An Epiphany

The Our Lady of Fatima statue was at our Saturday night mass. Because I am in RCIA, I got to sit at the front of the church and had a good view of Our Lady.

As I waited for mass to begin, I reflected on the Mother of God and what it must have been like for her. From the Annunciation to the Crucifixion, what must she have felt? How much did she understand? And yet she remained obedient to God even though she still did not have a full understanding of what was to come.

Our youngest son is set to deploy as a Seabee with the U.S. Navy to Southern Afghanistan. I have struggled with this because I don’t know what will happen to him. He has been on my mind a lot and I have felt extremely anxious about releasing him into God’s care.

So I asked Our Lady to intercede on our son’s behalf and pray for his safety in Afghanistan. Afterwards, I felt a sense of peace and hope.

Some people may read this and think that we Catholics pray to statues. But we don’t. The statues are a point of contact for us and personalize our experience with prayer. The Saints pray to God, just as we do.

Thank you God for giving us Our Lady, who assisted me in placing our son in Your hands and entrusting him into your care.