Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

John 19:25-27

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

Opening Prayer: Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Word of God, open my heart and become living and effective in me (cf. Heb 4:12) while I ponder your words in this passage.

Encountering Christ:

1. The Sword Reveals: When Jesus was an infant, Simeon told Mary that her heart would one day be pierced “so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Lk 2:35). The one to whom all thoughts are revealed is Christ, the Word: “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Heb 4:12). The sword, the word of God, pierced the heart of Mary, and it pierces our hearts with the truth every time we meditate on the Scriptures. When we read God’s word, our hearts are laid open before him. Mary’s Immaculate Heart—itself pierced with a sword—is part of God’s plan to deliver his word to us. As St. Louis de Montfort said, “to Jesus through Mary.”

    

2. Redemptive Suffering: Mary knew Isaiah’s prophecy about the Suffering Servant (cf. Isa 53). She was aware that suffering was a key part of her Son’s mission, and she willingly participated in his sufferings. When we encounter our own sufferings, we have the same chance to participate in Christ’s saving mission by offering God our hurts, failures, illnesses, sorrow, and grief. When we unite our suffering to Christ’s, our offering becomes meritorious for the salvation of the world. As St. John Paul II said, “Christ has raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption. Thus each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ” (Salvifici Doloris, 19).

    

3. Our Mother’s Heart: When Jesus gave John to Mary, he made all of humanity her children for eternity. How blessed we are! No one has ever had a mother with more compassion and tenderness than we do in Mary. Her Immaculate Heart is the most beautiful work of God’s creation. She is “the most excellent fruit of the redemption” (Sacrosantum Concilium, 103). Mary’s maternal heart is sorrowful, yet it is marvelously full of love for God and for us. St. Jerome wrote, “Even while living in the world, the heart of Mary was so filled with motherly tenderness and compassion for men that no one ever suffered so much for their own pains, as Mary suffered for the pains of her children.”

Conversing with Christ: Immaculate Heart of Mary, my mother, lead me to your Son. Please receive my prayers and make them beautiful for Christ. Sacred Heart of Jesus, reveal my heart to yours. Open it and lay it bare in front of you. Discern and purify the innermost thoughts of my heart. Fill my heart with a love that burns with such a pure and radiant love for you that others are attracted to you by this love.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray a rosary in honor of my mother Mary and offer some small sacrifice out of love for you.

Carey Boyzuck is a wife, mother, freelance writer, and a lay member of Regnum Christi. She blogs at word-life-light.com.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

John 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, thank you for loving us so much that you sent your beloved Son to die for us. Help me to listen to what you want to say to me today and express my gratitude for this wonderful gift of Christ in all that I do.

Encountering Christ:

1. Lifted Up: In today’s first reading, Moses lifted up a bronze serpent so that those who were bitten by the saraph serpents would not die (cf. Num 21:4-9). The afflicted had to look upon the serpent to be healed. We are all afflicted by sin, so we too must cast our eyes upon Christ who was lifted up on the cross. We must constantly turn to Christ for healing and wholeness. When we look upon the cross, we see the proof of God’s love for us. That he gave us his only Son so that we might have life, not just human life but God’s eternal life (cf. Jn 3:16). May our hearts be moved with love when we gaze upon a crucifix!

    

2. Humility Exalted: A great paradox is at work in Christ’s lifting up on the cross. In his obedience to God the Father, Jesus emptied himself (cf. Phil 2:7-8). He became the lowest-of-the-low; he became sin itself: “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor 5:21). Because of his obedience, and out of total self-giving love, God the Father lifted him up above everything in existence: “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” (Phil 2:9).

    

3. The Paradox of Humility: This paradox of humility extends to us as his disciples as well. Jesus tells us, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt 23:12). Additionally, the first beatitude is, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). When we can become small and humble, God has room to work in us. His works through us can surprise and even astonish us. And when we realize we have been blessed to be God’s good instrument, we humbly give him all the glory.

Conversing with Christ: O my Jesus, how I wish to be humble and obedient in imitation of you, but I can be prideful, stubborn, and self-serving. I cannot become meek and humble of heart on my own. Please give me the grace to become obedient to your holy will. Help me get out of my own way and let you work through me. Let me be your instrument of love and peace.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will do something hidden for another out of love for you, and seek no credit for having done so.

For Further Reflection: Pray this prayer by St. John Henry Newman, which was a favorite of St. Teresa of Calcutta’s: Radiating Christ.

Carey Boyzuck is a wife, mother, freelance writer, and a lay member of Regnum Christi. She blogs at word-life-light.com.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” 

Opening Prayer: O my Jesus, as I begin this time of prayer I realize that forgiving others can be difficult. Sometimes I am afraid of letting go of how others have hurt me. It makes me feel protected to hold on to that hurt. As I open my heart, help me to empty out the fear and remember that you are my protector and have forgiven me for so many of my own sins.

Encountering Christ: 

1. A Priceless Debt: We could never pay back the debt on our own for our sins. Some sin can cost us our very lives, “for the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). This is why God the Father sent his beloved Son to ransom us. Christ literally paid the price for our sins with his own blood: “You are not your own. For you have been purchased at a price” (cf. 1 Cor 6:19-20). None of us are exempt from the need for God’s mercy: “All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood” (Rom 3:23-25). How cognizant are we of the price Christ paid for our sinfulness?

    

2. Justice and Mercy: Because God is love, the justice we deserve is overcome by his mercy. Pope Francis said, “Justice and mercy in God are one thing. Mercy is just and justice is merciful.” There at the cross, justice and mercy met in the person and sacrifice of Christ. Jesus endured the punishment we deserve and paid every ounce of the penalties we deserve to pay. Because we all have sinned, we have therefore received the gift of God’s mercy; we are called to act accordingly by being merciful and compassionate, like God (cf. Ps 103).

    

3. Choose to Forgive: When we forgive others, even and especially when they cannot make amends for how they have hurt us, we are acting in imitation of Christ: “And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ” (Eph 4:32). We must choose to forgive whoever has wronged us. Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is an act of the will. What happens when we do not choose to forgive? We run the risk that our own sins will be held against us. Our first reading for Mass today considers this point: “Forgive your neighbor the wrong done to you; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Does anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord? Can one refuse mercy to a sinner like oneself, yet seek pardon for one’s own sins?” (Sir 28:2-4).

Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, thank you for paying the price for my sins with your own precious body and blood. Help me to remember that I belong to you, and to live with gratitude for that fact. Help me to choose to forgive others, as you have forgiven me.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will choose to forgive someone for a wrong they have done to me. I will pray and ask God to help me to forgive that person fully and with my whole heart.

For Further Reflection: Read St. Thomas Aquinas’s writing on justice and mercy here: Summa Theologiae I, q. 21. Or, read all of Psalm 103, meditating on God’s kindness, mercy, and compassion.

Carey Boyzuck is a wife, mother, freelance writer, and a lay member of Regnum Christi. She blogs at word-life-light.com.