Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”
REFLECTION:
“Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”
“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee." These words were given to us by our Mother Mary through today’s saint and will assist us to be more vigilant in our prayers.
St. Catherine Laboure was only nine years old when her mother passed away. She immediately declared that Mother Mary would now be her mother. As she grew, she volunteered with the Sisters of Charity, founded by St. Vincent de Paul. She had a vision and heard the voice of St. Vincent, who led her to become a sister for this convent. There she prayed to St. Vincent with a desire to see the Blessed Virgin Mary.
A few months after becoming a Novitiate of the Daughters of Charity she was awakened one night by a child and brought to the chapel, which was “lit up like Midnight Mass”. She knelt in prayer and soon she heard her Mother come sit near her. There St. Catherine was privileged to speak directly to her, laying her head and hands in the lap of her mother, speaking to her like a child. As a good mother, Mary gave her words of comfort and wisdom and then prepared her with warnings for the mission God had designed for her to complete.
Months later, Mother Mary appeared to St. Catherine revealing the miraculous medal with the famous inscription and what God expected from her to complete the mission. The Blessed Virgin Mary gave these words of faith: “All who wear it will receive great graces, they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence.”
St. Catherine saw graces come from gemstone rings as rays of light. However, some of these gems did not shine. Mother Mary explained that the gems did not send forth rays because the soul did not ask for these graces. Therefore, St. Catherine was known to say to her sisters, “Ask, ask, ask! In all things you must ask!”
Catherine’s confessor was the only person that knew where the miraculous medal originated during the life of St. Catherine. It was not made known to the convent, nor to the world, until after her death at the age of 70.
May we remain humble like St. Catherine and continuously ask Mother Mary for the graces we need to do the will of God. Let us pray to stay vigilant, so we can “escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man” with the help of our Mother.
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