November 23, 2010
St. Clement I, St. Columban, Bl. Miguel Agustin ProDear Family of Mary!"Dear Children! Listen, because I wish to speak to you and to invite you to have more faith and trust in God, who loves you immeasurably. Little children, you do not know how to live in the grace of God, that is why I call you all anew, to carry the word of God in your heart and thoughts. Little children, place the Sacred Scripture in a visible place in your family, and read and live it. Teach your children, because if you are not an example to them, children depart into godlessness. Reflect and pray and then God will be born in your heart and your heart will be joyous. Thank you for having responded to my call." (August 25, 1996) I drew this message from my message box yesterday during the Rosary, and as I read it, I realized how very much Our Lady is like a mother. Every mother has had to say "listen" to her children. Children have short attention spans. They can get all wound up about something, and forget what they have been told to do. Sometimes you have to call them to attention and refocus them on the job at hand. And the same can be said about us! We are really like children. We lose our focus, forget what is important, go chasing after "rabbits" and lose our way. Our Lady has to call us back to the task at hand. And so she says, "Listen!" As we settle down and open our ears to Our Lady, what is she saying to us in this message? She is calling us to deeper faith and love for God. And the way to receive that deeper faith? It is through the study of the Sacred Scriptures. The Word of God is made present to us in the Bible. Jesus reveals Himself to us through the words of Scripture. Those words show us the way to live, the way to think, the way to act and speak and pray and desire. Those words teach us how to become fully human, fully holy, and fully alive! And so Our Lady calls us to make the Bible an integral part of our daily life. We must read it. We must reverence it. And we must share it with our loved ones. Scripture is a well from which the Holy Spirit can spring up, filling us with understanding, inspiration, and hope. We need a big drink of that spring water every day, so that we can grow in faith. Our Lady tells us to teach our children, so that they don't lose their way. St. Paul spoke to Timothy in similar terms: "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3: 14-17) The sacred writings, Scripture, are essential for our lives. Mother Mary says to "Listen"! Let's listen to the words of Scripture and have life to the full! In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan |
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