Here we are at another Holy Week and I find myself reflecting on who WE are as DISCIPLES of Jesus.
We know that the original 12 disciples, and all those unnamed followers in those earliest days, well, some were strong and faithful to the end, and others, eh, not so much. There's some comfort in knowing that we're not alone in the struggle to be faithful to our Lord and Savior.
How are you living your life as a disciple of Christ? What are you reflecting on as this Holy Week begins? How did you do with your Lenten practices? Did these 40 days help you draw closer to Jesus?
What do disciples DO anyway?
They must do more than fish, right?
Disciples listen, to the Lord first, to hear what God's will is...
Disciples act in accordance with the will of God...
What do you think God is asking of you these days?
How can you best use your gifts, as a disciple, to help others know the love of God?
Can we help you discover this in the parish?
Are you called to make others feel at home here? Are you called to proclaim the word of God, or assist in bringing Jesus in the Eucharist to others?
Are you called to share your faith as a teacher or companion to someone just beginning their journey of faith?
Are you called to be the warm smile that helps a stranger feel at home with us when they walk through the doors?
We each have gifts to share with one another. May this Holy Week help you discover or discern more deeply, what gifts you have that you would like to share with others.
Disciples look to see the needs of the world around them and act to meet that need.
A great example of this would be the way our parish family and our Facebook friends acted in concert these last few weeks to collect supplies and create our Easter gift bags for our homeless neighbors. Your generosity was overwhelming. Your goodness will bring a bit of happiness to those folks we will meet on the street in the next week. Please know how grateful we are for your kindness. This has been an incredible life lesson for our children in learning what they can actually do to help those who are less fortunate then themselves. We will place these gift bags at the doors of the church during the holy days ... if you would like to take a bag to share with one you may meet on the way home from church, please feel free.
Yesterday, Palm Sunday, we processed from the park to the church waving palm branches and singing Hosanna. The sound of your voices preceded you into church and gave me goosebumps. What I saw were hundreds of you, proud of your faith, your community and your God, and your joyful willingness to witness to that at the very crossroads of our neighborhoods: the Upper East Side and East Harlem. I was and continue to be so proud of who we are as a parish family. Thank you for helping me pray this week. I hope I can do the same for you.
May we learn more deeply this week, what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus in our world today, and may we be joyful witnesses to the love of Christ in this time and place.
Happy Easter.
Monday, April 15, 2019
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Make a Friend at Frank's Cafe!!
We know we are all called to welcome one another at church. We know it's not just the 'job' of the folks who greet you at the front door. One of my favorite moments at Mass is right at the very beginning when we are invited to say 'Hi' to the folks sitting nearby, the folks we will be praying with for the next hour or so. I just love how the noise level rises in the church as folks greet one another. Then after a few minutes, we all settle in for some good prayer. It speaks to me of what we are really about...joyful community, family connections, trying week after week to share the love of Christ with one another. I do believe at St Francis we do this well.
For the last few months we have been rebranding the downstairs parish hall as "FRANK'S CAFE". So far, this new project has been going well, and more folks come down each Sunday to see what's going on down there. Thank you to the folks who keep bringing bakery goods for the table, (we will always say YES to whatever YOU want to bring to the table!) Thanks to to one special family for the donation of couches. To the friend who was passing by and donated the high top tables, much thanks to you too! We are grateful for all the gifts folks have shared with the parish.
So here's the challenge now, for each of us. It's fun to come downstairs, grab a cup of coffee and catch up with our friends. It's a great time to catch one of the staff to ask a question, or plan a meeting.
Do you notice that person sitting by herself over there with her cup of coffee? Can you see that there's a new couple by the couch and they don't look like they know anyone else? What could YOU do in that moment?
Ok, yes, we all live in NY, but at church we can be brave enough to leave our 'subway persona' aside and go over to that new person or couple and introduce yourself! One of my nieces when she was little went up to someone at a party where she didn't know a soul and simply said: "Hi, I'm Nadina, I'm 7...who are you?" I was amazed at her ability to reach out to someone else, and when I'm feeling shy, I often pray for that kind of grace...
For when we think about it, if we were the new person sitting alone, wouldn't we want someone to come say hello? Church is the perfect place to practice a bit of extroverted welcoming behavior. Don't go crazy...just check and see if there's anyone by themselves and invite them into the conversation you're already having with your friends. We have such interesting parishioners that I guarantee whoever you say hi to is going to be someone you will be happy to have met.
This weekend, in Cycle A, our Gospel is about the healing of the man born blind. Let's challenge ourselves to be a bit better these days at not being blind...at really looking and seeing one another and keeping an eye out for the stranger, so we can make them feel welcome at our St Francis de Sales home. (Everywhere else too!)
For the last few months we have been rebranding the downstairs parish hall as "FRANK'S CAFE". So far, this new project has been going well, and more folks come down each Sunday to see what's going on down there. Thank you to the folks who keep bringing bakery goods for the table, (we will always say YES to whatever YOU want to bring to the table!) Thanks to to one special family for the donation of couches. To the friend who was passing by and donated the high top tables, much thanks to you too! We are grateful for all the gifts folks have shared with the parish.
So here's the challenge now, for each of us. It's fun to come downstairs, grab a cup of coffee and catch up with our friends. It's a great time to catch one of the staff to ask a question, or plan a meeting.
Do you notice that person sitting by herself over there with her cup of coffee? Can you see that there's a new couple by the couch and they don't look like they know anyone else? What could YOU do in that moment?
Ok, yes, we all live in NY, but at church we can be brave enough to leave our 'subway persona' aside and go over to that new person or couple and introduce yourself! One of my nieces when she was little went up to someone at a party where she didn't know a soul and simply said: "Hi, I'm Nadina, I'm 7...who are you?" I was amazed at her ability to reach out to someone else, and when I'm feeling shy, I often pray for that kind of grace...
For when we think about it, if we were the new person sitting alone, wouldn't we want someone to come say hello? Church is the perfect place to practice a bit of extroverted welcoming behavior. Don't go crazy...just check and see if there's anyone by themselves and invite them into the conversation you're already having with your friends. We have such interesting parishioners that I guarantee whoever you say hi to is going to be someone you will be happy to have met.
This weekend, in Cycle A, our Gospel is about the healing of the man born blind. Let's challenge ourselves to be a bit better these days at not being blind...at really looking and seeing one another and keeping an eye out for the stranger, so we can make them feel welcome at our St Francis de Sales home. (Everywhere else too!)
Thursday, March 14, 2019
How Will You Celebrate Today?
Happy St Patrick's Day!
Whether you are Irish or not, I hope just the thought of St Patrick's day gives you a reason to smile. It might be the sea of green that we will see this weekend, your love of Irish soda bread, sugar cookies bathed in green sugar, coffee with whipped cream (and a little something extra perhaps?), parades, fun music, and general merriment. Any one of those things is enough of a cause for late winter joy.
Even as a full blooded Italian I love to celebrate this day. I often think I'm Irish by "friendship", so many of my dearest friends both now and when I was younger are of the Irish persuasion. When I finally got to visit Ireland a few years ago I discovered for myself what I've always heard was true, folks on the Emerald Isle are some of the kindest, most welcoming people I've ever met.
A word about St Patrick. Whatever is true or whatever is legend, surely he is an example for us of superb evangelization. He brought Christianity to a people who had not yet known who Jesus Christ was. He used simple tools he found around him to teach great lessons of faith. He lived with and worked with the people he came to teach. He is a missionary par excellence!
What does the story of St Patrick teach us today?
Do we accept people where they are?
Are we proud of our faith and are we willing to acknowledge what and who we believe in?
As we move into our second week of Lent, may St Patrick be an inspiration for us to find God in the simple moments of life all around us. Be it all the stars in the heavens, or the transforming power of love and friendship, God is with us always, in big and small ways. May we have the eyes to see!
Whether you are Irish or not, I hope just the thought of St Patrick's day gives you a reason to smile. It might be the sea of green that we will see this weekend, your love of Irish soda bread, sugar cookies bathed in green sugar, coffee with whipped cream (and a little something extra perhaps?), parades, fun music, and general merriment. Any one of those things is enough of a cause for late winter joy.
Even as a full blooded Italian I love to celebrate this day. I often think I'm Irish by "friendship", so many of my dearest friends both now and when I was younger are of the Irish persuasion. When I finally got to visit Ireland a few years ago I discovered for myself what I've always heard was true, folks on the Emerald Isle are some of the kindest, most welcoming people I've ever met.
A word about St Patrick. Whatever is true or whatever is legend, surely he is an example for us of superb evangelization. He brought Christianity to a people who had not yet known who Jesus Christ was. He used simple tools he found around him to teach great lessons of faith. He lived with and worked with the people he came to teach. He is a missionary par excellence!
What does the story of St Patrick teach us today?
Do we accept people where they are?
Are we proud of our faith and are we willing to acknowledge what and who we believe in?
As we move into our second week of Lent, may St Patrick be an inspiration for us to find God in the simple moments of life all around us. Be it all the stars in the heavens, or the transforming power of love and friendship, God is with us always, in big and small ways. May we have the eyes to see!
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Making a Joyful Noise
We're well into the cycle of ordinary time in our church year and I love the freedom that gives me to relax and breath in the goodness of the day to day. Whether the days be sunny and warm, or icy cold there's always something I can find on my walk to be grateful for. I'll admit though I prefer the sunny and warm mornings!
On Sundays, ordinary time calls us to sing our hearts out. Soon enough we'll enter the somber, reflective Lenten season. For now, I want to rejoice. We do that well at St Francis, in how we greet each other, how we sing, how we pray, how we share coffee and donuts in our newly named "Frank's Cafe" in the parish hall.
A famous actor once said that he never wanted to work with children or animals. When I watch our little ones on Sunday mornings, how they dance and respond to the music of our choir...I understand better what he meant. Our preachers have a daunting task in front of them each week because our little piano player and music lovers steal the show each week. Their joy is contagious. When was the last time you let the glory of God's love for you just ooze out your very pores? How can we not get caught up in praise when we recognize all the good God has done for us?
What is an appropriate response to such joy? I think our responses are to sing louder, (maybe not better, but surely with even more heart!), to smile more, to engage with those around me in my pew...to pray more deeply and with a sureness of purpose. This God we love is real and all around us. We encounter God each day, but in such a special way on Sundays when we come to worship TOGETHER! In the Word, In Eucharist and IN EACH OTHER God makes Godself present to us in such magnificent joy. How can we not smile at one another.
This Sunday when you come to church, let the glory of God's love for you fill your heart, your eyes, your face, your voice....and come ready to celebrate. If you need an example of how to celebrate, just watch the little ones by the choir...they'll teach you everything you need to know!
Peace and good to each of you!
On Sundays, ordinary time calls us to sing our hearts out. Soon enough we'll enter the somber, reflective Lenten season. For now, I want to rejoice. We do that well at St Francis, in how we greet each other, how we sing, how we pray, how we share coffee and donuts in our newly named "Frank's Cafe" in the parish hall.
A famous actor once said that he never wanted to work with children or animals. When I watch our little ones on Sunday mornings, how they dance and respond to the music of our choir...I understand better what he meant. Our preachers have a daunting task in front of them each week because our little piano player and music lovers steal the show each week. Their joy is contagious. When was the last time you let the glory of God's love for you just ooze out your very pores? How can we not get caught up in praise when we recognize all the good God has done for us?
What is an appropriate response to such joy? I think our responses are to sing louder, (maybe not better, but surely with even more heart!), to smile more, to engage with those around me in my pew...to pray more deeply and with a sureness of purpose. This God we love is real and all around us. We encounter God each day, but in such a special way on Sundays when we come to worship TOGETHER! In the Word, In Eucharist and IN EACH OTHER God makes Godself present to us in such magnificent joy. How can we not smile at one another.
This Sunday when you come to church, let the glory of God's love for you fill your heart, your eyes, your face, your voice....and come ready to celebrate. If you need an example of how to celebrate, just watch the little ones by the choir...they'll teach you everything you need to know!
Peace and good to each of you!
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
"Good Job, Mom!"
We all know that a word of gratitude or a compliment goes a very long way. We have made it through the crush of the holidays and slid maybe not so gently into our new year. We made it! And so we begin again, with 2019 open before us waiting to see what wonders God will put in our path.
The title of today's blog refers to a comment that one of our parishioners received from a person living on the street. She and her kids had been a part of our Christmas project where we put together gift bags for our homeless neighbors to be distributed over the holy days. As she and her son and daughter offered this gift to one gentleman, with an explanation that it came from their parish community, the gentleman offered her these complimentary words as a thank you for this gift: "Good Job Mom!" What a beautiful way to say thank you. And yes, GOOD JOB to all our parents here who are doing such a praise worthy effort at raising good, holy and caring young people. We are honored to be a part of that process.
We all need and want to continue to learn how to better live out our faith. A new year is a great time to 'set an intention' for how we want to be attentive to some area of growth in our own lives. Today I suggest that one of our intentions may be to live lives more aware of those who have less than we.
Catholic Social Teaching impels us to look beyond ourselves and to work for the good of others around us.
Here are some ideas, some events going on at St Francis that might be an inspiration to you:
Jan. 12 STILL WE GROW-An Immersive Theater Experience to Fight Human Trafficking 6 & 8 pm
Jan. 14 BOOK CLUB discussion Strength to Love by Dr Martin Luther King jr. 8pm
Jan. 24 Feast of St Francis de Sales--champion of spirituality for all people--
Jan. 27 FEAST DAY POT LUCK BRUNCH 12 noon....what will you bring to the table?
Jan. 29 Ecumenical Prayer hosted by SFDS with Brick Presbyterian and Church of the Living Hope. 6:30 pm at St Francis. Come pray with your neighbors and build peace in our community.
Jan. 31 Inaugural Pop-Up Theology @ Frank's Cafe; A conversation with Dr. Brenna Moore, Professor from Fordham University Department of Theology: Catholic Resistance to Nazism, 1930's 40's: What can we learn today?
I know sometimes the whole "new years resolution thing" can feel like it has defeated me before I even begin. Maybe it's just a difference in wording but the idea of 'setting an intention' feels more accessible to me. I don't feel like I've failed before I've even begun. As we move into the New Year, what are your hopes and dreams for yourself and for those you love? What are your deepest desires for the good of our church and of our world? Perhaps our prayer today is to find the first small step to begin to move into the direction of our future filled with whatever God has in store for us. God bless each of us as we begin our journey into 2019. Wishing you much peace!
The title of today's blog refers to a comment that one of our parishioners received from a person living on the street. She and her kids had been a part of our Christmas project where we put together gift bags for our homeless neighbors to be distributed over the holy days. As she and her son and daughter offered this gift to one gentleman, with an explanation that it came from their parish community, the gentleman offered her these complimentary words as a thank you for this gift: "Good Job Mom!" What a beautiful way to say thank you. And yes, GOOD JOB to all our parents here who are doing such a praise worthy effort at raising good, holy and caring young people. We are honored to be a part of that process.
We all need and want to continue to learn how to better live out our faith. A new year is a great time to 'set an intention' for how we want to be attentive to some area of growth in our own lives. Today I suggest that one of our intentions may be to live lives more aware of those who have less than we.
Catholic Social Teaching impels us to look beyond ourselves and to work for the good of others around us.
Here are some ideas, some events going on at St Francis that might be an inspiration to you:
Jan. 12 STILL WE GROW-An Immersive Theater Experience to Fight Human Trafficking 6 & 8 pm
Jan. 14 BOOK CLUB discussion Strength to Love by Dr Martin Luther King jr. 8pm
Jan. 24 Feast of St Francis de Sales--champion of spirituality for all people--
Jan. 27 FEAST DAY POT LUCK BRUNCH 12 noon....what will you bring to the table?
Jan. 29 Ecumenical Prayer hosted by SFDS with Brick Presbyterian and Church of the Living Hope. 6:30 pm at St Francis. Come pray with your neighbors and build peace in our community.
Jan. 31 Inaugural Pop-Up Theology @ Frank's Cafe; A conversation with Dr. Brenna Moore, Professor from Fordham University Department of Theology: Catholic Resistance to Nazism, 1930's 40's: What can we learn today?
I know sometimes the whole "new years resolution thing" can feel like it has defeated me before I even begin. Maybe it's just a difference in wording but the idea of 'setting an intention' feels more accessible to me. I don't feel like I've failed before I've even begun. As we move into the New Year, what are your hopes and dreams for yourself and for those you love? What are your deepest desires for the good of our church and of our world? Perhaps our prayer today is to find the first small step to begin to move into the direction of our future filled with whatever God has in store for us. God bless each of us as we begin our journey into 2019. Wishing you much peace!
Monday, December 24, 2018
What Do You Think Christmas Is All About?
As my nieces and nephew grow older Christmas for us becomes less about toys and presents under the tree and more about the quality of time we get to spend together. I am tremendously enjoying watching them become adults and wonder what paths they will choose as they move into their journeys. I pray God will bless them and make them good, holy and caring individuals. I think they are well on their way.
I want to make sure the children and families in my parish have the same opportunities to grow in how they live out their faith lives, both as little ones and as adults. To that end, their parents and I came up with a Christmas project that we shared together on our last session before Christmas. I admit, I was given the idea by one of our young parishioners, who had received the idea from his father, who received it from another friend's parish. This just shows how important it is to share good ideas!
This was the project: we were creating gift bags for our homeless neighbors. A large ziploc bag filled with new socks, bottled water, tuna or chicken packets, protein bars, cookies, band aids, even a gift card for a meal or a cup of coffee. The last thing in the bag was a note from the parish saying that we cared and we were here for them.
Watching the children and their parents create the bags was a beautiful sight to behold. Parents took the time to explain the "WHY", the reason we were doing this, to their kids. The families each took a bag or two with them for over the Christmas break. They are to give the bags away when they encounter someone who needs the bag. When we get back to class in January we're going to spend some time breaking open the experience together. We have extra bags to share with our parishioners on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Already families are letting me know what a powerful experience this has been to share with their children. As they give the bags away, I'm getting emails telling me how proud the children are of having a way to help someone in need. The parents are grateful for a way to talk to their children about how we as Catholics are to care for one another and treat each other with dignity. I am so proud of my parish for choosing to extend our care for others beyond the toys of the giving tree, to the very real needs of our neighbors on the street. Literally.
I've got in my mind the traditional picture on the Christmas card of the nativity, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus in a manger...and it often looks so sanitized and pure. This morning on NPR there was a story on the plight of Christian refugees in Syria and other hot spots in the Middle East. It occurs to me that the plight of these refugees is the same story that Mary and Joseph were living out...not that they were refugees, but they were definitely a family struggling to survive as they were forced to travel quite a distance to fulfill some obligation demanded from a political power. Why have I never thought deeply about this before? This story of Christmas isn't at all pretty. And yet the story of Christmas is the most beautiful of all stories, because in the midst of such poverty and deprivation, God comes to be one of us, one with us in our utter, simple, broken humanity. How unbelievable profound.
So we will invite families tonight and tomorrow, to take a Christmas gift bag to share with a street person that they might run across in the next week or two. We live in NYC, chances are they won't get very far before they find someone in need. We pray that the simple act of sharing a gift and a brief conversation with someone will help us all remember to look into the eyes of a stranger and find Jesus there.
We know Christmas reminds us of the birth of that most special baby, and it calls us to think about when our Savior will come again. This year, let us also remember that Christmas calls us, demands that we see Jesus alive and begging to be recognized in the very eyes and hearts of the people we meet in our every day lives. Let us remember we are called to treat each and every person with the utmost of dignity they deserve simply because they too are sons and daughters of our God.
And when we can do that then there may actually be peace on earth. Merry Christmas.
I want to make sure the children and families in my parish have the same opportunities to grow in how they live out their faith lives, both as little ones and as adults. To that end, their parents and I came up with a Christmas project that we shared together on our last session before Christmas. I admit, I was given the idea by one of our young parishioners, who had received the idea from his father, who received it from another friend's parish. This just shows how important it is to share good ideas!
This was the project: we were creating gift bags for our homeless neighbors. A large ziploc bag filled with new socks, bottled water, tuna or chicken packets, protein bars, cookies, band aids, even a gift card for a meal or a cup of coffee. The last thing in the bag was a note from the parish saying that we cared and we were here for them.
Watching the children and their parents create the bags was a beautiful sight to behold. Parents took the time to explain the "WHY", the reason we were doing this, to their kids. The families each took a bag or two with them for over the Christmas break. They are to give the bags away when they encounter someone who needs the bag. When we get back to class in January we're going to spend some time breaking open the experience together. We have extra bags to share with our parishioners on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Already families are letting me know what a powerful experience this has been to share with their children. As they give the bags away, I'm getting emails telling me how proud the children are of having a way to help someone in need. The parents are grateful for a way to talk to their children about how we as Catholics are to care for one another and treat each other with dignity. I am so proud of my parish for choosing to extend our care for others beyond the toys of the giving tree, to the very real needs of our neighbors on the street. Literally.
I've got in my mind the traditional picture on the Christmas card of the nativity, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus in a manger...and it often looks so sanitized and pure. This morning on NPR there was a story on the plight of Christian refugees in Syria and other hot spots in the Middle East. It occurs to me that the plight of these refugees is the same story that Mary and Joseph were living out...not that they were refugees, but they were definitely a family struggling to survive as they were forced to travel quite a distance to fulfill some obligation demanded from a political power. Why have I never thought deeply about this before? This story of Christmas isn't at all pretty. And yet the story of Christmas is the most beautiful of all stories, because in the midst of such poverty and deprivation, God comes to be one of us, one with us in our utter, simple, broken humanity. How unbelievable profound.
So we will invite families tonight and tomorrow, to take a Christmas gift bag to share with a street person that they might run across in the next week or two. We live in NYC, chances are they won't get very far before they find someone in need. We pray that the simple act of sharing a gift and a brief conversation with someone will help us all remember to look into the eyes of a stranger and find Jesus there.
We know Christmas reminds us of the birth of that most special baby, and it calls us to think about when our Savior will come again. This year, let us also remember that Christmas calls us, demands that we see Jesus alive and begging to be recognized in the very eyes and hearts of the people we meet in our every day lives. Let us remember we are called to treat each and every person with the utmost of dignity they deserve simply because they too are sons and daughters of our God.
And when we can do that then there may actually be peace on earth. Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Who Is Mary to You?
Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!
Many of us know Mary under so many different honorific titles drawn from the countries of our origins: Providencia, Mt Carmel, Caridad de Cobre, Altagracia, the more well known Lourdes and Fatima. Today of course we celebrate Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Empress of the Americas!
I came to know our Lady of Guadalupe at the first parish I had the honor of serving in, back in the late 80's. From the community at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church I learned just how much a mother figure she was for so many young men and women far from their homeland. Homesick for their loved ones, their devotion to their heavenly mother touched me in ways I still ponder.
Someone this week described for me how much they depend on and look up to their own earthly mother, for strength, support and wisdom. In her own mother, she comes to know the love of God in a very real and concrete way. Doesn't Mary do this for all of us? She shows us the face of God, she points us to God, she is a doorway to the divine. What an amazing role to have taken on for that young girl from Galilee.
I see as I grow older, that our relationship with our mother changes in many ways for the better. In both cases, with my human mother as well as my heavenly mother, I look to them both for different types of love and support as I enter another phase of life. I am grateful that I've learned to appreciate them both for who they are in my life today.
What about you? Who is Mary for you at this point in your life's journey? How do you call on her for wisdom or guidance? Do you remember to ask for her intercession? Do you rest confident in her love?
As we honor Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with mariachis and chocolate and roses and pan dulce, let us be grateful that this celebration brings joy and life to our church in such a delightful way in the midst of our Advent winter grayness. Que viva Our Lady of Guadalupe!
Many of us know Mary under so many different honorific titles drawn from the countries of our origins: Providencia, Mt Carmel, Caridad de Cobre, Altagracia, the more well known Lourdes and Fatima. Today of course we celebrate Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Empress of the Americas!
I came to know our Lady of Guadalupe at the first parish I had the honor of serving in, back in the late 80's. From the community at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church I learned just how much a mother figure she was for so many young men and women far from their homeland. Homesick for their loved ones, their devotion to their heavenly mother touched me in ways I still ponder.
Someone this week described for me how much they depend on and look up to their own earthly mother, for strength, support and wisdom. In her own mother, she comes to know the love of God in a very real and concrete way. Doesn't Mary do this for all of us? She shows us the face of God, she points us to God, she is a doorway to the divine. What an amazing role to have taken on for that young girl from Galilee.
I see as I grow older, that our relationship with our mother changes in many ways for the better. In both cases, with my human mother as well as my heavenly mother, I look to them both for different types of love and support as I enter another phase of life. I am grateful that I've learned to appreciate them both for who they are in my life today.
What about you? Who is Mary for you at this point in your life's journey? How do you call on her for wisdom or guidance? Do you remember to ask for her intercession? Do you rest confident in her love?
As we honor Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with mariachis and chocolate and roses and pan dulce, let us be grateful that this celebration brings joy and life to our church in such a delightful way in the midst of our Advent winter grayness. Que viva Our Lady of Guadalupe!
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