Robin Williams' apparent suicide has placed a dark cloud on this day. He brought laughter to so many people and in a world short on joy, we need people who can lighten the mood. Many of the news stories about him note that he suffered from depression. It is a misunderstood mental health illness that many suffer from, often in silence. Robin Williams death reminds us of his comedy. His portrayal as Mrs. Doubtfire is really unmatched. The movie itself was so pro-family and it really emphasized how important relationships can be. It was a good movie that illustrated how important it is for children to have a good mother and father. So often, comedies turn the father into a irredeemable buffoon. That was not so of Mrs. Doubtfire. His passing also reminds us that we are very often our worse critics. We beat ourselves senseless over unimportant things. Jesus tells us to work on our interior and leave the rest to him. Romans 5:4-5 says, "Patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us". So often God is much more patient with us than we are with ourselves. So in honor of Robin Williams, lighten up and give yourself a break today. RIP Robin Williams.
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 ...