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The Tidings Brought to Mary

/ Weekly Message

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord (Luke 1:45) The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your mercy, O Lord, endures forever (Psalm 138:8)

Dear Friends,

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Two Towers, Frodo and Sam stand on the lid of hell. They are about to enter Mordor, evil’s stronghold, in their quest to destroy the Ring. And Sam muses “The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them… But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered… Folks seem to have been just landed in them, usually – their paths were laid that way… I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into?” I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into… That question is paramount. Is the story finally good, or is it meaningless? How much can we trust Creation’s author? What’s our part in the story? On September 15, we celebrate Mary under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows. At the foot of the Cross, as Lumen Gentium explains in numbers 58 and 61, Mary united her heart to Christ’s sacrifice and freely cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and love in her Son’s mission to restore divine life to all people. But what enabled Mary to trust God so much? What enabled her to freely walk the path laid out for her? She knew what sort of story she’d fallen into, its summary appears in Luke 1:26-38 under three declarations made by God through the angel’s message: “I love you. Do not be afraid. Go!” “I love you.” First God reveals to Mary how much he loves her: he is with her, which is the wellspring of a joy that nothing can finally quench. She is precious in God’s eyes, and honored, and he loves her (Isaiah 43:4). “Do not be afraid, Mary.” Then the Lord strengthens Mary. She too felt fear. She too needed to bring that fear to God, to let him give courage to her heart (Psalm 27:14). As the old saying goes, “Courage is simply fear that has said its prayers.” “Go!” And Mary receives a mission. God calls her to an adventure of his own marvelous design. He will not fail her or forsake her (Joshua 1:5,9). In his presence, in his strength, he sends her as a vessel of his mercy to others (Romans 9:23). In everything she does, from the simple to the dramatic, Mary is a missionary of God’s love. “I love you. Do not be afraid. Go!” Mary must have pondered those words again and again. They reminded her of the tale she’d fallen into; they reminded her that the story was, ultimately, very good (Genesis 1:31, John 3:16-17). What sort of tale have you and I fallen into?

God bless you,

Fr. John Pietropaoli Two Priests and A Mic podcaster

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I’m Holding You

/ Weekly Message

Dear Friends,

My hands are toward the end of their slow process of ceasing to function, and I am going through a process of “letting go;” not just physically but with my whole being. One thing that is, surprisingly, requiring a bit more detachment than I  expected is the ability to make art.

I am not, nor will I ever be, an amazing artist. More of a passable artist, I always enjoyed painting, drawing and crafting in its various forms. On a recent road trip, I looked out the window, marveling at the trees’ many shades of green and the soft but also pointed tips of the pine needles’ new growth and thinking on how I would paint them… and then reminding myself that, no, I won’t paint them. The fact that I can’t paint them can’t detract from their beauty, though. Perhaps I can’t create, re-create, or copy the beauty I see, but I can still appreciate it. It is still beauty, even if I have changed.

This and many similar experiences make up the daily ways Our Lord has recently been inviting me to let go of everything and just hold onto Him. In fact, it goes further. Recently, His reminder has become, “If you can’t hold on, just remember that I’m holding you.”

A friend gave me a book a few years ago called It’s Good to be Here by Christina Chase. Born with a physical disability that slowly but progressively worsens and for which there is no cure, Christina is a Catholic author who reflects on the sacredness of being human. I have come to greatly appreciate her reflections. Though we’ve never met or spoken, she is my friend in much the same way that you and I are friends, even though we may have never met. I can say that, through her writing, I understood a piece of my soul a bit better.

In my journey of contemplation on giving priority to “being” over “doing,” I constantly turned to life’s realities that require acceptance of just that: the elderly, the handicapped, the poor. These lives are of equal importance to the Lord, and their lives have value not because of what they do but because of who they are: God’s good creatures. These realities help me remember that, even when I am completely unable to do anything, I am still His, and He does great things through me when I give myself to Him — greater things than I could ever do on my own, even if I were an amazing artist. “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).

Your Friend in Christ, 

Nicole Buchholz

(Nicole continues to offer her struggles with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, to God.)

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Who Holds your Key?

/ Weekly Message

Dear Friends,

My older brother was born with Down’s Syndrome. I could fill volumes with Michael’s antics and the little lessons he taught me over his nearly 60 years of life, but I would like to share just one. Some years past, an uncle suffered a stroke, and there was a concern he might not survive. Michael had experienced family funerals, so the matter’s seriousness did not escape him. My parents brought him to my house for “sister time” on their way to the hospital.

At one point in this visit, he crooked his finger at me to follow him. He said, “Come into my office.” I chuckled to myself as “his office” was really my office. He shut the door, led me to a chair, and told me to “sit.” He then sat next to me, leaned forward to look at me with tears filling his eyes, and said, “My mom told me that when I die, Jesus is going to take me to heaven.” Getting choked up myself, I said, “That is right, Mike. And there will be such a party that day when all the angels and saints are singing and dancing.” Michael loves many things, but parties and dancing are among his favorites.

By now, tears are streaming down his face, and he leans forward even more to ask, “But how is he going to get me out of that box (casket)?” With my heart aching for his anxiety, I answered, “Oh, Michael, Jesus has the key.” In an instant, his face was swallowed by a smile that stretched from ear to ear. He said, “OK,” stood up, wiped his face on his shirt sleeve, and walked back to his Star Wars movie, completely at peace. I sat there and thought, “Oh, Donna, Ye of little faith.” No matter how challenging life’s situations are, Jesus holds the key. It really is that simple.

My brother was born with imperfect physical abilities, and imperfect cognitive abilities—but he possesses perfect faith. I pray everyone who reads this reflection can be blessed with faith like Mike.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary,
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

 

Yours in the Heart of Jesus,

Donna Garrett

NOTE: Donna’s brother, Michael, passed away on February 15, 2023.

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!