~The Greatest of These~
M.A.P.S #2 Momily "The Greatest of These"
Print from 'Spirit Daily' offered by Cece

January 31, 2010 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

One Morning…

We had the opportunity to pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary together

before beginning our day of home schooling.

As we began the Apostles Creed and the first "Our Father" prayer,

I asked Christian to pray the first three "Ave’s" for the three T.V.’s in our home.

My five-year old Marianna, who can count,

informed me that we don’t have three T.V.’s in our home.

I smiled at her and told them that I am praying

that we have three T.V.s in our home at all times.
This was a petition they were quite happy to offer!

This teachable moment added a new understanding to them regarding our

Generous Bestower of the three Theological Virtues (T.V.’s)

infused into the soul at Baptism.

Faith, Hope and Charity, grant me Lord, to best serve Thee!

Yet, as we grow in our faith, we learn from Saint Paul

‘the greatest of these is love’.

(1 Cor 13:13)

With further study, Father Hardon goes as far to explain:

‘a person who has lost the supernatural virtue of charity ,

has lost the state of grace,

although he may still possess the virtues of hope and faith’.

He defines charity as the supernatural virtue

by which a person loves God above all things for his own sake,

and loves others for God’s sake…

Charity is not acquired by mere human effort.

(Modern Catholic Dictionary by Father John Hardon, p.95)

If it is true that ‘Charity begins in the home’,

where are we to love, when 'charity ends in the home'

We set our sights on the Sacrament of Reconciliation,

most often,

when there seems to be habitual ill-will between siblings.

We discover the answers to these conflicts with spiritual ease,

most especially,

after frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Sins against charity are abstract, yet well examined when considering

The words of Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 12.

These words serve me

as I examine my own responses to my family

~at days end.~

This Divine Reading was offered at our wedding Mass, nearly 25 years ago.

My own parents read this again

at our first-born son’s wedding Mass on December 19^th 2009.

I cherish Saint Paul’s words,

am challenged by them,

strive toward them,

and am taught by them exactly what it means to

~love.~

May all mothers be granted the grace to desire the truest expressions of unfailing love.

In Their Hearts,
Sharon

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians
12:31-13:8
Brothers and Sisters:Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.
But I shall show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love,I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And If I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;if I have all faith as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love,I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude,

it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.It bears all things, believes all tings, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.

The late, saintly Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty described a mother as
'The most important person on earth.
She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral.
She need not.
She has built something more magnificent than any Cathedral
-a dwelling of an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body."

Dear Mothers of Prayer,

How blessed we are to have the technology
to share a visit without having to leave our homes,
as we journey together in this pilgrimage of motherhood.
Experiencing each day as a pilgrimage provides me a perspective
when successes unravel
or when happenings are not always as expected in my days.
In my own experiences,
the unexpected sacrifices and difficulties encountered
on any religious pilgrimage
have served to add to the fruitfulness of drawing closer to the Lord.
Most especially, in motherhood,
there are days when my sharing the details of a day with troubles
is best described to my spouse as,
"Honey, it was like going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land"!
He so gets what that means!

Encountering motherhood as a pilgrimage
leads me to the definition of 'pilgrimage'
provided by Fr. John A. Hardon in his Modern Catholic Dictionary:

A pilgrimage is
'a journey to a sacred place undertaken as an act of religious devotion.
Its purpose may be simply to venerate a certain saint
or ask some spiritual favor;
beg penance; express thanks or fulfill a promise...' (p.422)

As I consider this motherly pilgrimage,
I awaken to begin my journey every day
toward the 'sacred place' of the souls of my children.
This sacred place is where the Lord awaits for me
to love Him the way He desires to be loved by me.

When I receive Him in Holy Communion,
He journeys to where He is able to love me
the way I want most to be loved by Him.
It is in this miracle of 'oneness'
that I am fed for the journey
that leads me
to where He may be found in my seeking.
He is there, in the souls of my children,
waiting for my smile,
my joy, my hugs, my attentiveness,
the light in my eyes.

In my daily thanksgiving, I examine,
"How has my pilgrimage of motherhood brought me closer to the Lord?"

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of mercy,
Queen of heaven and refuge of sinners,
We consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart
We consecrate to you our very being and our whole life,
All that we have,
All that we love,
All that we are.
We give you our bodies, hearts and souls,
Our homes, families, parish and country.
We desire that everything in and around us may belong to you and share in the benefits of your motherly protection.

In order that this act of consecration may be truly efficacious and lasting, we today renew the promises we made at Baptism and Confirmation. We pledge that we will courageously and unceasingly profess the truths of our holy Faith, and live as befits Catholics who are duly submissive to the direction of the Pope and the Bishops who are in communion with him.

We pledge ourselves to keep the commandments of God and the Church, in particular to keep holy the Lord’s day. We also pledge ourselves to make the practices of the Christian religion, especially the frequent and regular reception of the consoling Sacrament of Reconciliation and Holy Communion an integral part of our lives.

Finally we promise you, O glorious Mother of God and loving Mother of all people to dedicate ourselves with all our hearts to the service of devotion to you.

Through the sovereignty of your Immaculate Heart, may we thus hasten and assure the coming of the kingdom of the Sacred Heart of your adorable Son in our own hearts as well as those of all people, in our own parish and country as well as in the whole world, on earth as in heaven. Amen.

January 23, 2010