A pleasant and unforeseen gift that has come along with coming back home to the Catholic Church in the past few years has been learning new and interesting facts. One interesting fact that I learned just yesterday is that there are only three angels written about in Scripture. Another fact is that while we typically envision angels as sweet cherub with peaceful faces and wings, they instead are like beams of light. I now wonder if it was an angel sent from God welcoming me back into the Catholic faith that Sunday at church. September 29 is the Feast Day of angels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Keep reading to learn some interesting facts from each angel! Saint Michael the Archangel
Pretty powerful, right? Saint Gabriel
Saint Raphael
Do you have any new and interesting facts that were not covered? Please share with us on Facebook!
For more information about these angels and their feastday, view the sources listed below! As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always! Sources: Akin, Jimmy. “Celebrating the Archangels: 7 Things to Know and Share.” National Catholic Register, ncregister.com. Hopler, Whitney. “Is Your Guardian Angel Visible?” ThoughtCo, thoughtco.com “Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels.” Catholic Culture, www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2014-09-29. “St. Michael the Archangel .” Catholic Online, www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=308. “St. Raphael .” Catholic Online, www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=203. “St. Gabriel, the Archangel.” Catholic Online, www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=279. Image sources: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Titian [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Guido Reni [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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I am my own worst critic. I have been my entire life and am constantly working on improving my self-esteem and self-worth. Before hitting “publish” on a journal, social media post or video (the absolute worst for me to create!), my “insecurity monster” living inside me immediately chastises me that I could have done better and how dare I put such incomplete work out into the universe. After this admonishment is over, I take a moment to tell the monster to shut up, get back in her cage and then hold my breath as I click the publish button.
While I am not quite sure where my lack of self-esteem originates from, as when I was growing up, my mother always told me that I was smart, strong, funny, kind, generous, beautiful, along with many other positive attributes, I would prefer not to turn this journal into a full-blown therapy session. Years ago, I realized that my low self-esteem was one of the driving factors behind many of the poor choices that I had made. Immaturity also lent a hand in these poor choices, along with a slew of other factors. Many of these poor choices, unfortunately, resulted in me sinning. Even though I have confessed these sins in the Sacrament of Confession, the monster, who feeds off my low self-esteem, still rears its ugly head and likes to remind me of the transgressions that I have made in my past—be it years, months, weeks or even moments ago. I am fully aware that this is the evil one at work. I read a post on Instagram that stated, “the devil won’t bother you while you’re living in sin, he’ll bother you when you are trying to get out.” It is almost as if the evil one is saying to me “Look at how you’ve sinned in the past. You hypocrite! How can you call yourself a Catholic Christian? Just give up, it’s too hard and boring to be “good”, plus you keep sinning each day.” With that I respond with another Instagram post which read, “Satan says look at your sin. God says look at my son.” As Christians, we understand that we are not perfect and regardless of what sin we have committed, God will love us and forgive us. All we should do is make amends, confess, ask for God’s assistance and perhaps that of a family member, friend, Priest, etcetera to move forward. While the goal is to try to sin as least as possible, it is important for me not to get hung up on any of my sins but on the improvements that I can make in my life. Going to the Sacrament of Confession has helped me forgive myself. I do believe that all my sins have been and will continue to be forgiven the very moment that the Priest absolves me in Persona Christi. "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins: return to me; for I have redeemed thee. Isaiah 44:22 I have expressed in a previous journal that there is nothing that my child could do that would make me stop loving him. What I am also trying to instill in my son is the concept of forgiving himself. Although he may misbehave at times, I will forgive all that he does and will help him to forgive himself (even if they are currently small disturbances, given that he is a cute yet unruly toddler.) Right now, he probably doesn’t even care half the time he does something “wrong”, nor would he feel the need to forgive himself—like when he tries to use his body as a canvas and use bobby (his word for peanut butter) as paint. However, I’d like to start as early as possible. The best way that I can show my son the importance of self-esteem, self-worth and self-forgiveness is to practice what I preach. With that, I try to remember Proverbs 4:23 “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” When I am having an especially difficult time in forgiving myself and getting over my past transgressions, I look to Saints who sinned much worse than I ever have. A partial list of Saints with “sinful pasts” is St. Augustine, a former hedonistic/party animal; St. Mary of Egypt, a former prostitute; St. Angela of Foligno, a vain, materialistic, adulteress and St. Dismas, a thief who was one of the two men crucified with Jesus who asked him, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)” To read more ‘sinful saints’, click here. How have you found inspiration to forgive yourself? Please share on Facebook. As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always! Source: Bowes, Peggy. “5 Catholic Saints With a Sinful Past.” Beliefnet, Inc. www.beliefnet.com Temporary vs. Eternal Happiness: I Don’t Care if My Child is Always Happy and God Doesn’t Either.9/25/2017 You're probably thinking "Wow. she's horrible", right? How can I not always care that my son is happy? Didn't I write a journal saying how much I loved hearing his little laugh and that it could instantly brighten the darkest of days? Hypocrite!
Okay, let me explain the title of this post. I do not care if my child is happy if it means it will or could hurt him, derail him of growing or becoming more independent, negatively affect his health, cause him to become spoiled or a "brat" and/or cause him to be in a state of sin. An example of this is that it seems that my son loves to put himself in harm’s way. For a while I was convinced that his goal was to get hurt as much as possible by the end of each day. Falling off the bed? He tries to get as close to the edge as possible. Busy traffic on the street? He runs as fast as possible to the end of the driveway or sidewalk. Gate at the top of the stairs not properly latched? Let me open it and catapult myself down the stairs. (This one happened and ripped years, if not decades, off my life! Side note: he is perfectly okay, thank GOD!) With no regard for his health or well-being, each time I try to keep my precious boy out of harm’s way, he gets upset. I can't explain it, but I surmise that he thinks he is missing out on something fun and exciting happening in the middle of our street. Similarly, God does not care if His children are happy if it means that our source of happiness might cause us to sin or be led astray from him. Looking back on my life, I believe that God held me back from some experiences that, to me, may have seemed fun and exciting, but would have led me further away from Him. Of course, when God kept me from these experiences, I became upset and couldn't always see His greater plan right away. Another example of me not caring about my son's happiness is keeping cookies from him. My son sometimes tries to get snacks right before dinner. I get it, he's hungry and while dinner is right around the corner, he can't possibly wait any longer. I try to schedule snack time so that it is perfectly timed so that it will neither affect his appetite but will keep him satisfied until dinnertime. Unfortunately, this does not always happen and there are days when he eats his snack too early or doesn't want one at all, for whatever reason. When this happens, a meltdown usually happens before I can get dinner on the table and into his little belly. Meltdowns are fast and furious and apple slices or whole grain crackers will not extinguish them. Only cookies will. While giving him a cookie would certainly make him happy, it will most likely ruin his appetite for dinner. Of course, one cookie before dinner does not sound like a big deal and in the grand scheme of things, it isn't. I have given him a cookie before dinner on rare occasions, however, my husband and I are trying to instill healthy habits in him and cookies before dinner is certainly not a good way to do this. Just as parenting isn’t always easy, sometimes being Catholic can be perceived as being difficult also. There are various "rules" that we follow. However, if you consider each rule and see why God wants us to follow it, the happiness that we think will come with not following the rule fades and the glory that will come from following the rule shines brightly. An example of this is abstaining from eating meat on Fridays during the Lenten season and on Ash Wednesday. Sure, eating a bacon cheeseburger for dinner on a Friday during Lent will certainly make me happy, even if it does not benefit my waistline. But when you consider why Catholics abstain from meat on Friday (and Ash Wednesday), the happiness that comes from eating a bacon cheeseburger, to me at least, becomes insignificant. "Since it is believed Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross on a Friday, Christians from the very beginning have set aside that day to unite their sufferings to Jesus." Abstaining from meat on Friday is nothing in comparison to the suffering that Christ endured for us. "The whole point is to make a sacrifice that draws a person closer to Christ, who out of love for us made the ultimate sacrifice a person can make."* So, while I could indulge in the bacon cheeseburger and have temporary happiness, I would rather suffer (albeit very little) and unite that small sacrifice to that of Jesus and add to my chances of having eternal happiness. Another example that applies to me and my family (our little love included) is going to Church each Sunday morning. While our family loves going to Church and we look forward to it each week, others look at going to Church as a chore. To those who view Mass as a chore, I implore you to consider the words of Padre Pio: "If people knew the value of the Mass, there would be policemen at the door, to regulate the access to the church every time that a Mass is celebrated." Skipping church and sleeping in, going to brunch, watching cartoons, going to a sporting event or something else may give you temporary happiness but going to Church for ONE hour each week, being present in the Mass, understanding the privilege of receiving the Blessed Sacrament, which is the Body of Christ, will add to your chances of having eternal happiness. The Sacrament of Confession is another great example. I have become accustomed to the myriad of feelings that comes with the anticipation of confessing my sins to the priest (in Persona Christi): fear, shame, doubt or anxiety. It would make me temporarily happy to skip confession and avoid all the uncomfortable feelings that come with the anticipation of confession. But, for me at least, leaving the confessional ALWAYS feels like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Whether I haven't confessed in years and I have a laundry list of sins or if it was only three days since my last confession and I had only two sins to confess; I feel wonderful and know how good confessing is for my soul. (That “three day” confession happened this summer when I sinned after confessing on a Friday and wanted my slate “wiped clean” before I was about to make my Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary on that following Tuesday.) While I could list multiple other examples of temporary versus eternal happiness, including National Family Planning versus using birth control, alms-giving versus buying something for yourself, fasting versus eating normally and others, I think you get the picture. Now, if you would please excuse me, I must interrupt my son from experiencing some happiness, aka stopping him from falling backwards off of the sofa. How do you keep happiness away from your children? Please share on Facebook. As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always! Source: Kosloski, Philip. “Here’s Why Catholics Don’t Eat Meat on Fridays during Lent.” Aleteia.org – Worldwide Catholic Network Sharing Faith Resources for Those Seeking Truth, Alteia, 7 Apr. 2017, aleteia.org/2017/03/01/heres-why-catholics-dont-eat-meat-on-fridays-during-lent.
In less than four years, my son will be going to Kindergarten. In less than three years, he will go to preschool. This reality hit me hard this year as I saw photos on social media from family members and friends sending their little ones off to school this year.
Since my son has been born, various people have repeated the same phrase “the days are long but the years are short.” When he was a newborn and I was unknowingly battling postpartum anxiety while trying to figure out how to be a mother, including being a Catholic mother, I couldn’t even imagine what the next month would be like, let alone thinking forward to when he would one-day start school. But lately, time seems to be going by at warped speed and we will soon be approaching his second birthday. The chaos has now shifted from newborn anxieties to “toddlerisms”, as I like to call it. The phrase “the days are long but the years are short” now repeats in my head each day and depending on the day, sometimes by the hour. I also remind myself that just like the newborn stage, which seemed to quickly pass by in a blur, this stage will also pass by and perhaps even faster than the previous stage. My son usually has a great appetite and used to eat almost everything. Now those days are few and far between. Yesterday for lunch, I was heating up leftovers for us and trying to appease him with some frozen peas as an appetizer in the meantime. He usually loves them and happily gobbles them up, babbling until our food is ready. Instead, he swiped his hands back and forth like a windshield wiper until all the peas were on the floor. He also threw his sippy cup of milk across the room and started to demand for “bobby” which sometimes comes out as “bopsie” or “boppie”, but always means peanut butter. While my dog was thrilled with the fact that there were discarded peas and milk on the floor, I was not, as I had just swept and mopped (okay, Swiffered) the day before. I muttered quickly to myself “Have children they said!” but stopped and thought of Saint Teresa of Calcutta and realized that I needed our Blessed Mother to shed some maternal guidance on me instead. “If you ever feel distressed during your day—call upon our Lady—just say this simple prayer: ‘Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.’ I must admit—this prayer has never failed me.” —Saint Teresa of Calcutta. So I did call on the Blessed Virgin Mary and like St. Teresa promised, it did not fail me. I realized that my son won’t always be this little boy in his highchair. One day, I will be sending him off to school. While I’d prefer he not reenact the scene in Twister where everything in his reach goes flying about the house, I won’t get this exact moment again. The dog can lick up the mess for now, I can clean later and my son can enjoy his bobby sandwich. There are blessings hidden in the chaos. The moment I realized all of this, I immediately felt bad that I had shouted “I’m getting you bobby!” and then also realized that the windows were open and that my neighbors are probably wondering who the heck bobby is and why my toddler is so obsessed with him. There is a certain magic to motherhood. One moment I long for a quiet moment to myself, where I have nothing to do but curl up and read a good book or watch my favorite show. But then during that quiet (rare and mystical) moment to myself, I miss my little boy terribly and can’t wait to be with him again. Nap time is the perfect example. Usually, we both look forward to nap time—he loves to sleep (please don’t hate me, he didn’t always like to sleep! I will share more on that topic of sleep deprivation for another journal) and about twenty minutes before it is time to sleep, he starts to rub his eyes and does the sign for sleep (we’ve taught him some sign language so that he can better communicate his needs.) I also look forward to nap time so that he can rest and recharge and so that I can get my work done. The work that happens during each nap may be different, but the same ache in my heart peaks around half-hour into nap time. I begin to miss his laugh, his smile, his chubby, soft hands that reach up while he demands “uppa, uppa, uppa.” I quite literally can’t even put into words the love that I have for this wonderful, explosive, sweet, tenacious and tiny human. So much love that today, as I finish writing this journal during the last fifteen minutes of his nap, I will most likely quit here so that I can get him just a tad bit earlier than usual to revel in the warm snuggles that he gives me after he wakes and delight in his sweet and raspy from just waking up voice. As always, I will recite Numbers 6:24-26, which is printed and framed on his wall, cover his cheeks with kisses, smell the top of his head and for the billionth time in his short but significant life, thank God for trusting me with this precious miracle. As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always! Don’t forget to call on our Lady, anytime you need her. “Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.” —Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Source: DiLibero, Br. James. “Confidence in the Mother.” Heartsofjesusandmary.com, 10 June 2015, heartsofjesusandmary.com/confidence-in-the-mother ![]() Within the past week, I have been a victim of road rage. Both occasions, I was driving on the highway, with my mother and son in the car. I don’t like calling myself a “victim” but I want to be clear in my role in the raging, as the target. Thanks be to God, the passengers in the car and I were not injured and besides feeling my blood pressure raise to alarmingly high levels, I was able to keep my cool and just focus on Proverbs 29:11 "Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end." My priority was getting us away from the road ragers as soon as possible. In these two recent occasions, the other drivers both showed frightening and disheartening disregard for not only me and my passengers, but also for other vehicles on the road. What I experienced was the ragers cutting cars off, swearing, waving obscenities, beeping and narrowly missing my car and other vehicles while passing. These hateful acts of have absolutely no place on the roadway. Not only is road rage completely useless but it can be deadly. I have heard too many stories of people engaging in road rage in one form or the other and ending up badly injured or worse, dead. It is not worth it and there is absolutely no excuse to engage in road rage no matter who started it. End of story. On the road is someone’s mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, daughter, son, brother, sister, wife, husband, niece, nephew, grandson, granddaughter, aunt, uncle, friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, friend, co-worker, neighbor, Priest, etcetra. Even if they are driving in a way you don’t agree with, ignore it and safely move away from them. Even if they provoke you and are raging, ignore it and safely move away from them. If they are driving so erratically, of course get their plate information and notify the police so that they don’t injure themselves or others. But seriously, raging does nothing good. Some will argue that it makes you feel good, but remember, the devil loves when we are angry and engage in the deadly sin of: rage. “In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27) Since having my child, I have become much more cautious while driving and try to be as safe as possible. Of course, there are situations where I am unable to control the behavior of other drivers on the road. We’ve all been there when someone cuts us off, or is driving too slow, or forgets to use their directional, or passes too close. While I am not claiming to be a perfect driver or someone who has never lost their temper behind the wheel, I am just saying that raging is never worth it. Instead, in these instances, I try to remind myself that the other driver may be going through something that is causing them to drive this way. Think of Others Perhaps they just received news that their loved one was sick, or dying or in the hospital. Perhaps they had one too many iced teas and have to go to the bathroom really bad. Perhaps they forgot their Rosary in Adoration and are rushing back to retrieve it. Or perhaps they are just having a bad day (or week or month) and instead of you cursing at them and making it worse, they would be better off in the long road if you prayed for them, right then when they need it most. These two instances in which I was the target of road rage, instead of adding more fuel to the fire, I looked straight ahead, took a few deep breaths and prayed for them. I’ve found that saying a Hail Mary instead of raging and asking the Blessed Mother to help cool my jets works wonders. I also love to say the Rosary while driving to not only pass the time, but to help keep me focused, safe and calm. (Please note that I took the photo to the left when my husband was driving and I was the passenger.) Do you have any methods of staying calm during a road rage incident? Please share on Facebook. As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always! (Especially on the road!) With motherhood comes joys and sorrows (and kisses, snuggles, tantrums, bumps, bruises, and the list goes on and on.) Who better an example of the joys and sorrows of motherhood than our Blessed Mother. The Blessed Virgin Mary experienced the joys of being a mother especially as the Mother of God. She also felt sorrows that came along with motherhood, plus some.
From the moment of the Incarnation (Luke 2:34-35), the Blessed Virgin Mary began to experience what are known as the Seven Sorrows of Mary. These she suffered from that moment, throughout Jesus’s life, during and after Jesus’s Crucifixion (John 19:25-27) and for the rest of her earthly life. Like other mothers who lose a child, the Blessed Virgin Mary felt the ultimate sorrow. (John 19:30) I would like to take a moment to express my sincere condolences to all mothers who have lost a child, by any means and at any age, my heart goes out to you, I pray that God provides you with peace and comfort and I hope that you are able to find the love, support and guidance that is needed to endure such a loss. Turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is Mother to us, all and she will help you through her Son, Jesus Christ. Also, consider reaching out to Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents, an “ongoing Catholic program serving the spiritual needs of grieving parents.” “Mary, in a unique way, willingly suffered alongside her Divine Son as he gave his life to save the world, and she felt the bitterness of his passion as only a mother can.”1 While I have always had a personal devotion to our Blessed Mother, since becoming a Mother, it has grown deeper. This devotion has strengthened and continues to strengthen my love, adoration and relationship with Jesus Christ. Reflecting on the words of Saint Louis de Montfort “I am all yours, O my Jesus, and all that I have is yours through Mary, your most holy Mother.” The devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary has also help comfort me when I have experienced my own sorrows of motherhood. Like our Blessed Mother (Luke 2:34-35), when I was pregnant with my son I received news that put fear and sorrow in my heart. Through praying the Holy Rosary and through her intercession to her Son, we believe that Jesus listened to His Mother and granted our miracle. From a mother to a Mother, our Mother, I am eternally grateful. While I have experienced other varying degrees of sorrow throughout my short time as a mother, I know that I will inevitably experience more. Instead of succumbing to my anxieties of what could happen in the future, I instead try to put all my trust in the Lord, through His Mother. September 15th is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows and “became a standard devotion in the Church around the 14th century” as “it was revealed to St. Bridget of Sweden that devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary's Seven Sorrows would bring great signal graces.” 1 These graces or promises for those who meditate on Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows ease my anxious thoughts and reassure me that I can indeed “do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) The Seven Sorrows of Mary are: 1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34-35) 2. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-21) 3. The Loss of Jesus for Three Days (Luke 2:41-50) 4. The Carrying of the Cross (John 19:17) 5. The Crucifixion of Jesus (John 19:18-30) 6. Jesus Taken Down from the Cross (John 19:39-40) 7. Jesus Laid in the Tomb (John 19:39-42) To pray the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, please click here. I pray that you too can align your sorrows with the Seven Sorrows of Mary and receive her faith, hope and love from Jesus to withstand the sorrows of life and enjoy all the blessings in life as well. As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always! Sources:
Before I begin, I must confess that I found inspiration for this article from our priest's homily at Mass. In fact, he closed his homily with the title of this very article. It spoke to me so much that I felt goosebumps on my arms and felt my heart swell with love for Jesus. You see, I am a fool for Jesus. I have felt this for some time now. I’m not a fool for Jesus in the sense that I like to wear funny outfits and make jokes for his delight. No, it is that I live for Him in my thoughts, words, actions and if I falter in any of these ways—which I do, I know that I've betrayed Him.
So how am I a fool for Jesus Christ? Much as when people are in love, I can’t stop thinking about Jesus. Of course, it is not the same as a romantic love, but my love for Jesus is stronger than that. When I speak to people, whether they are family, friends or strangers, I can't help but have words of Him fall out of my mouth and into the conversation. When I pass a Catholic Church, I can't help but cross myself and blow a kiss to Him. On Saint’s feast days, I yearn to learn more about the Saints who loved Jesus as I do. When I place the mantilla (veil) over my head and enter His church, I can't help but feel overwhelming joy to be in His presence and humbled that He allows me to join in the Mass. Each time my son kisses the Rosary, the Miraculous Medal, a Crucifix or icon, my heart bursts. I become excited each day as I pray the Rosary and mediate on each mystery. I now look forward to waking up early so that I can get some uninterrupted time to read His Gospel quietly and ponder His words. One of the happiest days of my life was when I Consecrated myself to Jesus through the Blessed Virgin Mary—a day which marked the beginning of a life-long journey to better myself in all ways to be better for Him. “Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed.” 1 Corinthians 4:10 When I witness any action or word against Jesus, whether direct or indirect, I can't help but to feel sorrow for the indiscretions against my Lord, our Lord. The Lord who died so that our sins would be forgiven and so that we could join Him in eternal life. I become overwhelmed with joy when I see new faces in our Church and hope that they return each Sunday, even if it is at another Church. My love for Jesus goes beyond foolish. I'm "all in" with my love for Jesus. If Jesus asked me to walk on my knees for the remainder of my life, I would. “A Christian’s priorities aren’t measured by popular culture, but according to the reign of God (Basileia tou Theou) that Jesus preached and modeled. It is the counterintuitive and gratuitous foolishness of God’s love revealed in the healing of the broken and brokenhearted, forgiving the unforgiveable, and loving the unlovable.”* Being a fool for Jesus does not always come easy. It is also not for my personal benefit, besides me (hopefully) becoming the best version of myself and praying that I make it to Heaven when my time on Earth is up, according to God. It isn’t always popular to be a fool for Jesus and many of our beliefs are not “mainstream” or widely accepted by society. However, the more that I focus on Jesus and align my thoughts, words and actions with what Jesus Christ wants, the more that I have the strength, sustainability and courage to walk this path. How are you a fool for Jesus Christ? Please share with us on Facebook. As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always! ![]() Happy Birthday, Mama Mary! September 8 is the Feast of the Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary, it is the day in which the Blessed Virgin Mary was born! Here are a few interesting facts about this day: God chose His temple, His mother. Saint Andrew of Crete explains “the day on which the Creator of the world constructed His temple; today is the day on which by a stupendous project a creature becomes the preferred dwelling of the Creator."* Date of the Nativity. The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been assigned to September 8 for centuries. Mostly since the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is nine months prior, on December 8. The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary While there is nothing in the Gospels which mentions the birth of the Virgin Mary, she was the vessel which God chose to bring Christ to life. Therefore, “God's mysterious plan regarding the incarnation of the Word embraces also the Virgin who is His Mother. In this way, the Birth of Mary is inserted at the very heart of the History of Salvation.”* Like Jesus, The Blessed Virgin Mary was born without original sin. One of the four Marian Dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church state that Mary of Nazareth was “conceived without original sin” and that “from the first instant of her conception, she was totally preserved from the stain of original sin and she remained pure from all personal sin throughout her life.” The Blessed Virgin Mary’s parents are Saints, too. Saints Joachim and Anne are the Patron Saints of Grandparents. While there is little historical facts known about them, they are part of “generations who faithfully perform their duties, practice their faith, and establish an atmosphere for the coming of the Messiah, but remain obscure.”* Why do we celebrate The Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday? Do you or have you celebrated your own mother’s birthday? I know that I do! I also hope that my son and all my future children celebrate my birthday. Without my mother, I wouldn’t be here and without me, my son wouldn’t be here. Not only did Jesus come from the Blessed Virgin Mary (and God through the Holy Spirit) but Jesus also instructed us to love His Mother as our own mother. But Feast Days are usually on the day of Saints passing While the Feast Days of the Saints are typically celebrated when they die and enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary, along with John the Baptist and of course, Jesus Christ Himself, are also celebrated on the dates of their birth. One reason is because they are all born without original sin. A Prayer for the Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary: O Virgin immaculate, thou who by a singular privilege of grace was preserved from original sin, look in pity upon our separated brethren, who are nevertheless thy children, and call them back to the center of unity. Not a few of them, although separated from the Church, have kept a certain veneration for thee; and do thou, generous as thou art, reward them for it, by obtaining for them the grace of conversion. Thou was conqueror of the infernal serpent from the first instant of thy existence; renew even now, for it is now more necessary than ever before, thine ancient triumphs; glorify thy divine Son, bring back to Him the sheep that have strayed from the one fold and place them once more under the guidance of the universal Shepherd who holds the place of thy Son on earth; let it be thy glory, O Virgin who destroyest all heresies, to restore unity and peace once more to all the Christian people. Today, my family and I are going to celebrate the Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary with cupcakes and candles at dinner. How are you going to celebrate The Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday? Share with us on Facebook. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAMA MARY! We love you! As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always! Sources:
I consider Saint Teresa of Calcutta, also known as Mother Teresa, one of the greatest Saints who was alive during my lifetime and a true inspiration to my entire life and my vocation as a Roman Catholic wife and mother. I often draw on Saint Teresa’s example in my daily life and find myself realizing that true holiness doesn't always come in elaborate doings or services. One of my favorite quotes by Saint Teresa of Calcutta is: “Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.”
In "Mother Teresa, An Authorized Biography" by Kathryn Spink, I found one small part of the book to quite poignantly show how Saint Teresa truly followed Christ’s way in the most “ordinary” actions. Typically, when we think of Saint Teresa’s path to holiness, we often think of her work with people dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, her work with orphans, her participation in the pro-life movement, etc. However, this biography by Ms. Spink details an instance in which the now Saint is found doing something which many of us do on a weekly basis. It is something that I do sometimes more than just weekly and is something that I even sometimes do begrudgingly. After reading this biography, I now look at this deed with a much different perspective. What was this instance that was a poignant example of Saint Teresa's true holiness? It was a moment in which one of the sisters at the convent avoided washing the communal toilet and instead hid so that she could avoid the chore. The book states that this sister then saw Saint Teresa walking past the toilet and saw that it was dirty. The sister then watched as Saint Teresa rolled up her sleeves and cleaned the toilet herself. This may not seem like a major moment to many and it was not this one instance of Saint Teresa cleaning a toilet that transcend her to Sainthood. However, it was in this ordinary moment that Saint Teresa both "walked the walk" and (I'm guessing) inspired the sister that watched (I assume guiltily) from her hiding space. It seems silly, but ever since reading that passage, when I clean the toilets in my house, I say a silent prayer to Saint Teresa to always keep me humble, focused on Jesus and finding ways to serve others with love. This brings me to another favorite quote from Saint Teresa: “Wash the plate not because it's dirty, nor because you're told to wash it, but because you love the person who will use it next.” What are some ways in which you draw inspiration in your path to holiness? Please share on Facebook! As always, thank you for reading. God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always! Source: Spink, Kathryn. Mother Teresa: an authorized biography. New York, HarperOne, 2011 |
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October 2020
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