Great Things

SCRIPTURE
- Luke 1:49
"At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. And Mary said, “The Almighty has done great things for me -holy is his name. And then she waited on Elizabeth.”

REFLECTION
- Fr. Ron

MUSIC
- "On This Day O Beautiful Mother" by Michael Allen Harrison
- "Magnificat" Taizé Instrumental

NOTES
- 

PRAYER OF LETTING GO
To You do I belong, O God,
 into Your hands I surrender my life.
 Pour out Your Spirit upon me
 that I may love You perfectly,
 and serve You faithfully
 until my soul rests in You.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:31

It's Saturday, and it's good to be back praying together in this familiar way. Whether you've been with us all week or you're just joining us today, welcome. We're grateful you set aside these few moments to be with the Lord. Since this day is traditionally dedicated to our Blessed Mother, you'll notice a few slight differences in our prayer as we seek to honor her on Saturdays. So today, Father Ron invites us to reflect on Mary's gratitude. So let's begin by opening our hearts to God's presence and the prayers we carry with us today. Let us pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 1:27

Hail Mary, full of grace.

SPEAKER_03 1:30

Blessed are you among women.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Psalm 5, Song of the Clouded Dawn. Listen to my passionate prayer. Can't you hear me groaning, Lord? Don't you hear how I'm crying out to you? My King and my God, consider my every word, for I call to you in the night.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

At each and every sunrise, you will hear my voice, O God, as I offer my sacrifice of prayer and praise to you.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Lord, lead me in the pathway of your pleasure, just like you promised me you would. Smooth out your road in front of me, straight and level, so that I will know where to walk.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

But I know the way back home. I know you will welcome me into your house. For I am covered by your covenant of mercy and love. I come with deepest awe, bowing in worship and adoration of you.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

And then she waited on Elizabeth. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. The image for today's prayer is the wall that is in my room. A wall that is in my room. I have like 25-30 framed pictures from my life depicting memorable and wonderful memories over the last, you know, 50-some odd years. And above all of these pictures, as you can see in the image, is a sign that says the very words that we heard in today's scripture from the Blessed Mother The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Indeed, what a remarkable sentence. Mary recognizes that every good thing in her life is a gift. She doesn't say, I have accomplished great things with God's help. She says the Almighty has done these great things. Her eyes are fixed not on herself, but on God. And I guess gratitude has a way of doing that. It shifts our attention away from, you know, what is missing and opens our eyes to what God has already given. It teaches us to see his hand quietly at work, in the blessings we celebrate, and even in the crosses we carry. And that's why I have all those pictures up on my wall to remind me of that truth. You know, I wonder how different our lives would be if we prayed Mary's words every single morning. The Almighty has done great things for me. Wouldn't that be awesome? I mean, at first we might struggle to think of anything extraordinary, but then we would begin to notice them over the course of a day. I mean, just the gift of another day. The love of family and friends, the forgiveness we've received, the faith that has sustained us, Christ, who walks with us. Yeah, amen. To that. And grateful people, you know, become joyful people. Not because life is easy, but because they've learned to recognize God's goodness in every season. Mary's gratitude also teaches us something else. Notice in the scripture that after praising God before Zechariah and Elizabeth, after praising God, he's done great things for me. What does she do? She immediately goes in haste to serve Elizabeth. Genuine gratitude never ends with thanksgiving. It overflows into generosity. When we know how much we've received, well, we naturally want to give. And perhaps that is the invitation for us today, friends. As we move into this weekend, like Mary, let us become people who notice God's blessings, who thank Him often for them, and then allow that gratitude to become acts of love and service for others.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

Through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, we pray.

SPEAKER_03 8:44

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 9:05

Let us pray. Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, teach us to recognize God's goodness with grateful hearts. When we forget how deeply we are loved, gently point us back to your Son. Receive the prayers we offer today, and place them before Him. May we become people whose gratitude naturally becomes kindness and generosity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. To you do I belong, O God. Into your hands I surrender my life. Pour out your Spirit upon me that I may love you perfectly and serve you faithfully until my soul rests in you. Thank you for welcoming us back to our usual Saturday prayer. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow for breaking open the word. But until then, keep noticing the great things God is doing in your life. And may God bless us as we go in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Mother Mary, watch over us.