This past week, there was a news item that caused me great sorrow. It was the story about an 11 year old boy with the disease of Muscular Dystrophy (MD). About a year ago, a student at his school, a bully, hurt this young boy. He could not defend himself; the bully did not care. The boy with MD never felt good or safe again. A week ago, he committed suicide. He was 11 years old. Can you imagine anyone, age 11, feeling so sad, that he/she wanted to kill himself? Yet, something very remarkable happened. The parents of the boy who died do NOT want the bully to go to prison. The parents said, "he is a lonely, troubled young person. He needs help, not jail. We want him to get help. Punishing him (the bully) will not bring our son back to life." We live in a world that so often wants revenge, punishment, "get even", hurt another. We continue to think that violence will prevent more violence. The violence never ends.
Mary, the Blessed Mother, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus, has appeared several times in our world. She appeared at Guadalupe in Mexico; Knock in Ireland; near Green Bay, WI; at Fatima, Portugal; Lourdes, France. Whenever Mary appears, she always shows herself to those who are poor and suffering. Her message is always the same, "Pray for Peace. Be forgiving of others. Trust in My Son, Jesus. I am your Mother." It is difficult to live the teachings (the Gospel, "Good News") of Jesus. The world wants us to be selfish, angry, prideful, only thinking "me-me-me!". The message of Mary, our Blessed Mother, is to think of others and their needs first,especially the poor, the hungry, the sick and suffering.
During the month of Ocotber, Catholics offer a special prayer to Mary: the Rosary. The Rosary is a wonderful way for each of us to pray for one another, for those who are sick, those who have died(especially our beloved family members), and for world peace. The Rosary is not hard to learn or pray.(There are a number of people at church who can teach you how to pray the Rosary. By the way, several years ago a group of scientists proved that if someone prays the Rosary quietly everyday, that person can lower their blood pressure!) We have plenty of Rosaries available at church (FREE) for anyone who wants one.
Praying to Mary to help you live as a Christian Catholic everyday will give you strength to live in this tough world. "If I pray to Mary, will she truly help me?" Of course! Why not? She is OUR Mother!!!