HIS MOTHER

 

“Jesus is on His feet again, once more he starts on His way.  As He lifts his bowed head and looks at the road He is to tread, He comes face to face with His mother.

It is not by chance that she meets Him at this  moment, just as He falls and struggles to His feet again.  She sees that which no one else in that crowd sees, the tiny child taking His first unsteady steps and falling on the garden path in Nazareth.  She is there beside Him, holding her breath, longing to put out her hands to hold Him, to prevent the fall, but she lets Him go alone, the little child whose independence she must respect, her Son who must learn to walk on His own feet, and to walk away from her.

For His mother, those first steps of the baby learning to walk were the first steps on the road to Calvary.  The “Word was made flesh,” her flesh.  God had taken

human nature, her human nature.  The way of the Cross had begun.  Already His face was set steadfastly toward Jerusalem.  It was for this journey that she had fashioned those blameless feet from her own flesh and blood.  

Seeing the first fall on the Via Crucis, His mother sees the first fall on the path in Nazareth.  Now as then she is silent; she holds back her hands as she did then.  His will is her will.  It was for this hour that she gave Him to the world, for this that He grew from the infant to the child, from the child to the man.

He goes on His way.  He passes her by.  This is something at the very heart of His suffering: that it must afflict her whom He loves; that because they both love, neither can spare the other.  He goes on His way to do His Father’s will."

Mary has given Him the precious blood that is to be shed.  It is to be shed in order that it may become the blood stream that is the life of every man who lives in Christ, the blood stream of the mystical body of Christ on Earth through all time, the lifeblood of the world flowing through the heart of humanity.  When Mary uttered her Fiat – “Be it done to me according to thy word” – when she conceived Christ and gave Him her own humanity, she made every mother to become a potential mother of Christ; every child who would come into this world, one who was to come to be a Christ to it.  “If anyone does the will of my Father who is in Heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

 Every woman who sees her child suffer, every woman who is separated from her child, every woman who must stand by helpless and see her child die, every woman who echoes the old cry, “Why, why, why my child?” has the answer from the mother of Christ.  She can look at the child through Mary’s eyes, she can know the answer with Mary’s mind, she can accept the suffering with Mary’s will, she can love Christ in her child with Mary’s heart – because Mary had made her a mother of Christ.  It is Christ who suffers in her child; it is His innocence redeeming the world, His love saving the world.  He too is about His Father’s business, the business of love."  (Caryll Houselander)

Art: Ang Kiukok- Philippines

A STAMP FOR UKRAINE

 

On February 27, 2026, the Vatican unveiled a new postage stamp honoring Ukraine's Catholics, with the design showing their cathedral in Kyiv during a blackout in an unusually pointed reference to the daily struggles of Ukrainians in wartime. The war is now in its fourth year.

 While the Vatican Postal Service frequently issues stamps to mark Catholic holidays or honor national Churches, it usually avoids any political references in its designs, preferring depictions of religious figures such as local saints.

The new stamp, issued in the week that marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion, depicts Kyiv's Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ darkened by a lack of electricity but illuminated from behind with the orange glow of an evening sky.

 Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, leader of Ukraine's four million Eastern-rite Catholics, said at a Vatican event for the unveiling that the release of the stamp represented "a great moment of consolation".

 "We really feel embraced by the Holy See for this particular attention to our history, to our life in this tragic moment of war," Shevchuk said, speaking Italian.

 The Vatican stamp was released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Kyiv's Catholic diocese after the fall of the Soviet Union and the 12th anniversary of the cathedral's construction.

 Pope Leo made an impassioned appeal on Sunday for peace in Ukraine, saying an end to the war with Russia "cannot be postponed".  “In my heart there remains the dramatic situation that is before everyone’s eyes. How many victims, how many lives and families shattered, how much destruction, how many indescribable sufferings!”

HIS DEATHBED

 

“He comes to it gladly!  This is a strange thing, for the cross is a symbol of shame, and it is to be His deathbed.  Already He sees the very shape of His death in the wide-spread arms.  From this moment He will be inseparable from it, until He dies on it.  He will labor and struggle under the weight of it until the end comes.  Yet Christ welcomes the cross.  He embraces it, He takes it into His arms, as a man takes that which he loves into his arms.  He lays His beautiful hands on it tenderly, those strong hands of a carpenter that are so familiar with the touch of wood.

This is not the first time that Christ has welcomed the wood of the cross.  It is only the first time that He has embraced it publicly before the crowds.  It is a tremendous gesture showing men His love for them openly, because this cross which He is receiving is their cross, not His; He is making it His own for love of them, taking their cross and lifting the dead weight of it from the back of mankind.  That is why Christ receives the cross with joy and lays it to His heart.  “Bear one another’s burdens,” He told men.  Now He takes the burden of the whole world upon himself.” 

"Look at this cross, so much bigger than the man whose body will be stretched to fit it.  So much higher than the height of the man who will be lifted up above the Earth on it and who, being lifted up, will draw all men to himself.  Christ receives it with joy because he knows that this is the dead weight that must have crushed mankind had he not lifted it from their backs.  This is the dead wood which at his touch is transformed to a living tree.  At his touch the hewn tree takes root again and the roots thrust down into the Earth, and the tree breaks into flower."

“Because Christ has changed death to life, and suffering to redemption, the suffering of those who love Him will be a communion between them.  All that hidden daily suffering that seems insignificant will be redeeming the world, it will be healing the wounds of the world.  The acceptance of pain, of old age, of the fear of death, and of death will be our gift of Christ’s love to one another; our gift of Christ’s life to one another.

No man’s cross is laid upon him for himself alone, but for the healing of the whole world, for the mutual comforting and sweetening of sorrow, for the giving of joy and supernatural life to one another.  For Christ receives our cross that we may receive His.  Receiving this cross, the cross of the whole world made His, we receive Him.  He gives us His hands to take hold of, His power to make it a redeeming thing, a blessed thing, His life to cause it to flower, His heart to enable us to rejoice in accepting our own and one another’s burdens.  “If any man has a mind to come my way, let him renounce self, and take up his cross, and follow me.  The man who tries to save his life shall lose it; it is the man who loses his life for My sake that will secure it,” (Matthew 16:24-26).”

Art: "Christ Bearing the Cross" Niccolo Frangipane - 1574,   Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga, Spain

                                       

DOWN ON HIS KNEES

 

The Passion of Jesus was an experience which included every experience, except sin, of every member of the human race. The fourteen Stations of the Cross show not only the suffering but the psychology of Christ.  Above all they show His way of transforming suffering by love.  He shows us, step by step, how that plan of love can be carried out by all of us today, both in the loneliness of our lives and together in union with one another. In this day, when we all seem to be so separated, it is crucial that we see the suffering of our Savior as a way of placing our own sorrows in a context of salvation history. 

"At the very first step of the way to Calvary, Jesus stumbles and falls.  He is down on His knees in the dirt!   

What has happened to this man?  This man who had just now declared Himself to be king of a spiritual world with legions of angels at His command, who has been known to hold back the overwhelming force of the storm and still the raging seas by an act of His will, who by a mere touch of His hand caused a living fig tree to wither, and has fallen now under the purely material weight of the cross He so lately welcomed!

Only a few moments ago He held out His arms to receive it, seemingly with joy.  Now, at the very first shock of its weight on His shoulder, He has fallen!

The crowd thronging outside the judgment hall are laughing derisively.  Some of them remember Him say that – that any man who wanted to follow Him could only do so, carrying his cross.  Now it seems that He can’t even take the first step on the way to be marked out by His footprints without falling!"

"Yes, Christ is living through the experience of ordinary men, of each and every ordinary man in whom He will abide through all the ages to come.  He has not come into the world to indwell only exceptional men, or supermen.  He is not here and suffering His Passion in order to be glorified in those who succeed where others fail, or to make Himself an exception to ordinary men.  He has come to live out the life of every man, of any man who has any love for Him at all and tries to keep His word.  “If a man has any love for He, He will be true to my word; and then He will win My Father’s love, and we will both come to Him, and make our continual abode with Him,” (John 16:23)…

Because Christ identified Himself with us, because He suffers the humiliation of the first fall in us, His love transforms it.  The very wound can heal us.

The first fall is the first real self-knowledge.  Now we know our weakness, we know our helplessness before the difficulties of life, our total inability to shoulder our responsibilities.  We know that we cannot get up by ourselves, we cannot shoulder the burden for the second time by ourselves, we cannot face our own self-contempt or the derision of others, by ourselves.  We realize now that we are wholly dependent on Christ, dependent on Him to act in us, to lift Himself up in us and to lift us up in Him.  His weakness is our strength.

In the light of this new self-knowledge, in the realization and acceptance of our utter dependence on Him, the second start, look as it may before men, is infinitely better in the eyes of God than the first.  No longer do we seek to carry the burden with our own hands, but with His.  No longer do we try to walk in His footsteps, we tread the way with his feet."   (Caryll Houselander)

Art: Ang Kiukok- (1931-2005)  Philippines

YOUNG PATRON OF LAWYERS

 

We continue our theme of saints or saints to be who suffered from serius illness and died young. Our next young man could become a patron of young lawyers, helping them to make the right decisions in their own lives as they start out in their practice of law.

SERVANT of GOD MARCELO HENRIQUE CAMARA born in 1979 was a Brazilian lawyer , public prosecutor, and university professor who died at the age of 28 with a reputation for holiness. He was a supernumerary member of Opus Dei .

A devout Catholic, during his university years he actively participated in the Emmaus Movement and later applied for admission to Opus Dei as a supernumerary.  After a four-year battle with lymphoblastic lymphoma ( non-Hodgkin lymphoma ), he died in 2008. 

He was the eldest son of Julio Carlos Richard Câmara and Leatrice Pavan, from whom he received an excellent education. His father, being the son of a military man, instilled in him rules of good behavior and order. His mother, a teacher, had a direct influence on her son's upbringing. 

From a very young age he was interested in matters related to the common good (city government, the well-being of others), expressing idealistic thoughts and practicing small virtuous actions.

Marcelo lived with his parents until he was 10 years old, when they separated. The end of his parents' marriage in 1989 caused a major change in his personality. Marcelo, just 10 years old, went to live with his mother and his only brother, Murilo Eduardo, and began to act like a true adult in managing the family and feeling responsible for their future. 

 Despite the couple's separation, the father maintained frequent contact with his children, following their growth and encouraging their education. With the help of Marcelo's godmother, he tried to maintain in his children, at least, the commitment of attending Sunday Mass.

 Gifted with unparalleled intelligence and rare eloquence, striking characteristics of his personality, Marcelo's dedication to his studies earned him a remarkable education. He was considered an exemplary student in both primary and secondary school, even committing to being the class valedictorian at his 1st-grade graduation in 1993 at Alferes Tiradentes school, an obligation he only failed to fulfill because he fractured his leg playing soccer on graduation day.

 He passed the highly competitive entrance exam for the Federal University of Santa Catarina  on his first attempt, enrolling in the Law course in March 1997. He completed his studies in December 2001 and obtained his Bachelor's degree in February 2002, when he was again nominated to be the class speaker at the graduation ceremony.

 During his undergraduate studies, in 2000 and 2001, he interned at the Public Prosecutor's Office in the State of Santa Catarina, through a competitive examination. At the end of 2002, he participated in the selection process for the Master's program in Law at  Federal University of Santa Catarina, once again obtaining an excellent ranking. He began his studies in March 2003 and defended his dissertation within a short time frame, in July 2004.In 2003 and 2004, he worked as a substitute professor at UFSC in the Law and Economics courses. In 2004, he was hired by the Law course at the Instituto de Ensino Superior da Grande Florianópolis (IES) and Faculdade de Santa Catarina (FASC).

 A passion for knowledge and a pursuit of intense intellectual development were catalyzed by Marcelo's profound inner conversion process, which began in the second semester of college. At that time, at the invitation of Monsignor Francisco de Sales Bianchini (then spiritual director of the Emmaus Movement in Florianópolis), he participated in the Emmaus Course on Human and Christian Values.

 Thus, the 50th Emmaus Men's Course, held from August 28 to 31, 1997, provided him with a calling to give new meaning to his existence and his intellectual pursuit. During this encounter, he received the sacrament of Confirmation, with Monsignor Bianchini as his sponsor.

 In the year 2000, he was invited by Father Márcio Alexandre Vignoli to exercise the Extraordinary Ministry of Holy Communion at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Ingleses, where he resided. He assisted in catechesis work with young people and adults, and in the organization of liturgical events such as vigils to the Blessed Sacrament, the Jericho Siege, Christmas and Passion of Christ celebrations, acting as coordinator of the ministers until his departure due to illness.

 He considered a possible priestly vocation during his college years, but decided to pursue a career as a Public Prosecutor, along with his great passion, teaching.

 In 1998, he was invited by a friend from the Emmaus Movement to attend a lecture given by a member of Opus Dei. He began participating in the formation meetings offered. Marcelo began seeking spiritual and doctrinal formation in Opus Dei , and the lectures, which were previously held monthly in São José, began to take place in Florianópolis, in the hall of his paternal grandmother's building, Dona Mary.

Thus, while continuing his steadfast apostolate with the Emmaus Movement and assisting with pastoral work at the English Parish, he came to know the life of Saint Josemaría Escrivá and the spirit of Opus Dei through talks, formation sessions, spiritual retreats, and spiritual direction.

Marcelo deeply impacted the people who knew him, not only because of his uncommon knowledge, but also because he didn't mind "spending" time with family, colleagues, students, and friends. Thus, in addition to his complete dedication to his professional and religious work, his characteristic qualities included a welcoming word, an enchanting smile, companionship, a willingness to help, a richness of feelings in his heart, not to mention his living and unwavering faith, and his intense love for God.

He faced a difficult ordeal starting in September 2004, when he suddenly lost the use of his legs and needed to be hospitalized. At that time, he was diagnosed with lymphoblastic lymphoma (non-Hodgkin lymphoma), a type of cancer that originates in the lymphatic system , spreading tumors that develop mainly in the chest (a region called the mediastinum).

With the help of family and friends, and with  trust in Divine Providence, he faced the long struggle for life with surprising and contagious serenity. This struggle lasted about four years, involving numerous tests and blood draws, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, trying different medications and treatments, undergoing prolonged hospitalizations, and even an autologous bone marrow transplant in November 2007, when the disease had already spread to his bloodstream.

Between bouts of illness and improvements, whether in the hospital or at home, he was attended to weekly by a priest and a numerary member of Opus Dei. Marcelo did not allow himself to be shaken by the suffering and physical and emotional pain of seeing his loved ones suffer, transforming them, like everything in his life, into a place of profound encounter with the Lord. He never complained about anything during the long process of facing the illness.

He offered his illness and the suffering it brought him to God, uniting them to the Cross of Christ, for the conversion of relatives and friends, as well as for all vocations in the Church: priests, religious and lay people, fathers and mothers. He accepted the illness as a mysterious expression of God's will for his good and for the good of all.

Marcelo Câmara was already battling the disease in 2006, when he passed the XXXII Public Entrance Examination for the Career of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Santa Catarina. He took office at the Institution in March 2007. 

However, due to his deteriorating health, Marcelo was only able to serve as a Public Prosecutor for about 90 days, enough time to demonstrate his keen professional awareness (often working overtime to cope with the excessive workload), the optimism that kept him calm and confident in the face of the challenges and arduous daily routine of the São José Criminal Court (considered one of the busiest in the State), and, above all, his profound love for humanity, in whom he saw the image of the Lord.

In February 2008, Marcelinho was hospitalized for the last time. In his final days, while still conscious, he offered the sacrifice of excruciating pain by refusing doses of analgesic medication. On March 20, 2008, Holy Thursday, exactly one year after his appointment as Public Prosecutor, he passed away, being buried on Good Friday at the São Francisco de Assis Cemetery.

At the seventh-day Mass, Monsignor Francisco de Sales Bianchini (1925-2010) advised those present not to pray for Marcelo, but rather to ask for his intercession with God, because he was truly a saint. He is an example to all young people, of the holiness which can come to even youth. And he joins the ranks of Sts. Carlos and Pier Giorgio.

CONDEMNATION

 

We live a century after Caryll Houselander, and yet our times parallel hers. We know war, and we know a world of unrest, especially in our own country. I am sure if she were alive today, she would encourage us, plead with us, to enter into this Lent with the compassion of Jesus in His last hours.  

"There in Him are all the martyrs of all times; those of our own time with every detail of their martyrdom, including those which their persecutors try to hide, shown to the whole world: the trickery, the utter injustice, the faked evidence, the verdict decided before the trial; and the things that have been done in secret to prepare the victim – if possible to break Him! – the mental torture (a veritable crowning with thorns), the long nights without sleep; cruelest of all, the attempt to make Him a stumbling block to His own people."

"It is significant that everything contributing to that condemnation is parallel with everything that contributes to the passion of the martyrs of our own times: the intrigues and the fears of politicians, the hatred of fanatics, mass hysteria; the unstable crowds swayed by paid agitators, the popular craving for sensation – and those many Pilates of our day who wash their hands of the responsibility of knowing, “What is truth?”, who shut their eyes to Christ in man and try to escape from their own uneasiness by evasions: “I am innocent of the blood of this just man – look you to it!  In any case, there is nothing that I could do about it!”

"Neither is it by chance that those who will carry out the sentence will be the young and ignorant soldiers of an army of occupation, lads brought up like the soldiers of the Red Army, deprived of the knowledge of the one God, obeying their orders without question because they are conditioned to obey orders without questioning, or thinking." 

“Father, forgive them; they do not know what it is they are doing.”

“Behold the man.” 

 Yes, and behold in Him yourself.  Each one of us can recognize himself, a sinner, in the disfiguring, the bruising, the ugliness, hiding the beauty of the fairest of the sons of men.  And there can be few who do not recognize themselves, too, in the utter loneliness of this man in the midst of the crowd that lately spread their garments to be trodden by the little ass He rode on, and now clamor for His blood." 

“Behold we have seen Him disfigured and without beauty; His aspect is gone from Him; He has borne our sins, and suffers for us; and He was wounded for our iniquities, and by his stripes we are healed.”

Art: Ivanka Demchuk- Ukraine

LENT WITH CARYLL HOUSELANDER

 

 

In these troubled times in our country- our world- I find that the writings of the English mystic, Caryll Houselander, to be very relevant. She had much empathy for all suffering humanity, and at the same time saw Christ in everyone she encountered.  She had a great love of the sacraments, living a life transformed by the love of Jesus.

She has been called a “divine eccentric,” an “apostle of loneliness,” and a “prophet of Vatican II.” She suffered greatly during her own life, from poverty,  frail health, and from neuroses. She had a deep and tender bond with traumatized children, and loved teaching them how to draw, paint, and carve small animals out of wood.

In her book: “Guilt” (1951) she wrote:

The most striking characteristic of the age in which we are living is psychological suffering,” she begins. “I have named this ego-neurosis. Ego-neurosis is a disease of the soul, a spiritual rather than a psychological ailment.  This written 75 years ago, could not be more true for our day and age.

For this Lent we will focus on her "Stations of the Cross", as she leads us to Jesus' resurrection.

"The Stations of the Cross are not given to us only to remind us of the historical Passion of Christ, but to show us what is happening now, and happening to each one of us.  Jesus did not become man only to live His own short life on Earth,  but to live each of our lives.  He did not choose His Passion only to suffer it in His own human nature, but in order to suffer it in the suffering of each one of His members through all ages, until the end of time." 

May this be a Lent where we all can be aware of the suffering of others, especially those we do not know, that the love of Jesus may enter their hearts..

Icon: Joseph Malham