Beatification of Pope John Paul II from Rocco Palmo on Vimeo.

Pope Benedict Kissing Relic of Blessed JPII

“Man Is the Way of the Church, and Christ Is the Way of Man”

HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
BEATIFICATION OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
ST PETER’S SQUARE
1 MAY 2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Six years ago we gathered in this Square to celebrate the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Our grief at his loss was deep, but even greater was our sense of an immense grace which embraced Rome and the whole world: a grace which was in some way the fruit of my beloved predecessor’s entire life, and especially of his witness in suffering. Even then we perceived the fragrance of his sanctity, and in any number of ways God’s People showed their veneration for him. For this reason, with all due respect for the Church’s canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste. And now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is blessed!

I would like to offer a cordial greeting to all of you who on this happy occasion have come in such great numbers to Rome from all over the world – cardinals, patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches, brother bishops and priests, official delegations, ambassadors and civil authorities, consecrated men and women and lay faithful, and I extend that greeting to all those who join us by radio and television.

Today is the Second Sunday of Easter, which Blessed John Paul II entitled Divine Mercy Sunday. The date was chosen for today’s celebration because, in God’s providence, my predecessor died on the vigil of this feast. Today is also the first day of May, Mary’s month, and the liturgical memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. All these elements serve to enrich our prayer, they help us in our pilgrimage through time and space; but in heaven a very different celebration is taking place among the angels and saints! Even so, God is but one, and one too is Christ the Lord, who like a bridge joins earth to heaven. At this moment we feel closer than ever, sharing as it were in the liturgy of heaven.

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (Jn 20:29). In today’s Gospel Jesus proclaims this beatitude: the beatitude of faith. For us, it is particularly striking because we are gathered to celebrate a beatification, but even more so because today the one proclaimed blessed is a Pope, a Successor of Peter, one who was called to confirm his brethren in the faith. John Paul II is blessed because of his faith, a strong, generous and apostolic faith. We think at once of another beatitude: “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven” (Mt 16:17). What did our heavenly Father reveal to Simon? That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Because of this faith, Simon becomes Peter, the rock on which Jesus can build his Church. The eternal beatitude of John Paul II, which today the Church rejoices to proclaim, is wholly contained in these sayings of Jesus: “Blessed are you, Simon” and “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe!” It is the beatitude of faith, which John Paul II also received as a gift from God the Father for the building up of Christ’s Church.

Our thoughts turn to yet another beatitude, one which appears in the Gospel before all others. It is the beatitude of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer. Mary, who had just conceived Jesus, was told by Saint Elizabeth: “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord” (Lk 1:45). The beatitude of faith has its model in Mary, and all of us rejoice that the beatification of John Paul II takes place on this first day of the month of Mary, beneath the maternal gaze of the one who by her faith sustained the faith of the Apostles and constantly sustains the faith of their successors, especially those called to occupy the Chair of Peter. Mary does not appear in the accounts of Christ’s resurrection, yet hers is, as it were, a continual, hidden presence: she is the Mother to whom Jesus entrusted each of his disciples and the entire community. In particular we can see how Saint John and Saint Luke record the powerful, maternal presence of Mary in the passages preceding those read in today’s Gospel and first reading. In the account of Jesus’ death, Mary appears at the foot of the cross (Jn 19:25), and at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles she is seen in the midst of the disciples gathered in prayer in the Upper Room (Acts 1:14).

Today’s second reading also speaks to us of faith. Saint Peter himself, filled with spiritual enthusiasm, points out to the newly-baptized the reason for their hope and their joy. I like to think how in this passage, at the beginning of his First Letter, Peter does not use language of exhortation; instead, he states a fact. He writes: “you rejoice”, and he adds: “you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet 1:6, 8-9). All these verbs are in the indicative, because a new reality has come about in Christ’s resurrection, a reality to which faith opens the door. “This is the Lord’s doing”, says the Psalm (118:23), and “it is marvelous in our eyes”, the eyes of faith.

Dear brothers and sisters, today our eyes behold, in the full spiritual light of the risen Christ, the beloved and revered figure of John Paul II. Today his name is added to the host of those whom he proclaimed saints and blesseds during the almost twenty-seven years of his pontificate, thereby forcefully emphasizing the universal vocation to the heights of the Christian life, to holiness, taught by the conciliar Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium. All of us, as members of the people of God – bishops, priests, deacons, laity, men and women religious – are making our pilgrim way to the heavenly homeland where the Virgin Mary has preceded us, associated as she was in a unique and perfect way to the mystery of Christ and the Church. Karol Wojtyła took part in the Second Vatican Council, first as an auxiliary Bishop and then as Archbishop of Kraków. He was fully aware that the Council’s decision to devote the last chapter of its Constitution on the Church to Mary meant that the Mother of the Redeemer is held up as an image and model of holiness for every Christian and for the entire Church. This was the theological vision which Blessed John Paul II discovered as a young man and subsequently maintained and deepened throughout his life. A vision which is expressed in the scriptural image of the crucified Christ with Mary, his Mother, at his side. This icon from the Gospel of John (19:25-27) was taken up in the episcopal and later the papal coat-of-arms of Karol Wojtyła: a golden cross with the letter “M” on the lower right and the motto “Totus tuus”, drawn from the well-known words of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort in which Karol Wojtyła found a guiding light for his life: “Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria – I belong entirely to you, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart” (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 266).

In his Testament, the new Blessed wrote: “When, on 16 October 1978, the Conclave of Cardinals chose John Paul II, the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, said to me: ‘The task of the new Pope will be to lead the Church into the Third Millennium’”. And the Pope added: “I would like once again to express my gratitude to the Holy Spirit for the great gift of the Second Vatican Council, to which, together with the whole Church – and especially with the whole episcopate – I feel indebted. I am convinced that it will long be granted to the new generations to draw from the treasures that this Council of the twentieth century has lavished upon us. As a Bishop who took part in the Council from the first to the last day, I desire to entrust this great patrimony to all who are and will be called in the future to put it into practice. For my part, I thank the Eternal Shepherd, who has enabled me to serve this very great cause in the course of all the years of my Pontificate”. And what is this “cause”? It is the same one that John Paul II presented during his first solemn Mass in Saint Peter’s Square in the unforgettable words: “Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors to Christ!” What the newly-elected Pope asked of everyone, he was himself the first to do: society, culture, political and economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back with the strength of a titan – a strength which came to him from God – a tide which appeared irreversible. By his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, this exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak of the Gospel. In a word: he helped us not to fear the truth, because truth is the guarantee of liberty. To put it even more succinctly: he gave us the strength to believe in Christ, because Christ is Redemptor hominis, the Redeemer of man. This was the theme of his first encyclical, and the thread which runs though all the others.

When Karol Wojtyła ascended to the throne of Peter, he brought with him a deep understanding of the difference between Marxism and Christianity, based on their respective visions of man. This was his message: man is the way of the Church, and Christ is the way of man. With this message, which is the great legacy of the Second Vatican Council and of its “helmsman”, the Servant of God Pope Paul VI, John Paul II led the People of God across the threshold of the Third Millennium, which thanks to Christ he was able to call “the threshold of hope”. Throughout the long journey of preparation for the great Jubilee he directed Christianity once again to the future, the future of God, which transcends history while nonetheless directly affecting it. He rightly reclaimed for Christianity that impulse of hope which had in some sense faltered before Marxism and the ideology of progress. He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope, to be lived in history in an “Advent” spirit, in a personal and communitarian existence directed to Christ, the fullness of humanity and the fulfillment of all our longings for justice and peace.

Finally, on a more personal note, I would like to thank God for the gift of having worked for many years with Blessed Pope John Paul II. I had known him earlier and had esteemed him, but for twenty-three years, beginning in 1982 after he called me to Rome to be Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I was at his side and came to revere him all the more. My own service was sustained by his spiritual depth and by the richness of his insights. His example of prayer continually impressed and edified me: he remained deeply united to God even amid the many demands of his ministry. Then too, there was his witness in suffering: the Lord gradually stripped him of everything, yet he remained ever a “rock”, as Christ desired. His profound humility, grounded in close union with Christ, enabled him to continue to lead the Church and to give to the world a message which became all the more eloquent as his physical strength declined. In this way he lived out in an extraordinary way the vocation of every priest and bishop to become completely one with Jesus, whom he daily receives and offers in the Eucharist.

Blessed are you, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you believed! Continue, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. Amen.

PHOTOS: Reuters; Getty

And the irony is that for those that take their faith seriously and that of their surrounding network they have a desire to live out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), but they have no immediate network to actively do so outside of ”cold calling.”  To be a Great Commission people, we need to expand our network of friends and associates beyond our Christian ones.  To do so demands an intentional effort on our part to make friends beyond our inner circle.  How do we do this?  We do this by getting involved in activities (not sinful) that enable us to meet new people and expand our sphere of influence.  In secular terms this is called “networking.”  For the Christian, proper networking could have eternal significance. 

One of the best books I have ever read on networking is called Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi.  In this pivotal work on networking, Ferrazzi believes in building relationships.  Networking for Ferrazzi is more than just exchanging business cards and making as many contacts as possible (quantity).  It is about helping make the other person successful and focuses on the “quality” of the relationship.  If he is at a party or event, he doesn’t go around trying to meet as many people as possible, but finds it better to focuss on a few he can get to know well.  His book discusses sending out a newsletter regularly to contacts related to books you’ve read, contacting people on significant occasions, the importance of staying connected through calling and texting regularly, and the use of social media,  how to make use of small talk and listening, and the importance of following up. 

One chapter that particularly struck me is the dinner parties he would host regularly and how he would try to “never eat alone.”  The dinner become focused less on the food and more on the people present.  He would invite some people he would already know and others he would not.  The dinners became opportunities to network (build relationships) for everyone involved.  Doesn’t this sound like exactly what Jesus did in his ministry?  

My wife and I tried this recently. We got involved in our neighborhood yard sale, inviting friends to bring over their “junk” and we and they were to invite other neighbors we did not know.  After the yard sale, we hosted a dinner to get to know people even better.  I am convinced that Ferrazzi’s thoughts on networking could be easily used for Christians to be better evangelizers in a way that is more than just sharing of words, but sharing of self (1 Thessalonians 2:8).  Good evangelizers are good networkers!  We are relational evangelizers! 

So, let’s go out and bring Christ to the nations.  To do so, let us look around at work, in our neighborhoods, at the gym and find opportunities to meet new people, form friendships, and share the most important people in our lives–one of them being Jesus.  To love our neighbor, we must first find neighbor.  This requires going to where neighbor is.  This is not just the first steps towards love of neighbor, but like Christ leaving the ninety-nine sheep to find the one (Matthew 18:12-14), it is, in and of itself, love.

The two measurable areas that I think one could use to gauge a successful parish are the  number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life and the size of ones Rite of Christian Initiation Program (R.C.I.A.). 

In my view, the number of vocations is a result of solid catechesis over an extended period of time.  Catechesis of youth, young adults, and adults.  For their to be significant vocations to the priesthood and religious life coming out of a parish there has to be good catechesis from baptism preparation of parents, to marriage ministry, to CCD/PSR, to marriage enrichment, to reverential liturgies, to faithful schools, to engaging homilies.  Vocations requires catechesis at all levels.  A parish with good catechesis as exampled by an increase of vocations from their parish, will most likely have more revenue through offertory, a number of baptisms, a sustained and ever increasing mass attendance to name but a few of the other fruits. 

R.C.I.A. numbers come from good catechesis, but more importantly, from solid outreach and evangelization.  R.C.I.A. is a process of education leading to the reception of the sacraments of initation (baptism, confirmation, eucharist) at the Easter Vigil.  If the parish (all the members of the parish) is truly sharing their faith, those eager to be Catholic will come.  Relying on the Holy Spirit, a parish that evangelizes is a parish that has larger programs dedicated to initiating new members.  Now I realize, that some people plant seeds, others may water these seeds, and still others may see the fruit.  So, in my view, for RCIA numbers to be higher in one parish over another there needs to be extended outreach over a period of time sometimes spanning over many pastors.

Catechesis and evangelization are two essential functions of parish ministry.  Vocations and R.C.I.A. are the fruits of these ministries and as such can be looked at to evaulate and gauge the success of ones parish.

In this post, I thought it might be helpful to examine the word “evangelization” and what exactly it means.  Evangelization in its original Greek means to bring or announce good news, to preach or proclaim as glad tidings.  In its nonbiblical, Graeco-Roman usage it described the public proclamation of significant events such as an announcement of the Emperor Augustus’ birthday, “the birthday of the god [=emperor] was for the world the beginning of joyful tidings (evangelia) which have been proclaimed on his account.” ¹  Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger [now Pope Benedict XVI] explores this meaning of “gospel” showing how it relates to the kingdom that Jesus ushers in:

Alongside [an] Old Testament root is a non-Jewish one, a sort of political theology typical of the great kingdoms of the Orient, of the Hellenistic kingdoms and finally of the Roman Imperium.  In this context, ‘gospel’ means the news of a new ruler’s accession to the throne.  His actions are ‘glad tidings’.  He ushers in–this is the constant refrain of the proclamation–a new and better time; he gives peace, justice and well-being; his existence and action are ‘gospel’, a renewal of the world and of history.  In short, the term is an assertion that utopia has been realized, and in this sense it is reminiscent of this century’s utopian gospels of salvation, with their announcement of a new man and a new society.  The gospel of Jesus Christ radically transforms this political theology.  The new ‘kingdom’ comes, not from this or that ruler, this or that ideology, but only from God himself. ²

In the Bible the term appears in the context of a joyful or important message delivered by a designated messenger, for example Isaiah 61:1-2, “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prinsoners, to announce a year of favor for the Lord….”  This is the verse Jesus read in the synagogue in Luke 4:18-19 referring to Himself.  Continuing, Luke 4:43 says, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God because for this purpose I have been sent.”  Matthew in his Gospel used the term only once, “…and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”  When the angels of the Lord appeared to the Shepherds in the fields, the Shepherds were filled with fear, and the angel said, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  For today…a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.”

The noun form of the word in the Latin Vulgate is evangelion which is translated as “gospel.”  This noun form appears in the Gospel of Mark (see 1:1, 1:14, 15; 8:35; 10:29; 13:10; 14:9) and most especially in Paul (see 1 Thess 1:2-9;  1 Cor 15:1-11;  1 Cor 1:17-25; Rom 1:1,9, 16-17; 10:14-21; 15:14-21).  The noun form describes the content of the messge.  It is a retelling of the Christ-event: that is the meaning of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  The four Gospels are so named because they are proclamations or announcements of the Christ-event.  But Paul uses both the verb form (proclamation) and the noun form (content): “Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel.” (1 Cor 1:17)

In the documents of the Second Vatican Council evangelization had this dual meaing: proclamation of the gospel and its content.  Evangelization can be defined simply as proclaiming the Christ-event.  It is an announced message or, put another way, the proclaimed gospel.

1. John R. Donahue, S.J. and Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., The Gospel of Mark of Sacra Pagina, vol. 2 (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 2002), 14.
2. Joseph Cardinal Ratizinger, “Evangelization, Catechesis and Catechism,” Gospel, Catechesis, Catechism: Sidelights on the Catholicism of the Catholic Church, (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1997), 39.

I wanted to emphasis our need to “share” our faith because I do believe that for many within the Catholic Church, this is a foreign concept.  We have come to view evangelization as simply doing good and being good.  The sense that we need to articulate and express our faith is a stretch for many within the Church.  There are many reasons for this due to confusions regarding questions of salvation, Rahner’s “anonymous Christian,” grace versus nature, the necessity of the Church for salvation, and what about those people who never hear or come to know Jesus.  These questions are just a sampling of some of the underpinnings that need to be explained for the Catholic faithful to again capture the evangelization fervor of Pentecost. 

And in my view, I want to help move the body of Christ to understand that our universal call to holiness also includes a universal call to mission.  I believe that we are doing a good job within our parishes to get people to understand their need for and their call to holiness (although we could still do a better job with discussions related to sin and confession), but I think that their is no real sense of people’s call to mission outside of service. 

But, before these theological questions and misunderstandings get addressed, I would again like to focus on what evangelization is and (after reviewing the comments of my last post) to discuss a foundational element of evangelization — ecumenism.

I like to use the title “ecumenical evangelization” because I believe that unity is a means to evangelize the world.  We normally think of ecumenism as separate and in some circles antithetical to evangelization.  In truth, ecumenism is a necessary means to evangelize the world!  Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Redempotoris Missio says,”The missionary thrust therefore belongs to the very nature of the Christian life, and is also the inspiration behind ecumenism: ’that they may all be one…so that the world may believe that you have sent me.’ (Jn. 17:21)”  Ecumenism is necessary to build unity, and unity is important as a witness to the world.  A wounded unity is an obstacle to evangelization.  The Church’s Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio (Restoration of Unity), says that the visible division of Christian communion, “openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature.”  

For the Church, ecumenism is a dialogue with those communities of the baptized who profess a belief in the Triune God such as the Eastern Orthodox and those Christian ecclesial communities who have their roots in the Protestant Reformation.  The Second Vatican Council acknowledges that it has a communion, albeit imperfect, with these communities.  It also believes that the Catholic Church has the primary responsibility to reach out to these communities.  To dialogue with these communities the Catholic Church humbles herself through repentance and by accepting some responsibility for the division of the Church.  In doing so, it invites a true dialogue to take place.

The foundation for this unity is found in the Trinity.  The triune God is both the one and the many.  God the Father is both unified in substance and different in relation with the Son.  The Father gives Himself totally to the Son, and the Son gives Himself in return to the Father.  Within this relationship we see the basis for ecumenical evangelization, that is, self-giving love for the other.  In addition, the Son was sent to divinize humanity.  Taking on human form, the Son is able to unite all of humanity to himself.  This unity of humanity and divinity is manifested after his ascension into heaven.  The Church, the body of Christ, is united to the Head, and continues Christ’s mission in this world of unitinig humanity to himself.

Looking towards this Tri-Personal God, we understand that unity is important for our evanglization of the world.  How then do we achieve unity?  How is ecumenism to be practiced?  Well, while there are definitely official channels of dialogue and discussion among Church officials on theological questions, and these discussions seem to be bearing some fruit in some circles, it struck me recently that the challenge is also there for us, the lay faithful, to practice ecumenism and cannot be merely relugated to priests, bishops, and popes.  We too need to work to encourage unity, to dialogue with people outside our walls on issues of disagreement, and to find common areas of agreement that we can work on together (i.e. life issues).  We cannot and should not seek out some sort of false unity.  While both Catholic and Protestant beliefs share in this spiritual mission and are unified in an evangelizing purpose, this unity is perfected in its visible expression to the world. We must work for a visible, unified, Church that holds firm in its beliefs, but perhaps whose expressions may differ.  We cannot forsake or wash over our differences, but should mutually seek out truth.  And, we cannot seek only truth and remove any sense of charity.  Love and truth (Caritas et Veritas) are essential for ecumenism to work, they are essential in building unity, and as such are crucial in our efforts to evangelize the world. 

For every posting on this blog, we try to incorporate a picture with it that expresses the concept in visual form.  For ecumenism, I am not sure what that picture looks like.  It is for us to figure out and to do so together, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, but in doing so we need to make it a discussion of truth in love.  We must hold both together for ecumenism to bear fruit and ultimately to bring the world to Christ.

Orthodoxy is necessary for evangelization to occur. Without it, one hasn’t anything to share, but their own conjecture and opinion. Without orthodoxy, there is nothing to share, and no need to share it. For evangelization to have meaning there is a necessary precursor of catholicity (right thinking-truth, fullness of faith and universal mission). Evangelization is about conversion of hearts, leading others to Christ through word and proclamation, into his visible body, the Church.

The idea that one would share their faith so that others might convert is odd to many even among Catholics.  Too often I hear that one just needs to be a good person and when people notice, they will inquire as to the reason.  The quote by St. Francis of Assisi, ”Preach the gospel and, if necessary, use words,” has become a mantra to not use words at all.  Can you imagine if the Apostles followed this principle?  While our personal witness and holiness of life is important and necessary, so is being able and willing to articulate and share the faith we hold so dear.  It is not an either/or, but a both/and.  After the Second Vatican Council we have had an emphasis on our univeral call to holiness.  What has not, in my opinion, been equally emphasized (outside of social action), is our universal call to mission.  These two principles: holiness of life and sharing this with others must go hand in hand.  We have two goals in life– to become holy and to lead others to holiness!  

And, we need to ask ourselves how are we going to become holy?  It is only through a total gift of self.  It is through giving, that we gain.  So too with our faith.  If we want to gain in faith, we need to give it away.  If we want to gain in holiness, we (in a sense) need to give it away.  Holiness is not possible without mission.

1. Ad Gentes 2

In my journey to the Catholic Church, I did much research and read books and listened to tapes–all because of one person–Biff Rocha.  While, my journey did not actually begin with Biff, he was there at a time when the questions came to a head and having been there himself was able to direct, guide, and point me to the resources and things I needed. 

I say this one to thank Biff, of whose testimony was posted recently, but more imporantly for the reader to realize that you can make a difference in the lives of others.  God can and will work through you to plant seeds or to water.  Biff is an example of that in my life! We are called to be faithful.  We need to remember that for people to come to know Christ, to come to know the Eucharist, to come to know the Church, it first starts with us…the person sent.  And as children of God through baptism and empowered by the Spirt at our Confirmation we are sent to go out into our world and bring them the good news.  I shutter to think where my life would be if, after Biff recommitted himself to the Catholic Church of his youth, he decided to keep quiet about his faith.  We too must not keep quiet, but proclaim, and proclaim boldly. 

After becoming Catholic in Easter of 1999, I have had many opportunities to share with others my journey across the Tiber.  I never get tired of telling people of the discoveries I made through God’s grace and care.  In telling people of my conversion, I like to emphasis two points: 1) It is by God’s grace 2) it is not a rejection of my Methodism as a child or my evangelical, nondenominationalism in college, but rather its fulfillment.  In speaking of my conversion I have been blessed to be able to share it with audiences in print, radio, and television.  I humbly share with you some of these resources as a testimony of what God has done and is doing in my life.  I am grateful to Marcus Grodi and the Coming Home Network for the opportunity to do so. 

The Coming Home Network International publishes a newsletter.  My testimony was featured in 2005.  Click here to read it. 

This story was published in this wonderful book about converts called Journeys Home put out by the Coming Home Network and edited by Mr. Marcus Grodi.  If you do not have this resource I would encourage you to get it!  It is worth the read, and not just because I am in it!  Click on the book for more information. 

I was also blessed to appear with Marcus Grodi on his show Journeys Home on EWTN.  To listen, click here.

To many around the world she is known as Mary–the mother of God, the mother of Jesus. She was the girl who God loves, freeing her from the stain of sin. She is the girl whose “yes” changed the face of the world. She said “yes” when others would have asked questions, or rationalized. She said “yes” almost without thinking, for this was who she was created to be. She was the second Eve. She produced the fruit of a new tree, the tree of eternal life. And so with her “yes” God came into the world and she was trusted to guide Him, protect Him, and love Him. Mary’s life wasn’t without suffering and hardship though. She saw the nails pierce, she saw him hang upon the cross, and she saw Him die. This was who He was. This is what He was created for. And yet, we do not hear of her complaining or questioning. Tradition tells of a look between a mother and a son as Jesus carried His cross towards Calvary. A look and only a look–words were not expressed; everything was said. Who was consoling whom? Who was giving whom strength? They were there together, mother and Son, each having said “yes.” Mary was there at the beginning of Jesus’ life and now she would be there for the end. In a way, Mary walked to her Calvary. She suffered with her Son, she yearned to take His pain, and her heart ached as if pierced by a spear. When he died that day, so also did she. All of Christianity can be summed up as a love story between a mother and a son.

As a convert to Catholicism, I knew all of these things. It should seem obvious that for many converts it isn’t easy to handle the teachings and devotions to Mary by the Church. But I came to understand and believe in both. And yet, I was reluctant to approach her in conversation. There was still an emotional block I had to overcome. Intellectually I knew the teachings of the Church, but experientially I had yet to meet her in any personal way. I knew who Mary was, but I didn’t know who she is. I knew that nailed on the cross Christ gave Mary to John and gave John to Mary by saying, “Dear women, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” (John 19: 26-27) I knew what was written, but I didn’t understand what that had to do with me. I didn’t realize that with these words Mary became my mother. Jesus in those simple words was giving and entrusting His mother to each of us. It was as if He were saying, “All of these here before me and those to come are your children, mom. While today you lose a son, you gain a family. Be with them and love them. And to all those whom follow Me, all those who have given up everything, you have a new family and a new identify. You are redeemed, you are forgiven, you are reborn, and you have a new mother who loves you.  Love her.” A land that was motherless now had the perfect one.

In short, we must go past mere knowledge and application of who Mary was and discover who she can be and wants to be in our lives. We must explore who she is. Mary is our mother. She is the mother of each of us. I wonder when she said, “yes” if she could see my face? I wonder if she had me in mind? As she was giving birth to me spirtiually did she talk to me in the womb, did she sing songs to me, and did she come up with names? Did she get my room ready, tell all her friends, and prepare for my future? Did she watch me grow? Did she watch as I explored the new world before me? Did she teach and show me new and exciting things? Did she teach me how to crawl and was she there to move harmful objects out of my reach? Did she clap when I took my first steps and smile when I later learned to run? Did she turn a night light on when I was scared of the dark and sing me back to sleep? Did a tear roll down her face when I said my first word, “Mommy”? Many will tell me how foolish I am to think of such things, for they say that Mary couldn’t possibly have had me in mind some 2000 years ago. And I am sure they are correct, but I do know that she had me in mind yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. Although she lived 2000 years ago, I surely did not. She was there as our mother from the beginning of each of our lives here on earth, she is with us now, and she will be there at the end holding each of our hands and again pointing us towards her firstborn, our brother, Jesus.

So how does Mary become our mother? That is for each of us to decide, but I would suggest in a world where sin prevails it is important that we cry out to Mary for we need our mom. When a toddler falls down and scrapes their knee, it is the mother who gently picks them up, takes them into the house, wipes away their tears, kisses the wound and starts the healing. It is the mother who says, “It will be okay. I’m here and your mommy loves you.” It is her warm embrace and smile that takes the pain away. Her loves heals us. Mary, our mother is no different. She picks us up when we fall, takes us into her Heavely House, wipes away our tears, kisses our wounds and starts us towards healing in Christ Jesus through the Sacraments. It is her warm embrace and loving smile that takes our pain away. When we grieve, her heart breaks.  When we cry, so does she. But more than that, she puts her hand out for us to take. She puts her hand out to walk us to safety, joy and happiness. Our mother wants nothing, but the best for her children.

Often in battle as a soldier is dying he cries out, “Mom, help me!” As we die to self we too need to cry out, “Mom, help me.” Mary walks with us to our Calvary and dies and rises with us. And unlike the yell of a soldier trying to shout across the oceans and seas to a world far away, we cry out with a whisper and she responds, “Here I am, and help is on its way.”

Many in our world are anxious and afraid. Many are looking for answers, hope, and faith. People are confused and crying out, “Why God? Where are you? Don’t you love us?” The world and our country need a mother’s protection, a mother’s guidance and a mother’s love. We need to simply turn to Mary for comfort, hope and charity. As she points us to her Son, we will find our way in an uncertain world, we will find the answers to our questions and we will find the courage to go on. Let us take time to foster and build a relationship with her, the mother of God, the mother of us all, the mother of you, which goes beyond mere academics to a sincere dialogue, a true relationship. As we struggle with sin in our lives and the sin all around us may our prayers express, “Mom, help me.” And with a mother’s love–she will. On that day when our mother embraces us and we her, it truly will be the happiest of mother’s days.