These
words from Pope Francis help us to reflect on Mary’s place in our life
especially as we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows today. Yes, Mary
experienced much in her life. She carried the awesome responsibility of being
the Mother of Jesus. She encountered moments of great sorrow throughout her
life, however Mary in many ways is our go to person. She was human, a person
just like us who had great strength, great patience and great hope in the midst
of a life filled with sorrow, disappointment and pain.
Mary,
particularly as Our Lady of Sorrows, is an example, a grace and a blessing to
us as we journey through our own struggles in life. Perhaps something else that
Pope Francis said best reflects the gift of Mary in our life - “To be faithful,
to be creative, we need to be able to change. To change! And why must I change?
So that I can adapt to the situations in which I must proclaim the Gospel. To
stay close to God, we need to know how to set out; we must not be afraid to set
out.” (Pope Francis)
Mary
certainly was faithful. Mary certainly was willing to change in order to adapt
to the situations of her life. She stayed close to God and was not afraid to
set out and proclaim the Gospel of her Son!
Have a
great Thursday everyone!
Daily
Prayer:
Mary,
woman of listening, open our ears; grant us to know how to listen to the word
of your Son Jesus among the thousands of words of this world; grant that we may
listen to the reality in which we live, to every person we encounter,
especially those who are poor, in need, in hardship.
Mary,
woman of decision, illuminate our mind and our heart so that we may obey,
unhesitating, the word of your Son Jesus; give us the courage to decide, not to
let ourselves be dragged along, letting others direct our life.
Mary,
woman of action, [may] our hands and feet move “with haste” toward others, to
bring them the charity and love of your Son Jesus, to bring the light of the
gospel to the world, as you did. Amen.
(Adapted from a prayer by Pope Francis)
A
Runner’s Thoughts: “My philosophy on running is, I don't dwell on it, I do
it.” (Joan Benoit Samuelson) My
theology of running is to not to just think about God as I run but to bring God
with me one my runs!
Daily
Blessing:
Thursday greetings and blessings to everyone! It is a beautiful sunny day here
in Pelham with not much humidity and a little touch of fall in the air at least
this morning. A good day to be energized and I need one of those days as I have
a lot of work that needs to get done as I prepare for tomorrow’s taping day. It
is crunch time and I am sure my mind will be on overload today and into the
night!
As we
begin this day hopefully it will be a day rich in the blessings of God. I pray
all of you will have a good day one touched by the grace of God. May Mary’s
presence and faithfulness bring purpose and meaning to your day. May you
encounter many smiles, many good people and much love. May your day be filled with listening,
decision and action that will give you life. Have a good day everyone and know
of my prayers for you today and always. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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