Caelitus Mihi Vires-My strength is from heaven

I can’t believe it’s Holy Week!!!  I love Holy Week, but haven’t really been feelin’ it here lately.  Have you?? 

Let me tell you what’s been going on. 

My aunt has been ill with liver problems for over a year.  This illness escalated and on Saturday she received a phone call for a liver transplant.  We rushed to the hospital to be with her before the transplant, and waited there to hear word on the progress of the surgery.  She did well and is recovering beautifully.

 While we were waiting with my aunt before the surgery, we found out about the person who died in order for her to have new life.  This was difficult, esp. for her.  We knew a mother was mourning the loss of a son so another could have new life. 

Then it hit me…that sounds familiar!!! 

This is the great revelation that hit me today.  I’ve emotionally felt out of sorts this week becasue of this past weekend, and that’s really why I haven’t been ”feelin’” Holy Week; however, I have…it’s just on a more emotional level.  I have grieved the loss of another human being while at the same time cry for the hope of new life for another.  The same with Mary.  She grieved that time of loss and temporary separation.  On the other hand, she probably cried for the joy of salvation for humans…her children.  

In his reflections on the Stations of the Cross, Pope John Paul II wrote this in regards to Jesus being taken down from the cross and placed in Mary’s arms:

“The Gospels say nothing of what she (Mary) felt at that moment.  It is as though, by their silence, the Evangelists wished to respect her sorrow, her feelings and her memories.  Or, perhaps they simply felt incapable of expressing them.” 

I haven’t grieved on this level, but tasting some of these emotions has not only brought me closer to her, but to our Heavenly Father on a deeper level.  Which, isn’t that the point of this week?! :)  God uses so many different instruments to reveal to us His love!

My son is 8 months old and he does some of the funniest things.  His new thing is to stop whatever he’s doing when we pray before meals.  He sees and hears the sign of the cross and stops!!  When we’re finished, he continues on.

Families, I encourage you to teach your children to pray, even if you think they’re too young.  That’s the best time to start.  Studies show that children learn a second language better in their early years than later on in life.  So teach them the language of God- silence in prayer- and help to properly form them in this noisy world.

 P.S.  He just does this for the Prayer Before Meals…he constantly talks in Mass and Adoration.  We’re working on it!

In case you haven’t seen my profile, I’m a freshman theology teacher at a Catholic high school.  There are some days that I love my job, esp. when the students behave and understand Truth, but then there are those days!  If you are a teacher, you know what I mean by those.  Here’s an example.  The students at my school are able to attend Mass and Adoration on a regular basis.  What a beautiful blessing it is to partake of the Eucharist during school (thank you Fr. Daniels); however, most of the students don’t realize how blessed they are.  So I see them talk during Mass, and I even witnessed a couple of them talking during the consecration!!!  Aaaaaaaaaa!  So I literally had a heart palpatation, and in my head I wanted to react like Jesus did in the Temple…you know where he threw tables, told the people to get out, etc.  I wanted to yell and pitch a “charitable” fit…if that’s possible (not possible with my temper though).  Instead of doing this, I prayed even harder.  I prayed that God would give me the strength to love these students as He loves them. 

Having the strength to love as God loves is hard!!  Even loving others as I love myself is hard, but God wouldn’t tell us to do something if He knew it was impossible. 

Loving others also means that we respect all during the Mass.  I’m using the example of my students who are distracting, but I know you might witness things like this in your own parish (maybe you’re one of them).  No matter who you are, pray that we can TRULY rejoice and praise God on this side of reality, so we can perfectly praise Him for all of eternity!  I also challenge you to learn more about the Mass so you can understand why we praise God in such a way.