Daily prayer
to St. Jude

O kindSaint-Jude, our faithful intercessor to Jesus, receive the following special intentions : to present them to the Almighty Lord, Root of all good. Above all, grant us an increase of our faith in His love. May each day find us closer in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. KindSaint-Jude, you who has revived hope in our hearts, you whose model merits and life bring us the divine blessings and graces, be our advocate, and lead us to Jesus and Mary. With you, blessed apostle, we give thanks and praise God with all our heart for His innumerable kindnesses. Amen.

The Monthly Note

May 2012

THE INVISIBLE MOTHER

«Woman, this is your son, then to the disciple he said, This is your mother ». John 19;26

by Jacques Lauzier, o.p.

A child cannot live without his/her mother.  The father can do many things for his child but will never be able to replace the mother. Only she knows how to pamper her child. Only she knows his/her pains and the different facets of his/her nature.

At home, when something good, or bad, happens, it’s to his/her mother that the child rushes to; not the father.  And if the father has to be implicated, the mother will do it.  There is an «eternal» link that bonds mother and child.  She carried and fed her child for nine months. It’s quite something.  That’s why that bond is so strong.

For the child, her presence is heart warming, reassuring.  He/she knows she will be a confidant.  Deep down, he/she knows that she will understand.  Often, she understands him/her in half words.  It is her child; it is her blood.

Since Jesus «gave» us His mother on the Cross, she took her role very seriously, if I say so.  She acts the same way a mother would with her child.  Like a mother, she talks to her Son about us.  She tells us what is happening with us; good or not too good.  If it’s good, they are both happy; if it’s not too good, she asks him some «favours» to help us become better.  We call that «interceding ».  And she is tireless in that function.

But there is a problem.  We cannot see her!  We cannot touch her, nor caress her like a child.  Neither can we be caress by her. So, is she truly our mother?  Of course she is.  Even if we don’t see her.  Because her, she can see us.  And, just like at Cana, her mother’s heart can «guess» what we need, what we have missing.  And then, she intercedes for us to her Son.  In three words: she loves us!  She wants our happiness.

As for me, that’s all I need.  And I will take advantage of the month of May to show her my love in all sorts of ways.  I will find ways to offer her flowers, talk to her in my heart; exactly like I used to do with my mother.  And I know that in return, she will do the same thing for me.