Category: Jesus

T-Shirt Revelation

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Church, Cross, Faith, Jesus, Prayer, spirituality, suffering5 Comments

October 7, 2026
Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

When one of my beloved nieces visited this summer, she wore a T-shirt that both delighted and surprised me.

Why was I surprised? Well, for one thing, I hadn’t expected Mary to appear to me on a T-shirt! A grotto in Lourdes? A hill in Fatima? A chapel in Ireland? OK! But not a T-shirt!

Secondly, all my baptized-Catholic, Millennial niblings have drifted to Methodism or other Christian sects where I had assumed Mary occupied a quieter space than she does in the Catholic imagination.

Pondering this as I prayed this morning, I first dealt with my regret that the Catholic Church has been unable to captivate these young folks. So many reasons suggested themselves, all of them rooted in an institutional failure to establish relationships at critical points in their spiritual lives. But with mixed emotions, I felt ultimately grateful that each had sought another faith home, even if in a different tradition. Faith is sometimes inherited in surprising ways.

Continuing my prayer, I reached for the Rosary that rests beside my armchair. When Dad died decades ago, I took it from his special drawer in our old dining room credenza. The mahogany beads, worn and glistening with the balm of his fingers, embody the reasons my Catholic faith remains committed despite some of the same institutional failures.

I treasure what was passed on to me by generations of Irish-Catholic ancestors, and the memory of how their resolute faith sustained them through the tests of life and history. Much of that sustenance came through praying the rosary in times of testing, learning from Mary and Jesus a fully grace-filled response to life.

There is nothing we will meet in life without a mirror in the rosary. Though divine and saintly, Jesus and Mary lived fully human lives just like ours. They faced the same joys and trials, though dressed in the differing dimensions of their era. The rosary is a place where our humanity meets theirs, drawing the inspiration for faithful perseverance and spiritual deepening.

In the rosary, we encounter birth, death, fear, loss, wonder, suffering, hope, and love. Aren’t these the mysteries of our lives, just as they were for Mary? She didn’t escape them with some holy magic that made them disappear. She lived through them with a steadfast faith, trusting that God engages us in just such mysteries.

Coincidentally, that T-shirt-wearing niece happened to be born on October 7th, feast of the Holy Rosary. Happenstance? I think not. More likely, the invitation to pray for her  – and all my precious nibs – that, indeed, Mary may always be their Homegirl!

Music: Tota Pulchra Es, Maria – a 4th-century chant sung here by Andrea Lena

V. Tota pulchra es, Maria.
R. Tota pulchra es, Maria. 		V. Thou art all fair, O Mary.
R. Thou art all fair, O Mary. 
V. Et macula originalis non est in te.
R. Et macula originalis non est in te. 		V. And the original stain is not in thee.
R. And the original stain is not in thee. 
V. Tu gloria Ierusalem.
R. Tu laetitia Israel. 		V. Thou art the glory of Jerusalem.
R. Thou, the joy of Israel. 
V. Tu honorificentia populi nostri.
R. Tu advocata peccatorum. 		V. Thou art the honor of our people.
R. Thou art the advocate of sinners. 
V. O Maria.
R. O Maria. 		V. O Mary.
R. O Mary. 
V. Virgo prudentissima.
R. Mater clementissima. 		V. Virgin most prudent.
R. Mother most tender. 
V. Ora pro nobis.
R. Intercede pro nobis ad Dominum Iesum Christum. 		V. Pray for us,
R. Intercede for us with Jesus Christ our Lord . 
V. In conceptione tua, Immaculata fuisti.
R. Ora pro nobis Patrem cuius Filium peperisti. 		V. In thy conception, Holy Virgin, thou wast immaculate.
R. Pray for us to the Father, Whose Son thou didst bring forth. 
V. Domina, protege orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. 		V. O Lady! aid my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Suggested Reading: Luke 1: 26-38

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For Your Reflection:

  • What feelings or reactions do I have after reading this reflection?
  • Do my feelings or reactions remind me of any passage or event in scripture, especially in the life of Christ? 
  • What actions might I take today because of my response to these readings?

Hearing Our Angels

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Faith, Jesus, Scripture, spirituality1 Comment

September 29, 2026

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels, three of whom are mentioned by name in Scripture: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.

As I begin this reflection, I think of a beautiful mural above an altar in our motherhouse chapel. The painting depicts the Christmas scene: Mary and Joseph beside Jesus in his crib. Peeking over a windowsill, barely noticeable at first glance, two winged cherubs observe the holy scene. Something like this Renaissance version:

Adoration of the Shepherds
by Guido Reni

As beautiful as such images may be, they can obscure a deeper appreciation of angels in Scripture and in our spiritual lives.

Walter Brueggemann, in a Christmas sermon from 1972, reminds us that the biblical understanding of angels was far removed from the sweet, decorative cherubs that often populate religious art. Angels were messengers—bearers of divine communication. They were agents of God’s purpose, bringing messages that were clear, urgent, and often unsettling. Whether appearing in dreams, visions, storms, inner promptings, or heavenly voices, angels conveyed God’s Will.

Scripture certainly confirms this understanding.

In Revelation 12:7-12 and Jude 1:9, Michael appears as a warrior, confronting the forces of evil and defending God’s people. Growing up in St. Michael’s Parish in Old Kensington, I had a heartfelt devotion to this guardian!

Raphael is a central figure in the Book of Tobit. Disguised as a human guide named Azariah, he accompanies Tobias on a dangerous journey before revealing his true identity in chapter 12. Raphael’s ministry is one of guidance, healing, and protection.

Gabriel, so familiar to us from Luke’s earth-shaking Nativity stories, first appears in the Book of Daniel. There, as later with Mary, he opens hearts and minds to God’s purposes.

Caravaggio:
Matthew’s Inspiration

Jesus himself speaks frequently of angels in Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew 18:10, he tells us:

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father.”

In chapters 13 and 24, Jesus describes angels assisting at the end of time in gathering the faithful and separating the righteous from the wicked. As his passion begins, he proclaims that he could summon “more than twelve legions of angels” if he chose to do so.

I think it’s hard to believe in angels because they are spiritual beings. Not many bodily cherubs have floated by me in my lifetime. But I have certainly felt both gentle and earth-shaking nudges in my life to move deeper into the graces God has offered me. 

Those nudges were my angels. They did not have wings, or a body, or an accompanying harp. What they had was a message, a call, and sometimes a demand from God. Often, they were at first invisible to me, and to be honest – sometimes annoying – until I did the necessary work of listening with prayerful concentration.

When such angels alight, we do well to focus on their suggestions. Ignoring them won’t make them disappear.🫠

Music: Music of Angels – Mozart

Suggested Scripture: Psalm 138:1-5

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For Your Reflection:

  • What feelings or reactions do I have after reading this reflection?
  • Do my feelings or reactions remind me of any passage or event in scripture, especially in the life of Christ? 
  • What actions might I take today because of my response to these readings?

Is God Pointing at You?

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Conversion, Discipleship, Faith, Jesus, Mercy, spirituality3 Comments

Feast of St. Matthew
September 21, 2026

Let’s think about Matthew today, on his feast day. 

Other than his listing among the Twelve, Matthew is mentioned in the Gospel on only one occasion: his call and the celebration that follows.

Matthew’s call is unique among those of the other Apostles. Most of them found Jesus by word of mouth. Andrew told his brother Peter. Philip went and found Nathaniel under a fig tree. But Jesus himself found Matthew.

Was it by chance, as the story makes it appear? Did Jesus just happen to glance into the tax collector’s room, winking at Matthew? Did Matthew pop up, scattering his coins all over the place, to follow someone he had never seen before?

I think the Gospel hints at a much deeper story.

Here’s how the Baroque master Caravaggio imagined the situation.

If Matthew is the bearded man, as is commonly accepted, the scene, with its pointing fingers, assumes the tone of “Who, me?” But Jesus’s gesture is quite clear – “Yes, you!”. Jesus knew Matthew and wanted him in his company.

And isn’t that how many of us experience our various calls?  Of course, God know us – every single one of us, intimately!

And we know that God wants something from us, but maybe we are either unaware, unsure, ungenerous, or unwilling in response. Some of us may stay in those “uns” our whole lives, hiding in the shadows, never fully answering God’s amazing call.

But not Matthew! After the “Yes, you!”, Matthew ran home and organized a banquet to demonstrate his assent. He invited a dangerously mixed crowd of disciples and Pharisees, flirting with potentially contentious conversations. But Jesus turned the muddle into a platform for his mission:

And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. (Matthew 9:10-13)

Jesus called Matthew as a doorway to those who most needed redemption: the spiritually sick and sinful. He called Matthew to speak Mercy into a world that demanded only sacrifice. He called Matthew because he recognized that Matthew wanted to be called. Otherwise, why was he looking out the door when Jesus passed by?

In our own lives, there is a door in every situation we meet. Through it, Jesus is calling us to a deeper response that speaks Mercy into our world. Can you see him pointing at you?

Music: Open My Eyes, Lord – John Michael Talbot