Rosary

Read more about the article Hallowed Be Thy Name

Hallowed Be Thy Name

The name of God is so holy that Moses was given the second commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” and Jesus praised His Father’s Name in the most important prayer He taught us.  Honoring this commandment has profound effects not only on our spiritual life, but also on our mental and emotional well-being.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that when teens and young adults are exposed to the extreme vulgarity that pervades much of our music, movies, tv shows, books, and even speech, that they become angry or depressed themselves.  Many adults have been angry or depressed for so long they don’t remember when that feeling began.  Taking the Lord’s Name in vain is a serious sin that harms the soul.  According to St. Thomas Aquinas, a doctor of the Church, serious sin also dulls the intellect.  According to neuroscientists, repeated actions and exposure to intense emotional states rewire our brains and reinforce those habits.  So when young people listen to angry music and think they feel better because the music expresses their feelings, what is actually happening is they have remapped their brains and anger has now become a more comfortable emotion.

There is a way out of this morass.  Jesus Himself guides the way:  “Hallowed be Thy Name.”  Praising the Name of God not only fulfills our obligation to Him, it brings us to the center of His Divine Heart.  Praising Him elevates our own souls because it actually fills us with His joy.

Anyone who has attended a Charismatic Conference or Mass understands the power of praise music and its ability to touch us profoundly.  For those who are introverts or are struggling with depression or anxiety, Gregorian Chant is profoundly healing.  Neuroscientists have demonstrated that when engaged in Chant, the entire brain lights up on imaging machines.  Meditating on the Rosary in Chant has been shown to remap and heal the brain.

Praising the Holy Name of God brings us innumerable blessings.  We increase in our own humility – the understanding of who God is as Our Creator and who we are as the created. As our souls marvel at His glory, our faith increases and our fears disperse.  We increase in gratitude; we change our focus from ourselves and our list of wants, to Him and the many gifts and mercies He has already bestowed on us. His hope within us increases, which in turn increases our generosity toward others and expands our capacity to give and receive love.

Praise Him and He meets us where we are, as we are.  Whenever we find ourselves still struggling with attaining peace and joy, then we start with a deep examination of conscience, forgive others from our heart, and go to Confession.  We need not have any fear of being rejected because that won’t happen.  When Jesus hung on the cross, He saw every sin that each of us would ever commit.  He saw each one of us at our ugliest moments and He loved us so much even in those moments that He chose to die; He died for me and He died for you.  He delights in forgiving you.  He delights in filling you with His Peace.  The journey to the center of His Divine Heart starts with a single step.  Praise His Holy Name with a sincere heart and He will fill you with His abundant joy.

Here are some Praise Songs you may enjoy:

Your Grace is Enough

10,00 Reasons

Here are some Gregorian Chants you may enjoy:

Salve Regina

Pater Nostra

Ave Maria

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Read more about the article Finding Jesus

Finding Jesus

Many parents have experienced the momentary loss of a child in a public place.  The utter terror turns to complete relief when the child is found.  I can only imagine the anxiety that Mary and Joseph felt when they lost Jesus, not for a few minutes, but for three days.

This experience was a foreshadowing of Jesus’s death and three day entombment before His resurrection.  For St. Joseph it was a deeply mystical experience.  From the time they brought Him to the temple when He was eight days old, Joseph and Mary knew very clearly what the scriptures had foretold of the suffering Jesus would endure to redeem the world.  Both St. Joseph and Blessed Mother carried this sorrow in their hearts.  For St. Joseph, though, he was profoundly grieved that he would not be there to comfort his beloved spouse or his Jesus when the time came.  During this time of sorrow and searching, St. Joseph suffered what Mary would experience at the foot of the cross and the tomb.   He not only offered up his suffering to God, but also comforted Mary in Her sorrow during their search.

When they find Him, He says to His Mother, “How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49) Although Mary did not anticipate this answer, She kept it in Her heart.  Through prayer and meditation over time She came to understand the purpose of Her suffering in this way.  Our Blessed Mother understands what it is like to suffer the loss of Jesus and has compassion for sinners who have lost their way.  Sometimes people move so far from the path of light that they grope in the darkness and end up searching in all the wrong places.  So many of Her confused children turn to worldly things to fill that aching void that only God can fill.  Some pursue power, money, prestige, sex, or drugs all in the attempt to fill that void.  Our Mother of Mercy continually prays for these children, always loving them and never giving up on them.  She never judges, only invites everyone to come to Her Son.  Just as She joyously embraced Our Lord when She found Him in the temple, She joyously embraces us when we choose to follow Jesus.  When we pray the Rosary and meditate on the life of Christ, it is Her hand that we hold.  She offers us Her hand today to guide us through these troubling times.  Don’t let go.  She knows the path to Jesus and will lead us to Him.

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Read more about the article Hail Full of Grace

Hail Full of Grace

Motherhood is not only a gift from God, but also an invitation to participate with Him in the creative act.  God, who created us from dust, invites a mother in a special way to enter into the mystery of creation, to feel the first stirrings of new life, to nurture this unique and unrepeatable person within her womb, and bring this life into the world through her own sacrifice of pain.  It is through pain that women give life, which is an echo of the sacrifice of pain that Jesus endured to give us eternal life.  It is through the cooperation of one very special woman that Jesus came into the world to give us that everlasting life.

When the Angel Gabriel says “hail full of grace” to the Blessed Virgin, he reveals to us the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and also the perfection of Her Divine Son.  What was hidden in the Old Testament suddenly becomes clear.

Adam and Eve prior to their fall from grace converse with God openly in the Garden of Eden.  They are pure and perfect and enjoy communion with Him.  After their fall from grace they are so ashamed of their sin they cannot bear to meet God face to face and try to hide from Him.  They realize too late that God is so holy that they cannot bear direct contact with Him any longer.

When Moses receives the 10 commandments, the stone is reverenced because God Himself has touched it and it symbolizes the sacred covenant between God and their nation. The Israelites build an ark to house this holy covenant. The ark itself is such a holy vessel that any unholy person who touches the ark dies on the spot. 

Just as Adam and Eve were created in a state of grace, so too were Mary and Jesus.  Unlike Adam and Eve who rejected God’s plan through their disobedience, Mary and Jesus embraced God’s plan through their obedience.  (Lk 1:38; Lk 22:42)  Christ became Man to perfectly fulfill what we could not and to establish a new covenant between God and all of humanity. Jesus is the new covenant.  How much more holy is His sacred body than stone?  Does it not follow that God would create a perfect vessel to house His Sacred Body?  Would He not adorn His chosen vessel with every grace and blessing as He prepares Her to be the dwelling place of His most beloved Son? Would not this perfect vessel be free from any defects?  Mary’s perfection is a sign of God the Father’s love for His Son. She magnifies His grace.

 Mary is the ark of the new covenant, carrying Jesus to her cousin Elizabeth who is filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaims, “Blessed are you among women.” “Hail, full of grace” reveals Mary’s perfection as a creature of God and shows us the even greater perfection and glory of God. 

Our Lord desires to share with all of us the gift He gave the Blessed Virgin Mary – the gift of His presence within us.  At Holy Communion we receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus.  He enters into our being just as He entered into Mary’s being.  Do we welcome Him as She did? Are we in a state of grace when we receive Him? Do we take a moment to tell Him how much we love Him?  Do we allow Him to transform us into the saints He desires us to become?

Mary can help us prepare to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.  By praying the Rosary and meditating on the Gospel mysteries contained within it,  She teaches us to love Her Son and draws us closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  This is where She wants all of us to be – in the center of His Sacred Heart.  Praise be Jesus.  Now and forever.

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