As we celebrate the feast of Pentecost we pause to remember that because they bear the name of Mary, Marists desire to be like her and follow Jesus as she did. Contemplating Mary in the mysteries of Nazareth and Pentecost and her role at the end of time, Marists come to share her zeal for her Son’s mission in his struggle against evil, and to respond with promptness to the most urgent needs of God’s people. (Marist Constitutions, 8 )

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful
And kindle in them the fire of Your love
V: Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created
R: And You shall renew the face of the earth

Called to be Eucharistic People

Our world has plunged into a frightening darkness.
LIGHT has diminished,
almost extinguished.
The threat of evil hovers large today,
in the suffering and horror of wars:
in the cries of the women,
The bewilderment of the children,
The hunger and exhaustion of the elderly,
The helplessness and powerlessness of the innocent and suffering.
The list is endless,
Yet, in the midst of this
God reminds us-
He is alive.
He LIVES in me.
He LIVES in you.
He LIVES in me
He LIVES in you
When we gather in quiet conversation,
When we engage with each other
Respecting their view, although different from ours.
He LIVES in me
He LIVES in you,
When we reach out to another,
To share our story,
Our joys, our burdens, our hopes
Without even attempting to solve the problem-
Simply, to listen with compassion,
As He SPEAKS through me
As he SPEAKS through you.

(~ Ben McKenna, SM, Easter – Eucharistic People (Poem by Bernadette Murray), April 1, 2024)

For families in crisis

Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their differences.

We all dream about a beautiful, perfect family. But there’s no such thing as a perfect family. Every family has its own problems, as well as its tremendous joys.
Every member of the family is important because each member is different than the others, each person is unique. But these differences can also cause conflict and painful wounds.
And the best medicine to heal the pain of a wounded family is forgiveness.
Forgiveness means giving another chance. God does this with us all the time. God’s patience is infinite. He forgives us, lifts us up, gives us a new start. Forgiveness always renews the family, making it look forward with hope.
Even when there’s no possibility of the “happy ending” we’d like, God’s grace gives us the strength to forgive, and it brings peace, because it frees us from sadness, and, above all, from resentment.

View the March Prayer Intention Pope Video – a global initiative to disseminate the Holy Father’s monthly intentions (Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network).