the poor will be rich,

The hungry will be filled

The sad will rejoice.

In other words, in the Kingdom of Heaven

Those blessed in this world will find their blessings turned into Woes,

While those who experience Woes in this world will find them turned into blessings.

Take heart therefore,

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!