| January 7, 2011
St. Raymond of Penafort Dear Family of Mary! "Dear children; Today I call you to unity (communion) in Jesus, my Son. My motherly heart prays that you may comprehend that you are God's family. Through the spiritual freedom of will, which the Heavenly Father has given you, you are called to become cognizant (to come to the knowledge) of the truth, the good or the evil. May prayer and fasting open your hearts and help you to discover the Heavenly Father through my Son. In discovering the Father, your life will be directed to carrying out of God's will and the realization of God's family, in the way that my Son desires (wishes). I will not leave you alone on this path. Thank you." (January 2, 2011) "In discovering the Father, your life will be directed to carrying out of God's will and the realization of God's family, in the way that my Son desires (wishes)." On Wednesday we celebrated St. John Neumann, Bishop of Philadelphia. St. John worked tirelessly to build up the church in the United States in the 1800's. In our list of saints, there is a quote from him which I think helps explain this sentence from Our Lady's message: "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 creates every soul for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. We are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also." (St. John Neumann) We all are meant and we all are called by God. He is all-knowing, and has planned everything so well. He knows just how to fit us into the plan for the salvation of the world, if we will let Him. We each play a part in that plan, no matter how small. And without us, it will be different!
I think of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, Lord of the Ring. If you know the story this will make sense. We see Frodo struggle throughout the book to carry the Ring to Mount Doom, to destroy it. We also see Gandalf investigating and discerning the Ring, in order to make the right decision on what to do with it. We see Aragorn leading the fellowship, commanding the forces that gather at the end to confront Sauron. We see Sam, not called to carry the Ring or do anything important, but instead to serve Frodo, to help him in his quest. (Sam ends up the most important person in the quest, as he is the one who protects Frodo, feeds and supports him, and finally carries him up the mountain. Without Sam, the quest would have failed.) There are the two hobbits, Merry and Pippin, who end up being decoys unwittingly. They distract Sauron from the real threat, Frodo, so that Frodo can enter Mordor undetected. Even Gollum, the miserable creature whose will is completely bound to the Ring, ends up serving the good. In his overpowering desire for the Ring, he bites Frodo's finger, takes the Ring, and falls into the abyss, destroying the Ring and its evil forever. He ends up serving the good, even in his brokenness. The list goes on and on. Each person on the side of good plays an indispensable part in saving Middle Earth. But each part, of itself, might seem unremarkable, even nonsensical. Only Tolkien's unmentioned God could see the way all the parts intertwined to create the victory. Those on the side of good carried out God's plan, each in their own way, in their own capacity. Each one supported the work of God, to save Middle Earth. It is the same with us. We each have a part to play in the story of salvation. St. John Neumann understood this. Each person has a mission, known only to God. And each of us can build up the family of God by carrying out our mission. Our mission starts and is understood first of all by how God has made each of us and what gifts and circumstances He has given us. We don't have to look far for His will. It is found in our hearts, in our families, our schools, our work, our parishes, in the people we are given to love and serve. This is where we start, when we are discerning God's will for us. No matter how miniscule it may seem, if we embrace our life and try to love everyone in our life, we will be well on our way to discovering the Father and His family! As God's creatures and His children, we have a noble destiny! In Jesus and Mary! Cathy Nolan
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