Dear Bertha, Someone has mixed you up terribly.\u00a0 To \u201ckeep your distance\u201d from the Blessed Virgin because \u201cshe had no sin so she can\u2019t understand my struggles\u201d is a diabolical ploy.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be deceived.\u00a0 Precisely because the Blessed Virgin was free from all sin \u2013 original and personal \u2013 she is able to be a true \u201crefuge of sinners\u201d, as the Litany recites.\u00a0 Let me explain (briefly, because I have to go on another one of those most distasteful interrogation sessions in just a few moments \u2013 they never tire of trying to extract non-existent secrets from me).\u00a0 Who loves more, someone who is selfish, or someone who is selfless?\u00a0 Certainly, the more selfless someone is, the more they can love someone else.\u00a0 Now then, who helps a troubled soul more, someone who loves them a lot, or someone who loves them a little?\u00a0 Certainly the one who loves a lot will be a greater comfort and a greater help in times of trouble.\u00a0 OK, well, who is less selfish than the Blessed Virgin Mary?\u00a0 Her heart was never wounded by sin, so she has remained for ever totally free to love without measure.\u00a0 No selfishness, no hint of suspicion, no fear, nothing at all limits the affection and care with which she looks upon you, her true daughter in Christ (remember, when you were baptized you were adopted into God\u2019s family, and Mary is the Mother of God, so you are her spiritual daughter).\u00a0 Thus, the Church has long invoked her as \u201cRefuge of Sinners.\u201d\u00a0 In fact, some saints have said that the greater a sinner you are, the more her heart reaches out to you. And if you still don\u2019t believe me, take it upon yourself to read what the saints have written about Mary.\u00a0 They all say the same thing: as soon as they started to entrust the project of their Christian life to her care, things began to move along at a much faster clip. The proof is in the pudding, my skeptical little niece; take a spoonful and you\u2019ll find out for yourself.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let the devil and his minions deceive you \u2013 today of all days, spend some time with your Mother.\u00a0 At least tell her \u201cHappy Birthday!\u201d Happily your Uncle, Eddy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Bertha, Someone has mixed you up terribly.\u00a0 To \u201ckeep your distance\u201d from the Blessed Virgin because \u201cshe had no sin so she can\u2019t understand my struggles\u201d is a diabolical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":145992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3719],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-142220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncle-eddy"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n