Never Lose Hope -- Behold the Holy Face of Jesus

I've spoken to many people lately who are so downhearted about the state of the world and Holy Mother Church that they are tempted to lose hope. God forbid!  I agree that poor Holy Mother Church is a battered bride. Many of the blasphemies uttered against her spout forth from the mouths of men wearing Roman collars, her spiritual spouses. Rather than discourage us, that fact should remind us that 1/12th of Jesus' apostles betrayed him without repentance and the other 11/12ths abandoned him in the crisis. Happily, eleven of the twelve returned to suffer and die in the faith, all but one a martyr.

How many anointed men are in the Church today? I don't know, but perhaps as many as 1/12th are Christ's unrepentant (at least at present) betrayers. Fr. Hardon once said that Jesus allowed Judas so the flock would not be surprised when Church leaders acted like Judas.

So, rather than being scandalized and losing hope when we see the state of the world and our religious leaders hob-nobbing with the enemy, we should remember Christ crucified, betrayed, and abandoned by his closest friends. Then we should run to the cross, embrace it, kiss the feet of Jesus and lift our heads to gaze up at his Holy Face.

Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary

One of my New Year's resolutions is to increase my devotion to the seven sorrows of Mary. All of us have sorrows in our lives. We mothers, especially, suffer for our children. We suffer from their little troubles when they are little children and from their big troubles when they are adults. A mom's sufferings will never end until the day she dies. So what a wonderful devotion for us to unite our sufferings for our children with the sufferings of Mary. Not did her soul "magnify the Lord" in his wonder and glory, but she magnified the Lord in His sufferings and death. What greater friend can a suffering soul have than the suffering Mother of God. And what a consolation to have her wonderful promises. Please spread this devotion among your family and friends that more souls might benefit from Mary's promises.