SHRINE OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS AT THE MOTHER CABRINI SHRINE IN GOLDEN COLORADO
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Lk 18:1-8
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
REFLECTION:
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?
In the foothills of Golden Colorado stands the Shrine of Mother Cabrini established in 1902. Mother Cabrini had a passionate love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was this zeal for the Lord that she found her strength to carry out, no matter the cost, what she perceived was the Will of God.
She discussed everything with Jesus and her whole missionary work depended on her 100% trust in the heart of Jesus. This confidence in Jesus took her to great heights in her spiritual life, understanding the infinite mercy of Jesus’ Heart for sinners, the orphans, the forsaken and the suffering. She continuously offered her life for the sins and evils of others.
She was a great organizer. She became the foundress of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and readily opened on their premises an orphanage with a school.
She met difficult people with a determination to win them over. Mother Cabrini suffered many rejections, slights and humiliations which severely tested her patience. She was quoted, “To lose confidence dishonors God since it implies that God will fail us, which is impossible. It's always we who fail and place impediments to the work of grace." Mother Cabrini trusted in God while she continued being busy.
She had her heart set on working in the Far East but God had her going to New York instead to establish orphanages and schools for the Italian immigrants. She was good at raising money for her projects and the work of the sisters extended to New York, Chicago, Colorado, New Orleans, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua and Rome.
In 1902 she went to Denver, Colorado to minister to the miners. While there she discovered a property on the east slope of Lookout Mountain owned by the town of Golden. She accepted donations and bought the property for use by the orphans as a summer camp. There was no reliable source of water except a pond next to the main house. When the sisters complained to Mother Cabrini, she told them, "Lift that rock over there and start to dig. You will find water fresh enough to drink and clean enough to wash." The spring has never stopped running.
God Bless You
In Weakness, Strength The Life and Missionary Activity of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Segundo Galilea, 2004
MOTHER CABRINI
