At the Wedding Feast at Cana, Mary notices first that the wine has run out. Fr. Mark-Mary explains that this means Mary and Jesus are invested in us. They are looking for our areas of need, so that Jesus can give us the new wine. We pray lectio divina, meditating on the truth that we are not alone. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Wedding Feast at Cana and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.
How are we seeking Jesus? Are we aware that as we seek Jesus, he too is seeking us? Fr. Mark-Mary asks us the words Jesus asks Mary when she finds him in the Temple, “how is it that you sought me,” as we pray lectio divina, inspiring us to consider how we look for Jesus. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Finding in the Temple and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.
The angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her all about how she’d conceive and bear God’s son Jesus, and even when she asked how this could be, he elaborated. Wouldn’t that be nice? Wouldn’t it be nice to have an angel show up and tell us what God’s plan for our life is?
But… that’s not how it went. The angel actually told her very little. And after Mary’s “fiat” (“Let it be done unto me according to thy word”), what happens? “The angel departed.” That’s it.
See, God probably won’t tell you what his plan is for your life. Not all at once. And Fr. Mike is here today to tell you why it’s actually better that way, and how we can follow Mary’s example of trust.
“’THE MOUNTAINS MAY SHIFT, AND THE HILLS MAY BE SHAKEN, BUT MY FAITHFUL LOVE WON’T SHIFT FROM YOU, AND MY COVENANT OF PEACE WON’T BE SHAKEN,’ says the LORD, the One Who pities you.”
—Isaiah 54:10
“I PROMISE YOU THAT MY HEART SHALL EXPAND ITSELF TO SHED IN ABUNDANCE THE INFLUENCE OF ITS DIVINE LOVE UPON THOSE WHO SHALL THUS HONOR IT, AND CAUSE IT TO BE HONORED … “
—JESUS to St. Margaret Alacoque
O MERCIFUL LORD, my heart is broken but Thou art near. My spirit is crushed, but Thou art my Rescuer. Thy Words are Wisdom that gives meaning to my life; and Thy Words art my Hope. It Revives me and Comforts me in difficulties especially now. My soul faints, but Thou art the Breathe of Life within me. Thou art my Help, the ONE Who Sustains me. I am weak but Thou art Strong and Thou art my Strength. Thou Blest those who mourn, and I trust in Thee to bless me and my family with all that we need. Thou will Rescue me from this dark cloud of despair because Thou delight in me. O Most SACRED HEART of my beloved Lord and God, JESUS CHRIST, I implore, that I may ever Love Thee more and more, as I PUT ALL MY HOPE AND TRUST IN THEE! AMEN.
If you profess to be a Christian, that means that you profess to follow Jesus Christ. But, of course, that presupposes that you know who Jesus is—where he came from, what he came to do, where he went, and what he continues to do until the end of time.
Our understanding of Jesus can be shaped by our parents, our schooling, our culture, and our own ignorance. But, today, Fr. Mike redirects us to the primary revelation about Jesus that we have access to: scripture.
A friend of mine suggests that we treat the name of Jesus in the Hail Mary like a speed bump: Slow down as you approach it, and speak it with care and attention. “Blessed is the fruit of thy womb … Jesus.” Let’s speak Jesus’s name with tender love at every Hail Mary in the rosary. Indeed, we should never neglect the power of Christ’s name—the only name under heaven by which we may hope in salvation (see Acts 4:12).
— from the book Praying the Rosary Like Never Before: Encounter the Wonder of Heaven and Earth by Edward Sri