December 8, 2005The Immaculate Conception
Dear Friends of Francesco,
Greetings peace and Blessings to you and all your families and friends. Br. David kindly took me to the airport for my flight to Brazil and in honor the Immaculate Conception we went to pick up 2 chicken parmagian wedges with 2 cans of ginger ale and 2 bottles of water. When I asked the guy how much I owed he said, "19.90". As some of you know, I was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ on December 8, 1990. Boom - 1990 - it was a little anniversary gift from the Blessed Mother! Thanks ma! And thanks to all of you who have been so supportive with your prayers, Masses offered, gifts, calls and e-mails.
I can hear Fr. Benedict preaching on this solemnity regarding how we can never be immaculately conceived, and therefore, how in a certain sense the Immaculate Conception is difficult for us to relate to. True enough. Yet, at the same time the perfection of God's saving power, revealed in the Immaculate Conception, is something that draws me. There is this insatiable thrusting yearning for the perfection of God's amazing and saving grace to be turned loose in my life and in the lives of my family, friends and all the people I know and don't know. This long slow and gradual perfection of grace in our lives, as the Church teaches, perfects the soul to enable it to live with God and to act by his love. The Holy Spirit infuses this grace into our souls to heal it from the miserable effects of sin and to sanctify our souls and shine through the way we live. In other words, to help us grow in holiness.
I'll leave you with a beautiful reflection from St. Anselm:
"Sky and stars, earth and rivers, day and night everything that is subject to the power or use of man rejoice that through you (Mary) they are in some sense restored to their lost beauty and are endowed with inexpressible new grace."
Peace and Blessings to you and your families and friends, now and forever in Jesus and Mary...Lord willing, talk to ya'll next week...fr stan+...
No comments:
Post a Comment