ProLIS Day 3. Through His Mother He Is Close to Us

Throughout the ProLIS youth formation camp, Bishop Bryan Bayda, Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission for Youth of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, celebrated the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy each day. These liturgies became a unique spiritual experience for the participants, while the bishop's homilies invited young people to reflect more deeply on faith, freedom, vocation, and living the Gospel in everyday life.

We are pleased to share Bishop Bryan Bayda's homilies that accompanied our young people throughout the camp.

 ― Through His Mother He is Close to Us.

He saved us from our sins so that accepting His great sacrifice, we would know and accept the power of His love and life-giving death and resurrection, without a doubt.

How are we to build up each other in God if we ourselves are not participating in the Divine Life of God, open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit?

God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Most Holy Lady, Mother of God, Mother of Perpetual Help, Light of my darkened soul, my Hope, my Protection, my Refuge, my Comfort and my Joy! I am grateful that you have enabled me, unworthy as I am, to partake of the most pure Body and Precious Blood of Your Son.

Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego nearly 500 years ago in Mexico. On Tuesday December 12 San Juan Diego promised his dying uncle Juan Bernardino he would get a priest to provide confession and preparation for death.

Therefore, very early in the morning, Juan Diego set out for Tlatelolco (in Mexico City today). Dreading a delay if he should meet the Mother of God, Juan went around the hill of Tepeyac, taking a new route to avoid Her but naturally She interrupted his plans. The Chronicles of the apparitions, the Nican Mopohua describes it this way:

117 As soon as She heard Juan Diego’s words, the Merciful Perfect Virgin answered him: 118 “Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest son, that what frightened you, what afflicted you is nothing; do not let it disturb your face, your heart; do not fear this sickness or any other sickness, nor any sharp or hurtful thing. 119 Am I not here, I who have the honor to be your mother? Are you not in my shadow and under my protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more?” 

When I pray before this very famous world-renown icon, the Mother of Perpetual Help, it strikes me that these beautiful words are appropriate in several circumstances:

1. In faith, I hear the Theotokos say them to Jesus as a small frightened boy (icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help);
2. In faith, I hear Her repeat them to Jesus carrying His Cross when their eyes meet;
3. In faith, I hear Her speak them to Jesus in Her heart as she looks upon His lifeless body in her arms (Pieta);
4. In faith, I hear Her say them to Juan Diego as a layman worried about his uncle;
5. In faith, I hear Her as She utters them to me with the concerns I hold in my heart;
6. And in faith, I hear Her as She proclaims them to all people in Ukraine, particularly to evangelizing and intercessory Knights of Columbus, as they bring to Her the prayers carried in their hearts.

For a brief moment, close your eyes and see the icon of the Mother of Perpetual Help, like in a nest a mother bird cares for Her little birds, She is holding Jesus in the crossing of her arms with Her Son looking at the instruments of His death. She says to Jesus:

“118 Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest son, that what frightened you, what afflicted you is nothing; do not let it disturb your face, your heart; do not fear this sickness or any other sickness, nor any sharp or hurtful thing. 119 Am I not here, I who have the honor to be your mother? Are you not in my shadow and under my protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more?” 

Heavenly King, Advocate, Spirit of Truth, Who are everywhere present and fill all things, Treasury of Blessings, Bestower of Life, come and dwell within us; cleanse us of all that defiles us, and, O Good One, save our souls.