Today we honor Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let us remember that we are in the presence of a holy God.
Come out of the world to follow the Lord.
Take one minute of silence now, praying for God’s blessing on you, your family, fraternity, and all Exodus Men.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues.
# A Reading from the Book of Revelation
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor.
And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird; for all nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich with the wealth of her wantonness.”
Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed. As she glorified herself and played the wanton, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning.
Since in her heart she says, ‘A queen I sit, I am no widow, mourning I shall never see,’ so shall her plagues come in a single day, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and were wanton with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! alas! you great city, you mighty city, Babylon! In one hour has your judgment come.”
# Reflection
Angels have authority through their role as ministers of God.
This includes having authority over us.
We are given a guardian angel from the first moment of our life who always accompanies us.
When we are baptized and live the Christian life, this angel is given more authority and ability to guide us.
Our guardian angel can protect us physically, assist us in spiritual warfare against fallen angels, inspire us, and lead us toward God.
We see Jesus referring to the guardian angels of children in Matthew 18:10: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.”
The good angels already see God face to face in heaven.
Their ministry toward us does not take them away from this happiness, but flows from their union with God.
In a way, since our guardian angels stand before God, they provide us with one point of access to God.
What is the goal of the guardianship of the angels?
The Letter to the Hebrews, in comparing angels to the Son, asks: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).
God knows that we need help and guidance on our journey to heaven.
These guides are there already and know the way.
When we listen to their inspirations, their protective power increases.
When we turn away from them, we are left more and more to ourselves.
We see in this passage how the angels illuminate the earth.
The presence of the angels adds brightness and splendor to our lives.
We are never alone due to their presence, and, even in difficult moments, their light remains by us.
We may not be able to see it physically, yet this light should reassure us in the battle.
Here is one prayer that can be said to our guardian angels for help:
>O Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all the ways I have offended you.
Deliver me from all the wiles of the Enemy, that I may not anger God by any sin.
Pray for me, sinful and unworthy servant, that you may present me worthy of the kindness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ, and of all the Saints. Amen.
The angels try to steer us away from dangers.
We see that in falling, Babylon has become possessed by demons.
Revelation advises us to stay apart from its ruins to avoid her sins.
Our civilization is in ruins, morally and spiritually speaking, and we need to stay somewhat removed from it or we will succumb to its intoxication.
The harlot will have to drink her own poison, rotting from the inside from her sins.
She lies to herself that she will remain secure, propped up by her relations with the nations.
These very nations, however, weep over her ruins.
She could not fulfill her promises.
We must see through her lies and live apart enough from her not to weep as she wanes.
Are we too dependent on her wares?
Is every aspect of our lives rooted in God’s goodness, or do we give in to the harlot in any way?
If our civilization has collapsed morally, then we need to find our strength and support elsewhere.
Forming strong Christian community with other men, our families, and at church, will help to bolster our lives through the wavering of civilization.
Our Lady of Sorrows points us to the need to unite our lives to the Cross.
Just as Mary stood at the foot of the Cross and joined her pierced heart to her Son, as Simeon had prophesied, so we too must die to the world and to sin so that we can live with Jesus.
Jesus will give us the strength to rebuild when our hearts are joined to his, and we look to his grace before anything else.
Mary remains our model for turning our lives completely to Jesus so that he can reign in us.
Today, ask your guardian angel to protect you from the spirit of this age.
Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues.
Let us pray.
Lord, protect us from the spirit of this world. Help us to live by your most Holy Spirit so that we can love you above all things. Amen.
Saint Michael the archangel, pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
