During the time of Jesus, it was the custom for faithful Jews to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover. Nazareth, the home of the Holy Family, was approximately 60 miles away but the hilly topography added another 26 miles to the trip. Pilgrimages consisted of two groups – one comprised of men and the other of women. Children could travel with either. That is why it was not until evening that Mary and Joseph discovered Jesus was missing.
For Reflection: Read Luke 2: 43-52. Imagine the panic Mary and Joseph must have felt when they discovered Jesus was missing and how it mounted as they searched for Him for three days. How does Mary’s interaction with Jesus at verse 48 show her concern? What word does she use to describe it? C. S. Lewis says that “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has accepted, in spite of your changing moods.” How does this quote apply to Our Lady at this moment? How does she demonstrate faith in spite of lack of understanding?
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Woman of Grace: St. Josephine Bakhita (1869 – 1947)It is natural to express thanksgiving for being released from difficult trials and circumstances. But who would be grateful for those who cause such difficult trials or circumstances? This is the stuff of saints — the very stuff of which Saint Josephine Bakhita was made.
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Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDSPressure from the U.S. bishops and millions of concerned Americans about a health care mandate that infringes on religious freedom has Obama's re-election team calling for a cmopromise that many believe is just a political ploy to regain favor with Catholic voters.
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In a ruling that surprised no one, a three-judge panel of the liberal 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a lower court judge correctly decided that California's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional and allowed his decision to stand.
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In response to a misleading White House blog in which the administration tried to defend its widely criticized mandate for contraception and sterilization coverage in private health plans, the U.S. bishops have published a point-by-point rebuttal which reveals the amount of subterfuge the Administration is using in order to quell the rising public outcry against this mandate.
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“Living faith is the firm conviction that God exists, the acceptance – as truth – of all that has been revealed by God, and a loving readiness to be led by the divine will.”
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
For Reflection:
Mary and Joseph had “living faith” according to this definition – even being led to Egypt at the direction of an angel in a dream. On a scale of 1 to 10, one being “no faith at all” and 10 being “living faith” per the above quote, where are you? Where do you want to be? What can you do today to move yourself one step forward?
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I am no longer my own. Whether I live or whether I die, I belong to my Savior. I have nothing of my own. God is my all, and my whole being is His.”
St. Catherine of Genoa
For Reflection: How do the saint’s sentiments of heart echo Our Lady’s? How does Mary exhibit this in the second dolor? In the first? To what extent can you make the same statement about yourself?
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Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
The state of Maryland is once again debating the issue of same-sex marriage and could become the seventh state to legalize the unions, which is why participation in a new poll, regardless of where you live, is so critical!
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February is heart health month, a good reason to stop and take notice of the fact that heart disease is striking young and younger women these days, and a large percentage of those who show up in emergency rooms have no idea they just had a heart attack.
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Former Teen Mom star Amber Portwood, 21, was sentenced to five years in prison yesterday for possession of a controlled substance and a parole violation.
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