Repeat Mary’s name often with love and devotion – not just today, but everyday and especially during moments of temptation and spiritual distress. Her holy name – Mary – will chase the demons away and draw her near to you.
She’s my go-to saint when I have any kind of long-suffering woes, especially if they’re related to my family. I can relate to her, and I know she can relate to me because she has been through so much herself. The same will be true for you.
The laity must take the upper hand, but we can’t do that until the clergy put themselves into our hands. Only when they release their grip can we begin to get ours. Those who have nothing to hide will welcome our efforts and we’ll come to love them as the fatherly heroes that they are.
With her gaping wounds once again bleeding, the Church needs us to stay strong, fervent, and prayerful. She is the institution of Christ himself – it’s not the institution that has caused the problems, it’s the frail, imperfect human beings within her who fell prey to the evil one.
To understand Mary’s request, we must first understand the nature of genuine humility. Humility isn’t the refusal to acknowledge anything good about ourselves or the playing down of our gifts and qualities. That, in fact, is a form of pride.
Until that moment of desperation, I had never given serious thought to adoring Jesus in my heart. Of course, I pray to him and tell him that I love him. Definitely, I petition him when I’m in need. But the idea of sitting quietly and focusing only on his presence within me and nothing else was new to me.
I’d like to say that a huge crowd of people attended the book signing, but I would be lying. Yet, while the attendance numbers weren’t exactly what we’d hoped for, I can say without doubt that it was the most well-attended book signing I’ve ever done. That’s because it wasn’t how many attended, but rather who attended.