Words from Fr Ed (From June 19th, 2011 Bulletin)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. - 2 Cor 13:13

This Greeting, which is one option we use at the beginning of Mass, is one of the more explicit Trinitarian references in Scripture. It reveals the unity of the three persons of the Godhead in Christian life. The Trinity is a mystery, however, one that we will not fully apprehend in this life. It takes faith to believe in the Trinity without understanding. There is a story of St. Augustine walking on the beach. He was pondering the Holy Trinity when he saw a boy running back and forth to the water with a bucket, trying to fill a little hole he had dug in the sand. The water kept overflowing the hole and running back to the sea. Augustine remarked, “What are you trying to do?” The boy responded, “I’m trying to put the sea into this hole.” Augustine rejoined, “Why that’s impossible.” The boy wisely said, “So is trying to cram all the truths of the Trinity into your head.”

The Trinity, as defined in the Catholic Encyclopedia, is in the absolute class of “supernatural mysteries…. An absolute mystery is a truth whose existence or possibility could not be discovered by a creature, and whose essence (inner substantial being) can be expressed by the finite mind only in terms of analogy, e.g., the Trinity.” May the Lord grant us faith to believe, to trust, and to hope in the living God.

Happy Father’s Day

Steve Wood, a Catholic Men’s Spiritual Leader, has a theory that if we are to renew society we must renew the Church; to renew the Church we must renew the family; and to renew the family we must renew the husband and father. In my experience this is generally true. Yes, it is a generalization, but often women seem to gravitate towards faith and a relationship with God more readily than men. Call it male pride, but that is just a guestimate. So what can we do to renew men in their roles as husbands and fathers? Fr. Wade Menezes, CPM gives these ten ‘commandments’ that can improve your life and effectiveness as a man.


Ten Commandments of a Husband and Father

“Take courage and be a man. Keep the mandate of the Lord, your God, following His ways and observing His statutes, commands, ordinances and decrees,that you may succeed in whatever you do.” - 1 Kings 2:2-3

I. Develop an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus, allowing Him to forgive you of your past, to talk to you, to heal you and to guide you. Then, trust the Holy Spirit in all things. Trust Him to provide everything you need, including financial help.

II. Get your priorities in order: Jesus first, your wife second, your children third, your work fourth, etc. Develop a weekly schedule, blocking out quality time for the Lord, your wife, each child and the family as a whole. A husband’s most important time during any given day is the first five minutes when he gets home from work and the love and attention he shows his wife and children at that time. Remember that your human fatherhood is rooted in the Divine Fatherhood of Almighty God. (cf. Eph 3:14-15; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2214)

III. Realize that you are [called to be a priest in your] home. It is your primary responsibility to oversee the TV and its influence, the Internet and its influence, as well as the books and magazines that enter into your home. You must stand firmly against all evil influences, asking constantly for God’s strength and guidance to lead your family in loving a pure, holy and non-violent lifestyle. Esto vir! (Be a man!) A father fosters moral virtue within his home first and foremost by example. Get into the habit of blessing your children – both alone and with your wife – before they go to sleep at night or before they leave the house in the morning. [A professor at my seminary once said that the best example of a priest he had known was his own father, because of the way in which he led the famihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifly in prayer and virtue. This does not mean that a wife does not also exercise her ‘priesthood of all believers’. Saint Edith Stein, the great German feminist, says that the woman is the heart of the home. In light of the truth that so many women do lead their homes in faith, men must not abdicate their own spiritual responsibility because of this. Often children look to the father for affirmation of their mother’s good example. If they do not find it, or even find negation or mockery, then this licenses the children to dismiss the faith as irrelevant. EW]

I will continue with these commandments next week. For more information in the meantime, see the Fathers of Mercy web site at: http://www.fathersofmercy.com/our_apostolates/missionaries/menezes/ten_commandments_fathers.pdf

Words From Fr Ed (From June 12th, 2011 Bulletin)

Pentecost
…He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” - Jn 20:22

Jesus’ breath reminds us of the ‘ruah’ of God, when God “…blew into [Adam’s] nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.” (Gen 2:7) The word ‘ruah’ in Hebrew also means ‘spirit’. Jesus breathed His Spirit into the apostles, giving them the power to forgive sins. (v.23) With this breath He was also preparing them for the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In the Acts of the Apostles we read, “...tongues as of fire…parted and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” (Acts 2:3-4)

See how evangelical the Holy Spirit is. The presence of the Holy Spirit brings an immediate sharing of the experience. Remember how Elizabeth gushed with honor for Our Lady and Our Lord when John “leaped in her womb” at the approaching presence of Jesus. The Scripture says that Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit.” This experience is not something one can contain. The abundance of God overflows the mind and heart of us mere creatures. This overflow is not wasted however; it overflows in the direction of other people. Our second reading from Corinthians speaks of the “spiritual gifts” of the Holy Spirit, which are given to each individual “for some benefit”.

Most of us have not experienced this dramatic kind of infilling of the Holy Spirit that occurred at Pentecost. In the history of the Church it’s actually somewhat rare, but not unheard of. In fact, the saints often had extraordinary charismatic gifts of healing, prophecy, and knowledge. More recently we have a charismatic movement in the Church that began in 1967 when 25 faculty and students at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh held a weekend retreat. They experienced similar phenomena as the disciples in the upper room. It soon spread to Notre Dame and Michigan State campuses. (Read more at http://www.ccr.org.uk/duquesne.htm)

While we might pray to have such an experience, the normal route for Catholics is faithful reception of the sacraments during our lives along with obeying our consciences. If our consciences are properly formed they will prompt us to seek the Holy Spirit who leads us “into all truth”. We also should seek to receive and use those charismatic gifts that most help the Body of Christ. If you are like me, you might not feel too excited about a gift that might seem a little odd to others. But who are we to refuse to be looked at as a “fool for Christ”? We should be open to whatever God desires, even these extraordinary gifts mentioned in the Bible.

St. Paul puts all this in perspective for us under the form of the theological virtue of love. While giving important guidance for maintaining unity and order in the community (1 Cor 12 and 14) he places the heart of the Gospel message in Chapter 13. Here Paul writes, “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.” He places love above all charismatic gifts. As St. Ambrose would teach, ”Charity is the form of all the virtues.” (Summa II, II, q.23) St. Thomas Aquinas expounds on the meaning of this truth:

In morals the form of an act is taken chiefly from the end. The reason of this is that the principal of moral acts is the will, whose object and form, so to speak, are the end. Now the form of an act always follows from a form of the agent. Consequently, in morals, that which gives an act its order to the end, must needs give the act its form. Now it is evident, in accordance with what has been said (7), that it is charity which directs the acts of all other virtues to the last end, and which, consequently, also gives the form to all other acts of virtue: and it is precisely in this sense that charity is called the form of the virtues, for these are called virtues in relation to ‘informed’ acts. (Summa II, II, 23)

That’s easy for him to say! As I understand it, this means that love (that is, God), is the end, or goal, or true purpose for our existence. Jesus said that he is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. All our actions should direct us toward this end. Otherwise, where are our actions taking us? If I plan a trip to Spokane, driving to Portland is delaying that end. The straightest, quickest route is due east. We should head east as well, directing our thoughts to the Risen Lord, now Ascended into heaven, ready to direct all our thoughts, words, and deeds toward the will of our heavenly Father. Our hope to do this lies in God our Savior, “…and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Rom 5:5)

Words From Fr Ed (From June 5th, 2011 Bulletin)

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. - Mt 28:20

He is with us, now in a risen form, but with us. Emmanuel, as we learn at Christmas, means “God with us.” It is a name given to Jesus that He promises to fulfill in our lives no matter what we are going through. He also promises “another Advocate” to be with us, namely, the Holy Spirit. We pray for this gift during this coming week in preparation for Pentecost. While the formal novena began on Friday, June 3rd, it is never too late to start. As I printed in last week’s bulletin, I reprint the novena prayer here, for your convenience and the good of our parish:

Come Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

V. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

What if we were to truly pray and fast for nine days as a parish? We’ll be including this prayer at all the Masses during this novena. But could you pray in addition to this for the sanctification of our parish? ‘To be holy’; this should be the goal of every Catholic. This does not mean to be so occupied with heavenly things that one is ‘no earthly good’. No, to be holy makes one more human, just as Jesus was ‘fully human’.

We need the Holy Spirit for this transformation to happen. That is the promise of Our Lord if we keep His commandments. Is there some way to keep His commandments this week in a brand new way? Or is there some practice that you had in the past that would be helpful to return to as a sacrifice for our parish? We have the opportunity to be a little heaven on earth here at St. Stephen the Martyr. All the necessary ingredients, supplied by God, can be found in a parish, but we need to cooperate with God.

Sometimes I think that adding just ten minutes a day of some worthy prayer, scripture reading, or charitable act is enough to make one a saint. Consider it; what if every Catholic studied their faith for ten minutes a day? That’s one billion Catholics. Our world would be revolutionized with peace and justice and the word of truth. Let it rain down from the heavens, even as it arises from the earth. Imagine what God actually desires from humanity beginning with each one of us individually. I believe He desires that His goodness reign upon earth, so that all may know His love. Please pray with me these coming days for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our parish and our world.

Seminarian Cliff Macaraeg
Please welcome Cliff Macaraeg, a seminarian of the Archdiocese of Seattle who just finished his first year of Pre-Theology. This means he has been studying Philosophy and some other foundations for Theology. He is from nearby Holy Family in White Center and brings a wonderful love for apologetics (defending and explaining our faith). Hopefully you will have a chance to meet him and learn more about his vocation and journey. Please pray for him as well, as he spends his summer with us. It is a privilege to host him and a sign of confidence from the Archdiocese that we are a welcoming parish and good soil for forming future priests.

Praying for Bin Laden?
A parish in the south was in an uproar over whether or not to pray for the repose of the soul of Osama Bin Laden. The simple legal answer is that one is neither obligated to nor restricted from praying for him. My own preference is to pray for all souls, regardless of their actions in this life. That is not to say anyone deserves heaven or doesn’t deserve hell. I include here a statement from the Holy See Press Office:

Osama Bin Laden, as is known, claimed responsibility for grave acts that spread division and hate among the peoples, manipulating religion to that end. A Christian never takes pleasure from the fact of a man’s death, but sees it as an opportunity to reflect on each person’s responsibility, before God and humanity; and to hope and commit oneself to seeing that no event becomes another occasion to disseminate hate, but rather to foster peace.

Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to come and spread the fire of God’s love throughout humanity.

Words From Fr Ed (From May 29th, 2011 Bulletin)

I will not leave you orphans…

There are orphans all over the world, deprived of parents through war, disease, poverty and natural calamities. One estimate is that there are 143 million orphans in the world. That’s an overwhelming number and yet God promises to not leave us orphans. Why such discrepancy between this promise and the harsh reality of our world? In three letters, sin.

Sin keeps us from realizing this promise for others and ourselves. Where there is sin these crimes against humanity cut children off from their parents. At times it is the parents themselves who are sinning through addiction or abuse. At other times they are victims of violence, hunger and disease that they have no control over.

John Paul II spoke of ‘structures of sin’ in his encyclical Sollicitudo rei socialis (On Social Concern; see: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/index.htm) in order to address rampant social evils created by the two extremes of atheistic communism and liberal capitalism. Personal sin leads to social sin, which is “the true nature of the evil which faces us with respect to the development of peoples: it is a question of a moral evil, the fruit of many sins which lead to "structures of sin." To diagnose the evil in this way is to identify precisely, on the level of human conduct, the path to be followed in order to overcome it.” (37)

The path to overcome it is by following Jesus the Way. Jesus begins the gospel for today by saying, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him.” (Jn 14:15-17a) The gift of the Holy Spirit is conditional and can be lost or never attained due to not keeping Jesus’ commandments. And what are His commandments?

Jesus speaks in the plural here, but we can begin with the commandment that He describes as a “new” commandment, unique in its import, given His sacrifice. He said, “…love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (Jn 13:34) Notice this huge ‘As’ that Jesus qualifies this commandment with. If He had only said, “Love one another” we might interpret it subjectively as meaning be nice to one another, polite, observing social decorum. But this “As” calls us to a radical self-giving, even self-sacrifice, for the sake of others, even others we don’t like, even others who are at least temporarily enemies!

This kind of love is impossible without God’s help. That’s why love of God and love of neighbor fit so well together. We need God to love our neighbor; we need to love our neighbor in order for our love for God to be authentic. We cannot approach God without a proper love for neighbor. Why? Because God loves them. As I said, He even loves our enemies. Not because they are enemies, nor because of any evil they might have done to us. He loves them because they are made in His image. Perhaps they have obscured His likeness because of sin, but that’s precisely why He came to save us, not because we were good.

This radical love of neighbor is necessary for the gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promises us. Pentecost is coming soon on June 12th. Are we ready to receive the Holy Spirit in a brand new way? Of course every reception of the Holy Eucharist is likewise an infusion of the Holy Spirit who is forever united with the Son. But are we receiving the Eucharist and our attendance at Mass with this in mind? The Lord desires us to be fully united with Him so that our “joy may be complete” (Jn 15:11). These coming weeks are a wonderful opportunity to receive this joy if you haven’t already.

To prepare for Pentecost the disciples gathered in prayer together with Mary “…in one place together.” Jesus had asked them not to depart from Jerusalem until they received the “promise of the Father”, the baptism “with the Holy Spirit”. (Acts 1:4-5, 14; 2:1) This was the first novena, nine days from the Ascension to the Feast of Pentecost. We too can prepare in a similar way. I’m printing here a prayer to the Holy Spirit that I would like to invite the whole parish to pray these nine days, beginning on Friday, June 2nd and ending on Saturday, June 11th. One can also add fasting or other sacrifices for this intention, that we as Catholic believers here at St. Stephen’s, would be fully baptized in the Holy Spirit, open to all the gifts that God has for us and living in the love of neighbor by which “all will know that you are my disciples.” (Jn 13:35)
Come Holy Spirithttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
V. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly
wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Please recite the prayer above for nine days for the intention that our parish be sanctified, made holy according to God’s good will. Other novena prayers can be found at: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/pentecost/seven.htm

Words From Fr Ed (From May 22nd, 2011 Bulletin)

Jesus the Way
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

Do you ever wonder which way to turn? Philip is baffled by Jesus’ claim on the night before His death that the disciples know the way to where He is going. Philip does not realize that he already knows the way. The way is a person, the person of Jesus Christ. If we have seen Jesus, we have seen the Father. Too often the presence of Jesus is right under our noses, so to speak.

I’m reminded of one of our pilgrims to Assisi who became distraught not being able to find the departure gate at SeaTac. She could see A2 and A4, but began to panic when she couldn’t find A3, the gate for the flight to Philadelphia, the first leg of our trip. After a few futile trips up and down the terminal she discovered that A3 was right in front of security, the closest gate to where we came past security. It was too close for her to see it.

Jesus is similar at times, too close for us to see. Our intellects can be dull, not looking for Jesus in the right places. We have to foster an appreciation for what may seem invisible to us today. Notice a blind person’s sense of hearing. They can appreciate every sound because they have to rely on their hearing. It is possible for sighted persons to develop a similar aptitude, but it takes practice. Last week I referred to Brother Lawrence’s “Practice of the Presence of God.” He made a conscious effort to seek God’s presence in his daily life. I want to return to this worthwhile quote and practice:

“The holiest and most necessary practice in the spiritual life is that of the presence of God. It consists in taking delight in and becoming accustomed to his divine company, speaking humbly and conversing lovingly with him all the time, at every moment, without rule or measure; especially in times of temptation, suffering, aridity, weariness, even infidelity and sin.”

Another passage from Scripture that we heard during Lent was, “bring with you words” when you come into the presence of the Lord for the sake of repentance. The Lord loves to hear from us. For His own sake? No, for ours. When we speak to the Lord a conduit is opened to our heart. The more heartfelt the words the more open the conduit. The Lord can then make sense to us of His commandments and ways. Otherwise we are lost and confused.

If our hearts are open then we can more easily see the Lord in our day to day activity. Is He in your prayer time? Yes. Is He in your relationships? Yes. Is He in your workplace? Yes. Is He in your hobbies? Yes. Is He in your Church? Yes. But are we present to all these circumstances? There is a spiritual form of contraception that exists today where people are afraid to enter fully into relationships both with God and neighbor. We are present physically but not spiritually. We hold back and thereby prevent ourselves from seeing the Lord.

It is similar to a lesson a friend gave me in downhill skiing. She was a skilled racer so I could only trust what she was saying was true, but her advice was that one needed to lean downhill in order to control your skis. That was the opposite of what I wanted to do. In my fear of falling I wanted to lean back, but this only accelerated the skis uncontrollably. As I took that risk of leaning forward down what seemed like a precipice I found that she was right and it was delightful.

When we ‘lean forward’ in the spiritual life we may feel frightened or vulnerable. Will I be disappointed? Will God deprive me of things or people I love? Will I be called a fool? As we lean with love into the God of love we find love, infinite love. As St. John of the Cross said, “Where there is no love, put love, and you will find love.” God is there. That is the one thing we can really count on.

Words From Fr Ed (From May 15th, 2011 Bulletin)

…the sheep hear his voice… - Jn 10:3

Have you heard the voice of Jesus lately? Yes, He does speak to us in various ways, and we can hear Him if we are listening. Not that we can control how we hear Him, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, the voice and direction of God can be known in the depths of our souls. This is not necessarily the booming voice that came down to Charlton Heston in the Ten Commandments with lightning as an accompaniment. It is typically much closer to the “…tiny whispering sound….” that we read of in 1 Kings. (19:12) Elijah expected Him in the wind, the earthquake and the fire, but the Lord was in none of those. God’s voice is different.

Hearing God’s voice involves, most importantly, the willingness to hear. That may seem like stating the obvious, but too often we enter into prayer with a mind preoccupied with worries and willfulness. There is no room at the inn so to speak. Jesus may knock, but the television in our head is too loud to notice the unobtrusive visitor. Such are our souls when they are filled with commotion and clutter. We must first prepare ourselves by laying down our own agenda and open ourselves to the possibility of anything. As the angel said to Mary, “…nothing will be impossible for God.” (Lk 1:37)

Prepared for ‘anything’ you say? But I have my family, my work, and my hobbies; does God want to take them from me? Not likely. These occupations, and in the case of family, vocation, are part of God’s way of sanctifying us. We will find Him there if we are willing. But, are we open to doing family different from the way we did it yesterday? Too often we can end up in relational ruts that bind us to mediocrity or even sin. What would you change if you could? Remember the Serenity Prayer?

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Courage is necessary to ‘change the things I can’, courage which comes from God. That does not mean blasting people like a bull in a china shop or Rambo getting into a bar fight. When we have not spoken our dreams and desires for some time they can take on an intensity that overwhelms the people around us when we finally explode. Wisdom is also necessary here so that our desire to improve our lives is communicated in a loving way that can at least be respected if not embraced. Turning to God for this courage and wisdom is the best place to start. God knows exactly how He wants to transform your life. It is to Him that we must turn to receive the grace necessary for any good that is about to occur.

In God’s presence, which is always available to us through a conscious act of faith, we become all that we are meant to be. Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection speaks of this in his Practice of the Presence of God. “The holiest and most necessary practice in the spiritual life is that of the presence of God. It consists in taking delight in and becoming accustomed to his divine company, speaking humbly and conversing lovingly with him all the time, at every moment, without rule or measure; especially in times of temptation, suffering, aridity, weariness, even infidelity and sin.”

The habit of consciously speaking to God throughout the day leads to a conscious awareness of His Presence and His will for you, even in details that may seem insignificant. Are we willing to surrender our wills to this extent? Are we willing to give up the egotism of doing it ‘our way’? I helped at a funeral once where the family insisted on playing Frank Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way” as a postlude. Lord, have mercy. That’s about the last thing you want to be proclaiming as you near St. Peter’s gate. As God says to us through Scripture, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways….” (Isaiah 55:8) Come with words to the Lord and be prepared for an answer that may surprise you.

Words From Fr Ed (From May 8th, 2011 Bulletin)

“What things?” - Luke 24:19

The resurrection appearance of Jesus to the disciples of Emmaus is a symbol of Christian conversion that is always worth revisiting. It is also, in a liturgical sense, a symbol of the Mass. Jesus comes alongside the distraught disciples and shares the word of God with them. Then they, encouraged by His presence have Him break bread with them. It is there that they finally recognize who they have been walking with. We too find Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Have we heard His voice and felt His touch? Can we say with the disciples of Emmaus, “Were not our hearts burning within us…?”

These disciples, led by Jesus, model for us the Examen, a daily practice that helps us see where God has been present in our day. Jesus begins the process by asking the disciples what has been happening in Jerusalem over the past few days, as if He didn’t know. He asks in this regard, “What things [have been happening]?” This kind of reflection is essential to growth in the spiritual life. St. Ignatius, in speaking of the Examen, told his companions that this reflecting back on the day’s spiritual activity was more important than any other prayer. The Examen consisted of gratitude for God’s gifts, the request for grace, a searching for signs of God’s presence in our day, an act of sorrow where we failed to respond to this presence, and finally, a resolution of some kind for improvement the next day.

When we think of what things have been happening over the past few weeks, Holy Week and Easter Week, there are incredible graces that have occurred. Each day really deserves attention. While there are graces each day, Holy Thursday stood out for me during Holy Week with the foot washing and chapel of reposition. This year we experimented with including the narthex as part of our reposition environment so that more people could experience it. While the placement of the altar seemed a little challenging, to be looking out into the narthex while praying, I was impressed with the overall peace present in the chapel and narthex combined. ‘Our God is a God of peace.’

Easter Week had its own blessings with each day a Solemnity and the Novena of Mercy. The resurrection appearances challenge us to grow in faith. God’s power is apparent and we need to find ways to allow it to take over our lives. The Easter Octave culminated with Mercy Sunday, which included First Communion at the morning Masses, the beatification of John Paul II in Rome, and the beginning of the month of May with the crowning of the Blessed Virgin at our grotto. Astonishing graces for us as a parish! So many people helped make this an experience that could leave one’s heart burning with joy and gladness. This is just the beginning of the Easter season. May Jesus lead us deeper into the mystery of His risen love.

Happy Mother’s Day

We can apply this same reflection to recalling memories of experiences of our mothers with love. It doesn’t matter whether your mother is living or deceased, for immortal souls exist forever. What things do you remember about your mother? Was she kind, tender, and self-sacrificing? What are you grateful for in relation to your mother? What grace would you ask for her? If she is deceased, offer prayers, especially a Mass. Where did you see God present in her life? What would you apologize for? At least begin with the act in your heart, acknowledging some failure to love, and honor your mother as God commands. What resolution can you make: a phone call, a prayer, a word of thanks? I close with a little praise of mothers written by a Hungarian Cardinal, Joseph Mindszenty, which reads:

The Most Important Person on earth is a mother.
She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral.
She need not.
She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral-
a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body…
The angels have not been blessed with such a grace.
They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven.
Only a human mother can.
Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature;
God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation…
What on God's good earth is more glorious than this:
to be a mother?