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So, Jesus is God, yes? Most of us can agree on that much. And we know that Mary is the mother of Jesus. Therefore, logically speaking, Mary is the Mother of God. Mary was first defined as the Mother of God (Theotokos!) at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. This belief was a conclusion based upon belief in Jesus' Incarnation- that He is fully God AND fully man. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly 'Mother of God' (Theotokos)." (CCC 495) Mary is not the source of the divine nature of Jesus, but of His human nature. Just as we wouldn't say, though, that a mother is the mother of her child's body and not her soul, we also wouldn't say that Mary is the mother of Jesus' human nature and not His divine nature- both make Him who He is. (Example from Catholic Answers!!) To separate Mary from Jesus is to deny that Christ is fully God AND fully man- a fundamental aspect of Christian Theology. If Mary is not the Mother of God, then: a) Jesus is not God, only man, and only has human nature (Arianism, rejected by the Church at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD) b) Jesus is two separate persons- and Mary is only the Mother of the human person. (Nestorianism, rejected by the Church at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD) c) Jesus is only God and only seemed to have a human nature. (Docetism, rejected by the Church at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD) To deny Mary as the Mother of God is to deny Christ's human and divine nature. To deny Christ's nature is to deny either His humanity of divinity. To deny His humanity or divinity means that no one can be saved. This is catastrophic. If Mary is not the Mother of God, then death still has the final say. So we praise God for His great gift of Mary in giving us her as Theotokos- God bearer- and we celebrate her in a special way on January 1st on the feast of Mary, Mother of God. Still confused? Leave your questions in the comments!

Each time I read the part of the Gospel that we hear today, I think of it as a love letter from Jesus and the Father. It's incredible. It's like each word is dripping with meaning and love, like He said each one precisely and intentionally. Sometimes I have to close my eyes when I hear it during Mass, and let it sink into the depths of my soul. It's so, so beautiful. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me." "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be" "In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places" "I am the way and the truth and the life." "If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it." "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." "In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live." "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." These words- as well as the rest of them found in chapter 14 of the Gospel of John- are like a remedy for the pain and the lies that surround us. Yes, we might suffer, but we do it with Him. These words spoken by the Lord are words spoken to a bride. You, my friend, as a Baptized member of the Church, are His Bride. He speaks peace over you. He tells you that He is preparing a place for you! And He tells you not to be afraid. Let your heart be at peace. At the end of the passage, Jesus says some beautiful words. An invitation: " Get up, let us go." He invites you to the Garden of Gethsemane. To be with Him in His Passion. To keep Him company is the greatest gift you can give the One who loves you so deeply. Will you go with Him?

One thing that the FOCUS missionaries on my campus like to do with us to start out our Bible studies is have us share a high, low, and God moment from the week. It's fairly self-explanatory... you share one "high", or fun, exciting, or happy thing that happened during your week; one "low" or sad, difficult, scary, etc. time from your week so that your friends can pray for you, and a God moment, a time when you encountered the Lord and saw Him working throughout your week. Today I want to share with you some of my highs, lows, and God moments from the past couple of weeks just to give you an update and ask for some prayers. To start off with the "highs"... I got a new prayer journal. We held a bingo for the SFU Respect Life Club and made a lot more money for a pregnancy care center than we had accepted. Pumpkins! I got to go home for fall break and be with my family. I found a time management and planning system that works well for me. I did well on my midterms. My roommate and I got a TV for free! Now the lows... Seasonal depression is kicking in (but I'm trying to kick it back!!!) Pain. Not fun. It's cold outside. God moment... This one topped them all this week. To preface this, I'm currently in a book study that is reading the book "Healing: Bringing the Gift of God's Mercy to the World" by Mary Healy. We've been talking and learning about how the ministry and miracles of healing are not something confined to the early Church, but are something that we are called to practice as well, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Fantastic book. I'd highly recommend it. Anyway... back to my God moment. This past Thursday I had been at work all morning and got done with my shift at twelve to go to Mass. I had a migraine and was feeling really sleepy. Instead of suffering through it, gritting my teeth, and trying to tough it out, I was honest with Jesus. I told Him that my head hurt really badly and I was trying so hard to stay awake for Him. And then I asked for healing. I prayed all through Mass, "Jesus, I know you can heal me. I trust that you want to heal me. You've done it before and I know that you will do it again. I trust you." And then He did. It took me a few moments to realize it, but as soon as the Host touched my tongue, my migraine was gone and I could stay awake to pray. I could concentrate on praying and communing with Jesus, and was even able to go to lunch with my friends afterward instead of going back to my room to lie down. I was so comforted by the fact that He had healed me that I started telling random people... my friends, the lady who made my sandwich for lunch, girls in the Bible study I was leading... pretty much anyone who asked how my day was going. It was incredible, and I'd like to think that Jesus healed me partially so that even just one of those people, or someone who overheard, would put their trust in Him. Granted, my migraine did come back later in the day, though to a lesser intensity, and I've been in a lot of pain in other ways since then, but there is no doubt in my mind that Jesus healed me, even if my being pain-free was only for a few hours. I'm so grateful. I'm sharing this also to encourage you to pray for healing. Pray for your own healing, both physical and emotional, and for that of your friends and family. Every single person is going through something different and difficult. You might be the only person who has the faith to pray for their healing. Whether you pray with and over them or simply in the silence of your heart, know that our Lord hears our prayers and will heal us when the time is right. I'm praying for you!

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Pray the Rosary for the end of the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic. Rosary for the End of COVID-19 The themed rosary uses the same exact prayers as a traditional Rosary, but has prayer intentions for each Hail Mary prayer. You can follow the chart above which demonstrates which prayer is on which bead. All prayers used in the Rosary can be found by going to the "Themed Rosary" tab, and clicking on the button titled, "Rosary Prayers". Feel free to copy and paste the Rosary into a document to print it out for your own personal use. The Sign of the Cross Apostles Creed Our Father: For the intentions of the Holy Father Hail Mary: For an increase in faith Hail Mary: For an increase in hope Hail Mary: For an increase in love Glory Be 1st Decade Our Father Hail Mary: That the coronavirus pandemic will end Hail Mary: That researchers will find a vaccination using good and morally acceptable means Hail Mary: That all who are working to end the virus will stay healthy Hail Mary: That all who are praying for an end to the virus will be protected from it by the power of the Holy Spirit Hail Mary: That the virus will continue to infect less and less people. Hail Mary: That the virus will cause fewer deaths Hail Mary: That government leaders and healthcare workers will do all that they can to correctly report cases of the virus Hail Mary: That countries around the world will begin to see diminishing numbers of cases of the virus Hail Mary: That all people of faith will pray for an end to the virus Hail Mary: That the hand of Jesus will come and heal our world Glory Be Oh my Jesus... 2nd Decade Our Father Hail Mary: For all world leaders who are working to put a stop to the virus through the enforcement of health and safety guidelines Hail Mary: For the health and safety of all the medical workers who battle the virus every day Hail Mary: For all those who work to provide personal protection equipment for the world Hail Mary: For all those who work for the Church and have strived to reopen the churches as safely as possible Hail Mary: For all priests who have encouraged the faithful to pray and stay strong in their faith in this difficult time Hail Mary: For all construction, sanitation, and other workers who keep our communities up and running Hail Mary: For all firefighters, police, and first responders who continue to respond to emergencies in our communities Hail Mary: For al military personnel who continue to keep our countries safe during the pandemic Hail Mary: For all teachers as they adjust to the new guidelines for educating students during the pandemic Hail Mary: For all store and restaurant employees, as well as farmers, who work hard to provide food for all. Glory Be Oh My Jesus... 3rd Decade Our Father Hail Mary: That people may turn to hope instead of fear Hail Mary: That all those who are anxious or afraid will take seriously the words of the Lord: "Do not be afraid!" Hail Mary: That people will seek out Jesus Christ, the healer, in every area of their lives Hail Mary: That people will take the time to talk with their Heavenly Father during this time of social isolation Hail Mary: That people will seek healing for their souls in the sacrament of reconciliation. Hail Mary: That Christ, the Divine healer, will come and heal His people of all their infirmities Hail Mary: That those who have been mentally wounded by the effects of this pandemic will find peace with Christ Hail Mary: That all who have endured abuse during this time will seek help and find healing in Christ Hail Mary: That all relationships that have been wounded by the lack of socialization during the pandemic can be restored Hail Mary: That the world will see that it is Christ alone who heals and restores our brokeness. Glory Be Oh My Jesus... 4th Decade Our Father Hail Mary: For all those who are infected by the virus Hail Mary: For all those recovering from the virus Hail Mary: For the souls of all who have died from COVID-19 Hail Mary: For negative results for all being tested for the virus Hail Mary: For all of the healthcare professionals who are directly caring for those with COVID-19 Hail Mary: For the families of those infected with the virus Hail Mary: For all nursing home residents who are battling the virus Hail Mary: For the continued health and safety of all who have not been infected by the virus Hail Mary: For everyone who has lost a family member or friend due to the virus Hail Mary: For all who are fighting other medical conditions during the pandemic Glory Be Oh My Jesus... 5th Decade Our Father Hail Mary: That all countries will be able to reopen safely and quickly Hail Mary: That there will be a minimal resurgence of the virus around the world Hail Mary: That all Churches will be able to reopen as soon as possible Hail Mary: That all citizens will cooperate with reopening processes Hail Mary: That schools will reopen and be safe for students and staff Hail Mary: That government officials will be reasonable with their demands for reopening guidelines Hail Mary: For everyone who is working hard to get our world back up and running Hail Mary: That as places reopen, people will use good judgment in determining where they should and should not go Hail Mary: For all of us who are having to adjust to this new way of living Hail Mary: That the virus will come under control so that life can resume in a somewhat normal way Glory Be Oh My Jesus... Hail Holy Queen Closing Prayer