It is May and our newsletter has arrived. It is filled with information on so many holy and exciting events as we continue to celebrate the fifty days of Easter. We start by visiting the upper room and study the witness of those who were there, including Mary, the mother of Jesus. We invite you to stand with your family in faith as we celebrate mom and worship together right here in Schenectady. You may view and download a copy right here — May 2014 Newsletter.
Pray the week: Lord Jesus, I thank and praise You for the my mother who led me to You and taught me Your ways.
For I see…
What do you see?
But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.”
Today, our readings and Gospel look at the present and the future.
As Stephen is about to die he looks up and sees Jesus at the right hand of the Father. He is heading toward Jesus, to His loving embrace. Stephen has Jesus with him in his suffering, and because of that forgives his murders. He is also joyful, even in the midst of the stoning, because He knows what the future holds. Stephen is in a moment so totally now, and in his (and our) future.
John is on the island of Patmos. Jesus is speaking with him once again in terms that can be read as very now, in the present, and for the future. Jesus tells John that He is the Alpha and the Omega – timeless. He also tells John: “Behold, I am coming soon.â€
We look at these statements and from them understand that Jesus is ever present, always with us and is also the ultimate goal, our promised future. John knows that Jesus is his present and future. To him Jesus is a joy, better than any other thing the world can offer.
Jesus is delivering His farewell address to His disciples just before the road that will lead Him to Calvary. He is reminding them that they are bound to Him by their knowledge and love, by their unity. They have the reality of God living with and in them, ever present, ever now. They also hear that they have a share in the future reality of God – the kingdom and paradise.
Like Stephen, like John, we need to listen to Jesus and rely on this reality – that He is with us in this moment, in the present, and is not just as a goal or someone we will meet in the future. Also, that we have a share in a wonderful future that surpasses any suffering or difficulty.
Our mothers have seen what Stephen and John saw. They brought us into the Holy Church so that we would see these things, so that we might listen to Jesus and understand a moment so totally now, and a vision for our future.
Because of their faith and the instruction they provided for us we were given an opportunity. When asked, ‘What do you see?’ how will we answer? If we took mom’s lessons to heart we can say: “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.” Saying that we can offer this vision to others. We can let them know about Jesus who is with us now and is our future.
What better way to start the day than to praise God for the blessings He has given us through the work and sacrifice of our mothers? Please join us in praying with and for mom this Sunday as we also seek the intercession of our heavenly mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, on her behalf. Join us too after Holy Mass for a free Mother’s Day breakfast.
A woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. – Proverbs 31:30-31
I can’t give you all the answers.
Some things you have to figure out for yourself.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.â€
We have all likely had that experience with our mom. We have a question, or need an answer, and suddenly we are confronted with her challenge – that we figure it out for ourselves. That’s one attribute of a mother’s love. After spending years nurturing us, helping us, she recognizes that moment when we must attempt to fly on our own.
If our moms didn’t live by Jesus’ instruction on sacrificial love, they would hold on to us, think only of their needs, hobble us and keep us dependent. But here we are, strong, faith filled, independent adults who are strong enough to discern answers, to figure things out.
Of course mom stands by in the background, for if we were to reach out in genuine need, perhaps for a kind, reassuring, and loving word, she would be ready to generously offer what we need.
As we face our tomorrows, even those dark and difficult tomorrows after we loose our moms to eternal life, we face them prepared because of her love.
We know mom has done her utmost, not to simply make us independent, strong, and faith filled but to give us the one gift that make our lives perfect.
In their love for us, our moms gave us the gift of eternal life in the joy of heaven. They did this by baptism, their prayer on our behalf, the instruction we need to know and love Jesus, and the way they modeled and encouraged life within His Holy Church. We saw her pray and worship, finding the calm and reassurance that she needed. She heard Jesus speaking directly to her – “No one has greater love than this…†This is the commitment she lived.
Now it is time for us to step up, to figure this one out for ourselves. This is what my mom means to me. This is what she did to make my life so very special.
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We love you mom!!!
May is the Month for Devotions to our Blessed Mother Mary. We keep this tradition in our parish in honoring the Virgin Mother for her dedication and sacrifice of life to become the Theotokos, the Godbearer, for us.
These devotions will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 5th, 12th, 19th, and close with a service on Wednesday, May 26th. All services will be at 7pm.
It is hoped that these evenings in the month will be kept open so as to come and give thanks for Mary being our Blessed Mother, the example of purity of life, and to take time to celebrate her inspiration.
“Pray for us, O Holy Mother of
God, that we may be worthy of the
Promises of Christ!â€
On Mothers’ Day we will begin our prayer with the “crowning of Mary” and dedicate our prayers to those mothers who are with us and those who have been called to eternal life. A light breakfast is scheduled to honor our moms on this Sunday.
