According to Your Will

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord challenge us to the openness, vulnerability, and surrender of Mary as we experience situations of choosing Life in relationship with “God who is with us”.

Emmanuel 

In the passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Ahaz is promised the Sign of Immanuel.

 * [7:14] Isaiah’s sign seeks to reassure Ahaz that he need not fear the invading armies of Syria and Israel in the light of God’s promise to David (2 Sm 7:12–16). The oracle follows a traditional announcement formula by which the birth and sometimes naming of a child is promised to particular individuals (Gn 16:11; Jgs 13:3). The young woman: Hebrew ‘almah designates a young woman of marriageable age without specific reference to virginity. The Septuagint translated the Hebrew term as parthenos, which normally does mean virgin, and this translation underlies Mt 1:23. Emmanuel: the name means “with us is God.” Since for the Christian the incarnation is the ultimate expression of God’s willingness to “be with us,” it is understandable that this text was interpreted to refer to the birth of Christ.1

Psalm 40 stipulates the precise mode of thanksgiving: not animal sacrifice but open and enthusiastic proclamation of the salvation just experienced.

 * [Psalm 40] A thanksgiving (Ps 40:2–13) has been combined with a lament (Ps 40:14–17) that appears also in Ps 70. The psalmist describes the rescue in spatial terms—being raised up from the swampy underworld to firm earth where one can praise God (Ps 40:2–4). All who trust God will experience like protection (Ps 40:5–6)! The Psalm stipulates the precise mode of thanksgiving: not animal sacrifice but open and enthusiastic proclamation of the salvation just experienced (Ps 40:7–11). A prayer for protection concludes (Ps 40:12–17).2

The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews emphasizes Jesus One Sacrifice instead of many.

 * [10:1–10] Christian faith now realizes that the Old Testament sacrifices did not effect the spiritual benefits to come but only prefigured them (Heb 10:1). For if the sacrifices had actually effected the forgiveness of sin, there would have been no reason for their constant repetition (Heb 10:2). They were rather a continual reminder of the people’s sins (Heb 10:3). It is not reasonable to suppose that human sins could be removed by the blood of animal sacrifices (Heb 10:4). Christ, therefore, is here shown to understand his mission in terms of Ps 40:5–7, cited according to the Septuagint (Heb 10:5–7). Jesus acknowledged that the Old Testament sacrifices did not remit the sins of the people and so, perceiving the will of God, offered his own body for this purpose (Heb 10:8–10).3

In the Gospel of Luke, the Birth of Jesus is foretold.

 * [1:26–38] The announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus is parallel to the announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John. In both the angel Gabriel appears to the parent who is troubled by the vision (Lk 1:11–12, 26–29) and then told by the angel not to fear (Lk 1:13, 30). After the announcement is made (Lk 1:14–17, 31–33) the parent objects (Lk 1:18, 34) and a sign is given to confirm the announcement (Lk 1:20, 36). The particular focus of the announcement of the birth of Jesus is on his identity as Son of David (Lk 1:32–33) and Son of God (Lk 1:32, 35).4

For Cindy Murphy McMahon, the lesson for us here is that God is full of the unexpected. We must not put God in a set, confining, constricting, limiting understanding that we have. God enjoys surprising us, so we must remain open to the wonders of the Lord and the marvels of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.

 So God, throughout history, had been giving a message that what God desired was people’s hearts, not superficial, ritualistic sin offerings. The psalmist revealed it, Jesus confirmed it, and then settled it once and for all with his own sacrifice as proof. Surprising news to many once again!
Then we come to the Gospel, the Annunciation, wherein the surprising God fulfills the prophecy with the cooperation of a young Hebrew woman named Mary. Mary was certainly surprised, but not so much that she said no. She had some questions, but she heard, felt and saw enough to trust God, and the rest is history5

Don Schwager quotes “Do you wish to be great?”, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

 "Just imagine the incredible kindness and mercy! He was the only Son, but He did not want to remain alone. So that humans might be born of God, God was born of humans. Begotten of God is He through Whom we were created - Born of a woman is He through Whom we are to be re-created. The Word first wished to be born of humans, so that you might be assured of being born of God" (excerpt from Sermon on John 2, 13)6

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:26-38 comments that Mary might not have had much time to reflect on the angel’s greetings until later, after she had said yes to God’s plan. But as the baby grew in her womb, she probably thought about it often. She knew that what God was asking of her wasn’t going to be easy. No doubt this was a special child. How was she going to raise Jesus to be a king and sit on the throne of David, as the angel had said? (Luke 1:32-33). When such questions swirled in her mind, she could always go back and recall the angel’s words: God was with her, and so was his grace.

 When has the Lord asked you to do something difficult? Maybe you were given a special needs child to raise or you are caring for an ailing spouse or parent or you’re trying to work through tensions in your marriage. We all are faced with situations in which God is asking us to do what seems beyond us. We may have to say yes to the Lord not once but many times as we struggle to be obedient to his plan for our lives.
But what the angel said to Mary is also true of us. Mary was born without original sin, but because of our baptism, we are also filled with God’s grace. He dwells in us. That means he is always with us and that his grace is always available to us.7

Friar Jude Winkler explains how the reference by Isaiah to a maiden becomes a virgin in the Gospel. Mary, Immaculately conceived, is completely free to respond to Gabriel. Friar Jude connects Mary to the Ark of the Covenant as the Holy Spirit hovers over her.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Brian McLaren is an author and contemplative activist who is responding to crises, not theoretical for him, but a deeply felt and lived experience which comes through so clearly in these words.

 Anxieties can gray the whole sky like cloud cover or descend on our whole horizon like fog. When we rename our anxieties, in a sense we distill them into requests. What covered the whole sky can now be contained in a couple of buckets. So when we’re suffering from anxiety, we can begin by simply holding the word help before God, letting that one word bring focus to the chaos of our racing thoughts. Once we feel that our mind has dropped out of the frantic zone and into a spirit of connection with God, we can let the general word help go and in its place hold more specific words that name what we need, thereby condensing the cloud of vague anxiety into a bucket of substantial request. So we might hold the word guidance before God. Or patience. Or courage. Or resilience. Or boundaries, mercy, compassion, determination, healing, calm, freedom, wisdom, or peace. . . . [2]8

The “yes” of Mary provides the Way for us to meet challenges through depending on the grace of God as we adopt attitudes of surrender and vulnerability in times of great decisions.

References

1	(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 7 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/7
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 40 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/40
3	(n.d.). Hebrews, chapter 10 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/10
4	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 1 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/1
5	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). The Annunciation of the Lord (Solemnity) - Mass Readings .... Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/03/25/
8	(2020, March 25). Praying in Crisis — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://cac.org/praying-in-crisis-2020-03-25/

Surrender beyond time and space

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary resonate with our call to surrender and trust God beyond our limited human perceptions.

Surrender and trust

The reading from Genesis provides a link to the portrayal of Mary as in conflict with the serpent.

* [3:15] They will strike…at their heel: the antecedent for “they” and “their” is the collective noun “offspring,” i.e., all the descendants of the woman. Christian tradition has seen in this passage, however, more than unending hostility between snakes and human beings. The snake was identified with the devil (Wis 2:24; Jn 8:44; Rev 12:9; 20:2), whose eventual defeat seemed implied in the verse. Because “the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:8), the passage was understood as the first promise of a redeemer for fallen humankind, the protoevangelium. Irenaeus of Lyons (ca. A.D. 130–200), in his Against Heresies 5.21.1, followed by several other Fathers of the Church, interpreted the verse as referring to Christ, and cited Gal 3:19 and 4:4 to support the reference. Another interpretive translation is ipsa, “she,” and is reflected in Jerome’s Vulgate. “She” was thought to refer to Mary, the mother of the messiah. In Christian art Mary is sometimes depicted with her foot on the head of the serpent.1

Psalm 98 is praise of the Judge of the World.

* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9).2

In the passage from Ephesians, Paul proclaims our spiritual blessings in Christ as we ponder the Father’s plan of Salvation and our relationship as children of God through the Spirit.

* [1:3–14] While a Pauline letter usually continues after the greeting with a prayer of thanksgiving, as in Eph 1:15–23 below, Ephesians first inserts a blessing of God for the blessings Christians have experienced, as in 2 Cor 1:3–4 and 1 Pt 1:3–12. The blessing here, akin to a Jewish berakah, is rich in images almost certainly drawn from hymns and liturgy. Many ideas here are also found in Col 1:3–23. Certain phrases are frequently repeated, such as in Christ (Eph 1:3, 10, 12) or in him (Eph 1:4, 7, 9, 11, 13) or in the beloved (Eph 1:6) and (for) the praise of (his) glory (Eph 1:6, 12, 14). Some terms like chose (Eph 1:4) and destined (Eph 1:5) reflect Old Testament theology (Dt 7:7; 9:4–6; 23:5) or Pauline themes (redemption, Eph 1:7, 14; grace, Eph 1:6, 7) or specific emphases in Colossians (forgiveness, Col 1:14). A triadic structure is discernible in Eph 1:3–14: God the Father (Eph 1:3–6, 8, 11), Christ (Eph 1:3, 5, 7–10, 12), and the Spirit (Eph 1:13–14). The spiritual blessings Christians have received through Christ (Eph 1:3) are gratefully enumerated: the call to holiness (Eph 1:4; cf. Col 1:22); the gift of divine adoption establishing a unique spiritual relationship with God the Father through Christ (Eph 1:5; cf. Gal 4:5); liberation from sin through Christ’s sacrificial death (Eph 1:7); revelation of God’s plan of salvation in Christ (Eph 1:9; cf. Eph 3:3–4; Rom 16:25); the gift of election and faith in Christ bestowed upon Jewish Christians (see note on Eph 1:12, we who first hoped in Christ); and finally, the same gift granted to Gentiles (Eph 1:13, you also). In the Christ-centered faith and existence of the Christian communities the apostle sees the predetermined plan of God to bring all creation under the final rule of Christ (Eph 1:4–5, 9–10) being made known (Eph 1:9) and carried through, to God’s glory (Eph 1:6, 12, 14).3

In the Gospel of Luke, the birth of Jesus is foretold.

* [1:26–38] The announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus is parallel to the announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John. In both the angel Gabriel appears to the parent who is troubled by the vision (Lk 1:11–12, 26–29) and then told by the angel not to fear (Lk 1:13, 30). After the announcement is made (Lk 1:14–17, 31–33) the parent objects (Lk 1:18, 34) and a sign is given to confirm the announcement (Lk 1:20, 36). The particular focus of the announcement of the birth of Jesus is on his identity as Son of David (Lk 1:32–33) and Son of God (Lk 1:32, 35).4

Kyle Lierk wishes that we all not only get a life, but live a life that embraces the gritty reality of our world and celebrates the grace that is waiting to be discovered there.

A wonderful model for someone who lived from that space was Miriam of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus.  Here was a person who knew all too well the gritty reality of an earthly existence. Nazareth in the first century was a very difficult place to live if you were not among the small, ruling elite classes.  Life under the Roman Empire was brutal for agrarian communities like Nazareth. In fact, by the nature of Joseph’s trade as a carpenter, Mary and her husband belonged to the artisan class which had an even lower income than the peasant class due to the fact that they had no land on which to grow their own food.  And yet, within this space of apparent scarcity comes the abundance of Mary’s great “Yes” to God: “May it be done to me according to your word.” (LK 1:38) What a powerful witness of what it means to endure the struggle and trials of life with a deep, abiding trust and faith in God!5

Don Schwager quotes “God borrows Mary's flesh to lead humanity to glory,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.

"Revealing to you the pre-eternal counsel, Gabriel came and stood before you, maid, and in greeting said, 'Rejoice, earth that has not been sown; rejoice, burning bush that remains unconsumed; Rejoice, unsearchable depth; Rejoice, bridge that leads to heaven; Rejoice, ladder raised on high that Jacob saw; Rejoice, divine jar of manna; Rejoice, deliverance from the curse; Rejoice, restoration of Adam, the Lord is with you!'"'You appeared to me in the form of a man,' said the undefiled maid to the chief of the heavenly hosts. 'How then do you speak to me of things that pass human power? For you have said that God shall be with me and shall take up his dwelling in my womb. How shall I become the spacious habitation and the holy place of him that rides upon the cherubim? (Psalm 18:10) Do not amuse me with deceit; for I have not known pleasure, I have not entered into wedlock. How then shall I bear a child?' "Then the bodiless angel replied, 'When God so wills, the order of nature is overcome, and what is beyond humankind comes to pass. Believe that my sayings are true, all-holy and immaculate lady.' And she cried aloud, 'Let it be to me according to your word, and I shall bear him that is without flesh, who shall borrow flesh from me, that through this mingling he may lead humankind up to his ancient glory, for he alone has power so to do!'"(excerpt from  STICHERA OF THE ANNUNCIATION)6

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:26-38 suggests as we honor Mary today, let’s remember the deep faith she had, not just to be a mother, but to be the Mother of God!

Mary has many things to teach us. Like her, we are called to bring Jesus into this world, and like her, we too will suffer. When we face the challenges and temptations of life in this world, we can forget about the Lord and follow the path of least resistance. Or we can do as Mary did and hold fast to our faith in God’s greatness. We can trust that he will look after us if we remain humble and open to his word.7

Claudia Hammond is the author of Time Warped: Unlocking The Secrets Of Time Perception. She is mentioned in a BBC article about what we get wrong about time. In the last century, Albert Einstein’s discoveries exploded our concepts of time. He showed us that time is created by things; it wasn’t there waiting for those things to act within it. He demonstrated that time is relative, moving more slowly if an object is moving fast. Events don’t happen in a set order. There isn’t a single universal “now”, in the sense that Newtonian physics would have it.

The way we experience time in our minds is never going to match up with the latest discoveries in physics. We all know what the passing of time feels like. Although we can’t change the way our brains perceive time, there are better ways we can start to think about it. But even then, the way it warps in certain situations will continue to surprise and unsettle us. In the end, perhaps, St Augustine put it best when he asked: “What then is time? If no one asks me, then I know. If I wish to explain it to someone who asks, I know it not.”8

Friar Jude Winkler shares a few levels of interpretation of the passage from Genesis. The text from Ephesians is compared to the theology of John Duns Scotus, who teaches Jesus would have come anyway. Friar Jude emphasizes the place of vulnerability in the encounter leading to the surrender of Mary to the Will of God.


Dorian Llywelyn SJ, a member of the California Province of the Society of Jesus, surveys the history of artistic representations of Gabriel’s visit to Mary. Each of us is called to discover our place in the mystery of the Annunciation, to know the Incarnation by the message of an angel, and to pray that by the mystery of his Cross and Passion, the Son of the Virgin may bring the whole world into the glory of the Resurrection.

Whether in hearing the words of God or reading them, Mary internalises them so intensely that they take flesh in her as the Word.  At the beginning of the 12th century, the Benedictine Goscelin of Canterbury wrote to his spiritual daughter, an anchoress, encouraging her to take Mary as her model and understand Christ as coming into her soul as he came into the Virgin’s womb: ‘Conceive Christ, carry him, give birth to him, feed him. Let him deign to be born in you from his infancy and to grow in you to the fullness of love.’ Some fifty years later, the Cistercian Isaac of Stella taught his listeners that that in differing ways on differing levels, ‘every Christian is also a bride of God’s Word, a mother of Christ, his daughter and sister, at once virginal and fruitful. These words refer in general terms to the Church; they are specially true of Mary; and they also apply to individual Christians in particular ways.’ 9

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, believes that Jesus and the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are saying the same thing but with different vocabulary:

We suffer to get well.
We surrender to win.
We die to live.
We give it away to keep it.

Fr Richard’s good friend Father Thomas Keating (1923–2018) taught that this is the human condition.

To be powerless means to be absolutely helpless. . .This, oddly enough, is the best disposition for the beginning of a spiritual journey. Why is that? Because the deeper one’s awareness of one’s powerlessness and the more desperate, the more willing one is to reach out for help. This help is offered in the next two steps. You turn yourself over to a Higher Power who you believe can heal you and work with you in the long journey of dismantling the emotional programs for happiness. ..The real spiritual journey depends on our acknowledging the unmanageability of our lives. The love of God or the Higher Power is what heals us. Nobody becomes a full human being without love. It brings to life people who are most damaged. The steps are really an engagement in an ever-deepening relationship with God. [2]10

Vulnerable and open to surrender to the Will of God is the disposition shown by Mary, beyond time and space, that we seek to live as Christians who are Christ bearers.
References

1	(n.d.). Genesis, chapter 3 - United States Conference. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/3
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 98 - United States Conference. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98
3	(n.d.). Ephesians, chapter 1 - United States Conference. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/1
4	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 1 - United States Conference. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/1
5	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/12/09/
8	(2019, December 3). What we get wrong about time - BBC Future - BBC.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191203-what-we-get-wrong-about-time?ocid=global_future_rss
9	(2016, April 1). The Purple Thread, the Virgin's Ear and the Book of the .... Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/purple-thread-virgin%E2%80%99s-ear-and-book-annunciation
10	(n.d.). The Spirituality of Powerlessness — Center for Action and .... Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://cac.org/the-spirituality-of-powerlessness-2019-12-09/

Heart of the Good Shepherd

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the way in which we love as the Shepherd in caring for family and others.

Beside still waters

The passage from the Prophet Ezekiel is the Parable of the Shepherds in which God is promised as the Shepherd of Israel.

* [34:2] Shepherds: the leaders of the people. A frequent title for kings and deities in the ancient Near East; the ideal ruler took care of his subjects and anticipated their needs. Ezekiel’s oracle broadens the reference to include the whole class of Jerusalem’s leaders (v. 17). The prophet assures his audience, the exiles in Babylon, that God holds these leaders responsible for what has happened to Jerusalem and will give Israel a new shepherd worthy of the title.1 

In Psalm 23 God’s loving care for the psalmist is portrayed.

* [Psalm 23] God’s loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Ps 23:1–4) and a host’s generosity toward a guest (Ps 23:5–6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Is 40:11; 49:10; Jer 31:10).2 

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans underlines the development of Hope in the gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love.

Because this fullness of salvation belongs to the future it is called the Christian hope. Paul’s Greek term for hope does not, however, suggest a note of uncertainty, to the effect: “I wonder whether God really means it.” Rather, God’s promise in the gospel fills believers with expectation and anticipation for the climactic gift of unalloyed commitment in the holy Spirit to the performance of the will of God. The persecutions that attend Christian commitment are to teach believers patience and to strengthen this hope, which will not disappoint them because the holy Spirit dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s love (Rom 5:5).3 

The Gospel from Luke is The Parable of the Lost Sheep told by Jesus in this Gospel and in Matthew.

* [15:1–32] To the parable of the lost sheep (Lk 15:1–7) that Luke shares with Matthew (Mt 18:12–14), Luke adds two parables (the lost coin, Lk 15:8–10; the prodigal son, Lk 15:11–32) from his own special tradition to illustrate Jesus’ particular concern for the lost and God’s love for the repentant sinner.4 

Carol Zuegner asks “Who among us hasn’t felt lost or broken?”

I am broken, but I am loved. God is with us, even in the dark valleys. He gives us the courage to do the right thing, to share that love that has been poured out into our hearts.5  

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus is Son of David and Son of God,” by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.

"We also will ask the Pharisees of today a similar question. They deny that he who was born of the holy Virgin is very Son of God the Father and himself also God. They also divide the one Christ into two sons. Let these people explain to us how David's Son is his Lord, not so much as to human lordship as divine. To sit at the right hand of the Father is the assurance and pledge of supreme glory. Those who share the same throne are equal also in dignity, and those who are crowned with equal honors are understood of course to be equal in nature. To sit by God can signify nothing else than sovereign authority. The throne declares to us that Christ possesses power over everything and supremacy by right of his substance. How is the Son of David David's Lord, seated at the right hand of God the Father and on the throne of Deity? Is it not altogether according to the unerring word of the mystery that the Word as God sprung from the very substance of God the Father? Being in his likeness and equal with him, he became flesh. He became man, perfectly and yet without departing from the incomparable excellence of the divine dignities. He continued in that state in which he had always been. He still was God, although he became flesh and in form like us. He is David's Lord therefore according to that which belongs to his divine glory, nature and sovereignty. He is his son according to the flesh." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 137.52)6 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 15:3-7 comments that some people would say that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the heart of a shepherd, and with good reason... today’s Gospel gives us another insight into the kind of shepherd Jesus is: one who rejoices.

 Take some time today to consider the Sacred Heart of Jesus not just as a suffering heart but as a joyful heart. Imagine you are that lost lamb, and your shepherd is pursuing you with eagerness and determination. In your mind’s eye, see his face light up as he spots you and reaches out for you. Feel the warmth of his joy as he lifts you onto his shoulders to carry you home.7

Friar Jude Winkler sets the passage from Ezekiel and Psalm 23 in the time of the Babylonian exile when Israel was in need of a shepherd to lead them back to Jerusalem. The Gospel parable prompts us to ask if our parish budgets do enough in outreach to lost sheep. Friar Jude notes that the Good Shepherd “abandons” the 99 sheep to address the needs of the lost one.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, continues his exploration of parental love and quotes Carol Bialock, a Religious of the Sacred Heart and author of the poem “Breathing Underwater” and “Widening the Door,”

 Does the heart have a narrow door?Will it allow in just one moreof every beast and flower and birdand every song it has ever heard?
Just one more child, just one more flower,one more relinquishing of powerto that sane and sacred foolishnessof living by inclusiveness?
Does the heart have a supple, elastic latchthat makes it easy to dispatchall pettiness and bigotryand opens it to what makes us free?
. . .
You who can heal all wounds and hatemake my heart open, free, and great.
—Carol Bialock [1]8

Brené Brown who offers a parenting manifesto that can serve as a touchstone when we feel afraid or resist vulnerability, “Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead”. The feast today of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Solemnity) is an opportunity to reflect on the joy and hope that our practice of a Shepherd’s Love can bring to our journey.

References

1	(n.d.). Ezekiel, chapter 34 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/34
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 23 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23
3	(n.d.). Romans, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/5
4	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/15
5	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Solemnity) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved June 28, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/06/28/
8	(2019, June 28). The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto — Center for Action and .... Retrieved June 28, 2019, from https://cac.org/the-wholehearted-parenting-manifesto-2019-06-28/