Glory to Jesus Christ y'all! A grace-filled Feast of Our Lady of the Snows to you who are Roman. We Byzantines commemorate the old soldier Martyr Eusignius, who was murdered by the order of Julian the Apostate for refusing to worship idols.
I rewrite this post after unintentionally pressing backspace and erasing it all!😭
Martyrdom…a sure way to Heaven…is violent. Indeed, Our Lord Himself said: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away.” [Matthew 11:12, Douay Rheims, drbo.org] The appended commentary says: “[12] "Suffereth violence": It is not to be obtained but by main force, by using violence upon ourselves, by mortification and penance, and resisting our perverse inclinations.” We each, unless Baptized babies and the like, must suffer willingly to enter full union with God which is eternal bliss.
And, given that God created this world to, among other things, teach us, it bears marks of violence that remind us that it is not our eternal home, but a proving ground for our love for Him. Its passing but amazing beauty points us to our eternal home, and makes our longing for Heaven all the more keen.
The benign beautiful landscape of Florida has hurricanes and alligator attacks among its marks of violence. Dear Montana's marks are like shattered crockery.
The toothiness of its mountains.
Their abrupt rising out of flatlands.
Even the broken appearance of its surface rocks.
Yet, even atop a violent-looking mountain above Butte, Our Lady beckons us to eternity with Her Divine Son.
Our Lady of the Rockies, pray for us!
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