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Lenten Journey Through the Sorrows of Mary: Breathe his very last

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Women of Grace Staff

March 19

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Christ she saw with life-blood failing,

All her anguish unavailing,

Saw him breathe his very last.

For Reflection:

With Jesus, Mary had sojourned the agonizing road to Calvary. She had watched Him be beaten and tormented, ridiculed and spat upon. She had watched Him fall. And get up. Fall. And get up. Fall. And get up. She had watched nine inch nails pierce His hands and feet. She had seen Him hoisted into the air on a cross. And now she watches Him take His last breath as His life’s blood runs out. The soldier’s lance pierces them both. In light of this verse and meditation, read John 3:16. Substitute your name for “the world.” Sit with this truth and let it take hold of you. Journal your insights and reflections.

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St. Matthew’s Churches Scam Strikes Again!

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Susan Brinkmann

St. Matthew’s Churches, a well-known “ministry” that preys upon the unsuspecting through direct mail scams made the mistake of sending me one of their mailings the other day – this one promising God’s blessings to me via a special “Angel Blessing Coin”. By doing so, they gave Women of Grace a new opportunity to warn people about this scam which we have been doing since 2012.

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Lenten Journey Through the Sorrows of Mary: Bruised and beaten by the rod

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Women of Grace Staff

March 18

Christ she saw, for our salvation,

Scourged with cruel acclamation,

Bruised and beaten by the rod.

For Reflection:

Henri Nouwen also tells us that waiting is active, not passive. It requires the gift of receptivity, an openess to that which God is doing in the midst of the waiting.

Meditate on the words “Christ she saw…” As this verse says, Mary’s eyes surely saw her Son’s physical condition while she gazed upon Him. But what else might Mary have been seeing as she held vigil at the foot of the Cross? What might she have seen God doing in the midst of this holocaust? What might He be doing as you “hold vigil” in your current waiting period?

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Lenten Journey Through the Sorrows of Mary: The Virgin’s grief

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Women of Grace Staff

March 17

Who, that sorrow contemplating,

On that passion meditating,

Would not share the Virgin’s grief?

For Reflection:

Henri Nouwen says that waiting is patient. He tells us that “The word ‘patience’ means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us…Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there.”

With comprehension and concentration, slowly read today’s GraceLine a second time. It is an invitation into Mary’s suffering – to share the Virgin’s grief. Ask Our Lady to take you into her Immaculate Heart and wait there with her. Wait with patience until what is hidden there manifests itself to you. Then journal about your insights.

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O Saint Joseph!

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Isabelle Liberatore

Happy Feast Day of St. Patrick tomorrow! And happy early Solemnity of St. Joseph, which we will celebrate this Friday, March 19th!!!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the world gave as much acclaim to St. Joseph as they did to St. Patrick? Though we love St. Patrick and all of the wonderful festivities that surround his special day, this year, not only do we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph, but we do it during the Year of St. Joseph, as proclaimed by our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Shouldn’t we mark this occasion in a remarkable way?

One wonderful Catholic tradition is the St. Joseph altar! New Orleans is particularly known for embracing this tradition. Many families and parishes go so far as to compete with each other, with one altar more beautiful than the next. Each is covered in festive decorations and delicious-looking breads, designed to highlight St. Joseph’s special role in salvation history and family life. Here are just a few pictures that can be found across the internet.

St. Joseph Altars in New Orleans

It is fitting that we honor St. Joseph. After all, not only was he the earthly father of Jesus and the spouse of Our Lady, he is the patron of the Universal Church, as proclaimed by Pope John XXIII on March 19, 1961. On the occasion of his proclamation, he prayed:

“O St. Joseph!

Here, here is where you belong as Protector Universalis Ecclesiae! … Always be our protector. May thy inner spirit of peace, of silence, of good work, and of prayer for the cause of Holy Church always be an inspiration to us and bring us joy in union with thy blessed spouse, our most sweet and gentle and Immaculate Mother, and in the strong yet tender love of Jesus, the glorious and immortal King of all ages and peoples. Amen.” – Pope John XXIII

This week as we pray our Rosary Crusade together, let us ask St. Patrick, and especially St. Joseph to intercede for us, as we embrace each other and our intentions in prayer.

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Catholics Be Wary of New Age Thought Control Techniques Disguised as Neuroscience

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Susan Brinkmann

New Age thought control techniques continue to evolve, and the latest version attempts to marry the Law of Attraction with neuroscience and the Reticular Activating System of the brain. It’s catching on, even in some Catholics circles where it’s being used in spiritual formation. What’s it all about and can Catholics use it in their quest for sanctity?

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Lenten Journey Through the Sorrows of Mary: Ever-patient in her yearning

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Women of Grace Staff

March 16

Ever-patient in her yearning

Though her tear-filled eyes were burning,

Mary gazed upon her Son.

For Reflection:

In his writing, The Spirituality of Waiting, Henri Nouwen gives five characteristics of waiting. He tells us waiting is a movement. “People who wait have received a promise that allows them to wait. … They have received something that is a work in them, like a seed that has started to grow… So waiting is never a movement from nothing to something. It is always a movement from something to something more.”

How is this truth depicted in the stanza above? Consider Mary’s gaze. What might have been transpiring in her heart as Mary looked upon her Son and as He gazed upon her? What promise(s) had she received and what might be the “something more” still yet to come?

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Lenten Journey Through the Sorrows of Mary: Mary watched her dying Son

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Women of Grace Staff

March 15

With what pain and desolation,

With what noble resignation,

Mary watched her dying Son.

For Reflection:

Many spiritual writers have discussed the “spirituality of waiting” and the

virtues it requires. Some of these are patience, long-suffering, trust,

surrender, humility, gratitude, receptivity, hope. In what ways do you think Mary embodied all of these as she watched her Son die? Which of these

do you most need to acquire?

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Lenten Journey Through the Sorrows of Mary: Bitter sorrow pierced her heart

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Women of Grace Staff

March 14

While she waited in her anguish,

Seeing Christ in torment languish,

Bitter sorrow pierced her heart.

For Reflection:

This verse tells us Mary “waited.” What attitude of heart do you think marked Mary’s disposition as she waited? What virtues? Recall a time when you, too, waited. What marked your disposition? What virtues did you exhibit?

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Lenten Journey Through the Sorrows of Mary: Mary stood in sorrow weeping

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Women of Grace Staff

March 13

At the cross her station keeping,

Mary stood in sorrow weeping

When her Son was crucified.

For Reflection:

Father Faber tells us that each consecutive suffering of Our Lady outstripped its predecessor in pain, because each new suffering had “more love to torture, and therefore more power of inflicting pain.” In this first verse of the Stabat Mater, Mary experiences the fifth sword to her heart. She is at the summit of her suffering. Consider Father Faber’s quote in light of this. What do you think he means by “more love to torture?” What is the connection between love and pain? To what extent are you willing to truly love?

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