Given July 31, 2009 - Feast of St. Ignatius

 

15 Years Ago

 

 

Fr. Carter had a dream

    

   

                    Jesus spent time praying to the Father —
                    Jesus loved —
                    Pray with the love of Jesus in our hearts —

  

                Song: A Song from Jesus

                Song: I Love You Jesus

                We must discern the spirits —

                    Examination of Conscience
                    pray 10 - 15 minutes twice a day

                Holy Spirit — empowers us
                Evil spirit wants us not to be filled with
                    love of God —

                Evil spirit doesn't want us building God's Kingdom —

                See Jesus tested in the garden —
                    wrestles with devil —
                    Jesus looked to the Father and prayed —

                Devil attacks — like in the Padre Pio movie —
                    we don't give into the attack —
                    we hold on to God's love —
                    we pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us
                    we read the Blue Book — pray for grace

                We stop twice a day and see how the spirits
                    are moving in our actions —
                    are we listening to the counsel of the Holy Spirit
                    have we given into the evil spirit —
                    complaining, desolation, not building God's
                        Kingdom

                We must control ourselves —
                We don't just act any way we think
                We don't just eat and drink what we want —

                People with addictions can handle problems
                    by eating, drinking, being angry,
                    blaming — instead of loving and
                    building God's Kingdom —
                    when faced with a problem —
                    we can pray —
                    we are to do God's will —

                Other people do not determine how we act
                Our feelings should not determine how we act
                    only if our feelings are in line with God's will —

                We pray to do God's will —
                We pray to the Holy Spirit to be empowered —
                    to know God's will — We ask the Holy Spirit to guide us

                We take responsibility for our sins —
                    we go to confession —
                    pray at Mass —
                    tell God and others we are sorry

                When we act unloving to them because
                    we act wrongly —

                We discern the spirits
                We act in love —
                We live to do God's will in suffering
                    and joy

                We want to build the family of God —
                We work with others lovingly because
                    it is the Father's Plan we build
                    His Family of love — unity —
                    obedience to God's will —

                Not lying to ourselves about our sins —
                We are here to grow to be greater lovers —
                    likened more and more to Jesus —

                We live empowered — doing God's will —
                    we are actors for Jesus —
                    not reactors to others dysfunctions —

                We discipline ourselves
                We work with each other —
                The devil wants you to say
                    "I will not serve"

                The devil wants you to complain —

                God wants us to be filled with the love
                    of the Holy Spirit —
                    living to do God's will

  

Joyful Mysteries

 

                Annunciation

                (1) Luke 1: 26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ Mary said, ‘You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.’ And the angel left her. 

                (2) Some Kings before Jesus disobeyed the
                        prophets who told them what to do —

                (3) Jesus — the King — came from the house
                        of David

                (4) We need the seeds of hope today —
                        new life — spread the prayer chapters
                        Jesus told Fr. Carter to begin —

                (5) The Shepherds of Christ is in style now
                        Jesus told us to pray for the priests, the
                            Church and the world

                (6)

15 Years Ago

Jesus told Fr. Carter

July 31, 1994

Words of Jesus to Members of
Shepherds of Christ Associates:

"My beloved priest-companion, I intend to use the priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ, and the movement, Shepherds of Christ Associates, in a powerful way for the renewal of My Church and the world.

"I will use the newsletter and the chapters of Shepherds of Christ Associates as a powerful instrument for spreading devotion to My Heart and My Mother's Heart.

"I am calling many to become members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. To all of them I will give great blessings. I will use them as instruments to help bring about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. I will give great graces to the members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. I will call them to be deeply united to My Heart and to Mary's Heart as I lead them ever closer to My Father in the Holy Spirit."

- Message from Jesus to Father Edward J. Carter, S.J., Founder, as given on July 31, 1994,
feast of Saint Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits)

 

                (7) Jesus came as a baby boy in a manager —
                        Jesus brings us new hope —

                (8) Jesus took flesh

                    Sing: A Song from Jesus

                (9) Meditate on the Mystery of the Incarnation —
                        that God took human flesh —
                        Jesus Christ a Divine Person — with
                            two natures: a human nature, a Divine nature.

                (10) Jesus is the Second Person of the Blessed
                        Trinity —
                        God sent Saint Gabriel to announce
                            the Good News —
                        The fallen angels said —
                            "We will not serve"

                        We can pray to St. Michael, St. Gabriel,
                            St. Raphael —
                            pray to serve God as He deserves
                            to be served.

                 

 

                The Visitation

                (1) Mary is "Mother of God"
                        We should know peace from
                            obeying Mary —
                            "Queen of Peace"
                    Mary always served God —
                    Mary says "Do what Jesus tells you"
                    Mary wants us to obey Jesus
                    Mary always points to Jesus —
                    Mary is the perfect handmaid of the Lord —

                (2) Jesus gives us the help we need each
                        day —
                    Jesus said
                        "I came that they might have life
                        and might have it to the full"

                    We want the fullness of life for all
                        eternity —
                    We are here to prepare for this —

                (3) "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
                        creeps on in petty pace from
                        day to day ..."

                    Thank God for all the gifts He has
                        given — praise Him, love Him —
                        serve Him —

                    Mary is the perfect handmaid of the Lord —
                    Mary lived to do the Father's will —
                    There is anxiety before things —
                    Tension — we have to keep our focus on
                        God's will, like Mary —

                (4) The angel Gabriel announced the birth
                        of a king —

... The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Luke 1: 32-33

                 (5)

Luke 1: 46-55

And Mary said:

My soul proclaims
    the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices
    in God my Saviour;
because he has looked upon
    the humiliation of his servant.
Yes, from now onwards
    all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty
    has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age after age
    to those who fear him.
He has used the power of his arm,
he has routed the arrogant of heart.
He has pulled down princes
    from their thrones
        and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good things,
    sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help
    of Israel his servant,
        mindful of his faithful love
—according to the promise
    he made to our ancestors—
of his mercy to Abraham
    and to his descendants for ever.

 

                    Sing: Holy Is His Name

                (6)

 

Feast of the Assumption
August 15, 2006

INTRODUCTION ON THE FEAST – (Rev. 11, 19a; 12, 1-6a, 10ab;  I Cor. 15, 20-27; Lk. 1, 39-56)  The book of Revelation is highly symbolic.  Some of the symbolism is quite obvious while it requires a fairly extensive knowledge of Scripture to interpret some of the other symbols.  In today’s first reading we hear about a woman, a child and a dragon.  The dragon is the devil and the powers of evil at work in the world.  The child is Christ.  The woman in our reading has a double symbolism.  She stands for Mary, the physical mother of Jesus Christ, and she stands for the Church, our spiritual mother who brings Jesus Christ to birth in us through faith and the sacraments.  In today’s passage the woman is rescued from the powers of the dragon and is described in great glory.  This too has a double symbolism.  It symbolizes the glory of Mary in the assumption.  It also symbolizes God’s faithful people whom he will rescue from evil and will bring, in the resurrection from the dead, into the glory of heaven.

   

                (7) Mary carried Jesus in her womb —
                    Today Jesus gives us Himself in the Holy Eucharist.
                    Jesus is truly present in us, in His Divinity
                    and humanity when we receive Him in Holy
                    Communion —

                (8) We have distorted vision because of our
                        fallen human nature — the more we give into
                        darkness dominance for dominance sake
                        the more distorted our vision becomes —

                    The more we see through the eyes of God —
                        the more we see reality as it really is —
                        God is filling us with His life, His grace
                        in the Holy Eucharist, in Confession, but we
                        must be an empty vessel ready to receive
                        more and more this precious gift of His life
                        in us —

                    God wants us to be filled abundantly with
                        His life —

                    The Holy Spirit wants to fill us with light —
                        the fire of God's love —

                    A bottle with the lid on it cannot be
                        filled.

                    Being unloving, hurting others can be very
                        sinful — we can be darker and darker
                        inside — lie to ourselves about our
                        behavior instead of recognizing it,
                        saying we are sorry and asking for healing.
                            God wants an empty vessel — not a
                            clogged one with anger, enemies,
                                envy, jealousy —

                        God wants to fill us — now

                (9) Let go of the bags of unforgiveness on our backs —
                        look in that dark angry room and ask for
                        healing of all past hurts, old relationships
                        that keep us stuck — and we are miserable

                    Don't pad the anger pent up inside — keeping
                        you from living NOW in one with bad addictive
                        behavior, anger, food, alcohol, drugs,
                        provoking others

                    Let go — admit your faults — let go of old unhealed
                        relationships — FORGIVE and LET GO —
                        Pray for grace

                (10) Jesus: Be an empty vessel —
                            Ready to be filled

Sing

Prayer for Union with Jesus

Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart.

    I am Yours to possess. I am Yours to use. I want to be selfless and only exist in You. Help me to spoon out all that is me and be an empty vessel ready to be filled by You. Help me to die to myself and live only for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw my attention back to myself. I only want to operate as You do, dwelling within me.

    I am Yours, Lord. I want to have my life in You. I want to do the will of the Father. Give me the strength to put aside the world and let You operate my very being. Help me to act as You desire. Strengthen me against the distractions of the devil to take me from Your work.

    When I worry, I have taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself. Help me not to give in to the promptings of others to change what in my heart You are making very clear to me. I worship You, I adore You and I love You. Come and dwell in me now.

-God's Blue Book, January 17, 1994

 

  

 

                Birth of Jesus

                (1) Luke 2:1-7

Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited world. This census—the first—took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David’s town called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first–born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the living–space.

                (2) Luke 1: 46

                        My soul proclaims
                            the greatness of the Lord

                (3)

 

 

Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 15-16

To consecrate means to make sacred, to make holy. Only God can make a being holy. So to speak of our consecration is to speak of God's activity in making us holy—His activity of giving us a share in His own holiness. At Baptism—we receive a share in God's life—a share in His holiness. Christ is the mediator of this grace-life. We are baptized into Christ, into His death and resurrection. In Baptism we become holy by sharing in the holiness of Christ. We become consecrated, sealed with the divine holiness. We belong to the Father, through Christ in the Holy Spirit.

On our part, we must respond to God's consecration of us. We must live out the consecration of Baptism. We must realize what God has done for us in Christ and live according to this awareness. We need to live the life of holiness and grow in it. In other words, we must develop the life of grace, the Christ-life. We are given the gift, but we must respond.

What God has done for us in Christ involves Mary. God has given us a Christ-life, our life of grace, and Mary is the Mother of this Christ-life. Consequently, living out our life of consecration to God—living out the Christ-life—includes allowing Mary to increasingly be the Mother of our Christ-life.

Consecration to Mary, therefore, is an aspect of our consecration to God in Christ. It is entrusting ourselves entirely to her maternal love so that she can bring us closer to Jesus—so that we can increasingly live out our consecration to God in Christ.

 

                (4)

 

Act of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

"Lord Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock, I consecrate myself to Your most Sacred Heart. From Your pierced Heart the Church was born, the Church You have called me, as a member of Shepherds of Christ Associates, to serve in a most special way. You reveal Your Heart as a symbol of Your love in all its aspects, including Your most special love for me, whom You have chosen as Your companion in this most important work. Help me to always love You in return. Help me to give myself entirely to You. Help me always to pour out my life in love of God and neighbor! Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You!

 

                (5)

Act of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

"Dear Blessed Virgin Mary, I consecrate myself to your maternal and Immaculate Heart, this Heart which is symbol of your life of love. You are the Mother of my Savior. You are also my Mother. You love me with a most special love as a member of Shepherds of Christ Associates, a movement created by your Son as a powerful instrument for the renewal of the Church and the world. In a return of love, I give myself entirely to your motherly love and protection. You followed Jesus perfectly. You are His first and perfect disciple. Teach me to imitate you in the putting on of Christ. Be my motherly intercessor so that, through your Immaculate Heart, I may be guided to an ever closer union with the pierced Heart of Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock."

 

                (6) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 16-17

    As stated above, consecration to Mary is an aspect of our consecration to God in Christ and she has asked for consecration to her Heart so that she may assist us. Christ, in turn, invites us to live out this consecration to Him through consecration to His Heart. We see the divine symmetry—consecration to the Immaculate Heart helps us to live out consecration to Christ Who reveals His Heart to us as symbol of His love. We see, then, the most intimate link between consecration to the Immaculate Heart and consecration to the Sacred Heart.

Pope Pius XII reminds us of this union: "That grace for the Christian family and for the whole human race may flow more abundantly from devotion to the Sacred Heart, let the faithful strive to join it closely with devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God."⁹

                                        9. Pope Pius XII, Haurietis Aquas (New York: Paulist Press), No.139.
 

                (7)

4th Sunday of Advent
December 18, 2005

HOMILY: The angel Gabriel announced the birth of a king: “the Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” I love the interesting way St. Luke begins to tell us about this. He first of all introduces Mary, but not in the usual way we introduce someone. We would have said, “I would like you to meet Mary. She’s from Galilee and engaged to be married to Joseph.” None of us would have dared to add to our introduction: “She’s a virgin!” But it’s a very important thing St. Luke wants us to know and he tells us she’s a virgin even before he tells us Mary’s name. Why? Because Mary would conceive in a miraculous way, through the power of the Holy Spirit. That alone was spectacular, but that was only the beginning of the most unique and wonderful event this world would ever see. This king, who would be conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, would be more than the ordinary, run of the mill king. This king, the messiah, the christos; that is, the anointed one, would be king over a kingdom that would never end. To top that, because he was conceived by God’s own Spirit, he would be the “Son of God.”

                (8)

This is an awesome mystery that God took on our human flesh and became like us in every way except sin. There is a special theological term for it: the Incarnation. The God, who dwelt among his people housed in a tent for many generations, now comes to live with his people as one of us, taking on our own flesh and blood. Sometimes people like to say Jesus was a great prophet or a great teacher or a great humanitarian but that’s all he was. The gospels tell us he is the Son of God. If he was less than that, there was nothing great about him because he was a crazy man, full of delusion and paranoia. There is no in-between position we can take on Jesus. [In today’s bulletin is a copy of the Catholic Update that gives a beautiful explanation of today’s gospel. I highly recommend it.]

How we live our faith depends on how firmly we believe in this wonderful event. If we truly believe God has come into our world and into our lives through Jesus, shouldn’t we try to spend time with him, shouldn’t we try to get to know him better and follow him as well as possible? If we are not ready to do that, could it be that our faith is little more than a lot of words?

One last thought. I would like you to notice the respect God showed Mary in the annunciation. God didn’t just tell her she would be the mother of such an awesome person. God asked her if she would be and waited for her answer. We have here a cue for how the Son of God can come to us more fully. We have here a cue for how Christmas can fully fill our hearts. We have here a cue for how to enjoy the blessings of his kingdom that will have no end. God's Son wants to live in each of us. As God did with Mary, God waits for each of us to answer him as to whether he is welcome. Are we able to say as Mary did: “I am the servant of the Lord. I will do whatever you want of me, Oh God.”

                (9)

An Overview of the Spiritual Life

The Christian life is rooted in the great event of the Incarnation. We must consequently always focus our gaze upon Christ, realizing that everything the Father wishes to tell us has been summed up in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It only remains for us, then, to strive to understand with greater insight the inexhaustible truth of the Word Incarnate: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son, Whom He appointed the heir of all things, through Whom also He created the world." (Heb. 1: 1-2) (1)

What was the condition of the human race at the time of Christ's coming? In some ways, people were much the same as we are today. There were those just being born into this world of human drama. There were those who, in death, were leaving it, some of whom had grasped but little of life's meaning. There were those who were healthy and vigorous. There were those who were sick and lame. Some especially felt the burdens, the grief, the suffering of the human condition. Others were ebullient and desired all the pleasures life could provide. There was some good being accomplished. Immorality, however, was rampant. What St. Paul tells us concerning the time that immediately followed Christ's existence certainly could also be applied to the time of His entrance into the world. It is, in short, an ugly picture that St. Paul depicts for us (Rom. 1: 22-32).

                (10)

Into such a depraved condition Jesus entered, with a full and generous Heart, to lead the human race from the depths of sinfulness to the vibrant richness of a new life in Himself. Through His enfleshment, this Christ became the focal point of all history. The authentic hopes and dreams of the human family, now so overshadowed by the ugliness of sin, came converging upon this Christ. He would gather them up in Himself, give them a new luster and brilliance and dynamism, and would lead the human family back to the Father in the Holy Spirit.

Christ was radically to release us from the dominion of sin and elevate us to a new level of existence. This life Christ has given us is not a type of superstructure which is erected atop human existence. Although nature and grace are distinct, they do not lie side by side as separate entities. Rather, grace permeates nature. The Christian is one graced person. The Christian is one who has been raised up, caught up, into a deeper form of life in Christ Jesus. Nothing that is authentically human in the life of the Christian has been excluded from this new existence. Whatever is really human in the life of the Christian is meant to be an expression of the Christ-life. The simple but deep joys of family life, the wonderment at nature's beauty, the warm embrace of a mother for her child, the agony of crucial decision making, the success or frustration that is experienced in one's work, the joy of being well received by others, and the heartache of being misunderstood--all these experiences are intended to be caught up in Christ and made more deeply human because of Him.

Jesus has come, then, not to destroy anything that is authentically human, but to perfect it by leading it to a graced fulfillment. This is the meaning of the Word's becoming flesh, the meaning of the Incarnation. The more God-like we become through Christ, the more human we become.

We, through our incorporation into Christ which occurs at Baptism, are meant to relive the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In doing so, we are not only accomplishing our own salvation, but we are assisting in the salvation of others also. The Incarnation continues all the time. Christ, of course, is the one Who fundamentally continues the Incarnation. But He enlists our help. The world no longer sees Jesus, no longer is able to reach out and touch Him. We are the ones who now, in some way, make Christ visible and tangible. In union with the invisible, glorified Christ, and depending on Him as our source of life, we continue the Incarnation in its visible and temporal dimensions. This is our great privilege. This is our great responsibility.

The Christian is initiated into the mystery of Christ, into his or her role in prolonging the Incarnation, through Baptism. In the words of St. Paul: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6: 3-4).

  

                Presentation in the Temple

                (1) Luke 2: 25-34

Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to the restoration of Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

    Now, Master, you are letting 
        your servant go in peace 
    as you promised; 
    for my eyes have seen the salvation 
    which you have made ready 
        in the sight of the nations; 
    a light of revelation for the gentiles 
    and glory for your people Israel.

As the child’s father and mother were wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Look, he is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed—

                (2) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 1-2.

   "The Blessed Virgin was eternally predestined, in conjunction with the Incarnation of the Divine Word, to be the Mother of God. By decree of divine Providence, she served on earth as the loving mother of the divine Redeemer, an associate of unique nobility, and the Lord's humble handmaid. She conceived, brought forth, and nourished Christ. She presented Him to the Father in the temple, and was united with Him in suffering as He died on the cross. In an utterly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls." (Vatican II).¹
 

   The above words of Scripture and of the Second Vatican Council tell us of a most awesome truth—that Mary truly is the Mother of Jesus, that she truly is the Mother of God.

   To speak of Mary, then, is to speak of Christ. Mary's entire life was centered on Christ. No human has ever followed Christ as closely as has Mary. Mary's spiritual life was perfectly centered in Jesus as she went with Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit.
 

   As the words of Vatican II tell us, Mary cooperated with Jesus in His redemptive effort. Throughout much of the time she was physically present to Him. At those times when she was not at His side, she was united with Him through a profound spiritual union. She was totally dedicated to Him and to His cause. She was His first and perfect disciple. She loved Him with a devotion and an intensity beyond our full comprehension.

   All of Mary's other God-given gifts flow from her divine motherhood—from the fact that she is the Mother of Jesus. Her Immaculate Conception, her fullness of grace, her freedom from actual sin, her perpetual virginity, her bodily Assumption into Heaven—these and all her other gifts flow from her divine maternity.

   One of these gifts not yet mentioned is her role as our spiritual mother. Yes, because Mary is the Mother of Christ, she is also our mother. This is a marvelous and most consoling reality upon which to further reflect.

 

                (3) John 19: 25-27

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

 

                (4) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 3.

   "In an utterly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace." (Vatican II).² 

2. The Documents of Vatican II (New York: The America Press, 1966), Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, No. 62.

                (5) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 3-4.

   Mary is the Mother of Jesus. She is also our Mother. The above words of Scripture and of the Second Vatican Council attest to this.

   Jesus has given us Mary as our spiritual mother. As He hung upon the cross, Jesus told John to look upon Mary as his mother, this John who represents all of us. In His moment of deepest anguish and suffering, Jesus was thinking of us. As the indescribable physical pain racked His body from head to toe, as the unfathomable spiritual anguish penetrated to the depths of His Heart, Jesus was thinking of us. If we allow this scene to penetrate into our hearts, if we take the time to contemplate the depth of Jesus' and Mary's love for us as Their Hearts were pierced with grief, we are truly overwhelmed with the magnificent greatness and tenderness of the scene. Jesus was proclaiming Mary to be Mother of the Redemption. He was telling us that Mary is Mother to all peoples.

                (6) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 4.

The fact that Mary is our mother, the fact that she has such a powerful role to play in our salvation in no way detracts from the mediatorship of Christ. Vatican II states:
 

   "We have but one Mediator, as we know from the words of the Apostle: "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all." (1 Tim. 2:5-6). The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. For all the saving influences of the Blessed Virgin on men originate, not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. They flow forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rest on His mediation, depend entirely on it, and draw all their power from it. In no way do they impede the immediate union of the faithful with Christ. Rather they foster this unin."³

3. The Documents of Vatican II (New York: The America Press, 1966), Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, No. 60.  

                (7) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 4-5.

   In saying that Mary is our spiritual mother, we are saying that Mary is the mother of our Christ-life. What is this life? Can we define it?

   At Baptism the Persons of the Trinity communicate so intimately to us that, as a result, they leave their imprint or image upon us. This Trinitarian image is our life of sanctifying grace. This life of grace is a created participation in God's life, and since this gift of grace is mediated by Christ in His humanity, this Trinitarian image also has a Christic aspect. Christ as man has shown us how to live a God-like existence. He has shown us how to live the life of grace. This life of grace we possess allows us to enjoy the special presence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Truly, the divine Persons dwell within us.

   Whether we refer to this life as the Christ-life, the life of grace, life in the Holy Spirit, or by other names, we are referring to one and the same reality. This reality, again, is the Christic, Trinitarian image given us through the Trinitarian communication.
 

                (8) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 5.

   St. Paul speaks of our life of grace in terms of our being baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 6:1-11). Again, Jesus mediates our life of grace. He has shown us how to live a Christ-like existence. Since Jesus' paschal mystery of death-resurrection sums up His own human existence, so it sums up our own. This is what St. Paul is telling us. Paul tells us that we live our life of Baptism, our life of grace, by continually dying and rising with Jesus—rising to a greater share in Christ's resurrection. Indeed, we live resurrection now and hereafter. Living death-resurrection involves all of our Christian activities. While not giving an all-inclusive list, we do include the following: the reading of Scripture, prayer, the performance of daily duties, the doing of penance, making sacrifices, our jobs, periods of rest and relaxation, sharing meals with loved ones, reception of the sacraments, and, especially, participation in the Eucharist which is both sacrifice and sacrament.

                (9) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 5-6.

   This is our glorious existence made possible by God's great love for us and a major truth of this glorious existence is the fact that Jesus has given us Mary as our spiritual mother. Mary is the Mother of our Christ-life. In her loving, maternal role, she cooperates with the Holy Spirit in forming Christ in us. Pope John Paul II tells us:
 

   "The Church knows and teaches that all the saving influences of the Blessed Virgin on mankind originate from the divine pleasure. . .This saving influence is sustained by the Holy Spirit, Who, just as He overshadowed the Virgin Mary when He began in her the divine motherhood, in a similar way constantly sustains her solicitude for the brothers and sisters of her Son.''⁴

4. Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Mater) (Washington: United States Catholic Conference, 1987), No. 38.

                (10) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 6-8.

   Mary our mother is ever with us, guiding us, teaching us, caring for us, protecting us, loving us. With her maternal assistance we go to the Father through and with Christ in the Holy Spirit.

   Mary nourishes our growth in Christ with a very tender and specialized love for each of us. She regards each of us as a precious, unique individual. John Paul II again speaks to us:  

   "Of the essence of motherhood is the fact that it concerns the person. Motherhood always establishes a unique and unrepeatable relationship between two people: between mother and child and between child and mother. Even when the same woman is the mother of many children, her personal relationship with each one of them is of the very essence of motherhood. For each child is generated in a unique and unrepeatable way, and this is true both for the mother and for the child."⁴ 

   The Holy Father then applies these ideas to Mary and us: 

   "It can be said that motherhood in the order of grace preserves the analogy with what in the order of nature characterizes the union between mother and child. In the light of this fact it becomes easier to understand why in Christ's testament on Golgotha, His Mother's new motherhood is expressed in the singular, in reference to one man. Behold, your son."⁵ 

   This is the awesome and consoling truth—you and I are very precious to Mary. She loves us much more than we can ever fathom. It is our great privilege and responsibility to love her in return. She asks for this love, she asks for our trust. As we give our love and trust to our mother, she wants us to come to her at all times and in all circumstances.

   Are we sorrowful, anxious, troubled? Let us go to Mary our mother and ask her to console us. Let us ask her for the grace to handle our sorrow, our anxieties, our troubles properly—according to God's will. In this way our suffering will bring us closer to Christ as it simultaneously allows us to contribute to the ongoing Christianization of the world.

   Are we joyful, happy, basking in the glow of a goal successfully accomplished? Let us go to Mary and ask her to help us handle our joy, our happiness, our success as God intends. Let us petition her not to allow our joy to make us forgetful of God, our God Who is the source of all true joy, success, and happiness.

   Are we finding it particularly difficult to follow Christ in the here-and-now? In child-like trust we can approach our mother. Let us ask her for the grace to realize that the following of Christ is not always easy—that at times being a follower of Christ challenges our courage in a special way. We can also ask Mary to help us realize that even at such difficult times, Christ's grace makes our burden relatively light. Jesus has told us: 

   Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
   Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Mt.11:28-30). 

   Are we finding it is particularly easy to follow Christ in the here-and-now? Let us go to Mary and ask her for the grace to remain humble. Let us beseech Mary to keep us from being inflated with pride, and ask her to help us realize that without Jesus we can do nothing. 

   Mary, then, asks for our complete trust. She wants us always to seek shelter under her maternal mantle. She invites us to come to her in all circumstances—whether it be in joy or sorrow, success or failure, laughter or tears. Mary wants us to share in her maternal wisdom so that we may understand how to use our various experiences to come closer to God in Christ. Sharing our lives with Mary in this fashion, and on a consistent basis, requires that we love her, that we trust her, that we surrender ourselves to her maternal love.

   Help us, Mother Mary, to probe ever more deeply into the depths of your love for us. Help us to realize more and more that to be loved by you is to experience a sweetness, a warmth, a tenderness, a serenity, a security, which makes us cry out, "O Mother, how good and loving you are!"

4. Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Mater) (Washington: United States Catholic Conference, 1987), No. 38.
5. Ibid., No. 45.

  

                Finding in the Temple

                (1) Luke 2: 48-50

They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’ He replied, ‘Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he meant.

                (2) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 9.

    "Of the essence of motherhood is the fact that it concerns the person. Motherhood always establishes a unique and unrepeatable relationship between two people: between mother and child and between child and mother. Even when the same woman is the mother of many children, her personal relationship with each one of them is of the very essence of motherhood. . .

                (3) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 9.

    "It can be said that motherhood 'in the order of grace' preserves the analogy with what 'in the order of nature' characterizes the union between mother and child." (Pope John Paul II).⁶

6. 6. Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Mater) (Washington: United States Catholic Conference, 1987), No. 45.

                (4) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 9.

    We have already used these words in the previous chapter. We repeat them here for the purpose of discussing the concept of personal uniqueness. Each of us is unique—a unique reflection of God. Out of each one's uniqueness flows a special God-given mission. Cardinal Newman observes: "Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random. . . God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in a body, one by one, for a purpose."⁷

7. John Cardinal Newman, Discourses Addressed to Mixed Congregations (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1906), pp. 111-12.

                (5) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 9-10.

    And as Pope John Paul tells us, we each have a unique relationship with Mary. She loves each one of us very dearly, each in his or her own uniqueness. She knows each of us has the awesome privilege and responsibility of allowing Christ to live in and through this personal uniqueness. As Mary cooperates with the Holy Spirit in forming Christ in us, she works with the Spirit in assisting us to accomplish our personal mission in life.

                (6) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 10.

    Each day we can strive to accomplish our mission under Mary's maternal mantle. Let us each day entrust ourselves to Mary's Immaculate Heart and dwell within this most pure haven. Here we feel loved, safe, confident, courageous in our efforts to act that day as the Father wills. Dwelling within Mary's Heart, we face our daily challenge of working with Christ to lessen the world's evil and to promote its goodness. Aware of Mary's special and unique love for each of us, we are strengthened in our attempt to accomplish our God-given mission in all the various circumstances of life within the human condition. Amidst joy and sorrow, success and failure, acceptance and rejection, laughter and tears—amidst whatever comprises each day's existence—we should rest secure knowing Mary is Mother at our side.

                (7) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 10.

    We should not waste time bemoaning the fact that we do not possess this or that gift which another has in abundance. We have the gifts God intends for us. We have the gifts we need to accomplish our mission in life. Concentrate to develop these gifts for love of God and neighbor because how we use these gifts is what we will be judged on—not on the fact that we lacked this or that talent.

                (8) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 10.

    I cannot accomplish your mission in life. You cannot accomplish mine. Each of us has something to give to Christ, His Church, and His world which no other can contribute. Again, this is an awesome privilege and responsibility.

                (9) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 10-11.

    God has given us Mary so that she may assist us in living out this privilege and responsibility and we should daily ask her for wisdom to grow in the understanding of all that our mission involves. We should also petition her for the courage not to shirk the responsibility, but joyously to embrace it for the greater glory of God. With her mother's sense of pride, she wants us to succeed in fulfilling God's plan for us. The more we entrust ourselves to her, the more she places us with Christ so that He may live in and through us to further Christianize the world.

                (10) Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 11.

    Yes, the more we entrust ourselves to Mary our Mother, the more we will be able to live out the truth Cardinal Newman puts before us: "We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random. . . God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in a body, one by one, for a purpose." 

 

                Sing: See the Eyes That Look at Mary