Our Blessed Mother

Details: 29 April 2011

Less than 24 hours before typing these words I received a call from my earthly mother about my earthly father. She, in a concerned voice said, "Something is wrong with your father." Before long and after looking him over, I decided to take him myself to the emergency room rather than call for an ambulance. In addition to labored breathing at rest, he was definitely not himself. After quite a struggle, I managed to get him buckled up and off we went.

During our ride to the hospital I could not get him to respond too much except when I asked, "Do you love our Blessed Mother?" After asking this question, he mustered enough strength to say in an enthusiastic but weakened tone of voice, "Oh Yes!!!"

After receiving sacramental absolution and the anointing of the sick and after some intravenous fluids, he seemed a little more responsive, although not ‘himself.’

He once again perked up after being asked, "Do you want to say the rosary together?" I marveled at the man who had difficulty answering questions like, "Do you know what year it is?" who now was leading the recitation of the Most Holy Rosary. His ‘go to’ mysteries are now the glorious. Witnessing his love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy Rosary and God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is a great consolation to me, not only as his earthly son but also as a priest.

Why is it that so many non-Catholic Christians have a problem with the Mother of God? Certainly, some of it is confusion of what true devotion to the Virgin Mary really is. Without Mary, we would not have Jesus, and without Jesus, we would all be damned.

Certainly, Mary is not the source of divinity, but she is the Mother of God since she is the mother of a person who happens to be God and man. It was the divine person of the Son of God that assumed a human body from Mary. Therefore, Jesus is a divine person with two natures, divine and human. Not only is the Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of God she is also our spiritual mother as well. If she is the mother of the head of the Church, she is also the mother of the members of the Church. We do not adore or worship her, but love and venerate her and her intercessory prayers for us are most powerful.

There are two places in the bible that explicitly state she is our mother. In the Book of Revelation it says, "Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus" (Rev 12:17). In addition, when Jesus told John the apostle, "Behold your mother" (Jn 19:27), He was speaking to all of us in an extended sense.

I would like to thank all of our donors who assist us with their spiritual, material and financial support which is evidence that they understand the above concept. We all are brothers and sisters with a Heavenly Father and a spiritual mother. And it is this familial love that generates love of our many poor brothers and sisters. Please know that you remain in our prayers.