Legion of Mary Philadelphia Senatus

(The sixth in a series of meditations on the  Mysteries of the Rosary by Rev. Addisalem T. Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus).

It seems like everyone wants please someone else to some degree, for various reasons, depending on the nature of that relationship. A man dating his girlfriend is going to do all sorts of things he may hate doing, such as going shopping in the mall, because he wants to show how serious he is about making sacrifices for his future wife. A girl dating her boyfriend is going to do different things to make herself look more attractive because she wants to please her boyfriend. Employees, who need to support their spouse and children, will try to work hard to please their boss because they need a better position in the company and desire a pay raise to offset the added expenses of a growing family. Ultimately, no matter what someone does, they can never really be a perfect “people pleaser,” because we were not created by people for people.  Rather we were created by God for God.  In some sense, it seems that secular musicians and politicians are created by people for people.  It’s interesting to note the different level of stress they experience before and after they work in those professions!

Our blessed Lord always ardently desired to please His Heavenly Father by being faithful to His mission on earth by doing the works that His Father does, just as children do when they see their parents. Our Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit were manifested as the audience at our Lord’s Baptism in the Jordan by St. John the Baptist. God the Father is the voice from the clouds that says to Jesus, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Our Blessed Lord was hidden, patiently standing in a long line, surrounded by men and women struggling with sin, because He wanted to please sinners by showing that His holiness does not serve as a barrier between Him and them/us.  Our Blessed Lord always hates sin, but never the sinner.  He is the Lamb of God who came not to condemn the world, but rather to seek and save the sheep that were lost.  It is important to understand the ancient understanding of the role of a king in ancient times.  King David normally would lead his armies into battle, putting his own life at risk, like any other solider, on the battle field. Our Blessed Lord is baptized by water before He is baptized in blood at Calvary.  He is leading His own into battle, teaching us as disciples to indeed follow Him, as He commanded.

Just as a loving father would still recognize and embrace a son of his who is battling a drug or alcohol addiction because of the bond between them, so likewise our Heavenly Father embraces us as we battle against temptations because of the bond we have as the Father’s adopted in Jesus Christ.  It is the Sacrament of Baptism which was instituted by Christ that is a celebration of mercy that pleases both God and the people of God. I say not simply “people,” but “people of God” because all those who at least to try to be faithful, with the help of God’s grace, are pleasing to Him.  Consequently, we learn in the Letter to the Hebrews that it is impossible to please God without faith as the author wrote, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 ). 

  Fr. A. Mekonnen    

Our Lady of the Rosary: Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross –
(The fourth in a series of meditations on the  Mysteries of the Rosary by Rev. Addisalem T. Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus)

Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

This is a cliché question that gets tossed around in books, T.V. shows and movies. Those bad things could be defined in a thousand different situations in a person’s life and yet it could be summarized simply as suffering. The living Word of God reveals to all people  that the underlying source of all suffering, and even death itself, is sin, which effects all of humanity, whether they acknowledge it or not. Sin is an unpopular word and concept that is not readily accepted or discussed much in our modern society—even for Christians. Sin is the disobedience of God’s commandments and that disobedience is essentially our rejection of God’s infinite and unconditional love for us. Even though this is not politically correct, or nice to say—the truth is that even good people sin. God alone is perfectly good, so everyone is a sinner in comparison to the holiness found in Jesus Christ. Our Blessed Mother, as the Immaculate Conception, is sinless, yet even our Lady acknowledged God as her Savior in the Magnificat Canticle. Some sufferings occur not because of personal sin, as in the case of Our Lady, but rather because that person is having a share in the Passion of Christ in reparation for someone else’s attachment to sin.

Our good Lord,who patiently and faithfully carried His cross to Calvary in the past, desires to carry it again in the present through His faithful disciples. Our Lord ardently loved His cross even thought it was a source of intense suffering that His Body was barely able to carry, since Simon had to help Him carry it. The famous motto of “Boys Town” in an orphanage for boys founded by Fr. Edward Flanagan  states “he ain’t heavy father… he is my brother”. Similarly, our Lord does not see His carrying the cross as some ambiguous random suffering accomplished out of some servile duty for His Heavenly Father and humanity. The infinite love that our Lord has for His Heavenly Father and every sinner, in every age, is a love that is as personal as our name—embracing us perfectly and completely. That is the reason why our Blessed Lord never complains about us as an unbearable cross before His Heavenly Father, but instead expresses His willing desire to carry us patiently and faithfully to Calvary in reparation for each sinner in every age throughout the world.  Therefore, through the intercession of our Lady, may our Blessed Lord help us to see with eyes of faith that our cross is not a bad thing but a visible sign of His personal powerful love living within us.

(The third in a series of meditations on the  Mysteries of the Rosary by Rev. Addisalem T. Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus)

How does the worldly minded show their contempt for our Blessed Lord ?

We hear in the news a lot about how bullying seriously harms children and most especially teenagers. The definition of bullying is when an individual or a group of people with more power, repeatedly and intentionally cause hurt or harm to another person or group of people who feel helpless to respond. Those who are victims of bullying don’t usually report it because of fear of retaliation, or worse,they fear they will be ridiculed by someone who is in authority and not taken seriously. It seems that bullying happens for various reasons. Many teens in high school would ridicule others for not wearing some name brand fashionable shoes and clothing. This type of bullying would most likely end after that person conformed to their thought process regarding the vanities of the world. The worldly minded seeks out the weak in order to attack them because they believe this somehow makes them appear strong and superior to others. Therefore, bullies are insecure about their self worth, talents and ability to relate others who don’t share their worldly minded perspectives about their purposes in life. Bullies feed on the fears of others and experience a twisted joy when they are able to make someone who they believe to be weak suffer. Those who are bullied could be tempted to commit suicide or become a bully themselves by seeking revenge through deadly violence.

Bullying doesn’t disappear when someone becomes an adult so it is simply is expressed within the context of other organizations. It is not always the case, but it is possible for someone who identifies themselves strictly as a Liberal or Conservative Catholic could become a bully. Both terms and concepts of Liberalism and Conservatism are political terms that don’t apply to Theology. Judaism also had their own different organizations that Jews would identify themselves as such are the Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. Prior to his conversion and because of his self-righteousness, St. Paul was a Pharisaical bully of sorts.But after he encountered Christ, he became a faithful disciple and apostle of Christ.  After his conversion, he learned that it was through his weakness, that Christ could act most profoundly through him. St. Paul very soon found out what it felt like to be persecuted by foreigners and also by various Jewish sects including the Pharisees but yet he was able to preach the Gospel.

Even our Blessed Lord was bullied by Roman soldiers when they crowned Him with thorns, struck His face, spitted upon Him, and mocked Him as King of fools because they thought He was unable to resist their attacks. Our Blessed Lord was fully able to resist their attacks physically, but chose to resist their attacks by His patient peaceful disposition. These Roman soldiers who appear to be strong on the outside were in reality intensely weak because they couldn’t overcome suffering, temptations, the devil and the spirit of the world. If our Lord wanted to, He could have called His Legion of angels to fight for Him, but He wouldn’t because He is not a dictator but a Savior. Our Lord overcame evil with good and darkness with light, so that even bullies can realize that they too are loved by Him and it is His hope that they repent before the day of judgment.

(This is the second in a series of meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary by Reverend Addisalem Mekonnen, Spiritual Director of the Philadelphia Senatus)

Our Lady of the Rosary: The Second Sorrowful Mystery:  Jesus was scourged at the Pillar

            How can we enter into this mystery not only spiritually, but also physically?

Canon 1250: “All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church. Canon 1251: “Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless (nisi) they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Many people normally hit the gym and go on some type of diet in order to look good at the shore or for a wedding or some other public celebration. Living in a consumerist society, we see many companies that want to present their products as the easiest possible way to achieve impressive results in a short of amount of time. Other companies help people become physically fit by promoting some type of equipment that can be utilized at home. Some companies try to draw people to work out in their gym, with or without a personal trainer.  It is praiseworthy to take care of our physical health because it is not only the soul, but the body that is consecrated to God in the Sacraments of Initiation. This is the reason why it is a serious sin to harm our body through illegal drugs or euthanasia. If we purify our intentions from vanity into opportunities to serve God by making a prayer of self-offering before we exercise, it then becomes a form of penance that points back to our Lord who was scourged at the pillar.

That form of penance would be a good start, but if you are unable to this, there is no need to be disappointed because it is the practice of fasting that is the most powerful way to practice penance. Our Blessed Lord practiced fasting in the desert and so through the Church He continues to call all of His disciples to fast as well. Fasting gives us an opportunity to mortify our senses which means it is a practical way to become detached from an inordinate love of pleasure for creatures and creation. Prayer coupled with fasting then gives an opportunity to have an intimate union with Jesus in an un-bloody manner in the second sorrowful mystery.  If we are unable to fast for some good reason, then abstinence is another excellent practice of penance on Fridays. Fasting and abstinence are a means to an end of loving of God and neighbor, so if we do these penances out of spiritual pride it is no longer pleasing to God. Therefore, we should turn to our Lady to help us receive the grace to have purity of intention as we meditate on our Lord’s Scourging at the Pillar. If you want an in depth understanding of how and why we should fast, then I highly recommend reading “The Spirituality of Fasting: Rediscovering a Christian Practice” by Charles M. Murphy.

Weekly Internet TV  Program:

The Legion of Mary Wilmington Curia in Delaware State hosts a

Weekly Divine Mercy Holy Hour.

 Join us by watching our Legion of Mary Wilmington Curia YouTube Channel (link below)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn7uDEUrHNg4xPmdf8lBW2Q

Then click on the “LIVE image for the week” every Friday afternoon at 3 pm Eastern time