Dear Friends,
I think that this second week of Advent belongs to Mary. We have two major days to celebrate her this week: December 8th – the Holy Day of the Immaculate Conception and on December 12 – the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We have listed the holy day Mass schedule for Cabrini here in the bulletin and for the feast of Guadalupe, I would encourage you to attend the diocesan-wide evening Mass at the Cathedral on Friday at 7:00 pm in anticipation of the feast day.
Some of you may want to pray a thousand year-old prayer this week that you learned when you were a child, The Memorare:
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
So a few random reflections on this prayer during this week when we honor Mary:
First of all this is not a cry to Mary to remember us, but a dictate to ourselves to remember her – her love, her power, her protective warrior qualities toward children, toward the souls in any of us who would follow her son in mind, body and deed. Remember means we strive to be like her, for she has only this purpose – to guard, accompany, and stand by the Divine Child and those on earth who have also become her children. She remains as a listening heart, a trusted advisor, healing balm, and ever protectress of those assailed.
Just as she protected Jesus, the Divine Child, so she brings her protective work to us, her children. So, we are not reminding her of what she has done in the past, but we are reminding ourselves of all that she has done. We need then to be bold in asking for her help and to fully expect to receive it. Read over her Magnificat and see there a woman who was incredibly brave who proclaimed all the mighty things that God has done and will do. She wields the banner for the vulnerable, the poor, the weak, and the refugee.
The prayer invites us to be honest about ourselves – “before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.” To sin is to take the wrong path, to miss the target, to choose to move away from our center and focus on ourselves rather than on God. Without our center, we are lost, bereft, not having our radar on to know how to proceed into the world. So, here we stand, having lost our center and we feel sorrow because of it.
Sorrow and sin are not curses, not statements of condemnation, but signals that a soul is hurting and needs lifting up; needs a mother who will clean and care and bind up the wounds. Needs someone who will reset them like a jewel into the center again. Forgiveness and healing come as free gifts from heaven – if we call out to thee…
The Memorare is a prayer for rough times, to one who knows rough times by heart, a cry to one who carries in her arms the eternal child, the one who has a heart radiant with courage and love. We can learn much from her and her tremendous love. We can strive, like her, to help others in their travails. Even though we may still be hurting, we can like her, stand at the foot of the cross and help bear the pain of the world that Jesus bore for us. We can, at least, accompany those who are in pain. Perhaps, then, more deeply insightful, more awakened, more strengthened in our own heart we can touch our world and bring the light of Christ to it once again.
Peace,
Fr. Damian