Vol.5 No.52 DoM E Message
Spiritual Gift of the Week
We pray for the grace to carry our own cross and to follow Jesus as his disciples.
Let us model Mary who was both the Mother of Jesus and his first disciple.
Spiritual Instruction of the Week
Pray and guard your heart (Prov.4:23).
Pray with a heart for God.
Pray… give your heart to God
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Dear Beautiful Daughters of Mary,
Vol. 5 No. 52—this week’s message— closes another year for our faithful community of women. It marks our 5th anniversary as Daughters of Mary. It is a time for remembering, a time of recollection. How has God worked in our lives? How has God changed our hearts? Is there one charism, one grace, bestowed by God, upon the Daughters of Mary?
When I asked this question on Tuesday, the responses were profound and sure, and beautiful! Is there a Daughter of Mary charism? Yes, you responded: discerning and responding to the Holy Spirit—knowing and receiving God’s love—forming friendships and loving other women—loving the liturgy—loving the Church—loving Mary—and loving her Magnificat. In other words…discerning, knowing and loving all that Mary loves…this is our grace. To be formed by the heart of Mary—as her daughters— this is our charism.
In scripture, Mary is mostly silent. Her few words however reveal her heart. We learn that Mary prays and guards her heart. She prays with a heart for God. She entrusts her heart to God. Over the past 5 years, we have often reflected upon her words, the prayers of her heart.
At the Annunciation, for example, we learn that Mary courageously guarded her heart, discerning and testing the angel’s announcement. She asks the angel how she, a virgin, could be the mother of God, (Lk. 1:34). Later she prays and responds with a courageous fiat: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word,” (Lk. 1:38). Mary wanted God’s will. She teaches us about courage in prayer and to guard our hearts, that we may do God’s will.
At the Visitation, Mary again speaks, revealing her heart for God. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, “(Lk. 1:46) Her commitment to God, “who has done great things,” shaped the future of her son’s Church: “From this day all generations will call me blessed,” (Lk. 1:48-49). Her heart for God continues. Mary commits to pray for us.
In the temple where she finds Jesus, Mary speaks, again revealing her love for her son, the Son of God: “Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety,” (Lk. 2:48). Mary’s words reveal an ardent, fervent heart for God. In the same way, we are to model her commitment in our own ardent, fervent search for her son.
Lastly, at the wedding feast at Cana, Mary’s words are confident and sure. “Do whatever he tells you,” (John (2:5). Her confidence in her son is her way of trusting God. Her confidence for sure impacts her son’s Church. Just as she directed the servers of wine, she counsels us, the Church, to trust to her son. She invites us to give our hearts to God.
Is there a Daughter of Mary charism? We hope and pray—with courage, commitment and confidence. Dear beautiful Daughters of Mary, on this our 5th anniversary, let us pray for a Marian heart…
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To model Mary’s heart is only one part of our mission as daughters of Mary. We are also called to reflect upon the Gospel and through our reflection, to become instruments of renewal. Pope Francis’ words reiterate this calling: “The Gospel is the book of God’s mercy, to be read and reread, because everything that Jesus said and did is an expression of the Father’s mercy…the Gospel of mercy remains an open book, in which the signs of Christ’s disciples, which are concrete acts of love and the best witness to mercy, continue to be written. “
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A Prayer of Adoration
Saint Teresa of Calcutta
O God, we believe you are here.
We adore you and love you with our whole heart and soul
because you are most worthy of all our love.
We desire to love you as the blessed do in heaven.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being utterly, that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us, and be so in us that every soul we come in contact with
may feel your presence in our soul.
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