Mary only knows “one way” and if we take her hand - She will take us to “the front of the line” - So take her hand

Today is a very special day….Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary……Why is Our Lady so important?…Why? - Because from her Immaculate womb came the Savior of the world…..Mary is the new Eve…..God chose her to be the vessel by which Christ would come to us……There are some who have a “problem” with Mary…..At the root of this “problem” really is just a simple misunderstanding…..Mary is not the “answer” - Jesus is…However - No one knows the son better then the Mother…And Mary ALWAYS brings what we give to her to her son….Some many say - “I go directly to Jesus”…….To address this statement I would simply say - You are imperfect - Mary is not…Therefore, what you give to Mary - She “cleans up" for you - And then delivers it to Jesus her son….Mary is perfect because she had to be…Something perfect (i.e. Jesus) could not come from something imperfect - So God spared Mary the stain of sin….Do not sell your self short - The most direct way to Christ is through his Mother…Again - why?…..Because she is perfect and you and I are not.

“Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women”

Throughout the history of the Church, there have been many Vatican approved Marian apparitions…..Fatima, Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City….To name just three…..In these apparitions, certain patterns have emerged…Mary usually appears to the very humble and simple of the world…..To my limited knowledge on this topic, I can not recall any time that Mary ever appeared to the powerful of this world….This should tell us all something…Today for the purposes of this reflection, I would like to share with you a story about an unapproved apparition….One the Church has not officially approved but one I believe…….Years ago I worked with a lawyer from Long Island…His name was James Kiely…James came from a Catholic family of seven but sadly James fell away from the Church - So pray for him!….With that said, James retained many of the virtues of his Catholic upbringing and parents…..To put it bluntly - James was a great guy!…Honest, forth-right, trustworthy and kind hearted - A wonderful person to work with…..James was however always a little unsure of himself - For a guy as smart as he was, he came off as a nervous person to others….Anyway, James and I spoke about Catholicism a lot at work and while he did not practice his Catholic faith, he was fully aware of how I lived my life…Because of this he told me the story I am about to tell you…James told me when he was a young lawyer, he was working at a law firm in Florida…He told me he was so overwhelmed with work - And James being James, the pressure was getting to him….He told me he spent night after night twisting and turning - His anxiety was off the charts…He said one given night he was so overwhelmed with worry he thought he was going to break….Then he told me, he heard a voice and it was the voice of a woman - The voice was as clear as a bell…..And this is what the woman said….”Jimmy, we love you”……James told me the minute he heard this voice, a deep peace came over him and he fell asleep, which was something he could not do as a result of all the anxiety he was experiencing….Now while this is not an approved Marian Apparition, I think about what my colleague at work told me often….How Mary “reached a hand” out to one of her children in need…Notice, James was not even a practicing Catholic, yet Mary still “reached a hand” to him…I also love the message - So personal in nature - “Jimmy, we love you”….Notice the word “we”……Mary is our mother and like all mothers, she loves all her children…..Go to Mary - She will never let you down - She will always bring your prayers directly to her son….She will also magnify all your efforts to bringing forth the Kingdom of God here on earth....That is “her job” - Now let’s go do ours with her at our side!

“Do not fear any illness or vexation, anguish or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?”

Today is a very special day indeed…..I have heard it said that mankind’s only boast can be found in the Immaculate Birth of Mary…Why? - Because Mary is perfectly pure…Her heart is the mirror image of her son’s heart….Mary gives us hope…Why? - Because one day, if we persevere in our Catholic faith, we too will be made perfect…Clearly, our path to heaven is not as straight as Our Lady, due to the fact that we were not born immaculately….And because of that reality - God gave the Blessed Virgin Mary to the world…Our Lady is full of grace…And if we have recourse to her, she will give us what we need to become a holy people……”To Jesus through Mary”…..This is the winning “ticket” as we say in New Jersey….Mary only knows “one way” and if we take her hand - She will take us to “the front of the line” - So take her hand………………..JMJ

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