The above picture is of a painting by Filippino Lippi entitled, the Apparition of the Virgin Mary to St. Bernard.  The picture is a public domain image from Wikimedia Commons.  St. Bernard preached wonderfully about the Blessed Mother and had a great devotion to her.  Today we celebrate the Most Holy Name of Mary.

     Consider children who call for their mothers.  Occasionally, it may be an emphatic, "Mom!!!"  My brother Patrick lost the ability to speak when he became paralyzed.  Two months later, I read his lips for the last time.  The last word on his lips was, "Mom!!!"  After that, I could only read his eyes.

     Consider another extreme:  children calling incessantly for their mothers.  She could respond, "That's my name, don't wear it out."  It's not that our mothers don't want us to call upon them, rather we should do so not in vain.

     Whenever we call upon our own mothers, we ought to do so with respect and devotion.  And that can help us to call upon the Mother of God.  At the foot of the cross, Jesus gave her to us to be our mother.  When we pray the rosary, we call upon Mary frequently.  And she brings us to her Son.

     We were down 30 people this past weekend.  Just as the Blessed Virgin Mary brings people to her Son, let's invite people to return to Mass.

4 PM        239            2

6 PM        105            0

8 AM        126            0

10 AM      189            0

12 PM      178           0

     I'll be in the confessional today from 2-4 PM and 6-7 PM.  We might get some rain around 7 PM.

God love you,

Fr. Jim