If you have ever been to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. you may have seen the Hall of American Saints. They recently installed a new statue, that of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Everyone knows the story of the saint from Albania who spent her life working with the poor and ill in India. She received a Nobel Peace Prize and many other awards which meant nothing to her. If you read her books, you will know that she was focused on being the hands and feet of God on earth. She was also very hard on herself and never felt as if she was worthy of the praise and adulation she received. Mother Teresa was clearly focused on receiving her reward in Heaven where she joined our Lord upon her death. I have noticed that there are already a number of Catholic schools and churches named for this diminutive nun who cast such a large shadow. She visited Baton Rouge and established a local chapter of her order at St. Agnes Parish in the downtown area. She also formed a beautiful friendship with Bishop Stanley Joseph Ott, who passed away from cancer a number of years ago. Seeing these two holy and reverent people together was inspirational. They both revealed the face of Christ to me in different ways. I have not doubt that Teresa will shortly be named a saint and I must admit that I assumed it had already happened. I am not sure if Stanley Joseph Ott even has a group working towards his cause for sainthood but there should be. In many ways he exhibited the same humility and reserve that Mother Teresa exhibited. He was quiet and shy but his smile could light a room. And when he needed to speak out, his voice was strong and clear. He was clearly a man of God and I know that he is still intervening on behalf of the lambs in his former diocese. When his name comes up in conversations, the tenor changes. People are more reverent and contemplative. He effects the way we think and feel and he helps you to focus on what is really important. That is why he and Teresa had this holy alliance. They were cut from the same cloth. They were children of God who were always trying to make a difference during their short time on earth. I do not know if there will ever be a statue of Stanley Joseph Ott in the Hall of American Saints but there should be. He would fit right in.
The spiritual climax of the Gospel of John, as Father John Waiss points out, occurs at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus utters his parting words: “Woman, behold, your son!” and “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27). While these words were addressed to the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Church has long understood this moment as a universal adoption. To truly image Christ, we must share in His parentage; if we embrace God as our spiritual Father but reject Mary as our mother, we treat Christ as a half-brother rather than our "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). As Origen noted as early as the third century, the profound depths of the Gospel are only accessible to those who, like John, rest their heads on Jesus’ breast and receive Mary into their own homes. This maternal role is deeply rooted in biblical typology, positioning Mary as the fulfillment of the great mothers of the Old Covenant. She is the New Eve , the mother of all the living according ...
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