Mary Magdalene at the Cross

"Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala."

(John 19:25)

Twenty-two years ago, I spent much of July at Children's Hospital.

My husband, Tim, and I had a newborn daughter home from another hospital for just a day, when we noticed her arm and leg twitching on one side of her body -- a seizure, it turned out.

We took her to Children's and learned she'd had bleeding in her brain -- likely from her delivery a few days earlier -- and the blood had clotted and was blocking spinal fluid in her brain and creating pressure there.

My parents met us at the hospital that evening. After learning the diagnosis but before returning home exhausted and without our baby, I remember my mother saying:  "I hate to tell you this, but welcome to parenthood."

Tim and I had a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old at home with their other grandmother, so we weren't completely new to parenting. But my mom knew all parents eventually face moments like these.

Looking back, I realize those times aren't reserved for parents alone. All love eventually takes us to the cross. Sooner or later our beloved ones will suffer, and we will be there with them.

Our daughter, Mary Therese, received three sacraments during her hospital stay: baptism, anointing of the sick and confirmation. Unlike most people who are confirmed, she wasn't able to choose her confirmation name. Tim and I made a quick choice, a well-known saint whom the church remembers every July: Mary Magdalene.

Now, more than ever, that choice seems appropriate. St. Mary Magdalene knew how to love, and she was faithful in that love even at the cross and the tomb.

Jesus rewarded her by showing her the glory of the Resurrection, as one of the first people to see Him on Easter and as one of our great saints.

A lot of time has passed since our daughter's birth, and now we probably take her good health for granted. During that early hospitalization one doctor told us: "She might be able to walk, but she'll never be a track athlete." (So of course I enjoyed a particular satisfaction when Mary was on St. Columbkille's track team while in school there.☺

Our family has so much to celebrate in remembering Mary's birth.

Jesus showed us the love of the cross -- and the glory of new life.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

Our Communion of Saints

"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen."

When I pray this last part of the Apostles Creed, I think of the beliefs listed there as the parting gifts Jesus left us when He ascended to Heaven. They all lead us to Him, with the last one -- the resurrection of the body and life everlasting -- as the final reward, an eternal union with Him in the Trinity.

Summertime leads me to dwell specifically on the communion of saints. In every season and throughout the liturgical calendar, the Church highlights the witness of extraordinary saints. But it seems we celebrate some especially great ones during the summer. In July we remembered Saints Thomas, Benedict, Bonaventure, Mary Magdalene, James,  Joachim and Anne, Martha and Ignatius of Loyola.

Every saint has a treasure chest filled with heavenly riches they want to share with us. Just one gem St. Thomas offers us: the reassurance that  Jesus wants us to approach Him with our doubts. "Do not be unbelieving, but believe."

Even in their mistakes and faults, maybe especially in them, the saints pass on their wisdom. St. Mary Magdalene opens for us the great love of a repentant sinner who faithfully stood by the cross and then witnessed the Resurrection. Our Lord teaches St. Martha, and us, to let go of our worries and focus on what is truly important. We should, like St. Martha, welcome Jesus into our homes, especially the inner sanctuary of our souls. With St. Martha, we can profess that our Lord has power over everything, even death. "I am the resurrection and the life.; whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die." Jesus asks Martha and us: "Do you believe this?"

The month of August begins today, and the Church turns our attention to St. Alphonsus Marie Liguori.

One of my sons has a special devotion to St. Alphonsus. So naturally as a mother, I too have become fond of this saint. A mother loves anyone who helps lead her children to Heaven. But I have other reasons to be drawn to St. Alphonsus, who was a bishop, Doctor of the Church and founder of the Redemptorist Congregation. His birth name is the first reason to like him: Alphonsus Marie Antony John Cosmos Damien Michael Gaspard de Liguori. But the saint's special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and Our Blessed Mother make me like him more.

I have had only a brief exposure to the wisdom contained in St. Alphonsus' writings, but one jewel has stuck with me, his urging us to pray for three things: divine love, final perseverance and the forgiveness of sins. If God grants us just these three gifts, we have everything, we have salvation. They cut to the core of our faith: to love as God loves, to be faithful to the end as He is and to forgive as He forgives. We have to pray for these gifts because we cannot get them on our own. They emanate from God.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of St. Alphonsus and all your saints.

"Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints." - The Divine Praises.

Inspired by this Year of Faith we will be posting columns like this from Susan Szalewski about exploring and/or deepening our faith. Watch for it on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.