I know these three look kind of bummed, but I'm thinking they'd had a hard day when this photo was taken. No matter, these are the Fatima children - from left, Jacinta, Lucia, and Francesco. They are all in Heaven now, and guess who is making them laugh? Yes! Marcel! You can just imagine what a good time they're all having now that Marcel has joined their ranks . . .

Meanwhile, we are left in exile, serving our time, doing a pretty pathetic job of imitating their sacrifices for love of Jesus, reparation to Mary's Immaculate Heart, for the conversion of sinners and for the Holy Father. But oh my goodness, let's not be glum about that too! I have a quick solution for you, and it will help you (yes, you!) start saving the world right this moment . . . 

The most wonderful light shone on the darkness of my ignorance this morning, and I think you will agree that my new insight is lovely enough to make the angels sing, with the Angel of Fatima leading their choir.

Remember how I told you in the last post about Marcel's prayer for the unbaptized babies? If you don't remember, welcome to Marcel's universe: Good job for being just like him (and me) - namely, forgetful! If you haven't read that post yet, no worries, you can check it out soon, because this post you're reading now is going to be short and sweet, and take care of our difficulty in remembering that previously posted prayer.

This is where the Fatima children come in. 
Are you ready?
Don't be worried if you're not a huge Fatima fan - that will come in time, IF the Holy Spirit wants it to. I just read a great line from a friend of mine who writes (and prays and loves), and who wrote today at Catholic Exchange (click HERE for the whole fabulous article) that, "There are times and seasons in life for different devotions, and God will call me to do the ones that will bring me closest to Him in each moment." 

Isn't that straight from the Holy Spirit? So no more worrying, even about Fatima, ever! 

Meanwhile, I bring up Fatima because it totally pertains to the question at hand. Oops, did I forget to tell you the question? Okay, here it is:

How are we, little Marcel-ites, to remember that gorgeous (but long) prayer that he wrote out for the unbaptized babies? We want to help Jesus save the world, but by golly that prayer was kind of long.

And the answer is . . . 

No, not the daily double, but rather: we only have to remember the prayer that the angel taught the Fatima children. And it is so easy!

Repeat after me three times (and help save the world) -

Oh my God, 
I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee.
And I beg pardon for all those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love Thee.

Oh my God, 
I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee.
And I beg pardon for all those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love Thee.

Oh my God,
I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee.
And I beg pardon for all those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love Thee.

There, we did it!
We just encapsulated Marcel's longer prayer into this one which is so much shorter - and straight from Heaven by way of an angel, no less!

Now I could talk about how deep this prayer is, how much consolation it gave the Fatima children (and I bet Jesus too), how much I've grown to love it, and so on, but instead I'm going to offer you a link to an article I wrote on Fatima a while back, in case you want to hear my thoughts on learning to love it and Our Lady there, which for me started with falling head over heels in love with Jacinta, the really frowny one in the photos -darling Jacinta who loved to dance, who loved the Holy Father once she found out what the words even meant and who he was, and who was personally thanked by St. John Paul II when he beatified her in 2000...But there, I said I wasn't going to talk about all that here, since I've already talked about it HERE. Click if you want to be transported to Fatima, but for those who stay to read the rest of this post:

There's not much more to say, actually. Now you've learned that God is leaving nothing to chance (least of all us and the salvation of souls), and so He, our dear True Father, has given us the niftiest little prayer to say anytime, anywhere, to put our wills into the unformed wills of the unbaptized babies. And even more delightfully, we can say it for anyone else who needs it too!

With that, I think I've solved the problem of saving the world. It never really was much of a problem anyhow, seeing that God sent His only Son who did all the heavy lifting. It is truly awesome, though, that He lets us help, and I think I'm going to do it again just to see if I've got it down pat.

Oh my God, I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee,
and I beg pardon for all those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love Thee.

Yup, we're all set. I don't know if anyone else has compared heaven-sent prayers to fun toys, but I can't help closing by saying "Have fun with your new toy!" We spend so much time acquiring material things that it's a nice change to acquire something spiritual. Leave it to an angel to give us something worth saying to God! 

I feel a little luckier than Marcel today. He never said anything (that I know of) about Fatima, so he had to keep reciting that very long prayer for the babies, whereas we can say our shorter one. Oh, but three times, the angel advised. Still, I like that because it helps me remember the prayer, and maybe once in those three times I also remember to pay attention to what I'm saying! I don't mean to raise the bar unnecessarily high, though. With Marcel, I'm learning from Jesus that it's all about His love doing everything in us. More than anything, Our Lord seems to be sorry we're always so tired. So with Him, I urge you, go and take a nap... You've already done your part to save the world today, so you have every right to get some rest! 

Jesus has many names for his darling Marcel, just as we would expect from one who is in love and constantly addressing His beloved.

In the very first entry of Conversations, Jesus begins: "Marcel! Humble child of my love . . . " He later calls Marcel "My child," "My spouse," "My little flower." And again, "My little friend," "Little apostle of my love," and "Little friend of my love."

It seems there is no end to Jesus' endearments: "Little brother," "My dear little one," and even "My wren," and "mother of souls." 

I'm not absolutely positive about which title is Marcel's favorite, but I have an idea. While my favorite of Marcel's names is "the second Therese," I think his own most cherished name is "apostle of children." He took this commission very seriously, as we'll see in the conversation that is the centerpiece of today's post. But first, a word on how I came upon this conversation. . .

When my husband and I were in graduate school, we had to study for a comprehensive exam in philosophy. Our classmates turned to us when the subject of St. Thomas came up. "You went to Thomas Aquinas College," they said. True enough. "So you can lead the review on him. After all, you've read everything he's written."

That anecdote serves to remind me that not everything in grad school was painful. Some of it was super funny! No, we had to tell them, we haven't actually read everything he wrote. Just a smidgen in fact . . . They never really accepted our ignorance, which was fine with me: it's lovely to be considered an expert in something, especially something as wonderful as St. Thomas' writings.

I can see how a similar mistake could be made now about my acquaintance with Marcel. Setting myself up as Miss Marcel is like announcing to the world that I'm a Marcel expert. But no, actually, the reality is I'm simply a Marcel lover, and possibly not even the greatest of these. Not that I don't love Marcel a lot, as he would say, but I'm delighted to know some others who love him so much as to perhaps love him even more than I do. I don't mind a bit - what a marvelous competition to lose, as long as one's in the running. 

And so, it's thanks to another Miss Marcel that I found myself reading the following pages (those I'm going to transcribe below) in Conversations at my Friday holy hour. The other Miss Marcel had flipped to the pages in Conversations at her Wednesday holy hour - the same day, unbeknownst to her at the time, that I was beginning to think about babies who die without baptism. I was, as I mention in the next post down, thinking of these little ones because of a remarkable blog post called "Remembering Miscarried Children" that appeared over at Bacon from Acorns that day.

Next thing the East Coast-Wednesday-holy-hour-Miss Marcel knew, her West Coast counterpart (that would be me) sent her a blog post all about Jesus' plan for the little ones, according to Marcel. The Holy Spirit was afoot! This was just what she'd been reading about already . . . so she emailed back and mentioned the passage from her holy hour. "Is this where you got it?" she asked.

Well no, amazingly! But how wondrous that she'd stumbled upon the very passage that had inspired my passage. Mine (you can find it in the next post down) was from Appendix 2 of Conversations, from a letter Marcel wrote to Fr. Antonio Boucher, his spiritual director, in 1950; hers was from (699) in Conversations proper, and was Marcel's original recounting of the event for Fr. Boucher, written in 1946.

As you'll see, Jesus' revelation here is inspired by His tender compassion and loving desire to help Marcel, His dear little friend who is very sad. Jesus has told him that he is to be the apostle of children, but how can Marcel be an effective apostle for them when so many die without baptism and he has no power to save them? 

Our reading is from 24 July 1946, and Fr. Boucher, editing Conversations, has added under the date: On the subject of children who die without baptism of water.

Marcel: Some days ago, looking at the little Alphonsian calendar fixed on the letter board, I read a quotation from Saint Alphonsus affirming that children who die without baptism do not have to endure any torments. . . On this subject, I remember that one time - probably during community prayer - while thinking about children who die without having been baptized, I asked myself if, later, they would be able to go to heaven. I spoke to myself thus: if they cannot go to heaven, will they then be deprived of the vision of their true Father for all eternity? In my mind I kept asking myself these questions, and I was very sad.

I thought: to be the special apostle of children and not to be able to do anything to save these souls is something that is very painful for me, all the more so because at this very moment a great number of children are dying without having received baptism. Where can one find priests in sufficient numbers to go and baptize, in time, these children who are on the point of death . . . ? I then raised my eyes towards Jesus in the tabernacle and this glance led Him to reply to me clearly, which has been a very great comfort for me.

To his director: My Father, kindly allow me to tell you that, for some time, although little Jesus does not speak to me often, now and then, when there are important things that I do not understand, He will speak to me still to help me understand. It is precisely for this reason that I said to you one day that little Jesus was no longer sleeping. Allow me to continue my account.

Then little Jesus asked me this question: 'Little brother, so, you are sad again? But why this sadness? If our true Father in heaven, in His goodness, wishes that the voices of these children unite with the voices of the angels to praise Him in heaven, where is the problem?'

Jesus: Remember this well. Naturally, little children, not yet having intelligence, do not have will either. Intelligence serves to understand if something is good or bad, and the will, to act in conformity with what the intelligence understands. These two faculties are the most necessary. Now children do not yet possess these faculties. Therefore, another will must take its place in the heart of these little children; and if this will acts in a manner in conformity with what is good, it is just as if these little children were acting themselves.

However, in order that this will may produce its effect, it is necessary that it acts in a way conforming to what is good, conforming to the truth itself. If, on the contrary, it acts in a manner opposed to what is good, opposed to the truth, this will does not produce its effect.

Now, all you have to do is to place your will in the hearts of little children and, then, they also will belong immediately to the Church. And if they die before the use of reason, they will go to heaven with Me, because they have your will, which acts in them. And since you have the will to believe all the Church teaches, and also the will to love Me . . . It follows that these children also have the same will as you, so that their souls belong to Me completely and they belong to the Church. Although these children know nothing, there is in them, however, the will of another who does know, so that, while knowing nothing, it so happens that they do know.

Little brother, do you understand that? Offer your will to Me, and I, I will place it in the souls of little children who are living on this earth . . . From now, you can be sure that all the little children belong to Me already.

Little brother, this manner of willing that I have just revealed to you is something new. Until now, little children were saved, thanks to this process, without men realizing it. So, little brother, chase away sadness and be joyful. As you are the apostle of children, it was necessary that you know these things. 

Children saved in this way are baptized in love itself. It is given to them to confess the faith in love, and they make this act of love by means of will.

Marcel: So there actually are no children in limbo?

Jesus: That is not what I intended to say. After my death, I went down to this prison of ancestors, so the true light has already entered in.

Marcel: If it were as you say, people could stay at home and put their will in the heart of their children without the need to have them baptized. What's your answer to that, little Jesus?

Jesus: To act in such a way would not be to truly will. For there to be true efficacious will, it is necessary, when baptism by water is possible, that it is actually conferred on the children. If one were content to wish it, while remaining at home, how could one call that will?

Marcel: That is all I remember and, since I learned these things, I do not stop putting my will in the hearts of little children. I consider this teaching of little Jesus very true. . . My Father, there are still many other arguments that I understand but I cannot write down. As for the argument given earlier, I do not know if you understand it. As for me, on re-reading it after having written it, it is as if I was not able to understand it. . . What comforts me the most, is that from now on, I truly know that each day I will have totally pure flowers to offer to my Father in heaven.

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Father Boucher adds: When this revelation was made to him, Brother Marcel used a formula containing the acts to make in place of children. But he then forgot the exact wording of this formula, only retaining the principal idea . . . On 11 August 1946, after communion, he remembered the formula and he copied it as follows:

The formula I recited the first time was:
"Little Jesus, I offer You the children who have not yet been baptized. I wish to believe and to love You in their place according to the intention of the Church, my Mother. Graciously recognize them as true children of the Church. And should they die before the use of reason, lead them to heaven with You, so that in union with the saints they may love You eternally, according to the promise You made to me." (703)

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As for me, at first I felt like Marcel when he re-read what he'd written: I'm not sure I understand it! But lately I've been learning this lesson from my little brother: It is not necessary to understand Love, nor to feel Love, nor to remember Love. Naturally I'd prefer all those things - and sometimes I'm overjoyed to experience them. But ultimately, what we can try to do is to believe in Love - to trust in Love - to hope in Love. And best of all, we can do our little best to love Love!

And when we realize we've again failed to understand, failed to remember, and our hard hearts have failed to feel Love, we needn't worry even a titch. Jesus takes care of everything - and we're in good company with our dullness, our weakness, our forgetfulness. Marcel our brother has trod this road before us, and surely he, along with Jesus, will not forget us, the baptized, even as they remember the unbaptized little ones. 

And my own favorite name? Why Miss Marcel, of course!

Like a shepherd He will gather the lambs in His arms and carry them  close to His heart, alleluia. 

Recently a dear friend posted on his blog, Bacon from Acorns, a lovely and loving reflection called "Remembering Miscarried Children." Speaking of the five beloved children he and his beautiful wife have lost to miscarriage, John writes, "I know not for sure precisely where they are. I trust that God, their Heavenly Father, holds them in his hands, in some special way." 

I feel myself in a privileged position. Not only am I blessed with the public revelation of the Church, but I have, in addition, what very few have been given: namely, the extra insights and example of adorable intimacy with Jesus found in the four volumes of the writings of Servant of God Marcel Van.

Consequently, when I read of John and and his wife's love for their departed children, I want to share something from Marcel which I didn't intend to share until much later. Like maybe years after I'd convinced everyone of the impeccable Truth I find in Marcel's writings. To be frank, I don't know if the world is ready to hear the following conversation between Jesus and Marcel, but knowing as I do now that my friends may need to hear these words today, it seems right and just to let the world worry about its own troubles, while we take consolation in the remarkable vistas Jesus opens to us through Marcel.

In the following passage, Marcel and Jesus speak of "children not yet baptized" - I am confident their words embrace children both born and unborn, and it is marvelous to hear with what love Jesus regards them and the plans He has for them. Not only that, but (my favorite part in all Marcel's writings - except I've said that before of other passages and I'm sure to say it again) what could be more delightful than Marcel chiding Jesus for (seemingly) "scorning St. Thomas"? Ah, Marcel, you are cheeky and real. Thank you for your deference to the Angelic Doctor, and for your eternal ability to make me laugh!

Without further introduction, then, from Appendix 2 of Marcel Van's Conversations, I give you "Excerpts from a letter to Father Boucher," written in Saigon, 21 March 1950. (This letter can be found in full in Correspondence, but here at the end of Conversations is where I found it first.) 

Marcel writes:

During prayer this evening, while meditating once again on the goodness of Jesus towards children, I remembered the words that Jesus spoke to me concerning children not yet baptized . . . But I was very worried, asking myself if that was really the case or quite simply a figment of my imagination. So, Jesus came to me immediately to free me from this concern, saying clearly to me:

'That is not a figment of your imagination but a true doctrine which, as I wish it, must be recognized as true by the Church. Yes, I want the Church, as a good and kind mother, to open her arms to welcome these little ones and admit them to the number of its children, like many others who have had the happiness of receiving baptism. If, because of circumstances, they were not able to receive baptism like the others, they have, however, the right to receive it.

'Further, it is original sin that prevents them from enjoying sanctifying grace. Now, by virtue of my merits, original sin has been largely atoned for. On the other hand, I have given the Church the power to retain and remit sin. So why would the Church not have sufficient power to remit the original sin of these children, even if, because of circumstances, they cannot receive baptism like other children?

'If the Church wishes it, these children are purified immediately, since the Church alone on earth possesses this power. Consequently, in this domain, no spiritual power can oppose her authority, even if non-religious parents did not wish their children to enjoy the grace of Redemption, since in this case, the parents' will would be unjust in regard to an innocent child who does not yet have the use of reason. That is why the Church can freely exercise its authority and nothing can oppose it.

'Little brother, remain in peace. What I have communicated to you is not something that should trouble you, but really a point of doctrine which I wish to make known to my venerable Spouse, the Church.'

Marcel: So, why have the holy Doctors, like Saint Thomas, held a contrary opinion?

Jesus: An opinion and a revelation are two different things.

Marcel: So, do you intend to scorn Saint Thomas for having held an erroneous opinion?

Jesus: Not at all, little brother. I am not saying that it was an erroneous opinion, but clearly a truth which was not yet known. That is why I wish to reveal it so that the Church may publicly recognize it. Do not be troubled. I am the Truth. Continue to follow me, without fear of ever being lost.

Marcel: Yes, but is there no extraordinary sign to make these things known, then . . . 

Jesus: Remember, little brother, what I said to my apostles: 'Let the little children come to Me, since the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.' Did these words, said on that day, concern only those children who were then present, or all the others to come? The extraordinary sign, which surpasses all imagination, is the infinite goodness of God in three Persons.

+   +   +

Marcel concludes by asking Fr. Boucher, "My Father, what do you think of that? What Jesus repeated to me in this way, I am hurrying to communicate to you, and I beg you to give me a response so that I know what to hold on to . . . "

I love that Marcel's attentiveness to Jesus is subordinated to his obedience to the Church (here represented by Fr. Boucher, his spiritual director). We can do no better than follow Marcel's example. The Church has not yet officially spoken on this matter, but we have the endorsements of three Cardinals and an Archbishop in their introductions to Marcel Van's collected works, not to mention that one of these Cardinals and the first postulator of Marcel's Cause, Cardinal Francis-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, is himself now a Venerable.

We cannot give to private revelations, even those heartily approved by the Church, the assent of faith properly so called, which is the assent due to the public Revelation of the Church. We give, instead, "an assent of human faith, in keeping with the requirements of prudence, which puts them before us as probable and credible to piety." (Cardinal Prospero Lambertini, future Pope Benedict XIV, from his classic treatise which became normative for beatifications and canonizations.)

And again, as Cardinal Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) stated, "Private revelation is a help to faith, and shows its credibility precisely by leading me back to the definitive public Revelation" (Theological Commentary on the third part of the Secret of Fatima).

Reading and re-reading Jesus' words to Marcel (taken in conjunction with Marcel's words to Jesus), I find prudence satisfied, piety increased, faith helped, and my heart and mind led back to the definitive public Revelation. What is more central and essential, after all, to the definitive public Revelation than "the infinite goodness of God in three Persons"?

And not for the first time, I find myself echoing Jesus' sentiments: "I give praise to You, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, for although You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, You have revealed them to the little ones" (Matthew 11: 25-26).

Although - or perhaps because - my pregnancies have been only two, leading twice to sons who are (28 and and 15 years later) still with me in exile, my heart goes out to those who have been given children only to have them quickly "taken away." I have heard many friends repeat Job's words, "Blessed be the name of the Lord," but for all who have lost children, whether you repeat these words yet or not, may God bless you. And in particular, may Jesus, our Good Shepherd who gathers the lambs with care, console you through His words to Marcel. 

A week ago we were still reveling in the Octave of Easter; reveling in its culmination, even, in  Divine Mercy Sunday. This morning I had a brilliant inspiration that in order to keep our Easter enthusiasm stoked, we can celebrate today as Sunday in the Octave of Divine Mercy. It's always a perplexity how to "keep" Easter with the same intensity as we "keep" Lent . . . granted the latter is (for me), at least in the last couple of the six weeks, with an intensity of irritation and fed-upped-ness at the seeming unending character of those 40 days, but talk about unending! Jesus will not be outdone in generosity, and the Easter season really seems to go on forever. Okay, actually it does, with each Sunday of the year a little Easter and Heaven the fulfillment, but the Easter season proper at 7 weeks easily surpasses Lent.

Speaking of Jesus' generosity, I have to tell you the latest good news, the word from St. John Chrysostom that came to me earlier this week. I have the inestimable blessing of continued contact (thank You, Jesus, for email!) with the priest who married me and my husband, and then too the priceless gift of friendships with other priests as well. So just two days ago, a new priest friend recommended St. Basil's treatise on the Holy Spirit in which St. Basil says the Holy Spirit speaks to us in 3 ways. First, through the Fathers of the Church (of whom St. Basil is one!); second, through our thoughts; and third, through the events of each day. Wow! Years ago I heard the marvelous and too little known truth that the early Fathers of the Church are inspired by the Holy Spirit to a degree surpassed only by the Holy Scriptures . . . and the combination of these endorsements of the Fathers serves to heighten my joy at the Word of God that came to me (as I say, earlier this week) from St. John Chrysostom, sent to me by the dear priest who married us. Are you ready? This is such good news!

In a Paschal Homily, St. John Chrysostom tells us - well, he tells us a lot, and I'm only sharing part of what he says, but even this is quite a bit for little ones, so do your best to read it through, and I'll bold the punch line:

If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived thereof. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; he gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour.

And he shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one he gives, and upon the other he bestows gifts. And he both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.
​
Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. Let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. 

Ah, most merciful Jesus! How compassionate, how condescending, how kind and sweet You are! Here You speak to us in words reminiscent of those You spoke to us through Marcel: "Let no one bewail his poverty . . ." You are forever gentle of heart, and so You have a gentle word for those of us whose Lenten fasting was less than intense - You always encourage us again and again to come without delay to Your Feast!

I find this an important reminder because, as I said, keeping Easter, continuing to feast, can be a bigger challenge than keeping Lent. Let no reader imagine I've scaled great heights of sanctity in Lent, nor descended to great depths, unless we so identify the new depths of weakness and powerlessness I've discovered within myself. Nonetheless, when it comes to feasting, we're equally pathetic. By the end of Easter Sunday, the children (that would be all of us) are surfeited with treats, and there's still the Octave remaining, not to mention the rest of the Season, in which we are called to use our little feasting to aid our attempts to join in the Great Feast the Church offers.

As Jesus said to Marcel (and I quoted in a previous post - but His truth bears repetition) - 

“Come, come, little brother, the goodness of your true Father is without measure, as I have told you many times already. Even if, in His Love, He indulged you in everything, filling all your desires, He would never find it enough for His Love; He would only be afraid that you might not have the strength to receive all His treats. Whatever I do to spoil you, I consider it all as being nothing.” (492)

Ah yes! That's the challenge of Easter: to buttress our strength to receive all His treats!
Hence my inspiration to add to our liturgical feasts in addition to our chocolate fests.
The Church has already added Divine Mercy Sunday.
Privately, I'm adding the Sunday in the Octave of Divine Mercy. For this year, anyhow.
(I'll likely have forgotten by tomorrow, let alone next year; I have a shorter memory than the Church.)

On this new feast I've invented, I'm delighted to report that Jesus' words to Marcel (and us) on this date in 1946 (and 2018) brightly illumine our image of His Mercy. And why not take advantage of all that hard work our little brother did in writing down Jesus' words for us? Returning again and again to Conversations, we will continually find new words and explanations to light our Little Way. And then, instead of Easter glory beginning with a burst of Resurrection Joy on Easter but fading like a beautiful firework that ends too soon, we can find ourselves, as the Season progresses toward Ascension and Pentecost, in the midst of a kind of spiritual firework finale, each sparkling vision more exciting than the one before and surprising a continuous stream of Oohs and Aahs from us. 

Take today, for instance. After a charming colloquy between Jesus and Marcel on precisely how Marcel is feeling (his little physical pains, his tiredness, the fish he ate that was full of bones), we come across this dazzling exchange:

Marcel: . . . Little Jesus, I love You a lot. I read in your Gospel a passage where You say: 'If you have faith the size of a grain of mustard, you will say to this mountain: move from here to there and it will move itself . . .' Little Jesus, on that score, I certainly have faith as big as a fist; since without being able to move mountains, I have, however, the power to move even my Father in heaven. My faith is, without doubt, very great to be able to work such a marvel. Is it not, little Jesus?

Jesus: Little brother, what you say is quite correct, but one must understand that the words that I have addressed to men do not apply to material things but solely to spiritual ones. In this text I intend to say that if anyone really has confidence in Love, he will obtain from it all he wishes . . . (445)

+   +   +

I know it's not Christmas, but do you hear what I hear? (Sorry, I couldn't resist! Awesome spiritual truths, like everything else, seem to bring out the laughter in me as well as in my brother.)

Jesus is treating us to a Divine Commentary on Matthew 17:20, that great saying of His that faith the size of a mustard seed allows us to tell mountains where to park themselves.

I once read a fun novel by Bruce Marshall - Father Malachi's Miracle - about a priest who takes Jesus' words here literally and actually moves a mountain to assist his tending of the flock, but I don't think it was based on a true story . . . And now, just to be sure we're relying on fact and not only glorious fiction, we have Jesus Himself explaining exactly what we can expect. Though He tells us, "The words I have addressed to men do not apply to material things but solely to spiritual ones," we needn't be disappointed or fear that His payoff will fail to satisfy.

Thank you, Marcel, for being alert at your post! What would we do without the next words Jesus told you?

Or better yet, what will we do now that you've written them for us, Fr. Boucher has translated them into French, our good Jack K. has given them to us in English, and the Holy Spirit has dropped them into our laps on this Octave of Mercy? For Jesus continues:

"In this text I intend to say that if anyone really has confidence in Love, he will obtain from it all he wishes."

Holy Moley! This is big news! And yet it has a familiar ring to it. Yes, I know I just quoted it a few lines up (my memory is weak, but so far not that bad), but Jesus' words here are reminding me, rather, of something St. Therese loved to repeat. She often said, “We can never have too much confidence in the good God; He is so mighty and so merciful. We obtain from Him as much as we hope for.” 

Okay, then. we've got our Divine Mercy Mandate. It starts, simply enough, with the words Jesus wanted printed below His feet in the Divine Mercy Image: Jesus, I trust in You. And now, as we mine Marcel, we find Our Lord, who is all Mercy, all Love, instructing us that we will obtain all we desire from Love, from Him, if only we offer Him our confidence.

My biggest problem is I forget He is Love, and so I'm grateful that He's being very specific here. He doesn't say, "If anyone really has confidence in Me, He will obtain from Me all He wishes." Of course that is what He means, but He says, so gently, like a father bending down to his child's level, that if we have confidence in Love, then Love will give us all we wish. Oh, I have confidence in Love! Love is patient; love is kind; love is all those other great things St. Paul enumerates in 1 Corinthians 13.

But I could go on forever without saying anything nearly as spectacular as what Jesus says, and He is, after all, the Truth. So then, once more - 3 times will give each Person of the Trinity a chance to tell us how very much we are loved - here is our Divine Mercy Mandate:

If anyone really has confidence in Love, He will obtain from it all he wishes.

And now that we know, triply, that our confidence will obtain all things, let's go for it. Take it as a dare from Marcel and Therese, who said "It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love." Mercy's arms are outstretched to us - let's cast ourselves into them and sigh that we are Home. Then, embraced by Love, we'll whisper our petitions one by one. I'll start.

Jesus, bless the person reading this blog right now - and extend Your blessing, Your Love, to all those in our reader's heart and mind.

+  +  +

There! I have full confidence that Truth speaks truly and Love will never fail us, so you're good to go.
It's your turn now, and He's ready to give you every good thing, so feel free to ask lots. And speaking of lots, let's not forget to add with Marcel and with a big smile:

Jesus, I love you a lot!

When I was a little girl, I was sure that Christmas was the greatest Holy Day. I was shocked (and more than a little appalled) when a teacher at my Catholic school explained to me that Easter was the biggest Holy Day. I urgently pleaded my case. “But there would be no Easter,” I said, “without Christmas. Jesus had to be born first.” Alas, my argument did not move her, and rather than believe she was adamantly persisting in her error, I decided she must be right – thankfully, I have never been a good heretic, or maybe, I should say, never a willing one – though I didn’t see the reasons for Easter’s preeminence at the time.
 
I mention this now because the full truth has dawned on me this past Easter weekend of the Octave. But before I explain, let me be the first in eons to congratulate World Culture for its magnificent celebration of the great and high Holy Days.
 
Okay, so the Easter Bunny still evades sensible interpretation, but Santa Claus (and his many international aliases) is so close to St. Nicholas and the Christmas spirit, and I am so enamored of gifts (Jesus and the Holy Spirit being the greatest of these, but wrapped ones being a lovely fill-in too, in my book), and the delightful custom of sharing family photos and the stories of the year in Christmas letters and Mass cards for those far from us but dear to our hearts, not to mention sparkly lights in darkness (on trees! In the house!) and midnight vigils, seasonal music both secular and sacred, and finally mountains of chocolate and candy for children and all who are children at heart – the real keeping of the Feasts of Christmas and Easter after the little fast of Advent and the big fast of Lent, even if it was "only" giving up sweets – all of these remarkable and joyful traditions let even the most Godless among us (and none of us can really be Godless or we would cease to exist; He thankfully does not stop believing in us, and thus keeps instant annihilation at bay) know that Christmas and Easter really matter.

Let the Bah Humbugs decry the corporate backing, commercialism, and consumer greed that go along with stores lit up like Christmas trees (and with Christmas trees!) from the day the Halloween (I mean All Hallow’s Eve) “season” ends, and the similar appearance of gaudy, enormous Easter baskets and bunnies the moment the St. Valentine’s Day season comes to a close at midnight February 14th… Nonetheless, I am not willing to censure the commercialization of the Holy Days if it keeps them before us, especially before the wide-eyed children, as Days of Eternal Magic.
 
There is truth in Eternal Magic and it is nearer than we might think (especially those of us who find ourselves in the mayhem and fracas of last minute Christmas shopping or the late night Holy Saturday search for the right size plastic eggs to fill with candy and hide in the yard) to Eternal Mysteries.
 
A brief word to our sponsor: thank you, corporate America for the contribution of keeping Christmas and Easter on the calendar in a big way. (I don’t know who, besides Al Gore, is responsible for the Internet, but let’s just say corporate America, while not sponsoring me personally, seems to be behind this one too, so why not thank It?)
 
But now, back to our regularly scheduled program, which today is on The Ranking of Days. Because it all came together for me this weekend when I had an Epiphany on Divine Mercy Sunday about my Birthday. (Ah, the third competitor for top dog enters the fray!)
 
As I found myself telling a friend recently (and with great excitement), “This year, my birthday falls on April 7th!”
 
I quickly realized I was not effectively expressing my perennial joy at the annual Magic and Mystery of my birthday being not just any old day but also a Movable Feast. Coming as it does every year on April 7 (see, I am not as blonde as I sound), depending on the date of Easter, my birthday often falls within the Easter Octave. It has sometimes been on Easter itself (thus partially accounting for, in those years, on that Day, the extraordinary Delight of the Universe), sometimes in Easter week, and sometimes on Divine Mercy Sunday. Okay, it has also been known to fall in Holy Week, and Henri Daniel-Rops, for one, even speculates it was perhaps the first Good Friday, but how wonderful is that? God is so mighty and so merciful – Jesus died of Love for us, and maybe even on my birthday back in about 33, but, in my personal recorded history (which as far as birthdays are concerned goes at least back to 1971, the year of the great Donkey Pinata Disaster –  one of Jesus’ and my favorite little stories, but a story for another time), He has spared me the dilemma of a birthday on Good Friday.
 
I know none of the readers here could ask, “Why a dilemma?” Clearly Good Friday is Good Friday and the one day of the year that obliterates a birthday entirely. Or so I’m guessing. Watch, April 7 will fall on Good Friday next year! And I will manage to find a way of celebrating nonetheless, but for now and up until such a conjunction may occur, I’m happy to have more Easter-y birthdays . . .
 
Such as the one this past weekend, now extending into its own birthday octave. I know if we were in better communication (instant personal contact of a science fiction variety – maybe mental telepathy, for instance), you would now be wishing me many Happy Returns of the Day. Thank you! Feel free to send your guardian angel to give me a holy kiss and to give Jesus and Marcel kisses for me in honor of my happy day. Because it was So Happy. Ridiculously, absurdly, surreally, Happiest Day of My Life happy. Since such Joy is made to be shared, let me tell you why it was over-the-moon joyful. It did have, in some measure, to do with our Marcel, so I find it pertinent here. Plus it's just as much fun to re-live as it was at the time . . . 
 
For the purposes of the rest of your life (which I hate to mention, but which you may be neglecting at this moment in order to read Miss Marcel’s Musings, and for that I both give you a dispensation and congratulate you – as we are still in the Octave of April 7 and thus I am still Birthday Queen) – as I say, in the interest of letting you get back to some other activity before another year passes, I will not report my birthday to you in real time or with all its 53 gifts. Because yes, after midnight (when I happily did not turn into a pumpkin) on my birthday, when I finished recording all the gifts heaven and earth showered upon me, I reached the number of my years! Not that I was recording every specific gift, but they came into categories which added up to 53 . . . Don’t panic; I am not going to regale you with the infinitude in its particulars. I’ll only tell you of the best gift, which comprises 5 gifts but was recorded as one. The one, in fact, from our little brother Marcel and his entourage!
 
Let me start by saying it has been a dramatic 10 days in my Marcellian universe. Recently my French contact informed me that Les Amis de Van Editions of Marcel’s works would be available very soon on amazon.com. He was right! They became available through amazon! Thus I was able to reply to a reader who’d clicked the “Contact Me” button in the sidebar to the right and asked where, besides France, she could procure Marcel’s books, that: Voila! She could now purchase these very authentically French editions – but in English – on amazon! That easily! For only $25 each and free shipping!
 
That was on Spy Wednesday, Holy Week.

Imagine my awe when I realized my French connection had sent me links not just for Marcel's Collected Works (which by God's mercy I have in my house and carry about with me frequently) but also for two books outside Marcel’s own oeuvre: namely, Father Boucher’s Short History of Van and a new book, hot off the press and just translated to boot, Nguyen Van Thuan and Marcel Van - Two Lives, One Mission, about Marcel and Cardinal Van Thuan, his first postulator and now Venerable himself! The first book written by Van’s own “bearded Jesus,” and the second written by Cardinal van Thuan’s sister (the sister of a Saint!) and Marcel’s current postulator, the wonderful Benedictine Abbot Dom Roulhac. Wowza!!!
 
Imagine my second wave of awe when I discovered that Jesus would not allow me to turn Holy Week into Easter quite yet. The books, when I pursued them on Holy Thursday or Good Friday (I forget now which day, but it was eternally predestined for sure) suddenly showed up on amazon as “Currently Unavailable.”
 
To quote my favorite comic strip, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!”
 
Don’t worry. When it comes to books, I am nothing if not persistent. After alerting my Frenchman – and yes, it was Holy Thursday, I remember now because I wrote to him, “I am sorry to tell you this at the beginning of the Holy Triduum . . . maybe it will fix itself by Easter Sunday” – I hoped, whether by internet gnomes or Real Live Amis de Van angels, the situation would right itself so that I could order these two treasures for my birthday.
 
Day in and day out, it became my 2018 Easter Octave ritual to check if the books had become currently available, and while I did not obsessively check their amazon status every four minutes (I don’t have the internet at home, so that would have been a challenge even for me, even for such an important quest), I did check once every day or two.
 
Meanwhile I contacted the lovely woman who had contacted me, and asked, hopefully, “Did you (please tell me you did!) order the Marcel books off amazon the instant I told you they were there?” Her Easter-y reply was a resounding, “Yes! On Wednesday and they arrived Monday! But when I went to order more, they were gone!” The gist of her reply was that God was very, very good – she had asked instantly and received nearly instantly, thank Heaven, since that window was quickly shut.
 
I persisted in my hope that the books would soon be available again, and further hoped that I would see them the instant they became available, order them immediately, and receive them in time for them to be my birthday gift from Marcel.
 
A word is in order here about Marcel and his status in Heaven.

He is St. Therese’s little brother and indeed “A second Therese.”
She said to her sisters that they’d “Find her in the mailbox” and that she wanted to spend her Heaven doing good on earth – that she’d work, until the last trumpet sounded, to help us know God’s love and to love Him in return as much as she did.

So, given that Marcel is the second Therese (so named by Jesus), I'm convinced that Marcel is also working for this goal of showing us God's love and getting us to love Him in return, and not only does he absolutely thrill to meet us in the mailbox, but I think his job in Heaven is as the mail deliverer!
 
Because last year at this time (or to be precise, a week ago at this time), I said to my husband, “I don’t know what you can get me for my birthday. Nothing, really, because the only thing I want cannot be had for love or money.”
 
I was so wrong! First off, I love gifts, so there were plenty of things he could get me! But more specifically I was wrong because while it was true that the only thing I really wanted – Marcel’s Correspondence – could not be had by me at that time for money, it could (everything can, if you don’t bar miracles) be had for Love.
 
I had discovered (or been discovered by) Van some months prior and had procured his Conversations and Autobiography (the first a gift from Therese the day I finished a manuscript on her; the second my  husband's 2016 Christmas present to me) – but there was a third volume, that of his letters, in English and in print, at least apparently. I could see a picture of it on the internet, but couldn’t find it anywhere to buy. Finally I found it in the Les Amis de Van boutique (online), but I was shy of ordering from a French website. Especially since I couldn't figure out the price or payment method (not their fault, but I am techno-challenged).
 
I am also, as I said, persistent.
I did, then, hurl what felt like a couple of very random boomerang emails out into the cyber universe, hoping SOMEONE out there would help me find this book of Marcel’s letters. He even nudged me twice in the Conversations, mentioning his letters in such a way that I knew he wanted to give them to me. If only I could find them!
 
April 1, 2017: it is a week before my birthday (last year) and I check my email inbox.
It us my lucky day!
How did I know it was my lucky day?
A certain Jack Keogan told me so in no uncertain terms. His email said, "It is your lucky day!" because he would be happy to send me a copy of the Correspondence! For free! Out of the goodness of his heart!
Because he accidentally ordered two?
Who is this Jack K., and how did he come to have two copies of Marcel’s Correspondence in English???
 
Jack is a man of the “Where there is no love, put love, and there you will find love” (St. John of the Cross) school of thought. He is the man who, when he called Les Amis in 2002 and found that no, they didn’t have a copy of Marcel Van’s Autobiography in English because it had not yet been translated, spontaneously offered to translate it for them . . . This may have happened to you at one time. Possibly on the spur of the moment you proposed to someone (or accepted a proposal), and then found yourself involved in a project of Love for the rest of your life!
 
Have you ever seen a youngest sibling finally in charge of someone or some thing? It is adorable and comical to see the baby finally able to boss around another, be it only a stuffed animal.

Marcel is that little one, that beloved baby of the family, and my goodness it is hilarious to see how he no sooner wins our hearts than he’s got us doing his bidding! Before you know what’s hit you, you’re spending more than a decade translating his complete works, or tossing aside your resolution to never have a blog so that you can have a Marcel Blog and more fun than you thought possible in this land of exile!
 
And so, last year, Marcel came through (through Jack, in fact) and for my birthday I received my heart’s one desire.

This year?
Imagine – or, rather, share with me! – my ineffable joy when just two days before my birthday, on Easter Thursday I saw Marcel’s books available on amazon again! To heighten the wonder and firmly establish this as a Miracle of Exquisite Solicitude (I guess they all must be such, but I felt this one in the fullness of His Tenderness), the books were now available on “Prime” – and there it was written for all to see in bold internet ink: “Have it by Saturday, April 7!”
 
It was but a moment’s work to sign up for a month of Prime membership and order the books. A set of the Amis editions of Marcel’s writings and, most importantly, Fr. Boucher’s book and the new book on Marcel and Cardinal van Thuan.
 
Now (welcome to my emotional rollercoaster), imagine my dismay when, at the “checkout” page, I saw that the books would arrive in my mailbox on Tuesday, April 10th with free shipping. Or, alternately, I could pay $59.95 extra to have them on Saturday, April 7.

What?
 
I turned to my friends, the Google elves. They quickly provided the customer service phone number for amazon, and I soon found myself explaining my deep sadness to Bryan Q, customer service representative with a wonderful Indian accent. And the kindest man, after my husband and my friend Jack K., whom I’ve ever met. Because he said, becoming the Quintessence of Kindness, “I understand. And since you thought they would arrive on Saturday, and since it is your birthday, I can waive the fee this one time, and you will have these books on your birthday, at no extra charge.”
 
I know that amazon.com is not my best friend. For my semi-autobiographical account of my love-hate relationship with them – and if you like to laugh – read my novel The Paradise Project. Click the title to see it available, like Marcel’s books are, on amazon; we are doing what we can to redeem the internet. But first, let’s finish this little story of the the happiest-day-of-my-life-birthday.
 
April 7, 2018: It was supposed to rain in my neck of the woods (usually great news, though not my favorite birthday weather), but turned out to be sunny and eventually clear, just the best in weather that the universe has to offer us here on Earth. I got to Mass and Confession. I had even been particularly irritable during the Easter octave up to this point, so had some good sins to confess – what a relief! Am I the only one with such a bad memory? I know I sin – that is not in question – but how embarrassing to never remember the particulars! On the other hand, I thank You, Jesus, for sparing me intimate self knowledge of that kind, and giving me knowledge of Your Love instead!
 
Aside from the sacraments (or, rather, including them), the day was one joyful surprise after another. I wish I could tell you every single delightful surprise, but I promised you I wouldn’t keep you here for 24 whole hours . . . So let’s jump to the moment when the Fed Ex man handed over a package from amazon.com. Haha, Marcel – you didn’t find me in the mailbox! You found me standing on the sidewalk outside my house! But the joke was on me, because you made it the 2nd Annual Make-a-Wish birthday dream with your gifts of yourself and, by definition, Jesus!
 
All of which leads me to this conclusion:

Deferring in all things to Holy Mother Church, I readily admit that Easter is the Highest Holy Day. But since Jesus defers in all things to us (have I mentioned that you will love His Conversations with Marcel? There you will find His explanation of how He and the Father do our will more than we do theirs – but for now, instead of an argument from Divine Reason and Authority, I will give you a teensy tinsy argument from induction, which means from my one example) – as I say, since Jesus defers in all things to us, my birthday, my happiest day of the year, falls with bliss-inducing frequency in the Easter Octave where it becomes a Solemnity and Highest Holy Day (as well as my favorite day of the year) thus solving the “Which is better? Christmas or Easter?” dilemma.

Not only that, but the best gifts in the world turn out to be not of this world, but from Heaven, whose residents slyly use their earthly minions to deliver the goods. So thank you Jack Keogan, thank you Bryan Q, thank you C. in France, thank you Les Amis de Van, and most of all thank you Marcel-Jesus, Jesus-Marcel, and Therese who boldly said "I choose all!" with full confidence you would receive it. Truly, we obtain from Him as much as we hope for! And if you, dear reader, fear that you do not hope enough, please do not worry. My birthday gift to you is an abundance of hope – which I happily hope for you: the hope itself, and all the Gifts of Heaven and earth for which we hope! – so your job is simply to be prepared to receive.
 
As Truth Himself so truly said to Marcel on Easter Sunday, 1946:
 
“Come, come, little brother, the goodness of your true Father is without measure, as I have told you many times already. Even if, in His Love, He indulged you in everything, filling all your desires, He would never find it enough for His Love; He would only be afraid that you might not have the strength to receive all His treats. Whatever I do to spoil you, I consider it all as being nothing. Little brother, do you understand?” (492)
 
I love making mischief with Marcel, and my best advice is to tell Him that you don’t understand, but you will believe it when you see it! Ha! That should produce results!! Kind of like a Divine Dare! Of course, if you do understand, you can simply tell Him so with a big smile. And whether you understand yet or not, do tell Him you love Him a lot. He loves to hear you say it!
 
And finally, if you have the funds now, I offer at the bottom of this post the links to Les Amis’ Marcel books on Amazon. The four volumes of Marcel’s own writings are just $25 each, and with or without a Prime membership, shipping is free and I’m confident you'll get them quickly. Marcel just can’t wait to meet you in your mailbox! Fr. Boucher’s book and the book on Cardinal van Thuan and Marcel are both less than $25, and similarly have free shipping. And if these books are beyond your budget, do save your pennies (even pick them up off the street!) and soon Marcel, who was poor too, will help you amass the funds needed. When I first found Conversations online (having providentially found his Autobiography in our library here at Thomas Aquinas College), I couldn’t afford it, but eventually saved enough money to order and receive it at just the right moment. Along these lines, here is what Therese told Marcel in their first conversation (which he recounts it in the Autobiography):
 
“You grumbled again, saying: ‘I wish I’d known you a bit sooner! And then, from how many illusory fears my life would have been liberated, how much more would I have tasted the charms of love!’ But no, little brother; the dispositions of providence are realized, necessarily, at a very precise moment which is not brought forward, even for a second, nor does it allow an instant’s delay . . . This is a mystery, and we can only believe in the mercy of God our Father who, in His wisdom, rules in the slightest detail the lives of each of us. You don’t have to complain any more, since Therese has always been your Therese and you, Van, have always been equally the little brother of Therese, since the moment when we existed, both of us, in the thought of God.” (Autobiography, 592)
 
Therese never hesitated to paraphrase God’s word to make His point. Let me paraphrase her, then, in order for you to know the truth: You don’t have to complain any more, since Marcel has always been your Marcel, and you, dear reader, have always been equally the little sister or brother of Marcel, since the moment when you existed, with Marcel, in the thought of God!
 
If you are able to hop over to amazon and take advantage of Marcel’s charming new availability, congratulations! I recommend starting with Conversations, but let the Holy Spirit move you as He will (or choose all, if you are able). And if you must work to procure the funds to procure Marcel’s books, know that you do not have to work to procure his love. He loves you already, and I will keep writing about him here so that your friendship with our little brother can continue to grow.

Oh, and in case I don’t get a chance to tell you when your high holy feast rolls around:
Many happy returns of the day!!!
And without further ado, here are some gifts for you from Marcel and his French friends:
 
Marcel’s Conversations with Jesus, Mary, and Thérèse
Marcel’s Autobiography
Marcel’s Correspondence
Marcel’s Other Writings
Fr. Boucher’s Short History of Van
Nguyen Van Thuan and Marcel Van - Two Lives, One Mission

“They hurried away from the tomb, half overjoyed, half fearful, and ran to carry the good news to His disciples.” (Matthew 28)
 
Half overjoyed and half fearful. Doesn’t this perfectly sum up our lives?
                                     ½ overjoyed + ½  fearful = us!

We have been entrusted with the greatest news ever: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. He has conquered death and sin. We are free! And yet for those of us who were impetuous enough to go to the Easter Vigil, now fear intermingles with the joy. Yes, alleluia! He is risen! He is risen indeed! But how long will Easter joy last on only 3 hours of sleep?
 
We think we have half-worries. You should see Marcel today! You may recall that on Good Friday he was burdened with wearing socks. I didn’t get a chance to report it, but Holy Saturday found the sock situation unresolved. On Jesus’ side, persistence (“wear the socks!”) and on Marcel’s side resistance (“can I take them off?”). Now, in the midst of Easter joy, the foot attire situation has gotten even worse. I almost hate to tell you . . .
 
It's Easter Sunday and Jesus asks:
Little brother, are you happy? Why did you cry a moment ago?” (491)
 
Marcel, with his usual candor, gives it to Jesus straight:

“I feel really sick and I cannot put up with my illness so I had to cry. And there are my sandals: as soon as I walk a little in them, something very dirty comes out of them and sticks to my feet and I find it so painful that I cannot hold back my tears.”
Poor Marcel!
 
 “Suddenly, without warning, Jesus stood before them and said, ‘Peace!’” (Matthew 28)
 
To Marcel, this word “Peace!” is spoken as clearly as Jesus spoke it to the women on Easter morning. The words are slightly different, but the message of our Savior is always the same.
To Marcel (and therefore to us) He says on this day:

“Dear Me! Little brother, that is the sum of your weakness.”

Ah yes, that sum again! ½ fearful + ½ overjoyed = our weakness.
And then another question from the Teacher:
“But when you cry in this way, are you content?”
 
Marcel answers for us, thank Heaven. I wouldn’t know what to say to that question, but our little brother, in the simplicity of his overflowing love for Jesus (no half measures here) says on our behalf, “Yes, I am always content.”
 
The Teacher, our risen Lord, congratulates us on the right answer:

“Then that’s very good. You show by that your great weakness and I have the benefit of your good feelings.”

Oh, Jesus! We are so poor. Be pleased with us in our weakness!
As You well know, we have been concerned about shoes in my house too. For some feet, there were new shoes. For others, a recent airport polishing job wowed us (the shoes were polished in an airport, though the airport may have been shiny too). For myself, well, Lord, You know everything, so You know my shoes don’t ooze black stuff, and thus how can I complain? I am satisfied even if navy blue doesn’t really match everything and the aged and comfortable fit co-exists with a tendency to slip off my feet as I walk . . . What, then, causes my tears in these high Holy Days? I know (and my personal bearded Jesus gently tells me) that these tears are only a sign of my great weakness and a lack of sleep. And You know that deep down I am content. You have given us so many beautiful moments in the liturgies, and best of all, I resembled my brother Marcel in restraining my laughter in church!
 
[We interrupt this blog post to share, in Easter joy, the breaking news that our Good Friday services – and ourselves in the midst of them – were recorded by a professional camera crew on account of our eminent Bishop Barron presiding over the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion here in our rural parish. We venerated the cross along with our fellow parishioners, 39 altar boys, 2 seminarians, 2 deacons, 4 priests, and a bishop! How we all fit in the tiny St. Sebastian’s church is a mystery of the Holy Triduum, but what is even more remarkable is that when our own personal family altar boy showed up holding the book for the bishop, I kept my head and neither laughed nor cried. Beaming with pride and joy was enough. Okay, maybe I cried just a little, but I don’t remember that clearly. And I was definitely content! I shouldn’t have disturbed my husband’s prayer to ask whether I ought to have worn make-up (seeing as how we were being filmed! And I was joking!) but to my credit this was before the service began, not in the midst of the book-holding, kneeling, standing, venerating, etc.]
 
Well, like the stars in Jeremiah’s secretary Baruch’s reading at the Easter Vigil, after our Triduum ups and downs, Marcel and I are now saying “Yes!” and shining joyfully. What has led to this transformation from half fearful to entirely sparkling? Nothing more nor less than the further words of our Beloved Spouse. He is so mighty and so merciful!
 
“The women came up and embraced His feet and did Him homage. At this Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Go and carry the news to My brothers that they are to go to Galilee, where they will see Me.’” (Matthew 28)
 
To Marcel and us this day, Jesus says even more than “Be not afraid.”
His love is limitless, as He repeatedly explains to His little secretaries, and this means He must constantly reveal more of His eternal and infinite compassion. And so, in His dialogue with Marcel on this Easter Sunday, Jesus offers words of comfort which I offer to you in His name. It is our Easter mandate, our reassurance, His promise that we are not imagining that God loves us – we are not imagining it nearly enough! To us Jesus says at this moment:
 
“Come, come, little brother, the goodness of your true Father is without measure, as I have told you many times already. Even if, in His Love, He indulged you in everything, filling all your desires, He would never find it enough for His Love; He would only be afraid that you might not have the strength to receive all His treats. Whatever I do to spoil you, I consider it all as being nothing.” (492)
 
On this Easter day – which lasts in full solemnity until Divine Mercy one week hence – I wish for you the fulfillment of all your desires, and even more importantly, the strength to receive all His treats! He loves you endlessly just as you are, in all your weakness, in your tears and laughter, in your utterly original beauty (with or without make-up and/or oozing shoes). He is pouring His love upon you - not only on this Easter day, but throughout the Easter Season (7 weeks!) and beyond, far into eternity! So heed His words with joy - and rest in the glory of His very personal love for you.
 
As to Marcel, I repeat with Jesus: Do not be afraid (or in common parlance, “No worries! It’s all good!). This is the day the Lord has made; He wants us to rejoice and be glad in it, and He doesn't even leave Marcel or us in suspense as to the future of our little brother’s feet. Rather, in His tender solicitude He explains:

“Do not be troubled. I would not be pleased. Remain in peace, your sandals will be dealt with by Love, but you must not worry.”
 
If the shoe fits . . . or in other words, whatever qualifies as your oozing sandals today – for we are still in Exile, even as we celebrate the Victory of Love – remain in peace. Rest assured that Love, having conquered death and sin, will deal with your sandals in due time, but you must not worry. Instead, take a lesson from the women in the Gospel.
 
Before Jesus appeared to the holy women this Easter morning, even before the angel appeared to them and sent them off half fearful, half overjoyed, first they had to get to the tomb. They set out before dawn, and on their way, what did they do? Naturally, reasonably, completely justifiably, they worried.
 
“Who?" they asked each other. “Who will roll back the stone?”
 
Was there ever a more sensible concern? These were tired women (I doubt they’d been getting much sleep since the traumatic incidents of Good Friday), and that was one huge stone.
 
And yet, as it turns out, their worry was the silliest in the entire history of worrying from the moment after Eve crunched into the apple until the last trumpet sounds.  And I love that the best worry ever turns out to be the most unnecessary. This is no accident! I think God is telling us something . . .
 
And so as you worry today (what a panoply of emotions! What a wealth of hysteria available to us on Easter! Worries, Joys, Fears, Peace – do get some rest, if you’re able, and I will try to do the same), remember that Jesus has, actually, taken care of absolutely everything already. (Yes, even the ham and the potatoes.) In His own inimitable words to us through our darling Marcel:
 
“Do not be troubled. I would not be pleased. Remain in peace, your sandals will be dealt with by Love, but you must not worry.”
 
Whether we worry (sometimes we just can’t help it!) or whether we get some sleep, let’s tell Jesus we love Him a lot today and give Him at least one big smile.
Alleluia! He is risen!
He is risen as He said!