Soaring High... Beyond the Pain

In my last post, I mentioned that this one would be about purgatory. But that's still in the works so today I'm going to take a small detour to talk about two wonderful events that took place this past weekend.

Many times, when we lose a loved one, we tend to drown in the pain. We get angry at God for doing this to us. We go into isolation. We don't want to see or talk to anyone. All of these are normal feelings because after all, we are only human. But there comes a point, when a decision needs to be made. Do we continue on this path of self pity and self destruction or do we soar high in spite of the incredible pain that is consuming our hearts. I have met many families that chose the first path and they continue to live in anger, depression and isolation. But I have also met many families that choose to turn their pain into a tool to help others and what a difference that decision makes in their lives and the lives of those they touch.

This past weekend, many people were blessed to be in the receiving end of two such families. I have been touched by their remarkable journey of healing, hope and love. And even though I pray to God that I never have to walk in their shoes, they have taught me a big lesson about inner strength and about rising high beyond the grieving. The love that got spread this past weekend cannot be contained and it just needs to be shared. I can guarantee you that all of us that were touched by their love are soaring higher than all those people that have been camping on the streets of London waiting for the birth of another royal. We didn't have to go so far to feel the presence of the King in our midst.

The first event was hosted by the Pino-Jimenez family in honor of their beloved boy, Danny. It was a fundraiser to send care packages to our troops overseas through an organization known as Hero Box http://www.herobox.org. Danny's life was tragically cut short last September in an accident. Today, Danny is celebrating his 20th birthday in heaven. His family, with his amazing mom Peggy at the helm, want to make sure that Danny is never forgotten. And they have chosen a loving path to keep his memory alive. You see, Danny's dream was to become a soldier one day and defend our country. Since he was not able to achieve his dream here on earth, his dream is being fulfilled from heaven with the help of his warmhearted family. On Saturday, in celebration of Danny's birthday, they packed over 450 Hero Boxes. This is the third fundraiser they host in the seven months since Danny left us and they have brought a smile to more than 725 heroes. They have chosen an extraordinary way to honor their own hero in heaven. Danny's motto was: "Live your life the way that you want to be remembered." His family is living out his motto. They have created an incredible legacy in Danny's name through his foundation, PinoStrong Foundation. They have rallied an entire community behind Danny and they are touching hearts and changing lives. Danny could not make it to the army but Danny's army lives on. All because his family made the choice to soar high beyond their pain.

The second event was hosted by the Hernandez family. It was a fundraiser for Miami Children's Hospital https://www.mchf.org/ in memory of their baby boy, Nico. It was an event filled with love, laughter and color. It was a fashion show by children for the children. Nico left us when he was only three months old and most of that time he lived at Miami Children's Hospital. His family, led by his young and beautiful mom, Caro, made the choice to soar beyond their pain and they are keeping Nico's memory alive by giving back to the hospital that gave them so much in their time of need. They created a bereavement program at Miami Children's Hospital known as "Nico's Promise: A Journey of Hope and Healing," and through this program, many families who lose a child are being given comfort, support, hope, healing and lots of unconditional love. "Up, up and away," was the theme of the fashion show. What a fitting name for an event that made us soar with joy. In the words of Nico's grandmother, Alina: "I marvel at the beautiful memories of children dancing, giggling and celebrating as they bounced down a runway. Our hearts have been touched by an angel who continues to inspire us to love one another in ways that become apparent as we continue down this journey of hope and healing. Today I know that he wiggled his wings in delight as we honored and celebrated him... We will always love you, Nico." 

Many people spend a century on earth and they don't even leave a mark. Danny and Nico, in their short lives, touched many lives and they continue to impact the lives of many. They may have been with us for just a little while but their memory will forever live on. And I know that they are smiling down from heaven because their families chose to soar high beyond the pain. 

Uniting our Prayers to those in Heaven

In my last post, I shared about my unexpected visit from my husband's grandmother and my own in a dream. In the past year, I have been struggling with the question: "Can we pray directly to our loved ones that have passed away?" I have always prayed for their souls but I had never prayed to them. And there is a huge difference between praying to them and praying for them.

A year ago I went to a funeral mass, one of many because in the past two years this has become a very common occurrence. It must be that I'm getting old. The funeral mass was for Father Willie's grandmother and he gave a beautiful homily from his heart. (Father Willie, for those of you that don't know him, is a Jesuit priest that is currently assigned to a school in the Dominican Republic). In the homily he shared that his grandmother had passed away while he was in Italy with his brother and family. He immediately made the arrangements to return to Miami the following day.  This meant that he would have to miss his visit to Pope Francis scheduled for a few days later. His brother told him: "I'm going to pray to grandma so that she can intercede for you and you can see Pope Francis before you return." Father Willie's response was: "Grandma just got to heaven. I don't think she's going to have enough time to approach God with your request, especially since I'm leaving tomorrow." The following morning, before the taxi came to take him to the airport, Father Willie went with his family to have breakfast at a restaurant near the hotel. And guess who walked in while they were having breakfast? Pope Francis. What are the chances? Father Willie approached him, had a conversation with him and returned to Miami to officiate at his grandma's funeral, knowing without a doubt where she was.

After listening to this story, I started praying to my abuela for her intercession. But I had my doubts. How do I know that she's already in heaven? What if she's still in purgatory, can she hear me from there? If she's still in purgatory, then she can't take my petitions to God because she's not with him yet. Or does God visit purgatory occasionally? As you can see, I've been having quite an internal struggle. And in the midst of all this, I started seeing my abuela in my dreams for the first time since she passed away in 1998.

A lot of people I know don't believe in praying to anyone but God. I pray to God directly but I also pray to Mama Mary and the saints for their intercession. A few weeks ago, I lost my mobile phone at the tennis tournament in Key Biscayne. A lot of people thought I would not find it. I prayed to St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost items. I told him: "God has enough on his plate. There are a lot of people sick and with bigger problems than a lost phone. But if you could intercede on my behalf and help my phone fall on the hands of someone good, I will be very grateful." The following day, I received a phone call from the manager of Customer Relations that a good samaritan had turned in my phone. Thank you St. Anthony for your divine intercession.

In my mind, praying to Mama Mary and the saints is simple. I've been doing it all my life. I always compare it to when my kids want something and their father has the final word. But instead of going directly to Rafael, they come to me and ask me to intercede on their behalf. They know I can soften their father's heart and they will have a better chance to get to their father through me. It's the same with Mama Mary. There is nothing that her Son can deny her. Didn't he turn the water into wine at the wedding in Cana before he was ready to start his public ministry? But his Mama asked him and he couldn't say no. So I know that if I want something really big, all I need to do to get to Jesus is go through Mama Mary. And if I want something small then I can talk to the saints. They are in heaven with Jesus so the saints are a great connection. But our loved ones? That was totally mind boggling for me.

And when I say "praying to..." I don't mean the same type of prayer that I pray to God. When I pray to Mama Mary, the saints and now my loved ones, what I'm really doing is asking them to pray for me. I do not worship them, only God can be worshipped. But I ask them to unite their prayers with mine in praying for the sick, the unemployed, peace for our world, etc. In my previous example, I asked St. Anthony to pray for me so my phone could be found. And through his prayer and intercession, it was found.

During this personal struggle, I've been doing a lot of research and asking a lot of questions. The Cathecism of the Catholic Church is a wonderful tool that helped me to clarify a lot of doubts.  In Paragraph 1053, I found this:

"We believe that the multitude of those gathered around Jesus and Mary in Paradise forms the Church of heaven, where in eternal blessedness they see God as he is and where they are also, to various degrees, associated with the holy angels in the divine governance exercised by Christ in glory, by interceding for us and helping our weakness by their fraternal concern" (Paul VI, CPG § 29).

I feel very blessed to know that our Church on earth is united with the Church in heaven and that when we pray, we can ask Mama Mary, the saints and those that have left before us to unite their prayers to ours in petition to God almighty. And in case I still had any doubts, the abuelas confirmed it when they showed up in my dream.

In my next post I will share the answers I have found regarding our loved ones in purgatory. Can they hear us? Can they pray for us like we pray for them?

A Visit from the Abuelas

Today marks the 26th anniversary of my abuelo's passing. My grandparents were like second parents to me. In my entire life I was only apart from them for the first two years that we lived in Spain. Eventually they joined us and three years later we moved together to the United States. They always lived with us, they were part of my summer vacations and I couldn't imagine life without them.

My abuelo left us seven months after I became a mom. He never met his first great-grandson. Even though he saw him, his Alzheimer's was too advanced for him to even recognize me. It was hard to lose him but I still had my abuela.

My abuela was my best friend. I could tell her anything. She's the first person I approached to share the big news that I was in love when I was ten years old. She didn't laugh. She told me a story of her own. She was the best storyteller in the world. I know about my ancestors because my grandmother never tired of sharing stories about her past, even when I became a pain in the neck and didn't want to listen to the same old stories. She was an incredible woman who left Spain at the young age of fourteen, to move to a strange island in the Caribbean known as Cuba where she didn't know a soul. She learned to sew and worked in a "taller" (a modern day factory) for one "peso" a day. Eventually she opened her own atelier, had a staff of women working for her and put together various fashion shows that were quite a hit among the Havana socialites. She counted the Prio-Socarras' (Cuba's first family) among her exclusive clientele but that didn't stop her from sewing for the store owner across the street or making the wedding dress for my mom's nana. She taught me to chase my dreams, to always reach for the highest star and to study because "an education is the only thing that no one can steal from you." She would take me to church every Sunday, taught me to pray and I am who I am today because of my abuela.

My abuela left us nine years after my abuelo. She had the privilege to meet all three of her great-grandchildren. Her biggest joy was to sew little dresses for my daughter and shirts and jammies for my boys. I still have a lot of her beautiful creations saved, including my wedding dress, the last one she ever made.

Since my grandparents passed away, I had never dreamed of them until this past year. My abuelo still eludes me but my abuela has come to visit a few times, both to me and to my mom. This week, I had the most amazing visit and it was one of those dreams that I remembered clearly after I woke up. I have struggled whether to share it or not for fear that some of you may think I'm a bit cuckoo. I have only shared it with three persons: my husband, my mother and my daughter. But I have attended a lot of funerals these past two years and I feel this is a story that needs to be shared because it's going to bring hope and joy to a lot of people. It's certainly lightened my step and put a smile on my face.

On Tuesday night I had one of those incredible dreams that happens only once in a while. It was a bit weird, but all my dreams usually are. We were roasting a pig at my neighbors' house, the ones that live across the street from me. There was a lot going on, a lot of people... I don't remember anyone in particular, except my neighbor, the owner of the house. At some point, I crossed the street and went inside my house. My abuela was standing there. I saw her as clearly as I remember her, not when she died but a younger version. She was not alone. I couldn't see the other lady as clearly as I could see my abuela but I knew who she was. She was my husband's abuela Candita, whom I've never had the privilege of meeting. I've only seen her in pictures but I've heard plenty of stories about her and she was another amazing woman born before the turn of the century. She spoke to me first, in Spanish. This is what she said: "Me puedes rezar. Yo te escucho. La única que aún habla conmigo es mi hija Dulce." (You can pray to me. I listen to you. The only one that still talks to me is my daughter Dulce). Dulce is my husband's aunt and the youngest of her twelve children. She's one of only four still alive. Then, my abuela spoke to me, her voice soft and sweet as I still remember it: "Por supuesto que puedes hablar conmigo y rezarme. Yo te escucho." (Of course you can talk to me and pray to me. I listen to you). And then they vanished.

I woke up with goosebumps. I told my husband right away. I had to share it because I was afraid if I didn't I would forget the clear details. I even remember what my abuela was wearing, a long black and white dress, typical of her style. I know they came to answer something I have been struggling with this past year. I will share more about this on my next post.

But for now, I leave you with this happy news. We can pray to our loved ones. They can hear us. They will intercede on our behalf. After all, they are with God already so whom better than those that loved us here on earth to take our petitions to the Lord?

Easter Season: And Now What?

Lent is over, and now what? Every year, after Easter, I feel the same way. There is so much anticipation building up to Easter that when it's over, it feels like the day after a big party. You have the memories but you feel a deep void because the celebration is over. It's the same feeling when you lose someone that you love. You know they are in heaven but you still feel a big hole in your heart because they are no longer present.

After the resurrection, the apostles also felt lost. Even after witnessing that Jesus was alive, they were still afraid of the Jewish leaders. It was during one of these meetings behind closed doors that Jesus appeared to them:

"When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.'” John 20:19

Jesus stayed around for forty days after He resurrected. He knew that His disciples needed clear directions. He couldn't just leave them without instructions. He needed to reassure them that all would be well after He went to heaven. These forty days are known as the Easter Season. It's the forty days between Easter and Pentecost.

We shouldn't allow the fact that the celebration of Easter Sunday is over, to put a dent on our spirits. Easter should not be looked at as just one day. Easter Sunday marks the beginning of a seven-week season. Even though the party is over because we are not going to continue having Easter egg hunts for seven weeks, we should remain in a festive mood. This should also be a time of spiritual growth. A season of deeper intimacy with God. It's a good time to pick up a good spiritual book, to continue reading the Bible or to join a Bible study (St. Louis is offering a 4-week study on the book of Ruth on Thursday mornings from April 23rd to May 14th). It's also a good time to help someone in need, to become involved in a charity of your choice or to participate in a fundraiser (Nico's Promise is having a luncheon and fashion show to raise funds for Miami Children's on April 26th). The important thing is not to allow the joy we felt during Easter to fade from our hearts.

If Lent is the season of fasting, Easter is the season for feasting. In this season we celebrate the fact that death has no power over us. It's a time to rejoice, to sing, to dance. If you gave up chocolate during Lent, give yourself permission to truly enjoy chocolate during Easter. I gave up bread during Lent. Bread had never tasted so good as it has this week. I've been enjoying hot bread and butter every morning as if I had never tasted such a delicacy in my entire life.

Lent is over but the journey is not over. We need to continue walking towards God and rejoice in the fact that He is Risen.

As we begin this Easter season, I leave you with this prayer:

Lord, the resurrection of Your Son

has given us new life and renewed hope.

Help us to live as new people

in pursuit of the Christian ideal.

Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,

the will to want to do it,

the courage to undertake it,

the perseverance to continue to do it,

and the strength to complete it.

source:New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

Lenten Journey: Today We Rejoice

"Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead.'" Matthew 28:5-7

It's Sunday morning. The village is quiet. Most people are still asleep. But in a little house, there is a beautiful lady sitting quietly by the window. A single tear is running down her cheek. Her name is Mary and two days ago, her son, Jesus of Nazareth, was crucified. She will be moving to another town soon. John, one of the disciples, is taking her to his house. But she wanted to spend the last few days in her home, by herself, remembering her dear boy.

Oh so many memories are crowding her mind and filling her heart. That day so long ago in Bethlehem when she brought him into the world in a little stable surrounded by cows, sheep and a donkey. The presentation in the temple and Simeon's prophetic words to her. The exile to Egypt when Herod ordered the killing of all first born boys. The day she lost him when he was twelve years old and he stayed behind doing his father's work. All those days in the shop working side by side with his earthly father, her dear Joseph. Oh how she longs to have Joseph by her side to ease her pain.

All of a sudden she hears a noise. She looks up and there He is. Her dear boy Jesus is standing in front of her, flesh and blood. She closes her eyes. She must be dreaming. How could this be? He is dead. She held His dead body in her arms. She hears His voice: "Mother." There is no doubt now. It is Him. She runs to Him and embraces Him. In that single moment the veil is lifted from her eyes and she understands everything. In that single embrace her mourning was transformed into happiness.

The Bible does not mention this encounter with His mother Mary after the resurrection. However, I truly believe it had to happen. They had such a close relationship and He loved her so much, it would be fitting that the first person He visited was His mother. And probably the reason why the tomb was empty when Mary Magdalene went to anoint His body.

St. John Paul II mentioned this potential encounter on his general audience homily delivered on May 21, 1997: “From this silence [i.e. from the fact that the Gospels do not relate an apparition to the Blessed Virgin], one must not deduce that Christ, after his Resurrection, did not appear to Mary. […] On the contrary, it is legitimate to think that the Mother may really have been the first person to whom the risen Jesus appeared.”

There are certain moments that will forever remain in the hearts of a mother, not to be shared with the rest of the world. Only Mary and Jesus know what truly happened. For us, we can use our imaginations and imagine whatever we like. But the fact remains that JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN!!! "He has been raised from the dead." And that is enough reason to rejoice.

http://youtu.be/EwoCbcSXlSM

Happy Easter to all. Thank you for being part of this Lenten Journey.

Lenten Journey: Today We Grieve

“O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.” 1 Samuel 1:11

Hannah's Story

Holy Saturday is a sad day. The Messiah is dead. Everyone is grieving. The apostles are feeling hopeless. How could it have ended this way? Mary is crying for her lost Son. Yes, she always knew in her heart that He was borrowed, that He belonged to God and that one day He would need to return to His Father, but she never imagined that she would have to witness the crucifixion of her beloved Son. 

As we mourn the death of Jesus, we are joined by a young woman that is also mourning but for a very different reason. Hannah is sad because she is barren. Hannah lived 1100 years before the birth of Jesus. She was married to a man named Elkanah. Elkanah had two wives. Penninah had a lot of children. Elkanah loved Hannah but she was completely distraught because she couldn't bear children. And Penninah would taunt her at every opportunity. It sounds so familiar. All this jealousy and competition among the wives. It's a good thing that in our culture we don't need to deal with this issue. Husbands have one wife and that is enough. 

It's no wonder that Hannah was so sad to the point that she cried all the time and she would not eat. Hannah was so distressed that she made a vow to the Lord. If the Lord answered her prayer and gave her a male son, she would offer her son to the Lord. God did answer Hannah's prayer with a son. She named him Samuel. And Hannah lent him to the Lord all the days of his life. 

How would you feel if you had to leave your son in the temple, at a very young age, and only get to see him once a year? Even though Hannah made the promise, I'm sure when the time came her motherly instincts took over and it must have been very difficult for her to part from her son. I remember vividly the day I had to leave my two boys in college and when my daughter left to England to study abroad. All three times I left with a knot in my throat and tears in my eyes. And I knew that I would see them again in a short time. So I cannot fathom what Hannah must have been feeling on the day she left Samuel on the temple. She left him with God because she had promised God that if He gave her a son she would give him back to God. And as difficult as that must have been, she rejoices because she is so grateful for the son that God sent her and because she has so much faith in God's plan for her son. Samuel would become one of the greatest prophets of Israel.

This is the same type of faith that we saw in Abraham and the same type of faith that we see in Mary when she also has to struggle with the separation from her Son. Even though all along she knew that Jesus was the Son of God, He was also her Son, her only Son, her beloved boy. When the day came to give Him back, a sword pierced her heart, and on this Holy Saturday, we grieve with Mary. And we pray that soon we can rejoice, as Hannah was able to rejoice.

Lenten Journey: He sacrificed His Son for Us

"God tested Abraham. He said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.'” Genesis 22:1-2

The Story of Abraham and Isaac

Abraham, our Father of Faith, joins us on this holy and solemn day. There is an event in his life, that prefigured what would happen 2,000 years later to another begotten Son who walked with His Father along the same path. 

"God tested Abraham." And we could ask God, "Hasn't this poor man being tested enough?" He left his homeland and family, he wandered through deserts in search of a land that was promised to him but never delivered, he agonized twenty-five years while waiting for a son... And he always obeyed God. What more does he need to prove? Yet God tested Abraham.

Don't we feel that way sometimes? It seems like God is always testing us. Sometimes life gets so difficult that we feel that God doesn't love us. We feel that He has abandoned us. But nothing can be further from the truth. God has tremendous plans for us. The problem is that we cannot see the big picture. We are stuck in the immediate problem and we can't see beyond it. We need to submit our troubles to God and in trust and obedience, He will open the floodgates of heaven to us. 

How will Abraham respond to this cruel request from God? Abraham responds "Here I am."  He lets God know that he is ready to obey. Abraham could have responded with a simple "No, thank you." Abraham was free to choose. This made his "Yes" to God more meaningful. And it reminds us of another "YES" 2,000 years later that would change the world.

Abraham was completely submissive to the will of God and Isaac was completely docile to his father's wishes. He willingly allows himself to be tied and placed on the altar. This prefigures Jesus submission. Jesus willingly obeys the will of the Father and submits himself to the crucifixion. God asks Abraham to go to the land of Moriah. I think it's important to point out that Jesus was crucified on Mt. Moriah 2,000 years later. In this same place, two fathers offered up their beloved sons as sacrifices. But one son was spared while the other was not. 

Another important parallel between these two events is that Isaac carries the wood for the burnt offering and Christ also carries His own cross. Abraham took Isaac and laid him upon the wood. Jesus was nailed to the wood of the cross. Once Isaac was spared, God provided a lamb. Jesus, the true sacrificial lamb, will eventually be sacrificed on this same mountain for all of us. 

Abraham, on this Good Friday, teaches us about faith and obedience. If we have faith and we are obedient to whatever God asks of us, nothing can separate us from God's love. He will never abandon us. He loves us so much that He sacrificed His beloved Son for each and everyone of us. 

Lenten Journey: Enjoy the "Better Part"

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

Towards the beginning of this Lenten journey, we met two sisters, Leah and Rachel. Remember them? Today we are joined by their modern version, Martha and Mary. 

Martha and Mary were the sisters of Lazarus and they were friends of Jesus. There is a really good book written about them that if you have not read it, I suggest that you run to the store to buy it for yourself as an Easter gift. "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver is the last book I will recommend on this journey and I guarantee it will become one of your favorite books.

Jesus and his disciples arrived at the sisters' home. Martha is running around like a good hostess trying to serve them. Mary, on the other hand, sits at the feet of Jesus to listen to His Word. This makes Martha upset. Why should she be doing all the work while her lazy sister does nothing? She complains to Jesus but His response was not what she expected. He must have startled her. 

In a world filled with unending tasks, we can learn a lot from this story. Most of us can relate to Martha. Martha's outlook on life was quite different than Mary's. Martha was practical, organized and efficient. She managed her house like an army general manages his soldiers. Being practical and efficient is good as long as it doesn't interfere with the more important things in life. 

If we look at Mary from a worldly view, we could say that Mary was a bit lazy. She didn't care that her sister was running around doing everything that needed to be done to be hospitable. She simply sat at Jesus' feet to enjoy His presence. But if we look at it from Jesus' point of view, who was more concerned about serving the Savior, Martha or Mary? Mary chose listening to Jesus while Martha chose to prepare Him a meal. Jesus said that Mary chose the "better part." 

Every day we also have a choice. We live in a world where time is precious. We have to be busy all the time. Finding time to sit at Jesus' feet is practically impossible. And if we spend too much time with Him, we may be accused of being lazy. I can only find time to be like Mary either very late at night or very early in the morning. It's 5:45 am and while the rest of the house is still asleep, I'm typing away meditating on this obstacle called "time." We have to make time for God. We cannot allow our worldly duties to consume us. If you have been running around ragged during this Lent and have not made time to sit at Jesus' feet, as we begin the Triddum, the three holiest days of our faith, I invite you to stop doing and to start enjoying. Sit at His feet and let His love and wisdom surround you. 

Most of the times, we are "Martha's." During the next three days, let's find time to be "Mary's." Let's enjoy the "better part."

Lenten Journey: God gave His life for us

"Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him." Exodus 2:1-4

When I was growing up, one of my favorite Bible stories was the story of Moses being hidden in a basket, placed on the river and being found by Pharaoh's daughter. But I never paid much attention to the sister that stood at a distance guarding her little brother. Today, we will be joined on our journey by Miriam. She was Moses' older sister and another courageous woman from the Old Testament.

Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had ordered the drowning of all male Hebrew babies. His mother saved him by placing him inside a basket and hiding him among the reeds at the edge of the river. But his older sister went one step further. She followed and watched over him, shaping his future.

When Moses was found by Pharaoh's own daughter, Miriam approached her and cleverly offered the real mother of the baby as a wet-nurse for the baby. What a courageous woman. And how much love she showed towards her baby brother. She was unselfish, protective and brave. This action guaranteed that she would always be part of her brother's life. He lived in the palace and she lived in the slave quarters, but she didn't care because she loved her brother and she had saved his life.

This is the kind of love that God feels for us. He loves us so much that He sent us His only Son to save us. As we approach Good Friday let's meditate on that. Who is the person that we love the most? Would we be willing to risk our life for him or her? We are that person to God. He gave His life for us.