Digital Marian Helper Spring_2018

One way towalk the walk To help you walk with Jesus this Lent, the Marian Fathers have prepared a booklet of daily Lenten reflections, called Footsteps to Mercy. Here is an excerpt: Consider not only the physical wounds Jesus endured in His Passion, but the psychological and emotional wounds inflicted upon Himwhen He was betrayed. Not only by Judas, but by Peter, too. Perhaps you knowwhat it feels like to be betrayed. Or have you been one who has betrayed another? Place yourself in the scene of the Last Supper in the Upper Room. Which person do you most relate with at this time — Peter, confident in his faithfulness but yet not realizing that in the face of persecution he will renounce the Lord; John, who rests his head on the Lord’s heart; another apostle confused at what Jesus is saying and having many questions in his heart; or Judas, who is willing to hand over the Lord for a sum of money? No matter where you find yourself, even in the place of Judas, the Lord’s mercy is available to you. If you find yourself off the Lord’s path this Lent, this Holy Week, renew your commitment to Jesus. Implore Him for His mercy. Even Judas could have come to Jesus for mercy, as Peter did. No matter how great the sin, nothing is outside God’s mercy. All of us are called to rest on the Lord’s Heart as John did. Draw near to His Sacred Heart this day and listen to it beating with love for you. If you allow yourself to do this, you will have the strength to follow Him even to the Cross, as St. John did. To order Footsteps to Mercy , visi t ShopMercy.org/b37 or call 1-800-462-7426. We will have the first week of the devotional online at marian.org/footsteps s o you won’t fall behind. in her face struck me to the heart. Through the tenderness with which she places her face upon that of her beloved Son and the look in her eyes, you can see that she was in ter- rible, unimaginable pain. But she never let her heart be shut off from others by this suffer- ing. She opened her heart and allowed it to be pierced, just like Jesus, the Divine Bridegroom, had done. His Heart was pierced with a lance, and from it poured forth Blood and Water. As St. Catherine of Siena wrote many times, from His side came fire and Blood — the transform- ing fire of the Holy Spirit and the life-giving Blood of Christ. As the Bride of Christ, the Church, we are all also called to learn how to keep our hearts open in the midst of suf- fering. Yes, as I said, sometimes suffering does feel like a sword piercing our hearts, but we can imitate our Savior. Out of our hearts can flow “blood and water” in repara- tion for our own sins and those of the world. And by that I mean the fire of Divine Love can transform our hearts to love like Him. Out of this suffering we (and others) can be born into eternal life. As Jesus told St. Faustina, “Know, too, that the dark- ness about which you complain I first endured in the Garden of Olives when My Soul was crushed in mortal anguish. I am giving you a share in those sufferings because of My special love for you and in view of the high degree of holiness I am intending for you in heaven. A suffering soul is closest to My Heart” ( Diary , 1 487). Our Lady was the first to accompany Jesus in His sorrowful Passion. She had to let go com- pletely and leave her Son there in the darkness of the tomb. Can you imagine? The only light left was the hope and faith still burning in her Heart — her trust in the Father that everything that was happening was according to His will. It was that light of faith and hope in Mary’s Heart that burned throughout that Sabbath when she could do nothing but wait and pray. In our sufferings, we, too, wait with Mary for the final coming of Jesus when all suffering will cease and the Father will wipe away every tear from our eyes. This Lent, walk with Mary on the Way of the Cross. Enter into the school of Jesus and allow Him to teach you how to suffer. Wait in hope with Our Lady when pain and darkness grips your heart like the darkness of Holy Saturday. Allow Jesus to transform you through suffer- ing, so that you, His bride, will resemble the Bridegroom for all eternity in Heaven. The roots of the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemene are more than 2,000 years old. They were there when Jesus went to the Garden to pray and wept before His Passion. MH