September 2022 - Psalm 23

The Lord Is My Shepherd (ESV)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the 

valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

 

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 23 (22 in some translations). Many years ago, I was introduced to it by my teacher in a public elementary school. Our teacher began the day with our saluting the flag and then reciting Psalm 23 together. It has remained a source of inspiration and comfort throughout my life.

While I ministered in the Navajo Nation, I was blessed with the privilege of observing shepherds caring for their sheep. I also remember one shepherdess sharing that she was getting older and did not know how much longer she could care for her beloved sheep. She was discerning which one of her family members to whom she would entrust the care of the sheep when she could no longer give them the love and attention they needed. Her concern was that she choose one who would become a good shepherd or shepherdess who would be watchful, patient, and have a special, caring relationship with each individual animal.

Sheep are very dependent on their shepherds and sheepdogs (sometimes llamas) because of their limitations.  Sheepdogs, e.g., Australian Shepherd dogs, are very intelligent. I have observed them helping the sheep cross a road safely.

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Psalm 23 is believed to have been authored by David around 1000 B.C.  Let us pause to listen carefully to the words:

The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want He makes me lie down in green pastures. The shepherd seeks out good pastures for the sheep to graze and leads them there. 

He leads me beside still waters. Since sheep are easily frightened, the shepherd avoids loud waterfalls and finds quiet waters so they can drink peacefully. He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Then, the psalmist says the Lord also guides him in the ways of “righteousness” (goodness).  

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff. They comfort me. 

Some of the paths the sheep have to travel to be pastured are very dangerous.  There are steep mountains to climb and treacherous valleys, but the sheep are never alone.

The staff, like a cane with a rounded hook, is used by the shepherd to test the ground ahead of the sheep to see if it is secure. Sometimes the brush on the side of the mountains hides the danger of loose rocks and the edge of the cliffs.  The shepherd guides the sheep away from the precipices. However, sometimes a wandering sheep loses its way and becomes caught in the brush or slips into a crevice. The shepherd can sometimes rescue the sheep, using the hook end of the staff. (Today, Bishops carry a staff to symbolize that they are to be shepherds of their flock.)

The rod, a thick stick or bunch of twigs, is used to ward off dangerous animals who might attempt to harm the sheep. It can also be used to push back thick brush in the pathway: the rod and the staff help to make the sheep feel safe. The shepherd provides a safe and pleasant pasture for the sheep by watching for dangerous animals and being prepared to get rid of them so the sheep can graze peacefully.

You anoint my head with oil;

Unlike some animals, the sheep cannot rid themselves of insects who might attack their heads, so the shepherds rub their heads with oils that ward off insects.

My cup overflows.

The sheep’s hearts are overflowing with happiness.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

Having such a loving and caring Shepherd as the Lord, he trusts that he will be cared for in this life.

And I shall “dwell” in the house of the Lord forever.

When called to his heavenly home, he exclaims that he will live joyfully with his Shepherd Lord forever.

 

 

Comments:

Stephanie Morris, ASBS, Ph.D. Historian, Certified Archivist, Emerita 

The Infant King was first manifested to shepherds. Shepherds were not the elite of Jewish society. They worked outdoors and their duties were 24/7 - sheep needed care every day. No matter our own status, each of us is called to be a shepherd. We can guard any soul entrusted to us, guiding them to a closer relationship with God. We can guide anyone we meet to a more joyful, peaceful relationship with God. This is a 24/7 call - we never know when the Holy Spirit might prompt us to do something - large or small - for someone.

Pat Chiaffa, ASBS

Psalm 23 has been a source of comfort to me since I was a child. My parents divorced when I was eight-years old; my world was turned upside down. I had to get used to living without my dad and shortly thereafter, adjust to living with a stepfather. The situation left me very frightened.  I would close my eyes and call to mind the gentleness of the shepherd and pretend I was the sheep he placed on his shoulders. It brought me great peace. That same meditation comforts me today as I struggle to grasp the fragile reality of our world. I find myself distressed over the lack of leadership across the globe, the growing violence, shattered economy, crushed dreams and the plight of so many displaced people. I am saddened beyond words at the fear (of Covid 19) that is paralyzing countless people, contributing to anxiety and depression and the loss of bonds of connection and spiritual nourishment. This past weekend I was on a retreat which annually welcomes three hundred participants, the majority of whom have been coming for decades. This year the count was under thirty. Two hundred, seventy women missed powerful messages of God’s tender love, compassion and mercy, and the opportunities to relax, reset and receive the dynamic inspiration that is palpable in such a Spirit-filled environment. 

I believe that the Good Shepherd is calling us to co-shepherd our fellow “sheeples” during these turbulent times. In spite of masking up, we need to speak out of the Presence of God and reach out with words of encouragement and hope. The Presence of God is invisible as is the virus. Yet, the media sustains fear by bombarding the public with details of the virus. It is a challenge to turn off the media info etched in our heads long enough to enter into a quiet place to pray and find rest and hear the gentle whispering of the Holy Spirit to soothe our troubled souls. We need to communicate the message of faith by focusing on and expressing the love, Presence and power of God. Faith drives out fear. The image of the Good Shepherd as described in Psalm 23 is a very effective meditation to foster peace, restore calm and trust in God’s loving Providence.

August 2022 - Feasts of St. Monica and St. Augustine of Hippo

We will begin our reflections on St. Monica. Born in North Africa in 332 a.d. She was a devout Christian who married a non-Christian named Patricius. They had three children. Their son Augustine exhibited exceptional intelligence, so they sent him away to be well educated, eventually studying in Carthage, the great city on the northern coast of Africa. Because of her prayers and example, her husband became a Christian himself.

St. Augustine was also born in North Africa and became a source of concern for his parents as a young adult. Forsaking his Christian Faith, he became a follower of Mani, a Persian prophet. Ambitious to advance his career, Augustine left Africa to seek a career in Rome in 383 a.d. He eventually became a professor of rhetoric in Milan. 

While in Milan, Augustine was impressed with the preaching of the Bishop, St. Ambrose and eventually was baptized by him, returning to his Christian Faith. After 16 years of praying for her son, St. Monica had the joy of seeing her son embrace the Christian faith as an adult. She traveled to Milan to see him and died on the way home to Africa, saying that all her hopes had been fulfilled.

In the meantime, Augustine had fathered a son by a long-term lover, who left the baby with him. The young father named his son Adeodatus and moved back to his native town in Tagaste to raise his son, care for family property, and spend time writing.

When his son died as a teenager, Augustine sold the property and became a clergyman in the coastal city of Hippo, north of Tagaste in North Africa. After his conversion and with his gift for preaching in a way to appeal to all peoples, Augustine was eventually called to be the Bishop of Hippo.

With Augustine's talent for writing about religious topics and his ability to preach in such a way as to sway the intellectual community, as well the ordinary people, he became involved in defending the Faith. While he was a prolific writer, many of his works were lost. However, there are some who have survived to this day. Two popular books that survive are The City of God and the Confessions of St. Augustine.

St. Monica has long been an advocate for wives and mothers who pray for their spouses and children. She is a source of hope for devout Christians who are concerned about family members and others who have lost their way. Let us invoke her assistance whose example and prayers led her husband to embrace the Faith and her wayward son to end up as a holy Saint.

Augustine reminds us of God's mercy and that He is always willing to give us a second chance to return to Him and be loved unconditionally. He or she might even be given the graces to become a Saint.  

 

Praise the Lord!!!   

 

Comments:

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D. Historian, certified Archivist, ASBS emerita

St. Katharine urged the Sisters to “Pray, whether you feel like it or not …. We never lose by making an effort.”

Sixteen years is a long time to pray for a special intention; St. Monica may have felt weary at times, saying the same prayer over and over again. But God heard every prayer and every heartfelt wish. St. Monica lived to see her prayers answered when St. Augustine returned to the practice of the Christian faith.

When I say a “Hail Mary” to Our Lady, Queen of Peace, I don’t see any result. But I hope that maybe a breeze of cool air will comfort a soldier in a hot, dry climate. Thinking that I continue to pray for peace and trust that Our Lady and Our Lord hear.

Pat Chiafa, ASBS emerita

Every evening at 8:00pm I pray the Relevant Radio Family Rosary across America facilitated by Fr. Francis Hoffman, aka “Father Rocky.” Nightly, there are several requests from mothers asking for prayers that their children will return to the faith. Father Rocky has stated multiple times that this is the most requested prayer received. I include my own sons in this petition as well. St. Monica has been a source of inspiration and hope for me throughout the years.

There is no greater moment in life than when a mother cuddles her newborn infant. She sees the face of God in that precious baby and her heart is overwhelmed and warmed by its innocence and purity. My tears of joy that flowed at the birth of my children were motivated by the sheer marvel at having co-created with God to bring forth such love. At that moment God is so real and the awareness of His Presence in this tiny being is rooted in the depth of our being. That experience is etched on our hearts and it remains forever. We have such dreams for our children. While I did not entertain any specific outcome for their life, I assumed that my boys would embrace the values that were sacred to me. To that end, they attended 12 years of a Catholic school as well as a Catholic college. I am deeply saddened that each one has chosen not to actively practice the faith.

It is natural that adult children set out on their own path and seek adventure and fulfillment. You noted St. Augustine left his homeland seeking to advance his career. As mothers, we are concerned that distractions may pull them into harmful directions. Henri Nouwen articulates my burden when he writes, “I suspect that we too often have lost contact with the source of our own existence and have become strangers in our own house. We tend to run around trying to solve the problems of our world while anxiously avoiding confrontation with that reality wherein our problems find their deepest roots: our own selves.”

St. Monica is a wonderful reminder that it is with faithful trust that God will hear our prayers for our children and give them the opportunity to return to his open arms where He will welcome them home. 

July 2022 - The Feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha

(Image from CatholicSaintMedals.com) 

This month, we are focusing on the Feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha. Although Kateri was born in 1656 at Ossernenon, near modern Auriesville in New York, surprisingly, many of her life experiences were similar to our current experiences. However, in spite of, and maybe because of all the challenges of her life, she developed a deep spirituality and became the first Native American woman of North America to be canonized by the Catholic Church. 

Kateri's mother, Kahenta was of the Algonquin Tribe and a Christian. During a raid by some Mohawks, she was captured and enslaved among Mohawks. However, she was being closely observed by Kenneronkwa, a Mohawk chief, who was impressed with her kindness and forbearance in the midst of difficult circumstances. Eventually, he fell in love with her and chose to marry her. Thus, Kahenta was adopted into his tribe. Kateri was the first of their children.

Kateri was born into a world where one group fought against the other and frequently enslaved the other or subjugated them. At the same time, the French Jesuit missionaries were attempting to bring the message of Christ and the spirit of love to the world. 

Kateri's mother had become Christian. However, in her adopting tribe, she was unable to go to church or have Kateri baptized. Nevertheless, she did share her faith with little Kateri who was only about four years old when her mother, father, and baby brother died of the smallpox plague. Kateri also was struck by smallpox, but she survived. Nevertheless, she was left with a severely disfigured face, very limited vision, and a weak body.  

When her father, the great Mohawk War Chief, Kenneronkwa died, the village matriarchs chose his brother Iowerano to replace him. As was the custom in the Tribe, Kateri was adopted by him and he moved into the Longhouse of his late brother, bringing his wife and aunt with him. It is believed that he was very kind to Kateri.

While it was proper for him to raise his late brother's child, it was also a wise political move since he had no children of his own. He probably hoped that she would marry a fine young warrior and carry on the lineage of his family. His wife and aunt welcomed her with love.

Kateri proved to be a great asset to the family with her gentle ways. In spite of her health issues, Kateri helped the family with gathering wood for fires, cooking meals, sewing, beadwork, etc.

However, when she showed attraction to Christianity, brought to the Mohawks by French Jesuits, Kateri’s uncle did not like this. The family was concerned about her lack of interest in marriage. After all, that would interfere with their plans to have a son-in-law who would carry on the lineage of their family. They even tried to trick Kateri into an arranged marriage when she was seventeen. Nevertheless, Kateri was alert to the effort and removed herself from the situation.

One day when most of the women were involved in harvesting the corn crop, Kateri had to stay home because she had injured her foot. Fr. Jacques Lamberville, a Jesuit priest, was visiting her Village. When she shared with him her desire to become a Christian, he agreed to instruct her.

At age nineteen, she was considered ready to be baptized. On Easter Sunday, April 18,1676, she was baptized and given the name, “Catherine” after St. Catherine of Siena. (Kateri is the Mohawk form of Catherine.)

The following was recorded by Father Cholonec., S.J., who wrote what Kateri said: "I have deliberated enough. For a long time, my decision on what I will do has been made. I have consecrated myself entirely to Jesus, Son of Mary, I have chosen Him for husband and He alone will take me for a wife."

Once it was known that Kateri would never marry and provide a family to ensure the lineage of her uncle’s family, she experienced a lot of persecution. (Today we have many people of integrity who are being persecuted too, once they are deemed to no longer be useful to advance the desires of others.) Nevertheless, Kateri, despite her own handicaps and suffering, spent her life teaching children about God, visiting the elderly and sick, and helping those in need. 

 

Comments:

Stephanie Morris, ASBS, Ph.d. Historian, Certified Archivist emerita

St. Kateri suffered during her lifetime – illness, loss of family, and trials because of her faith.  St. Katharine Drexel understood these trials; she had suffered illnesses and the loss of loved ones.  She and the Sisters faced opposition in their efforts to work among the African American and Native American people. St. Katharine told the Sisters: “You are not going to go through life without having your patience tried.” Even as a young woman, Kate knew that her Lord said: “Come to Me all ye that suffer and I will refresh you.” Yes, we can expect difficulties in our lifetime but with the Lord walking beside us, the Holy Spirit to guide us, and the Blessed Mother to console us, we can handle all the bumps along the way of our life’s journey.

Pat Chiaffa, ASBS emerita

Thank you, Sr. Annette, for sharing such interesting details of St. Kateri’s life. I am particularly touched by her intimate relationship with Jesus. Her refusal to submit to the expectations of others so that she could stay true to her desire to pursue a life of prayer and service reminded me of a quote from Matthew Kelly: “As we mature spiritually, we realize that to want anything other than the will of God is foolish and futile.” St. Kateri’s decision to follow Christ is a beautiful example. She would not have felt fulfilled had she chosen to placate the wishes of her uncle.  Kateri most certainly knew that her decision to embrace Christianity would result in criticism from her family and tribe. But she was driven by her great love of Jesus.   

Father Richard Rohr wrote a recent article on St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi in which he stated that they were “not so many prophets by what they said as in the way that they lived their lives. Their agenda for justice was the most foundational and undercutting of all others: a very simple lifestyle…plus a conscious identification with the marginalized of society. In this position, you do not “do” acts of peace and justice as much as your life is itself peace and justice. You take your small and sufficient place in the great and grand scheme of God.” Kateri, like Francis and Clare, who “within their chosen structural freedom, also found personal, mental, and emotional freedom. They were free from negativity and ego. Such liberation is full Gospel freedom.”

In reading your blog, I sense that you have many social justice concerns in your heart. July is historically a month of celebrating freedom. It appears as though we have drifted from our proclamations of liberty and justice for all.  Evangelist Alveda King, the niece of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., shared the following sentiments in her Independence Day blog, “Admittedly, these aspirations for our nation have yet to encompass the rights of all American people; especially those in the womb, those oppressed by the yoke of skin color racism, and other human barriers. However, Hope is still alive. We are not colorblind; we are not separate races. We just need to learn to see and hear each other.”

You gave us a glimpse of the world into which Kateri was born and drew “There is hope that the imperfect union can still become a perfect union; one race, one blood, one nation under God. As we move forward, we must remember that as the human race, we are all made in the image of God.”. The message of Christ and the Spirit of Love was stronger than the injustices of the time for Kateri, and they continue to be the answer for us today. With a penitent heart, we need to turn to the Lord, ask for His mercy, compassion, and guidance so we can release the illusions of separation and alienation that divide us from one another.

With Christ, change and renewal are possible. The most basic first step toward reconciliation is to examine what is in our hearts. We may be unaware of indifference or prejudices that have taken root. Pope Francis cites the global indifference we as a society have toward our neighbors. We live very distracted lives. I think we need to pause and intentionally recommit to our responsibility as disciples. We profess to love Jesus, but we need to live out our Christ-centered discipleship on the streets. If we aim to open ourselves to others, love will replace fear and distrust, for perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

I read the following prayer on the website: https://www.kateritekakwitha.org/kateri/prayers. and thought it would be a lovely close to this post.

“Loving Creator God, we acknowledge your power and presence in the Four Directions of your vast and beautiful universe. We celebrate Kateri Tekakwitha, "Lily of the Mohawks", as one of your Son's most faithful followers. Help us to turn our backs on all evil and walk in her footsteps, sharing our love and Christian concern with others. Let us reverence, as she did, your mystical presence in the poor and suffering.” Amen

 

June 2022 - Feast of Corpus Christi

(The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ)

 

In this time of concern and anxiety about the future of our country and the world, the Hebrew Scriptures remind us of God's providing for the Hebrew people. They had no food and water in the desert. Without divine intervention, they would starve to death.

The only hope for the Jews was God himself. Because of their trust in him, the Lord provided water from a rock and manna (a type of bread) from the heavens.

In the Christian Scriptures, we learn of the time when Jesus had been preaching to a crowd of 5,000 men and curing people throughout the day. It was getting toward evening. His disciples had expressed their concerns and asked Jesus to dismiss the crowd so they could find food and shelter for the night. Jesus simply responded: "Give them some food yourselves." The disciples told Jesus that all the food that was available was five loaves of bread and two fish. There was no way that they could feed the 5,000 men and probably some women and children.

The disciples had to put their trust in the Lord because it did not make sense to them. Jesus rewarded their faith by taking the five loaves of bread and two fish, lifting his eyes to heaven, offering a blessing and breaking them, and giving them to the disciples to distribute. The food is multiplied so that the disciples are able to feed the crowd and have twelve baskets of food leftover. This prefigured what Jesus would do at the Last Supper and at every Mass since.

In the Eucharist, we are blessed to have Jesus as our loving companion. Sometimes, when people receive the Eucharist during their last days, it is referred to as Viatecum. The word comes from the Latin: Via (on the way), te (you), cum (with). However, that word can be a comfort all the time because Jesus is with us all along the paths of our lives.

God wants us to know that he cares and provides for us. However, it is not always in the way we expect. Often it is only when we look back over our lives that we see how he provided and even carried us at times. I love the poem “Footprints” which illustrates that so well.

Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord

Scenes from my life flashed across the sky,
In each, I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints;
other times there was only one.

During the lowest times of my life
I could see only one set of footprints,
so I said, “Lord, you promised me,
that you would walk with me always.
Why, when I have needed you most would you leave me?”

The Lord replied, “My precious child,
I love you and would never leave you.
The times when you have seen only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you.”

Jesus invites us to participate in caring for ourselves and our brothers and sisters. Jesus knows that in difficult times, if we focus only on our own problems, we become weighed down. However, if we try to find solutions for ourselves and others, we are able to make it through.

I can recall my mother’s giving me similar advice. She told me: “If you ever find that you are feeling sorry for yourself, remember there are others worse off than you are, and do for them.” In these stressful times, we see many people and even children, helping others to deal with the tragedies and disasters so common today. Often they become more Christ-like people as a result.  

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Comments:

Reflection Question: During the Feast of Corpus Christi, we celebrate the Eucharist, made up of many grains of wheat, a reminder that we are all parts of the Mystical Body of Christ. Jesus calls us to show love for one another. A very important way to reach out to others today is to become involved in social justice causes. St. Katharine Drexel gave an excellent example in her day. What does she say to us?

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D. Historian, Certified Archivist, Emerita

St. Katharine wrote that “Working for social justice can take many paths.” Social justice for St. Katharine was giving each his/her due. All were to be treated equally and fairly.  For her and for the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, education was an important path to promoting equal treatment.

Another path was letter-writing. President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the Mississippi Flood Control project. Negroes working for white supervisors in the South were not treated or paid the same as their white co-workers. St. Katharine wrote to President Roosevelt, protesting this injustice. She and her sister Louise D. Morrell also supported the work of the NAACP in highlighting this double standard. Walter White, Executive Secretary of the NAACP, thanked St. Katharine and Mrs. Morrell for their invaluable support in correcting this injustice.

We can find our own path, whether by prayer, letter writing, financial support, voting, or other means, to promote social justice in the United States, the “land of the free.”

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Reflection Question 2: Think of a time when someone in very difficult circumstances reached out to help others and simultaneously helped himself or herself.  Share your memories.

Pat Chiaffa, ASBS

The first thing that came to mind when I read your reflection question was, “Support Groups.” As I thought about it, I felt gratitude for the multitude of needs supported by so many gatherings facilitated by compassionate people who can hold the pain of others as precious because they experienced a similar event, situation, or circumstance. 

I have participated in a few such groups and have always left the meeting feeling more hopeful than when I entered. The opportunity to tell one’s story and be heard, to listen to another’s story, shed tears and receive hugs, express anger, learn coping tips, all in a nurturing environment, is healing as well as renewing. The Holy Spirit is very active in such life-affirming spaces. 

Twenty-seven years ago, when my youngest child was just a toddler, my friend and I started a support group for separated and divorced women. We met twice a month in my living room. The gathering was the brainchild of my friend, a psychologist, who saw many women who were bitter toward men and, by focusing on perceived wrongs done to them, held themselves prisoners by their limiting belief that they were victims.

The foundation of our group was to support and uplift one another to move forward with our lives as stronger and more self-aware women. We called our group Self-Empowerment. My friend was committed to inspiring women to claim their wholeness by acknowledging their accountability and responsibility for their own choices, decisions, and actions. The eye-opening techniques grasped were life-changing for many of us.

For individuals unable to get to meetings, the Internet can be a window to beneficial supportive communities. Whether grieving the loss of a loved one, a relationship, marriage, or job, to feeling intense fear resulting from a devastating diagnosis, worry surrounding addiction, or fatigue resulting from caregiving – there is positive support available to guide us through life’s difficult experiences.

I became aware of Chris Wark, via the Internet, when my friend, Jill, was diagnosed with cancer. Jill received the traditional treatment protocol – surgery, chemo and radiation, but she felt there was more she actively needed to do to regain her health. Chris Wark not only regained his health but is healthier now than before his diagnosis as a result of healthy lifestyle changes he personally made. His online community (chris@chrisbeatcancer.com) became a resource for Jill as she incorporated his tried and proven enhancements to nutrition, exercise, meditation, and rest.

He developed twenty questions that every newly diagnosed patient should ask his or her oncologist prior to initiating treatment; he created a powerful docu-series on healing modalities, and he posts ongoing interviews with people who have successfully beat cancer! Positively healing, genuinely caring information to help others as they journey through cancer treatment is provided.  Helping cancer patients achieve wellness has become his passion and mission in life. See his ongoing resources at (chris@chrisbeatcancer.com).

Jesus was the model support group leader. He drew diverse peoples together and spent three years dispelling worldly fallacies, teaching spiritual principles, and introducing people to a higher level of living, caring, and sharing for themselves and others.  Communion was his passion and mission. He died promoting it. However, the group, Christians, continues His mission to this day as its members, individually and collectively, extend His love through ministering to others.

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and grandfathers.

Also, blessings on all those who care for others 

in a loving, fatherly manner!

May 2022 - Our Mother Mary

 

When we think of the month of May, Mother’s Day stands out. This is well deserved when we consider all the sacrifices, caring, and concern that we associate with mothers. God gave mothers the strength and compassion needed for their calling.

Jesus gave us many special gifts: He shared His Father with us when he taught us to pray the Our Father, He sent his Holy Spirit to dwell in us and guide us. Finally, on the cross, he shared with apostle John and us: His own beloved Mother.

Through the centuries, devotion to Our Mother Mary has been fostered through Icons (images of holy people) and apparitions (appearances) of Mary in troubled times. Let us focus on some of the devotions in honor of Mary the Mother of Jesus.

With Ukraine and Poland much in the news, let us study the Icon: Our Lady of Czestochowa also referred to as the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. The people of Ukraine and Poland have great devotion to Mary, depicted in this Icon. 

While there are many legends about the origin and history of the Icon, what is most important is her message. The image is of Mary holding the Child Jesus in her left arm. She directs attention away from herself by pointing to Jesus with her right hand. The Child Jesus faces the viewer and extends His right hand in blessing while holding a book of the Gospels in His left hand. Mary is referred to as “One Who Shows the Way.”

The Icon has been honored in many ways: King John II Casimir Vasa proclaimed Our Lady Queen of Poland. Several Popes have recognized the Icon including Pope Clement XI in 1717, Pope Pius X in 1910, Pope John Paul II in 1978, Pope Benedict in 2006, and Pope Francis in 2016. In addition, Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and Belarus have a special devotion to the Madonna of Czestochowa.

The Black Madonna Icon is now housed in the Monastery of Jasna Gora (English: Bright Mount) in Poland. It is said to have miraculously saved that monastery from a Swedish invasion in 1655.

In the United States, there are two shrines: The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa is located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. There is also a shrine in Garfield Heights in Ohio.

Through the centuries, Jesus has sent His Mother to appear at difficult times to be a comfort to those who are suffering. During an especially painful time in 1531, our Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego, an Aztec convert to Christianity, on Tepeyac Hill, now in a suburb of Mexico City. She asked that a shrine in her honor be built there.

However, when Juan Diego brought her message to the bishop, he doubted the reality of the apparition. Therefore, he demanded a sign before he would build a church there. When Mother Mary appeared again, Juan Diego was upset because he could not convince the Bishop of the reality of his vision. Gently, she spoke these endearing words: "Hear me and understand well, my little son, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed .... Am I not here who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection?" (Juan Diego was a grown man, the diminutive 'my little son' was an expression of affection).

Our Lady then instructed Juan Diego to pick some roses on the top of the Hill and bring them as a sign to the bishop. (It was December when that type of rose would not normally bloom). Juan Diego carried them to the Bishop in his tilma, (poncho). When he opened the tilma, the roses fell to the ground. Printed on the tilma was a picture of Our Lady as she had appeared to Juan Diego. 

The bishop fell to his knees and ordered the construction of the Shrine which is visited daily even now and contains the tilma with the imprint of the picture of Our Blessed Mother.  

Our Lady of Guadalupe is credited with the ending of a deadly epidemic of hemorrhagic fever which ravaged Mexico City from 1736 - 1737. Pope John Paul II canonized Juan Diego and declared Our Lady of Guadalupe the patroness of the Americas. 

Might she not help us in the deadly pandemic which we are experiencing now? Let us pray to her who is our Mother too.

On March 27, 2022, Pope Francis made the following Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on behalf of our world, especially Russia and Ukraine, asking for an end to the war and peace in our World.

  

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we turn to you. As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our hearts is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced your watchful care and your peaceful presence! You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young. We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns. We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives, and to stockpile weapons. We stopped being our neighbor’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins, we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame, we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!

Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war, you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life. He has given you to us and made your Immaculate Heart a refuge for the Church and for all humanity. By God’s gracious will, you are ever with us; even in the most troubled moments of our history, you are there to guide us with tender love.

We now turn to you and knock at the door of your heart. We are your beloved children. At every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion. At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times. In you, we place our trust. We are confident that, especially in moments of trial, you will not be deaf to our supplication and will come to our aid.

That is what you did at Cana in Galilee when you interceded with Jesus and he worked the first of his signs. To preserve the joy of the wedding feast, you said to him: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). Now, O Mother, repeat those words and that prayer, for in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, the fraternity has faded. We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal help!

Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer.
Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war.
Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.
Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world.
Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness.
Free us from war, and protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons.
Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love.
Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity.
Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world.

O Mother, may your sorrowful plea stir our hardened hearts. May the tears you shed for us make this valley parched by our hatred blossom anew. Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace. May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside.

Holy Mother of God, as you stood beneath the cross, Jesus, seeing the disciple at your side, said: “Behold your son” (Jn 19:26). In this way, he entrusted each of us to you. To the disciple, and to each of us, he said: “Behold, your Mother” (v. 27). Mother Mary, we now desire to welcome you into our lives and our history.  At this hour, weary and distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ. The people of Ukraine and Russia, who venerate you with great love, now turn to you, even as your heart beats with compassion for them and for all those peoples decimated by war, hunger, injustice, and poverty.

Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church, and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world. The “Fiat” that arose from your heart opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace. We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more. To you, we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world.

Through your intercession, may God’s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days. Our Lady of the “Fiat”, on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony that comes from God. May you, our “living fountain of hope”, water the dryness of our hearts. In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster the growth of communion. You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace. Amen.

 

Blessings to all mothers, grandmothers, godmothers,

and all those who provide motherly care. 

Comments:

Stephanie Morris, ASBS, Ph.D. Historian, Certified archivist, emerita

Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world. From Pope Francis’ “Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

From the cross, Jesus gave His Mother to be the mother of John the Apostle, and John (on our behalf) to be her child. Confident of this, in 1883, Kate (St. Katharine Drexel)asked the Blessed Mother to be her mother after the death of Emma Bouvier Drexel.

St. Katharine urged all to “go to Mary as their Mother.” She also prayed the Rosary for all involved in armed conflicts. St. Katharine urged all to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary. Perhaps our meditation on the Sorrowful Mysteries could include some of our current concerns.

The Agony in the Garden: Pray for those anxious about where they will go, will sleep if they will ever return to Ukraine.

The Scourging at the Pillar: Pray for those in areas under attack.

The Crowning with Thorns: Pray for those wearing a mantle of leadership, deliberating on steps to stop the aggression and aid the afflicted.

The Carrying of the Cross: Our Lord fell and needed help. Pray for those injured that they find support in Our Lord’s wounds and from the help of others.

The Crucifixion: Pray for those killed or injured in this conflict and in our cities.

Our Lady, Queen of peace, bring peace and justice to the whole world.

 

Pat Chiaffa, ASBS

Thank you for including Pope Francis’ Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the blog. It is such a beautiful appeal to Our Mother Mary on our behalf. That Consecration will serve as my Examen of heart and consciousness as I reflect on the daily contributions I make toward peace or toward disharmony.

I pray for peace yet so many times my thoughts reveal deep inner unrest. I recognize that I have strayed from the path of peace that Jesus desires. The more I hear of violence and destruction, the louder I hear the voice of fear. Fear makes for misery and I go about my day feeling broken-hearted, wanting to withdraw and grieve what once was. I am reminded by the Act of Consecration to Mary’s Immaculate Heart that it is my responsibility to seek the Presence of God in the midst of suffering humanity, to step out in faith, and to embody peace and love I want to see in the world. If I can uplift but one person today, I have acted as an agent of change. 

I turn to Mother Mary with the heart of a humbled daughter, seeking forgiveness and asking for her powerful intercession with Jesus for all the times I have chosen to ignore Him and be satisfied with my illusions, for the times I have not respected the garden of the earth, and for those times I chose indifference to others over my own selfish interests. 

I close with the sentiments of Pope Francis. Mother Mary, through your intercession, “may God’s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days… May you, our ‘living fountain of hope,’ water the dryness of our hearts…You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace.”

May we receive the tender motherly love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary into our hearts this day and share it with all those we encounter.