Like any of our saints, Anne was a real person who now enjoys being in the presence of God in Heaven (Beatific Vision) and whom God has given to us to mentor, guide and protect. But of all the saints, she (and Mary) were likely the only ones to have cleaned Jesus’ nappy, and there’s got to be something special in that.
The feast day of St. Mary Magdalene is upon us. Mary Magdalene is named in all four Gospels of the bible and is known to be the woman referred to at other times when not named. In comparison, the only other woman named so frequently is our Holy Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary. What does the Holy Spirit want us to learn from the Magdala?
Listening to a teaching by Fr. Robert Altier, I was struck by how Elijah and the ancient hermits were praying for the virgin mother of the Messiah to come. This devotion and dedication of one’s whole life to prayer for the virgin to come is striking. These hermits had the foresight to pray for the mother to bring their redeemer. I reflected on how blessed I am to already have her with me…
We celebrate Independence day, an opportunity to give thanks to God for our freedom and for those who have fought over the centuries to preserve it. They didn’t do it alone; God’s hand in this was evidenced all around them as are miracles today for us. Jesus says “take courage, I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33). Courage is our heritage, and now is the moment to embrace it.
June is the month in which most graduations are held. As Catholics, we have another type of ‘graduation’ that typically takes place this month: priestly ordinations. The ‘accomplishment’ we celebrate is God’s work in their soul and their response to that. We look with awe at Him in them, knowing He did this for us. Our ‘graduation’ will be celebrated in Heaven and God has given us an amazing ‘program’ to get there: the sacraments and the spiritual life. However, our graduating is indeed gradual!