Dear Friends in Christ,
One of the greatest gifts and strengths in my life has the Blessed Virgin Mary. I love the English Christmas Carol, “Of a Rose, A Lovely Rose…” which as these words in the final verse of this piece that has been recorded by John Rutter:
Pray we to her with great honour,
She that bare the blessed flow’r,
To be our help and our succour,
And shield us from the fiendes bond.
Although the world has become so ugly and distorted we still can find beauty if we search. We see it in nature, in the birth of a baby, in the face of a bride and groom in love and in the person gazing upon the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Monstrance. It is in Our Lady, Our Queen that one always finds the face of pure love and radiant loveliness. Even the name Mary, the anglicized version of Miriam, lifts my soul. The miraculous face of Our Lady of Guadalupe reflects a beauty that is sometimes difficult to bear. Her face in the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa is the dignified face of a Mother Who reveals wounds on Her face expressing her suffering with us. I know that a lot of people are really frightened for the future. Our Mother is the Patroness of the United States under her title of the Immaculate Conception. She will not leave us. Over and over, our Queen tells us to “Do whatever He tells you.” What is Jesus telling us? There are so many things that surely do not please Him. The advice to “Do whatever He tells us” must not be taken lightly! The rejection of God’s moral code…the murder of millions of children in the womb; even promulgating laws to protect this despicable act…the embracing of socialism, masonic teachings and magic is not doing what He tells us. The only thing that we can change directly is ourselves. We have a teacher, Our Lady. Mary Dixon Thayer wrote the poem “The Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue.”
Lovely Lady dressed in blue–—
teach me how to pray!
God was just your little Boy,
tell me what to say!
Did you lift Him up, sometimes,
gently, on your knee?
Did you sing to Him
the way Mother does to me?
Did you hold His hand at night?
Did you ever try telling stories of the world?
O! And did He cry?
Do you really think He cares
if I tell Him things–—
Little things that happen?
And Do the Angels’ wings make a noise?
And can He hear me if I speak low?
Does He understand me now?
Tell me–—for you know!
Lovely Lady dressed in blue,
teach me how to pray!
God was just your little Boy,
and you know the way.
Our beautiful grotto continues to move towards completion. There is a sidewalk around for waking, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is in her place of honor, flanked by Saint Agnes and Saint Jude and the shrine now lights up every night! It is mystically beautiful! The lights on the polls surround the water will be lighted in the coming weeks. Every penny given allows this dream to come true. St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote: “In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for a guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal.” Thank you My Lady for showing us how to do whatever the Lord tells us.”
God bless you,
Father Szolack