Honoring one of my Best Friends!!!!

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Originally uploaded by Militiaoftheimmaculata

I just got back from one of the most beautiful and special weddings I will ever attend to. For some people that had asked, I wanted to post a prayer that I prayed for Tommy & Marguerite while we were about to eat:

"Heavenly Father, I want to ask a special blessing upon Marguerite and Tommy, and especially upon their senses.

I ask that you bless their eyes and give them the gift of purity to always see the best part of each other especially in those moments of difficulty.

I ask that you bless their ears with generosity, that they may always be willing to hear deeply what the other person has to say.

I ask that you bless their nose with discernment so that when they are cooking, they know that it is time to stop and go to a restaurant.

I ask that you bless their mouth with the gift of encouragement that their words my always build each other up and provide the sign of unity that the world needs.

I ask that you bless their touch with the gift of healing, so that each touch may bring them one step closer to holiness.

Heavenly Father, over all these things clothe them with humility that in the deepest fiber of their being they may know that in putting the other first, they are in fact putting themselves first.

Now I ask that you bless the gifts of Tommy & Marguerite as well as the food we are about to receive: Bless us Oh Lord...."

Mary at the Foot of the Cross: a Model for the Laity

We all share in the priesthood of Christ.  There is the universal priesthood and the ministerial priesthood.  Both share intimately in the Mass but in very different ways.  These are not just in degree but in essence.  How can we understand this in a way that is meaningful for our lives.  The Blessed Mother is the one who unlocks the doors to the mysteries of God.  The Mass, as many of you know, is the re-presentation of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary.  Who else was there?  The Blessed Mother, the beloved disciple, and others...

Yet it was Mary's presence that was most significant because she was the sole representative of humanity that was fully united with Our Lord in that sacrifice.  She was there in his life from beginning to end so much so that when His Sacred Heart was pierced....hers was also mystically pierced.  Both hearts were pierced in this sacrifice of total self-emptying self-dontation and self-giving love that was offered to the Father in atonement for our sins and for our own redemption.  As the husband and wife united, offer themselves for the physical feeding and wellbeing of their children....so too Jesus and Mary offer themselves for the spiritual feeding and salvation of us...their spiritual children.  Outside of the self-emptying love of the Trinity...no where else do we see an image of this sacred and precious love that is found in Calvary...at the foot of the cross.

Each of us can share in these roles...sometimes we are in the place of Jesus...emptying ourselves for someone else....sometimes we are fully receiving the self-emptying love of another or of Christ himself....as Mary did...and sometimes we are the fruit of that blessed and mystical union...and hence we too are 'beloved' as the Beloved Disicple.  We are called by Christ to 'take up our cross'....but whenever we take up the cross....Jesus is on it....and Mary is at its' foot....

Mary's Work in my life

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Originally uploaded by Militiaoftheimmaculata

I want to give a quick testimony to Our Lady's work in my own life. Specifically, she has given me the gift of this Marian Garden that you see at the seminary. I first encountered it when I was on a discernment retreat in 2005 and was walking on the outer edges of the seminary, when I saw this faint white glow up ahead. It was the moonlight shining off of the white statue that you see. I was inspired to make a Marian Garden in the future sometime. I attempted to do so at Holy Trinity Seminary but it didn't work out. The garden was already have complete at St. Mary's but a main piece of the puzzle was missing. I had no money to get the work done. I had the idea approved by the faculty, and then my Father, brother, and I began working on it. As it had turned out, God inspired my Dad to donate some money to a garden at the seminary. Funny isn't it?? We started working on it and little by little, we began adding things to it. We first removed all the old plants. Then we added some new ones, added some mulch, and cleaned it up. Then we added a sprinkler system once we found out how much water it would need. Then the seminary added the black bench you see. Next I was able to get the next door neighbors add a wall to block out the sound of their pool pump system. This was quite a gift from Our Lady. Next I planted some wildflower seeds that we have yet to see if they grow. Finally, my Dad gave this red bridge that you see. It was part of a beautiful garden at his hospital, but the donors didn't like it, and so they put it in storage. My dad liked it, asked why it wasn't being used, and then asked if we could have it for the seminary. Guess what? It fit perfectly and now has added this beautiful element to the garden. I trust in Our Lady's intercession that by the time I am ordained a priest, this garden will be spectacular!!!

Of Mary there is Never Enough!