Deacon Marty’s Reflection: March 23, 2020
Getting though the times we are living in,
One of my most vivid memories of my grandparents (Andrew and Erma Renner) was how they lived their Catholic faith. Although they died when I was in my younger teens, I was unknowingly inspired by their devotion to the Eucharist as daily communicants, and more specifically their dedication to the Holy Rosary. In their TV room on Westview Avenue I can still see and smell my arthritic grandfather sitting in his Lazy Boy, beads in hand, his legs draped in a blanket while the strong aroma of Ben Gay hovered above. Grandma and Aunt Kathlyn sat close by and they all recited the daily mysteries. It wasn’t until I interviewed my parents back in 2015 that mom told me about how she remembered the tradition starting. An S.O.S. call for praying the daily Rosary came from Pope Pius XII to pray for the end of World War II. The Holy Father dedicated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on October 31, 1942 and asked the world to pray with him for peace. Andrew and Erma would have been in their late 30’s or early 40’s during this time with 5 kids in the house. They took the request seriously and when the war ended they kept praying until their deaths some four decades later.
As we consider the “New Normal” of Shelter in Place and Social Distancing. I find myself reflecting on how my time can be well spent during such and uncertain period of our lives.
Although the world has been through other wars and times of crisis since the “Big One”, I think today’s crisis is one for the ages. Maybe we should go back to the basics of prayer. Let’s grab our beads and get to work! As I pray the Rosary I not only ask for the intersession of Our Lady, St Juliana, St Michael and other favorites, I also ask for Saints Andrew and Erma Renner to pray for us during our time of need. God Bless you all.
Deacon Marty’s Reflection: March 23, 2020
Getting though the times we are living in,
One of my most vivid memories of my grandparents (Andrew and Erma Renner) was how they lived their Catholic faith. Although they died when I was in my younger teens, I was unknowingly inspired by their devotion to the Eucharist as daily communicants, and more specifically their dedication to the Holy Rosary. In their TV room on Westview Avenue I can still see and smell my arthritic grandfather sitting in his Lazy Boy, beads in hand, his legs draped in a blanket while the strong aroma of Ben Gay hovered above. Grandma and Aunt Kathlyn sat close by and they all recited the daily mysteries. It wasn’t until I interviewed my parents back in 2015 that mom told me about how she remembered the tradition starting. An S.O.S. call for praying the daily Rosary came from Pope Pius XII to pray for the end of World War II. The Holy Father dedicated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on October 31, 1942 and asked the world to pray with him for peace. Andrew and Erma would have been in their late 30’s or early 40’s during this time with 5 kids in the house. They took the request seriously and when the war ended they kept praying until their deaths some four decades later.
As we consider the “New Normal” of Shelter in Place and Social Distancing. I find myself reflecting on how my time can be well spent during such and uncertain period of our lives.
Although the world has been through other wars and times of crisis since the “Big One”, I think today’s crisis is one for the ages. Maybe we should go back to the basics of prayer. Let’s grab our beads and get to work! As I pray the Rosary I not only ask for the intersession of Our Lady, St Juliana, St Michael and other favorites, I also ask for Saints Andrew and Erma Renner to pray for us during our time of need. God Bless you all.
