panis angelicus fit panis hominum

aesthetic-of-catholicism:

(via hospodipomiluj)

beautyofjesus ha chiesto: Why do we need Mary to mediate between Jesus and us? Isn't Jesus our mediator for the Father? Sorry for all the questions lately. I really appreciate your help! God bless.

fatherangel:

Hello,

Mary does not mediate for us. Jesus is God and already knows what we need even before we pray for it, so He always has a direct line to us because of His omniscience (He knows all things). We cannot speak to the Blessed Virgin in a way that “Jesus can’t hear” and so she has to go and tell Him. Whatever we have to say, He actually knows about it even before we express our concern to the Virgin Mary.

The role of Mary is to show love and concern for us through her prayer on our behalf. To be Christian is to love. If we are not loving people as Christians, we are not living Christianity.

Being dead and enjoying heaven is not an excuse for a Christian to not care anymore and to ignore the needs of their friends who are still on earth. If I’m dead and in heaven, and you speak to me in your prayers, I cannot say, “Stop it. Leave me alone already. Don’t you know I’m dead? How do you expect me to enjoy being with Jesus in heaven if you are bothering me with your problems?”

That is not a Christian attitude for someone to have in heaven. In fact, even on earth, if you asked me to pray for you and I said, “Stop bothering me” it would not be a very loving and Christian thing to do. 

And it would not make it better if I covered over my bad attitude with a platitude by saying, “Why do you ask me to pray for you? Don’t you know you can go directly to Jesus? Gee, it’s too bad you’re having all these problems, but guess what? Life is hard and by asking fellow Christians to pray for you, you are just upsetting them and making them worried, as if they don’t have their own problems!”

St. Paul could not have said it more clearly. “We are the Body of Christ.” One part cannot say to another part, “I do not need you.” And dying and going to heaven does not let you off the hook. You don’t get your name erased from the list of the prayer chain because you have died and gone to Jesus. You don’t get to have your name taken off the prayer partners list because you are now in heaven.

The intercession of the saints, including the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is their duty as Christians. They have a duty to love, and do the loving thing. When people ask for your prayers, it is simply not loving and not Christian to say, “Leave me alone. Just go directly to Jesus.” In fact, it was Jesus who taught us to pray for each other and who taught us about being there for each other as Christians. 

These so-called “Christian debates” about praying to Mary and saints are stupid, to be honest. It is fighting about the obvious. Dead people, for Christians, are really not dead. Those who precede us in faith are with Jesus. They are still part of the Body of Christ. Now to state a further obvious point, which should be a “no-brainer” for Christians–if you are with Jesus in heaven, that is simply no excuse to be excused from being concerned for those who are still on earth.

Christians pray for other Christians, because they love as Jesus loved. This is why we ask Mary and the other saints to pray for us. They are not insulting Jesus by praying for people on earth. They are doing precisely what Jesus wants them to do for their fellow brothers and sisters still fighting the fight of faith on earth.

God bless and take care, Fr. Angel

faithful-forever:

“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference.”

— Barbara de Angelis

(via imariamartina)

yhwh-yireh:

““Remember, my daughter, that he who loves Jesus truly speaks little and bears all. On behalf of Jesus I command you to not say your opinion if not asked for; to not insist on your preference, but to give in immediately. If you have committed some fault to accuse yourself right away, without waiting for someone to point that out. Guard your eyes and think that the mortified eye will see the beauty of Heaven.””

— - Saint Gemma Galgani’s Guardian Angel to her

nonnisite:

“Remember that I have created you for Heaven; you have nothing to do with the earth.”

— Jesus to St Gemma Galgani