Sweet Words, Strong Words

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and the Word was God.”
John 1:1

“In like manner, of course, it was manifestly suitable that, even in the human generation of the Word of God, some spiritual property of the generation of a word should shine out. Now, a word as it proceeds from a speaker – whether conceived within or expressed without – brings no corruption to the speaker; rather, the word marks the plenitude of perfection in the speaker. It was in harmony with this that in His human generation the Word of God should be so conceived and born that the wholeness of His Mother was not impaired. And this, too, is clear: It became the Word of God, by whom all things are established and by whom all things are preserved in His wholeness, to be born so as to preserve His Mother's wholeness in every way. Therefore, suitably this generation was from a virgin.”
St. Thomas Aquinas
Summa Contra Gentiles, IV, ch. 45

“But in like manner the Spirit also helps our weakness. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself pleads for us with unutterable groanings. And he who searches the hearts knows what the Spirit desires, that he pleads for the saints according to God.”
Romans 8:26-27


Novices in the spiritual life often receive spiritually sweet experiences. Later their inner selves can suffer bitterness (Rev. 10). For now let us just consider the wonderful sweetness of the words of the Hail Mary.

God speaks:

Hail – Remember the joy when you greet someone whose mere presence lifts your spirits. Imagine, you are allowed to greet the loving Mother of God! Immediately, without distraction, she attends to
you. She listens to your mind and heart.
Mary – In every human language this name is feminine and beautiful. Ave Maria. “Mary” calls to mind the great blue-green oceans and forests. Mother Mary.

Full – Overflowing with life,
of
Grace – the life of God. How sweet to our sense and thoughts when someone is brimming over with life and goodness.

The Lord – Almighty God, our Creator, our existence, our glory...
is
with thee. – God is with Mary. Mary on earth has entered the Kingdom of Heaven already. When we are with Mary in this sacred prayer we are beginning contemplation, we are in Heaven.

Blessed art thou – Full of grace , again, but in the aspect of the overbrimming benefits God gives as the result of His Life of grace.
among women – not only the new Eve but, just as “man” should be understood generically, the queen of all mankind in Christ.

And blessed – The source of goodness is the sweet baby born with the cooperation of
is the fruit - the heart,mind and body of Mary, flowering under the light of the Holy Spirit in her
of thy womb, - innermost being. The Mother contains her child and yet is contained within Him
Jesus – There is no sweeter or stronger word than “Jesus”.

The Church resonds:

Holy Mary, - She shares the glorious holiness of God as we, too, her children are called to share.

Mother of God, - Isaiah 49:15
- Theotokos
- by Baptism, our mother.

Pray - How good it feels when we ask someone to pray for us who we know is prayerful and whose
prayers are powerful. At Cana Jesus tells his mother that it is not time. She simply turns to the
waiters ( and us) and says "Listen to him".
for us sinners - O happy fault! We come to a merciful mother and our sins make her more eager to
cleanse, discipline and teach us. And not just those whose clothes are dirty by venial
sins but grave sinners are embraced by the Mother of the Shepherd.

Now - At this moment, in these circumstances Mary will aid us.
and at the hour - And, no matter what kind of death we suffer, she stands
of our death. with us by our cross.

Amen.

Memories of the Nativity In Scripture

The Purpose and an Axiom

The purpose of this article is to propose keys found in the gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke supporting the credibility of their birth narratives and, in doing so, illumine a Catholic understanding of those passages.

First, lets us look briefly at St. Luke’s introduction to his gospel (Luke 1:1-4). St. Luke states clearly that he will adhere to the sources of Revelation. His intention is to gather and hand on from both “eyewitnesses” and “ministers of the word”. That is, both the historical memories of the events of salvation and the Church’s reflection on those events in the preaching of the apostolic generation. St. Luke feels obligated to pass on only what he, who we believe is an inspired author, thinks is trustworthy. Because of the early date of the composition of the Synoptic gospels, these traditions were not a novelty but must extend to the first Christians. The reliability of these memories and preached reflections? It is not impossibly difficult for people to gather and remember a correct outline of shared events yet to present and reflect on that history from the diversity of human viewpoints. This is the axiom that underlies all history - to deny it is to lose all history.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke share common material and thus are called the Synoptic gospels. There is an interesting academic puzzle involving these gospels called the Synoptic Problem. The material that Matthew has that is not also in Mark is not found in Luke and, similarly, the material that Luke has that is not in Mark is not in Matthew. This is very evident in their accounts of the infancy of our Lord. In light of our above-stated historical axiom there is no real Synoptic “problem” but simply the diverse views of an important event. When an important event happens we tend to consult several sources to build the most complete account of the event. Perhaps the term “problem” really indicates that some students of the Scripture just have too much time on their hands. The real problem arises when someone claims that there are contradictions, for example, between the differing Birth narratives found in Matthew and Luke that suggest these stories are only based on the spiritual imagination of Christians. To answer this claim let us restate the axiom: Given any set of people, their reports of a shared experience can vary in detail and even accuracy but be correct in at least broad outline. Ask any mentally competent mother and father about the day their child was born. Their memories must be different but will agree on essential facts. Then ask the father to describe his memories to one person and the mother to another. In turn these two individuals must again describe or write accounts of that birth day which will be entirely separate but not uncomplimentary or contradictory.

There is another factor when studying the Bible other than the historical minimum offered above. It is a factor that I wanted to bring up only at the end of this article but which should be mentioned now considering our adolescent age of skepticism: faith.

The Bible can only be understood fully with faith. We believe that the teachings of the Catholic Church are based on Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture and are contained or, at least, not contradicted by either source. Therefore the events of salvation and the preaching about those events contained in Scripture are divinely guaranteed as to the Revelation God wills to make. In other words, there are no errors concerning the divine matters of faith and morals when considered in their full context. Neither Scripture nor Sacred Tradition is guaranteed concerning non-essential (non-essential to the Divine message) facts of astronomy, geography, biology or even history. More on faith and context will follow the discussion below.

Key Verses We Consider in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke

Let us now consider specifics in Matthew and Luke that may be helpful. We focus sharply on a single phrase in a single verse, even a single preposition, in Luke. In Luke 2:24 we find the words “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons”. These are a direct citation from Leviticus 12:8. This citation tells Luke’s readers that Mary is a poor woman since this is what the Law states someone who cannot afford a lamb must offer in stead for her ritual purification. Circumcision of a male child occurred on the eighth day after birth; the mother’s ritual purification on the fortieth day after birth. (Keep this length of time in mind when, in a moment, we turn to Matthew.) Did St. Luke or his sources (more likely since the writer of the gospel establishes he is relying on sources at the start) just presuppose Joseph and Mary were good Jews and would follow the Law after the birth of a son or did they have a historical basis? If St. Luke was writing based on his or someone else’s religious reveries there would be no reason to give the Leviticus quote in the manner it was used, leaving a somewhat awkward “or”. Luke or his source would have made a choice of what Mary sacrificed for the imagined scene. Yet he does not feel free to make an “educated guess” between turtledoves and pigeons for the sake of narrative. In other words, he does not write something that is baseless.

Turn now to key verses in Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus: 2:7 and 2:16. Matthew repeats himself in both verses for emphasis: Herod knew exactly from the Magi when the star of the new king appeared. Based on this knowledge Herod has all boys two years old and under killed. King Herod is shown to be a “furious’ murdering criminal but not as stupid. He calculates. His calculations are based, as Matthew goes out of his way to tell us twice, on the exact time of the star’s appearance. Matthew is clearly indicating an age for Jesus that is after the forty day period covered by the gospel of St. Luke. This is after the birth in a stable annex, circumcision and purification in the Temple. One of the supposed “contradictions” between Matthew and Luke is that the shepherds go to a stable while the Magi visit a house. No, it is our imagined conflated nativity scenes that are too condensed and misleading. A man concerned about his young family responsibilities has obtained decent housing for Mary and Jesus by the time the Magi are reported. There is no foundation in Scripture to think that Herod could know about Jesus in the eight day or even forty day time period of Luke.

Complimentary Traditions

So, to imitate Matthew in our own poor fashion, I repeat that Luke is dealing with forty days while Matthew can reasonably be seen as writing about events at least months later. In any “calculation” there is generous room to reconcile, dare I say, synchronize the peaceful domestic religious tapestry of St. Luke with the dangerous secular circumstances of St. Matthew. The gospel of St. Matthew presents traditions about the birth of Jesus that can be described as derived from the natural fatherly concerns of Joseph. The main concern that fills the mind of a man with a young family? Protect and provide. The Joseph-father memories are shown in protecting Mary’s reputation (Mt. 1:19), protecting both wife and child from a direct threat (2:13), and providing a secure home (2:22).

St. Luke’s gospel gives us the memories and tradition of a joyful young mother. What is first and most important in her memory is not outside forces (Joseph took care of that) but the joy and wonder of domestic occasions: learning she would be a mother, the visit to her cousin Elizabeth, the birth of her cousin’s son, the birth of her son Jesus, the shepherds, the circumcision, her ritual purification and presentation of her first born son, what people remarked about her baby and herself, and, years later, the finding in the temple.

Why so many Joseph and Mary traditions in the Early Church? The gospels of St. Luke and St. John and the Acts of the Apostles firmly attest that Mary was notably present in the newborn Church. Together Luke and John offer Mary as the prototypical Christian. It would be ahistorical to the point of absurdity to think the first followers of Jesus and the entire Church in the first century did not seek the memories of the mother of the Lord or did not find them precious to maintain. As to Joseph, need we remind ourselves of Jesus’ relatives in the primitive Church? Joseph is presented in Matthew as the prototypical Christian elder with inspired leadership to provide for and protect the Church.

Faith

The true key to Scripture is faith. We cannot understand Scripture with the doubting question of Zechariah (Luke 1:18-20) but with the seeking to understand question of Mary (1:34-35). The response to Mary’s trust? Not according to the way of men but the result of a miracle. If, in blind devotion to the empirical side of science, you eliminate the miraculous, you have prejudged the very idea of Revelation and therefore cannot understand the Bible. Sadly, much of modern “biblical criticism” is founded on this premise: Since miracles are discounted, how do we study the Bible as secular literature?

The Church documents (Divino Afflante Spiritu of Pius XII and the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation of the Second Vatican Council) do not endorse suspending faith as a prerequisite to the scientific study of Scripture. {Note: Since the first writing of this article Pope Benedict XVI has spoken in confirmation of this theme: http://www.zenit.org/article-27344?l=english }

The study of Sacred Scripture as well as Sacred Tradition depends on faith in the entirety of Revelation. Ultimately this is faith in Jesus, the Word of God (the gospel of St. John) and the final and complete revelation from God (Hebrews). Now, if you trust someone, you receive their statements and hold them in context. Context is the legitimate place for the scientific part of Scripture study: language, idiom, history, culture, human psychology. We also take into account the limitations and mistakes of ourselves and other students of Scripture.

Since Christ is the Revelation of God, the real context of Scripture is the body of Christ, the Church. All members who can should read and study the Word of God but only those apostolic members whose function it is to shepherd the Church can give authoritative interpretation. The Catholic approach to Scripture should be the via media, the middle way. There are those who take a naïve literalistic approach to each word in the library known as the Bible. (While this article seeks to restore balance away from the overly-critical, the “or” phrase of Luke can also demonstrate that the author did not dictate a transcript of history as spurious non-scriptural writings purport to have.) Others, who dominate today, view the Bible as an interesting example of culture and myth which they as modern critical thinkers can better understand than anyone else. Both of these stances towards Scripture are wrong. We must have a critical sense of history and literature at the disposal of an enlightening faith. Mary at the Annunciation: her question is derived from realistic knowledge, her acceptance on real trust.

But how does this apply to a naturalistic synchronization of the Birth narratives in the gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke? It is intended as a counter-balance to the approach to the Bible that discounts the historicity of events. If one’s starting premise in approaching the Scripture is that only the empirical is reasonable, then this a priori prejudice spreads to even the understanding of ordinary events. In other words, since miracles reported assigned to the birth of Jesus are mere cultural expressions, even the reported outline of historical events is dubious. These Zechariahs, who have made the pre-judgment that miracles are doubtful, would reduce us all to dumbness in response to Scripture.

Once again, consider Mary’s response to the angelic message: “How can this be since I do not know man?”. Mary was “deeply troubled” by the angel’s words. God’s word to us is often difficult to understand. The full discipline of science depends on both the empirical and the logical, not just the empirical. Mary’s question is logical based on the empirical facts of life. But she is not just an empirical object in a merely physical world. She has a hope-producing and therefore an enlivening and enlightening faith. Once she is told that she would be a mother not in the empirical way but through the miracle of the Holy Spirit, she accepts and our salvation is assured. As Jesus often said to those whom he healed – “Go, your faith has saved you”.

The Snake Speaks

The Snake came slithering into N.D.U. seeking only "open hearts, open minds, fair-minded words... common ground". The Snake wanted Adam and Eve to listen.

"No, you shall not die; for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:4-5

John Jenkins, president of N.D.U., said "...President Obama is not someone who stops talking to those who differ with him". So, for the sake of the appearance of good, Jenkins and the graduates of N.D.U. listened to the Snake. When a protester shouted "Stop killing our children!", the crowd responded "Yes we can!"

"Barabbas!"

Obama was right in declaring that there are "irreconcilable differences" between abortionists and those who hold human life as sacred.

"...the Lord God said... I will put enmity betwen you and the woman, between your seed and her seed..." Genesis 3:14-15

We must respond to the idea of compromise with evil with hate. But hate the sin, love the sinner. We must continue an undespairing witness to the sacred origin of human life. We must increase our pleas to our Blessed Mother for help. Our Lady will crush the head of the snake under her heel.

It Would Be Strange

“When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.” Dom Helder Camara (1909 – 1999)

It would be strange if you, especially if you call yourself “Christian”, would have a friend come to your door robbed of his food money and all you did was feed him without any interest in the crime. It would equally be as strange if you were only outraged at the injustice and didn’t bother to feed him.

The problem with taking the late Brazilian bishop Camara’s quote out of context is that it is not the role of the bishop to only to do either or both. The bishop, while caring for the poor and justice, must first preach the Word that prompts effective charity and justice. In other words, if you don’t have a reason, why care about the poor or about justice?

The early Church quickly and wisely dealt with this situation: please see Acts 4:32-35 and Acts 6:1-3. The community shared physical goods but recognized that proclaiming the Word came first.

Bishop Camara, by saying what he said, was doing three things: preaching, feeding the poor and seeking justice. I have experienced firsthand “religious” communities that abandoned preaching the Word of God for a social agenda. They indeed want to both feed the poor and seek social justice – but they forgot that “the poor” are human beings, children of God, who are worthy to have the same Gospel given to them as to “the rich”. We Christians believe in the Body of Christ. We believe that only “in Christ” are we alive and fruitful in charity and justice (Acts 4). The Body has many members – some are called to mainly preach, some to mainly almsgiving and some to mainly seek justice – but all are called to share their faith, their motivation to do so, with both the poor and the rich (Acts 6). Sharing the real flesh of Jesus, the Word of God, is the first and enlivening act of love. It is the cause of our caring about our brothers and sisters.

Without love, we would have no friend at the door.

Stem Cell Big Lie

Please do not fall for the Nazi Big Lie technique. They want you to be fooled into confusing all stem cells with embryonic stem cells. Stem cells are just a type of cell; embryonic stem cells are the result of the frankenstein making of an unborn baby and then killing that baby for body parts. Another basic aspect of this lie is to label human beings and make it easier to forget their humanity. Remember: embryo, fetus, infant, adolescent, adult are all terms referring to a stage of human life.
Please go to the site: WWW.STEMCELLRESEARCH.ORG for a complete education on the subject.

Important News

Jesus loves his mother Mary very much.
Mary wants you to listen to Jesus.
You would be well-advised to do so.
To Jesus through Mary

The Rosary

The Rosary is a beautiful gift. Rejoice in it.

The Rosary is based on the Word of God which comes to us in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. The only way to fully receive the benefits of the Rosary is to be fully rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Magisterium on both. This requires the attitude of Mary displayed in the first Joyful Mystery: based upon your faith in God, you humbly listen and study.

The Rosary is a meditation on the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ with Mary, First among the Faithful and the Mother of God, in the prayers and mysteries recited privately or publicly.

The Rosary as such reflects the Sacrifice of the Divine Liturgy. It prepares us before to be lifted up with Christ in the Divine Liturgy and strengthens us after to follow him.

Can you outgrow the Rosary as part of your spiritual life? Can you outgrow meditating on the Lord’s Prayer? The Gospels? Sacred Tradition? The Divine Liturgy?

Remember this – the events of Jesus’ life are not becoming more remote in time. On the Contrary: each day his life is becoming more and more the center of the human race. All of mankind must answer his question: Who do you say I am?

Throughout our history and world Christ is drawing us up as his Grace triumphs over sin. Every day members of broken or dysfunctional families are being made whole as real members of the Holy Family in Nazareth. The mentally and physically ill are being healed by the touch of Jesus in Israel. We selfish and evil sinners are being redeemed by the love flowing from the Cross outside Jerusalem. We are victorious with Christ over the oblivion of death in our faith in the certainty of the empty tomb and the Final Judgment.

The Joyful Mysteries
We listen to the good news. We receive the Word of God.
We respond with overflowing love to Jesus within us and others.
We give birth to the presence of Jesus.
We dedicate, consecrate our lives to God in the Temple of the Body of Christ.
When we are separated for any reason from Jesus, we remember him and search for him.

The Annunciation

Mary, a beautiful Jewish maiden, opens her heart and mind through the prayers of her people to God.

In her prayer, her conversation with God, she listens intently in silence. She meditates on what the angel of the Lord says. She asks a question to fully understand the word from God. “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to thy word.”

Mary, daughter of Abraham and full of grace, pray for us.
Gabriel, angel of God
Doubted and questioned by Zechariah,
Questioned and understood by Mary, pray for us.

Comment: You did not invent the Our Father and the Hail Mary. These prayers are God speaking first to you. Listen carefully in your heart.


The Visitation

Mary receives good news both about herself and her cousin Elizabeth. She immediately goes to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth and her unborn child immediately rejoice at the sound of her voice.

Blessed art thou among women!

Mary, pray that the love of God may move us.
St. Elizabeth and St John the Baptist, pray for us that we may bring Christ to others and receive Christ in others.

Comment: Mary heard good news. Did she sit around thinking about her self?

The Nativity

Christ is born.

Sacred Scripture and Tradition tells us that this event is not an ordinary childbirth but a miracle. Mary, virgin before childbirth, virgin in childbirth and virgin after childbirth.

Jesus begins his life of conquering love.

Jesus, true God and true man, our Lord and Savior!

Mary, our mother, pray for us.

St. Joseph, our foster father, pray for us.

Comment: When you listen and love, you give birth to the presence of Jesus.

The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple

We are consecrated and consecrate those among whom we live to God in the temple of the Body of Christ, the Church.

Mary, take us in your arms to Mother Church.

St. Joseph, protect our family.
St. Simeon and St. Anna, pray that we may recognize Jesus.

“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and the rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34-35

Comment: We are brought to the Church by others and bring others to the Church.

The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

The routines that support us blind us.
Where is Jesus in our lives? Search for him again; find him. Follow him on the way to the Cross. But now rejoice that you have found the Way.

Mary, pray for us that we may see how Jesus is missing in our lives and search for him.

St. Joseph, go with us and help to find and care for our Lord.

Comment: You forget that Jesus is the Center, not you? Remember him; search for him.

The Sorrowful Mysteries
We pray that we may be united to Jesus so he can sustain us in agony, scourging, humiliation and crucifixion.

The Agony in the Garden

“Sit down here while I go over yonder to pray.”

Mary, pray for me that I may persevere in prayer with Jesus your son.
Mary, pray for me that I may be one with Jesus in his resolution to do the Father’s will.

“Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; yet not as I will, but as thou willest.”

Comment: Pray to stay with our Lord Jesus in prayer and sacrifice. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

The Scourging

Jesus suffered terrible pain in his body so that our pain and suffering would not destroy our souls. “By his stripes we are healed.”

Mary, our mother, pray that we may be strengthened by the sufferings of your son Jesus so that his grace may overcome the scourging of our souls by our sins.

Comment: Offering up our sufferings with Christ really makes us able to go the way of the Cross, the way of love, the way to eternal Life.

The Crowning with Thorns

Do you see yourself one with Jesus, mocked and humiliated?
No, you are the one crowning your neighbor with sarcasm, jokes with your companions, feigned politeness and quick judgments. You are imposing mental suffering on our Lord, spitting in his Face and mocking him.

Mary, pray for us that we may share in Jesus’ humility of mind, purity of heart and obedience of will.

Comment: Before we are worthy to be humble with Jesus Christ, we must stop degrading our neighbors.

The Carrying of the Cross

Jesus said to pick up our cross each day and follow him. Because of how weak sin has made us, putting God first and loving our neighbor is often a heavy burden.

Mary, pray for me that I may not run away from the Cross.

Comment: Only clinging to Jesus do we have the strength to carry our cross.

The Crucifixion

Jesus is tortured to death that we may rise with him to Eternal Life.
Lord Jesus, lift us up with you in your Cross, Resurrection and Ascension.
All our sins, mistakes, our worlds
Are shattered,
The dead rise,
The Kingdom of God
Breaks in.

Mary, pray for us.

Comment: Accept death with Christ on his Cross.

The Glorious Mysteries
We die and rise with Jesus in Baptism.
We listen to his instructions and wait for the Holy Spirit.
We respond to God with all our being and we hope for a crown of glory with Mary, our mother.

The Resurrection

The appearance of the angel was like lightning. The shattering of death and sin began on the Cross and is completed at the tomb Sunday morning.

Mary, please pray that through faith we may share in the Resurrection victories of your Son Jesus.

Comment: We believe in the Good News that Jesus Christ has risen in glory from the dead and is victorious over sin and death.

The Ascension

Christ lifts us up with him in his life, death, resurrection and ascension to the Father. This is all one Sacrifice. Reunited to the Father in His Son Jesus, we will be given the Holy Spirit.

Pray for us, Mary, that we may follow the instructions of your Son and be ready to co-operate with the Holy Spirit.

Comment: We must remain in Jesus through Faith as he ascends to offer the one Sacrifice to the Father. We have trust in Jesus because we both believe and hope in him.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

Wait and pray for the Holy Spirit with Mary, the apostles, all the disciples, the Church.

Mary, pray for us that we may be filled with courageous love.

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the Fire of your love.”

Comments: Trusting in the teachings of Christ and his Body, the Church, prepares us for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Assumption of Mary

Mary with all her being, body and soul, responded always to the Holy Spirit.

[Jesus] told them in reply, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and act upon it.” Luke 8:21

Let us pray that our spiritual life – our judgment and the decisions of our free will – and our physical life are inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Mary, mother of our spiritual life, pray for us.

Comment: Jesus came to us completely through the cooperation of Mary with the Holy Spirit. To Jesus through Mary.

Again, the Rosary

Rooted in Sacred tradition and Scripture, we hold a rosary. It is a … vessel for our prayers… a staff to lean on… a rope to cling to. We pray with others to Jesus and Mary. We go off to a quiet place to talk to Jesus or Mary alone.


God speaks to us in the Rosary. Did you make the mysteries of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection? When we try to meditate or think about these and try to remain in a prayerful attitude, God speaks to us. Did you make the Our Father or the Hail Mary? When you listen to these words as you pray them, you are listening to God.

It is hard for us in our weak state to listen. Just always try. When you talk to God or Jesus or Mary or the angels and saints, they listen. It is not hard for them to listen. It is we who grow sleepy or weak or anxious or fickle.

Imagine Mary our mother when one of her children talks to her. She does not find you boring or unpleasant. She listens to you with all the loving attention of her fiery, wounded Heart. She has all eternity. She is with you now and will not just give you all the time you need, she will happily spend with you all the time you want.

Our Lord Jesus and Mary and the citizens of Heaven are not distracted by the demands of time or desire. They are totally in your presence and do not want to leave you to go somewhere else or do something else. All the time you speak to Jesus will not subtract one moment that he has for all the others he loves.

May the Rosary give you a share in the peace of Heaven. Jesus our Lord and Savior together with his mother and all the angels and saints are with us.