Dear Friends,
What does it mean to be a friend of the Lord Jesus? Our Lord gives us a lovely insight in Luke 22:28. At the Last Supper, at the edge of his Passion, Jesus reminds his apostles: “You are those who have continued with me in my trials.”
We frequently want novelty. We often implicitly expect the spectacular. But the quiet, daily faithfulness of continuing with the Lord in his trials is of far greater consequence.
The month of May is especially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary—and her life was a life of quiet faithfulness. Even the spectacular moments were only spectacular in retrospect: saying “yes” to God’s call at the Annunciation, visiting her pregnant cousin, giving birth in a cave in Bethlehem, bringing someone else’s need to Jesus at Cana, standing at the foot of Cross.
Mary, in other words, is not great because of titanic triumphs or fabulous feats; Mary is great because she remained with Jesus in his trials. And the same holds true for us. Through our quiet faithfulness we, like Mary, remain with the Lord in his trials. And through us, whether we know it or not, God’s loving salvation silently enters the world.
God bless,
Fr. John Pietropaoli
