Mary, Mother of God and Our Mother

January 1, 2016

Numbers 6:22-27 ~ The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace.

Galatians 4:4-7 ~ God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

Luke 2:16-21 ~ The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.

All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

 

What is the message of good news of great joy all about? What is there to be amazed about?

It is important to meditate like Mary, the Mother of Jesus our Lord. She kept all these things and reflected on them in her heart.

In the first reading, Moses hands on the blessing from God, but now God bestows the blessing in person. The Lord bless you and keep you. The angels kept telling them over and over, “Do not be afraid!” God keeps us in his arms and heart. “The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.” God is like a mother and father with their newborn child, smiling at us and gifting us with their love. “The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace.”    There is nothing to be afraid of when parents love their children unconditionally.

So now we are beginning to understand an adult Christmas. This is not an artificial Christmas (Christ-Mass). This is the real deal. This baby, who is now an adult, breathes on us the unconditional love that he received at his birth and from his parents and God. Jesus tells us not to be afraid.

Mary might have prayed and reflected in her heart like this. “The shepherds teach me that my Son is not mine alone. God has given him not only to me, but to the world. I must reflect in my heart on this Mystery. It is too big for me to grasp. I know this newborn Son has already changed my life. I guess he will continue to change me. I beg that I can be a good mother, helping my newborn Son grow into the man who God wants him to be. I beg that I can have the strength to stand by him in any hour of need. I beg to reflect on this Mystery in my heart, and know it is God’s will for me. I beg to trust the Mystery.”

This prayer of Our Mother was a most costly prayer. She was told by Simeon at his presentation, “And you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts and hearts of many will be revealed.” It takes a very special mother to take on this responsibility.

God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” “Momma, Mother!” So you are no longer slaves, but daughters and sons of God the Father and his Beloved Mary.

And now each of us can bless the whole world with the blessing and gifts we have received from our Heavenly Father and Mother.

“I, (state your name), bless you and keep you in my heart.

I let my face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

I look upon you kindly and give you peace.”

So let us return glorifying and praising God like the shepherds for all that we have heard and seen just as it has been told to us.

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plain
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains … Gloria In excelsis Deo

Shepherd’s, why this jubilee
Why your joyous song prolong
What the gladsome tidings be,
That inspire your heavenly, heavenly song … Gloria In excelsis Deo

You see, the Christ-Mass (Christmas) never ends. We take it with us. Thanks be to God!

Christ Mass Rosary

CHRIST-MASS Rosary

Welcome! The Rosary is a prayer reflecting and meditating on Jesus and his Beloved. Who is the Beloved? We are the Beloved Daughters and Sons of God. God desires a Christmas Dance with each and every one of us. It isn’t just about Christmas day or the season. It is about each and every day of the year that seems to circle and spiral up to the heavens and beyond. We call this “kairos” time.

The Rosary is a response to what Jesus said on the cross just before he died,
“Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your Mother!” Jesus was thrilled, even in pain to give us his mother and to ask us to watch over her. It seems that Jesus entrusts all of us to His mother, “Woman, behold your sons and daughters!” Jesus asks us to literally, “Take care of Your Mother!”

The Rosary is really like having roses bloom in winter; a miracle birth. Do you remember the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe? On December 9, 1531 Mary, the mother of Jesus the “Christ” appeared to Juan Diego, a recent native convert, on Tepeyac Hill, in what is now Mexico City. She asked that Juan Diego go to his bishop and ask that a church be built there, a “house for her son.” The bishop only believed Juan Diego when he opened his cloak with the beautiful roses he collected in the winter and the image of Our Lady appeared clothed in the Sun and standing on the moon in the most beautiful Christmas lights ever displayed. God, Our Father, loves and adores the Mother of His Son. Not only does God give us the “gift” of Jesus, His Son. God gives us His Beloved Wife; the mother of Jesus.

It seems that Mary and Joseph are still looking for a place for their newborn son. “While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” The Gospel According to Luke 2:6-7

When Jesus was born on the first Christmas Day over 2000 years ago, he was wrapped in basically, scraps and rags. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the House of God for all eternity. When Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you wish.” She said “Yes,” I will make room for God in my body, heart, life and soul.

Sadly, today we don’t even make room for babies that are in the womb. Today, millions of unborn children are slaughtered by abortion. These children are placed in garbage cans, incinerated, or used for scientific research. Over the years, God has used me to help bring healing for women and men who have participated in their children or grandchildren’s death through abortion. Naming of these innocent children and handing them to God and His Mother is a first step to being saved from the horrors of death. (Project Rachael) The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests!”

Because Blessed Mary made room for the birth of the “Christ-Mass,” God made room for her in heaven. Our Lady of Guadalupe was wrapped in the Sun and was held up by the moon. The book of Revelation described her as, “A great sign appeared in the sky; a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth…The child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of.”

On Christmas day, five years ago, I was in the war and desert of Iraq where Salvation History began. I was in between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers near Babel. The weather was dreary and it wasn’t a white Christmas. We didn’t have a church building, but we did have the Eucharist. We carried Jesus in our bodies as we traversed all the dangers. On that Holy Night, we believed that Jesus was wrapped in our poor bodies in the Body and Blood of Christ. We reflected on the stars brightly shining beyond the clouds. It was the night of our dear Savior’s birth. It was the best Christmas ever!

A thrill of hope
A weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees and hear the angel voices
O night divine when Christ was born!

Let us not celebrate just the birth day of Christ, but let us celebrate his entire life in his Kingdom on earth and in Heaven. Come home to the family of God. Live in the radiance of the Holy Family clothed in light and love. Let this Christmas be the best ever.

The Church believes that the Rosary is the Gift of the Sacred Scriptures. Every Mystery, every prayer, every decade contains the Whole Story of God’s love for us. God is Our Father. Mary is Our Mother. Jesus is The Son. We, the Church are the Bride. We are a family. The Rosary is a Family prayer and reflection. The Rosary is an Instrument of God’s Peace. Let us open our minds and hearts to the infinite and compassionate love of God.

Profession of Faith

Our Father!

Hail Mary!
Hail Mary!
Hail Mary!

Glory be to the Father!
Glory be to the Son!
Glory be to the Spirit!

O my Jesus forgive us our sins.
Save us from the fires of Hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven,
Especially those in most need of your Mercy!

MYSTERIES OF JOY

Annunciation

Visitation

Birth of Our Lord

Presentation of Jesus by Mary and Joseph

Finding Jesus in the Temple

MYSTERIES OF LIGHT

Baptism of Jesus

Wedding Feast of Cana

Proclamation of the Kingdom (The Invitation)

The Transfiguration

Eucharist

MYSTERIES OF SORROW

Agony in the Garden

Scourging

Crowning with Thorns

The Way of the Cross

Crucifixion

MYSTERIES OF GLORY

Resurrection

Ascending to Heaven

Holy Spirit is Here!

Assumption

Crowning of the Queen of Peace

My Interview on EWTN “Life on the rock”

Below: Clip from the interview on EWTN”s “Life on the rock”.
Visit my Youtube site, to watch the series of 6 clips.