Happy Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary! Today we remember the Gospel of Luke, when Mary rushed to the house of her cousin, Elizabeth, to help her during her pregnancy.  Upon entering the house, the baby in Elizabeth's womb, John the Baptist, leaped! Filled with the Holy Spirit, he could feel the presence of Our Lord inside Mary's womb. Read more about this great feast HERE! Here is a wonderful painting of this JOYFUL moment! Joy...that is what this feast today is all about! :)

From Father Piotr W. Wiśniowski (cyber-missionary) - Click on his name for his Facebook page!

Mary then proclaims this beautiful prayer, which we now call the Magnificat, as it is all about magnifying the Lord and His great works for human salvation! Take time, right now, to pray this today! It is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke - Luke 1:46-55.

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever."

Amen!

Also today, is our final day for our Month of Mary meditations.  These can be used for any day of the year, so if you feel the need, scroll back through the days and repeat them.  Mary is always there for us to turn to, to pray for us and to lead us to her Son.  Or! Get yourself a copy of the "Handbook of Prayers: Student Edition" published by the Midwest Theological Forum! It's a great little book of prayers! Our final meditation, again, comes from this book:


May 31st
Mary: The Visitation of Mary Sings of the Love of God
"God is interested in even the smallest events in the lives of His creatures - in your affairs and mine - and He calls each of us by name. This certainty that the faith gives enables us to look at everything in a new light. And everything, while remaining exactly the same, becomes different, because it is an expression of God's love. Our life is turned into a continuous prayer, we find ourselves with good humor and a peace that never ends, and everything we do is an act of thanksgiving running through all our day. 'My soul magnifies the Lord,' Mary sang, 'and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior."

Let us offer to our Mother today: The Holy Rosary said with concentration and affection.

Pray the Rosary often! But especially today. I would recommend the Joyful mysteries, for the Visitation :)


Become a Saint!

Today is the Feast Day of St. Joan of Arc, patron Saint of soldiers, and of France. How fitting that her feast day is the same as Memorial day! (We observe Memorial Day on the last Monday of May, but the actual day is, in fact, the 30th!) Learn more about her HERE!

Saint Joan of Arc

Today is also a very exciting day for a friend of mine! She is entering a religious order in New Ulm, MN called the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus.  A group of beautiful young women who are living their lives dedicated to Jesus, and to the service of His Church! Check out their website - HERE!  Isn't that main picture just stunning? Mmm.  If you could, please stop and say a prayer for my friend...right now. :) Her name is Kate, but after 4pm today, she will be receiving her habit and her new name, Sister ...I don't know what it is yet! It is all very exciting, though!

Also today, is the second to last day of our Month Dedicated to Mary! I pray that these devotions have been fruitful for you!

May 30th - Mary: The Channel of Grace
"Her power before God is such that she can obtain anything that we ask for, and, like any mother, she wants to answer our prayers. Like any mother, also, she knows and understands our weaknesses. She encourages us and makes excuses for us. She makes the way easy for us, and even when we think there is no possible solution for our worry, she always has one ready to offer us."

Let us offer our Mother today: A visit or a conversation with a friend or relative whom we want to encourage to go to Confession.


Pray Often! Be Holy!

Happy Tuesday!
I pray that you all had a wonderful Memorial day, and remembered to take time out of your day to honor and pray for those who have given their lives for justice, liberty, and Truth.  We should pray for their souls often.

One of the greatest things about our Catholic faith, is the Eucharist.  It is the Source and Summit of our lives! When we go to Mass and receive the Eucharist, we are united with Catholics throughout the world, with Jesus and the whole Trinity, and with all those who have gone before us and are in Heaven! United with our family, friends, and all others in Heaven, rest in the peace of the that total Communion of Love in Jesus Christ. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh9P2Znc1Tw


Only a few days left!
- May 29th -
Mary: The Queen of Heaven
"She lives now and is protecting us. She is there [in heaven], body and soul, with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. She is the same person who was born in Palestine, who gave herself to God while still a child, who received the message from St. Gabriel the Archangel, who gave birth to our Savior, and who stood beside  Him at the foot of the Cross. In her, all ideals become a reality. But we should never think that this sublime greatness of hers makes her inaccessible to us. She is the one who is full of grace and the sum of all perfections...and she is also our Mother."

Let us offer our Mother today: The "Hail Holy Queen" at each hour.

(In case you are unfamiliar with the Hail Holy Queen prayer...here it is!
"Hail holy Queen, Mother of mercy,
our life our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
Thine eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this our exile
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Amen.

Today, May 25th, is the Feast of St. Bede the Venerable, patron Saint of Lectors.

He was born in England in the 600s, became a Benedictine monk, and taught and wrote about a great number of things! History, mathematics, music, astronomy, poetry, philosophy, and Bible commentary are just a few of the subjects he wrote about.  He was a very smart man, and was named one of the 33 Doctors of the Church in 1899 by Pope Leo XIII.

Some quotes of St. Bede:
"He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor."

Towards the end of his long life, he had such a love for Christ that he longed to see him:
"If it so please my Maker, it is time for me to return to him who created me and formed me out of nothing when I did not exist.  I have lived a long time, and the righteous Judge has taken good care of me during my whole life. The time has come for my departure, and I long to die and be with Christ. My soul yearns to see Christ, my King, in all His glory."

Read this information, and more about St. Bede at: HERE!!


Now...from the Handbook of Prayers: Student Edition by the Midwest Theological Forum...
Mary: Our Mother
"Find out for yourself by personal experience the meaning of Mary's maternal love.  It is not enough just to know that she is our Mother, and to think and talk about her as such. She is your Mother and you are her child. She loves you as if you were her only child in this world. Treat her accordingly. Tell her about everything that happens to you; honor her and love her. No one will do it for you or as well as you."

Let us offer to our Mother today: Many affectionate thoughts and prayers, by saying, "Mary, my mother," each time we pause in our work.


Be Holy. :)

Today is the Feast day of Mary, Help of Christians! And she is! She is constantly offering prayers to her Son, Jesus. What a gift that we are able to go to her with our prayers, who then brings them to Jesus. What a loving Mother! She leads us straight to her Son, never to herself, always willing to help.  Here is the image most commonly associated with this beautiful title of Mary...with a close-up as well :)

        

According to Catholic Encyclopedia, the title Mary, Help of Christians began to be used way back in the sixteenth century, around the 1570s or so. It wasn't until around 1815 that Pope Pius VII declared it a feast of the Church, however, to be celebrated on May 24th, which was the anniversary of when he first returned to Rome after being arrested by Napoleon. 

St. John Bosco, one of the patron Saints of youth, had a great devotion to Mary, Help of Christians.  This really helped to spread the popularity of this title to all parts of the world! The congregation that St. John Bosco started, the Salesians, is dedicated to Mary under this name. St. John Bosco was an amazing man! Basically taking the rough-edged street orphans of Turin, Italy, and turning them into priests, educated men, and respectable gentlemen! He was a self-taught juggler and acrobat, and loved showing the JOY of Christ and the Catholic Church to the Youth!

This is him!! St. John Bosco

And with that....

May 24th: Mary: Help of Christians
"Yes, we are still pilgrims, but our Mother has gone on ahead, where she points to the reward for our efforts. She tells us that we can make it. If we are faithful, we will reach home. Not only is the Blessed Virgin our model, but she is also the Help of Christians. And as we besiege her with our petitions - 'Show that you are our Mother' - she cannot help but watch over her children with motherly care."

Let us offer our Mother today: Two sets of mysteries of the Holy Rosary (I would suggest Luminous for Thursday, and Glorious for Easter)

Be Holy! Mary, Help of Christians...pray for us!

There are 222 days remaining in the year of 2012! On this Sunday, the feast of Pentecost, Easter will have been 50 days ago! It's almost June!! ....Time flies when you're a Catholic. :)

We're slowly getting the summer schedule of events wrapped up here at St. Francis, so keep your eyes open for more info!  Monday night bonfire? Movie nights? Ultimate frisbee?? "Just-show-up" retreat days!? All very possible! More coming soon!

For now, let us again honor Mary :)
May 23 - Mary: Queen of the Apostles
"If we take our Lady's hand, she will make us realize more fully that all men are our brothers - because we are all sons of that God whose daughter, spouse, and mother she is.  Our neighbors' problems must be our problems. Christian fraternity should be something very deep in the soul, so that we are indifferent to no one. Mary, who brought up Jesus and accompanied Him through His life and is now beside Him in heaven, will help us recognize Jesus as he crosses our path and makes himself present to us in the needs of others."

Let us offer Mary today: A kind word, a friendly conversation, a helping hand to persons with whom we live or work.


Be Holy!!

Today is the Feast Day of St. Rita of Cascia. You should read about her here: Saint Rita!
One very interesting part of her story...She desired to suffer with Jesus on the Cross, and while look at a crucifix, a thorn fell from the crown on Jesus' head and left a deep wound on her own forehead.  The wound never healed, and emitted a very bad odor.  She did indeed suffer, but that suffering brought her closer to her Savior, Jesus Christ.  Once St. Rita died, the stench from the wound turned into the scent of roses...Praise God!

Again from the Handbook of Prayers: Student Edition, by Midwest Theological Forum

On this May 22:
Mary: Ever Virgin
"The purity, humility, and generosity of Mary are in sharp contrast to our wretchedness and selfishness. To the extent that we realize this, we should feel moved to imitate her. We too are creatures of God, and if we strive to imitate her fidelity, God will surely do great things in us. Our small worth is no obstacle, because God chooses what is of little value so that the power of his love may be more manifest."

Let us offer to our Mother today: The prayer "Blessed Be Your Purity"

Blessed be your purity,

May it be blessed for ever,

For no less than God takes delight

In such exalted beauty.

To you, heavenly Princess,

Holy Virgin Mary,

I offer on this day

My whole heart, life, and soul.

Look upon me with compassion;

Do not leave me, my mother.

It's still May! Let's continue to focus on Mary, our Blessed Mother, who in turn leads us to her Son, Jesus Christ.

Mary's Prayer:
"Let us ask the Blessed Virgin to make us contemplatives, to teach us to recognize the constant calls from God a the door of our heart. Let us ask her now:
         Our Mother, you brought to earth Jesus, who reveals the love of our Father God. Help us to recognize  Him in the midst of the cares of each day. Stir up our mind and will so that we may listen to the voice of God, to the calls of Grace."

Let us offer to our Mother today: A visit to Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.


Mmm, Eucharistic Adoration...go spend time with Jesus!

“There is nothing more consoling on earth [than Eucharistic Adoration], nothing more efficacious for advancing along the road of holiness.” -Pope Paul VI in Mysterium Fidei

"Do you know Jesus? Or do you just know a lot about Jesus?" Seek to know Him...in prayer, at Mass, in Eucharistic Adoration. He loves you, and desires for your life to filled to the absolute fullest with JOY in all things!

Want help finding that joy? -- Totus Tuus....June 17th-22nd...Sign up!!!

Mary: The Co-Redemptrix
"It is with good reason that the popes have called Mary Co-Redemptrix. 'So fully, in union with her suffering and dying Son, did she suffer and nearly die; so fully, for the sake of the salvation of all souls, did she abdicate the rights of a mother over her Son, and immolate Him, insofar as it was in her power, to satisfy the justice of God, that it can rightly be said that she redeemed mankind together with Christ.' This gives us a deeper understanding of that moment in the Passion of our Lord, which we shall never tire of meditating: Stabat autem iuxta crucem Iesu mater ieus, 'There, standing by the cross of Jesus, was His mother.'"

Mary participated in the redeeming of mankind in a very unique way. With her "yes" to God, Christ was brought into this world.  We are all called to participate in the redeeming of the world as well. We go to Mass to be spiritually nourished, and then take that Divine assistance out into the world to show God's love to others, to bring them closer to Him!

Let us offer to our Mother today: Five small hidden sacrifices in honor of the five major wounds of our Lord.


Strive for Sainthood! What else is there??

May 17

Summer is almost here!!  Picnics...sunscreen...swimming...camping...vacation...Praise the Lord! We are surrounded by such beauty on this Earth, I hope that you all are able to experience it in many ways this summer. :)

  

One way that you could do that...to experience not only the natural beauty, but also the SUPERnatural beauty of Christ, is to go to Totus Tuus!! June 17th - 22nd at St. Francis of Assisi! Join us for a fun week of music, games, prayer, and learning about the Catholic faith. Anyone in grades 1-12 is invited! Look for more info in the gathering space after Mass this Sunday!

And we continue:

May 17
Mary: The Sorrowing Mother

"Our Lady is there listening to the words of her Son, united to Him in His suffering, when He cried out 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' What could she do? She united herself fully with the redemptive love of her Son and offered to the Father her immense sorrow, which pierced her pure heart like a sharp-edged sword."

Let us offer our Mother today: The sacrifice of keeping quiet about any pain or discomfort, any inconvenience or disappointment, uniting it with her pain as she stood by her crucified Son.

Strive for Holiness! God desires it for each of us. :)

From the Handbook of Prayers: Student Edition, by the Midwest Theological Forum...we continue. :)

May 16th
Mary: At the Foot of the Cross
"We find her on Calvary, at the foot of the cross, praying.  This is nothing new for Mary. She has always acted like this, in fulfilling her duties and looking after her home.  As she went about the things of this earth, she kept her attention on God."

Let us offer to Our Mother today: An act of contrition, said many times, asking her to offer our sorrow for our sins to Jesus crucified.

Mmm.  Be Holy!

I apologize again for my sporadic postings of this Devotion! I don't usually make it to a computer on the weekends, and yesterday, I was on a Pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in La Crosse, WI. A beautiful trip with  Mass, Reconciliation, a tour of the Shrine, and lunch.  God had some nice surprises with who we ran into while there, as well. :) The Catholic world is so small!!

An outside view of the Shrine

The main altar of the Shrine Church

I will post today's reflection, as well as yesterday's offering to Mary, because I think that it should still definitely be done!

May 14th - Let us offer our Mother: A good, sincere, sorrowful confession of our sins and failures, in the sacrament of Reconciliation.

May 15th - Mary: At Cana
"In his Gospel, St. John as recorded a wonderful phrase of our Lady.  At the wedding of Cana she turned to the waiters and said: 'Do whatever He tells you.' That is what it is all about - getting people to face Jesus and ask Him: 'Lord, what do you want me to do?"

Let us offer our Mother today: Prompt obedience, when we are called or asked to do some errand or some act of service.



Reconciliation and Service...Praise the Lord! What wonderful ways to experience and then share the Love and Divine Mercy of Christ our Lord! What wonderful ways to grow in Holiness!

It's Friday!

Again, from the Handbook of Prayer's: Student Edition, by the Midwest Theological Forum
May 11: Welcoming the Magi
"'Going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, His mother.' Our Lady is always near her Son. The Magi are not received by a king on a high throne, but by a child in the arms of His Mother.  Let us ask the Mother of God, who is our mother, to prepare for us the way that leads to the fullness of love...Her sweet heart knows the surest path for finding Christ."

Let us offer to our Mother today: A visit to a poor person to communicate our Lady's concern for that person.


In this offering today, remember that a poor person may not necessarily be one who is only "without money." There can be many different kinds of poverty. Material goods, spiritual poverty, poverty of love, of joy, etc.  Seek someone who may be depressed, or unloved, or lonely, and let them know that Mary loves them, and is praying for them. :)

And have a wonderful weekend!


Be Holy!

The website Integrated Catholic Life has a very encouraging article "What Every Mother needs to know about Raising Catholic Kids." If this is you, check it out! (Dad's can read it too) :)

• First, parents should know that the world, generally, will not support their efforts to raise their children in the Catholic faith. That’s not being negative. It’s stating a fact, which is also nothing new. Since the time Jesus walked the earth Christian beliefs and Christians themselves have been persecuted. We need to arm ourselves with a joyful demeanor and live the Christian live fully without expecting it to be easy or to be applauded.
• The world will frequently contradict our desires to be modest, chaste, kinad, generous, patient, temperate, and holy. We must be modest, chaste, kind, generous, patient, temperate and holy anyway.

http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2012/05/thomas-style-what-every-mother-needs-to-know-about-raising-catholic-kids/

Also, I apologize for not keeping up with our reflections yesterday! Here are yesterday's and today's offerings for Mary, as well as today's reflection:

May 8th - Offer Mary today: Jesus himself, when we receive Him in holy Communion

May 9th - Mary: Welcoming to the Shepards
"You must look at the Child in the manger. He is our Love. Look at him, realizing the whole thing is a mystery. We need to accept this mystery on faith and use our faith to explore it very deeply. To do this, we must have the humble attitude of a Christian soul."

"Let us offer to our Mother today: Small hidden sacrifices, especially those that go against the grain."


Be Holy!

Monday May 7th...

We are all called to Holiness. But as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta often said, that doesn't necessarily mean doing huge, great things! But rather, that we would do all things, big or small, with great love. "We cannot to great things, only small things with great love!" - Mother Teresa.

 Mary shows us this as well in today's reflection - again from the Handbook of Prayers: Student Edition, by MTF:

"Mary: Our Model in Ordinary Life
"We can't forget that Mary spent nearly every day of her life just like millions of other women who look after their families, bring up their children, and take care of their houses.  Mary sanctifies the ordinary, everyday things - what some people wrongly regard as unimportant and insignificant: everyday work, looking after those closest to you, visits to friends and relatives. What a blessed ordinariness, that can be so full of love of God."

Let us offer Mary today - Affectionate details of service and attention to those closest to us.

What a wonderful model of love and holiness we have in our Blessed Mother. :)

Praise God!

Continuing our Month of Mary devotion:

May 3rd - Mary and the Blessed Trinity
"'Through the Incarnation of our Lord in her immaculate womb, Mary, the Daughter of God the Father, is also the Spouse of God the Holy Spirit and the Mother of God the Son.'

Let us offer to our Mother today: A "Hail Mary" each time the clock strikes another hour."

Amen!

In the tradition of the Catholic Church, the month of May is a month devoted to Mary, our Blessed Mother.  This is a time in which we can offer her special presents: visits to churches dedicated to her(St. Mary's Chapel at the hospital, for example), studying about her or miracles associated with her, and a more devoted practice of praying the rosary.  Find some way to honor the Mother of God during this month.

On this blog, I will be posting daily meditations of Mary that you may reflect on, and then remember throughout the day. Since it is May 2nd, we'll start there! These come from the "Handbook of Prayers: Student Edition" published by the Midwest Theological Forum.

Mary: The Most Perfect Creature
"She who is full of grace, the object of God's pleasure, exalted above all the angels and the saints, lived an ordinary life.

"Mary is as much a creature as we are, with a heart like ours, made for joy and mirth as well as suffering and tears.  Before Gabriel communicates to her God's plan, our Lady does not know that she has been chosen from all eternity to be the mother of the Messiah. She sees herself as a lowly creature.  That is why she can acknowledge, with full humility, that 'he who is might has done great things' for her."

Today, let us offer our Mother: Many glances of affection and many words of love, when we see her image or picture in our home, in the church, or anywhere.


Be Holy!