Prayer and Study

 

Dear Friends and Family,

The image you see above is an icon painted by my little sister, that now hangs above the desk where I work (i.e. study) each day. It is St. Therese of Lisieux offering a rose, along with its thorns, to the one praying (or studying) before it. I'm very blessed to have it here, along with this charcoal of St. Therese, based off of the photo that you may have seen, also done by my little sister:

Her childlike gaze seems to be saying "Look to Jesus. Focus on what is essential. Give your life to Him."

It has been a real joy praying the rosary with many of you each day as we prepare to make or renew the total consecration to Jesus through Mary, according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort, on May 31. It seems especially fitting that St. Louis has us pray each day--throughout the 33 days, the Litany of the Holy Ghost. It is a joy to be able to pray that prayer each day during the oldest novena in the history of the Church--the 9 days between the Ascension and Pentecost.

I find this time so much a time of hope! If God could transform the Apostles as radically as He did, thanks to the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, what can He do with us? And then we will have the Octave of Pentecost, with its rich readings. Lots to look forward to...

In the meantime, I am in the midst of end-of-the year papers and exams, which will continue for the next 3 weeks or so. They are coming along well but there is still lots to do.

Thank you also for your prayers for my back. The physical therapist has been really excellent and is making good progress on my spine. Still many more weeks to go but the results have already been quite good--able to sit up straighter, less pain, etc. So I'm hopeful that God has more blessings in store in this domain over the next few weeks. We shall see.

In the meantime, may Our Lady be by your side to intercede for you in this blessed liturgical time.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari