Franciscan Media

Do you have a “dwelling place” of the Blessed Mother where you can pray and reflect? St. John Paul II said that a dwelling place for Mother Mary can be “a special corner in the home or little wayside shrines adorned with an image of the Mother of God, to chapels and churches built in her honor.” Wherever it is, place yourself near Mary’s Immaculate Heart while you are in prayer. Confide to her all of your interests and desires. Ask her to grant her graces to you and bring you closer to her Son Jesus.

In the words of Pope Francis, “The Lord in the Eucharist makes us follow his path, that of service, of sharing, of giving—and what little we have, what little we are, if shared, becomes wealth, because the power of God, which is that of love, descends into our poverty to transform it. Let us ask ourselves…do I let myself be transformed by him? Do I let the Lord who gives himself to me, guide me to come out more and more from my little fence, to get out and be not afraid to give, to share, to love him and others?”

Me, myself, and I is the exact opposite of who God is in the Holy Trinity. The Trinity, as the Catholic Church has taught for centuries, gives us a true understanding of who we are as human beings. We were meant for relationship, not individualism. God came to us as a family, and we are all part of that family, meant to emulate the same life-giving and selfless exchange.

In the Gospel, the Lord invites us to accept our mission without placing conditions. It is an important message which we must never forget. Mary is an example of discipleship for us who, like her, have received a vocation. Her trusting response, “Be it done unto me according to your word,” reminds us of her words at the wedding feast of Cana: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). Her example is an invitation to serve as she served.

O God, who gives your missionaries the zeal to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the nations, give us the desire to advance your kingdom wherever we may be. May we share a deep desire to show you more clearly to others, to love you more dearly in others, and to follow you more closely in all that we do each day of our lives. Amen.

There has always been a diverse group of personalities at table with the Lord. At this time in history, you and I now are present. We, like the apostles, are unreliable and weak and afraid. We are inconstant in our devotion to our Lord. We deny him, we betray him. But Jesus is I Am. He is constant.

– from Meeting God in the Upper Room: Three Moments to Change Your Life