On the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, let us remember the words our Blessed Mother told Bernadette "I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next". The things of this world - your job or profession, the material things you acquire, house, car, wardrobe, high tech gadgets can give you a sense of satisfaction but cannot make you truly happy. Pope Benedict XVI spoke yesterday of fasting this lent. Fasting is a way to break off from the world "a spiritual weapon against every disordered attachments to ourselves". It is necessary to break one self from these attachments so one can journey into the spiritual realm. It is there that we first begin to encounter God, recognize His splendor, participate in the Divine. Like any relationship at the outset, we begin to explore each other cautiously. These times of quiet, undisturbed, contemplation enable the process of getting to know Him and thus getting to know ourselves. This is where we lay the foundation down in building trust in Him. God desires our trust and in trusting Him, we can move closer towards Him releasing the attachments that bind us to the world. Bernadette encountered Mary in a special, mysterious way. Mary in turn lead Bernadette to her Loving Son, and called all sinners to conversion. Let us pray today for renowned author and Catholic blogger, Amy Welborn, whose husband Michael died unexpectantly yesterday . May she be comforted by Our Heavenly Father. We pray for her family and for the repose of Michael's soul.
Pope Francis
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Comfort Us, Oh Blessed Mary
On the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, let us remember the words our Blessed Mother told Bernadette "I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next". The things of this world - your job or profession, the material things you acquire, house, car, wardrobe, high tech gadgets can give you a sense of satisfaction but cannot make you truly happy. Pope Benedict XVI spoke yesterday of fasting this lent. Fasting is a way to break off from the world "a spiritual weapon against every disordered attachments to ourselves". It is necessary to break one self from these attachments so one can journey into the spiritual realm. It is there that we first begin to encounter God, recognize His splendor, participate in the Divine. Like any relationship at the outset, we begin to explore each other cautiously. These times of quiet, undisturbed, contemplation enable the process of getting to know Him and thus getting to know ourselves. This is where we lay the foundation down in building trust in Him. God desires our trust and in trusting Him, we can move closer towards Him releasing the attachments that bind us to the world. Bernadette encountered Mary in a special, mysterious way. Mary in turn lead Bernadette to her Loving Son, and called all sinners to conversion. Let us pray today for renowned author and Catholic blogger, Amy Welborn, whose husband Michael died unexpectantly yesterday . May she be comforted by Our Heavenly Father. We pray for her family and for the repose of Michael's soul.
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