“Mary, called Magdalene” Sketch by: Ronald Raab, CSC

Luke 8:1-3

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna and many others who provided for them out of their resources.

Prayer: (Ronald Raab, CSC)

Gracious God and healer of souls, you called Mary Magdalene from the depths of infirmities and evil to a new and abundant life. From her healing, she witnessed to the resurrection of your Son, Jesus the Christ. Open our lives to the healing that rouses within us the desire to live for others, to recognize hope in the center of our deepest, personal infirmities, our mental illness and despair, our addictions and the darkness that settles into our lives from depression, grief and hopelessness. Through the intercession of Mary Magdalene, may we always witness to the power and love of Jesus, the Living Christ, now and forever. Amen

Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows. Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC 2016

This is my article published today in FaithND, an online gospel reflection from the University of Notre Dame. Our Lady of Sorrows is the patroness of the Congregation of Holy Cross. READ THE ONLINE VERSION: CLICK HERE

September 15, 2016

Our Lady of Sorrows

Patroness of the Congregation of Holy Cross

Ronald Patrick Raab, CSC, ’78, ‘82M.Div, ‘90MA

LK 2:33-35
Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Mary under the title Our Lady of Sorrows is the patroness of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the founding order of the University of Notre Dame. Mary’s faithfulness forms our religious community of brothers, sisters, and priests so that we, too, may stand next to human suffering. Mary models for believers how to befriend the sorrow that we simply cannot change or control in our world.

Simeon prayed a lifetime in the temple waiting to rest his eyes on Jesus. Simeon’s proclamation pierced Mary and Joseph’s parental expectations of Jesus. This encounter is Mary’s first of seven sorrows. Mary would watch her Son heal sick people and embrace the marginalized with tenderness. Mary would also trace the path to her Son’s death on the cross.

Mary still stands with us next to the cross of injustice and turmoil. I learn this posture of hope in Jesus’ redemptive love from people with little power, money, privilege, or education. As a Holy Cross priest, I continue to learn how to stand among people who face anguish with patience. I remain with Mary among the fragile and broken, waiting for the mercy of Jesus.

Mary’s first sorrow must have hurt the most. Simeon’s piercing words shocked Mary severely. I learned this insight a few years ago from a stranger who started drinking as a teenager. Her 30 years of consuming alcohol and drugs were not her first sorrow. She thought her addiction would hide her childhood sexual abuse even from herself. She turned to Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows for a compassionate response toward a lifetime of inconsolable suffering. She listens to Simeon today realizing even Mary’s first sorrow and her own are redeemed in Jesus the Christ.

Prayer:

O God of ancient and abundant mercy, help us listen to the voices of the weary and isolated with courage and hope. Through the intercession of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, keep us vigilant in our efforts to serve all people most in need of forgiveness and peace. Receive the many sorrows of your people and help us stand patiently next to all human suffering with heartfelt hope in your Son, Jesus the Christ, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Exaltation of The Holy Cross: Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC

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The Prodigal Son: Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC

Draw us closer, O God, to your fidelity and kindness. Receive our foibles, mistakes and heartaches, and our unfortunate decisions and bundles of regrets. Embrace us when we cannot even face ourselves. Give us courage when we are weak-kneed and haughty, when pride gets the best of us. Bring us closer to your heart in this Year of Mercy, especially when we believe that we are self-sufficient and sure-footed. Amen

“The Prodigal Son” Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC 2016

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Luke 15:1-32

Prayer text: Ronald Raab, CSC

Father God, in this Year of Mercy, we stumble humbly into your arms. Make room in our self-righteous attitudes and cramped hearts so that we may let go of the past. Allow the healing flow of your mercy into our every sin, hardship and false expectation. We approach your promised forgiveness finally realizing that we cannot live our lives alone, among the thorns of our arrogance and the bristles of our pride. Welcome us home where our illusions melt away. Amen

On the Margins from Mater Dei Radio, Portland, OR

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Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 11, 2016

Luke 15:1-32

Who do we understand to be the lost sheep or the lost son? How can we mend, heal, listen to and forgive the people around us? Who needs to be welcomed at our tables and to the Eucharist itself?

Learn more about today’s day of prayer for peace: Click here

“God, help us rest in you” Drawing: Ronald Raab, CSC

God, help us rest in you.

We are exhausted by our grief.

We ache for our families to be united around a common table.

We grieve our daughters who carry drug needles in their backpacks.

We grieve our sons who carry guns around their ankles and hatred around their hearts.

We grieve our children coming back from wars without limbs and hope.

We grieve the inner battles of emotional illness and rage.

We grieve our inability to be humble enough to see that people have dignity.

We stumble in our solutions and fall in our hardness of heart.

God, help us rest in you.

We do not know where else to turn.

We are restless in our unanswered prayers.

We are hopeless when we feel your absence.

We squirm in rage.

We fidget in our guilt.

We twist in our uncertainty.

We sweat through our sleepless nights.

We panic in our disrespect.

We struggle in our shame.

God, help us rest in you.

In your arms we find our home.

In your embrace we discover we are loved.

In your hold we rest the pain of our world.

God, help us rest in you.

Today, we pray for the peace in the healing of your embrace.

Amen

Is: 64: 8

But now, O Lord, you are our father. We are the clay and you are the potter; and all of us are the work of your hand. 

“The Potter” Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC 2016

Prayer text: Ronald Raab, CSC

God, our Creator,

Open our imaginations and our creative efforts to express our faith.

We ache for wisdom in dealing with violence, hatred, neglect, racism and hunger, poverty and ignorance.

We can only find solutions if we ignite our imaginations, explore our talents and take responsibility in faith and love for our future.

We cannot blame people for their diseases, their mental illness or even their poverty and situations in life.

God, continue to call us through our creativity to build up people, to heal our nation and to offer consolation to those who hurt and who are alone.

God, help us believe that our voices expressed through art are important and that our talents are needed to create community.

Help us not shun our gifts or think that we are not good enough.

Help us get over our shyness and our reluctance to dance, paint, write poetry, sing, create, design, preach, draw, and imagine and explore the Holy Spirit in all we do.

God, our Creator, help us become your co-creators to heal and console the pain and suffering of our people.

Amen