“Never has a Lent been more important. Every newspaper and every newscast tells us of terrible happenings throughout the world. We must be prepared for whatever is coming by taking up every means provided by Mother Church. We must get ourselves ready, no matter what the future, to live in peace and holiness, without fear and without concern for our own lives.”
These are the words of Jean Fox, of Madonna House, from a letter written on March 10, 2003. Maybe you thought these words were written today and they certainly do apply. The news is filled with war, turmoil, and natural disasters. There are many things that can rob us of our peace if we allow it. In these days of challenge and difficulty, let us turn to Our Lady, Queen of Peace. We turn to the rosary, the source of our consolation. Our own diocesan patron, Pope St. Pius X said “The rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; It is the prayer that touches most the heart of the Mother of God … and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family rosary.” I echo once again the words of Fr. Peyton, the “Rosary Priest,” “The family that prays together, stays together.”
Could not the family rosary be a beautiful Lenten activity? How touched I am when I see spouses and children in adoration at Saint Francis Hospital, Cape Girardeau, and Holy Trinity Parish chapel, Springfield. How beautiful it would be to receive an invitation to join a family in their family rosary (I may regret this!!!) Or how about a group of families coming together? With the month of May right around the corner, I will once again try to schedule a few “Meet Me At The Grotto” events to pray the rosary at some of our beautiful outdoor shrines spread throughout the diocese.
In this time of prayer, fasting, and charity, each one of us is invited to a renewal, a conversion, a turning away from the things that hinder us from turning more fully toward Christ. When we respond to the 40 days of Lent, we participate more deeply in the glory of the Risen Lord at Easter. As your Lenten journey continues, please know of my prayerful support!
PRAY FOR VOCATIONS
Remember also to pray for and promote vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life. I have scheduled a series of Masses followed by the rosary throughout the diocese for that very intention. Join me if possible! The remaining Masses for Vocations will be Tuesday, March 28, 6 p.m., St. Peter the Apostle, Joplin; Tuesday, April 11, 5:30 p.m., Saint Agnes Cathedral, Springfield; and Wednesday, April 19, 5:30 p.m., St. John Vianney, Mountain View. If you aren’t able to attend, you can always pray the rosary for that intention. I ask that you look for those young men and women who you feel have the qualities to make a good priest or consecrated religious and invite them to discernment. Encourage them, and please send me their name and address so that I may send them a note of support. At every confirmation I always encourage the candidates to consider if the Lord may be calling them. I am always so pleased when I hear of those people who are open to the possibility. I ask the candidates to entrust their future to Our Lady, asking her to guide their future vocation. We need to support our youth with prayers and encouragement, which gets me back to the family rosary. I have referred many times to the home as the “Domestic Church.” Should not the home also be considered the first seminary or convent? Long before a young man or woman steps into the seminary or convent, hopefully they would have learned the virtue of prayer from the parents within the family.
We are grateful for the vocations that the Good Lord sends to us. As we hear in Scripture, “The harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest provocations.” We do so with confidence, trusting that the Lord will give us what we need.
Published in the March 17, 2023 issue of The Mirror.