“Mary, give me your Heart: so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate; your Heart so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life and love Him as you love Him and serve Him in the distressing guise of the poor.”–St. Mother Teresa
Prayer for the Faithful at St. Francis Chapel
O Mother of Jesus, whose intercession strengthens the Church, conserve, increase and make fruitful this congregation at St. Francis Chapel. O Mary, you care for the brethren of your Son with a mother’s love; watch with maternal charity over all who rejoice today to be part of this family. Sustain our priests in their apostolate, protect travelers on their journeys, guide students who seek truth, heal the sick and afflicted, and be a bulwark for all the faithful who gather at this chapel in living out their vocations at home and in the marketplace. Blessed Mother, who have already reached the perfection of grace, mercifully pray for us that by the merits of your Son we shall increase in faith, hope and love till the consummation of heaven. Amen.
Reflection
In calling herself the handmaid of the Lord Our Lady set God and His will as the context and horizon of her life. Our Lady sought the will of God in every sphere of life. Pope St. John Paul II said that a Christian is one who in any significant thing first asks, “What does our faith have to say about this?” Only after that do you ask, “How practically can this be done?” Our Lady understood that her very identity was to be a handmaid of the Lord. Her pure faith and fidelity to God opened the way for all human persons to engage in a friendship with the Lord.
Resolution
Is there a significant area of your life that you have not yet considered from the perspective of faith? Today, begin to ask, “What does our faith have to say about this?”