Deacons and Mothers

Friends of Faith:

As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them. Acts 6: 1-7

I am constantly amazed at the timeliness of Scripture as today I write to invite you to celebrate with us Andy & Stan’s upcoming ordinations.

Andy will be ordained for service in the Order of the Diaconate on Friday, May 26^th at 7:00 p.m. in St. Raphael Cathedral in Dubuque. While for him this is yet another step (Transitional Deacon) on his path to the vocation of Priesthood (next year on May 26^th, 2018) it is an extremely important step as he will make his promises of obedience and celibacy. He will be assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in Marshalltown for the summer and return to Mundelein Seminary for his final year of formal formation.

Stan will be ordained as a Permanent Deacon on July 15^th (more details to follow). For us this has been a 4 ½ year journey taken together to be culminated with a new, more formal call, for Him to service and obedience to the Church. As he has been reminding me all weekend – “Do you realize we just went to our last formation class?” I don’t think I’ll fully realize that we won’t be sitting in a classroom at Covenant Hospital most Saturday’s until we don’t have to return to class in August.

So what does the call to diaconate have to do with mothers – and why was it so timely?

Yesterday’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles was the first call and ordination to diaconate in the formation of the Church for the very reason of taking care of widows and children – serving mother’s in their role as mother’s.

Many people don’t want to acknowledge this today, but men and women ARE really very different. Not only did God create us different in the human (biological) form, but He also created us for very different social and spiritual roles in the world and the Church. Men were given the role to be protectors and providers; women the role of the womb from which all are formed and then nurtured (biologically and/or spiritually).

And yet neither, male or female, are we, will we, or can we, be truly complete without the other AND without God. Every person has a mother AND a father for this very reason – no child can biologically be born without both. And ALL (men & women) are called to help all others become Holy and to take care of and serve each other.

The servant role is the role the Deacon of the Church has been called to and it’s not a coincidence, but rather by design that it is connected to mothers; both serving with an unselfish desire and dedication to build the Kingdom of God – His children.

God promised that He would take care of our every need – and if we connect the dots, and observe how mothers and deacons serve we are being very well taken care of within the wisdom of His Church.

The similarities and unity of the mother and deacon don’t stop in this one Scriptural passage. Deacons and mothers both have: many years of intense formal training; ongoing, informal, on the job training; jobs never quite completed; duties never fully realized; jobs that are ever-changing, and neither can possibly be thanked or appreciated enough. Most importantly both survive when and because they are guided by prayer!

Heavenly Father: Your creation is most perfect. Thank you for creating Mothers and Deacons to serve each other and for their constant work in serving so that others may come to know holiness. Continue to guide the Church to protect their roles and to form us as willing servants in their reflection. And please bless Andy, Stan and their classmates who will be ordained in the coming weeks. Amen.

You are all invited to attend either or both of the Ordination Masses. Please contact us if you have any questions.

May we all serve each other as unconditionally as our mothers and the deacons serve us.

Blessings,

Charlotte

Every day is Mother's Day

Friends of Faith:

Every day should be lived like a Mothers’ day.

“Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. Jn 15: 9-13

The joy of motherhood comes with the discipline of sacrifice. It comes because a mom is naturally given to care unconditionally. A mom has no expectation of getting something back for their love, yet they would give up everything they have to see their child rewarded by success, peace, comfort or joy. 

It is in giving that we receive because the greatest gift is the joy of seeing someone we have cared for and sacrificed for receive the blessing of an answer to a heartfelt prayer.

‘When the Holy Spirit asks us if we like the idea of love, we respond enthusiastically. But even though the Lord has actually commanded us to love, we balk and make all kinds of excuses and compromises…  A mother’s love is a sacrificing love, an unconditional love, a love that protects their children from danger and death, and that encourages them to grow and become all they can become. Mothers are the living examples of how much God loves us. May their presence in our world help all of us to love others more tenderly and more unselfishly.’ USCCB Meditation by Msgr. Paul Whitmore

Heavenly Father, You gave us Your Son and his mother, Mary, as human examples so that we would know what you meant by unconditional love. Help me to follow their example in my daily routine by living unselfishly, by honoring your commandments, by respecting the lives of the born and unborn, and by never comprising your truths. Thank you for the gifts of everyone who has acted like a mother, or who has ever been a part of my life by serving me in any way. Amen.

Will I find joy by loving unconditionally?

Mothers, Fathers, husbands, wives or children: will I follow the example and act in the Spirit of the greatest mother, Mary, by giving up my own happiness so that others may receive God’s blessings?

May your joy be completed by the sacrifices you make for all those you serve in love this week,

Blessings,

Charlotte

Happy Mother's Day

Women of Faith:

I am humbled and blessed that this writing is my 100th Monday morning reflection. I also think that it is appropriate to use today’s message to honor Jesus’ mother, Mary, the Queen of Heaven. Rev 12: 1-6

Have you ever wondered where we would all be if Mary had not accepted her role as the Mother of Jesus? If she had said no to her vocation as a mother? If she had decided to have a career outside the home or not to have children? Her choice to be the Virgin Mother was the first gift we as the children of God received.

Mary was no ordinary Mom; she was made special by God, for God, to carry His son. She is the temple by which God brought His only son into the world. He created her with absolute perfection, without blemish, full of grace, a virgin vessel which he used to deliver our redeemer. That perfection includes being conceived without sin.

Only Mary and Jesus were created without the blemish of original sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. Mary is the new Eve and Jesus the new Adam. She is the first saint in heaven and is the Queen of heaven.

The prayer we call “The Hail Mary” begins with two greetings Mary received before Jesus was born. The first part of the greeting comes from when Mary was called and accepted her role as the mother of Jesus at the annunciation. There the angel Gabriel announces that Mary will become the Mother of God by greeting her with: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women” Lk 1:28 And the second greeting by Elizabeth at the visitation, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Lk 1:42

And then at the end of Jesus’ own life He gave Mary to us at the crucifixion to be the mother of humanity. He looked down from the cross and said, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. John 19: 26-27

The second part of the Hail Mary asks Mary to intercede with God for us at all times. “Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us Sinners Now and At the Hour of Our Death. Amen.”

This is the same intercessory type prayer that is the common practice we have as Christians asking for the prayer of our sisters and brothers. We have prayer groups, prayer chains, and prayer partners—each of us praying for the other. We ask our family, friends and relatives to pray for us because we believe and have seen the power of prayer—and the more people praying the better.

When I think about who I would ask to pray for me it would first be my own mom. She has the unconditional caring love that always champions my needs. Your own earthly mother is probably your biggest prayer partner friend. Likewise when one of our children has a huge favor to ask us as parents, they will probably come to me first, and ask me to take the favor to their dad.

So it is with prayer thru Jesus’ Mother, Mary. We go to her first, to have her ask our Father for the favors we need of Him, our heavenly Father. She is the most direct connection to God of anyone who has ever lived with the exception of Jesus himself. And she is with God in heaven.

Just as we ask our friends to pray for us, we ask Mary to pray for us, because if anyone can “reach” God’s listening ears she can.

We are told to ask the intercession of those Christians in heaven, who have already had their sanctification completed, for "the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (Jas. 5:16).

The practice of praying thru or using the saint’s intercessory powers is given to us in Rev. 8: 3-4. The saints (of which Mary is the greatest) are shown to be carrying our prayers to heaven as incense rising in Revelations: "[An] angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God."

One of the most public requests Mary made for Jesus’ intercession came at the wedding feast in Cana, when Jesus performed his first public miracle. ‘On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." (And) Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you."’John 2:1-5

The servers went to Mary FIRST to tell her that they were out of wine. She interceded with Jesus, asking for His help, “they have no more wine” and even though his hour had not yet come, she still told the servants “do whatever he tells you.” Jesus honored his mother’s request, miraculously changing the water to wine. We believe that she still works in that way for us today when we take our petitions to her.

Mary helped institute Jesus’ first public miracle and continues to help institute many miracles in our present day. She does NOT perform the miracles, but she is instrumental in asking God for his grace in our lives. This is another of the reasons Mary should be our closest saintly friend.

Likewise the group of prayers which make up the rosary helps us to meditate on Jesus’ life, taking us from the Virgin birth, to His life in public and the miracles He performed, to His final walk up to the cross, His resurrection and His ascension to heaven—all thru Mary’s eyes. As we meditate and pray the rosary, then, we are meditating on the Gospels, not praying to Mary but walking His life with her and seeing Him in prayer thru her.

In Father Corapi’s words, “How did Jesus come to us? Thru Mary. How do we get to Jesus? Thru Mary.” Our words to Mary are purified and sanctified and taken to God—when Mary speaks, God listens.”

Do we have to pray thru Mary? No, we don’t have to, we can still pray directly to God. But why didn’t the servants tell Jesus directly that they were out of wine? It just seems Dads have a special ear for Moms. And if I need my friends to pray for me, I also want Mary’s prayers—“now and at the hour of my death.”

Dearest heavenly Father, I give thanks to you for the role model our blessed mother has been for us and ask you to hear the intercessions she prays for us. Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. (Luke 1:28) Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, (Luke 1:42) Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

May we each live every day as Mary did, always saying yes to Our Father,

Blessings,
Charlotte