A Mother's Love

Day Four of the Novena


Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.

Today's Gospel seemed especially appropriate today for some reason. While we honor and venerate the Blessed Mother, it is Jesus who came down to Earth for our salvation. She was not just a vessel for his arrival. She was His mother and she knew who He was and was meant to be. How amazing that must have been for her. She nurtured Him, she cherished and adored Him, she raised Him and she loved Him just as any other mother has ever loved her child. She watched Him perform miracles, she watched Him preach and she witnessed his mercy, his love and his sufferings. She watched him persecuted, she watched him die and she held him in her arms after he was taken off the cross. How can anyone say she was just the vessel, the means for His arrival on earth? I really dislike that non-Catholic Christians seem to have no understanding of Mary's role in the world. Why belittle her so much, after God chose her to be the mother of His son and Jesus loved her so much?

I'm nearly half-way through the novena. I'm not ready for it to end but I'm dragging. Driving sleep deprived is dangerous. I'm also disapointed that I haven't made it to the gym all this week. I thought it would be easy to get there since I was up so early... yeah, that'll teach me. The first day I'll get to sleep in will be Wednesday. I'm so looking forward to that, but I'd like to start walking at 6:00 in the mornings. Sleeping to 6:00 sounds heavenly.

I also lost my bracelet. I lost it once before, but this time I think it's gone. I retraced my steps from the car, through the cemetery into the chapel twice. I hope it's at home. I think St. Anthony is going to get tired of me asking for his help in finding missing jewelery.

St. Anne's Parish hosted the Mass this morning. The Gospel reading was: Mark 12:28-34