Continuing with the six-week Lenten reflection series based on the book, Seven Words of Jesus and Mary, by Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen at Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, here are the quotes and questions that John and I asked yesterday from Chapter 3 – The Third Word: The Fellowship of Religion.

1. “Have you ever said, in order to justify your selfishness, ‘After all, I have my own life to live?’ The truth is you have not your own life to live, because you have to live it with everyone else. Religion is not what you do with your solitariness, but what you do with your relationships. You were born out of the womb of society, and hence the love of neighbor is inseperable from the love of God.”

2. “In order to indicate that she is now becoming the mother of all men whom he redeems, he endows her with the title of universal motherhood: ‘Woman.’”

3. “The very thought of this Bride of the Spirit becoming the mother of humanity is overwhelming, not because God thought of it, but because we so seldom ever think of it. We have become so used to seeing the Madonna with the Child in Bethlehem that we forget that same Madonna is holding you and me at Calvary.”

4. “Mary had seen God in Christ; now her Son was telling her to see Christ in all Christians. She was never to love anyone else but him, but he would now be in those whom he redeemed.”

5. “…I wonder if it is not true that as the world loses veneration for Christ’s mother, it loses also its adoration of Christ. Is it not true in earthly relationships that, as a so-called friend ignores your mother when he comes to your home, sooner or later he will ignore you? Conversely, as the world begins knocking at Mary’s door, it will find that Our Lord himself will answer.”

Questions:

1. Why is it that Protestants do not venerate our Blessed Mother? Did it start with Luther?2. Do you think Mary was surprised when Jesus gave her away?                                      3. Why is it significant that the robe that Jesus wore was seamless?

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen…Pray for us.