Two wonderful celebrations

First, we will celebrate Mother’s Day. When I was in middle school, I read “Que tan maravillosa es una madre que incluso Dios quiso tener una,” which in English translates, “How wonderful is a mother that even God wanted to have one.” May is a month that is consecrated to Our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is not only the mother of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, but also our mother who always is praying for each one of us. So, on this Mother’s Day, let us consecrate our mothers to Our Heavenly Mother, so that they take Mary as their model of faith, and they can serve and educate their children with Christian values. Let us pray for them so the Blessed Virgin Mary helps our mothers always. Also, let us pray for our mothers who are now resting in the peace of Christ. May God give them eternal rest and peace, and forgive their sins. Our mothers, who are not with us anymore, need our prayers. An appreciation of their love and dedication for us is to pray for them always. We are who we are because of our mothers. Finally, let us pray for those women who are like our mothers: our aunts, friends, stepmothers, mothers-in- laws, and so on. They are wonderful people who are also caring for us and helping us to be better each day.

In addition, we are celebrating the Good Shepherd’s Day. This day we not only recognize Our Lord Jesus Christ as our Shepherd, but also we pray for our priests, who are our shepherds, our pastors and lead us to the truth, the way, and life: Jesus Christ. We need holy priests who reflect with their lives the image of the Risen Lord through their pastoral work in the different ministries around the world. Let us pray also for our priests who are now elderly, sick, alone, or dying. So, God has mercy on them, and they can feel the presence of Christ through people who are caring for them. Also, let us pray for vocations. As I said, we need Holy Priests. We need more men who want to take the challenge to follow the Lord through priesthood. Our Diocese of Rochester and all dioceses around the world need more priests. Finally, let us pray for the next Pope, so the Holy Spirit guides his pastoral ministry and he can guide us according to the heart of Christ.