An Army of Support

Hello blog readers! I hope you are all doing well.  It is starting to get chillier here in Wisconsin, and unlike the rest of my team members I am more than ready for snowflakes to start falling.  Like always, life is busy here on SPIRITUS. Maybe it is just me, but I think we are all getting a bit antsy for our Thanksgiving break to arrive.  Despite this busyness we are always learning and growing through retreats and other types of formation. 

Since being here on SPIRITUS I have had a stronger desire to grow in devotion towards both Mary and the Saints.  I have always glossed over their importance thinking, “I have Jesus why do I need anyone else?” From being around so many other strong Catholics in this community, my curiosity has grown towards their devotion to Our Mother or a favorite Saint.  Luckily, God has provided many ways for me to act on this desire, especially by getting closer to Mary. 

I think one reason for this desire came from viewing a clip from The Passion of Christ.  We watch when Jesus takes up his cross.  Mary has always stuck out to me at this part because of the suffering that she goes through while her only son is crucified. Her emotional suffering is perfectly depicted in a stained class image, in the chapel of Mount Tabor of her pierced heart. It only makes sense that she deserves the credit of being the best mom ever. Two ways I have had the chance to become closer to Mary is through the rosary and Marian consecration. 

As a team we went to Mass on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  During the homily, the priest strongly encouraged us to pray a rosary every day during the month of October. Determined, I decided I would give it a try.  One blessing of living in community is that one of my sisters here on SPIRITUS kept me accountable in this since she already does a daily rosary.  By meditating on the mysteries of the rosary, I was able to feel more united with Christ. It helped me experience a greater understanding of His life here on earth. 

            I have heard multiple times that Mary is the one that knows Jesus the best, which is why we can go through her for intercession.  A few of the SPIRITUS team members are making the Marian Consecration. We are going through a do-it-yourself retreat by praying and reading “33 Days to Morning Glory,” by Michael E. Gaitley.  We will finish it on either the Immaculate Conception or the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The book best describes a reason for doing the consecration, “Mary’s task is to give spiritual birth to Christians, to feed and nurture them with grace, and to help them grow to full stature in Christ.  In short, Mary’s job is to help us grow in holiness. It’s her mission to form us into saints.” (25). 

            Speaking of the Saints, we give a session on retreat about the radical lives of the Saints. The session called “Living from the Inside Out,” encourages the students to live out their faith in the special ways that are unique to them.  It correlates perfectly with the quotes from “33 Days to Morning Glory.”  Our mission from God is to grow in holiness, and even when you look up Saints in the Catechism of the Catholic Church it says, “see holiness.”  The mission of striving to be a Saint seems so daunting. Good thing Mary is helping us become just that.

            One of the Saints that we as for help the most is St. Michael the Archangel.  We say the prayer to him as a team every morning.  The habit has grown and I say it whenever problems arise or when fear seeps in.  It is always a great consolation that St. Michael helps fight this spiritual battle.  I feel an overwhelming sense of support by both the Saints and Mary, as we are on this mission to ignite the faith in youth. 

            As I have prayed over this subject I received an image of Jesus with Mary beside him, and behind them was an overwhelming amount of the Saints preparing to fight the battle.  It shows that God is the one truly doing the work. We are just his instruments.  Our goal as warriors of Christ is for Him to work through us. Then most importantly, give Him the glory and praise. 

            Thank you for reading all that I have to say about my experiences with Mary and the Saints. Also thank you for supporting and joining us in this mission! We are praying for you. Please continue to pray for us too.